Lupita The Beautiful!

Congratulations Lupita!!
Lupita made the cover of The "Most Beautiful" issue of People magazine.

I am elated that she was added to the list! Afterall, she's a talented and beautiful! Intelligent and beautiful! Lupita's fabulous sense of fashion, her gorgeous smile and of course her smooth choqolate skin make her the total package... BUT WHAT I LOVE MOST IS HER ATTITUDE!

Lupita is the epitome of #InsideOutBeauty.

Lupita said, "Happiness is the most important thing,"

Yes! HAPPINESS!! The state of being happy.

People believe that they are happy because of the material possessions they  have. True happiness comes from within. It's important that you feel good about you!

Here's one of my favorite quotes regarding happiness:

"If you think sunshine brings you happiness, then you haven’t danced in the rain." – Unknown

Congratulations Lupita Darling!!!
#TEAMINSIDEOUTBEAUTY

Lupita and Lancome are a match made in heaven!

Oh the joy that flood my soul... when I read, Lupita was chosen to be an Ambassador for French beauty brand Lancôme.

Lupita's smooth, dark choqolate (chocolate) skin tone and stunning smile aren't the only things that make her captivating... Check out her beautiful words below regarding the start of her journey as Lancôme's Beauty Ambassador.

"I am truly honored to join the Maison Lancôme, a brand with such a prestigious history that I have always loved. I am particularly proud to represent its unique vision for women and the idea that beauty should not be dictated, but should instead be an expression of a woman's freedom to be herself," 

Lupita is the perfect example of #InsideOutBeauty. 

Congrats Lupita Darling!!! Rock on!!

AND... yes the bold blue eyeliner she rocked is by Lancome Darling! 

Eliminate Dry and Drab Hair - DIY Avocado, Honey & Olive Oil Hair Mask

DIY Avocado Hair Mask 

Did you know avocados are known for keeping your hair hydrated?!
It's true! Avocados are great way to prevent split ends also. I'm sure you wondering how, right? It's all about the natural avocado oil. This light weight oil is easily absorbed into the scalp and into the hair shaft. You can never go wrong with this natural oil. 

The next ingredient you'll need is honey.  Honey is the almighty humectant. This natural humectant draws the moisture to your hair (this is great for those who suffer from having really dry hair... like me). It's full an antioxidants as I've said in my HONEY post. 

The last ingredient is olive oil.
Olive oil gives your hair added shine and seals moisture in.

LOCK YOUR MOISTURE IN and throw away the key!

 SHABBY HAIR  YOUR DAYS ARE NUMBERED!

The answer to your your dull-as-dish-water hair can be found in your kitchen (I crack myself up)! 

Deep conditioning accompanied with this DIY Avocado Hair Mask is the ticket (Get on board).

Ingredients: 

1 ripe avocado

1 Tbs olive oil (feel free to substitute with your favorite oil ex. almond or jojoba)

1 Tbs honey

Instructions:

Open the avocado and remove the seed. Scoop out the flesh of the avocado and place it in your bowl. Add a tablespoon of honey and a tablespoon of olive oil into your bowl. Blend ingredients. If you want a smoother consistency, use a simple hand mixer.

Next, apply this mixture generously to your hair, first making sure your hair is damp for maximum absorption. Part hair into four sections and massage the avocado paste into your hair. Feel free to use a wide tooth comb to distribute the mixture evenly.

Once your hair is saturated with the Avocado Hair Mask, cover completely with a shower cap.Leave on your head for 30-35 minutes and allow the mask to deeply penetrate hair. Rinse the mask out completely with warm water and follow through with your normal hair routine.

Now let's say you don't feel like whipping up a hair mask... Check out Blinging Beauty's perfect alternate Burt's Bees Avocado Butter Pre-Shampoo Hair Treatment! (Click here for the original post) 

Pics courtesy of www.med-health.net, www.thenibble.com & www.health.com 

Hey Honey!

Hello Honey! Did you know honey has a multitude of benefits? Honey is a tried-and-true natural remedy for beauty, health and wellness. 


After becoming an au natural gal, I would often times hear folks say, "just pick up a jar of honey at your local grocery store" OR  "use organic honey ONLY."


What is Organic Honey? 
Well, according to Honey World and the USDA, "Honey is currently NOT included in the USDA’s National Organic Standard according to a recent policy statement by the USDA’s National Organic Program. This basically means that there is no legal definition of organic U.S. honey." 

Of course I couldn't believe it!! ORGANIC HONEY HAS NO LEGAL DEFINITION! (o_O)
According to The Brookfield Farm Bees & Honey "Your honey can be certified organic by the US government, although they have no regulations to define organic honey."

Photograph by Tony Hutchings/Getty Image

So... what about Raw Honey, right? 
Apparently, there is no "real" definition for raw honey also! I know right. Basically, Raw Honey is unpasteurized, unprocessed, unheated honey. Raw honey is an alkaline-forming food. It is best none for it's natural vitamins and antioxidants.

Well now I wondered about Regular Honey.
Regular honey, is pasteurized honey. This honey has basically been heated up ladies and gents. Some say the process of pasteurizing honey kills "bacteria" (like yeast) found in honey and other's say this makes honey's health benefits null and void! (Whomp Whomp) 

Like most folks, I drive to the store, find the magical aisle where honey resides, pick up the jar labeled HONEY, put in the cart and away I go; BUT was it really honey? Did bees make that honey? Should I care? 
I really didn't care until I asked my kiddies to buy mommy a jar of honey. They bought a bear shaped jar of HONEY SYRUP. I explained to my kiddies how important it is... to READ first of all and I began to explain to them this was not the honey I was looking for. The first thing they said was, "it said HONEY and it was in a bear jar". At any rate Honey Syrup could not soothe my upset tummy.

The lesson here is the following:
Just because it's sitting on the top shelf near the Smuckers jams, jellies and Skippy peanut butter (No shade thrown here - I am a regular on this aisle.) OR because it's in a bear shaped container or a odd shaped jar, labeled with cute, smiling honey bees in a wispy motion, does not mean it's the type of honey I'm looking for. Check out the label. Raw Honey is not Regular Honey... HONEY! 

This is PART 1 of a continued post on all things HONEY related.  

Who Is The Choqolate Chiq?

Who is the Choqolate Chiq? 

I am the following: 

I am a mother, wife, big sister, and a daughter. I am dark skinned, African-American woman from San Francisco, California. I have an awkward sense of fashion (I believe ugly items can be cute), I have super coily #naturalhair and I cannot live without music.

I am best known for...

My big smile, awesome sense of humor (this opinion may vary), and my red lipstick addiction. 

Why do I call myself the Choqolate (pronounced chocolate) Chiq (pronounced chick)?

I am the sweetest, dark choqolate, brown skin chiq you'll ever know!! 

Did you know... 

I grew up thinking my dark skin was deemed as ugly and undesirable (sad face).

Unfortunately, I remember what it felt like to hear someone say, "dark skin is ugly" and I remember being treated badly because of my dark skin tone. I will admit these things were very hurtful to my self-esteem. (Don't worry this did not ruin my life. This experience taught me a lesson.)  

As I grew older, I began to realize my skin was really beautiful. My dark brown skin was not a curse or some thing to hate. My complexion looked like #Choqolate. I learned to love and embrace the skin that I am in.

Random fact about me:
I love celebrating womanhood no matter the skin tone, ethnicity, size or shape. 

Random fact about the blog post called Choqolate Chiq :
This page is meant to encourage all women, while paying attention to darker skin women who need that extra encouragement. 

I want women everywhere to be proud of who they are. Whether you are white choqolate, light choqolate, milk choqolate or dark choqolate... OR no choqolate. 

It's important for you to know that true beauty comes from within and shines on the outside. 

This Choqolate Chiq is all about #InsideOutBeauty.

Eat A Mango

I love mangoes. Mangoes have so many benefits. They are filled with antioxidants and vitamins suchas, Vitamin A, Vitamin E and are a great source of Vitamin C. This fruit aids in the prevention of certain cancers due the antioxidants found in this fruit. (That's right mangoes are known to have high amounts of antioxidants.) Mangoes contain a lot of beta-carotene. The beta carotene found in the mango is converted into Vitamin A. Why do we need Vitamin A? Vitamin A is not only good for your immune health but it also assist with repairing skin tissue (Some times we over  expose our skin to the sun's rays and this can really damage our skin). WHO KNEW... Skin health and mangoes really go hand in hand. Another vitamin that is found in mangoes is Vitamin E. Vitamin E is often called an antioxidant. This antioxidant does not only help fight free radicals in your body but it also aids in reducing the appearance of age spots, freckles and wrinkles. This is another reason why you will find skin products with high levels of Vitamin E. The same goes for the Vitamin C. Normally, we take Vitamin C for our basic immune health. Additionally, Vitamin C stimulates the production of collagen in your skin. This process will assist with giving you resilient and supple skin. Of course we cannot forget about the delicious flavor of a ripe, sweet-smelling mango. Mangoes are not only a tasty sweet treat but they are great for our bodies due to the high vitamin content and antioxidants. Mangoes are defiantly this Choqolate Chiq's favorite summer time treat.