#HealthyWealthyAndWise Edition

Like countless others, I'm working on my financial situation and I'm sure you've thought about it as well. 

Please join me in sharing healthy, wealthy, and wise tips to others by commenting below or Tweet me @qianaqiana. 

I came across this friendly reminder...
Thank you Kendra - The Things I Love Most

I started with #2 - Have a budget and stick with it!

I started myself off with something small. I started off with my weekly allowance; It's important to have attainable goals.

I committed to making my own coffee at least 3 times a week (I saved $5.00) AND committed to taking my lunch to work at least 2 times week (I saved $20.00). 

This commitment allowed me to stick to my $20.00 per week budget and would you believe, I had a little money leftover - #Kaching!💲💲💲

Now don't get me wrong, I struggled to break the SPEND MONEY habit! This process was tough BUT my determination to be more disciplined was a priority. Which principle will you try? 

STRONG ENOUGH TO BEAR THE CHILDREN... AND GET BACK TO BUSINESS

#Motherhood 

Like most women I wear many hats throughout my life. I am a daughter, wife, coworker, poet, art lover, manager/supervisor, business owner, red lipstick addict, nail polish addict, maid, short order cook for a lunch time menu only AND A MOTHER! 

I have a daughter and a son I love dearly. My daughter is growing up so fast... I literally can't believe it! I look at her and still see that little baby I held, the baby with 2 ponytails and 2 bottom teeth, the baby who sat in her car seat singing with me as we commuted to and fro (Bitter Sweet). 

Now she's ready to fly the coup. 

Being a mother is hard work. Some areas we excel and in other areas we can do a little better. The balancing act of #motherhood and life is one that can never be described as easy. You do the best you can and remember to smile along the way. 

My daughter and I tend to lose our minds when Beyonce's song WHO RUNS THE WORLD... GIRLS comes on. 

She laughs every time I scream out the part where Bey sings STRONG ENOUGH TO BEAR THE CHILDREN AND GET BACK TO BUSINESS! 
#MyLife  

 Hug her while you can.

Remember to be supportive. 

Share your fashion sense with your little girl.

 Look at her when she's talking.

Remember to smile.

Photos info

It's all about the Stroppy baby! (butter London you ROCK)

HELLO WORLD! 

I was lucky enough to attend Nordstrom's Beauty Trend Show in San Francisco with Blinging Beauty, Tracey Brown this year (Yay me!!). 

Nordstrom's Beauty Trend Show was all about the latest Spring/Summer Beauty and Fashion trends. Let's be honest! This is the season to show off your radiant skin, amazing smile and of course the perfect time to show off your mani! YES your hands are just as important as your face is darling! 

While watching the models rip the runway I saw one model in particular wearing the prettiest purple nail polish I've seen in a while! I simply fell in love with that color. 

As the show progressed a butter London rep joined the stage and mentioned the Laura Mercier model wearing the beautiful purple polish! AND she hit the runway again! I was so elated. I quickly snapped a picture and added butter London's Stroppy to my beauty shopping list.

butter London's Stroppy nail lacquer titled Stroppy!! Is a happening color ladies! I thought to myself hmmm... Stroppy is an interesting name for such a dynamite color polish! (AND YES... I looked up the word and read the British version of the word. Click the link for the definition of Stroppy http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/stroppy) 

At any rate, I am in love with Stroppy! This purple polish says FUN!! FUN!! FUN!! The Laura Mercier model rocked this color beautifully. This varnis is an eye catcher no matter who you are or what shade of choqolate (chocolate) you categorize yourself under.  

The glittery and shimmery specks throughout butter London's Stroppy nail polish really adds life to this vernis.

Long story short STROPPY is 
Choqolate Chiq APPROVED!  

Photo credit: butter London
To purchase: http://www.butterlondon.com/Lacquers/Purple-Nail-Lacquers/Stroppy-Nail-Lacquer.html

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

Rest In Peace Karyn Washington -

This morning I woke up to hear the sad news regarding Karyn Washington's (founder of For Brown Girls) death. Apparently she committed suicide (Bless her soul). Needless to say I am still in shock and very sad about this news. I pray that her family be comforted especially during this time. 

Someone reached out to me to participate in the For Brown Girls project called The #DarkSkinRedLip Project. I was elated needless to say. After-all, I have a true love for red lipstick but after reading her site, I immediately connected with what this was all about. This was about more than red lipstick or rapper A$AP Rocky's ignorant comments/opinion on #darkskin women who wear red lipstick. The real life lesson here was actually all about uplifting one another, self love and being proud of dark brown skin. 

For Brown Girls served as a platform where women with pretty smiles, choqolate (chocolate)brown skin and countless shades of red lipstick were a divine display of true beauty.

You may find it hard to believe that some dark brown skin women and girls grow up believing their skin is not beautiful. I'm here to tell you it's true. For Brown Girls gave dark skin women a place to share experiences and celebrate who we are. I believe in the mission of For Brown Girls and I'm grateful for Karyn Washington's drive and determination to create a safe place for brown skin girls to shine.

We all must realize true beauty starts from within. It's the beauty from within that makes you radiant. This is true for every ethnicity, nationality and every shade of brown.

Karyn Washington may you rest in peace. I will never forget the great work you started.

Links for Brown Girls: www.forbrowngirls.com

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 

SHE'S THE BOMB WITH A BEAUTIFUL SMILE!

She's a talented, beautiful dark-skin, actress AND she has a smile that can light up a room. Do you know who I'm talking about?  

DID YOU KNOW... Lupita was inspired to become an actress by watching the movie Color Purple! (YES THE COLOR PURPLE) Lupita said, "When I saw Whoopi Goldberg and she looked like me, I was like, 'Oh, I can do this!'" WHOOPI INSPIRED LUPITA!! It seems so rare that you ever hear anyone mention Whoopi Goldberg for inspiration BUT why not? 

Now for my Whoopi rant! Throughout my life people have said, Qi you have a big smile like Whoopi Goldberg! (Some people think this is a horrible thing and that it's not accurate.) Quite naturally I say thank you and THEN I say... I wish I had Whoopi's money! I'd really smile like WHOOPI THEN! (I am cracking up... but I am so serious)

We all know... no one is perfect but we cannot deny the many accomplishments Mz. Goldberg has achieved... to name a few... She is one of the few persons to win an Oscar, a Grammy, a Tony, and an Emmy. She has been seen in over 150 films, and she was once the highest-paid actress of all time. Her humanitarian efforts are more than a notion and she is an activist (Power to the people). 

Of course we all know...she is (MY FAVORITE) a moderator and co-host of The View, Whoopi actually replaced Rosie O'Donnell (I totally forgot Rosie was on The View).

NOW FOR THE NEWS YOU MAY NOT KNOW! DID YOU KNOW! 

Whoopi Goldberg & Ben Silverman sold an Interracial Romantic Comedy to ABC called Iman and Andy! I KNOW RIGHT?! YES I AM SERIOUS!  

Here's the scoop (Courtesy of the Hollywood Reporter) "Iman & Andy is a thirty minute comedy about two 20-something interracial coworkers at an online magazine who have been secretly dating. They are forced to work on a relationship advice blog when thenew editor-in-chief exposes their relationship." ( I cannot wait to see this one) 

LONG STORY SHORT! WHOOPI is actually BEYOND inspiring! BUT what I LOVE the most about her is the fact that she is happy with who she is! despite what people may say. WHOOPI! YOU ARE THE BOMB!! ROCK ON!  AND LUPITA YOU HAVE IT RIGHT!! 

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.

BEY'S 2014 CALENDAR IS HAUTE!!

SHE IS... Flashing bits of skin, rocking sexy black latex boots and sporting a hat like she runs the world! 

SHE ALSO... Never ceases to amaze the world with her sultry, stylish, sex appeal.

SHE IS... BEY BABY!! 

BEYONCE IS THE "NEW" BOSS (Diana Ross is still THEE BOSS in my book BUT Beyonce is right behind her!)! Here are a couple of my favorite shots in black and white accompanied with my thoughts if I were BEY! 

 I RUN THIS!! 

 Yeah... You love my style

 You coming over or what!?!

I am a DIVA BOSS! Now take the picture!! 

Check out the behind the scenes video below! AND I'm sure you want your own copy of Beyonce's 1st Calendar right?! Here's the link >> shop.beyonce.com.

Love and Marriage BUT He's Cheating On YOU...

I must admit, I watched bits and pieces of Basketball Wives (Please don't judge me LOL). I was hesitant to watch last night's episode of Basketball Wives due to the unnecessary fussing and fighting. The last couple of seasons of this show were just over the top for me. I honestly do not enjoy watching women tear each other down every chance they get. Needless to say, I did tune in for a little while (like many others) and in that short frame of  time I realized... the views on love and marriage seem sort of distorted. 

 

When is it ever acceptable to marry a man who happens to sleep around with other women from time to time?

 

WHY get married?

 

If you are dealing with that sort of guy... this simply means he is not ready to commit to you (I can hear the round of applause now). Now don't get me wrong, I do realize Basketball Wives is a TV show and the drama makes for "good entertainment" (or so they say). The realization that many women in our everyday livese actually find themselves in this similar situation.

Marrying a man who is not faithful to you has to be one of the craziest things a person could do... unless it's an "open marriage" (I personally don't get that situation also BUT that's another blog post. #IJS)
 I find it heartbreaking to know women will accept "knowing" about the other woman before anyone else knows. I understand things happen BUT if you know your guy is cheating on you BEFORE you walk down the aisle and say "I do", THEN WHY GET MARRIED!? Situations like the one I just described, reminds me of "self torture". No one wants a broken-heart. REMEMBER to always protect your heart ladies, you only get one. 

AND not to bring another reality show into this, BUT during an episode of R&B Divas LA, Diva - Chante Moore had the other Divas re-commit to themselves. Each lady walked down the aisle, dressed in their gowns and recited their vows to themselves in front of each other. This was a very emotional moment for these women. I instantly thought of myself. What would I say? What do I vow to myself? You should do the same.

What do you vow to yourself?

 

As for me I vowed to do the following:

I vow to forgive myself for my short comings. 

I vow to accept my random craziness. 

I vow to embrace my big smile. 

I vow to unconditionally love myself. 

It is my hope and prayer that if anyone is in a relationship, it's a healthy relationship. A relationship that brings you true joy. If you're not in a relationship, learn to be your own best friend (a phrase my mother uses quite often). Treat yourself right. Be good to yourself. Vow to love yourself because you are worthy. 

NOW TIME FOR THE BOUQUET TOSS (smile)

images courtesy of TVOne

Did Beyonce copy Ciara?

Does Beyonce seems to be rocking everyone's hair style these days or what? 

This picture courtesy of wblk.com says exactly what I thought when I saw Beyonce's pixie hair cut pics... I thought to myself is 
Beyonce is rocking a blonde Rih Rih hair-do!?!

Don't get me wrong, I appreciate the change Bey is going for. GO HEAD BEY! Do yo thang! No shade thrown here. 
(yes spelled and said just that way)

After a couple of days of the pixie cut, I suddenly saw BEY rocking a blond bob. Of course I screamed out loud... BEY!!! BEY ARE YOU REALLY ROCKING A CIARA HAIR-DO!! 

I wonder which celebrity hair style will be next?

 

I would love to see Bey ROCK a curly hair-do.

Often times it seems that she is forced to wear her hair blond and straight. 

HEALTHY SMILES AND J. COLE (SMILE WITH ME)

MY SMILE!! Many of you may or may not know that this BUT the Choqolate Chiq doesn't have a perfect smile. However, I smile anyway (I have a BIG SMILE). In the past I would often cover up my smile. As I mature and get older, I tend not to care so much about covering my smile. One morning I woke up and heard J. Cole's latest song, Crooked Smile. This song had me rocking and smiling!! I LOVED IT for so many reasons!!

Smiling is good for the mind, body, heart and soul! It's really not about a crooked smile or perfect smile BUT it's all about a genuine, true, authentic SMILE!  

It is a known fact that there are many types of smiles. I tend to say we have the fake smile (I am guilty of this one in pictures) and we have the genuine smile (I am good for this one too LOL). The healthy smile is actually the true smile better known as the Duchenne smile.

French neurologist Dr. Guillaume Duchenne, investigated/studied the difference between True Smile and the False Smile.

How to recognize a genuine smile:
The genuine smile causes the Zygomatic muscles of the cheek to raise the corners of the mouth and the Orbicularis Oculi muscles of the eye (raising the cheeks and forming crow's feet around the eye). ALL of these signs indicate that the smile is genuine and that the person smiling is truly happy.           

Why do you want a genuine smile?
The true and genuine SMILE stimulates happy places in your body which cause "good" chemicals to be released, thus relieving you of stress and depression!! (I am sure when you think about it... you will agree)

I recently read an article on smiling and this description actually sums up why smiling is healthy! "On a biochemical level, smiling releases endorphins and serotonin. Endorphins are natural painkillers. The more endorphins your brain releases, the more your body can fight off symptoms of illness."

Isn't that wonderful (smile)!!

"Similarly, serotonin is a brain chemical that acts as a natural anti-depressant. Reshaping our mouth from a frown to a smile literally sparks serotonins dramatically shifting our sense of well-being from negative to positive."

PRESS PLAY AND SMILE WITH ME !!

(make sure it's a real smile)

Check out the link below for more information on smiling.
To purchase this song go onto Google Play

Thank you Underground Health Reporter for sharing & Celeste Yarnall, PhD
Read more: http://undergroundhealthreporter.com/duchenne-smile-benefits#ixzz2Xd0kzgSL
Read more: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/the-health-benefits-of-smiling.html#ixzz2Xd02zrJT