Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Time For You: Nourish Your Inner Lusciousness



UPDATE: CONGRATULATIONS JEWELRY ROCKSTAR—YOU'RE THE WINNER OF THE NATURI QUENCH GIVEAWAY! SHELLEY WILL REACH OUT TO YOU DIRECTLY FOR YOUR INFORMATION. THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO PARTICIPATED!


By SHELLEY CHAPMAN

The other day I was having a conversation with my friend about being busily productive. We both were making strides in our academic and entrepreneurial pursuits AND we were both exhausted! How easy it was for us to describe our lists of daily tasks, to-do-lists, upcoming events to attend, penciled in meetings, appearance-only engagements and our accomplishments of the week. We were painting a total picture of success, right? NOT! How is not taking time for yourself success? We were both missing our personal time, fully overloaded, sleepy and gasping for air!

My mom always told me, "how you care for yourself is how you care for others." *Gasp* Here I am thinking that I'm offering all that I have and being of use. Well, I'm definitely offering all that I have. As far as being of use? Yeah, not so much. So, I took it as my cue to realign myself with the very core of my being and my business, Naturi Beauty, where I offer products and services by promoting radiance from crown to core by encouraging three concepts: nourish, nurture and grow.

For some of us this doesn't always come easy. The reasons—I mean excuses—are innumerable, from not being used to putting ourselves first, to not having enough money to do what we want, to not finding time. Well, I say there is no such thing as not enough! We create time, not find it. Get used to putting yourself first; there is nothing wrong with it. You deserve it! For those that live on the other side of prosperity, never let what funds you think you don't have stop you from having the most precious gifts we could give to ourselves: time and attention.

There are enough "Stop and Smell the Roses" self-care tips. Naturi Beauty takes it a step further and encourages you to "CREATE the Roses!" So with that said, I have taken the dutiful liberty of creating a starter self-care list. You can do it by yourself or with a delightful partner of your choosing. Dig it:

Naturi Beauty's Suggestions to Nourish, Nurture and Grow

1. Celebrate Your Body
Create a spiceful, intimate evening with your partner. Reserve an area in the house and transform it into an art studio. Lay down a protective barrier for the floor (an old sheet or painter's drop cloth will do the trick). Lay down comfortably and allow your partner to decorate your nude temple using sensuous brushstrokes with varying degrees of pressure. Do not direct the experience, allow him/her to be creative and enjoy feeling your body being worshiped. Once the master piece is complete, hand your partner the camera, strike a sexy pose and model away!

2. Indulge in Scrumptious Delights:
Gone are the days where cooking is a chore and a bore! Step into the new millenium and sign up for a Girls Night Out Cooking Class! What more fun can it be than to indulge in some serious grown, sisterly, unadulterated food play for your self! No husband, no children, just your own tastes to fulfill while sipping on a glass of wine. Sounds good to me. Many cooking schools offer Girls Night Out cooking courses; check Viking Cooking School for your local classes and times. (Of course, you also could gather up your girlfriends and your own favorite recipes and take turns teaching each other how to cook them in your own house.) Get dressed, travel to a culinary destination with your girls, cook and indulge in global cuisine with all the prep work done. Enjoy without the guilt, the calorie count and the budget check. Celebrate each other, savor the bite, relish in the feeling of consuming pure deliciousness and swallow heaven. Yummmmmmm!

3. Dance! It's the Feminine Art of Sensuality:
Dance is a healing universal gift and language. It speaks to our souls, our bodies, our minds and our WOMBS! Yes that's right, our wombs. Movement is a feminine art and is sensually expressed in dances such as Belly Dance, Salsa and Soukous. Feeling the sexy sway of our hips, the undulations of our curves and the subtle arches in our back bring about a desirous and powerful feminine force! Put on your waist beads, your "come hither" threads, let your hair down and embrace the part of you that is soft, willing and open. Your mind, body, heart, and womb will thank you. (So will your partner—wink, wink!)

To celebrate the grand opening of Naturi Beauty Concepts, MyBrownBaby is teaming up with Naturi's founder, Shelley Chapman, to give away a jar of her all-natural Naturi Quench, an intense moisturizing cream with Hemp and jojoba oils, aloe and honey—designed to rejuvenate dry hair and restore moisture and sheen. It's great for daily moisture, smoothing edges and styling touch ups, and works wonders for braids, twists and braid-twist outs. Akilah at Execumama speaks highly of the product, and I'm going to buy a coupla jars for Mari and Lila's hair, for sure.

Want a jar of your own? Here are three ways to win:

1. Go over to Naturi Beauty Concepts and become a follower and then leave a comment HERE on MBB telling me you did.

2. Check out the Naturi Beauty Concepts website and leave a comment here telling me something good about what you learned there.

3. Tweet about this giveaway, and leave the link to your tweet in the comments section here on MyBrownBaby.

This contest will run until 11:59 p.m. on Thursday, September 17, 2009. The winner will be picked via Random.org, and announced on MyBrownBaby on Friday, September 18, 2009. The prize, which retails for $20, will be sent directly from Naturi Beauty Concepts. Good luck!


Photo credit: The beautiful picture illustrating this post is from the luscious site, Gorgeous Black Women



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15 comments:

  1. Wonderful post...esp. the art work...hmm. I truly believe that if we as women don't take care of ourselves, replenish our body and spirit, we won't have anything left for our children and partners.

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  2. I love this post! Great ideas. If you don't mind I'd like to repost it on my new website www.lovesgumbo.com for my readers.

    Brooke

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  3. I went over and left a comment. Her food looks so yummy and healthy. I love that. Her Hair looks so well nourished, and I think that tells me a lot about her products. Plus, I love that she is well educated, but found her way back to her passion.

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  4. @Jewelry Rockstar thanks for the love I look forward to the post.
    @Yvonne Bynoe I agree with you 100%

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  5. If I don't take time for myself I turn into a stabby beyotch. Getting my hair done doesn't count, neither does running errands. Just this morning I was thinking that my day is filled with things I HAVE to do, and nothing I WANT to do. Ruh roh!

    I love the phrase on her site, "architect of life!"

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  6. I became a follower over at Naturi Beauty Concepts

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  7. I just found your wonderful blog.

    I absolutely LOVE THIS! This entire post is so true, we all need ME time...I can't wait to dance again for my hubby.

    And I also agree with Jewelry Rockstar, this deserves to be shared. I too would like to post this to my blog, if you don't mind. TIA!

    The Road to Fabulosity

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  8. @Shaz I bet he can't wait for the dance neither! I would love for you to share this on your blog.

    @ Dee@ Cocktails thanks for following!

    @MelADramatic Mommy be your own "architect of life" and turn what you "have" to do into what you "want to do" and look forward to your days :)

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  9. Great post - and the Naturi Quench sounds wonderful :o)

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  10. I became a follower! Oooh I hope I win, that sounds soooo nice!

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  11. I'm so happy to have found another blog/website with natural products. Did that pizza not look yummy? (I couldn't get past looking at the pizza cause I'm kinda hungry right now. LOL) I became a follower on the blog. I visited the website as well, and I'm so excited to try some of the products soon.

    And did you mention dancing? You've reminded me that I need to schedule to attend those belly dancing classes. Definitely trying to put myself higher on my list these days.

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  12. Yep, it's high time my fellow Mamas learn about the wonders of Naturi products. I've used Naturi Quench for at least two years now, and all I can say is "GET YOU SOME!". Thanks, Denene for shoutin' out my fave Chief Tress Enhancer!

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  13. Oh I won!!!! Yea!!! I have entered many giveaways and this is the first one I've won.

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  14. I received my intense moisturizer yesterday, and used it on my daughter's hair last night. It is wonderful! Light, deep penetrating and it made her hair so supple. Thanks for the gift!

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