Editor’s Journal

Get your glow on: 6 tips to make your skin and hair shine

Classic, Editor's Journal, Editorial, Fashion, Featured

(BPT) – Face it, winter is brutal for your skin and hair. Between the harsh, cold wind outside and the dry, overheated air inside, it’s hard to look your best all winter long. On top of that, everyone tends to overindulge in unhealthy food and drinks during the winter months. Fortunately, there are strategies you can use to enhance your looks while boosting your body’s natural ability to fight off the ill effects of winter.

Here are some tips to look your best – even when the weather does its worst.

Treat your skin with TLC

Gently cleanse, exfoliate and moisturize your skin every day. Find products best suited for your skin type and be consistent about using them.

Thoroughly remove makeup before bed and use extra moisturizer overnight so you’ll wake up with a brighter, clearer complexion each morning.

Deep condition your hair

Just as you use a good moisturizer to help replenish and protect your skin every day, find hair conditioners or deep conditioning oils that can prevent your hair from drying out, frizzing or turning brittle. Look for products using natural ingredients, and that are designed for your hair type.

Hydrate well – from the inside out

If you want hair and skin that aren’t overly dried out, it’s not enough to just condition or moisturize them from the outside.

Staying well hydrated, by drinking at least eight glasses of water each day, will help your body maintain healthier, more beautiful skin and hair. You’ll also feel better, inside and out.

Lastly, avoid drinking too many beverages that are dehydrating – like tea and coffee, soda and alcoholic drinks.

Detox with a Green Smoothie Cleanse and Apple Cider Vinegar Cleanse

Both cleanses developed by JJ Smith help to remove toxins from your system, resulting in brighter eyes, lusher hair and glowing, beautiful skin.

The Green Smoothie Cleanse is a 10-day detox made up of green leafy veggies, fruit and water. Green smoothies are filling and healthy, aiding the body to lose weight, increase energy, reduce cravings and improve digestion.

Raw ingredients are more nutritious and loaded with beneficial vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, fiber, anti-inflammatory compounds and phytonutrients.

The Apple Cider Vinegar Cleanse involves consuming a six-day meal plan day alongside a daily dose of apple cider vinegar. Apple cider vinegar can contain strains of good bacteria and enzymes essential for breaking down foods and acetic acid for various health benefits.

The Cleanse can help rid your body of toxins, jump-start your weight loss and improve gut health and skin health.

For even better results, supplement the cleanses with Liver Focus, which contains scientifically validated ingredients to accelerate your results. You can mix the supplement directly into water or take it alongside the cleanses. This powerful supplement helps to accelerate fat burning in the body, gives you brighter eyes and glowing skin and has a significant impact on liver health and weight loss.

Visit JJSmithonline.com for your next steps.

Boost your vitamin intake

Many vitamins help keep your skin, hair and nails healthy and beautiful: Vitamins A, B, Biotin (B7), C and K, plus fish oil. These vitamins are found in a variety of foods such as fruits and veggies (especially dark leafy greens), fish, nuts and seeds. To be sure you’re getting enough of all these vitamins, you can also take vitamin supplements.

Protect your skin and hair from the elements

If you spend time outdoors, especially doing winter sports, keep your skin and hair covered. Exposing them to harsh wind, cold temps and winter glare can be damaging. Wear sunscreen to protect your skin from UV damage – yes, even in the winter! Snow and ice reflect UV rays, making them even more damaging than being at the beach in the summer.

Taking care of your health and your beauty are really one and the same. Steps like these will make you feel good and look good, too.

Hotel Hopping: Back To School and Staycation September Specials at The Diplomat Beach Resort

Culture, Editor's Journal, Lifestyle

Image courtesy of Diplomat Resort

By: Aurora Dominguez

 

Summer is almost over, but that doesn’t mean the fun has to end. In fact, you deserve to enjoy what’s left of it.

 

Image courtesy of Aurora Dominguez

Recently, this teacher and journalist had a chance to experience The Diplomat Beach Resort in Hollywood, Florida. And, I must admit, it was one of the highlights of my summer.

 

Image courtesy of the Diplomat Resort

From fresh-prepared cocktails at the Hotel Bar, to perfectly prepared sushi rolls at Monkital, breakfast at Point Royal and even a poolside day by a cabana and signature facial at the resort’s Spa, all of these experiences can be your right in time for back-to-school or even for a quick weekend Staycation.

 

Image courtesy of Diplomat Resort

Conveniently located between Miami and Fort Lauderdale, The Diplomat Beach Resort in Hollywood Florida is a safe haven of relaxation. Once inside, you’ll be enveloped by a soothing environment, exceptional service and huge rooms full of enough space for you to chill and enjoy the sounds and views of the ocean from your very own balcony. I actually did some back-to-school prep from the balcony and sent some e-mails while enjoying the gorgeous view, so if you are a couple looking for a unique getaway or a teacher needing that last hurrah before summer ends, this hotel has it all.

 

In September 2019, the “Style Saves Back to School Splash Sale” & “Weekend Staycations” include $149 a night stays at the resort. Yes, you read that right. What are you waiting for? It’s time to treat yourself. You can thank us over here at Worthy Magazine later for encouraging you to relax, rest and rejuvenate in one of the best resorts that South Florida has to offer where you can dine, lay-back and play!

 

 

The Diplomat Beach Resort is located at 3555 Ocean Drive, Hollywood, FL. For more information, visit www.diplomatresort.com. 

 

Big taste in half the space: Tips to garden great in small areas

Culture, Editor's Journal, Featured

When it comes to cooking and eating the freshest vegetables and herbs, we recommend growing your own. Make the most of your harvest this year by selecting plants that will thrive in your space. Container gardening is a great option, perfect for those who want to plant on patio or deck spaces. You can use containers to grow favorite herbs and vegetables, so you can harvest fresh flavors right outside your door.

Whether you have a condo patio, a high-rise rooftop, a quaint sunny corner of your yard or even a window box, the experts at Burpee Plants know anyone can be a successful gardener no matter their level of experience or space available. Here are top suggestions for plants perfect for small spaces that bring the performance and flavor:

Confetti Pepper: Petite peppers pack a lot of punch in a little 2-ounce size that can be eaten fresh at any stage, from green to ruby red. The eye-catching leaves are beautiful, too. Kids especially enjoy watching the fruit change colors over time and snacking on the bountiful harvest.

Atlas Tomato: If you want a big slicing tomato for sandwiches or a stacked caprese salad, the Atlas Tomato is for you. This container-friendly beefsteak tomato is disease resistant, which means healthy plants all season, and features impressive, extra-large tomatoes that are as fun to grow as they are to eat.

Jungle Parrot Pepper: Named for its adorable, beak-like shape, this pepper is perfect for patio containers. It ripens to a beautiful, rich red that adds a pop of color to your space. Enjoy this sweet and delicious pepper fresh from the vine, displayed as a table centerpiece, sliced for a sauté or as stuffed appetizers.

Merry Mint Fresh Flavors Herbs: Add healthy flavor to all types of cooking by planting your own herbs. Merry Mint and other favorite flavors can be snipped as needed for salads, marinades, garnishing and more. From parsley and basil to sage and thyme, herbs are easy to care for — both indoors and outdoors — and easily expand your recipe possibilities.

Discover more garden inspiration, DIY projects and new recipes, like this Fauxjito, by visiting burpeehomegardens.com:

The Fauxjito

Ingredients: Merry Mint from your herb garden, Still water, Sparkling water, Glass carafe

Directions: Chop and muddle a few sprigs of Merry Mint and add to the carafe. Next, fill carafe full with one-third still water and then two-thirds sparkling water. Pour into glasses and enjoy!

Working While Feeling Broken

Culture, Editor's Journal, Featured

I have decided to keep a simple promise to myself. To sit down at my computer and reclaim my love for writing. My love for it started out of such a simple belief that I liked it and that I had something to say. That was all it took to pledge my allegiance to a craft that has since become a fixture in my constant battle with “imposter syndrome.”
The more I liked it, the more I wanted to be great at it. The louder you declare yourself a writer, I quickly learned, the more people will come out of nowhere to critique it. I think the most annoying thing I have observed strictly speaking from my own experience is the readiness people have to accept that someone is a writer when they are not a person of color. 
But when a person of color says that they do anything in a professional capacity there is an instant request for their credentials and a readiness to critique their work. That has mainly been my experience. I am not speaking for the entire community. I am speaking of my experiences and my observations. I have been reciting my resume since high school. 
I have been critiqued since high school. And I learned pretty early on that it is an insanely subjective trade. My means of survival through college was to write to the interests of whoever was critiquing my work. It worked for a little while. But eventually my desire to grow as a writer became difficult to ignore. I mean I am going into debt here. I might as well try to experiment and learn while there is no obligation to taking care of a family or (student loans). I wanted to do more than parrot revisions of established opinions that were being taught to me. I did want to be able to tell the stories of others.
But I wanted to expand my voice as well. I can honestly say that my skin was not thick enough for the critiques that I knew would follow committing to such a venture. Nevertheless, I tried it anyway. I graduated by the skin of my teeth. Ego bruised, confidence non-existent and in the kind debt that inspires panic attacks that feel eerily similar to my asthma attacks. My final lab professor (reporting class) looked at me one evening during her office hours and said words that I am just accepting now (to quote the Queen of the North, “I’m a slow learner. But I learn”).

“Ju’lia, it feels like you are defeated. It even shows in your body language. You shrink up when we discuss your writing.”

In that moment, I became cripplingly loyal to being defeated. I would eventually believe that I was broken. 

You hear so many stories about people who lost so much of their lives building up a dream that never happened. That at some point they had to walk away and painfully start over. Most of the times it enables them to accept the very things that they use to passionately reject. I spent years wondering if that was my intended journey. Why couldn’t I go with a practical major? Why didn’t I have the mind for engineering or science? 
If you actually read all of this, I respect you. And I am guessing you are wondering how I worked with this energy while creating Worthy Magazine. My answer is cheesy. I hate typing sentences like this. I always question the authenticity of these words whenever I see them or read them. But my discomfort and distrust of these next few statements can’t make them less true. These are cheesy facts.
Every issue of Worthy was just as much for me as it was for my desired readers. I needed those messages. I needed to write some of those words. But I still found myself trying to create content that I thought people would read. I was still trying to tell the stories of others while not even believing in my ability to do so. It took me years to realize that I stopped writing for me even in the most intimate sense.
What I liked about writing all those years ago was the freedom to get out what I needed to say. I lost it in the pursuit of being a “gatekeeper of history,” which is a popular journalist mantra. And then I let the critiques on my ability to do that corrupt and convert my passion into fear. I became voiceless, by CHOICE. I think it is important to say that it was a choice because I still had critiques that spoke favorably of my ability to write. I realize now that there were honestly just as many positive critiques as negative critiques. But I have no problem admitting that my mind has always had a unique ability to absorb the negative much easier than anything positive. 
I hate that my intro to starting something new has to be buried so close to the end of a growing text but to sum everything up that I am trying to say, I am now creating as a release and a way to reclaim my voice. I can’t say that I will be doing this with confidence. I am still insecure. I still see myself as broken. I can still quote verbatim some college critiques that surpassed reviewing my work at the time and tried to predict my professional future. So I can’t say that everything will be flawlessly executed. I do hope I get to see that day though. What I am certain of is that there is a place for my voice. And if the things I create never mean anything to anyone else, they will mean something to me much like this piece that I am writing and sharing. 

I am currently working while feeling broken and while my anxiety originally flourished in such a space, and after years of being afraid to move and too sick to create, I have realized what most people who break and don’t die realize, which is that my obstacles forced me to adjust just to endure them, which forced me to evolve. 

I have never been more effective in knowing how to take care of myself and understanding the NEED to do so. I have never been more calm when telling someone, ‘No’. I have NEVER been more at peace with not taking a call. I have never been more kind to myself. So while some people would think it is a terrible thing to admit to, I would say the fear of speaking about it betrays a lack of understanding of what it means to be broken and how it can inspire change if you let it. I would accept that claiming brokenness while not trying to change could be bad thing. But transparency and vulnerability have taken on a powerful meaning to me. 
And I can assure you that this isn’t a selfish “creative” declaration about creating for myself exclusively. I know that I will still have to write pieces that are not strictly just for my own interests. This is a declaration about returning to a practice that I abandoned years ago. This is about working on my confidence. And getting back to loving something that means so much to me. And while my skin is getting a little itchy ( I scratch when I am nervous) as I write this long promise to myself, I have a small glimmer of hope about the success of this commitment. I have found that the things I did with a casual attitude and a sincere interest have always ended up getting more interaction from people who I wouldn’t even guess were paying attention.

So if you were looking for an unexpected but direct sign that your interests matter and that your efforts are seen, you can take this as your confirmation. We never know who is listening, watching or reading. You never know who references you as motivation. Keep going predominantly for your own sake. 

But get acquainted with the fact that there is real intention behind your existence and your creative contribution to the space that you occupy. 
– Ju’lia Samuels

Tips for eating healthier this summer

Editor's Journal, Editorial, Featured, News

Summer is possibly the easiest time to stick to a healthier lifestyle. It’s warm outside so we’re more likely to be active, plus there’s plenty of good, fresh produce available. With the recent focus on organic ingredients and the farm-to-table approach, home cooks and anyone interested in a healthier lifestyle are looking for ways to boost their health through better food choices.

Fortunately, there are more ways than ever to eat healthier.

Grow your own vegetables, fruits or herbs

Summer is a great time to get into gardening. Even if you don’t have much of a yard or a lot of time, you can grow just one vegetable, or even herbs like basil or oregano, in a planter, indoors or out. Some neighborhoods even have communal garden spaces available. Plenty of fruits and vegetables are not that difficult to grow, depending on where you live, from berries and melons to lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes and beans. Whatever you decide to grow, you’ll feel good knowing exactly where your food came from.

Use farmer’s markets and community-supported agriculture

You can support your local, organic farmers by shopping at farmer’s markets or signing up for community-supported agriculture (CSA) in your area. The benefit to you is that the quality of the produce will be high, and you’ll have access to all kinds of fresh, organic ingredients for your cooking.

Shop organic

Buy your cooking ingredients from companies certified as organic by the leading third-party organic certifier, Quality Assurance International (QAI). For example, Simply Organic offers a wide variety of delicious organic spices, seasonings, sauces, cooking mixes and packets for making marinades and dips that are all certified organic products.

Cook healthier

When you’re preparing meals, using fresh, organic ingredients means that you’re providing the best quality, healthful food for yourself and your family. Cooking food with plenty of nutritional content, like high-quality proteins, fresh vegetables, fruit and legumes, along with organic spices and flavorings, will ensure that every meal you make contributes to the overall health of your family. Look for recipes that are not only delicious, but that use lots of nutrition-packed ingredients.

Try making these Spicy Guacamole Stuffed Potato Skins for your next party.

1/2 teaspoon Simply Organic Black Pepper Medium Grind
Simply Organic Spicy Guacamole Mix Sauce 4.0 fl. oz.
8 medium-sized yellow potatoes
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
2 ripe avocados
1/2 cup quartered grape tomatoes
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup green onions, sliced
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Wash potatoes to remove dirt from skins. Cut potatoes in half. Using a melon baller or small cookie scoop, remove center flesh from potatoes.
Place potato halves on a sheet pan. Drizzle with olive oil and rub oil over flesh and skin of each one. Sprinkle with salt, coating the flesh and skins. Sprinkle on pepper.
Bake, flesh-side down, for 30 minutes or until potatoes are soft when pierced with a fork.
In a medium bowl, mash avocados. Add guacamole mix sauce and stir to combine.
Let potatoes cool for 5 minutes, then fill each skin with guacamole (about 1 teaspoon per potato). Top with tomatoes, sour cream, green onions and cilantro (if desired). Serve warm. Makes 16 servings.

Whether by growing some of your own food or becoming more selective about the sources of your food, everything you cook and eat will be more nutritious. By putting extra thought into the quality of ingredients you use in your cooking, you can ensure that you and your family will be eating healthier not just this summer, but throughout the year.

Three ways to empower women in your community and worldwide

Editor's Journal, Featured

Female entrepreneurs make up approximately 1/3 of all entrepreneurs worldwide, and it’s always a great time to highlight, support and applaud women in business, in your community and across the globe.

Here are a few easy ways you can celebrate and support businesswomen and female entrepreneurs.

Shop women-owned businesses. Know about a restaurant, shop or service-oriented business in your area that’s owned and operated by women entrepreneurs? (If you don’t, do a little online research to find some.) Go out of your way to shop at their location, refer friends and family members to their businesses and be sure to let them know that you support their efforts in your community. Give them a boost by posting a positive review of their business on social media. Helping female-owned businesses thrive is a great way to empower women in your own backyard.

Mentor women and girls in your industry. Find ways to offer female students and younger employees a chance to learn more about educational and employment opportunities in your own field. Contact career counselors at high schools or local colleges and offer to let students shadow you at work, or give them a chance to do an informational interview with you to learn more about your business. Help them get connected within your business network and share your experiences. If your employer is willing, develop an internship or on-the-job training program to encourage and empower up-and-coming women in your industry.

Support companies actively involved in projects that empower women. Mars Wrigley Confectionery U.S. and Dove Chocolate have pledged $1 million to CARE, a leading humanitarian organization fighting global poverty, specifically to empower women in West Africa. Dove Chocolate and CARE partnered to empower women in the cocoa growing communities of Cote d’Ivoire after an assessment of women’s involvement in West African cocoa farms found that women were not benefiting from cocoa production, even though they participate in more than half of cocoa-farming activities. The first stone was recently laid on a new marketplace for women-led businesses in the village of Gueyo, a centrally located commerce area nestled among the cocoa fields of Cote d’Ivoire. Consumers can help support these efforts, as $5 will be donated to CARE with every online purchase of qualifying Dove Chocolate Promises.

This year, find special ways to celebrate and support the women in your neighborhood and around the world who are working hard to create better lives for themselves, their families and their communities.

Nutrition trends and fads explained

Culture, Editor's Journal, Featured

Dr. Nicole Avena, assistant professor of neuroscience at Mount Sinai School of Medicine and visiting professor of health psychology at Princeton University, explains six popular nutrition trends including sustainable snacks, new plant-based milks, prebiotics and probiotics and the latest on gummy supplements vs. traditional vitamins:

1. Matcha vs. coffee? A premium green tea powder from Japan, matcha is used for drinking as tea or as an ingredient in recipes. While coffee and matcha have about the same amount of caffeine, matcha packs lots of great antioxidants. Check the label to make sure it has been tested for heavy metals, as some matcha can contain lead from the soil where it was grown.

2. Shelf-stable probiotics vs. refrigerated? Only two strains of probiotics are shelf-stable, whereas different and diverse strains can be present in refrigerated probiotics. But, shelf-stable probiotics have the advantage that they can be used in other food products, like granolas, butter, soups, etc. Just don’t mess with the packaging or open blister packs until you want to use them, as they are packed for preservation. Dead probiotics won’t harm you, but they don’t have any health benefits either. Remember there are different probiotic strains for different issues: i.e., you don’t want to take a digestive or immunity probiotic for vaginal health issues. Instead, try Pro-B as it contains two strains of lactobacilli, which are optimal to promote vaginal health.

3. Algae oil, fish or olive oil? Algae oil is vegetarian and a source of omega-3s and DHA (good fats to support brain health). Algae oil is safe to use in pregnancy (when eating too much fish can be harmful because of mercury) and is heart healthy (studies show it lowers cholesterol and triglycerides). It also has more monounsaturated fat than olive oil.

4. Cow’s milk vs. almond milk? Despite its popularity, almond milk often has less than 2 percent actual almonds in it, has a lot of added sugar, and is not necessarily better for the environment because it takes five liters of water to grow one almond.

5. Make sure to start taking a prenatal dietary supplement like OB Complete that contains 1,000 mg of Folate, 40-50 mg of iron and 1,000-1,200 IU’s vitamin D when you’re trying to conceive right through breastfeeding.

6. Gummy vitamins are just as effective as pills and chewables. The best way to get needed nutrients is through food, but, people don’t always have eating habits that provide them with all the nutrition they need. Others have deficiencies that diet alone can’t resolve. Supplements can fill the gap, but people are more likely to take their supplements regularly if they taste good and they’re convenient. Gummies can be a good option, and clinical tests show that their absorption is equivalent to traditional vitamin pills. vitafusion offers more than 30 types of gummy vitamins, with no artificial flavors, high fructose corn syrup, gluten or dairy.

Nicole Avena, Ph.D., is a research neuroscientist and pioneer in the field of food and nutrition. She is also the author of What to Eat When You’re Pregnant.

Karl Largefeld’s Final Project

Culture, Design, Editor's Journal, Editorial, Fashion, Featured

In yet another convincing argument for the greatness of YouTube, a beautiful ‘Behind the Scenes’ video created by Jason Momoa (On the Roam) dropped an interesting detail about the signature pink Fendi suit boldly paired with Lisa Bonet’s pink and purple dress for the Oscars. The two looks for the award ceremony and the Vanity Fair after party might have been the last looks personally handled by the creative genius, Karl Largerfeld. While Jason’s Fendi scrunchie was the scene stealer of the moment, this detail creates a new level of appreciation for the customization and attention to detail in both of our celeb crushs’ looks. You have to take a look at the video!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kyxpghMXfaY&feature=share

#Worthyapproved Brown Girl Sunblock

Editor's Journal, Featured

sunblock

While melanin is magical, and everyone does have it on varying scales, it isn’t sun resistant. Sun exposure can still have some undesirable effects for brown folks: hyper pigmentation, dark spots, uneven skin tones and skin cancer. Nevertheless, a lot of available sunscreen options leave much to be desired in terms of being flattering and cooperative with the rest of one’s skin routine such as makeup. So we have a short list for you to review of sunscreens that are worthy approved and white cast free.

 

Black Girl Sunscreen $19 

This product has been a trustworthy editor approved favorite for quite sometime. You do not have to worry about a white cast with this product. The product melts into your skin and has some beauty gurus referring to it as the perfect makeup primer. Comparable to high-end sunscreens, it is at a great price point especially for the amount of product you will get, 3 oz. compared to some facial sunscreens that run around $25 and up for 1 -2 oz.  The viral-worthy selling points are the natural ingredients that are found in this product. Instead of seeing  zinc oxide, titanium oxide and drying alcohols, the ingredients list consists of items like; carrot juice, avocado oil and jojoba oil to name a few.

Biore UV Aqua Rich $17

Available on Amazon to US, this chemical watery essence works like a dream. It’s ultra light texture sinks in quickly into the skin and is water resistant for 80 mins. However extra care is required when dealing with chemical sunscreen. They should never  be on your face when you go to bed for the night (you will eventually if not instantly experience breakouts.) Make sure you remove with either miceller water or a makeup removing cleansing product followed up by another cleansing product, we favor foaming cleansers. Oil-based cleansers also work very well with removing chemical sunscreens.  The other plus is that if you have Amazon Prime, your sunscreen can be delivered to you within two days, usually.

Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry Touch  starts at $11 (SPF 30)

With an amazing price point, this chemical sun block quickly sinks into your skin and feels as light and clean as it promises.  This also works well with your skincare and makeup and is a current editor favorite at the moment. It is always available at our second home, Target.