Lady Klaar: On Second Thought...

This whole living alone thing is mind boggling. No, seriously...I can't seem to make my mind up about anything! Do I want peach paint or do I want blue paint? Dark wood or light wood? Office or extra bedroom? Mafi mallum (I  dont know)  I've been told I like being in control, but dag nabit, I sure do miss having the second opinion of others! And even though Mr. Wright would say, "whatever you like, babe.." I could usually gauge which one he was leaning towards! *sigh*

So here's the dilemma...Initially I was interested in purchasing a tan/beige couch. But, in all aspects of my life, I am trying to incorporate color. So then, I was left to decide between a plum purple or a robin's egg/baby blue. Why these two colors?IDK, something different...a bit exotic...random...eclectic...I'm exploring here! In two days the couch will be delivered...and I'm having second thoughts! If I had wood floors, I would have stuck with the beige couch, but the floors are beiged tiles.. Ha! No I'm not marrying the couch, but I am getting cold feet! I'm not certain how well it will blend with the ZEBRA rug I just knew I had to have! And also, its not so much the color but the weird shape that is ever-so-present here in couch selection!

But this is where I'm heading...do chime in!

Lady Klaar: Independent Woman

Inspiration Room!

Here I am approaching my thirties and it wasn't until a few weeks ago that I could add lived alone to my list of life's accomplishments. Why did it take so long? The pieces of my puzzle just always seemed to fall into place when it came to living with family, or a close friend, or a significant other. One day it was convenient and the next it was less expensive. But with teaching abroad, the cost of living is of no relevance to me as my housing is provided. And so with that, for the first time in my life I am living alone.

Lady Klaar: So how do I look?

{Source}

I say this shamelessly, I am obsessed with mirrors or possibly my reflection. I could look at them all day long and not get bored! As I get older, I find that there is a certain demeanor I wish to exude. And although I know that I shouldn't judge a book by it's cover, there are several other people who are not on the same page! First let me make it clear that I am not concerned, anymore, of what people think of me, however perception is reality. If the way in which I present myself is trashy, then they will perceive me as trashy. Therefore, if I appear put together and confident, then...I got swag. Point blank, period!

Let's be completely honest, being a woman is not easy. There are so many facets to beauty that it can be quite overwhelming! Here are the top 10 bare essentials that I use to put my swag on!

Lady Klaar: Tinted Moisturizers

In my preparation to live in a climate where the weather sucks you dry, I decided to start looking for tinted moisturizers. I liked the idea of a daily moisturizer that doubled as a tinted cover-up, but wasn't a foundation! I had a gift card to Macy's and decided to purchase Clinique's Moisture Surge, SPF 15 in 5. It was a whopping $24.50 for one ounce of product. Despite the cost, the product works wonderfully. Although it appears oily during the first few minutes of the application, once it dries it turns your pretty face into a perfect matte pallet!

But I need more bang for my buck! Any suggestions? More spf coverage would be nice, more product possibly: How about BOTH! And under $10.00 would be even better!

Once 'n Done TOTD

     You get what you pay for!

On May 25th I shipped my documents to the US Department of State to be authenticated for my teaching adventures. I read online that the service can take 15 business days and to expect delays during holidays. Considering it was a government agency, I didn't panic. 15 business days usually means a month! Well, it's been a little over a month and my patience is running low. Another teacher who is completing the same process used a courier service, needless to say, she's already received her documents back! Today, I am going to bite the bullet, pay the $215 and upgrade my service. You get what you pay for!

My mom and I have been updating each other on what has been going on in our lives thousands of miles away. Last weekend she attended a birthday party where the mom of the birthday girl had a cake made by a company. However, before she could even get out of the parking lot, the cake began to lean and eventually collapsed. Although it is not extremely hot in DC, humidity definitely plays a big role in keeping a cake in tact. My mom informed me that she did not pay for the delivery fee. Possibly, if she had paid the additional $100.00 fee she wouldn't have to had deal with the headache and heartbreak of a collapsed birthday cake. You get what you pay for!
So, the next time you're contemplating whether or not to save a few nickels, shave a few corners or pick the lowest services because its the cheapest, decide if the upgraded services would be the better option. Ask yourself if you are willing to sacrifice quality for a lower quantity. Be mindful of the time spent or saved with each option. Saving money on groceries is one thing, but cutting corners on things that could have a drastic effect in your life, priceless! I've learned my lesson: Stop being cheap and INVEST my money on the things that really matter.

Once 'n Done TOTD

Speed Shopping!

This morning I had several stores that I needed to peruse before the Cable Guy came at 11:00! I wanted to return some things to Target and Walmart, stop by Marshall's/HomeGoods, pick up water from Sam's and hit up the pharmacy at Walgreens. Oh, I didn't mention: I left the house at 8:50!

As I drove into town I tried to calculate how many minutes I could spend in each store, the order in which I would visit the stores and what department in each store I needed to visit.. Nothing more, nothing less!! I was on a serious mission! I'm glad to say that because I was so early I didn't have to deal with the hassle of waiting in long lines or being bothered with indecisive customers. I was in and out, with time to spare!

Considering I had a goal in mind and specific items I was looking for, my shopping experience was time well spent! Additionally, I didn't spend unnecessarily; if it wasn't the item I was looking for, I didn't pull out my card! I was in my car and headed back home at 10:23, right on time!


Keep these steps in mind to jump start your speed shopping experience:

-make 2 lists: wants and needs
-map out the route for the stores on your list
-map out where the items are in the store
-give yourself a time limit whereas you'll 25 minutes in each store
-try to beat your given time limit by 5 minutes
-make the grocery store your last stop
-double check your list before you head to check-out
-don't forget your form of payment and bring your coupons!!!

Happy shopping!

Black Women ARE the MOST Unattractive... #thecasestudy

A little over a month ago Satoshi Kanazawa of Psychology Today Magazine, *I'm LoveN that most of his articles lean toward controversial topics*, published an article stating that black women are "objectively" less attractive than women of other races. Objective because it only measured facial features assessed 3 times by 3 different interviewers over seven years. Nonsense nonetheless, reality respectively. Now, I don't agree that our full lips, high cheekbones, varied skin tones and almond shaped eyes make us unattractive, however, if we are willing to view our race from a holistic point of view and stop thinking that it's a personal attack, maybe we will be able to see why Black Women ARE considered the MOST Unattractive and adjust our method of approach to life!

So let's dig a little deeper. This weekend as I sat in the airport, stood amongst black women at the Atlanta Greek picnic and ventured to enjoy Atlanta Night Life, I saw what I've termed on Twitter as #thecasestudy. Although many of us may not admit it, there have been times when we have been embarrassed of other black people. Perhaps it was their choice of words, ideas on styles, lack of self-respect or some other deficit, the first thought that comes to mind is "why must you be so ghetto?" You must also look at the representation of black women and the overall perception of black women. Let's just say there are more Nicki Minajs in the world than there are Oprahs! *or the mix: How you doin?*

Most Black Women fall into the likes of Wendy Williams and even she is proof of  #thecasestudy

Who run the wooorllllddd? STEREOTYPES! Simply put: true lies! The negative will always out weight the positive if you let it...and unfortunately Black Women let them rule the world. The world expects us to be demanding, to approach everything with extreme arrogance, shoe you away with our standoffish attitude, and get your attention by being loud and obnoxious! These are the types of things that people don't want to be around, in other words: this is what makes Black Women UNATTRACTIVE!! Like our hair we are very complex, but complexity doesn't have to be a turn off! In fact, we should be so complex that it reads as mysterious! People should aim to idolize us for EVERYTHING we do, not just the few who are well-educated, classy and sassy. Although I don't want to fit in like a puzzle piece, I want to be the picture that the puzzle creates!

What makes a Black Woman UNATTRACTIVE?

We must first identify the wrong so that we can make corrections!

Lady Klaar

Theory: Somewhere between Destiny's Child's Independent Woman and Lil Boosie Independent, women have forgotten how to be ladies. Instead of turning heads due to our sheer elegance and grace, we demand attention with our ignorance and lack of self-respect. Every young girl grows up to be a woman. But, not every woman acts like a lady. I'm on a mission to change that! I believe that society has drowned us in this ideal that being an "Independent Woman" will get us further in life rather than being a lady. However, when I look back on all the icons and role models for African American women, Phylicia Rashad, Maya Angelou, Lena Horne, Jasmine Guy... I mean the list can go on forever, these were women who carried themselves with class and dignity, they acted like ladies and got things accomplished!

~~~~~~~~

In efforts to eradicate this uncultured idea, Lady Klaar articles will shine light on those areas not covered in textbooks! Here are a few to jump start your new year:

1. Know thy Self and to thyself be true!

An ancient saying that you have heard a thousand and one times. But, it rings so true in order to make that move from being a woman to being a lady. Now, society tells us that nothing is perfect and that all things have flaws. However, I'm going to disagree. If you look yourself in the mirror and come to terms with your small breast (raising my hand), your big butt, the muffin top that you baked over Thanksgiving...you, my friend, will become flawless! The moment that you accept the things that are "wrong" with your body and understand that they make YOU perfect, then you are without flaws - FLAWLESS!