21-Day ECTORcise Challenge Inspired by Marjorie Harvey

I am a huge fan of Steve Harvey but most people don't know that his beautiful wife, Marjorie Harvey is equally as inspiring and driven.

Marjorie is one of the most inspiring 40 plus year old women that I know. And her fan base loves her couture chronicles and fierce fashion sense.

She is having to be even more fierce than she was even when she was younger!

So I was happy to see her share her results of a 21-Day challenge she's been working on to lose some winter weight.

This is the exact time when everyone I know participates in some 21-Day challenge to either get in summer ready shape or to just lose those few extra winter pounds.

Marjorie Harvey: 21-Day Challenge Results

Harvey Comment: "I still have a lot more work to do to reach my goals, but I'm on my way to getting rid of the extra pounds that I put on while traveling this winter!"

Harvey Eating Healthy for 21-Day Challenge

Harvey: ECTORcise with Workout Buddies

I also found out her 21-Day challenge is with ECTORcise, a fitness routine that's available on DVD!

Get ECTORcise here for $34.99

Let me know how well this works for you!

UPDATE: Marjorie Harvey post-ECTORcise showing her results on the Steve Harvey show!

Steve Harvey Show with Mother/Daughter ECTORcise Creators

Harvey with her daughter Lori: both post ECTORcise Results

Throwback Thursday: What Will Your Legacy Be?

This is so inspiring to me: fashion legend and doyenne Iris Apfel at Paris Fashion Week.

Most people focus on Iris' unique fashion sense but I am much more intrigued by the woman behind the decades long commitment to an aesthetic that she never compromises on no matter what others may think...decades y'all!

What will you commit to for decades that will be the "thing" you become known for in your #legacy?

Kindness

Lifestyle Inspiration

Hosting life changing soires

Service to Others

Volunteering

Girl Boss Entrepreneurshiop

Entertainment

Elegance

Artist

Choose your legacy(ies) and commit to it!

Getting Some Empowering Style Inspired by Beyonce's Lemonade

I have been really inspired by Beyonce's recent release of her visual album "Lemonade".

It is so girl power empowering and many are talking about it!

Get some Lemonade inspiration with these fun earrings I just found from Bauble Bar called Main Squeeze ($32)!

They will be your constant reminder to be empowered by girl power Lemonade!

Main Squeeze Lemonade Studs

The Gift That Keeps On Giving: The Herb Kit

I've written about how The Salonniere mentioned that one of the most unique and prized gifts you can give a fabulous hostess is an herb garden.

Well, with summer coming that normally means many party invites, patio soires, all day pool hangouts, and weekend invitations as guests of friends near and far.

I have tracked down a wonderful hostess gift that will carry you through the whole summer!

Self Contained Organic Herbs from food52

You can gift this over and over to even the most hard to gift host who normally seems to have everything!

My blog partner Food52 has an ingenious self-watering Herb kit that is easy to assemble and takes the traditional Herb garden to the next level!

Herbs available include the following:

And trust me, your hostess will love this gift

Your Life's Dash: A Reminder to Live

Beauty Forecast: Vegan, Cruelty-Free & Gorgeous

One of my more recent infatuations has been the commitment of beauty brands towards cruelty free products.

I have historically been one of those people who purchased strictly drug store brands heavily advertised in magazines (in my 20s) and I graduated towards beauty care systems sold at department stores (30s).

Newly in my 40s, I am glad we live in times where Beauty brands that offer vegan and cruelty free products are creating amazing products that were not able to be produced even five years ago!

So as I explore these brands I'll make blog posts about them so you can be gorgeous while knowing your beauty products are good to you and the earth!

An added bonus: most of the products I've explored thus far are majority woman owned... Yasss!

Stay tuned for more!

Trust Fund Beauty
The simple details are that Trust Fund Beauty is a cruelty free, vegan luxury brand. Their first products were gorgeous nail polishes and an all natural polish remover.

They have recently added lipstick lines that continue on the unique naming convention that matches their "trust fund" branding.

I just got their color "Hollywood Hipster" and was so excited to try it that I immediately applied it to my nail! I'm such a girl!

I have also tried other colors and one thing I can tell you: I am amazed that the polish can be vegan and yet hold such a gorgeous color! I don't know how they do it!

And the frugal person in me also loves that their bottles are a large square shape, which means I'll get to enjoy it for many wears this summer!

Trust Fund Beauty: Mint Polish Remover

My Favorite Lipstick Shade: Hush Money

So go support this girl boss business and let your financial voice be heard that vegan, cruelty free products are in demand!

#CurvaLishFav: Restaurant Quality Food at Home

After at least 40 texts and 10 recipes cooked with members of my family from my blog partner Hello Fresh, I can officially tell you that their services are the most underrated subscription home delivery service I have ever known!

I initially wasn't sure what I would think of Hello Fresh because I itch whenever someone claims that they can help you make healthy, nutritious meals at home. Normally from my experiences, that has meant card board tasting food.

But Hello Fresh not only delivers on their promise of flavorful at-home meals delivered to your door but more importantly to me...I was shocked at how much the food tastes restaurant quality!

They create weekly, subscription service recipes with difficulty ratings (1 to 3) that are diverse in how it appeals to different taste buds.

For example, for this upcoming week, one of the choices is this shrimp and chorizo recipe that's easy as paella!

And don't worry about your current culinary skills. All deliveries include individual boxes for each recipe that includes all ingredients except salt and pepper (other seasonings for recipe are included). They also include recipe cards that give you nutrition information and step by step instructions for preparing the recipes.

I can't say enough about how delicious, healthy (especially compared to fast food), easy, fast (recipes normally can be made in 20 minutes) and restaurant quality the food is...

Even better: I have a great coupon code for you to try it!

Get $50 off any box selection (Classic, Veggie, or Family) by clicking here...coupon "April50Off" should automatically be applied! Hurry, it expires 4/30/2016!

Here are a few of my absolute favorites from the past three months to give you an idea of the vast weekly selection:

The Healthy Kale in This Ground Pork Ramen was Delicious!!!

Pan-Roasted Chicken with Dijon Mushroom Sauce & Brown Rice

The Peanut Sauce You Make with This Thai Beef Satay is Awesome!!!

Vegetarian Option: Spring Tortellini Gratin, Asparagus & Parmesan was Crazy Good!!

Best Hello Fresh Qualities:
* Flexible subscription service with no hassles
* Diverse, weekly meal selections
* Robust portion sizes for both 2-person and family service
* Competitive pricing on the level of quality meals compared to eating out or your Whole Foods grocery bill

My worst critique of Hello Fresh is that their vegetarian meal selections seem much more limited compared to their regular, meat options menu. Also, as of this post, they don't offer any gluten-free meal selections.

And I plan on using this next level eating for upcoming dinner parties (they will have no idea it's Hello Fresh!), Girl's Night In, etc.

Lastly, I want to share this quote from my foodie sister: "...I don't know what life was like before Hello Fresh!"

Yassss!

Wisdom from Aging: I Need a Minute

An image of love: we are having a family event this evening and as I age, I know I need a moment before big gatherings. I'm such an extrovert that loves people that I've learned to manage my energies. My sister bid me farewell to retreat with coffee and magazines for a few moments of quietness before the event. Don't ever be afraid to let people know what you need to be your BEST.

When I was younger and more insecure, I always said "yes" to anyone and everyone who wanted FUN Que to go to a gathering, party or event. The 41 year old me knows better...if you are going to make it for the loooong haul in a healthy and beautiful way, you must learn to manage your energies. Forget about #FOMO, it's about well-being and inner happiness.

Be blessed y'all...

Authenticity & Cultivating An Air of Mystery

If you haven't noticed, I love promoting women and especially, other Girl Bosses. Some I promote on social media and others I never publicly speak about.

For example, I was blessed to get a 2nd invite to the White House Business Council Meeting last month. Since it was on a topic I didn't feel the most passionate about (International Trade), I quietly threw the full weight of my influence (and invite) to transfer my invite to a deserving California female executive working in International Trade. She was accepted and attended...I was more proud of her attending than when I attended for my first time!

Which brings me to the inspiration for this post.

One of my newest Girl Boss crushes is Tonya Leigh, creator of "French Kiss Life".

Tonya is doing an amazing job of building her brand by inspiring women to live with " style, grace and joie de vivre".

And yes, her mission statement includes two of the exact same words as Curva-Lish (style and grace)!

I was especially enamored with her latest post "27 Ways to Cultivate a Parisian State of Mind".

It is such a great list and please go to her site to see it!

Here is my absolute favorite one of the 27 awesome items on her list:

Cultivate an air of mystery

The French say, “Pour vivre contente, vivons caches.”(Translated: To live happily, live hidden.) Instead of spilling your emotions to the man at the coffee shop, sharing the details of your personal life and business disputes all over Facebook, confessing your most sacred dreams to the neighbor who may not want to hear them, or telling everyone about your stomach bug, keep some of your sacredness to yourself instead of throwing them into the wind of life. Being authentic does not mean sharing every detail of your life.

Amen Tonya! I couldn't have said it better...

A Story of Grace with Danielle LaPorte

In a world where fashion bloggers rule the blogging landscape hoping to inspire the world through fashion, I have intentionally strived to make Curva-Lish an authentic reflection of where I am in life as a 40+ year old.

One of the authentic representations I care about very strongly is having added the word "grace" to my lifestyle blog's mission statement right beside the words "purpose" and "Style".

Why grace? Yes, I grew up as a Christian where grace was discussed alot but as I've aged, I've learned how much bigger that word is!

Grace defined: simple elegance or refinement; extension of terms beyond compliance or rules; goodwill towards another: a pleasing or attractive quality; unmerited favor or gift; kindness, esteem

In the vein of thinking of Grace, I wanted to share this short writeup shared by Danielle LaPorte on Instagram:

"This (picture) was a beautiful moment (captured) yesterday that involved a crisp $100 bill and gorgeous integrity. @delvelove bought something three or four years ago from my annual" Pay What You Can Day". She paid what she could and promised herself that she'd pay the full value amount someday. She came up in line at my book signing (after buying a few books) and handed me a hunny ($100 bill). I was a puddle. Delivering on promises makes more magic happen. I'm donating the $100 to V-Day." 

Isn't that beautiful!?!?

I pray this post encourages you to be vessel of Grace to someone today. Don't make it complicated...use your beautiful influence in simple ways.

Buy someone's Starbucks.

Babysit for a single mom struggling.

Send an "I'm Thinking of You" card to an overworked neighbor.

Send a cooked, prepared meal for that couple with two feisty newborn twins.

Forgive someone who made a mistake (and who don't deserve it...do it anyway).

Order from that small business owner working hard to realize their dreams.

Pick up the phone and encourage someone who has expressed a struggle.

Volunteer at a local shelter and be a beam of "light" that encourages.

Be gracefully beautiful and Curva-Lish friends...

Balanced Style Inspired by the White House

Last night the White House hosted a working dinner to discuss global nuclear security amongst world leaders.

How gorgeous is this setup?!?!

I wish corporations, teams, and organizations valued the stylish beauty of a setup and its environment as much as they valued the content at team events!

Just because it's serious or a convo with depth doesn't mean it can't also be beautiful...or vice verse! Just because it's a creative event that has a great interior design and beautiful decor doesn't mean it can't include depth!

Beauty and depth are not mutually exclusive!

Hosting Tips from this White House Event: 
No matter the event, fresh flowers always has the ability to positively effect the overall mood! No matter if it's all men (like the world leaders for this White House event), all women, young, old or a diverse mix, you can never go wrong with fresh flowers!

If the event is serious, intense or needs to be hyper focused on a tough subject, use contrarian colors to balance. Notice all the yellow and green with a clean backdrop they used for a controversial dinner topic (nuclear security)...meaning, little/no black or navy blue.

And here's a handy color explanation diagram to help you...

At Home: So the next time you have a dinner party to discuss politics, for example, don't create a black room...or, if your permanent dining room color is black, add the balanced color in your accessories, flowers, dishes, food choices, etc. You get the idea.

Styled Business Meetings: If your company puts you in charge of organizing your team's next offsite compliance gathering and it's in a bland hotel conference room for eight hours, I promise you, you will have way more engagement if you add some beautiful elements (of balanced color) that will likely be in conversations all day. And don't make it complicated...it can be as simple as fun candy spread throughout the tables! Just add some element(s) that balances!

It will make a (pleasant) difference!