Monique Alexandria says…

Sooooooo….I’m starting a new accessories line, and I need some friends to model a few of the pieces so I can snap some pics.  Anyone willing to help me out?  My line is a mixture of bohemian and rocker/diva chic and will make it’s debut verrrrry soon, so time is of the essence!

Send me a message on Facebook or tweet me if you’re interested :).  Those that help me out will get a special gift from the line!

I’m always curious what people carry in their bags, so I decided to give a glimpse into what’s in mine!

Dun, dun DUUUUUN!  Here’s an overhead view of everything.  I know, it’s a lot.

Nail file, perfume, jewelry, pet sitting job book, tissues, Pandora catalog, vitamins, Stingray wallet, chapstick, lipstick, lipgloss, hand lotion, mirror, card holder, A Game of Thrones, and my camera and Flipcam (in the pink leopard bag)

My purse, business card holder, checkbook, savings book, gum, MVP card, and gambling cards!

Farmer’s Market application, bandana, bobbypins, hair ties, Harvested…by Monique prototypes, coin purse, hand sanitizer, lotion from Stacy Clark’s wedding goody bag, pens, and a random button from a dress I wore this weekend

What’s in your bag?  Hopefully not this much stuff!

I joined a gym on Tuesday.  Today was the first time I went.  Good lordy I am out of shape!  I did 30 minutes of cardio–an elliptical, and nearly keeled over by the time I finished.  My heart rate went up to 192!  I’m lucky I didn’t have a heart attack haha.  Note to self:  You will not survive Zombie ‘Pocalypse if you don’t exercise religiously, starting immediately.  The slow movements of pilates have spoiled me these past few years.

Me, dead after getting home.  Don’t be alarmed, my bed sheets are going into the washer, so it’s ok that I’m sweating on them right now.

When I was little, I used to climb over our wooden fence rather than unlock the gate to get into the backyard.

The scene of the crime

I finished my cleanse yesterday.  Day three was unusually hard.  Even the delicious juices started tasting horrible.  Obviously it meant it was working.  Everyone keeps asking me today how I feel and if I’ve seen any change, etc.  I’m not sure to be honest.  I was looking at myself in my unnerwearz and I felt like I looked slimmer and trimmer, but that could totally be my imagination.  I also feel “cleaner” from the inside, but again, it could just be my imagination.  I am still very happy that I did the cleanse, and can’t wait to try my Blueprint Cleanse in a couple of weeks to see how the two compare.

Here’s to continuing on my health path 🙂

Well hello my friends.  I’ve made it to just about the end of day 2!  I have one more juice to go and I’ll be done for the day.  I thought I’d take this blog to share the tastes of the juices.

Juice #1 Kale, Spinach, Romaine, Parsley, Cucumber, Celery, Apple, Lemon, Ginger

This juice was not as bad as I expected.  I taste the cucumber more than anything.  It kind of just tastes like a slightly sweet blended cucumber haha!  It wouldn’t be something I would choose on a regular basis, but it’s not actually a bad taste.

Juice #2 Carrot, Apple, Ginger

This juice tastes EXACTLY like a soup I made a few weeks ago (carrot ginger soup), which I love, so I was content with this one 🙂  I’m now thinking the next time I make the soup, I’ll throw in some apple!

Juice #3 Cucumber, Celery, Watercress, Lemon, Ginger, Cayenne

Not a big fan of this juice.  I thought the lemon would give it enough of a “fruit” taste to make up for drinking straight liquified produce, but not so much.  I make sure to chug this one when I drink it.  Also, it settles the most out of all the juices, so it just looks unappealing.

Juice #4 Pineapple, Green Apple, Mint

YUM!  This is a real treat after having to drink that yucky green juice.  I can really taste the mint which is suprisingly refreshing.  I could see this being a favorite daily drink once I one day get my own juicer.

Juice #5 Beet, Apple, Lemon, Ginger

I kinda thought this juice would taste better than it did.  It’s not too bad, but it kind of tastes like it has dirt undertones…I’ve never had beets before (that I know of) so I wasn’t sure what to expect from them.  Doug Funnie says they are nature’s candy, and if that is the candy nature is serving up, I’ll pass.

Juice #6 Almond, Dates, Vanilla Bean, Sea Salt, Filtered Water

Wow!  This is sooooooooooooooooo good.  It tastes like ice cream!  I keep trying to savor the juice, but end up drinking it super fast then being sad it is all gone.

Along with the 6 juices, which are suggested to be ingested every 2 hours, there are two more drinks provided.  One is Aloe Vera water.  It is supposed to be the last drink of your day and acts as a natural laxative.  I’m not sure that one is doing it’s job for me because my bodily functions are the same as they always are haha.  The other drink is chlorophyll water which is supposed to act as a hydration tool to be injested throughout the day.  The company also suggests that you drink 8 glasses of water on top off all the juices, but geez louise I feel like a water balloon with just trying to get through 8 juices!

In terms of what I feel from doing this for about 36 hours now, not a whole lot different.  I’ve been peeing like a racehorse, so I know that my body is flushing its system out, which is a positive thing.  I do also have a slight headache, which I believe is my body going through processed food withdrawl haha.  Tomorrow is my last day, so I’m excited to see if I see/feel anything else after having finished it.

One of the best juices of the cleanse!

So, as a birthday health gift to myself I decided to go on a 3 day juice cleanse through a company called Pressed Juicery.  Right now it is 10:15PM and I still have 2 1/2 juices to go!  I thought for sure I’d be starving, and it’s the total opposite.  I feel water logged right now.  I was also worried that I’d have to poo a lot too (sorry) but I’ve actually just been peeing like a mad woman hah!

I’m excited to continue with the cleanse and see if there are any changes in the way I feel.  “They” say it takes at least a week long cleanse to see or feel any changes in your body, so maybe I won’t, but hopefully I’ll be toxin free 🙂

Me trying out my first juice of the day!

I’ve decided to dedicate one day (and by day I mean a few hours after work) at LEAST every 2 weeks to crafting.  I love to craft and I’ve gotten so wrapped up in other stupid stuff that doesn’t make me happy, that I’ve neglected letting my creative juices flow.

Here’s a random picture of a mirror in my room

So, in January I started something that I’m calling “365 Days of Smiles.”  It’s basically a self portrait everyday of me smiling.  I was just tired of being surrounded by negativity all the time and over the years my smile has been the second most complimented thing about me (behind my hair), so I decided to share it with the world!  Well, maybe just my Facebook friends, but you get the idea.  Since I’ve started doing it, I’ve REALLY gotten to know what angles work in pictures and what don’t.  If  you’ve been nice enough to compliment my pictures, please know that it probably took at LEAST 6 or 7 shots to find one where I didn’t look crazy.  This blog is to share how to take a decent picture of yourself and how to pose in a photo someone else takes–since I’m now an “expert.”

When taking a self portrait, always cheat your body to the side so you’re at a 3/4 profile.  Hardly anyone looks great straight on.  If you do, I hate you….You also want to make sure your head is tilted downwards.  Looking too far up will just make you look like you have triangle face, and that ain’t cute honey.  I prefer to have my computer (where I do my self portraits) on my bed with me looking down at it, but you’ll tend to look good if you raise it about your head as well.  Just don’t have it level with your face.  Finally, breathe in on the snap of the picture.  It opens your eyes brighter and the inhale slims that tiny extra bit that most of us could use.

When someone is taking a picture of you, again, do the 3/4 profile.  This will give the illusion that you’re skinnier than you are, and unless you’re a twig already, you’ll probably enjoy looking smaller than you are.  I like to place on hand on my hip and pull my shoulder back too.  That makes your posture look good, your chest look perkier (and with my big boobs, I want my chest to look as perky as possible!), and you just look like someone people want to be around.  I also tilt my head down a little to avoid that dreaded triangle face, and I tend to prefer (if my hair is down) to have one half in front of my shoulder and one half behind to make it look more full and glamorous!

Now off to the camera!

My signature pose for a picture taken by a third party, and my signature look for my self portraits.