California’s Michelin Guide: A Journey Through Starred Excellence

The Michelin Guide has grown into the standard of high expectations when it comes to culinary craftsmanship and creativity. The legend began in 1889, in a place called Clermont-Ferrand located in Central France, when the automobile industry was starting to gain popularity. Two brothers founded the Michelin Tire company and created an amazing guide encouraging drivers to explore local landmarks and businesses (like restaurants, hotels, and shops). It also included need to know survival tips to help travelers get around the city landscape and blend in with the locals (before there was google). To date, more than 30 million MICHELIN guides have been sold around the world.

There have been so many cooking shows over the years that celebrate the Michelin rating and its definitive contribution to the fine dining community of food connoisseurs (and those of us who can appreciate a little fun and adventure packed with flavor, persona and exquisite ambiance). But you don’t have to watch the food network to experience this type of artistry. There are currently around 80 restaurants in California that were awarded Michelin stars. In addition, an estimated 600 California eateries have received a Michelin acknowledgment in the form of a Bib Gourmand or Michelin Green star for their culinary work. From LA to the Bay, these restaurants are everywhere and extremely popular.

If you’re socially aware and prefer eating establishments that are eco-friendly, the Michelin Green Star focuses on acknowledging dining halls demonstrating the highest levels of ethical and sustainable practices with amazing recipes. Keep in mind, the Michelin standard isn’t all about expensive fine dining. Although some can be costly, others may vary. There’s a special list for best value three course meal venues that have been given the Bib Gourmand. If you’re thinking of eating at a Michelin star restaurant: 1 STAR means “high quality cooking worth a stop”, 2 STAR means “excellent cooking worth a detour”, and 3 STAR means “exceptional cuisine worth a special journey.” Reservations are recommended and you may want to do your research when it comes to tasting recommendations.

Tips for Conquering Clutter

Anyone renting or owning a home has been faced with the ongoing struggle of organizing their living quarters and closet spaces. It’s a never-ending cycle as we evolve throughout the seasons of life. We add more to our intimate spaces and during that process often debate among ourselves which items need to be removed, struggling with donating or getting rid of items that should no longer be used. After pondering my own internal struggles with organizing spaces in the home, I ran across an amazing article that totally renewed my perspective on a topic I thought needed no explanation.

Deborah Cabral, founder of The Declutter Coach, suggests organizers fall into 4 personality types: tidy, social, multitasking, or visual. According to Deborah, “No one type is messier than another; they’re just different”. After reading the article, I started to ask myself questions about how I viewed my own clutter. Is my clutter situational? Is my clutter a reflection of my booked and busy schedule? I was determined to explore and share such concepts, especially if it could lead to a, less is more mentality.  Maintaining a clutter-free home starts with the individual(s) within the space. This clutter-free home guide is really simple to building new skills to keep spaces tidy on a regular basis. Below you can discover if the personality theory is as helpful as I found it to be. Depending on what’s happening in your life you may find useful tips that can be applied all year around using all 4 clutter cleaning profiles.

7 Habits to Keep Your Home Tidy All Year Round (realsimple.com)

De-clutter Your Home Office

Workspace clutter is distracting. It may look different depending on the person, but no matter how it accumulates in our spaces we have to actively monitor the items we collect, display, and neglect in our production areas. As the year is winding down and we prepare for the holidays, we should take a few minutes daily to reevaluate our active working spaces. So, before you start feeling overwhelmed, too busy to make immediate action, or unwilling to prioritize your work clusters breathe deeply and release the pressure of perfection. After all, project planning may not be apart of your job title but when it comes to managing your work tasks you are the best one for the job.

Work organization strategies are personalized to help us function in our optimal strengths. Without question, there are ways to improve existing systems that we incorporate into our daily conversations of ‘how to do’ processes. However, keep the systems that work and focus on ways to better streamline tasks by removing the access items. Look around your space and (without negative critique) make a list of all the things out of use and no longer needed actively occupying essential space. Determine what the essential items are for completing necessary tasks within your workspace. Remove items that are not actively in use. If needed, consider reaching out to your leadership team to optimize your work ergonomic space to ensure that you’re balanced in your work focus. Be open to discussing decluttering strategies with peers as well and you may discover allies for managing large scale projects or detailed tasks.

Polaroids are for Privacy and Instagram is for Everything Else

Image has always been everything and over the past 30 years that becomes increasingly more true. In the 90’s, it was all about chat rooms and connecting with complete strangers. The objective: to meet new people, learn new things, and figure out what’s really going on with the pulse of people and the trends they follow outside of the music videos and the mannequins in the window displays at the mall. Let’s keep it honest. If your house didn’t have dial up internet, you were going to find out where to go to get some screen time. Let’s not forget the days of the internet cards, timed computer stations and internet cafes. If you were lucky, you had AOL or a best friend with endless computer access. Those were the days, when we as a culture redefined culture because we were forming relationships and creating new realities with people we’d never met in person. The early days of viral were arguably more dangerous, but the excitement and intrigue has always been there. It’s the closest thing to teleportation or time travel that we have so far, if you follow my drift. And wow! Has it evolved.

We are in the most highly documented period of humanity and whether you believe it or not it stays on ‘the cloud’. The internet is all about documenting the experience and getting the photo. Sometimes a photo or video requires no thought; it’s important to capture the moments that matter and define our lives. But if were being honest…we can all think of a few moments where we wish we could remember who has an original photo for the sole purpose of deleting it so that it can never be resurfaced again. It could be anything capturing an embarrassing awkward moment to anything unflattering or just unexplainably goofy, shameful, and weird. So, since that’s the reality of the reality we record and create, culturally we need to start caring more about the images we post, share, tag and pose for. Afterall, if a picture is worth a thousand words. It could be terrifying if the wrong one went viral.

Boutique Beauty Loves Polaroid Instant Photos for Privacy

Recently an oldie but goodie made a comeback and frankly, it’s a Boutique Beauty favorite. Remember Polaroid!?! Rediscover a classic (that never really left) that’s available in stores and online. Don’t shy away from the camera and stop hiding every time someone is ready to take a picture if it’s not on your phone. Aside from the enhanced privacy aspect of instant photos, it’s also a great way to practice how to take a great picture (because we know the best photo’s only come from your selfie angle). Plus, you need to learn how to nail it the 1st time without holding a mini photoshoot every time you snag a photo during an event. Don’t worry. You could always post a pic of your polaroid to your profile or just keep it private.

For those who set new standards and trends across social media feeds kudos. Your perspective, inner voice and awesome angles keep your circle engaged and inspired. However, for those of us who at times feel underwhelmed by our own posts a great way to enhance your posts is to spend more time understanding who you are and how you share your truth. We all have a story to tell. Get clear and concise about the moment in the photo especially if you’re in it. Because let’s face it, social media is here to stay so post with confidence and be intentional.

LIST YOUR TOP FIVE GOALS

Create a top 5 list in the areas of self-improvement and self-talk. It can be a very effective tool in measuring the ways we subconsciously show up for ourselves, our communities and vibes we exude in our photos. Take a mental note. Emotional maturity is the key to completing a realistic list that allows you to make improvements. Reevaluate the narrative that you tell yourself and share with others. Also, welcome the opportunity to debunk any preconceived notions projected by others that limit your potential. Zoom in on your core values to make sure they are where they need to be. Remember, you are an original beauty who has somewhere to go, and people are waiting for you to get there. So, you must always show up in your best form to compliment every occasion. Bravely try something new. Just do it authentically. Stick to the process of reformation and you’ll start to see the undeniable results in your perspective. Before you know it the glow-up will start to flourish in your photos and social media profiles. And remember, there’s no rules for how often you should update your posts.

Additional Articles:

What your social media says about you | MamasLatinas.com

21 Things Science Says Your Facebook and Instagram Feeds Reveal About You | Entrepreneur

Beauty Affirmation

Get ready for the week. Regardless of the unexpected, expect to be your best. Today’s post is simple. Be vibrant every day in your favorite lip tint.