Blog Posts by Intent.com

Socializing in Los Angeles is not always the easiest thing. Very often I find myself in a room full of gorgeous models who are dressed to the nines when I have just spent twelve hours blogging and barely found time to brush my hair, throw on some mascara and get my butt out the door. I find myself getting quiet and crawling into the dark corners of my mind. The feelings that bubble up from inside aren't from Los Angeles though, they are from me and my

insecurities. Low self-esteem it can happen anywhere in the world and self-doubt can strike without notice. The best way to deal with these issues in social settings is to address them head on and proactively try to resolve them. It isn't always easy but practice makes perfect! The more you work on being comfortable in your skin no matter what environment you're in, the easier it becomes! Here are some tips for the next time social shyness sets in:

1. Go Prepared

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Adult acne is never fun. If you still suffer from this common skin condition, there are many specific steps you can take in your personal health and everyday living to increases your chances of having clearer skin.

Here are some general lifestyle tips that are good for your health and also good for your skin:

• Drink a lot of water. Longterm dehydration makes your skin look dull--and also zaps your energy, too.
• Reduce your intake of processed food, sugar, and dairy. Increase your intake of fruits, vegetables and natural foods.
• Wash your pillow case every other day. Dead skin cells, oil, make-up and other external elements not good for your face can build-up on your pillow, which can mean more break-outs in the morning after you wake up.
• Keep your hair off your face as much as possible. Hair products, oil and dust from the air can accumulate on your hair-- and when it gets on your face, it can really aggravate your skin.
• Be minimal with

With warmer temperatures and more reasons to lounge by the pool, the summer season is an opportunity to really clean out your face and beautify your skin for cheap.

How about indulging in a DIY steam facial? Your summer skin can get easily clogged with sunscreen, sweat from outdoor activity, make-up and other external elements. A DIY steam facial on a regular basis is a fun and cheap way to maintain your summer beauty.

Here is how it works:

1.Heatl a pot of hot water infused with your favorite herbs, tea bag or essential oil until it is heated enough to produce steam for at least 10 minutes.

2. Set the pot on a table with a towel underneath or pour the water into a bowl. Stand over the steaming pot or bowl with a large towel over your head to trap the heat for five to seven minutes, and sweat your facial impurities out with your eyes closed.

3. Rinse your face with cold water afterwards and apply light moisturizer.

When you give yourself a steam facial, you

Summer's here and with many of us on a budget, camping is sounding like a better and better way to get out of the stress of the everyday on the cheap! There are virtually thousands of camp grounds across the nation, making it pretty easy for just about anyone at any level to camp. Whether you're the next Bear Grylls or just a Girl Scout, there is a spot for you! But camping isn't always a walk in the park, especially if you aren't completely planned and prepared for the trip.

Water - This may sound pretty obvious but this is a huge deal and depending on where you camp will decide how you bring your water in. If you're at a camp ground with parking spots, it's safe to say you can bring it bottled. If you're going to be hiking in, you should bring a filter or prepare to boil your water. Find out from the camp whether water will be available to you. Keep in mind you will not only need water for drinking but also for cooking so make sure to bring a ton!

Allergy Medicine - Okay,

I believe it was Lance Armstrong who once said, "I now only have good days or great days."

When you think of it that way, every day truly is an open opportunity to love more, grow more, share laughter with a friend or to help somebody in need. No day is wasted when your mind is set to only have good days or great days.

I have found that many of my awesome days have many common characteristics: shared in good company, allowing the day to unfold without rushing anything, getting excited by a community project, or simply being happy with the abundance that is in my life.

Though we can't predict what will happen in the course of a day, there are many things we can do to make our mind, body and spirit CONDUCIVE to having a great day. We can get a good night's sleep so we are mentally alert enough to appreciate the good things in life and physically rested enough to jump onto a fun, spontaneous activity after a day of work. We can get in the habit of meditating, or even

In this day & age, with all the new websites out there connecting people, it's not uncommon to go out with someone you've met online. Whether someone's Twittering your Facebook or you've just nabbed yourself an account on Match.com, there's plenty of opportunity to meet the mate of your dreams. And just as likely is it for you to have a good time, it is just as likely for you to meet someone that things are not quite as they seemed over the chatroom glow. No matter how you met online, you still need to make sure your date is a successful and safe evening. Here are seven tips for your first date offline!

1. Refresh Yourself

Before heading out, freshen up on your date's profile. With most social/dating networks, people have pretty extensive profiles that have info from their birthday to their favorite TV show down to how they feel about crunchy leaves. Their profile is the perfect place to think about some good topics of discussion, common grounds and similar interests to keep

Summer is the perfect window of time to enjoy some summer salads from all the bounty of seasonal fruits and vegetables that should be popping up in your supermarket, local farmer's market, or even your own backyard garden.

And what's a good summer salad without some zesty, tangy salad dressing that brings out the crisp crunch and flavor of the fresh veggies? This summer, forget the overpriced salad dressing that you buy at the supermarket, which is usually loaded with sodium, fat, preservatives and other not-so-good-for-you ingredients. With just a few basic ingredients, it's ridiculously easy to whip up your own delicious salad dressing that tastes better, won't add pounds to your swimsuit bod and wow all your friends at your next outdoor gathering.

Here are 7 zesty summer salad dressings you can make in your own kitchen.

1. Honey Mustard Dressing Recipe from FoodNetwork.com. Just three basic ingredients--honey, mustard, rice wine vinegar--whisked together in a bowl and

Email introductions are a poorly-understand art and are often done too hastily without careful thought. Making introductions the right way can be the best way to help two people and create a lot of value. But doing it wrong can make one of the parties look bad and can alienate one or both parties from you.

Below are my tips on the best ways to make an email introduction between two people.
Before we go through the mechanics, let's first define your objectives as the introducer. Your goal should be to benefit both people you are introducing. Both parties should be happy you made the introduction, glad they met the other person, and thankful to you. You should not bother making an introduction if it will only benefit one of the parties.

Now for the tips on the proper way to make introductions:

1. Take the time
Good introductions require careful thoughtful and preparation. Take the time to really think why both parties will benefit from each other and spell it out in an email. Hasty