Hair Experiments Continued and OOTD!

Since I cut my hair in February, I have been determined to figure out all the products that work for me and my hair texture and all the styling methods that work for me. I have put up a few videos of some styling attempts which have not really been successful... until today! I Attempted a twist-out (the result of unraveling hair which has been twisted in two strands) and I was really happy with the results.

I have learned that It is best to use a light weight moisturizer/leave in with my hair because it will dry faster. I guess it would make sense that it is a water based product so that the hydrogen bonds in the hair that are broken from water, can dry and reform the hair into whatever pattern you desire when it dries up. 

Because the Cantu Shea Butter Leave In is so light, the down fall is my hair loses its moisture by mid day. To combat that little issue, I seal in the moisturizer with a thick oil ; in my case the Jane Carter Nourish and Shine. It keeps my hair moisturized all day AND gives my low luster hair some shine. You can check out my process in the video (found if you scroll to the bottom of this blog) and some pictures below! Thanks for reading and don't hesitate to ask any questions! 

Unraveled ad Unstyled. I think this is the most defined I have gotten a Twist out on my natural Hair.
One thing I will be changing about my method is bobby pinning the twists in the direction I want them. the bottom twists ended Up being a lot more stretched out than the rest of the hair. I had to really work to hide that issue. 

I tried the style below and because of the direction of the twists I was not pleased. 

 So this is what I came up with! And I love it!! Here you can really see my awesome hair color.

OOTD 

Now I will move on to show you the rest of my outfit! It was a very simple day for me. Just a white shirt and some black pants. I don't have a very strict dress code for my job so some days I am more casual than others. The key thing for me is comfort. Most of the time, I am in flats... and if I am in heels, they are probably some sort of wedge. I save the uncomfortable shoes for special occasions :) 

Face: Very simple and neutral makeup! Lancome's Teint Idole Foudation and Mac's Mineralize Skin Finish worked together for my entire face. The rest was a Nars highliter, Raisin by Mac blush, and Hug Me lipstick by Mac.

Shirt: The shirt really makes the outfit with the Sequins and the Sparkles and that is what I love the most. I actually "inherited" the shirt from my sister so I don't actually know where she bought it from but I do know that it was designed by Nicole Miller.

Pants: The pants are just simple black pants I got from Talbot's at the outlet mall for $14.00!! I am always on the lookout for a great sale and I don't discriminate with stores... especially at outlets. 

Shoes: I got these flats from Charming Charlie's for 7 dollars! Again another great bargain. I know they probably won't last too long, but they sure will serve their time! 

Thanks for reading!!! 

Random Day out :)

So I decided to bring my camera out on a random day out. I had a couple of things to do. Firstly, my Bff was celebrating major life accomplishments AND her birthday so I started off with a trip to Charming Charlies. I also had to pick up something for my beloved Aunt's birthday.

 I was greeted by a lovely sale sign. I am the QUEEN of sales. I know there are certain pieces worth getting for the full price bur I will ALWAYS visit the Sales Rack first to check out what they have in store :) 

As much as I love this store, I always feel very overwhelmed. There are sooo many accessories!! I can never make up my mind. Unless I have a specific item (of which I am certain of the color) to buy I usually browse and leave with nothing because I can't make up my mind. 

Anyway, I had a mission today and the sale made things a lot easier for me because the sales section was narrowed down for me. I decided not to take pictures of the gifts I bought but I got two of these awesome rings for a total of $4.00!! I left feeling very accomplished :)

The rest of the pictures are just random shots I took on my way to the party destination...

Aaand I ended up at McLadden's Irish pub. I had a turkey burger on a wheat bun with sweet potato fries on the side. It was average... and HUGE so I couldn't finish my food but that's fine. I guess places like this aren't really my thing because they are big on beer and I am not a beer drinker. Simply don't like the taste. BUUT that's ok because Everyone else was so we all had a good time!

I really enjoyed taking my camera and walking around by myself. Usually, the people I am with are not picture/video oriented so I feel compelled to put the camera away. I think I see more trips like this documented in the futur! Thanks for reading :)

Eco Emi Box July 2012

Without making this explanation too long, I believe this is my last Eco Emi Box... for now at least. I LOVE this box. I think most of the samples are awesome. I love the fact that they expose us to more eco, animal, enviromental- friendly products and brands that we wouldn't necessarily find on our own. Costs $15.00 a month for a box full of awesome goodies. I had been thinking about cutting some expenses and saving up for other things which are taking more of a priority in my life right now... but I didn't want to see this box go. Anyway, I switched up the debit card for my paypal account cause I closed the previous one and opened up a new one with a different bank. For some reason, Eco Emi's system insisted on trying to draw money from the older account through paypal instead of recognising the new one? Not sure why. It happened twice, and I just decided that it was a sign that it was time to let this one go. Usually when you unsubscribe you get one more box because technically you are paying for the month ahead. I got my box in the mail and it "just so happened" to be one of those extremely rainy days. Conveniently, the mail man decided to put the box OUTSIDE in the rain instead of IN the mail box?? Needless to say, EVERYTHING was soaking wet. Talk about going out with a bang right? I have general pictures showing what the box looked like. I couldn't try any of the teas cause everything was bleeding everywhere. It was disappointing, but i just have no more energy to start following up with either the mail man or  Eco Emi. I wont be going through each sample... just showing pictures... I guess it is one of those things I just have to let go for now :)

                                                What the box looked like wet from the rain :/

Here are all the items, I tried to salvage as much as I could. Many of the samples this time didn't come in sturdy packaging so everything bled on everything including the wrapping paper 

Hopefully my next blog will be a happier note! Thanks for Reading :) 

Influenster's Summer Vox Box 2012

   

I was Lucky enough once more to be selected to recieve this box for from Influenster.com 

This program allows bloggers and vlogers to try out products from certain brands for free and let you guys know how we feel about the products!  I have included pictures below of everything I got in my box and I will let you know how each product worked out for me :) 

Thanks Again to Influenster for Picking Me this time :) 

I also have a Video showcasing all the products when I did the Unboxing so feel free to check it out Here:

                                           

All the products Lined Up...

Here we have A pouch With some Goodies from a Tampax/Always Collaboration! First of all, the pouch is reusable and cute! A girl always needs a little baggy in her pocketbook to put her feminine care products and this one is the perfect size! 

It took a few weeks to put this blog post up because I was waiting for "that time of the month" to try these out... and to no supprise, I loved them all. I got a pad, tampons, and panty liners. Without being too detailed,  these products did what they were supposed to do with maximum comfort and I would definately purchase them once they are In my Local store. 

Learn more about these products here: 

http://www.tampax.com/en-US/products/productDetail.aspx?ID=tampax-radiant&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=D_SN_B_Tampax-Radiant_BMM_12.13&utm_term=%2Btampax%20%2Bradiant&utm_content=sPQluxU9J|pcrid|16472096041|b|%2Btampax%20%2Bradiant

This was an awesome treat! I am all for edible goodies in sample boxes and the flavors made this one even more exciting! I don't necessarily love bananas but I LOVE banana bread! Quaker did an awesome job on this one...I ate it all and wished I had more! I will keep an eye out for these in my local grocery store :)

Learn more about http://www.quakeroats.com

I was running out of the hand cream I was using before and this Sally Hansen Creme came right on time. I don't think there is much to be said about this other than the fact that I use it after my manecures and it is moisturizing after nail polish remover leaves some dryness. I don't know about the 24 hour claim because I tend to wash my hands more often than that but it is moisturizing for the time being. 

Learn more about this by visiting http://sallyhansen.com

Speaking of nails, I am glad I got to try out this Sally Hansen magnetic nail polish... Especially for the fact that I don't think nail polish should be 9 dollars. It is more of a winter color for me so I really only used it twice. I will wait for the fall to get the rest of my use out of this product. Basically, you apply one coat, let it dry, apply the second coat and use the magnet in the cap above each nail to reveal the pattern. It was OK... but I didnt think the pattern was that special? At least not for the price. I guess I would have liked to see brighter colors available and more intricate patterns. I think I have been spoiled by the more intricate patterns available with the stick on nail polish. I'm not saying that I don't like it... I just don't think it is worth the money or the hype. 

Learn more about this by visiting http://sallyhansen.com

I actually really liked this lotion! I was surprised because it usually takes a lot to moisturize darker/black skin. I am HUGE on sun screen and I want my body to be protected from harmful cancer causing rays. This gives us an easier way to apply sun screen. I say "easier"  because as a woman of color, I usually find myself taking waayyy too long trying to rub in sun screen. The white streaky residue takes forever to rub in and it is difficult to make it NOT look like you are ASHY :/ HAPPY TO SAY I get no streaking at all with this lotion . I will definitely repurchase when I run out! 

Learn more about this by visiting http://www.hawaiiantropic.com

I was also lucky enough to try the Clear shampoo and conditioner. I am a huge hair care person and I consider myself quite savy on hair care and hair care products. Usually, I don't use shampoos with Sulfates because of their stripping qualities... but because it was sent to me for free, I figured I would Go ahead and try it out. As I expected from the ingredient list, It stripped my hair CLEAN. If you are lookin for a good CLARIFYING shampoo to remove heavy build up, then this is the right shampoo for you. If not, I wouldn't suggest it. The conditioner on the other hand thoroughly impressed me! I was soo shocked because I didnt expect my hair to feel so soft instantly! (and I have kinky afro hair) My hair felt as soft as butter, it had great slip, and It felt hydrated and enriched. Now I know of another option of a great amazingly priced conditioner :) 

Learn more about these by visiting http://www.clearhaircare.com 

Thanks again to Influenster for allowing me to try these products! I enjoyed the Experience