winter

My progress

I have been in a cocoon for a few months. i finally have a new computer so i don't have to depend on others. yay me! new things... I've been wearing mac's mineralize satin finish liquid foundation and i love it! it makes me look so dewy and fresh! i found the perfect shade of pink lipstick for me. i bought some 2011 jamila b.a.q. henna. i'm late but i'm just getting into fake eyelashes, just got over a smokey eye phase and dry twist outs are running my life. i've recorded some new youtube material and i'm busy editing them in my spare time. thanks for your patience with me! how is everyone doing???

I know it's not summer yet but I want to start this album anyway. Just got back from a lovely vacation! My computer crashed so it has been a while. I do apologize.

Disclaimer: I look an absolute mess when I'm not going out. I love frumping around the house and grocery stores with no eye brows, hair jacked up, and ill-fitting pajama masterpieces. So...
Ladies if you feel me come on and do it do it, whip your hair...lol.

Anywho, my significant other always has his phone ready to take my picture...still haven't found that camera battery charger. smh...
How is everybody? I love hair care ya'll but I've embarked on a new adventure that works well in conjunction with my hair care.
I guess you could call it Body care
A few months ago I started getting light chemical peels, the improvement in the texture of my skin is ridiculous. I'm sure we have all had acne at some point or another but right now I'm dealing with acne scars I've accumulated on my face (they're gone now), and back (still there), etc. I had/have a nasty habit of picking at my skin. Noticed weird little freckles on the left side of my nose/face a while back might be from driving. Also be aware that just because you're a person of color doesn't mean the skin cancer fairy won't pay you a visit. Honestly I haven't really been taking good care of my skin for about 3-4 yrs probably because I was so obsessed with my hair.
New things I'm doing include:
drinking lots of water ALL DAY!
wear sunglasses to protect eyes
avalon organic vitamin c toner
wear sunblock rain or shine (may leave white caste) if this is a concern wear powder over it or buy more expensive sunblock that is more sheer.
exfoliate!
I started taking MSM and biotin
as well as vitamin C. anyone else taking supplements? I've started eating better as well.

Current hairstyling routine:
I cowash. Air-dry in plaits until damp. I use Qhemet Biologics Burdock Root Butter Cream and Taliah Waajid bodifying mist then coat sections with coconut oil. I twist the hair into jumbo twists. I wear my hair in a bun for a day or two until it's dry. From there I take the loc and twist gel by Taliah and apply it to unravelled twists then retwist I use the gray flexi-rollers to stretch my ends. When I take it out I have waves and curls with lots of body. something like the curly nikki twist'n'curl method. def try this out.

HEY guys! Happy new year!
It's official as of december 14th I've been natural 3 yrs!
I've been busy busy busy. I did manage to get a few pics from my significant other's phone. So yeah the flash is scary bright...damn EVO.
I'm not sure if ya'll notice this but I go through phases with the things I'm into. Right now I'm into thick eyebrows, rounded nails (natural of course), pearls, 40s inspired hair and makeup, red lipstick, brooches and extravagant hair ornamentation. AND of course I'm getting the itch to get another tattoo its been over a year...
What are you guys into this year?

I have not really been taking pics but it has been so long I would like to share something... anything. lol.
thank you all for your patience

My hair missed me so much during the times I had a sew in!!! Check it out.
1. I will begin my journey into henna this month
2. I will be using my denman for the first time
3. I will only be wearing protective styles for the rest of the year
4. I will be dusting my ends every 6 weeks
because right now they are atrocious!
5. I will be giving some makeup tips
I tried DPR 11 its pretty good.
My hair hasn't been deep conditioned in months (I'm so terrible)
I got a new container of shea butter.
I will be starting my work out routine this month.
I invested in a primer as well as a concealer!
The results are awesome! I got the bareminerals foundation primer "prime time". Makeup was flawless and went on ever so smoothly!!!
My skin looked so nice even after I washed off my makeup because it has aloe, vitamin C, E, and B5 in it.
The concealer was from smashbox AWESOME!
Well enough raving you guys let me know what you think.

I know I've been MIA but don't give up on me I have some tasty updates for you!!!

Going out.
Twist out
MAC and NARS makeup
yes, i'm in my birthday suit again
i apologize

I decided to try stretching my hair to see what it would look like.
I am a big fan of curly nikki's website.
I used my chi (it was dusty and retired)
to stretch my hair some and then I just twist it every night to achieve this style.
Today marks 10 days since I stretched it.
I experienced little to no tangling, great shine and a fresh do just about every day.
I used v05's 24 hours heat protectant, givoanni hydrating conditioner with almond oil and water as a leave in...and some shea butter to seal the ends (when I initially washed it) ooh my hair is soo dirty.
But you can't really tell. Lol.
Enjoy my darlings. I hope you all have missed me as much I've missed you guys.

Removed my twists.
Tried out some bentonite clay.
Deep conditioned with
Aubrey organics and giovanni products.
As you can see I bet MAJOR shrinkage,
all off my hair is about 7-10 inches... but it all looks around 4 upon drying...
I've been obsessing with that clay its amazing it makes my skin glow... I tried it on my back, chest and upper arms where my pores sometimes get clogged. Its amazing, baby smooth results and helps with excess oil production. this will be a staple for my hair and skin.

I get bored constantly
I play with my hair and make up a lot.
I love piercings and tattoos.
Here are some different looks.
I'm re stretching my ears to where they were
before I let them shrink.
00g maybe 000g (for those who know sizes)
I think my twists are holding up pretty well.
I wash them by spraying a very diluted acv/water concoction on my scalp
I let it sit for 45 minutes then rinse with cool water. hair is seriously growing. Protective styles all summer? Maybe.
*WARNING*
The African ladies who did my hair braided/twisted my hair soooo tightly, it was painful I got a little bit of a rash around the edges on the sides. I was like omg it's going to recede. Also when they burned stray hair they also burned A LOT of my stray hairs off. I told her not to she still went ahead saying it wasn't my hair, but ladies you all know what synthetic hair smells like when it's burning and what real hair smells like. Definitely MY hair. Also my ends are very thick, and she couldn't get my hair to blend with a twist or two in the back. Ladies, old girl cut my hair!!! I don't care if the braids are frizzy do not ruin my hair to make the braids look better. They also tried really hard to put products in my hair like mousse, and hair grease with petroleum as the first ingredient. It was seriously a fight with these women. Don't let my face fool you. I was livid when I first got my hair done. I need to just braid my own hair. Jeez. Probably never going to happen again.

sry i've been lazy

I feel like I'm finally getting somewhere. I'm about to start hennaing.
It's going to be epic. I'm curious about how much more length I'll retain and maybe it would give my hair a little more weight?
Yay for year 2 of my journey

okay so I feel bad that I haven't updated. these are random pics that other ppl took, sry i've been lazy

Yay fluffy time!
braid out
shea butter
happy nappy styles BB

Why is the back of my hair growing like crazy?
No offense to anyone that thinks its cool
but I don't know if I can deal with an afro mullet...
its a tad much, don't you think?

The ponytail was me playing in my hair
before I washed it.

The latter of the hair styles
was achieved by twisting freshly shampooed
and conditioned hair with shea butter, evoo
and happy nappy styles.
I always coil the ends so they don't unravel
Also I prefer my ends not to look like
who done it and why.

As of July I have stopped washing my hair with hot water. It has eliminated some of the dryness and a lot of the frizz. My frohawk was done with bobby pins. It was a three day old braid-out with coiled ends. I don't like frizzy ends with my braid-outs, and it keeps my hair from unraveling especially in the areas where my hair is more wavy than curly.
I gave myself a much needed trim.
products:
shea butter
blended beauty's happy nappy styles

In Memphis here and there.
Braid out, sort of?
But I like to play in my hair...so you'll notice
it gets bigger and coilier.
Products used:
Blended Beauty Happy Nappy Styles
Shea Butter
Infusium 23.
*disclaimer*
honestly my hair looks nearly the same
without BB it just looks neater and smells a little better....haha.
smells like cookies baking....
Sorry to keep you guys waiting
I kind of lost motivation to take pictures.
So there's not many. Also I apologize for
being on the phone....again.
These pics were for the hubby not fotki.
Can you believe it's been over a year
since my last relaxer!?
Does it look like it's growing yet?
Wonder what it will look like this time next year....

experimenting with hair pins.
i'm at about 5.5 inches all over.
wanted to see what my hair looks like
with blended beauty products alone, without
any help...
method: twist out finger coiled ends
products:
evoo (in the morning)
blended beauty products only
no infusium
no garnier soft curl

Hair and women that inspires me to push forward and refuse to give in to the media's perception of beauty. Healthy, glowing, even skin. muy importante!

Lots of texture shots, all texture shots are of freshly washed hair
introducing my infamous twist out method, and my post twist out puff. thx, 'njoy!!!
*ALL wet shots are product free.*

Products used for twist out/puff in first 10 photos:
infusium 23
garnier fructis soft curl
shea butter
extra virgin olive oil (off brand)
on puff's edges:
brown protein gel and infusium/olive oil mixture

MY APOLOGIES (I forgot) the last 5 pics, I used different products

Second twist out/puff products:
shea butter
Blended Beauty-
curl quenching conditioner
butter me up
and silkshake.
(they smell awesome)

disclaimer*
clearly you all see i DO NOT do parts.
i watch law and order while parting with my fingers.
end of story

Attempt at a puff....sort of
etc...boredom

sew in...dominatrix style...check me out

the straightening was just a little experiment
i can't say that it can compete with the napptural.
I was soo in love with the length in this album.
I still am!

I finally cut off the relaxed hair. I just needed to grow some balls. I really like it. and I can't wait to see what it looks like as it grows out!
I am officially ALL napptural
*side note*
when you go to BC, find a stylist who supports your decision to go natural!!!! i was not so fortunate. i guess it could have been worse she could have cut off my 7 months of growth and gave me a fade....