Giveaway Winner Announced!

The WINNER of the Shea Moisture Giveaway issss.... Imani Rivera aka @we_thedamned!!!!

Please email me your shipping address to keetaray@allthingskeetaray.com and I will ship Monday morning (tomorrow).

Thank you to everyone for participating!! I plan to do another giveaway soon and hopefully do these about once a month :)

Enjoy the rest of your weekends!

KeetaRay

Shea Moisture Curl Enhancing Smoothie Giveaway NOW CLOSED!

It's that time! Thanks to all who have entered!! I will be picking the winner and announcing on this blog tomorrow at 10am EST! <3

Dry, Chapped Lips? Here's a Remedy...

We’ve all been there a time or two… or 50. Lol Dry, chapped lips. What a pain! But there is an easy and affordable way to solve this issue. I used to buy lip scrubs, and they can get pricey depending on the brand and where you buy them. Then, I figured out how to make my own and it has been working like a charm

• Make a fast lip scrub using coarse, raw sugar and water. Put a teaspoon of sugar into the palm of your hand. With your finger, mix a few drops of water into the sugar to make a paste, and then spread it on your lips with your fingertip. Lick it away or rinse your lips with warm water, then apply a layer of olive oil and let it soak in.

-OR-

• Try a honey lip scrub by mixing a teaspoon of honey, a teaspoon of baking soda and a few drops of olive oil in your hand. Smear it gently into your lips and let it sit for a few minutes. Rub your lips together to remove extra dead skin, and then rinse it away with warm water. Apply more olive oil to your lips while they’re still wet, and blot dry with a clean, soft cloth.

You can use the above everyday or every other day, as needed.

Say hello to smooth, soft lips!!

GIVEAWAY: Shea Moisture Curl Enhancing Smoothie

Hi, Blog Readers!!

I've decided to do a giveaway for you all :) Below are the product details and the giveaway rules.

Product: Shea Moisture Organic Coconut and Hibiscus Curl Enhancing Smoothie

Ingredients: Deionized Water , Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter) , Cocos Nucifera Oil (Coconut) , Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil , Persea Gratissima Oil (Avocado) , Vegetable Glycerin , Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract , Silk Protein , Ammonium Salt , Melia Azadirachta Seed Oil (Neem) , Daucus Carota Sativa Seed Oil (Carrot) , Sorbitol Esters , Panthenol (Pro-Vitamin B-5) , Caprylyl Glycol , Essential Oil Blend , Lonicera Caprifolium Flower and Lonicera Japonica Flower Extract (Honeysuckle and Japanese Honeysuckle) , Tocopherol (Vitamin E)

Benefits & Features:
Nutrient rich vegetable butters condition hair, restoring moisture, body and shine. Enhances curls, minimizes frizz and provides curl control. For thick, curly hair. Sulfate-free and color-safe.

• Coconut oil: Hydrates and protects hair from heat and chemical damage
• Silk protein: Reduces breakage, strengthens hair, adds smoothness and silkiness
• Neem oil: An age-old ayurvedic oil that strengthens hair and provides brilliant shine
• No parabens, phthalates, paraffin, gluten, propylene glycol, mineral oil, synthetic fragrance, animal testing, PABA, synthetic color, DEA, or animal ingredients

Natural product, color and aroma may vary. I use these for my twists outs to get great hold and body.

Here are the Giveaway Entry Rules:

1. You must follow my blog (click the "Follow" button/link to the right side of the page.)
2. Follow me on Twitter @1KeetaRay (usually my tweets are protected but for purposes of this giveaway I will "unlock" them).
3. In the comments section of this post, send me your Twitter name (@MyTwitterName).
(All of the above must be done to qualify. I will verify once I choose the name to be sure)

Note: I am only shipping in the U.S. only, at this time. Sorry :(

Enter by Saturday, Jan. 28th 10pm EST for your chance to win.
THE WINNER WILL BE CHOSEN RANDOMLY ON SUNDAY, JANUARY 29TH AT 10AM EST.


Thanks for entering and Good luck!! :)

Why It's Important to Wash Your Face at Night

I've heard it many times. To be honest, I've DONE it many times - gone to bed without washing my face. Whether you wear makeup or not (but ESPECIALLY if you wear makeup) - washing your face before bed is essential. Here is why:

1. Cleansing your skin before bed will reduce the presence of clogged pores, thus the acne-causing bacteria will not thrive, and this means no breakouts for you.
2. When you're sleeping, the skin is also at rest & skin regeneration occurs. Removing dirt and debris from your skin before bed allows this process to just flow. Don't "block" your skin at this time.
3. Moisturizing lotions/creams will evaporate from your skin during the day, so when you wash your skin and reapply moisturizer at night, you are keeping your skin hydrated and moist. (Don't be fooled - even oily skin can be dehydrated - trust me, I know!)

Once I've learned the above, I always wash my face at night no matter how tired I am. No matter what time it is, no exceptions. If you have to, keep some cleansing wipes by your bed or in your bag. No excuses! (Lol)
You can have great skin but you have to do your part!! :)

My Mini Twists

I seem to do this about once every year. Mini Twists! I love them. They make my life easier. I really didn't feel like doing this today, but my motivation was the fact that I would not have to "do" my hair for the next 2-3 weeks. Lol

I attached some pics and also posted a YouTube video on how I did them. Click Here for that vid.

Yayyy! Done after 4 hours.

Blow dried hair on the left; Twists put into a bun on the right.

Glowing GREEN Smoothie!

First off - HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! 6 days in. Lol It's been busy already.

Anywho, I want to tell you all about this healthy smoothie I've become privy to from a woman I posted about not too long ago. Heather Lindsey posted about this Glowing Green Smoothie (GGS) on her blog. I thought it was interesting but at the time I had no desire to try it. However, as I've been getting older I feel the need to do more for my health and be better to myself, inside out. So, I reconsidered. And I checked out the site of the young lady where this originated from - her name is Kimberly Snyder and her website explains all about detox and diet/health, etc.

"Natural" Makeup Products

For those who are anti-makeup and/or don't want to look "made up", you should know that makeup CAN look natural. In the pic below I am wearing a full face of makeup.

Concealer: Mary Kay in Light Bronze
Foundation: The Body Shop's Oil Free Liquid Foundation in #10 (SPF 15)
Brows: Filled in lightly with Milani Brow Kit in #3
Mascara: Maybelline Colossal Lash in Black
Blush: The Body Shop in #07
Lips: Lip Pencil in MAC Chestnut, MAC Fresh Brew Lipstick, MAC C-Thru Lipglass

This is my fave natural/toned-down look. As you can see, I use what works for me. I am not partial to just one brand. :)