Twist Out on Kid's Hair

Below is a pic of my little cousin. Her mom gave her a twistout and look how cute it turned out! I'll have to ask again what she used and update this post, but I had to post the pic for now :)

"Feeling Moody" :)

Wearing my new knit scarf from Feeling_Moody! Check out her site, she has some GREAT stuff. You can follow Feeling Moody on Twitter here.

Courtesy of ESSENCE magazine - a free cosmetic bag with SAMPLES from Target

Check out what I received yesterday in the mail! Too cute :)

New Protective Style: Twisted Puff/Bun

I have to give credit to my friend Alex of The Good Hair Blog for this protective style idea. She told me about this before when she did it the last time, but on me it came out terrible. Today, I had to call her and get the details. It looks more complicated than it is but there is definitely a technique to achieving it.

What I did was pull my hair up with a stretchy headband (I used Goody headbands here) as if I were doing a puff (this was done on a 3-4 day old twist out). With the hair that was left out, I started two-strand twisting them around the perimeter of the puff. Once all my hair was twisted (I did bigger twists so it didn't take long at all - about 10 min.) I used hair pins to secure them toward the middle of the puff/bun. This gave the "bun" look/effect. I then used another headband to double up and put in the front of my hair (I just always like to do that but totally unnecessary for you to get this look). I plan to leave it like this until the end of the week.

What is your favorite protective style?

Product Review: Safi Haircare's Pumpkin Puddin'

I had the pleasure of trying out a new hair butter from Safi Haircare over the weekend. It's a new seasonal product called Pumpkin Puddin'. Below is the product description and ingredients, which are also listed on Safi's Website.

This yummy Pumpkin Puddin' is right on time for the holidays! It's light, airy, fluffy and smells like Grandma's pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving day. It has the scent of delicious pumpkin and the perfect mix of spices with top notes of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, pumpkin and rum. Mid notes of apples, muguet, peach and ginger, paired with nutty vanilla base.
The great thing about Pumpkin Puddin' is that it can be used on your hair and body. The dash of cinnamon that's in this product will keep your strands nice and strong.


Ingredients: Pumpkin Seed Butter, Shea Butter, Aloe Vera Gel, Castor Oil, Argan Oil, Coconut Oil,Tucuma Butter, Cupuacu Butter, Red Palm Oil, Water, Xantham Gum(Thickener), Emulsifying wax, Ground Cinnamon, Sodium Lactate

Thought for the Day

I absolutely LOVE receiving emails/messages that make me think or put something in perspective. I wanted to share this email I received today via Napoleon Hill's email distro list that I get every Monday through Friday. It really resonated with me.

You never know who your real friends are until adversity overtakes you and you need cooperation.

Everybody loves a winner, it has been said, but nobody knows you when you’re down and out. One of the often unappreciated benefits of adversity is that it accelerates the process of identifying your true friends. Most of us have many acquaintances and associates, but we are indeed fortunate if we have a handful of real friends. You will very quickly identify yours when you ask them for help. The wise individual is the one who, when asked for assistance, recognizes that he may one day find himself in the same situation.

If you'd like to receive similar messages in your own email Inbox, please click this link to sign up: Napoleon Hill Foundation

Natural Hair Pin-up style

Yesterday I tried a new style and I really like it. Below is how I achieved this result:

I had been wearing my hair out most of last week and it got really dry. In addition to wearing it out (I wore it in a bun most of the summer), I hadn't been deep conditioning or washing as often :-o I know, I know. So yesterday, since they let me off work a little early, I decided to give my hair some TLC.

Washed hair with Kinky Curly Come Clean shampoo twice. I didn't section off to shampoo. Thoroughly massaged my scalp (using the pads of my fingers, never my nails), rinsed, and repeated.
Then I went and put my hair into 4 sections (2 in the back, 2 in the front) and applied conditioner to each section (Herbal Essence Totally Twisted). After I applied conditioner to a section, thoroughly saturating my hair with it, I then applied about a tablespoon of olive oil on top of the conditioner and combed through using my wide tooth comb. Then I twisted the section and pinned it away with a bobby pin. After all sections were done, I put on a plastic cap and sat under my hooded dryer for 30 min.
I rinsed my hair section by section, retwisting each section when done (just 4 big twists). This kept my hair from tangling.
I then applied Kinky Curly Knot Today (my leave-in) and started my small twists, leaving the front section out for the pompadour later. I twisted my hair while wet/damp. Shrinkage wasn't a concern since I'd be pinning them up anyhow. To twist I applied Carol's Daughter Marguerite's Magic to the hair to be twisted, twirling the ends of each twist. After my hair was twisted (not including the section in the front), I gathered all the twists toward the middle of my head pinning them in place w/bobby pins. 
For the front section, I made 4 larger twists. Sat under my dryer for 45 minutes, then unraveled for the 4 twists in the front. I pulled my hair forward and tucked under w/hair pins for the pompadour look. That's it. I plan to keep it this way for about a week.

Total time to finish (including shampoo and DC): approximately 3-4 hours.

Sidebar: Lipstick is by MAC - Potent Fig Mattene Lipstick, my new fave :)

It's a Photoshoot!

I had the honor and pleasure of working with my friend/sis, Alex, for her new jewelry line this past weekend. It was her first photoshoot showcasing her work and she asked me to do the makeup for the models. I was so happy to do it and we had so much fun. Check out the 30 sec video clip below for a Behind-the-Scenes Sneak Peek. :)


ALS BTS from Teck Films on Vimeo.

"No Reply Necessary"

It's been awhile since my last post. Life has been great but super busy. But I HAD to share this with you all today. Every M - F I have Joel Osteen's devotionals sent to my email, and I share them with people who have asked to be added to my daily list. Today, I really needed this one. I hope that it empowers you the way it has me :)

via Joel Osteen:
I’ve learned that you can’t waste your time engaging in conflicts that don’t matter. There will always be critics. There will always be naysayers, but we have to follow the example of Jesus. When He was falsely accused, He didn’t try to defend Himself. He gave no reply to the charges against Him.

Remember, the critics cannot keep you from your destiny. They don’t define who you are. They don’t determine your worth and value. You are a child of the Most High God. The Creator of the universe breathed life into you. As a believer in Jesus, you are crowned with favor. Turn away from accusing voices so you can focus on the destiny God has prepared for you! (Refer to Matthew 27:12–14, NIV)

Forgiveness

I read a quote about forgiveness online and it really resonated with me. People I thought I had forgiven for things that they had done to me... I really hadn't. And they were taking up space in my mind, making me angry, sad, resentful... among other things. This morning I realized what the unforgiveness was doing to me. And I prayed. And I'm officially and consciously working on it. I'm focusing on being the change I want to see and being a loving person, and praying for those who have hurt me.
Here is the quote:
"Funny how when you don't forgive someone who has wronged you, they seem to occupy your mind and your emotions the most. Until you forgive, you will be chained to their memory and experience. Forgive them by bringing love, kindness, and gentleness back to YOUR spirit and letting go of the anger, hate, and resentment. It's not always easy but with God all things are possible. Do it for you and for the return of love in your life." ~William White

If you struggle in this area, I hope this helped you today :)