These are a few of my favorite things...

/
Bad day, lipstickI was cleaning up my makeup bag the other day and realized, dagg, I have a lot of lipsticks, maybe I should get rid of some of them… I think not. My lipsticks, to me are like my shoes, a simple statement piece within an outfit, and like my shoes, I don’t believe there is such a thing as “too many lipsticks.” There are 365 days in a year, I think I’m doing alright with my 15+ lipsticks! My lipsticks range from Tom Ford to the dollar store brand, I don’t discriminate, if it looks good on my lips I could care less about whose fancy logo is on it. I’ve combined some of my new editions with my old time favorites to show you how much I love my lipsticks. Processed with VSCOcam with f2 preset Bobbi Brown- Caramel
 Xoxo    

Baby it's cold Outside...

/

It's Cold Outside …Naturally, I’m a spring baby! Everything about spring runs through my body, so you can imagine that winter is not my most exciting season. If Christmas, snow and fuzzy socks were not apart of this cold period, I would move to a different state the minute the temperature dropped below 45 degrees. Knowing this, it shouldn’t be hard to believe that winter has a very harsh effect on my body, hair, nails, skin and all; everything is dry! No worries though, I’ve found some things that have been helpful in keeping my body moisturized as the cold front steps in.For my Mane (Hair): If you have been following my hair videos, I have been going through an intense drought season. My scalp, my ends and everything in between is D-R-Y. Even though I haven’t been able to pinpoint what the issue is exactly, I have been able to revive my hair situation. The newest addition to my hair junkie collection is Elasta QP’s Olive Oil and Mango Butter Moisturizer. Elasta QP Olive Oil & Mango Butter It was just what I needed. Moisturized my hair without weighing it down. I use this twice a day. A night before I go to sleep with a little bit of coconut oil, and in the morning. I’m starting to see a change in my hair, particularly my ends and the smell is marvelous!For my Skin: Now folks, I’m letting you in on my secret. For years now people have asked me what I use to keep my skin so soft and I simply smile and say thank you (ha! I’m rude), but today you’re in luck. I have been using Avon’s Skin so Soft Bath Oil for about 11 years! Avon Skin So Soft Bath Oil This bath oil is literally heaven sent. Not only does it soften my skin, it’s a bug repellent as well. So I don’t have to worry about the scent attracting the blood suckers (mosquitos) in the summer. I use this bath oil daily. Right when I get out the show this is the first thing I grab. I use an ample amount before I dry myself off. During the summer months I usually use this in the nighttime and then put on lotion when I wake up in the morning, but since winter aims to bring my skin to its driest state, I use the bath oil and then layer up with Jergens Ultra Healing Extra Dry Skin Moisturizer before I go to bed. Jergens Ultra Healing I do not like the feeling of build up on my hair or skin, which is why Jergens is perfect for me. It does the job without leaving a greasy feel.For my Hands: My mother always tells me that you can tell a woman’s age by her neck and her hands. Well although I look like a pubescent girl, I know that one day I’m going to want my age to remain a mystery. It seems that when my hands are moisturized, my nails grow faster and of course that is a life goal on mine; to have super duper long nails. (lol) The product that I’ve been using on my hands is new to the market and it’s called Sweet Shea Citronella Body Balm, (Start up business, check out her stuff it’s great, www.kazellecare.com ). Originally I was using this for my hair, but I noticed that the residue that was left on my hands made them soft, so now I use it as a hand moisturizer. On top of it working so well, it contains citronella, so I have double the protection when it comes to bugs!For my Feet: I do not like feet! I have a very strong pet peeve for them, but nonetheless I do like to take care of mine, because feet are nasty to begin with, let’s not make them nastier. My dad is a funny man. He always buys my mother and I things from infomercials. My mother is usually very reluctant at first but the products end up being winners, (My dad bought Wen Hair Care for my mom two years ago and she’s still using it). The newest product he bought was Miracle Foot Repair. Miracle Repair This moisturizer does wonders instantly! I kid you not, what it says on the label, it does. It reduces odor, helps soften cracked skin, stops irritation and it smells good, (always an essential for my potent nose). I use this at night or after I take a shower. During the colder months I put it on and immediately put socks over it. The first time I used it I saw a difference in the morning.The cold months are upon us people; it’s essential that we are fully prepared for the ordeal ahead of us!Be sure to stay moisturized,Xoxo

Best when Braided

/

Almost everyone I know has a hair drought season, I seem to always have two! Since the summer my hair has been super rebellious. My drought season tends to be in the wintertime because of the cold weather, but I am starting to feel like fall has been added into the drought mix. Naturally, I was bummed when I took my twists out and my hair felt like a brillo pad. I contemplated putting a relaxer back in my hair, getting a weave and/or wig (synthetic because I’m cheap) and even cutting it. Yes! Cutting it all the way up to my ears. Thankfully my cousin advised me that I had other options and the final outcome was box braids.Now people, I have never added extensions to my hair before so this was an adventure in and of itself. I could do without the 9-hour installation process but I guess I should have expected that being that my braid were down to the middle of my back. I only had my braids in for 3 weeks because I get bored easily, but within those 3 weeks I definitely saw a change in my hair. It grew about 1.5 inches, a little shorter in some areas (aka my dreadful bangs) and although it is still a little dry, I feel the moisture slowly starting to come back into my hair. | Go to style|So my routine and how I managed, huh? Well being that this was my first time with braids I probably could have done some things better. Like ensuring that I slept with my hair tied up and covered every night. But I did my research and figured out a system that kept my braids feeling soft, my scalp feeling nourished and my hair smelling good! I would oil my scalp at night with Raw Shea butter reconstructive finishing elixir;shea moisture elixir this really softened my braids and added much needed moisture to my scalp without creating build up (which I tend to have sometimes). I ordered it from amazon for $13 because I couldn’t find it at my local CVS. In the morning as I would get ready for my day I would apply coconut and hibiscus curl enhancing smoothie.shea moisture smoothieThis not only helped my hair smell good, but also controlled the frizz I started to get near my roots. I would apply a little amount with some water and put a scarf on my head as I was getting dressed. I used these two products because they are from the same company and I’m trying not to be a ‘product junkie’ and have 7 different products in my hair. There are several products that are good for box braids, so if you aren’t a fan of the Shea moisture products then just looks up what’s good for braids.And that was basically it! I did this for 3 weeks and saw a noticeable difference in my hair. I will definitely be trying box braids again. I think it is a great protective style and easy to manage, not to mention they look great! Test them out, try something new, it’s always fun to change up your hair.Be bodacious,Xoxo