The Art of Beauty

Lately, I have realized that I have become such a "girly-girl". I make monthly appointments to get a manicure and pedicure. I love love love to shop. Retail therapy is amazing btw. And my hair. I am such a perfectionist when it comes to my natural hair. The bigger the better (which is why I love the summer, the humidity causes my hair to swell to dimensions unknown!)

The unfortunate part is while my pedicure lasts for at least two weeks, my manicures are usually gone within a week. I have been using gel polish, which I absolutely love. But with the limited colors available and some salon shops not doing as well of a job as others, I am usually chipped and peeled within a week.

So what's a girl to do? Make use of what she has, of course!

I have become obsessed lately with polishes. Each time I make a Target trip, I make sure to scout the nail polishes and pick up a few. I have become even more obsessed with nail color since watching this youtube video: How to Paint Nails by MissJenFABULOUS

She gives amazing tips in this video, such painting your nails without touching the cuticle, using short even strokes, etc.

Here are some pictures of my recent nails manicure adventure...

I used FingerPaint's "Art You Wondering" and Sally Hansen's "Art Thou Blue"

Oh...and a post isn't complete without some hair pictures...

(   As you can see this was on a super humid day. :)  )

Probably my BEST braid-out to date...

I absolutely cannot understand how I managed to create one of my favorite braid-outs to date...I feel like I haven't used anything that would have yielded anything other than my regular results. Or maybe it's because I have added one new product to my current regimen. Either way I am #winning!

It all began with me hennaing last night. Thankfully, one of the Indian Stores near me began stocking their shelves with Jamila Henna, which at one point could only be ordered online around here. After an hour, I rinsed out the Henna and applied a deep conditioner for a half hour (my time was limited!) 

I then did my shea butter mix, oil, eco styler gel, and *shea butter deep treatment masque*. I found a whole thread on LHCF that raved about this product in braid-outs. I was thinking...I bought this darn stuff for 10 dollars as a deep conditioner and was not impressed with it at all!! I was just piling it in my hair trying to get rid of it. That was up until I found the LHCF thread. Unfortunately I didn't find the thread until I was almost finished the whole container (in hopes of speedily getting rid of it). 

So I have been using it in my braid outs and let me tell you, my hair is so soft and my curls/waves look so lush! 

I think it was the Jamila Henna that might have given it an extra kick.

Needless to say my pictures are below. I was enjoying photobooth entirely too much today. Adios!

Hello, Hello, Wash N Go!

After looking at some of the beautiful heads on longhaircareforum.com's Wash n Go thread, I thought I'd work on perfecting this style especially for the lazy days of the summer. My hair becomes very temperamental in the summer and is very difficult to tame. Straight styles go poof. Braidouts and Twist outs turn into Frizz outs. And it's all due to the humidity. And it has been unseasonably humid so far this week.

So Wash n' Go's tend to be my go-to hair style. The previous summer's I've always gelled back the sides and put it into a banana clip or a pony tail. But I wanted to try different styles to incorporate this look.

Here are my styles from Tuesday and Wednesday:

Wash n Go

Wash n Go

Wash n Go with side Twist

Length Checks

I've been creating some fabulous (if I might say so myself) high buns lately that I wanted to share.

How to create this look: I start with freshly washed hair. After using my Kinky Curly Leave In Conditioner, I divide my hair into four parts. I add a little Kinky Curly Curling Custard along with my Shea Butter Mix and braid the hair. I then set the ends with flexi-rods. 

In the morning, I undo the braids (it doesn't matter if the hair is slightly damp). I use a hair band and pull it toward the top of my head (the same way that an afro puff is done). I then swirl the hair around and secure it with pins. 

I also use a little eco styler on the edges to slick them back and use a soft brush. Lastly, I tie a scarf around my head to hold down the edges for about 10 minutes and Voila!

I love this look. I can make it as big and dramatic as I wish to. And I can dress it up with earrings as well. 

Sooooo...randomly, I decided Friday Afternoon to have a...what I like to call: "heat treat". I've been avoiding heat as much as possible, and this is my second "heat treat" of the year. My next will not be until the fall. Along with my heat treat, I asked for a much anticipated trim.

It took a lot of going back and forth in my mind....should I do it? Should I not? Don't these ends look ragedy enough? DO IT! But if I don't, I'll have the length I love? But what does it matter if the ends look chewed up...???? I know...insane.

Here are the results (I'm in love!) BTW, I went to a Dominican Salon. They use entirely too much heat if you ask me, but I cannot pass the price. I convinced myself that it's OK to go to a DS, as long as it's not overdone!

A minor set back, but it's fine. I actually think that this is the longest my hair has been in the past 10 years, which is progress in itself. Next stop: BSL!

Small steps in the right direction

It has been almost five months from my trim in December. Have I reached the goals that I planned to reach? Not quite. I am grazing BSL in the back and I am at APL in the front. I do recognize that my hair has grown. butnotasmuchasiwish. Ok, ok, I have to be grateful. I am trying to convince myself that the goal is healthy, strong hair...not Rapunzel-floor-length-hair over night.

In my quest for (longer), healthier, stronger hair. I have decided to follow the following regimen:

• Deep Condition Weekly (Shea Moisture Deep Treatment Masque)
• Hot Oil Treatment Weekly (Grape Seed Oil, Castor Oil, Olive Oil, Argan Oil, Alma Oil)
• Henna Monthly
• Braid-outs during the week
• Bunning at least twice a week
• Moisturizing with S-Curl (soul glo...lol) Nightly
• Sealing ends with Caster Oil, Grape Seed Oil, Argan Oil, and Vitamin E Oil mixture

I am hoping that this will help me to reach my goals. I will be receiving a trim in May. With that, I am crossing my finger to reach and surpass my BSL length goal by the end of August. I then want to get my hair buntly cut into a U-Shape and continue on WL by (insert date here).

Here are some styles that I have used within the past month...

Curly Fro Hawk on an old braid out using a banana clip

Braidout 

Bantu Knot-out on straightened hair

Straightened and spiral curled hair

Braidout fluffed out.

I plan on taking length shots this upcoming weekend to show the comparison lengths.