Current Wish List

So as most of you know I'm a southern girl, which means I have a huge aversion to winter! While hiding away in my house willing it to warm up I've spent a lot of time window shopping a la the internet and have made a list of some of the things on my wish list. Some I do plan to purchase in the near future and others well who knows when I'll get them!

1. MAC cosmetics mineralized skin finish
2. Maybelline Color Tattoos in Tough as Taupe, Bad To The Bronze, and Pomegranate Punk
3. Maybelline Color Sensational Vivids lipstick in Pink Pop
4. Milani Rose Hip lipstick
5. Benefit Hello Flawless Oxygen Foundation
6. Pebco salon dryer or Ebay's equivalent
7. GVP's version of the Paul Mitchell Skinny serum
8. One 'N Only Restorative Mask
9. Spring clothing from my favorite stores (Express, H&M, etc)
10. Spring/summer shoes

I think it's safe to say I've got shopping on the brain! I'll definitely do an updated haul video/blog post whenever I get some of the things on my wish list :)

Get Fit: How I Make My Green Smoothie!

So 2013 has been all about stepping up my health game! As some of you know last year I successfully lost 30 lbs and for the most part I've kept it off. Well the holidays of course brought about a few extra pounds that I was ready to shed as soon as I got back on the east coast.  I also vowed to exercise more regularly and just continue to challenge myself physically. Well so far I've done great with my goals. I have about 5 more lbs of Christmas weight to lose and have started running again! Both on my blog and on my youtube channel I've decided to do some 'Get Fit' videos/posts just to share with you guys what I've been doing and how it's been working for me.

Today's post is about my new favorite snack/dinner option which is the green smoothie! At first I was extremely hesitant to try this smoothie out. It was just something about a smoothie with spinach in it that  I couldn't wrap my mind around, but I promise it's qutie tasty and an excellent option for anyone who's either trying to lose weight or just looking for healthier eating options!

Here's What I use:

• A handful of spinach leaves 
• 1 cup of Vanilla Almond Milk
• 1 Cup of Frozen Strawberries
• 1/2 cup of Pinapple
• 1 Packet of Great Value Sweetner (comparable to truvia)

Throw all of that into the blender for 1-2 minutes and you're all set for a yummy delicious treat! Please note that you can use any fruit that you like. Sometimes I use mango, raspberries, blueberries, etc. Check out the video below to see how I actually make it. 

Orly Nail Polish Vs Wet N Wild Mega Last Nail Polish

So as some of you may know I've been a huge fan of the Wet N Wild Mega Last nail polish for quite some time now, but since Sally's was having a sale where if you spent $3 you'd get a free bottle of Orly this was the perfect time to try out a different brand. Truth be told I've wanted to try out the Orly nail polish for quite some time, but shied away because of the price. So now that I've tried the Orly brand I thought what better time to do a comparison!

PRICE and AVAILABILITY: For me price is always a big deal...especially for something that I'm obsessed with buying (nail polish, conditioners, etc)

Orly Brand: Orly nail polish can be found at your local Sally's Beauty Supply or Ulta for around $7-$8 (sometimes you can catch Orly on sale for $5-$6)

Wet N Wild Megalast Brand: Wet N Wild nail polish can be found at both Walgreens and CVS for $1.99

Winner: I think it's obvious that Wet N Wild wins this round. You can't beat paying $1.99 for nail polish!

COLOR CHOICES:

Orly Brand: 1 Gazillion!

Wet N Wild Brand: 18

Winner: No seriously, Orly clearly wins this round because they have a TON of color choices and as a girl who loves to change up my nail color who can resist that!

LOOK: As you can see from the pictures both the Orly (left) and Wet N Wild (Right) polishes look great on and with a proper base coat and top coat the shine is unbelievable!

 

Winner: In my opinion both brands are the winner of this round. You can't go wrong with either polish when it comes to the look!

DURABILITY: Now to me this is the most important round simply because once I polish my nails I expect to get a full 7 days of wear out of it! My schedule just doesn't allow me the time to redo my nails multiple times a week. Please note that I used the exact same products (top coat and base coat) for both brands.

Orly Brand: The first 3 days of wearing the polish were pure bliss, however around day 4 or 5 I started noticing major chipping and flaking of the polish. I'm used to the polish wearing off a little bit, but the Orly brand chipped in a MAJOR way. Now in Orly's defense, I don't take it easy on my nails (my nails  are natural by the way). Anything I want to do and/or need to do I will do. This includes washing my hair, dishes, cleaning, various activities at my job, etc. The interesting this about this is that if you notice on my fourth finger I used a China glaze crackle polish over the orly. This polish on these two fingers never chipped. I may decide to give china glaze a chance in the future :)

Wet N Wild Brand: I normally get a full 7 days of wear out of the Wet N Wild brand. Of course as the days go by the color fades a little around the edges, but I've never noticed any major chipping or flaking.

Winner: For me Wet N Wild definitely wins this round. I love that I can get 6-7 days of wear from this polish.

OVERALL WINNER: I really wanted to like the Orly brand especially since it has such a wide variety of colors, but between the price and lack of durability I just can't see myself shelling out around $8 for a polish that only lasts 3-4 days be fore I need a polish change! Overall Wet N Wild is my favorite out of the two brands because at $2 a bottle for a polish that goes on smoothly and lasts a full seven days...well to put it simply 'You can't beat that with a stick!' Lol please excuse my country quote, but you get my point!

How I slick Down My Edges

So I've been experimenting with different gels and edge products for a while and based on the wave action I've got going on with my edges I think I've finally found a combination that works for my hair! The great thing about being on a hair journey is that I'm constantly learning new things about my hair and today's lesson is all about edges.

My process was very simple and only includes 3 products. I know I know...it seems like a lot of product to use just on my edges, but I used each product sparingly. First I applied the elasta QP mango butter to my edges. This product is too heavy for my relaxed tresses, but is great for my edges! After that I applied a small amount of my ampro styl protein gel (the one in the black jar) and lastly I applied a bit of the ampro silk edges! After applying the products I tied down my edges with a silk scarf for about 5-10 minutes. Oddly enough when I used each of these products individually I could never get the proper hold, while still having soft hair. Well this combo was a game changer for me! Check out my results below :)

Product Spotlight on Giovanni's Direct Leave-In Conditioner

As I've mentioned previously my new favorite moisturizer is Giovanni's Direct Leave In Weightless Moisture Conditioner. On a whim I tried this leave in as a moisturizer and have been in love ever since! The great thing about this product is its versatility. I've used it as a leave in, a daily moisturizer, and as a styling aid in braid outs. Every way that I've used this product has turned out to be a success for me. Check out my product spotlight on this product. It's so great that I just had to share how well it's been working for my hair :)

Yummy Sweet and Sour Chicken

Ok so I after a fun day of errands and shopping I was starved and decided to cook myself a tasty dinner. Earlier this week while reading some of the blogs that I follow Latoya Jones put up a post about a sweet and sour chicken and fried rice dish that she'd cooked. Y'all it looked so good I wish I could've come through the computer screen just to get a taste! Well I'd put it in the back of my mind since reading that post that I was going to make that dish and today was the day! You can check out the ingredients and instructions on her post right here. It was a fairly easy process and the results were absolutely delicious!  If you guys love to cook as much as I do this one is a must try!

Midweek Cowash Success!

Well it's still winter here on the east coast...in case you couldn't tell I'm over it! Anywho, because of this cold weather by the time I'm ready for wash day my hair normally feels a bit dry. As Ive mentioned in my 7 tips to successfully stretch your relaxer blog post you have to listen to your hair and as of lately my hair has been saying that one wash a week isnt enough. I decided to nip this problem in the bud before incurring any immediate breakage by trying a mid week cowash. Now I haven't cowashed in forever. I used to do it every week but between studying and my work schedule I was just too busy plus I didn't see where the added manipulation was helping my hair any. Now mind you my cowashing process then was a lot more complicated. After putting some serious thought into how I could make this process work for my hair while still being as quick and painless for both me and my schedule I think I've come up with a very simple low manipulation routine! Here's what I did.

1. I rinsed my hair thoroughly for 2-3 minutes with warm water
2. Next I applied my hair one to my scalp and the length of my hair and gently massaged my scalp being careful not to cause any unnecessary tangles. I let it sit for 1-2 minutes and then rinsed.
3. I then applied my GVP Matrix Biolage Conditioning Balm (can you tell that this product has quickly become a favorite of mine?). I let it sink into my hair while I showered and washed my face. 
4. I rinsed the conditioner thoroughly out of my hair and tied my hair with my turbie twist to soak up as much extra water as possible. 
5. Lastly I applied my leave ins, which consisted of my kimmay tube leave in with a twist and a dime sized amount of my Chi silk infusion serum. After this was done I sat under my dryer on a medium heat setting for about an hour. 

Notice, I did NOT detangle my hair during this wash. As a matter of fact I didn't  use a comb at all during this cowash. To detangle I just used my fingers while rinsing out my conditioner. Initially I was worried that my hair would dry and be a hot tangled mess, but instead I was left with extremely soft, moisturized, fluffy, and tangle free hair! I was so pleased with my cowash experience that I'm thinking about adding it to my weekly regimen! 

Here's a picture of the final results. I know it's a bit blurry, but I was sleepy and didn't feel like pulling out my camera! 

Happy growing :)

L4LPSC Check in!

Hi guys! So many of you know that I am participating in the Longing4Length Protective Styling Challenge! Well it's officially time for our first check in. Here are the questions that I'll be answering.

• What has been working for you?
• What has been most helpful?
• What you are struggling with?

Because it's freezing outside (well not freezing, but I'm a southern girl living on the east coast!) I've been rocking cute winter hats lined with satin bonnets. So far my hair has been LOVING this! 

Outside of the lovely EbonyCPrincess's unique protective hairstyling tutorials, regular deep conditioning, and moisturizing and sealing daily have been the most helpful things for my hair! 

Because my hair is cut in layers and is not as long as I'd like it to be (*sigh* I'm making progress!) my current styling options are limited. I'm working on improving my braiding skills for the spring! In the mean time I'm finding ways to make it work :)

So far I've really been enjoying this challenge. It's a great motivating way to keep your hair protected and growing. Until the next check in happy growing!