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 :)