Shoedazzle says I'm Flirtatious, Youthful, and Femme...

A few days ago I was flipping through my March 2011 Essence magazine when I came across this picture:

The shoes! It was truly love at first sight. I have RSVP'd to three weddings so far for this summer and I thought that this shoe would be perfect. Mind you, I have coworkers who have raved about this sight before (shoedazzle.com) however It fell on deaf ears with me. A website that picks out shoes you would want to wear according to your style profile? I can do that myself. They send you updates on a regular basis? Sounds like trouble to me. However the folks at Essence magazine have sealed the deal and lured me in. So today I signed up and took the initial assessment (It took less than 10 minutes). My results? Take a look:

It takes 24 hours for your stylists to come up with suggestions for you. I have my 39.95 (yes, that's the price for each shoe, handbag or jewelry set) ready and waiting. Did I mention the free shipping. A recovering shopaholics nightmare dream. I'll keep you posted.

Random Shots From Brother Jimmys BBQ--Union Square

This entire weekend was filled with random events. Here are some highlights from a night at Brother Jimmys BBQ! Their motto is "Put Some South In Yo' Mouth", need I say more?

Just me!

Anyone know how to pronounce the name of this?

That's Red Velvet Cake...and it was sooooo good!

No comment...  ; )

Looks a bit intimidating!

All done!

I'm infamous for hiding from a camera...

Here's to a great week!!

Wotless!

Nine days until Trinidad's Carnival and I can't believe I am not going to be there. I have been browsing blogs like www.trinidadcarnivaldiary.com, and ww.thesweet7.com to keep myself abreast of all things carnival. Costume distribution schedules, pictures of people's costumes that they have already collected, and music video's.  I can't contain my excitement and sadness! My latest carnival obsession, Kes's video for Wotless. I went digging through my files to find some pictures of "wotlessness" from carnivals past. Here are a few! 

And of course the video:

Enjoy! 

There's nothing wrong with a little hair envy....

My style rut requires an intervention! I know protective styling coupled with time, care, patience (this is a hard one, I don't even like waiting on line), and consistency will equal longer lengths by this summer but I want BIG hair now! Here are a few images that have been keeping me on track. The source...one of the best for kinky, coily, curly inspiration: Fuck Yeah Curls Curls Curls. 

Are you in need of some pictures to inspire you? Click HERE!

TARGET HAUL!!!

Even Halle Berry Shops at Target!

Yesterday I went to Target with one goal in mind. Buy detergent! As my vacation winds down to a close, I thought doing some laundry might be an excellent use of these last few days. Allow me to pause here and applaud the people who are responsible for Target’s layout and merchandising! They do an excellent job to lure (although “sucker” is a better adjective) me in every time. Let’s just say I picked up a couple extra “much needed” items.

This could have been my shopping cart...

I am not sure how your local Target is configured, but  my local store situates the women’s clothing and the health & beauty aisle before necessities such as food, the pharmacy, and cleaning products. I made it past the make-up section unscathed as there were no new products I wanted to try and the nail polish section (my new guilty pleasure) looked sparse. Then I passed the endcap that was loaded with hair goodies from Miss Jessie's, Curls, Shea Moisture, Kinky Curly, and Jane Carter. The shelves were stocked, which is rare for these products. It seemed as if they had every product that I could possibly have wanted in stock. I’m pretty sure I was touching my hair (which is in need of some TLC at the moment) and practically drooling at the same time. 

A Natural's Dream...

I quickly picked up a jar of Shea Moisture Organic Raw Shea Butter Deep Treatment Masque because it is a rare find at any Target that I’ve visited. I plan on using this next week as my deep conditioner for comparison to my new favorite Yes To Carrots conditioner. As quickly as I placed the jar in my cart my eyes caught a glimpse of Kinky Curly ‘s Knot Today. At this point, I had convinced myself that this would be the product that was going to make finger detangling my hair a breeze.  As I continued perusing the aisle I reached another endcap loaded this time with Herbal Essence’s shampoos and conditioners and adjacent to a big sign that read 2 for$5.  I scanned the shelves ever so carefully; however, to my dismay, there was no sign of the Herbal Essences Hello Hydration that was being advertised on the sign. As I made my way down the aisle to find some more products I did manage to find some Hello Hydration, but they did not have the 2 in 1 shampoo plus conditioner sadly. However, I did find a few bottles of the Long Term Relationship Leave –In Conditioner which I use every other day and so I quickly snapped up two of them. Once again I was all set to leave the aisle when my eyes zeroed in on a new product by Garnier Fructis called Pure Clean Finishing Paste. the label made several claims that peaked my interest: “99% Naturally Derived”, “24hr Definition”, “Zero Stickiness”, “Strong [hold]”. I imagined perfectly slicked puffs and pompadours in my hair. Needless to say I couldn’t resist and picked it up a bottle. I have been using Garnier Fructis Water Based Shine Wax for creating my flat twists and slicking my puffs back. My feeling is that this would constitute a “naturally derived” alternative. I didn’t even look at the price as I gingerly placed in my hand basket!  Not even five minutes in Target and I already had a basket full of hair goodies totaling about 32 dollars and still no detergent.

The Aftermath...

After I picked up the detergent I had originally come for I made my way home with the aforementioned hair products, some tank tops, candles, oh and one glittery nail polish to boot. The Garnier Fructis Pure Clean Finishing Paste was not what I expected at all. The product has a very clean almost citrus smell to it that I like, but it is a white paste totally unlike the clear shine wax. 

As for hold, I have not tried it on a puff yet; however, I do not anticipate getting the best results. I did use it to redo a flat twist, but it’s hard to tell if it made a difference on my hair (due in part to my hair already having a lot of product on still in it from my attempts of stretching my hairstyle to last for two weeks). I will give it a full review in the near future. 

As for Target, it’s a consumer blessing and a financial curse.I'm pretty sure I'll be in there again before the end of the week! ; )

Back from MCO!

Hey people! After a short break spending time with friends in Orlando I have returned! Although I had a great time and enjoyed some much needed fun in the sun  I must admit my hair was a bit neglected. Nonetheless, I am back and my regimen will be back in place by this weekend. All will be right with the world. : )

One of my closest friends Tee and I at Bahama Breeze.

There is always time for a style session. ; ) My Goddaughter wanted to join in!

A little late on this video....please forgive me!

It's late. I am up packing for a trip to Orlando tomorrow evening and it is a  few hours (honestly about two) before I need to return to work and of course I can not focus on the task at hand! YouTube (at this point it can be classified as an addiction) has been keeping me company/distracting me and I have come across a few videos that I have never watched. Case in point Esto es Africa by Shakira featuring Freshlyground. I loved this song but after watching the video I want to buy a plane ticket to Trinidad and the lyrics are speaking to me as well:

You're a good soldier
Choosing your battles
Pick yourself up
And dust yourself off
And back in the saddle

You're on the frontline
Everyone's watching
You know it's serious
We're getting closer
This isn't over

The pressure is on
You feel it
But you've got it all
Believe it

When you fall get up
Oh oh...
And if you fall get up
Oh oh...

Tsamina mina
Zangalewa
Cuz this is Africa

Tsamina mina eh eh
Waka Waka eh eh

Tsamina mina zangalewa
Anawa aa
This time for Africa

The next time you all hear from me I will be in Orlando,  Florida. Ciao Bellas! 

Natural Hair Icon: Corinne Bailey Rae

I guess the first thing I should say is I love Corinne Bailey Rae's hair as much as I love her music. She is an artist who is in heavy rotation on my I-Pod especially when I am in a neo-soul groove. In addition to this I have a lot of respect for her not only as an artist but as a woman. In 2008 her husband Jason Rae died unexpectedly from a drug overdose but despite this Corrine continued to sing, write, and perform all while grieving the loss of her husband. She is the picture of resiliency and a natural beauty. 

Like A Star--My Favorite Song by Bailey Rae! Enjoy ; )

Loving Yes To Carrots!

Despite it all I  still miss my hydrated summer hair!

This is a small update but I thought I would share with you all my new favorite conditioner for deep conditioning, Yes to Carrots! I told you all earlier that I would give it a try along with some other conditioners. I am so glad that I did try this particular product. Note that I do add some doses of my own to my conditioners (ex. Shea butter, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Honey, Vitamin E, and Nettle and Horsetail extracts, etc.).

Melted Shea Butter, Olive Oil, and Honey 

I've added in my Yes To Carrots Conditioner and a few other ingredients...

Loving It! 

 For the record, I also did this with my Hello Hydrations conditioner as well. Every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday are the days that I am scheduled to re-moisturize my hair a la Giovanni’s  Vitapro Fusion conditioner, Herbal Essences’ Long Term Relationship conditioner, and Castor Oil to seal my hair. However, when I took my twists down from my pin-up last night they still felt soft to the touch. Before Yes to Carrots I was considering a switch to re-moisturizing every day because my twists felt dry and dehydrated over the last few weeks. Needless to say I was thrilled last night when I discovered that my kinks were not parched.  I will be using  Yes to Carrots one more time next week after I apply “Henna”  to my hair. For those of you unfamiliar with Henna it a great deep conditioner and natural coloring for your hair. Curly Nikki has a lot of information in regards to it on her website.For more information click here and scroll down.  As for me, after this Henna treatment then it’s on to the next one.

Carnival At The Grammys!?!?

It looks like Carnival Fever is hitting everyone especially at the Grammy's! Doubting me? Take a look for yourself:

Cee Lo Green

Somebody call Tribe and tell them we found their missing male Frontline Brazilian McCaw costume!

Nicki Minaj Source:teen.com

Nicki Minaj Source: Teen.com

Nicki must have been channeling Island People's Animal Instincts

Rihanna looks like she was crossing the big stage!

And Drake just looks like ...he needs a plane ticket for Trinidad!