NYC Natural's--> Event Alert!

Hey people!

Life has been a little hectic for me lately. I haven't been able to do much outside of work and prepping for my trip to Atlanta this weekend for 'Fro Fashion Week and my trip to Trinidad for carnival two weeks after that. Talk about pressure! Just when I thouht I couldn;t add one more thing to my plate for thenext few weeks an invite I could not resist ended up in my email inbox!



Taren looks AMAZING in this photp!






Join NaturallyCurly.com and Curls Unleashed at the Carlton Hotel in New York City on THURSDAY February 9, 2012 from 7-10pmfor an evening of styling demonstrations, giveaways, samples, and TextureTyping. Hosted by Taren Guy (Taren916 of YouTube), you'll have a chance to check out the seven new Curls Unleashed products and speak with texture expert Dr. Hair.

Yes, you read correctly! A new product by the name of Curls Unleashed (produced by Organic Root Stimulator) is hitting the natural hair market and it looks like they are throwing a party! How can I say no to product samples, mingling with other naturalista's, and TextureTyping (not sure what that is exactly  but for FREE why not find out!). 

Another "Curl" product...

Interested? Click Here and register on Naturally Curly's website!  

Jane Carter is sharing the love....

We're sharing the love with you this Valentine's Day! Enjoy 14% OFF any JANE CARTER SOLUTION purchase of $50 or more starting now until Monday 2/6/12. Use coupon code JCSLOVE. We encourage you to treat yourself, that special someone, your family, and friends, to share the love too. After all Jane Carter Solution is for everyone! Love your Hair, Jane www.janecartersolution.com pr@janecartersolution.com 1-877- HAIRCARE www.janecartersolution.com

More Belly Than Bam Bam-->Some Progress

I honestly never knew this would be THIS difficult, but losing the extra layer on my belly has been an uphill battle from day one. I figured that with a few crunches, cardio, and slight changes in my diet, I would look like the pic below in no time!

Ha! I was sooooo wrong! Although I have shed some of the extra weight on my midsection I still have a far way to go. My new regimen is as follows:

• Water, water, water.
• Working out DAILY. This can include cardio (jogging or bootcamp class) but always must consist of cat least 20 minutes of core /abdonimal focused excercise.
• Minimal  Carbs during the day and no carbs after dark.
• Fruits and Vegetables EVERY DAY!
• MINIMAL sweets.

Before



Today:





Before:



Today:





I have about three weeks to go hard or go home! 

For the kids....

As a meet up attending, YouTube watching, blog writing, natural hair wearing chic I am usually well aware of the happenings in the natural hair world. I can honestly count on my two hands the number of times I have come across an event geared towards children. Why is that? Aren't they the naturals of the future? Aren't they the ones on the front line defending their decision to wear their hair differently than the Nikki Minaj's or Beyonce's? Aren't they the ones continuously in the battle of defining their identity? I for one think the real work is with the pre-teens, tweens, and teens in our community and teaching them that they are beautiful just the way they are. *steps of soapbox*
I was so happy when I was browsing through 'Fro Fashion Week's website and saw this flyer:

I don't know if anyone who reads this blog is in the Atlanta area. If you do you should take a girl you know to this event. If anyone else comes across a natural hair event geared towards children please send it my way!

Crease proof, sweat proof, rub proof, and torrential downpour proof!

It's true! I never thought I would meet a drug store eyeshadow that did exactly what you wanted it to do (STAY PUT) until today! Maybelline's Eyestudio line has created a cream eyeshadow called 24 hour tattoo that holds up to its name. Mind you I did not go to Rite Aid with the intentions of purchasing this product but was immediately drawn in by the claim that the shadow would last for 24 hours no matter what! This is a carnival essential for those of you like myself who will not have a make up artist doing your makeup Carnival Monday and Tuesday.



As soon as I saw this ad in Rite Aid I knew I had to own this. BTW, isn't she beuatiful!





Without flash...





With Flash....



The two colors I purchased were Fierce and Tangy and Tenacious Teal. I am not sure about you but as a dark skinned chica anytime I have purchased a bright colored eyeshadow I would have to use another product as a base in order to make the "true" color standout. Not with these shadows, the color is bright and rich without having to use much product.



Tancious Teal & Feirce and Tangy. The swatches were created with a tiny amount of shadow on my finger nail.



I will never forget the RAIN that fell in Barbados in 2011 for Cropover. I was drenched and everyone around me looked like a wet fowl! I have never been miserable playing mas until that day. Rain is one of those things you can't do a thing about. You can't play mas properly with an umbrella so anything you can do to ahead of time to preserve your "carnival sexy" you should (ie. Fletch dry powder and water proof makeup).



The poor feathers didn't stand a chance!
Source: Trini Jungle Juice

Not even my girl RiRi could defeat the rain!
Source:Trini Jungle Juice


I decided to call Maybelline's bluff and see what the eyeshadow would do when subjected to pouring (hot) water.

After about five minutes I removed my hand from the water and voila...

This eyeshadows staying power is no joke. I ended up having to rub it off (aggressively) with a paper towel and at first it wouldn't even budge. I haven't used this eyeshadow yet but I will let you all know when I do. My fear is with a shadow like this will blending be difficult? I have read a few reviews and many people compare this eyeshadow to a MAC paint pot. Does the paint pot blend well? Lastly, are there any other make up products that truly do last for a long length of time? I am trying to stock up!



BTW....I leave for Trini in 25 days! *dancing*

Kim Love --Always an Inspiration

The proof is in the pudding. No gimmicks or short cuts, just discipline! Take note folks, I know I am.

Carnivallive.tv-- 29 More Days

As of today I have 29 days left to go before I leave for Trini. Today was all about Carnival. My new Monday wear shorts arrived today  in the mail, and after a few adjustments I think they will be perfect. I am one step away from being confirmed in my jouvert band of choice as of this afternoon. Lastly, today I spent at least a hour looking at pictures, videos, and reading fete reviews in an attempt to finalize my fete list. In the process I came across the YouTube channel Carnivallive.tv. LOVE at first sight! They have a ton of videos from Barbados, Grenada, Trinidad, and Brooklyn's carnival. Check out there three part video series of Trinidad's Sunny Side Up Breakfast Party:

Hair Bows and Other Forever 21 Finds:

Happy Hump Day! I just wanted to share a few hair accessories that I bought from Forever21 the other day with you all. I was never really fond of  accessories in my hair because  I always thought they made me look juvenile and immature. Despite these concerns I am absolutely digging the new "hair bow" trend that I have been seeing around the blogoshpere lately. So much so that I decided to buy my own.

Excuse the pics...I am still learning how to take interesting pics of inanimate objects!!!

 I loved the vibrant color of these headbands as well as the lightweight chiffon material. The headbands came in five colors: salmon, magenta, royal, yellow, and turquoise (the one that I did not purchase).

See caption above. ; )

Yes, I bout 4 of the 5 colors they had in the store, but at 3.80 a piece I had to!

BONUS PIC: My new addiction --> stud earrings and I was so happy when I found these.

Are you into the new hair bow trend? If so, do you rock other hair accessories as well?

Tp purchase these from Forever 21 click HERE!

Piarco in 30 days!



SOURCE: Trinijunglejuice.com

30 days left to go!!! In my mind I am already there!

Hairstyle of the Week!-Pinned Up and Protected

Hey Peeps!


It has been a while since I have written a Hairstyle of the Week post. Months, actually. Lately I haven't done anything exciting with my hair. Most mornings I wake up and after moisturizing my hair I grab a few bobby pins and roll and tuck my hair until it looks half decent and go on my merry way.  Despite the fact that my ends were tucked away the majority of the time  I was still experiencing dry hair and more recently hair breakage (my guess is that the daily bobby pinning began reeking havoc on my ends and began causing breakage). This  weekend I decided it was time to take charge of my hair once again and I did a protein treatment with ApHogee Two Step Protein Treatment and created a protective twist style to give my strands a rest.


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Voila! : )

Ok, so what did I use to create this style? Please see the pic below:

I know it may look like a lot (and I just noticed one of the products that I used is missing from the picture) but I assure you that each product had a specific and necessary purpose.

Wash & Condition:

• Miss Jessie's Super Sudsy Slip Shampoo---I apologize for my constant raving about this product BUT..... I love this stuff. It has made washing my hair such a great experience.
• Joico Moisture Recovery Conditioner- Another new found love. This coupled with Miss Jessie's is a tangled girls dream! Plus it is PH balanced, can't beat that.
• ApHogee Two Step Protein Treatment-- I know I have mentioned another ApHogee product in the past but the Two Step Protein Treatment was a staple product for me when I was pressing my hair religiously. In fact the bottle I am using now is the same one I was using during that time period in my life. This protein treatment promises to stop breakage in its tracks. I admit it is a bit alarming when you apply it to your hair because it hardens quickly  but for the results it is worth the scare!
• ApHogee Balancing Moisturizer (not pictured)--  a must have when using ApHogee's Two Step Protein Treatment. This product adds much needed moisture to your strands after the extensive douse of protein.

Leave-In Conditioners:

• Kera Care Natural Textures Leave in Conditioner-- With a PH of 5 this conditioner leaves my hair feeling extremely soft and seals my cuticles. Another must!
• Vatika Oil-- Coconut oil has been used to moisturize strands for years. I always use Vatika Oil to ensure that my hair is moisturized from roots to tip.
• Jane Carter's Nourish and Shine- I love the way this product smells and moisturizes my hair. When I am not suing it for styling  I use it to seal in all the benefits of the Vatika Oil and Kera Care.

Style:

• Kera Care Natural Textures Defining Custard For Curls and Coils-- I haven't used this often since I purchased it but it creates amazing twists and makes my hair feel soft and fluffy. It is also PH balanced with a PH of 5.
• Castor Oil- Lately I have been playing around with Castor Oil in my hair to help battle the dryness I was experiencing with my tuck and rolls. This time around I decided to use it on my scalp and the base of my hair because after the protein treatment my roots felt dry, plus I have read that it stimulates hair growth.
• African Formula Super Grow Hair Gel- I have used this gel every day since I purchased it to slick the edges of my tuck and rolls. This weekend I used it to create my flat twists and at the base of the twists in the front of my hair (to ensure that they stayed in place). I am going to do a review on this gel shortly so be on the lookout!

See, each  product has a purpose. More importantly my hair feels great and has a healthy sheen (some might say shine or bling) to it. I love this combo and I believe I will be using it for a while.

Here are some more pics of the style:

The back....

Want to recreate this? It's simple! The back of my hair was twisted in medium sized twists. The front of my hair was also twisted but in slightly smaller twists for more volume. I then flat twisted (4 on each side) the sides of my hair. After all the twists and flat twist were completed I divided the back of my hair in half and rolled each side up and pinned. I kept pinning until all of the remaining twists were at the crown of my head then I simply rolled the remaining twists backwards and pinned.

Still seem complicated? I received a flip cam for my birthday so  hair style how to videos are on the horizon. ; )

What are your staple hair products?

Keeping my day job ...POS in 31 days!!

How long does it take for you to kill all the nerves in your finger? For example, when a seamstress no longer feels when a needle pricks her because she has sewn for years. I ask because as I type this my left thumb is sore and sensitive to the touch. Whats worse is I know that I can not do much about it because once the soreness passes I am going to make it sore again. Why? I have finally started bedazzling my top for Carnival Monday and burned myself a million times with my glue gun in the process! I give credit to the individuals who create, design, and produce mas; I know that it is not an easy task. The only reason I haven't given up and tried to make some last minute order for Monday Wear is because of the money and time I have already spent in thinking of ideas and ordering supplies.

I am using 3 different types of clear rhinestones and gold studs!

Although I am no where near done but I thought I would give you all a sneak peak!



Can you see my vision?

Almost! I am going to buy some smaller rhinestones to fill in the majority of the gaps.

Hours later....

Things I have learned so far:

• Glue guns are HOT!
• Glue from glue guns is HOTTER!
• Not all rhinestones are created equal. The one's I have purchased have a "c"quality. This equates to tiny scratches on the surface of the stone. Not noticeable from a distance but annoying to me because I know they are there.
• Hot glue on your finger takes a while to cool off!

Anyone else creating their own Monday wear?

Spice Mas' Bikini Cruise -->34 ...I mean 33 days left to go!

Hey peeps! I can't believe it is almost less than 30 days before I leave for Trini.*dancing* Right now my crew and I are finalizing our fete schedule. Under normal circumstances this would be an easy task but there are so many fetes to chose from and so many opinions regarding which ones are the best options. To be honest, I almost feel compelled to attend ALL of them.  This past summer when I went to Grenada for Spice Mas there were only a handful of fetes to attend, therefore picking where you wanted to spend your time was simple. What was the best fete in Grenada? Hands down Summer Crew's Bikini Cruise. Warm weather, drinks flowing, soca playing, and cruising on the water is always a winning combination.

Grenada is so beuatiful....

Island Life...

Ummm...Let's call him Mr.Fete! He ENJOYED himself....

I miss days like this...

On top of the Rhum Runner...

In the Rhum Runner...

....

Iwer...

My boy Benji....LOVE HIM!!

Iwer and I...