REVIEW: imPRESS Press-on-Manicure

The imPRESS Press-On Manicure  by Broadway Nails was an item sent to me compliments of Influenster to test via their Voxbox program.  I am not being paid to review this product and my opinion of the product is based on my ACTUAL usage of the product.

I received the "Lil Drumer Grl" design.  I like pink and purple, but wouldn't ordinarily pick a flashy design such as this if I had gone to the nail shop, which I don't do frequently anyway.  HOWEVER, I actually liked this design and hoping the application holds up for the full 7 days as advertised.  

The application was easy-peasy.  My only compliant with regards to the application is that the nail beds weren't wide enough for some of my nails.  This however is an issue I have with other brands as well so I don't usually use them.  They are offered in 36 colors and patterns, including trendy brights, classic darks and animal prints.

See the edge of my nail showing

Being a low maintenance type girl, this product certainly fits in my budget retailing for $5.99 for colors and $7.99 for patterns, and is available at CVS, Rite Aid, Duane Reade, KMart, Walgreens, Walmart and more.

I will try these again.  Have you tried this product? Leave a comment and let me know about your experience with them.

I applied these on December 31st.  I'll add an update later and let you know how long I was able to wear them so don't forget to subscribe so you can be notified when I update. :-)

My Loc Journey: A Snapshot

Hi and thanks for stopping in! :-)

I'm sure you've noticed from my profile picture that I no longer have locs, but I wanted to share a portion of my journey from starting my locs, maintaining them for 5 1/2 years and removing them. (March 2004-September 2009).

First, let me say that I have been natural since 2000 (12 years).  My last relaxer was January, 2000.  I transitioned for 9 months and did the big chop "BC" in October, 2000.

Now for my actual loc journey.  I started my locs from braids, which were referred to as "braid locs" then, but I simply called them locs.  :-)

In the Beginning :-)

I started out maintaining my locs with the latching method using a tool called "nappy loc" tool.  After about 6 months though I transitioned to using the twist/palm roll technique.

This pictures below show my locs in 2006 

(2-years loced).

Random Pics

(Click to see larger image)

Family: Sister, Mom and myself

Loc Updo with my sister

Loc Updo

Loc Updo

Loc Updo

Loc Updo for Church Anniversary

@ the Wax Museum "Oval Office"

Rosa Parks (Wax Museum)

My daughter and I

Loc Updo

After five and half years I decided to go back to loose natural hair.  I missed playing in my hair and doing various hairstyles.  The picture below is of my locs 1-month before I cut them down to about 3-4 inches and then picked apart.  That process was UGHHH and if I had to do it again I'd just cut completely off and start with what ever loose hair I had at the roots.  :-)

In the end. 5.5 Years Growth

This is a quick snap-shot of my loc journey.  I plan to do a more detailed post and video in the future.  Follow me so you can stay in touch and be notified when I do post. 

Thanks for stopping by!

REVIEW: NYC New York Color

Nude York City Lipshine in the middle.
Other colors NOT by NYC New York Color

Do you see that shine? Isn't it fabulous? It's "Nude York City" Liquid Lipshine by NYC New York Color. 

This is another awesome product that was included in my complimentary Holiday Voxbox from Influenster to test.  Can I tell you that I'm in love with this product.  I'm not a huge lip "color" person so my daily lip shine is generally a very neutral lip gloss. 

This product goes on very smooth and lasts for a long time.  The product is not sticky, nor does it dry out your lips.  And, to seal the deal the price is only $2.49 and can be found at local drug stores, Walmart and Target to name a few.  (See description from the website below with more details.) 

"A beauty-editor favorite is Liquid Lipshine ($2.49). It has pure pigments that created a 3-D gloss effect. Vitamin E provides shine and a moisturizing feel. The formula is non-sticky, super shiny & soft. Available in 10 on-trend shades from neutral nudes, to berries & fuchsias. Start shopping for NYC at these stores nearest you: Walmart, Target, Rite Aid, CVS, Family Dollar, Duane Reade, Kmart, HEB, and others.  Visit newyorkcolor.com to check out all shades and fun products from New York Color!"

Now, if you haven't heard of Influenster before let me tell you about it. It is a community of trendsetters invited to share their lifestyles and show their influence to qualify for personlized product shipments, special rewards and exclusive deals from the brands they love.  Members love testing the latest products, giving insightful feedback, and spreading the word on their favorite finds.  Rumor has it that this will be a invitation only site in 2012 so run on over and sign up now before it's too late.

DISCLAIMER: While I received this product free of charge, I have not, nor will I be compensated for my review of this product.  My opinion of the product is based soley on my personal use of the product.

COMMENTS FOR NATURAL HAIR PAGE

Due to the how Blogger is set-up, there is no ability to leave comments on the additional PAGES of the blog. 

This POST is for posting comments about 

 My Natural Hair Page. 

This page will feature photos of my natural hair as well as my journey to becoming and staying Napptural!  Check it out and let me hear about your transition to natural hair and any questions you may have for me. 

Peace, Love & Hair Grease

REVIEW: Montagne Jeunesse Face Mask

This month, included in my Influenster Holiday Voxbox, I received the Montagne Jeunesse Cucumber-Peel-off-Face-Masque to test and I used it as part of my "Mini Spa Day".  See this post where I first mentioned my anticipation of these products. 

 

On Sunday, December 18th I was able to use this product and it immediately took me for a trip down memory lane.  I remembered as a teenager purchasing this product.  I enjoyed it back then and I really enjoyed using it this week and "feeling" the effect it had on my skin.

The product goes on very easy and "peels" off just as easy!  My skin felt very smooth and soft after using this mask and because of it's ease of use I plan to purchase more this week.

INGREDIENTS: Cucumber, Evening Primrose, Ginseng, Jasmine, Vitamin E

The packaging is nicely designed and graphics very nice.  My only issue was in opening the package.  It indicates the package can be torn open, but I had to use scissors to open mines.  This product seems to only come in single-use packets, but I would love it if Montagne Jeunesse would package in small squeezable tubes or bottles so I can use a little more product without having to open a second package and not need that whole amount. I only received 1 package to test, but if I had a second one I would have used it.

As I stated, I will be purchasing this product to use on a regular basis and recommend you try it out also.  The price can't be beat for a product that does what it claims! If cucumber doesn't suit your "taste" buds, there are several other "flavors" to choose from.

Have you tried this product? 
Will you try it? 
What "flavor"?
Leave a comment and let me know!!

  

Sew Saturday

Yup....it's that time again!

I've committed myself to sewing a little each Saturday.  I'm thankful for a space to be able to do something I enjoy.  No, I'm not a professional.  I'm actually still learning by teaching myself.  Today's project is a cardi-wrap by Simplicity.

I found some cream colored knit fabric in my stash that I could use to make this SewSimple project.  I'm not really fond of the color, but at least it will be wearable ;-).  For the average sewing this project would probably only take and hour and a half, but since I'm a newbie and a must read the instructions type girl it will take me about 3 hours to complete, not including cutting time.  Today I decided to use my rotary cutter to cut my fabric and saved considerable time since I didn't have to pin the pattern to the fabric first.  I used my home-made pattern weights.

Front sides (cut 2)

Back and sleeve

 

I started sewing about 7pm and stopped at 8:30pm.  I have the back and front sides sewn together and serged and only need to sew the sleeves on and hem the edges.  Hopefully I'll get that completed tomorrow.  However before I hem I'll need to decide if I want to cut the front drapes down by several inches.  They are really long compared to the pattern photo, but I think I'll leave the length so that I can wear it multiple ways like YouTuber Naptural85 in the video below.

In other Sew Saturday news.....

Another Day, Another Hobby...

Can you guess what another of my favorite hobbies is?

Here are some hints:

1. A craft that dates back to the 19th Century.
2. It is a process of creating fabric from yarn, thread, or other material strands.
3. It uses a hook...

BINGO -- It's Crochet!

Those that know me well know that I enjoy crocheting.  I especially enjoy making items to give away as gifts.  Items such as baby blankets, afghans, hats, sweaters, ornaments, etc.  I recently found a crochet blog titled "Crochet Concupiscence" and saw they are doing a give-a-way for a free shawl pattern.  In fact, they are doing 31-Days of giveaways so you should check them out when you can.

One way to enter was to indicate who I would make the shawl for and if I win this pattern I plan to make the shawl and give it away to a deserving senior citizen.

Here's an example of my crochet skills.  This is a "Pillowghan".  I made this for my dear daughter (DD) when she was about 4 or 5 years old.  When you fold it it converts into a pillow.  Crocheted items last a long time.  These pictures were taken in 2006, but it was made in 1992 or 1993.

I haven't crochet in a long time, but I'm looking forward to starting a new or completing an old project very soon.

 What hobbies do you enjoy?

A Little Fun this Season....Holiday VoxBox!

A Little Fun this Season....Holiday VoxBox!
I just got finished reading about some of the contents of the Influenster Holiday VoxBox and I'm super excited!!! Getting ready for all the Christmas events will be fantastic as I will have all my basics covered: coconut soap, face mask, lip gloss, nail art and breath freshener to keep me from offending anyone. :-) Really now, those items alone are like having a mini spa visit. To top it all off, you know how we hold out from eating so we can "pig out" at the events, well Influenster is going to provide a light snack to help keep the edge off.

If you haven't joined Influenster yet, I urge you to go check it out. Hey! It's FREE what do you have to loose?

Stay tuned for my reviews!

More sewing on "Sew Saturday"

A few weeks ago I purchased a couple hair ties from Tomoka's Twists.  While purple is one of my favorite colors I didn't have too many clothing items in purple so I stopped by the fabric store to pick up some fabric to make an outfit to coordinate with them.

The solid purple knit to make a skirt similar to a black skirt I already had and wanted to duplicate.  The purple & white blend knit would be the top.   I grabbed the below pattern for the top.

McCalls 6400

A pretty easy pattern considering it was only two pattern pieces, but OHHH! the issues I had.  Mainly because I have a bad habit of selecting a pattern size that is too large for me because I'm trying to compensate for my problem area, my "gut".  The result was a top that was WAYYYYYYY too big so I had to fix it. 

After much tweaking I was able to get it to a point where it was wearable.  You may not be able to see it well in this picture, but I added some elastic to one side to create the ruching.  This pulled the fabric up on the side and creates a gathered effect to help camouflage my gut  :-) .  Overall I'm pleased with this first attempt, but will recreate this top in the smaller size in hopes that it will fit better.

And now, here's a head shot to show off the wonderful hair tie that was my inspiration.

Hair Tie from Tomoka's Twists

Sew Saturday

My Sewing Room

 Sew! What did you sew today?

In October I completed the clean-up of my sewing room.  It had been in a state of disarray for the past three years because I didn't have time to sew once I went back to school.  Seriously, I could barely move around in there, but now it's functional again.  While cleaning I came across fabric I purchased specifically to make some pillowcases 3-4 years ago from Fabric.com,  but hadn't sat down long enough to read and thoroughly taken in how to do.

Recently I've become quite addicted to watching YouTube videos and decided I would get these pillowcases done a lot faster if I could just watch someone teach how to make them.  I searched for "pillowcase tutorial" and found this great video and followed the instructions.



Having my MacBook Pro set-up in the room with me allowed me to pause and play as I went along.  I was soooooo EXCITED, you couldn't tell me anything.  :-)  The tutorial talks about using contrasting fabric for the band and narrow trim detail, however, I hadn't planned on that when I purchased the fabric so I used what I had.  I used the same fabric for the band and a plain black fabric as the narrow trim.  I was really surprised by how easy it was and they came out beautifully.  In fact, that same night I made a total of three pillowcases.

The fabric looks "orangy" in some pictures. (true color shows in below picture)

4-Sets of Pillowcases

My goal was to complete 4 sets by the next night.  The next night came and went without any sewing getting done.  However, I did finally finish them by the following week and have some lovely pillowcases for the house now. 


I don't know about you, but there just seems to never be enough pillowcases to go around, especially when everyone enjoys multiple pillows on their bed.  Hubby and I actually have six on our bed, so the two that come with sheet sets are certainly not going to cut it. This is a sewing project that will be a staple project for me so I'll be on the lookout for great fabric at a SUPER LOW price.  Speaking of price, the cost of fabric to make these was approximately $4.00 each pillowcase.

If you're a sewer, let me know what you are sewing and post links to tutorials if you have some.

Happy Sewing!

The Measure of a Man: A Spiritual Autobiography by Sidney Poitier
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this audiobook in the beginning. While I knew this work was not a chronological, blow-by-blow description of Poitier's life, I didn't quite expect it to jump around the way it did. Poitier does an excellent job reading this book and it gives you the feeling of sitting around casually as he tells you stories about his life. Hearing how he consistently stayed true to his values and morals in life was so refreshing.

View all my reviews

Hey! Where have you been?

Yes YOU!! What's been going on?

Ohhhh, sorry you are talking to me aren't you, LOL? I'm sorry I've been away, LIFE has been quite busy and sometimes down right challenging.

I'll catch you up to what I've been doing, but for now I'd like to share that today is Day 1 of the 3-Day Green Smoothie Challenge that I'm doing for the weekend. YEAH GREENS!!

Huh! Did you say YUCK!! I promise you it's not as bad as it sounds. In fact, depending on what you put in it and how much "greens" you add, Green Smoothies can be sweet and not bitter tasting.

Here is what I put in my first one last night:

Banana, Pear, Carrot, Parsley, Kale and Mint

The Result

A green explosion, LOL.  It turned out pretty good, but a little too minty so when I made up a larger batch for hubby and I for today I cut back on the amount of mint, added more pears and carrots and an apple.  In fact, I'm partaking of it right now as I type this post up and it's delish!

 

Are you interested in the Green Smoothie Challenge?  Check it out here: http://www.terawarner.com/free3  They have a FREE 3-Day Challenge and even a longer 21-Day Challenge for the brave at heart. :-)  Leave a message and let me know if you decide to try this out.  Until next time...

Royal Crown Blowdried Hair

A precursor before starting my yarn braids.

Morning Inspiration 10.28.11

If you woke up this morning with more health than illness, you are more blessed than the million who will not survive the week.

If you have food in your refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof over your head and a place to sleep, you are richer than 75 percent of the world.

If you have money in the bank or in your wallet, you are among the top 80 percent of the worlds wealthy.

If you hold up your head with a smile on your face and are truly thankful, you are blessed because the majority can, but most do not.

Author Unknown

Morning Inspiration 10.27.11

To find what you seek in the road of life,

the best proverb of all is that which says:

"Leave no stone unturned."

Edward Bulwer Lytton

• What does this quote resonate in you?
• Are you searching for that one thing that fulfills you?
• Have you searched high and low and still can’t seem to place your hands on it?

Consider the above quote ~ Now ask yourself
  “What stone have I bypassed because it wasn’t large enough?”

As you travel your life’s journey looking under, over and around every large stone for that chance of a dream fulfilled, stop to look under the small stones too.  There you may unearth the seed of your dreams just waiting for you to uncover, plant and nourish it to grow as a mighty oak tree.

The Oak Tree

by Johnny Ray Ryder Jr.

A mighty wind blew night and day.

It stole the Oak Tree's leaves away.

Then snapped its boughs

and pulled its bark

until the Oak was tired and stark.

But still the Oak Tree held its ground

while other trees fell all around.

The weary wind gave up and spoke,

"How can you still be standing Oak?"

The Oak Tree said, I know that you

can break each branch of mine in two,

carry every leaf away,

shake my limbs and make me sway.

But I have roots stretched in the earth,

growing stronger since my birth.

You'll never touch them, for you see

they are the deepest part of me.

Until today, I wasn't sure

of just how much I could endure.

But now I've found with thanks to you,

I'm stronger than I ever knew.

Am I a Grammar Nazi?

Good Grammar vs. Bad & Slang



This is really a huge pet peeve of mine. Where should the line be drawn?  Now let me first say that I'm not perfect in this arena, but I strive to speak and write in accordance with the "arena" I'm in without overusing the ever popular slang talk.  Am I alone in this frame of thought?  I think NOT!

Just this morning I was reading some tweets and one in particular caught my attention so I clicked on over to read the referenced article.  I thought "WOW, this is so true.  I'll retweet it when I'm done.", but then I noticed a grammar error.  No problem, its minor.  Then another, and another.....STOP....I can't retweet this because it has too many grammar errors.  I decided that I would instead TWEET about my annoyance with the use of bad grammar and in the process, before I could post, I came across another tweet from AdviceToWriters with a quote admonishing us to:

Read Bad Stuff  Source: http://www.advicetowriters.com/home/2011/10/25/read-bad-stuff.html       

"If you are going to learn from other writers don’t only read the great ones, because if you do that you’ll get so filled with despair and the fear that you’ll never be able to do anywhere near as well as they did that you’ll stop writing. I recommend that you read a lot of bad stuff, too. It’s very encouraging. “Hey, I can do so much better than this.” Read the greatest stuff but read the stuff that isn’t so great, too. Great stuff is very discouraging."

EDWARD ALBEE

Did I just get "served"???  -->>
             SMH = Shaking My Head




Well, not completely, but enough to make me reconsider my TWEET.  The quote above is really about challenging those of us who choose to write, whether professionally or casually, to broaden our scope of reading in order to learn, not just from the masters of writing, but those that are up and coming "masters" as well. 

 I recall reading a few articles about this very subject over the years, did some online researching and found one in particular that I enjoyed.  This article, The Importance of Good Spelling and Grammar, sums up my viewpoint pretty well and gives some great examples.

In closing, 6 Things to remember and consider when writing and speaking, whether it be for a web site, a blog (business or personal), posting on FaceBook, Twitter or even the casual YouTube video poster:

1. Know your audience.
2. Appeal to the masses and not your own personal style when it's going to be public.
3. Use slang AND "texting abbreviations" in moderation.
4. Proof read.
5. Proof read (again).
6. Have someone else PROOF READ your writing before posting if possible.  :-)

Feel free to comment and voice your thoughts on this subject! [or even point out a typo or error :-) , I'd appreciate it and correct it.]



Natural Hair Old School Style: Royal Crown Grease

2nd Use Twist-Out

The latest craze for some in the natural hair world right now is twist-outs done with Royal Crown Hair Dressing (grease).  Is there some sort of "magic" to it's use with regard to twist-outs? Can the results be recreated with other products? Does it improve the curl definition? Should you even use "grease" in your hair?  I personally got the idea from a fellow blogger and YouTuber "jcokes7" better known as CoilyHeadChick and decided to give it a try. 

My first attempt using the RC grease was on hair that had reverted from being blown out and flat-ironed and had several other products already in my hair.  I simply moistened my hair with a water-mix I created with some SheaMoisture Curl Enhancing Smoothie and water. The results were nice.  My hair was soft, however, because I did it so late at night, it wasn't completely dry when I got up in the morning.  No worries though, I rocked it out.  (See below)

1st Twist-Out with Royal Crown Hairdressing (grease)

As you can see the definition wasn't as well defined, but does the definition come from the grease anyway?  Unlike the second attempt I actually separated the untwisted twists to get more fullness and coverage since I did the twists rather big for my personal liking. (27 to be exact)

2nd Twist-Out with Royal Crown Hairdressing (grease)

Immediately after Untwisting, without separating

After coming home from church, 5-hours later.

After church -- It was a little windy.

My second attempt was done from freshly shampooed hair with SheaMoisture Restorative Conditioner as a leave-in and Royal Crown Hairdressing.  I was a little concerned that it wouldn't be dry again, but it was and the results were absolutely BEAUTIFUL!  My only complaint is the pointy-straight ends in the front section of my hair.  That's always an issue for MY hair though and not related to the RC at all.   I didn't separate the untwisted hair in order to help the style last longer without re-twisting at night.

So let's answer my original questions:

Is there some sort of "magic" to it's use with regard to twist-outs? 

No

Can the results be recreated with other products? 

In short, "Yes"!  There are many other styling products on the market to assist with curl definition, but by far the price of the Royal Crown Hairdressing beats them all.  So when you want to be a budget conscious consumer, there are some old school products still on the market that will tickle your fancy if you give them a try.  :-)

Does it improve the curl definition? 

I would say "yes" and "no" to this question.  First, I would say "no" because in and of itself I don't believe it improves curl definition.  On the other hand, and this is from my own experience, is to say "yes" because what this product does do, due to it's thick consistency, is help to hold the individual strands of hair together to keep the "frizzy" look away.

Should you even use "grease" in your hair?

The use of hair grease on our hair dates back many, many years.  For most of us, our mothers, grandmothers, great-grandmother's etc. used hair grease.  However, in this more modern time and knowledge about product ingredients "natural hair wearers" tend to stay away from all types of hair greases.  Your choice to use it or not should depend solely on your own personal preferences and experience in what works for YOUR hair.

I will certainly continue to use "grease" in my hair, although, I have another hair grease I plan to go back to using on a regular basis so stay tuned for that in the near future.

These results are specific to me, let me know how it works for you.

PEACE, LOVE & HAIR GREASE!