Makeup Haul

So within the last couple of days I have purchased what you see above (including the container currently housing my products).
I bought:
Wet n Wild Silk Finish Lipstick in 501B ($0.93 @ Walmart)
Wet n Wild Silk Finish Lipstick in 509A ($0.93 @ Walmart)
Wet n Wild Silk Finish Lipstick in 521A ($0.93 @ Walmart)
Wet n Wild Silk Finish Lipstick in 525D ($0.93 @ Walmart)
Wet n Wild Silk Finish Lipstick in 534A ($0.93 @ Walmart)
Wet n Wild Silk Finish Lipstick in 553B ($0.93 @ Walmart)
Sally Hansen Satin Effects Lip Gloss in Glamorous ($1.00 @ Dollar Tree)
Sally Hansen Satin Effects Lip Gloss in Intrigue ($1.00 @ Dollar Tree)
Sally Hansen Satin Effects Lip Gloss in Tempting ($1.00 @ Dollar Tree)
Sally Hansen Moist & Matte Liquid Color in Chiffon ($1.00 @ Dollar Tree)
Sally Hansen Moist & Matte Liquid Color in Linen ($1.00 @ Dollar Tree)
Sally Hansen Moist & Matte Liquid Color in Shauntung ($1.00 @ Dollar Tree)
L'Oreal On the Loose Shimmering Powder in Vintage ($1.00 @ Dollar Tree)
N.Y.C. Smooth Mineral Loose Eye Powder ($1.00 @ Dollar Tree)
e.l.f. Dramatic Lash Kit ($1.00 @ Dollar General)
e.l.f. Natural Lash Kit ($1.00 @ Dollar General)
L.A. Colors 5 Color Metallic Eyeshadow in Tease ($1.50 @ Dollar General)
Sally Girl Eyeshadow in Beige ($0.89 @ Sally Beauty Supply)
Sally Girl Eyeshadow in Blue Marine ($0.89 @ Sally Beauty Supply)
Sally Girl Eyeshadow in Bronze ($0.89 @ Sally Beauty Supply)
Sally Girl Eyeshadow in Charcoal ($0.89 @ Sally Beauty Supply)
Sally Girl Eyeshadow in Espresso ($0.89 @ Sally Beauty Supply)
Sally Girl Eyeshadow in Glow Green ($0.89 @ Sally Beauty Supply)
Sally Girl Eyeshadow in Mint ($0.89 @ Sally Beauty Supply)
Sally Girl Eyeshadow in Navy ($0.89 @ Sally Beauty Supply)
Sally Girl Eyeshadow in Snow ($0.89 @ Sally Beauty Supply)
Sally Girl Eyeshadow in Sky ($0.89 @ Sally Beauty Supply)
Sally Girl Eyeshadow in Starry Night ($0.89 @ Sally Beauty Supply)
Sally Girl Eyeshadow in Teal ($0.89 @ Sally Beauty Supply)
***I got the Sally Girl Eyeshadows "Buy 5, Get 1 Free"***
Love My Face Cover Stick in Light ($2.00 @ Walmart)
Sterilite Latch Box with lid ($3.00 @ Walmart)

So I spent a total of $30.98 + tax (more than I wanted to spend :( )

♥My Other Love♥

I LOVE MAKEUP!!! If I knew for sure I could have a promising career as a makeup artist, I would aspire to become one. But because I may or may not be able to make a living (especially with all the other competition) I have stuck to being what I call a "hobby makeup artist". I pretty much just do my own, my mom's, aunts', cousins', and friends' makeup. One of my cousins calls me her "personal stylist" because I frequently do her hair and makeup. My best friend (who never wears makeup because she says "I don't even know where to begin")has been my canvas several times. One of her (and mine) favorite looks that I did for her was a black, gray, and gunmetal smokey eye, with bronze blush, and a slightly pink, nude lip. I did this for her birthday right before we went out for the night (she got soooooo many compliments and her hubby loved it). I love to be experimental especially with eye makeup. I will try anything from neutral to bright & bold. I just love it....okay enough of my rambling...

I'm so excited....and I just can't hide it LOL!

So I saw one of my cousins a few days ago and she was asking me about my hair. It seems that I've inspired her to transition. Now this is a big deal because she's the type of person that always felt she had to have straight hair. She would relax every 6 weeks and relaxed bone straight. So we're talking and she mentions that she's growing her hair out naturally because she's tired of relaxing her hair and wants to see what her natural hair looks like (she's been relaxed since she was 3...I know bad bad baddddddddd...and she's now 21 so she's pretty much never seen her natural texture). I just made 12 weeks into my transition as of today and she will be 12 weeks into her's on Sunday, January 31, so she's only a few days off from me so this should be a fun journey for us both. (That's 2 people I've convinced to go natural, let's see how many more I can convince ;) )

Just Checking in

So I just made 11 weeks post on Friday, January 22, 2010. So far so good. I just need to start coming up with some styles I can do to help make this transition easier. I had planned on braiding my hair the end of this month when I had some time off, but some things have come up which means I will not have the time to sit down and braid my hair. So until I can get some free time I need to find something to do to my hair that will not take hours at a time....This is gonna be interesting considering I'm growing out an assymetrical bob so these varying lengths is beginning to drive me crazy (I may end up BC'ing sooner if the length gets to be too much)

Braids/twists: Protective & transitioning style

So I've been searching the internet, watching vids on youtube, and looking at a book I've had for a couple of years (Hair Talk: Stylish Braids From African Roots by Duyan James) and I have come up with some braid styles I would like to try this year. First, it will either be yarn braids or hair lacing/individual tree braids (Haven't quite decided yet, but I plan to braid my hair at the end of this month). Other types of braids/twists i would like to do this year unless I find one I really like (in no particular order): nubian twists,kinky twists, pixies, individual braids with the ends left out (can't deal with the itty bitty micro braids),senegalese twists, and cornrows. I am determined to learn how to do these myself (youtube is about to be a very useful tool...)

Thinking about braiding my hair

I'm considering braiding my hair up for awhile. I am transitioning and do not want to be tempted to relax. This will also allow me to protect my hair especially with school starting back soon (I won't have a lot of extra time on my hands to be dealing with my hair). I'm thinking my first braid set will be yarn braids (they're cute and I love the look of locs but don't think I'm quite ready to loc my own hair; I'll be able to experiment with the look of locs but also enjoy my loose hair after they're taken down) I'm also thinking that I may keep my hair braided for the majority (if not all) of the year. I think this will help me with the long transition I have planned. Hmmm...we'll see...

A Look Back at my 2009 Resolutions

So these were my resolutions for 2009:
*Start back getting serious about exercise
*Gain about 10-15 healthy pounds (I need it)
*Continue taking care of my hair so I can reach my goals
*Eat healthier
*Improve my GPA by the time I graduate in May
*Get a better job
*Move out of my parents house
*Read the entire Bible in a year
*Be as stress free as possible

Needless to say, I didn't quite stick with all of them. I have become so lazy when it comes to excercising (it's been about 6 or 7 months since I've been to the gym). Still taking care of my hair but instead of getting longer it's getting shorter (because I keep cutting it...). Diet still looks the same and I'm actually a few pounds lighter (ughh trying to get from 112lbs to at least 130lbs)Still working the same job and living with my parents (although I did get a promotion=decent pay raise...still want a new job though). Graduated college in May with a GPA that wasn't much better HOWEVER in grad school I'm doing EXCELLENT!!!Have yet to completely read the Bible. I did manage to let go of some people that I didn't need in my life, have started to focus more on me rather than what others and what they think of me (I still like to help people as much as possible, but came to realize that I can't give all of me)Overall, I wasn't as stressed.

This year I have only one resolution...to live and enjoy my life one day at a time (easy enough :) )

2010 New Year Update

First, let me say Happy New Year to everyone. It's been awhile since I've wrote anything here. I'm a full time graduate student and I work full time so I have been busy. I'm on break now so I decided to let everyone know what I've been up to. I have decided to transition again (I started transitionin back in June '05, BC'd in February'06 and re-relaxed in April '08. As of today, I am 8 weeks (2 months post). I really miss my curls. I plan to transition for awhile this time around. Last time I transitioned for 8 months, this time I plan to transition for 1.5-2 years and gradually trim my ends. With this transition, I plan to remain natural for the rest of my life. I've been seeing, through my own personal research, pictures of women who are permanently bald due to relaxer damage. I do not want to lose my hair and compromise my health because of a chemical so that is really motivating me to transition and remain natural. I plan to try to update this blog at least once a week to document my transition. (Oh and in other news, I've convinced my mom to transition with me, but won't be documenting her progress because she doesn't want me to post her's online, so gotta respect mama). Until later...

Update

Well I haven't been up here in a while. I cut my hair back in June. It's a layered between jaw length and shoulder length bob. I like it. It just took awhile getting use to not being able to put all of my hair in a ponytail. Yet again I'm tired of my hair. This time I'm thinking of transitioning. I kinda miss my natural curls. The other night I saw a girl with a fierce head full of curls. It was GORGEOUS and that really made me start to miss my curls even more. Hmmm...Decisions, decisions.

Hear ye, Hear ye....

Wow it's been a while since I've posted. Well, hmmm...., Long Hair Dreams just may have to become Short Hair Dreams. I've never had short hair before, but I'm getting tired of my hair and I've been loving all the short haircuts I've been seeing lately. I feel that it's time for a change.I've already began chopping at my hair. A few weeks ago it was between APL and BSL, even all the way around. Now it's layered between SL and APL with a long bang (I did the whole cut all by myself.) I'm thinking about getting a angled chin length bob to kind of gradually ease into short hair. Then after awhile I would like to try a Rihanna-esque short cut.I'm almost 22 and have the rest of my life to have long hair. Right now I just want to have fun and experiment with my hair.

Sally's GVP Joico K-Pak

So I've been using this for about three weeks and I must say that I am in love. This reconstructor has my hair feeling stronger and thicker!!! I think this may be a keeper. I have been using this weekly, following it up with my deep conditioner, and rollersetting for the past three weeks. I have seen a noticeable difference in my hair. This just may be the product to help me retain every bit of growth I get this year....

New Goal!!!!!

So, I've realized that I only have about 1.5" til I'm touching BSL. I'm pretty confident that I'll reach that goal so I've changed my goal for this year. I am going to go for MBL by December 31,2009. I only have 4.5" til I hit this goal so I believe it is pretty realistic for me (12" mark on my t-shirt). Hopefully I can get to MBL or close to it.
(Also, I have 9" til I get to WL, my ultimate goal for now)

AAAGHHH!!!!!

Last night I realized that.......my nape is BREAKING!!!!! I just about screamed. I decided "That's enough, no more flat ironing for me." I had flat ironed my hair for the holiday and prior to this there was no breakage. Now my nape has broken off to about shoulder length.:( I refuse to let this set me back. I am so close to my goal. Time for me to baby that area while continuing to care for my hair.

Aug. 15,2008-Dec. 31,2008 Progress

I know I'm a bit late with this...but here is my progress for the end of 2008. I would have liked to see more progress but I can't complain. I retained about 1.5 inches in 4 months (after a dusting)!!!! This year I hope to see even more progress.

In Search of a New Moisturizer

I have come to the conclusion that the cause of my once again frizzy ends is glycerin based products. My hair DOES NOT like them. Glycerin is drying my ends out. At first, glycerin products such as Wave Nouveau and Care Free Gold seemed to be helping. Now after using them for a few months, my ends are once again dryer than the Sahara Desert. I do not have split ends because I just dusted my ends and there's not a split in sight. This is very frustrating and I must do something about it ASAP!!!! I refuse to let this stop me from reaching my goal for this year.

New Year's Resolutions

Seeing as New Years is right around the corner, I've thought about some resolutions I would like to try to stick with in the upcoming year.

My new years resolutions are:
*Start back getting serious about exercise
*Gain about 10-15 healthy pounds (I need it)
*Continue taking care of my hair so I can reach my goals
*Eat healthier
*Improve my GPA by the time I graduate in May
*Get a better job
*Move out of my parents house
*Read the entire Bible in a year
*Be as stress free as possible

Morrocan Method (2009 Lunar Haircutting Calendar)

I was on BHM (Black Hair Media) earlier and saw a post about using the Lunar Calendar to help benefit in the health and growth of the hair. It seems very interesting so I've decided that I'm gonna give it a try in the upcoming year. It can't hurt...if anything I'll have even healthy ends at the end of the year. Also, a member mentioned the Vermont Cocktail which is supposed to help promote growth progress. I'm also gonna try this as this is an all natural "growth aid". I will keep you all updated on my progress with this method. For more information on this method you can visit www.morroccomethod.com You'll find the calendar and the recipe plus other beneficial info.

Postponed tutorial

I had been having computer trouble and then I got lazy and didn't do my rollerset and pincurls (I just washed and bunned it).So I will post the tutorial as soon as I put it together. I now have nothing but time since the semester is over so hopefully it'll be up soon.

Rollerset and pincurls

I've received some requests on how I do my ponytail rollerset and pincurls. I plan to do another set this weekend, so I will attempt to make a tutorial and post it here and in my fotki.

My Regimen as of 12/3/08

My regimen has gotten even simpler. I’m continuously trying to improve it (it’s getting better, though I may need to try to add in a light protein somewhere)

1. I no longer cowash (it’s much too cold). Now I shampoo with Creme of Nature Shampoo every 3-4 days. I’m still massaging my scalp (when I remember to do it)
2. I deep condition with Elasta QP-DPR with a plastic cap under the hooded dryer.
3. I use Neutragena Triple Moisture Silk Touch Leave in Crème
4. I moisturize with Wave Nouveau Moisturizing Finishing Lotion and seal with Castor oil.
5. Every 12 weeks I relax (texlax) and trim every other touch up (every 24 weeks)*I'm considering transitioning...*
6. As for protein, I use Aphogee Two Step Protein Treatment or Duo Texevery 6-7 weeks to ensure that my hair remains strong (this depends on how heavy a protein I need).
7. I’ve been drinking my water, however not enough (I’m working on it…)
***My exercising has been almost nonexistent. With school, work, and a student organization, I’ve been too busy to hit the gym or squeeze in any exercise. Finals are over next Wednesday for me, I will be hitting the gym Thursday morning (I miss my trainer and I’ll have no excuse for not going)***