Category: beauty

By on

Spring Into A New HUE!

PANTONE-Color-Of-The-Year-2018-Ultra-Violet-1

After this long, cold winter all I can think about is pretty Spring colors.Panotone’s color of the year Ultra Violet is a good place to start. The Ultra Violet choice is the epitome of Spring so that is where I will begin. I have started pulling all of my purple/lilac/lavender hued make up products from my huge make up bin. I trash the old and make lists of the new products that I want to acquire.

I am thinking of using this ultra violet hue in my hair. I love changing my hair color but it is important to use products that don’t stress my hair. I have been consistent with protein treatments and creamy conditioners this winter and my hair is looking and feeling great. I do this to prep for the color changes that I will inevitably make over the summer months. There are a ton of semi-permanent (ok, not a ton) hair options that I am looking at with interest. Manic Panic is my go-to vibrant, semi-permanent color. Bright hair make me feel alive and on trend. Why not use hair color to express your personality? I was surprised to see that one of my favorite lines LimeCrime has a rainbow of hair colors for the brave ones to choose from. Seriously, there are 25 colors to chose from….so be bold try a lavender hue in your hair!

Let Your SKIN Flower!

61jKtIoDFXL._SL1000_

The winter months are an excellent time to prep your skin for the Spring/Summer show that begins in April. Lucky me received a PURE facial steamer for Christmas so I started with that. Disclaimer: I don’t claim to be an expert at ANYTHING! What I am is an amazing researcher! I had no idea what to do with this steamer so I hit up Google and read a few articles. What I learned is that steaming my skin improves cell vitality and oxygen absorption for a healthier younger looking complexion. It also significantly improves absorption of beauty creams and promotes drainage of sinuses and airways for overall improved well being.  So I steam my face about once a week. 61lNBTX0v1L._SX522_It may seem too much but I have had a rough winter so it works for me. After six weeks I can see and feel the difference. I steam before I hit the shower and use my normal facial cleanser, a rose water spray toner and the Fresh black tea overnight mask that I received in my Ipsy box.

 

Next Up…Top Ten Make Up Must Haves!

I’d love your feedback! What is your skin and hair routine?

Comment below.

 

 

 

By on

4_2048x2048My natural hair journey has been long but satisfying. I love trying new things but I stay away from any and everything lye-based. It has been 5+ years that started in Afghanistan. I spent a year working in Kabul, Afghanistan and the work was very meaningful but my hair suffered greatly. The water was hard and my lightened strands to a serious beating. So, I did what I always do and turned to the Internet and researched a solution. I came across and advert for The Damn Salon and instantly knew that I found my solution. I booked an appointment with the salon’s touring team that comes to Washington D.C every three months for a marathon hair session and found my happy place. The styles that I wore were wild and free and represented my personality perfectly. The styles that I wore were wild and free and represented my personality perfectly.

images

I met the salon’s creator, Mushiya Tshikuka and we bonded instantly over the natural hair movement. I gave my hair health to Mushiya and The Damn Salon for two years and was rewarded with hair that was free of chemicals and growing like a weed. …..And that was 5 years ago and our friendship is as strong as ever! I have never met a woman that cares as much about women’s emotional health and how it is tied to our confidence. She wants every woman to look and feel good.  Mushiya went on to become a featured cast member of ‘Cutting it in the ATL’, a reality show that followed the business practices and lives of a few elite Black hair salon owners in Atlanta, Ga.

Mushiya has given me looks that give me life! Here are a few of my favorites!

 

So that is the ‘Damn’ back story! LOL! Mushiya has unleashed my inner hair diva and I haven’t looked back. When I have been Damn’d my confidence is through the roof. I am a bit shy normally but I do not have confidence issues. But, I get an extra boost when I leave the loving, creative atmosphere that The Damn Salon brings to every city they visit. We talk, laugh and boost each other up. Mushiya is an accomplished chef and we eat well….I am guilty of bringing the wine on a few occasions. We share success stories, wishes and fears. I even learned a few Congolese dance moves that I am going to bust out one day when I want to dance like no one is watching….I was with these ladies when I received news that I was accepted to grad school with a scholarship so it was with joy that I returned with the news that I’d graduated with my Master’s degree in Emerging Media Studies from Loyola University Maryland. We laugh, we cry and we love!

10896975_10203749518327194_2340382043310069446_n (1)

 

Along with the love and sisterhood come the products….YASSSSSSSSS! I left with a shiny pink bag chock full of products that Mushiya has developed for natural hair and the people that love STUFF! b04677_ae699ec6b5188070e2edd4f28fa399d4When I came home from Afghanistan with damaged, bleached hair with balding spots that were down to the scalp in places I couldn’t see. It was these products that brought my hair back to its natural state. I massaged the shea butter-based hair butter into my thirsty scalp once a week and in a few short months my hair grew back in the balding spots. A few months after that I had a headful of healthy hair to deal with.

It has been a week since I got my hair done and I am still enamored with the Urban Twists that Mushiya chose for me along with the honey and platinum color that she knew would compliment my skin.

Damn! I am summer ready and off to my next adventure…stay tuned!

By on

Most women have to adjust their hair products when the seasons change. I am no different! When the temperature rises I want to feel free. I let go of all things heavy. My morning beauty routine gets shorter and products get lighter. Natural curls and minimal makeup become the norm. I tackled summer make up early on and @MilkMakeup images-2quickly became my go-to. Milk Makeup allows my natural skin to shine through and takes minutes to apply with your fingers. Tap tap tap and off you go in all of your natural glory! Next…the hair! I wear my natural kinky, curls in the summer and it takes as much work as my winter hair. After a much needed haircut I knew I was in for a hair adventure. I had to find summer hair products that would allow me to co-wash, define my thirsty curls, springy coils and stubbornly unidentifiable nape all before I run out the door for work.

The first leg of my journey to me on trip back to the products I used when I first went natural over four years ago. The combinations just weren’t right and I was stuck with heavy, clumpy hair full of white hair product. I tried all of my old go-to products and none of them gave me the look I wanted. So, off to the blogs I went, I had to figure out what products would and the amounts I needed to use. Kinky Curly is a great product and can make a comeback as my runner up product. 81osU7w-iGL._SX522_Light gels and the leave-in conditioner gave my hair slip and made the detangling process easy. Nice product but I needed a product that would elongate and the curls in the crown and front of my hair….(different textures…who knew!) I also wanted a fresh, clean scent……then the lightbulb went off in my product addled brain.! Miss Jessie’s!

 

My Amazon order arrived today and off I went to do a test run. I am very satisfied and hope my hair is as happy as I am! First, I applied Super Sweetback Treatment deep, daily conditioning treatment that made my hair softer almost instantly….so far so good. Next, I applied a quarter-sized dollop of the Baby Buttercreme moisturizing leave-in creme to seal in the moisture. Finally, I styled my hair with Curly Meringue curling custard 51bGwgaFJTL._AC_UL246_SR190,246_using the shingling method check out the Curly Nikki website if you need to know more about different styling techniques for natural hair. After a few minutes of gently raking my fingers through my strands I was done. The final step was to give my hair a few good shakes to make sure my curls were defined. I gave my hair a few minutes to settle and went back for a closer look. Meh, my nape and sides are not taking to any of the normal products and will only be tamed by Eco-styler gel so I applied it to my shorter nape and sides. Eco Styler gel works without fail and will hold my hair in place with no problems.

These products work for all types of curly hair so give your hair a summer makeover!