Happy New Years!

Wow....where did 2010 go? This year literally flew by. I remember New Years Eve last year like it just happened yesterday....crazy!

Anyways, every year when New Years is approaching, I get a little excited because I have a chance to start over on a fresh page. I know a lot of people see New Years as just another day, but for me, it's a fresh start. Every year at my house, my family cleans the whole house from top to bottom, does ALL the laundry so that there's not one dirty piece of clothing in the house, and throws away things we don't need so that we can have a fresh start for the year. A lot of people do "Spring Cleaning", but we do "New Years Cleaning" lol...Also, a lot of people don't believe in making resolutions simply because they can never keep them. But for me, when I put my mind into something, I can achieve it. I only make resolutions that I know are possible for me to reach. Most of the resolutions I made last year, I completed them! So I have a new list of resolutions for 2011.

2011 Resolutions:

1. Lose some weight

2. Eat healthier. Eliminate fast food and junk food from my vocabulary and diet

3. Go to the gym 3 times a week (starting January 1st)

4. Finally get to BSL

5. Save $2000-$3000 in savings (I'm a broke college student with a part time job)

6. Re-invent myself. Since my hair is getting longer and healthier, I want to focus on make-up and weight loss now

7. Go to a new school to finish nursing

8. Put more faith in God and praise him more

9. Drink water more often than juice

10. Be more generous

11. Clean my room on a regular basis...I'm so lazy at times lol

12. Re-decorate my room

13. Take care of my skin

14. Prioritize better

15. Have more self-control

16. Get 8 hours of sleep every night

17. Stop spending so much time in front of the computer, and read more books

18. Be more frugal

Frugal Eyebrows

I haven't gotten my eyebrows done since November 13th! Its been a month and 5 days and I've been walking around with cave woman eyebrows...lol. But lately, I haven't really cared for my appearance because I've been too busy studying for finals, working, and being too tired for...everything! I waited a month to let my eyebrows grow back because when I last got them done, I hated the way they turned out. Lee, the lady who does my eyebrows at the nail salon, is very popular because she's the most skill full worker. So at times, I feel like her "celebrity" gets in the way and she just does what she feels like because she knows that you'll come back to her. I live in a small town, so there's not a lot of options when it comes to getting your eyebrows done by someone you know who does it good. People usually come back to her but never know what to expect. Well, I don't want to do that anymore. I don't want someone to mess up my eyebrows and expect me to come back in 2 weeks. I decided today that I will start doing my own eyebrows again. I remember when I was in the 7th grade, I used to do them myself and I was pretty good! Until I was old enough to get a job and relied on others to make them look good. I want to save money and do them myself and have them come out how I want them to come out. Today I went to CVS and bought a few eyebrow tools. When I got home, I got to working on my eyebrows!

Tools:

• 2 eyebrow brushes (bristle brush & 1/2 brush 1/2 comb)
• Eyebrow pencil to fill in brows
• Eyebrow shaper
• Eyebrow scissors
• Tweezers
  

One side is done, the other side is not. I'm just trying to show a comparison. For the eyebrow that's done, I tweezed them, shaped them and trimmed them. Then I filled them in with a dark brown pencil. I know I need to fill it in more towards the beginning, but it was late and I wasn't going anywhere so I didn't bother lol. No more paying $7 bucks every 2 weeks to get them done again!

Blow Drying Relaxed Hair Safely!

Relaxed hair, as you already know, is a lot weaker than natural hair. The chemicals in the relaxer break down the protein bonds in the hair strands making your hair more susceptible to breakage and damage. Everything you do to your hair should be done carefully and with caution to avoid a setback.

Yesterday night, I decided to blow dry and flat iron my hair. I am currently 2 weeks post relaxer. After a fresh relaxer, my hair tends to have that flatness that I hate! So I always use my one and only heat pass when I'm 2 weeks post just to check to see if my thickness is still there.

Blow drying my hair safely:
-Wash/light protein/deep condition/leave-in/moisturizing heat protectant
-Air dry for 2 hours
-Section hair into 4 parts
-Before blow drying each part, apply a pea size amount of moisturizing heat protector
-Blow dry section with lukewarm air
-Use wide tooth comb to detangle section while blow drying
-Don't hold dryer to close to the hair, hold a few inches away so that the heat distributes evenly

Results:
Hair should be nice, thick and have a lot of flow!

Eating Healthy: Turkey Burgers infused with Salsa & Swiss Cheese!

In the beginning of 2010, one of my goals for this blog was to blog about random new meals I tried. Well, this year, I tried several new things, but just never got around to blogging about them. The pictures never came out right in my eyes. If you're gonna post a food blog, I like it when the picture is nice and crystal clear. My pics never came out that way, so I never tried to even blog. Well today, I was starving and wanted something fresh and new. I decided to try a new meal. It was delicious!! I took pictures, and guess what? For some reason this time around, the photos came out pretty decent!

I made turkey burgers infused with salsa and Swiss cheese and added a side of boiled broccoli and carrots!

Ingredients:
(You will need)

• 1 pound of ground turkey

• 1 can of Original Rotel Salsa
• 1/2 of a lime (to clean meat)
  

• Slices of Swiss cheese (optional)

(depends on how many burgers you want with cheese)

• 1 Maggie chicken bouillon cube

Instructions:
Start out by boiling the brocolli and carrots first because you want them to be nice and tender. Remove ground turkey from packaging and place in a large bowl. Squeeze juice out of 1 half of a lime over the meat. Crush 1 Maggie chicken bouillon cube with your fingers and sprinkle over the meat. Mix everything together with your hands. Open the can of Rotel and drain the water out first. Pour salsa over the meat and mix together with your hands. Put your skillet on the stove and add about 2 table spoons of vegetable oil to it. Shape burgers and place them in the skillet. For burgers with cheese, place 1 slice of cheese on top of burger and place another burger on top of cheese. The cheese should be sandwiched in the middle. Let each side cook on the skillet for about 5-7 minutes each. In about 25-30 minutes or so, everything should be good and ready to eat! Bon Appetit!

November 2010 Relaxer Updates.

Hey everyone!

I relaxed my hair last Friday (11/19/10) at 17 weeks post relaxer! I got about 2.5 inches of growth, but guess what?? My stylist TRIMMED it! So now, I'm back to the same ol' length I was last November 2009. Basically, I get a relaxer every 12 weeks and my cousin trims off an inch or so every time I relax. A inch is what I usually grow in 12 weeks, so basically it's like starting back at square 1. I've learned that this is the WRONG thing to do if your aim is to grow your hair out. You will never get length if you trim EVERY single time you relax.

It wasn't until the other day, I was comparing photos of my progress for the year, or lack thereof, of my length. I can't believe my hair is the same length after a year! Its not that I have a bad regimen or bad products, because my regimen is working out wonderfully for my hair. My hair is thick, full, and bouncy, its just the length retention. I wear my hair in protective styles 90% of the time, but it seems like every time my relaxer date rolls around, my stylist just trims off what I grew. I love my stylist and everything, but it seems like I'm wasting money on having the same length for a whole friggin year. I've spent hundreds of dollars on this hair journey and barely APL is what I have to show for it after being on this journey for 4 years? That's crazy. You guys I really don't know what to do. Seriously I should have been MBL by now. I'm gonna start putting my foot down and telling my cousin to stop cutting my hair so much. I think I'm gonna get a trim twice a year for 2011, because I want to see length already. My hair is pretty healthy, its just the length that I'm tired of. I am truly disappointed and I actually wasn't gonna share my relaxer results with you all. I was thinking of going on hiatus and coming back when I reach BSL! But for some reason, I cant seem to stay away from updating you all on my progress.

My cousin said the reason why she trims with every relaxer is because I stretch too long. The longer my hair gets, the less stretching I have to do. I do get a lot of shedding, but my hair still comes out thick after I relax. She said when I shed so much, it kills my ends, so that's why she trims the ends every time. So she and I have come to an agreement to relax my hair every 8 weeks so that she wont have to trim so much, and so that I can retain some length. And I stand firm when I say I'm only trimming twice a year, every 6 months. Lets get this hair journey started over!

November 2009 relaxer

February 2010 relaxer


November 2010 relaxer...
I'm SO disappointed!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I just wanted to wish all my readers and followers a Happy Thanksgiving! Enjoy sitting around the table eating dinner with your family and loved ones, because I know I will! I'm hungry! Lol..I cant wait to eat some warm apple pie with vanilla ice cream on top, my favorite holiday dessert! I also made delicious potato salad to bring to the party later on. Remember to be safe and have fun! Allow time to digest your food before heading out for those crazy Black Friday deals! I will be updating you all later on how my Thanksgiving went, and also my relaxer results. Stay tuned!

Vanessa Hudgens Inspired Nails

I got my nails done yesterday and really liked the combo that Vanessa Hudgens was wearing at a Red Carpet event. So I bought my blue China Glaze "For Aubrey" along with me to the salon. The gold color is from the salon....I dont know what the name of the color is. I like it!

Forever 21/Charlotte Russ/H&M: Small Haul.

I promised myself that I wouldn't go shopping this month...but I had a Doctors appointment last Thursday and the mall was right around the corner. I had nothing to do, so I intended to go window shopping. I ended up spending $50 bucks lol..I need to control myself! But anyways, I just wanted to share with you all what I bought!

I stopped by Forever21 first and didn't see anything really interesting. I bought 2 bras that came together for $8.80 (no pics). I also got 3 pairs of socks for 0.95 cents each! What a deal!

I also bought a really cute diamond encrusted flower ring for $5.50.

Then I went over to Charlotte Russe and bought this cute bow necklace! It was $6.50

Lastly, I went over to H&M and bought these cute lace-up wedges for $34.95. I plan on wearing them with tights or harem pants, and a loose top.

In total, I spent a little over $50 bucks. No more shopping until Black Friday. That's it for my itty bitty haul!

Big Announcement!

Hey everyone! I have a big announcement!

Me and my stylist a.k.a cousin, has both teamed up to start up our own Youtube channel! I've been getting a lot of comments about who does my hair and all, and my cousin just recently did her big chop to natural hair. So we thought, we would form a channel together just for the love of hair! Our channel mainly focuses on our love of both relaxed and natural hair. We will have numerous hair tutorials, including a much anticipated real life relaxer tutorial on my own hair done by cousin! We will also do fashion videos and hauls, discussions, and also cooking videos! Last but not least, if we get enough subscribers, we will be doing fabulous contests and giveaways! Including a free FABULOUS weave by my lovely cousin. BUT we need a certain number of subscribers for that.

I was always nervous to do videos by myself, which explains why my face is always hidden in my own personal Youtube channel. I will still keep my own personal channel and update it regularly of course. Im not getting rid of it. With our new channel, my subbies will have a chance to get acquainted with me because you will be seeing more of my face instead of the back of my head lol. I'm not shy anymore since it will be me and my cousin together. We already have 1 video up.

Our new channel is: www.youtube.com/fashionhairfitters. Subscribe so you can see how we have fun with our hair as we manage to grow it out!

My cousin doing my hair. Those stains on my neck/scalp are from the Black rinse hair color.

New Protective Style!

I finally got my hands on the Sensationnel HZ 7004 half wig! I ordered it like 3 months ago from Clairhair.com , but they sent me an email telling me it was sold out and that I would have to wait 3 weeks for restock. Out of frustration and impatience, I canceled my order and they reimbursed my money back into my account. Clairhair really disappointed me at that point and time, and I will not be ordering from them again. They could at least put on their website that it was sold out! I cant stand disorganization. Anyways, its about that time now to remove my sew-in. I've had it since September 5th and its quickly approaching 2 months on November 5th. I'm so sad, because my hair still looks great! But I'm really missing caring for my real hair underneath. Especially since my relaxer date is in 2 weeks, I need to treat it in order to prepare it for the relaxing process. I have almost 15 weeks (almost 4 months) worth of new growth, and I don't know what I'm gonna do to my hair! Putting it into a bun is NOT an option either. I'm sick and tired of buns, and sometimes feel like they subtract from your beauty and make you look like plain Jane. I dunno, it depends on how creative you are when you're styling it up. But anyways, I needed a half wig to wear to make me look suitable until I relax on November 19th (hopefully). I needed something simple but not too boring to help me out for the next 2 weeks. I decided to purchase the Sensationnel HZ 7004, this time from Hairsisters.com. I think I received my package 5 days later. But anyhow, I hope it looks good on me and will update you all!

New Shoes!

Remember my last post? The one titled Currently Wanting? Well I got one of the things I wanted! I fell in love with the Aldo wedges when I saw Dulcecandy87 and AllThingsFabulous101 model them in their outfit of the day posts on their blogs. Luckily, I still saw them on the Aldo website, but they retailed for $90 bucks. Aldo shoes run really small, so I didn't want to risk the chance and order them because I wasn't sure if they would fit me. I forgot about them...until one day at school. While I was in school, I was waiting for my brother to finish his class so we can go home together. I decided to kill time by going to the computer lab to wait for him. I went to the Aldo website and did some window shopping. I happen to come across the wedges that I wanted, and to my surprise, they were marked down half price! That's right! They went from $90 to $45 bucks! Which was a steal for me! So I called my local Aldo store to ask them if they had the shoes in stock. They told me they didn't have the color I wanted in stock, but they carried the black one. I wanted to try them on before ordering, so I told the sales associate to hold them for me. I went to the store and tried on my normal size, and let me tell you.....only half my foot could fit into the shoe! What is it with Aldo shoes running so small? So I asked for a bigger size. I tried them on, and they fit like a glove! So I ordered the Camel colored wedged shoes last Friday and got them about 10 days later. I ordered from the store, so I got free shipping. I love them! Definitely a staple for Fall, Spring and Summer! Since Aldo shoes run so small, I never bought a pair of shoes from them ever. This is my first pair of Aldo shoes and I love them!

Tory Burch Reva Ballerina Flat Review

Fall is here, and about 2 weeks ago I was in dire need of a pair of cute, durable ballet flats to accentuate my feminine Fall clothing pieces. I cant wear boots and heels everyday, so a good pair of flats were greatly needed in my wardrobe. I wanted a pair of cute, chic, & comfortable flats that I know will last me years without falling apart. I couldn't rely on cheap shoes from places like Forever 21 or Charlotte Russe because I know they wont last long, and they aren't that comfortable either. So I started to think about Designer flats. After all the research I did on style, comfort, and durability I stumbled upon the Tory Burch Reva Ballerina Flats. I had my eyes on the black pair with the gold Tory Burch logo on the toe part...so classy and cute! My style is kind of classy conservative chic, so I know these flats would fit perfectly into my wardrobe. They retailed for $195 before tax, which is a pretty reasonable price for something that will last long. It came up to $212 with free shipping! I ordered my shoes from Shopbop.com on October 6th and received them October 12th.

I love how the flat is all Black and the Gold logo just adds a very nice classy spark. They're really comfortable! I ordered them in my normal size and all my toes sat snuggled in the flat. My pinky toe wasn't rubbing against the shoe, and the bottom of my foot felt like I was walking on clouds with the soft padding they added to the soles. BUT let me warn you...the elastic part in the back that hugs your ankles can be a KILLER if you're thinking of walking around a lot. I wore my flats for the first time to school this past Monday, and everything was going well for the first few hours. Then I went to the Doctor, then to the mall, then to Staples, then to the Beauty Supply store. By the time I was walking to get inside my house, I felt like someone slit the back of my ankles open, (sorry to be so graphic). So if you're thinking of walking around a lot with these, I wish you luck! If you work in the office, bring an extra pair of shoes just in case...you've been warned! Also, be careful not to walk on rocky pavement or pointy objects because the leather of the flat is very soft and gets scratched easily. I have a small light scratch on them already :( But nothing noticeable. Overall, I love them!
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Interested? Get a pair at Shopbop!

Currently wanting...

I am currently loving and wanting these items!

Aldo Mignogna wedges: Originally $90 but is currently $45!
(SO cute & perfect for the Fall)


Nina Yaneli peep toe wedges: $109.95 (Sexy!)


Pink Duchess Baylee 5 buckle boot wedges: $27.90
(Cute and Cheap)

Can you tell I love wedges? lol


F21 Audrey Hepburn Graphic Top: $15.80
(She's a great classy icon)


F21 Striped Sweater: $24.80
(Will go great with one of my Taupe colored shoes & worn off the shoulder)


F21 Glimmer Laptop Case: $13.80
(My Macbook Pro needs a home!)

Question: Help! Underprocessed Hair!

Question:
My hairdresser would normally use optimum lye relaxer without basing my scalp, quickly apply the relaxer then leave it in my hair for 30 minutes, smooth the new growth then rinse with little to no problem.

I self relaxed 20th Aug after 8 weeks post relaxer with Silk elements lye relaxer in the brown container medium strength. I based my scalp with vasaline, followed the instructions. When I rinsed it out my hair it felt slighly underprocessed and when I did my first wash after a week my hair looked as though nothing was done.

What should I do?
How soon can I relax again?
Should I try super next time?
Should I return to Optimum?
After applying the relaxer should I leave it in for 30 minutes instead of 15 minutes as the instructions say?
I don't burn easily should I skip applying base?

My answer:
I'm so sorry to hear about your relaxer mishap. Self relaxing can be very tricky, especially for those doing it for the first time. You should have practiced applying a relaxer first by using conditioner instead of a real relaxer. And also timed yourself to see how fast and efficient you applied it.

It's hard for me to give you a diagnosis because I am not sure what exact cause contributed to your problem, but i did come up with 3 possible causes.

Your problem sounds like either 3 things:
1) You didn't smooth the relaxer well enough or
2) You didn't leave the relaxer in long enough for it to "take" or
3) The relaxer was not strong enough for your hair type

My solution to you is to get a corrective relaxer. A corrective relaxer fixes the problem by relaxing the new growth. I dont know too much about corrective relaxers because I never had to get one, but you can research it online to see how other ladies benefited from it. I would probably get it professionally done just in case something goes wrong again and damage occurs. I am not sure of your hair type, but im sure your stylist can tell you whether your hair needs a regular or super. I am not sure of Optimum because i have never used it. However, you can read the reviews about it online or test it out yourself. Do you remember how it made your hair look and feel? Also keep those in mind too. You should leave the relaxer in for no longer than 15 minutes. But if your hair is really coarse, maybe you should add 5 minutes. Always base your scalp. A relaxer is a caustic chemical and can irritate the skin very aggressively. Even if you dont burn easily, it's still a safety precaution because you never know.

I hope I helped you out in some way! Happy Hair Growing!

How I Will Stretch For 6-7 months.

I decided that I want to stretch my relaxer to either 6 or 7 months. I want BSL so badly. Even at the end of the stretch if I dont reach BSL, I at least want to be one inch away from it. So I am on a stretching journey till either January or February. So right now I am planning ahead of what I will do to my hair down the road to ensure it's health and well being.

Last relaxer and trim: July 23, 2010

Month 1 (August): Protective bun

Month 2-3 (Sept-Oct): Sew-in

Month 4 (Nov): Sew-in take down. Straighten hair and trim.

Month 5 (Dec): Either another sew-in or just braid outs/flexi-rod sets/buns

Month 6 or 7 (Jan or Feb): Relax and trim (if needed)

My 1st Virgin Indian Sew-In!

I am currently 6 weeks post relaxer. On Sunday September 5th, I got a sew-in done by my stylist [my lovely cousin!]. It came out so beautifully! Everybody thought that it was my real hair because the hair left out on top blends so well with the weave. I was inspired by Kim Kardashian's signature loose curl hairstyle, so that's what my cousin gave me. When it was done, it looked just like Kim's hair but more natural so it wouldn't seem like i was actually wearing a weave. I didn't have time to take pics of my hair right after the process because I had to hurry and go to work. But I did take pics once I got home from work. By that time, the curls dropped slightly, but it was still beautiful. The hair that I used was 100% Indian hair. Originally, it would have cost me $359 for only 2 packs. But I paid $170 for 2 packs because my cousin is a hairstylist and was able to get a discount for me. This hair is great because it can be colored, washed, blow dried, flat ironed, and everything...just like your real hair! It can even be used over and over for up to a year. I think investing in this weave is money well spent.

I am planning on leaving this install in for 2 months. I plan on removing it on November 5th or maybe a week later. I don't plan on relaxing anytime soon. Right now, my mind is set on relaxing in January or February 2011. After the weave comes out, I plan on getting my hair washed, blown out, trimmed, and flat ironed. Then I'll wait a few weeks to get another weave. This weave will surely help me stretch for 6-7 months, which is what I am in the process of doing right now. It seems like that's the only way I can get to BSL since it's taking sooo long!

I was inspired by this photo of Kim.

This pic is after I came home from work. The curls dropped, but I will update you all on my hair after I curl it for school soon. Hours before this pic, It looked just like Kim's.

See how my real hair blends so well? You cant even tell the difference!




If you're interested in the hair, you can order your own from www.indiquehair.com!

Fall Ready Nails!

I just came back home from getting my nails done. Summer's almost over. It's not as hot as it used to be, so right now I'm in a Fall state of mind. My first nail color for Fall is of course...purple! The brand of nail polish used is called Quirius. The color is called Eggplant in #426. I bought it at my local beauty supply store for only $1! For the price of this polish, the color came out very pretty! I only needed 1 coat, but the lady who painted my nails gave me 2 coats. I really like it. It has a nice sparkly undertone. I love it! I also got my toes painted the same color to match my hands.

[Click on photos to enlarge and see color better!]