The Wardrobe: Cute n' Cheap Purses

I got these at JCPenney. Both were under $20 after all my discounts so my total with tax was $44.22!!! Very good deal! I had my new boots in mind when I bought these, but I'm sure they will got with most of what I already have. You can't really tell from the pics, but the bags aren't huge nor or they small. The first one hangs a little past my belly button and the second a little past my hip.

My Black Friday Nightmare...

So... I got a part-time seasonal position a JCPenney for the holidays, and well of course I had to work black Friday. Which I wasn't to happy about, because I don't even like to shop on that day... never have. So I spent thanksgiving with my fam, and got home at about 11:30pm Thursday night, keep in mind that I had to be at work at 4am (ridiculous those people need to staying in there damn beds!!!). Buy anyways I got less than 2 hours of sleep, and to say the least my day was miserable. First off they put me in a department I never worked in a knew nothing about so I couldn't really help the customers as best as I'd of liked. Secondly about a hour into working I got very sick I felt like I might pass out and Like I might throw up too. I asked for a 10 minute break and tried to get it together. I'm proud of myself because I did make it through the day 4am-12pm. I can't even explain how I felt afterwards I had to called my mother to come a drive me home because I was that worn out. I took me about a day and a half to recover. My body just couldn't handle it. I had not sleep and barely anything to eat. It was definitely a "black" Friday for me.

On a brighter note I had my own little faux black Friday shopping spree Monday evening. Employee's got 35% off! I got two purses and some clothes for work. Also I got my mom a new toaster cause we needed one. All great deals!

The Wardrobe: Black Knee High Boots

This is actually me wearing the boots. lol. I got these from Belk for $32.99 which was a great deal considering the original price tag was for $79.99. I am also wearing the purple zip mini dress that I ordered about a week ago. Pics of that later. What do you think? I need to buy a pair or two of boot cut jeans cause I don't have any at the moment.

Nutrition: The Five Food Groups

Most women need to consume 1,600-1,800 calories per day. Below is a link to a calculator that tells you how many calories you need each day to maintain your current weight.

http://walking.about.com/cs/calories/l/blcalcalc.htm

Fats, Sweets, and Oils (Added): Sugar intake should be limited to 22-33 grams; Total fat intake should be limited to 53-63 grams.

Milk, Yogurt, and Cheese: 2-3 Servings per day.

• Milk - 8oz.


• Yogurt - 6oz.


• Cheese - 1-2oz.

Meat, Poultry, Fish, Beans, Eggs, and Nuts: 2-3 Servings per day.

• Meat, Poultry, & Fish - 3oz.


• Eggs - One Large Egg


• Beans - 1/2 cup


• Nuts - 1oz.

Vegetables: 3-5 Servings per day.

• Leafy - 1 cup


• Juice - 6oz.


• Chopped uncooked (ex. broccoli) - 1/2 cup

Fruits: 2-4 Servings per day.

• One medium sized fruit


• Juice - 6oz.


• Other (ex. strawberries) - 1/2 cup

Bread, Cereal, Rice, and Pasta: 6-11 Servings per day.

• 1 slice of bread


• 1 cup of breakfast cereal


• 1/2 cooked rice or Pasta

Sample Day for Me:

Breakfast: 8oz of V8 fusion, two slices of bread, 1-2 eggs.

Lunch: Turkey Sandwich, salad, yogurt.

Snack: 1/2 cup of strawberries.

Dinner: Chicken breast, 1 cup of brown rice, 1 cup of broccoli.

Im only missing a serving of dairy. My diet in the past has usually consisted of mostly fats, starches, protien, and sugar. My goal is to have a balance diet where I am getting adequate nutrition. I in no way would like to lose weight ( I am 5'3'' 113lbs). I only want to tone my body and develop lean muscle.

My Hair: August 6th - Nov 10th Comparison

I am very happy with my progress. I think I gain a good 1.5 inches, but I also got a .25 inch trim. My hair is now longer than it was before I cut it when I got my relaxer back in August. What has help me in retaining length is roller setting and air drying. I only blowdried and flatiorned my hair twice this quater. Also I only used minimal heat 3-4 to bump my ends. In the past I would flat iron my hair 3-5 times a month and I would touch up with heat everyday to every other day. I have very strong and resilent hair I am amazed that it is this long even with all the abuse I have done to it in the past. However I think that the thickness... or the lack there of shows the damage. I believe my hair should/can be 25-30% thicker than it is now. Of course my goals for thickness will take a couple years longer than my goals for length. I recently started taking Puritans pride womans Mega Multi-Vitamin and I definetly noticed a boost in growth when I started taking them. I was complaining at 11 weeks post about how I didn't even have a solid inch of growth... three weeks later I have a good 1.5 inches. I will post an entry on my vitamin regimen later. For this quater my goal is to use NO DIRECT HEAT except for touching up my roots when need after a roller set. I do know that emergencies will happen and I migth have to cheat in order to look fly for a last minute hot date or party with my friends. lol. But I am going to try my best!!!

Above Is my starting point picture for this quater I hope to be past the top of this bra strap by my next touch up... crossing my fingers.

The Wardrobe: My Three Essential Earrings

I call these my three essential earrings because they have the ability to be paired with almost all of my outfits. I would estimate that I'm wearing one of these almost 85% of the time all my other earrings I buy to got with a specfic outfit. Some people think that big hoop earrings are ghetto, but I think it depends on the girl wearing them.

The Wardrobe: Purple Zipper Mini Dress

I've been looking for a dress like this for the longest time, and I love this rich purple color. I got it from http://www.greatglam.com/ for $30 with shipping. I'd probably pair it with a shear panty hose and some boots. It should arrive in 1-2 weeks so I'll post pics when it comes. I have never ordered from this site before, but I have always wanted to because they have some great stuff. I was afraid that the clothes wouldn't fit me but this model looks about my size. (skinny hips big boobs. lol) If this dress fits me well I will definetly be ordering more from this site.

Product Review: Silk Elements MegaSilk Olive Moisturizing Treament

Price: $11 (16oz)

Ingredients: WATER ,CETEARYL ALCOHOL , CETYL ESTERS ,GLYCERIN , STEARALKONIUM CHLORIDE , AMODIMETHICONE , SODIUM PCA , CETRIMONIUM CHLORIDE , TRIDECETH-12 , HYDROLYZED SILK , OLEA EUROPAEA (OLIVE) FRUIT OIL , BEHENTRIMONIUM METHOSULFATE , FRAGRANCE , DMDM HYDANTOIN , IODOPROPYNYL BUTYLCARBAMATE , YELLOW 5 , BLUE #1 , BENZYL BENZOATE , BENZYL SALICYLATE , LINALOOL , BUTYLPHENYL METHYLPROPIONAL , HEXYL CINNAMAL

Promises:

• Conditions hair
• Restores moisture
• Reduces tangles while giving hair a healthier, intense shine
• Formulated with Olive Oil and Silk Protein to condition, strengthen, soften and restore moisture from inside out.

Review: This treatment leaves my medium textured hair so moisturized and soft that I don't even feel the need to add a leave in. I deep conditond my hair with this last night ( 15 min w/ heat; 3 hours without) and my hair came out amazing as usual, but this time since i planned on roller setting the next day I just let it air dry over night in two twists and applied no extra product. This moring when my hair was dry it felt soft and silky which is amazing for air dried hair. This product is even better than the original Silk Elements Treatment which I have used for over a year. (This is on sale at sally at the moment for $6.99 11/4/08)

***** (5 of 5 stars)

Fashion Insperation: The Cheetah Girls

I always love Keily's outfits the most because we have similar body types (I'm alot larger on top though. lol) and they are usually just my style.

I love the boots and dark jeans.

Three very nice casual outfits.

A sexy sporty dress with some sneakers.

Don't really like Adrienne's outfit, but love the other two.

A beautiful oriental inspered dress. (I always love Keilys hair)

Hair Update

So... as of yesterday I was 11 weeks post relaxer. I'm am kind of disappointed because I only have a little more than and inch of new growth. I was expecting at least and inch and a half this quater... sigh. I have to take into account how stressed out I have been the last couple of weeks and also a little depressed about school, relationships, and so on. Also I had been on anti-biotics for about a month straight because of an infection from a fire ant bite and then after I got my wisdom teeth removed. I don't know what affects that might have.

So I am due for a relaxer within the next one or two weeks, but I am contemplating stretching until the end of the year. Also I think I may begin having my mother do my relaxers for me in order to save money.

I think I have finally prefected a great regimen and I am excited about the progress I will see in the next couple of months. Oh yea... I order some Mega-Tek yesterday and I'm excited about that. Hmm... that's all for now.

P.S.I'm loving Silken Child's Silk Moisturizing Creme for moisturizing my hair and ends nightly. I suppose I'll do a review later.

Product Review: Elucence Moisture Benefits Shampoo

Price: $12-20 (33oz)

Ingredients: Prunis Persica (Peach) extract, Pimpenella anisum (Anise) fruit extract, Panax Ginseng root extract, Ginkgo Bilobika extract, cetraria islandica (Irish Moss) extract, saccharomyces cerevisiea (Brewer's Yeast) extract in purified water, sodium myreth solfate (coconut oil-derived). C14-16 olefin sulfonate (mineral-derived_, cocomidopropyl betaine (coconut oil-derived)hydrolyzed wheat protein, tocopherol acetate, Panthenol (provitamin), glycol distearate (fatty acid-derived), polyquaternium-10 (polysaccharide celulose, DMDM Hydantoin, methlyparaben (USP), propylparaben(UPS), benzophenone-4 (UV absorber), fragrance, D&C orange 4CI 15510

Promises:

• Increases moisture content of dry hair
• improves hair texture and apperance
• detangles and improves managability
  

Review: I love this shampoo I have been using it for about 3 years a 33oz bottle last me over a year and I get it for $12 plus shipping off Curl Mart at naturallycurly.com. I was using Cream of Nature before this which I liked, but it left a residue on my hair and I hated the smell. This shampoo smells wonderful like peaches and it does all it promises it leaves my hair clean, soft, and moisturized. It is also ph balanced which is excellent for chemically treated hair. This is definitely a staple for life.


***** (5 of 5 stars)

Nutrition: Water

It is recommended that the average person should drink about 50% of their weight in ounces of water per day. For me this would mean 55oz per day because I am about 110lbs. I have made a commitment to drink at least this amount per day for, well... the rest of my life. I am taking my health, fitness, and nutrition goals one step at a time because in the past when I have jumped into it I have failed. Also because of the vitamins I am taking I NEED to up my water intake to get the best results.

My Hair Care Journey

I have medium textured 4a/4b kinky hair that has been chemically relaxed. I recived my first relaxer when I was about ten years old. My hair slowy broke off over the years due to improper care. I went from mid-back length hair to a couple of inches past shoulder length. My hair had always managed to stay between shoulder and arm pit length since then. I decided to go natural in 2004. I transitioned for a year, but contiued to wear braid extentions mostly because I did not know what to do with my natural hair. I relaxed again in May 2007 and started from scratch with armpit length hair. My hair is currently brastrap length and my ultimate goal is waist length. I hope to reach this goal by December 2010. My hair is damaged from excessive use of heat so nursing my hair back to health is my top priority then comes length and thickness.

Past Hair Mistakes:
-I washed my hair only once a month or less
-Never deep conditioned
-Used heat too often
-Did not protect hair at night
-Did not moisturize hair daily
-Combed and manipulated hair too often

Some Info On MSM

MSM Powder: Arthritis, PMS and other Benefits of MSM

1. MSM helps our bodies absorb more nutrients (vitamins and minerals). Co-enzyme Q10 locks with MSM, which means that in order for the body to fully utilize this nutrient, it must have MSM(sulfur) with it. Pantothenic acid, Vitamins A, D, and E, inter-enzymes, amino acids, selenium, calcium, germanium, collagnol and dismuzyme are just some of the things we know the body does not utilize properly unless it has MSM to lock with. A lot of the vitamins we take go through the body without being fully used. With more MSM in the body, vitamins can be utilized more effectively and therefore become much more beneficial.There is a joke that Americans have the most expensive urine in the world because of all the vitamins that go down the drain. Vitamin C does a lot of healing by itself, but without MSM to lock with, it doesn't toughen capillary walls. When MSM is added to the diet and taken with Vitamin C, chronic nosebleeds, easy bruising and varicose veins may be relieved. Vitamin C and MSM work synergistically together. Every body is different, so you would need to find what works for you, but it is important when taking Vitamin C to make certain it has the bioflavinoids with it because it is then a complete food. Nature's vitamins (from fresh food) are the best because they contain the whole complexes without which the body can't do its job, which is to maintain and repair the bodily systems. Without enough MSM, the body can't do its job properly.

- MSM helps the body eliminate toxins including lactic acid build-up from strenuous exercise. Drinking plenty of water is very important for anyone wishing to have good health. The fact that MSM detoxifies means that you need to keep water moving into the body so that the toxins can be eliminated without stressing other organs of the body, such as the kidneys.

-MSM, together with Vitamin C (a free radical scavenger) helps the body build healthy new cells.

- MSM, along with Vitamin C, helps reduce scar tissue and wrinkles, and helps keep the skin more elastic.

- MSM, along with Vitamin C, helps the hair and nails grow stronger and faster.

How Safe is MSM?

MSM is as safe as pure drinking water. Because of it's inert nature, MSM is non-allergenic, non-pyretic and has no interfering or undesirable pharmacological effects.You cannot overdose with MSM. The body will use what it needs and after 12 hours, will flush any excess amounts out of the body, MSM will flush what the body does not retain semi-permanently every 12 hours and because it is a free radical and foreign protein scavenger, MSM cleans the blood stream, so allergies to food and pollens go away. To maintain good healthy cells, take MSM in the morning and evening.


For more info visit the link: http://www.evolutionhealth.com/msm-cells2.htm

Possible Side effects:

• Sleeplessness
• Headaches
• Irregular menstrual cycle
• Vivid dreams

Hair Regimen

Notes:

• I wash and deep condition my hair once every 5-7 days.


• I may co-wash in between when wearing a bun or twistout.


• I moisturize the last 4-5'' of my hair nightly before I go to bed.


• I clearify once a month.


• I relax once every 3 months with Affirm normal stregth.


• I use Aphogee 2-Step Treatment once every 8 weeks.

Hair Type: 4a/4b Relaxed
Hair Length: 18-19'' (measured from crown)


Products:

-Elucence MB Shampoo
-Suave Coconut Conditioner
- Aphogee 2 Minute Reconstructor
- Silk Element Mega Silk (Olive Oil)
-Aphogee Green Tea Treatment
-Elucence MB Conditioner
-IC Hair Polisher Heat Protecting Serum
-Silken Child Silk Moisturizing Creme
-Aloe Vera Gel

Routine:

1. Detangle hair in 6 or more sections first using fingers then a large tooth comb. Braid or clip up each section afterwards.

2.Co-wash w/ Suave (I wash my hair in two sections left & right). I saturate my hair with the conditioner and massage in making sure to focus on roots to soften them.

3.Shampoo scalp and roots with Elucence 1x.

4. Deep condition hair under dryer for 15-30 mins w/ Aphogee 2 minute or Silk Elements (Alternate every other wash).Rinse.

5. Apply Aphogee Green Tea then Elucence MB. Seal with IC serum.

6. a)Roller Set b) Wet Bun c) Braid or Twist Out d) Flat Iorn (0nce a Month)

Welcome

The purpose of this blog is for me to document my escapades with my hair care, skin care, fitness & health, make-up, style & fashion, and much much more!!! Lol. Also it is for anyone who can gain knowledge from my trails and experiences.