Hold me down- hair edition

Hello Ladies

I am about 6 months post relaxer and I am thinking that I won't relax again, but that's another story. I was able to put my hair in a ponytail only because I blow dried and flat ironed it last week. However, throughout the week water has caused my edges to swing back into curly formation. I decided to pull out a "holding" product to lay down my edges for what I wanted to be a sleek pulled back ponytail.

I decided to use the Organic Root Stimulator Smooth and Hold Pudding. I didn't remember to check the ingredients before applying it, but the first ingredient is water. So this aided in making the curls even curlier. If you have straight hair naturally or a relaxer, this product may work but as shown in the picture below, my hair line was completely raised. From afar it may have looked like a smooth ponytail but upon closer inspection, it was clear that this product isn't the one that will hold down my coils.

(click on the picture for a better view)

HOWEVER, as you can see on the tub of pudding, hold is actually the last thing mentioned on the label underneath the name of the product. In order it states that this product, moisturizes, shines AND Holds. So I feel it is necessary to address the other two claims.

Shine-

This was a no go in the shine area. The product added no noticeable shine to my tresses. It didn't make it look dull, but it just didn't add any shiny brilliance to my hair. I would turn to other products to add shine. On a shine scale of 1-10 (10 being the greatest shine payoff) this product gets a 4 at best.

Moisturize

Surprisingly, I think we may have a winner.... kind of. What I noticed most of all from this $4.99 product is that my hair didn't feel too dry or brittle. It actually felt, dare I say moisturized initially. My hair is usually dry but this product did give me a moisturized feeling. After the product was fully absorbed in my hair and it dried, it did loose some of the moisture but it wasn't completely dry. As a result, of the three claims, the moisture was the most that I got out of this pudding. It was not good enough to replace any of my go to moisturizers.

Consistency

The product really does have the consistency of pudding that you would eat. It isn't sticky and after touching it, I don't feel like my hands are tacky.

Would I buy this again?

I would not buy this product again for two reasons, one my intention was to hold down my hair and it failed in that regard.

Ingredients

The picture below was the best that I could do to show you the ingredients on the label. This paraben free product includes glycerin, sweet almond oil, coconut oil and avocado oil. It does include cones, mineral oil and two dyes. I picked this one up because it is free of parabens unlike the "edge control" by Organic Root Stimulator. I did hear that the edge control is great but I'd rather stay away from parabens.

So I ask, what do you use to keep all of your strands in place?

Operation Relaxation- Part 1, NOTW & More

After a long week at work what does a gal need more than a little down time? I decided to pick up a few items that would assist me in my journey towards relaxation and rejuvenation.

In this post I will focus on the Mint n Rose Spa Soak by Pooka Pure and Simple. As soon as you open the jar you are greeting by the scent of peppermint and roses. I have said many times on this blog that I do not like the scent of flowers and peppermint doesn't necessarily hit the spot either, but a combination of the two make this product a delight to inhale. I felt as if my nasal passages were wide open yet the scent wasn't overwhelming.

I used this product in my foot bath and on other occasions I dumped some of the contents of this 12 oz jar into my bath tub. Each time, both my feet and body felt soft and smooth. I didn't have any sore joints so I can't tell you if it helps in that area.

The ingredients include epsom and sea salts, rose petals, peppermint oil, as well as other natural oils. For only $12 this product was worth the money. Can you make this product at home? Of course you can, but I know I won't be drying rose petals any time soon so I can just pick up my bath soak from Pooka. I should also note that you obviously will be picking up rose petals from your bathtub after the water drains.

Happy Soaking!!!!

How do you unwind after a hard week?

Nail of the Week

This week I am wearing Charla by Zoya, this $8 polish is a close match for Watermelon Rind by China Glaze.

One coat looks pretty weak as shown in the picture below.


But after a second coat, this sparkling metalic polish is perfect. This is a glitter free product!

On the Big Screen

Oh Happy Day- Red Tails opens in theaters today. Please support this film which highlights the trails and accomplishments of the Tuskegee Airmen !!!! Did I mention that this film features some top notch actors including Mr. Terrence Howard...heeyy

Double NOTW

Hello

Here is my NOTW from last week- I was wearing Thames by Butter London. This metalic green definitely required two coats, but once it was on, that shiny coat was rocking!

Currently I'm wearing Minka, a creamy light tan colored polish by Zoya. Sometimes, I just don't know how I feel about Minka..lol but since I haven't worn it in a while I decided to dust the old girls off and wear her!




What's your favorite nude colored polish?

Brilliant

Hello

I saw this darling video on the Clutch magazine site. As I struggled to recall this information myself, I just knew I had to share this video.

Enjoy

They're BACkkkkkk - The Game and Let's Stay Together

January 10th was a date that was indelibly etched in the minds of viewers of The Game. At 10:00pm hash tags like #thegame began to dominate twitter. Fortunately, the show picked up exactly where things left off last season. Derwin suspects Mel had an abortion, while an overdosed Jenna appears on the doorstep of her now ex boyfriend Malik. Tasha Mac is bitter over her now defunct relationship with Melanie after she dropped Derwin as a client. Jason Pitts sarcasm and troubled daughter Brit Brat were also in tow. Appearances were also made by minor characters Janae, McHottie and a now married Trey Wiggs. I didn’t even notice that Kelly was missing from the show and frankly I didn't care. Did you miss Kelly?


I don't want to spoil it for those who plan on catching the repeat but I need to discuss some issues with the show. The laugh track in the show was upsetting because it felt so forced. I didn't laugh for roughly 25 minutes (maybe longer) despite the laugh track. The reason I noted the fact that I didn’t laugh was because the “jokes” were not well written and the punch lines were more like light zingers. Some people were complaining that the show is filled with too much drama and the writers need to get back to comedy. In my opinion this show was never a comedy, it always had drama and that's what I enjoyed about it. I just think the jokes that were present in previous seasons were executed better than what was shown in Tuesday night’s episode. Was it me or were the jokes a little dry Tuesday night? Nevertheless, it was not enough to get me to even think about changing the channel.


Growing up???? Jason Pitts learns that Brit Brat has followed in his footsteps by dating people who are Caucasian. Surprisingly, Jason is troubled by this revelation and tries to convince Brit that he has indeed dated black women. In an unexpected twist, Jason ends up married to Chardonnay, a new character played by R&B singer Brandy aka BRocka. I appreciated seeing a new side of Jason Pitts but I almost feel like his character was rushed into telling Chardonnay about his painful childhood memories. We have known Jason Pitts for years now and it took him a while to open up to his now ex wife Kelly let alone a stranger. I have a feeling Brandy and Pitts they will remain married- what do you think? I don't necessarily like the pairing of Chardonnay and Jason Pitts but it may be a coupling that will grow on me. Don’t get me wrong I like Brandy and I am very excited that she has joined The Game but maybe I would have paired her with Malik or someone else. I do like Jenna though. If I were in charge, I perhaps would have paired Pitts with Kerry Washington or someone else, I don’t know what it is but something feels off in terms of their look together…..time will tell.

What I Hated.....
Jenna’s poorly executed portrayal of substance abuser- her skin is gorgeous though .

What I liked......

Although Tasha may grow to envy the spot Jenna holds in Malik's heart, Jenna somehow causes Malik behave like a man.

What I loved....

Trey Wigs as the father of Mel's baby- I think we will see him again. I loved the Trey Wigs scenes in previous episodes. He is a guy that really liked Mel quirks included , not that Derwin doesn’t but Trey really was in love so I just felt for the guy.

I said OH SNAP (yes I still say snap..lol)....

When Janae took a family pic with baby DJ and Derwin the said to Mel –“ maybe now is a good time to take out the cupcakes” like Mel was the help or something. - LOL


Let's Stay Together



Did you watch Let’s Stay Together? OK my big problem is they never ever got to the root of the issue of Charles, the runaway groom. I know that he said he went to get the poem but after hearing the horrible poem it was clear that he didn’t run out to get the poem. What gives? I feel like that was just swept under the rug and then they had an intimate wedding in the living room….ummm ok.
Another swept under the run issue was that of Tasha fawning over her old college sweetheart. She was downright giddy over seeing her ex, I thought it was disrespectful to her union and the husband and she was never taught a lesson of some sort. I remember last season when she didn’t even want her husband to work with a particular client because she sensed the woman liked her husband. Despite that, she thinks it’s ok to have dinner, and drinks with her ex and then go back to his house to set up his computer????? WHAT? Who does that? The episode ended with the couple acting as if things were dandy. Unless Troy will reappear in later episodes this episode felt incomplete.
Many newcomers tuned in to see the much hyped introduction of Kyla Pratt on the show. However, Kyla was no where in sight episode one. What were your thoughts? Lets Stay together was trending too….

WNTW

Hello

Here is the latest What's new this week which features hair products, nail polish and other goodies.

NOTW and Free Zoya Nail Polish

Hello Everyone
For the nail of the week I am wearing two different polishes. I started with an $8 Zoya polish named Trixie (shown below) and I covered it with the Sephora by OPI Blasted polish in the color Indigo. It was and still is on sale at sephora for $5 (click here). I made this purchase when I had a discount code so if you have one, feel free to maximize your bucks.
Here is one coat of Trixie- you can without a doubt use just one coat of Trixie.

Here is Trixie after two coats


Get Free Zoya polishes
You know by now that I love the carcinogen free Zoya polishes, so here is your chance to get two bottles for free.
Simply use the code zoya2012 by January 9th at 11:59 pm and you have your two free polishes! You only have to pay for shipping and handling. Trust me it will pale in comparison to the price you would pay for shipping handling and two bottles of polishes.

TIP
Remember, unless you're looking for a sheer polish you should look at the intensity of the polish when selecting your color. It is listed next to each polish and it tells you how intense that particular color is after one coat. If you get a polish with an intensity level of 5 (the highest level possible), think of that as your one coat polish. You will not need multpile coats to get the color shown in the bottle.
If you pick up any colors please tell me which colors you decided to purchase.
Enjoy!!!!

The 2011 IT LIST

Hello Everyone

Here are the products that sent me straight to heaven in 2011.

Makeup

This is the first year that I have really taken a plunge into the pool of eyeshadows so the two companies that stood out from the pack are....

Inglot Cosmetics- the eyeshadows are super pigmented and the gel eyeliners are pigmented and waterproof.

Tarte Cosmetics made me melt when I tried on their super silky Amazonian gel eyeliners. I later learned that their powered shadows are pigmented and vibrant.

Makeup Remover- Urban Decay Melt Down Makeup Remover.

Eyeshadow Primer- Too Faced Shadow Insurance (review coming soon)

Lip Gloss

• Fruit Punch scented Liploucious (from Bath and Body Works) (mini review coming soon)
• Maybelline Baby lips (in the flavor cherry me)- the grape flavor (not so much) review coming soon
• Sephora brand paraben free super nourishing lip balm

Lip Scrub- Lush brand lip scrub

Hair (in no particular order)

Conditioners - I think it's about time I put together a new deep conditioner favorites list!!!

**Curl Junkie- Banana Hibiscus deep conditioner (very late 2011 edition- but I can already tell I like this baby)

Karen's Body Beautiful Luscious locs hair mask ( I was reunited with this mask in 2011)

Darcy's Botanicals deep moisture mask (a staple which has been on my go to for at least 2 years now.)

Flat Iron- Hanna (review coming soon)

honorable mention (Sultra flat iron)

Shampoo

My shampoos from last year still stand as my go to shampoos (the 2010 list will be linked below)

Leave in Conditioner

Ph balanced leave in conditioner from Naturalista (this product will be reviewed later and it needs a FULLLL review and explanation)

Body

Black cherry scented whipped lotion (the moisturizing formula is not as long lasting on my skin but the scent is divine)

SOAP

Whole Truth Solutions- (I like so many but specifically raw honey and oats, sapone, and lemon sense)

Lush porridge soap

Skin care

ClickR (cleanser, moisturizers for day and night and the serum)

Whole Truth solutions masque

Nail Polish

Although I still like OPI (except for my opi shatter which went goopy) and Essie, there were two polish companies that dominated my collection in 2011.

Butter London

Zoya

Nail Polish remover- Zoya brand. The zoya brand polish remover does not dry out my nails but it removed my polishes easily.

To remove glitter polish I love the 100% acetone polish remover (The CVS brand)

Here is the link to my 2010 IT List since many of the products that I loved then followed me into 2011.

What were your IT products for 2011?

NOTW -Black Knight- Limited Edition

Hello

This is the $14 limited edition Butter London lacquer named Black Knight. It is a black base lacquer with fine colored glitters mixed into the polish. You can get away with one coat of this polish simply because it is a bit on the thick side, so you are applying a good amount with just one application. However, I am wearing two coats in this post and I am wearing a top coat in the picture above. Unlike other glitter polishes this one features more than one color of glitter. Black , pink, blue and silver glitter is packed into this lacquer for added beauty.

The above picture was taken after I applied my second coat but before I applied my top coat. The flash of the camera added a bit of shine to my nails but to me, it needed a top coat for added shine.

Thanks for reading

NOTW -Let's get matte & other talk

Hello
Today I am wearing Veruschka, an $8 matte polish from Zoya. I love this matte polish!
Here is a picture with no flash on my camera.


I should complete my best of 2011 list tonight and post it tomorrow. I hope you are all doing very well.

On the Big Screen

Did you see Mission Impossible? I thought it was packed with action, I loved the stunts but there was just something about it that didn't make me want to say...let see that movie again. It was good but a one time only deal.

Where will you be February 24th?

I don't know about you, but I know that I will be in a theater watching Tyler Perry's latest flick "Good Deeds".



On the little screen-

I simply love marriage proposals, so when I saw a post on theybf stating that Jim Jones was going to propose to Chrissy I immediately clicked the link.I watched him rub his eyes, scratch his head and basically look as if someone pushed him out of bed and said "ummm weren't you supposed to propose today?". Chrissy was apparently overwhelemed and pleased with his proposal. What were your thoughts?

Thanks for reading.