OOTD

                

SOTD

Got these in from www.shoedazzle.com. Put them on and they feel very comfortable. High as hells, but I can still walk in them. I don’t find the pictures to do real justice to the color. They are a gorgeous cream color with gold accents. I’ll be doing an outfit picture soon of these. Something I’ve been working on.

                   

Favorite Blog of the month

Ok, so it’s not really a blog, but a youtube channel that I have been stalking for the past few weeks.

At first, I was like… “Ill just watch a video…or two.”

Then it became two or more videos…then I had to watch more, in one sitting.

Finally I just gave in an subscribed. Cuz I realized I was being crazy.

So the channel I’m talking about is Nitraa B. I love this girl. I love her hair, her makeup tips, just everything about her. She seems to have a very diva attitude, which is a good thing. I think all women should be diva’s in their lives, with no apologies. She fits that to a T.

Here’s the link if you wanna check her out: http://www.youtube.com/user/nitraab

You will not be disappointed

Favorite five things…

Favorite items:

There are some things that just make my day. Finding a dollar in my pocket…<insert pic>

My dog…

Cheese…

A good chai tea latte…

And some of my favorite pieces of clothing…

 

Love this…So cozy and warm. I can layer it with anything. It’s a bit large from when I weighed more, but I still keep it.

I got these shoes at T.J. Maxx and I love these. I wear them to work mostly, but I do wear them with jeans.

 

Some of my favorite pieces of jewelry. Pieces from either my family or people that mean something to me. If the house is burning, I’m going back for these. 

A LBD…need I say more?

Creme of Nature review

A few months ago, while out with my mother, we stopped in a Sally’s. I was looking for some Crème of Nature products. I’d seen a review of some of their products from MSVaughnTV and wanted to try them for myself.  

Side note: Finding the shampoo in stores is a pain…seriously. How does the store carry the conditioner and not the shampoo! 

Anywho, I found this product and wanted to try it:

 

Not the full bottle, but the little packet. Since going natural, I find it hard to keep my hair moist and soft and I am desperate for anything that tells me it will do it. So, I took it home….aaaaannnnnnnddddd promptly forgot about it.

 Till Thanksgiving. 

I came home to my parents’ house with extremely dry hair from having been on the plane nearly 5 hours total,  a long business trip and having been reduced to using hotel shampoo and conditioner and wanted to try it out so I packed it and brought it along. I washed my hair with the shampoo and put this on after, with just a shower cap. The pack says to use a dryer, but I don’t have one so I just used the heat from my head and hair.

 THIS STUFF IS AMAZING.

 I usually find that after a regular wash and rinse conditioner and even a leave-in, my hair is rough by the next morning and I’m using something extra to just bring it back to life.

 

Not with this…oh no…

The next morning my hair was soft to the touch, as if I’d just stepped out of the shower. It had a nice spring to it and did not feel dry or brittle. Now, I have to add that I did use their leave-in product with the conditioner but still…even when I was combing it through and putting it in my hair; I noticed a difference in texture immediately. This stuff is gold…I’m in love. I think I just love the whole product line, but this stuff has sold me on it for good.

 

*this is not sponsored. Just giving my opinion*

Packing and Vacay…

 

I headed home for thanksgiving and to say that I was excited…an understatement at best. My family is the center of my universe and to be this far from them sometimes makes me a little…lonely. So, packing for this trip was more fun than I can really put into words. Part of the excitement is picking out what to wear. I went down for 8 days and my mother likes activities. Shopping, sightseeing, cooking, baking…you name it, she’s into it. My father is retired and reclining is his activity. I say have at it…a retired army captain and then worked for another 20-30 years…you do what you want and let anyone say different. What all this means is that packing was an adventure for me. In preparation, I had to buy a suitcase.

I love the color of this and I feel that I can expand it with black, more purple or even…zebra stripes. Yes, you can see the funky side of me coming out with that statement. While I’m unsure of what exactly I should wear, I do know some of the activities that are going on. My mother has decided to turn this day into a reunion of sorts for some of the cousins on her side. There aren’t that many, but there are enough that it’s going to be a packed house. YES!

Sounds weird, but I miss my family and while they will drive me crazy, I would never trade it for anything. I see too many people who are miserable in their family and I do not want to be on that road. I love them and that is that.

I will be packing staples: jeans, casual shirts…

But what else? Maybe some leggings?

A few T-shirts? You should have seen the shiver that went down my spine. I do not do t-shirts…or sweats for that matter. I do work out, but that is the only time you see me in sweats or yoga pants. On that note, I will be taking work out gear.

Maybe I’ll bring a pair of boots. I’ll be in NC, but I know the temps will be low so boots will be okay. I also know that I’ll be bringing home some clothes, a nice little haul if you will, so there is that to consider as well. I think…I have a few ideas. Tell me what you think

I had more outfits, but they did not seem to save to my SD card…hmmm…

 

How was your Thanksgiving? Where did you go and what did you wear?

Birchbox

I recently started subscribing to Birchbox and this is my first box, which came in November. I was on vacation with my family in NC so it’s a bit late, but here it is. Love the samples so far, though I have not tried any just yet. They just look so pretty

A list of all the samples that came in this box

Don’t mind the splenda…

Natural Hair

Today I was in Home Depot with my mother when the cashier looked at me and said: “I like your hair.” Then she proceeded to ask me how long I’ve been natural and tell me a bit about her natural hair story and how long she’s been natural.
 

As I left the store, I thought to myself: Why is it such a phenomenon for black women to be natural? Why does it always surprise women that I do not put chemicals in my hair and haven’t since 2010?

 Does anyone else ask this to themselves when you are questioned about your hair?

 I’m not sure why it stops me in my tracks or has me thinking about it later, but it does. I wonder how my hair is perceived in the community, how outsiders see my hair and their perception of what my attitude must be to have hair this big and this “unkempt”. I know my father’s view, based on a time when the afro represented black power and rage at the ‘man’ and rebellion and anger and everything else that came with it. I…I think I see some it in my attitude as well, when I’m picking out the curls, when I style it, when I walk by the window of a store and think “Damn…my hair looks good.” I feel it when people want to touch it like I’m some kind of animal at the zoo, see what it feels like, how it springs back when they slam their hand into it as if I can’t feel anything. I sense it beneath the edges of control when people make assumptions of who I am at first glance of my hair, how I get a wide berth while at the same time getting the side glance to make sure that I don’t take something.

But I digress…that is not what this post is about.

 I want to know why it is such a big deal that I am natural. Yes…it’s a lot of work, sometimes more than I want to really invest, but I do it nonetheless.

 Is it really that odd to see a black woman with naturally curly kinky hair?

Untitled #42

Untitled #42 by stylishafter30 featuring a black dress

Jigsaw black dress
$195 - jigsaw-online.com

White wool jacket
$280 - coggles.com

Christian Louboutin black shoes
barneys.com

Calvin Klein red purse
macys.com

Brooks Brothers earrings
brooksbrothers.com

Gold bracelet
nastygal.com

What’s in my purse?

 

and now you know why my purse’s are so big. *lol*

Winter obsession

 

Right now, CO is cold. Not “oh let’s snuggle” cold, but “Sweet giblets of fire, I need a hot shower right now and don’t anyone touch me!” When the weather gets like this, it’s time for me to bust out my winter clothes and pull out my trusty cardigan.

This thing is so warm and cozy; you don’t need to snuggle with anyone…unless you want to. It’s a bit big; a holdover from when I was heavier, but it still works for me. I like to layer it over tanks, turtlenecks, and dresses. It’s a nice causal look that’s not to slouchy. This to me…is the equivalent of sweatpants and t-shirts. I love this thing and it saddens me every season when I have to put it away. I have yet to find anything that comes close and I probably won’t for a long time.

Closet Organization

 

Closet organization:

I have to preface this by saying I’m not in my dream closet. Not even close, but I make it work for me. I’m just awesome like that.

Let me start by saying that I’m a bit neurotic with my organizing. I start by putting everything in a category. Tops are broken into Sleeveless…short sleeved…3/4 sleeved…long sleeved

Pants are a bit more complicated: dress pants then casual, further broken into lengths, then into colors

Dresses go from short to long. I wear blazers and such, so those go in the same order. Vests to long sleeve blazers.

Once that is set up, we break it into colors. I use the ROYGBIV method, which works for me. Since black, white and brown are not in that, I put them first. So that means: white—> gray —> brown—> black—> red—> orange—> yellow—> green—> blue—> indigo—> violet

(Does the shelf look like it’s bowing? Maybe I should invest in a closet system…)

I always know when someone is in my closet and I get extremely pissed if someone messes it up in any way. I refuse anyone’s help with laundry…

Don’t judge…it works for me.

The clothes all go to the right, since I’m right handed. There are clothes that get folded and I have specific drawers for that as well. All bras in one, socks in another, sexy lingerie in one, lounge clothes in a different one. Having worked for several clothing stores, I have developed a particular way to fold my clothes as well. Again, don’t help me if you can’t pick it up. I won’t be upset.

Don’t judge…it works for me.

If I can, I put my heavy coats in a different place all-together, esp. if they are winter coats.

I put my shoes on a bookshelf, which I plan to upgrade to something bigger in my next place. Once that happens, I’ll organize them according to style and color. I also put my purses on a bookshelf. I need to organize them better though. I have plans when I have the space, but for now, this is working for me.

Looking at the pictures I’m not impressed with my closet. I mean…it’s functional, but not what I’m really looking for. Pictures…they tell a story your eyes don’t want to see.

So my question to you ladies is: What do your closet’s look like?

 

 

SOTD=Shoe of the day

I bought these shoes a few days ago from www.shoedazzle.com to complete an outfit and I have to say…I’m in love. I tried them on because I have to admit, I’ve been disappointed when ordering from them and www.justfab.com with the shoes and how they fit. These…make up for that…mostly.

A very nice height with a platform that cushions the feet. They make my feet look so cute and small…Yay! My only gripe is the part by the ankle which is loose, but I figure I can fix that with a pair of skinny jeans so it’s not a big deal.

Skin care routine

 

My skin care routine is pretty simple. My skin as I have aged, has gotten sensitive to changes in products and I tend to break out if it’s too drastic. For the longest time, I had oily skin. I didn’t really break out a lot since I kept my skin clean, but I did break out and I never changed my routine. About six month ago, I went into Ulta looking for the face brightener that Clinique sells. They didn’t have it, but the salesperson steered me towards a different question. She asked me a few questions and to my surprise, my skin was COMBINATION. Who knew? So, based on this new information I bought some new things to better care for my skin.

First step is this facial wash that I found. The clerk recommended that I use just a bit of water, work it into my face, then one I rubbed it around a bit, and then lather up. She was saying that if you lather up first, you tend to wash away about 50 of the facial wash. A little does go a long way

I use this astringent when my face is feeling kind dirty or I’m in the middle of a breakout.

After I rinse off, I use this facial lightener. I have a few scars on my face from chicken pox and acne breakouts that I just couldn’t keep my fingers away from. I also have a darkening of the skin that is common in women of color and this helps even things out. I let this sit in for about 5 min…enough time to pick out an outfit. I sometimes use an under eye roller from Oil of Olay, but lately I have just been using the skin brightener. I think I may go back to the under eye treatment though. Winters here in CO are tough on the skin.

I finish with Oil of Olay moisturizer. I used to use a gel one from H2O, but they stopped carrying it a long time ago. Oil of Olay has done me well so I stay with them. I may have to use something a bit heavier though this winter…actually every winter. My skin dries out like a paper bag in the cold and I do not find flaky skin sexy.

After all this, I’m ready to go. About once a month, I will use a nice clay mask to draw out impurities and the occasional facial scrub.

Tell me ladies…what do you use to keep you skin radiant and healthy?

OOTD

OOTD

Coming back from a business trip in WY

Hair products

Some of you may not know, but I am natural. A long time ago, I used to relax my hair and I did it for a while. When I made the move to CO, I knew that it was time for a change, that I did not want the maintenance in this dry climate, so I took the plunge. No big chop, but instead just let the hair grow out with no chemicals and no heat. Throughout the process, I read up and experimented with different products to achieve the results that I wanted. It’s been a fun struggle since My hair type is what they call 4c…very curly or what some would say nappy. I just say hard to comb and move on. In my travels, I have come across a a few products that I like. They are all by Crème of Nature, which I must say is hard to find in CO.

I love, love, Love this stuff. It’s a spray leave in conditioner and it leaves my hair silky, moisturized and smooth. It used to come in a smaller bottle that was red. I also like to use this when I’m styling my hair and it’s dry.

this is the shampoo. The smell on this is amazing. Once the warm water hits it…ahhh. It has a detangling element to it that I love and helps with my comb out. still a bit of a struggle, but better than not using it.


this is the conditioner, different than the leave-in that I talked about earlier. Again, makes the hair soft and smooth and hydrated.

This product is something I have seen other women rave about on YouTube and Facebook and I wanted to try it out. I will have to let you know how I like it.