Beautifully Created

2009-10-09T19:46:00.000-07:00

So I've been on a beauty kick for the last few weeks. Face products, makeup, etc. In addition to trying to get myself together physically I've been focusing in on my daily self care routine. I'm a huge You tube fan and I have yet to see videos with sisters with skin and makeup routines I'm blown away by ( except for that fauryn78 chic who hasn't posted in forever!). This is also not a surprise because I think the art of makeup can be tricky for us sisters - especially when we try to get colors right. Sooo I hope as I start this "other" journey I will be of help to others. First stop is skin care. I just went to the store and bought some new products. Review to come. Until then here are some pics I dug up from my Mac makeover and a random one without foundation. I def. look "made over" in the Mac pic and I'm aiming towards a more natural flawless look. Sensible comments are welcomed :-)

Oh of course check out the locs! I'm currently growing them out and experimenting with styles as well. I did a light tint, but no color for now.I'm afraid I will damage them.

Wow! What a difference a year makes!

2009-10-08T19:42:00.001-07:00

Hello all! I'm back! I know. It's very sad how long its been....ALOT has happen. New job, family drama, and I cut my hair (but it's growing back now). I will be posting pics from the past year. I look forward to getting back in the loop and staying there,lol!

"Why can't You be who We want You to be?!"

2008-08-22T21:24:00.000-07:00

I know this is not hair related but I felt compelled to share my take on this great movie I just watched called "Martian Child."I knew I was taking a risk when I added it to my Netflix Que-fortunately you can afford this with their awesome service (you should try it if you haven't). The movie was about this widower who decides to adopt a child who happens to think he's from another planet. Without telling you too much I want to share a few of the good points made in the movie:

1. Adoption can be a blessing for both the child and the parent. I've always wanted to adopt and this movie solidified my decision. It presented a realistic perspective of some of the issues you will face, and it was also a great story exemplifying how to address them.

2.Everyone including children are dealing with loss, grief, abandonment, etc., but as adults we have a tendency to forget that children are not fully capable of understanding how to deal with these issues. (heck, some adults can't).

3. We can learn from kids too.While they're still figuring things out they can teach us some stuff.

Again, I really enjoyed this movie and I recommend you add it to your list. Make sure you keep a box of a tissue next to the popcorn!

P.S. This also had me thinking about how sometimes I feel like a "Martian" being a Black woman in a "White" society. (i.e. confronting beauty standards, stereotypes, etc.) You feel me?

Blah!

2008-08-19T14:12:00.000-07:00

For the past few weeks I've been so disgusted with my hair! I've had sisterlocs for 18 months now and this feeling is a first. It feels like a dry, frizzy mess! I know I said I would post pics of the take down of Bantu knots I did, but it was REALLY bad...maybe I should have shared...

I attempted to get some feedback from my loctician about my issues , but she wasn't any help at all. I've asked her before about the dryness of my hair and scalp, and the best products to use but she's been unable to give feedback...well she's given feedback once. I went for a retightening session after washing my hair with this new shampoo I found and she proceeded to tell me how I messed up the grade of my hair with whatever I was using. Horrified, I asked what to do and she responds,"I'm not sure." Now as sweet as my loctician is this ran me hot! I expect my beautician to be able to provide education as well as a service. Now I'm at a point where change has to happen before I scratch my scalp off. I've been patient enough so I finally I booked an appointment with another loctician ( yes,I feel like I'm cheating.) My retightening is next week! I hope this was a good move... Pics to come ... wish me luck.

Phoebe

Eduardo Rained on my Parade

2008-08-05T13:09:00.000-07:00

I decided to post the pics I had been taking this past week since I'm stuck inside. This week I attempted to style my hair and if it wasn't for the internet I would be lost because I've never been good at styling. I attempted to do several styles .The first was a braid out. It didn't turn our the way I liked.
This could be for two reasons:

I didn't make enough sections
I was kind of lazy at the time
It didn't dry completly because my hair is thick and I no longer own a dryer

So after it fell 2 days later I decided to try bantu knots. This didn't go over well either. I didn't think it looked neat and they kept falling. Again,I'm new at this styling thing so I'm sure it was my technique.I'll post the "knot out" pics when I take them down for work. Any tips or leads own cool sisterloc websites, utube logs, and blogs are welcomed! Here are the final pics to see more go to:

http://www.slide.com/r/0SmyHLeR7z_vAeCQUF9ZG7YqVHs14BlD?previous_view=lt_embedded_url

I had major issues posting the slide show.

Home Sweet Home

2008-08-05T12:32:00.000-07:00

So this week my honey and I ( a subject for another posting)decided to go home to visit. It's nothing like going home especially to the country! Good food and good times...at least for 1 day. Anything more than that I can't take. Time feels extremely slow there ( yes, I know things feel slower anywhere in the South), but especially coming from a city. I'm not sure how I survived... but looking back it's those special touches you can only get from the country-everybody knows everybody, homecooked meals,knowing and seeing your extended family- that made me who I am. BUT YOU COULDN'T PAY ME TO GO BACK,LOL.

Speaking of homecomings, one of my bestest just came back from her trip to Africa ( yes, I hate her), and me and the girls

(My bestest is the second to the left.)

decided to get together and welcome her back. Well of course she brings some great gifts from abroad including jewelry and clothes. Then she turns to me and says:

Bestest: ...... since you are the closest to getting married, I thought you should have this:

A fertility doll!!! Now don't get me wrong, I'm grateful that she thought of me and the piece is beautiful and goes well with my collection. BUT, I'm not that close to being married! A sister wants to get down the aisle and enjoy the world a little bit before the subject of fertility comes up (I want to see Africa too!). Yet,I'm thankful for the gifts and I'm glad she made it home safe.

Before my Epiphany

2008-08-02T18:49:00.000-07:00

Me with my kinky twists w/extenstions (Feb. 2006)

Naw that ain't no head piece! LOL
My "wash and go" look (Dec 2006)
Fro for life (at least that's what I thought...)

AND THEN THERE WERE LOCS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

May 2007 ( 3 months loced!)

Nov. 2007 (9 months loced! I'm feelin' it!!!!)

Sorry the pics are so small. I had to copy these from myspace since I no longer have any pics on the computer. I feel like I'm on a treasure hunt looking for old ones. I'll post them as I find them.

Who Am I

2008-07-24T18:23:00.000-07:00

I'm still on a journey of self discovery but here's what I know so far:

I'm compassionate,driven,disciplined (in some areas),loving,selfish, random, restless, and at times bossy.

I love my Heavenly Father ...

I love my family and friends...

I love meeting new people, both stimulating and silly conversations, and my locs!!!!!!!!
It seems my journey of self discovery began the moment I decided to go natural. I didn't weigh the decision long..it was actually a moment ... I realized that I couldn't sit for 20 min slathering some stinky chemicals on my head anymore. So I stopped.

After a year and a half ,I decided-with a gentle nudge from my homies-to loc it up! Unfortunately I don't have pics from then ( Feb. 07) because my camera was out of commission. I started with 8 inches of natural hair. Now I'm lovin' it!

Embracing myself the way God created me has been liberating mentally,physically, and emotionally. I look forward to sharing more about me and growing from this blog experience.