Sunday, January 15, 2012

Your hair is better than mine. (Super Rant)

The title of this post makes me sick. The other day I was talking with one of my friends and she said she wishes she had my hair because my hair is so much easier to deal with. Oh and no, she's never done my hair or even asked what it's like to have my hair. I guess looser curls equals better hair. *rolls eyes



Being the hot blooded Leo that I am, I immediately went on the defense. Why? Because it's not a compliment for someone to make the misguided assumption that my hair is easier to deal with because of its texture. It doesn't make me feel good for someone to say my hair is better. In reality, it's a put down. It's a put down to me and for the person saying it.



Stating my hair is easier to deal with, without actually knowing what I "deal with" is ignorant and dismissive. It's saying I don't have bad hair days, a long routine or struggles. It's saying my life is so much easier because of my hair. More importantly, it's also saying that whatever God gave you isn't good enough. Anytime you believe someone has a better anything than you, you're really saying what you have isn't good enough. In essence, you're saying a part of me is better than you. Not a compliment. Not okay.

If you want to have issues with your hair, have at it. But leave me out of it. I love my hair. I think it's fantastic, not better. At the same time, I wasn't raised, trained or conditioned to believe anything else. Do I admire the hair of others? Of course; but I would never wish I had hair like someone else and I certainly wouldn't think it was better than mine.

When it comes to our hair and how we treat each other, we have got to do better. This good, better, best hair bull sh*t needs to end.

Sunday, January 8, 2012

Real Techniques Make Up Brushes

I believe beautiful make up requires two things, great skin and great application. In order to achieve great application, you have to have the right tools. However, I do not believe this means you have to spend a fortune on your brushes. I recently purchased Real techniques Brushes, by professional make up artist and YouTube guru  Samantha Chapman, at Ulta.

Before I describe in detail the brushes I bought, let me take moment and tell you why I love these brushes. First, they're affordable. While I like to mix high end make up with drug store products, I really prefer high end products. So, I don't want to spend too much money on brushes. Second, they don't shed. There's nothing worse than spending $55 for one brush only to find out it sheds more than I do. Third, they're synthetic and incredibly soft. In my opinion, synthetic brushes work better with cream blushes and eye shadows, they don't absorb as much product and they're easier to clean. Finally each set comes in a different color so you'll always know which brush goes to what area of the face. Of course you can use them for whatever you like; but if you're just starting out with make up, the color coding is helpful.

The Core Collection (Ulta $17.99)


This is the first set I picked up. It comes with four brushes that are meant for applying foundation, blush and lipstick. I'll talk about them in the order of the picture.

1. The Contour Brush - This dome shaped brush is great for contouring your cheeks; but I like to use it to apply cream blush and highlighter because it allows you to concentrate on specific areas on your cheeks. I haven't used a regular blush brush since I bought this one.

2. The Pointed Foundation Brush - I think this is a little small for applying foundation, so I use it more for applying concealer. It gets in close under the eye and a little concealer goes a long way with this brush.

3. The Detailer Brush - This brush is great for adding concealer to the tiniest places or you can use it to apply lipstick.

4. The Buffing Brush - This is my favorite brush in this set. Buffing foundation into the skin is so easy and the finished look is really natural. I used to apply my foundation with a stippling brush; but, I now prefer this brush.


The case also folds into a nice travel pouch that is easy to carry and store.

The Foundation Brush (Ulta $7.99

The Foundation Brush (Ulta $7.99) and The Blush Brush (Ulta $8.99)
I just wanted these. I bought the foundation brush on impulse. I actually use my hands to apply foundation and I follow up with the buffing brush. BUT, for $7.99, I just thought why not. Turns out, I really like this brush. If I were to apply foundation on one of my friends, I would use this brush. It does not absorb a lot of product and the application is flawless. I really like this brush.

The Blush Brush is another story. I needed a new fluffy brush because I only have one powder brush and I was using it to apply blush as well.  I ended up using this brush to apply powder instead of blush. It gives an even application without taking up too much powder.
 

 
As you can see, the kit stands on it's own. Although I'm not sure if that is a feature I will use, I still think it's pretty cool. Over all, I am very pleased with these and I definitely recommend them.

Thursday, January 5, 2012

Sweet Honey Treatment


For the last couple of weeks, my hair was feeling a little sad. It was dry, limp and just plain unhappy. I usually wash my hair every four days, but I've been stretching it to six or seven days for the last two weeks. I really needed to deep condition my hair and quite frankly, I was tired of seeing my hair in a bun. Then I remembered I purchased Sweet Honey Treatment Deep Conditioning Treatment from the ladies of The Natural Root, LLC (www.rootofthematterhair.com).


Kimbley Miller and Lori A. Lindsay started their company to teach women and girls to embrace their natural beauty. Part of that mission is to help mothers to learn how to train and maintain their daughter's natural hair. Together, they created a book that teaches natural hair maintenance called "The Root of the Matter" ($19.50 www.rootofthematterhair.com).


Now back to the Sweet Honey Treatment. I do believe this conditioner is amazing! At first I thought it was going to be difficult to rinse out because, well, it's made of honey, and honey is sticky. Naturally, it was a little sticky BUT it was not difficult to rinse out. My hair felt incredibly soft while I was rinsing it out. My hair hasn't felt that conditioned and hydrated in a while. I later learned, this is because honey is a natural humectant, meaning it helps your hair attract and hold moisture.

So, here's what I did:

1. I washed and conditioned my hair as usual.
2. I sectioned my hair into six sections and applied the conditioner.
3. I braided my hair in loose braids and covered them with a plastic cap and my Turbie Twist.
4. I let the conditioner sit in my hair for about 30 minutes.
5. I rinsed and followed my night time routine.

One jar of the Sweet Honey Treatment costs about $14 and keeps in the refrigerator for around 3 weeks. It's definitely worth the investment. My hair is no longer frowning or in a bun.