So many blogs to do....

but i'm being lazy. Sorry folks. I'll be right back.

Stay tuned.

SincerelyNiah

I heart Nail Art!

Anyone who knows me, knows that i love expressing myself in any way thats not permanent. So, no, i'm not the type that can do tattoos or locs (even though i have tried) because its too permanent and i like to change it up a bit. I use my nails and my hair as an outlet. My hair changes atleast once every 6 months to a year, although now i am trying to stay natural and grow it out for a while, though i will be coloring it soon.....maybe. Lol! Anyhoo, topic of discussion is nail art, so let me get right to it.

I love anything fun and different. I will pretty much wear any color or design on my nail as long as its my nail. I dont like the fake stuff! Well, Sally Hansen came out with this stick on polish stuff that i absolutely adore. It is so easy to apply and stays on for up to two weeks.

Recently, i heard about this technique called "Newspaper Nail Art." I know i'm probably way behind and everyone and their mother knows about it but me, but i think it is so cute and i can't wait to get home and try it. To pull it off, all you need is:

* newspaper
* base clear coat polish
* a light grey color polish (or whatever color you prefer)
* rubbing alcohol
* top clear coat polish

Instructions are easy. Simply apply a base clear coat polish to protect your nails. Once dry, apply the color of your choice, preferably gray or a light color and wait until nails are complety dry. Take a cap of some sort (large enough to dip your nail in) and fill it up with rubbing alcohol. It will serve as an adhesive of the inked words from the newspaper. Dip your nail in the alcohol for a few seconds and then place the piece of newspaper on top of your nail, gently pressing down on your nail. After a moment or so, remove the paper from the nail and Wah-lah!!! The letters are now on your nails. Cover with a top clear coat. To remove any ink from around your nail, just take a qtip with alcohol and rub gently.

This is what it will look like....i hope.

Try it if you're bold! ;-)

SincerelyNiah.

Hair Envy of the Day!

Check out Ms. Ilovemaicurls! She got the dopest hair in the DMV....except for my baby girl of course! ;-).

Not only does she rock fly hair, homegirl is innovative too.

^^^^^^^^^^^^ That shirt in that pic....she made it from a skirt she got at the thrift store....yeah....ROTATE IT!!!! LOL!

Oh, and did i mention she makes her own earrings too?!?! PLAY WIT IT!

Check her out at:
http://ilovemaicurls.tumblr.com/

Random Rant....

There are so many things that i want to do. So many things going through my mind and i swear if i dont blog about it real quick, my head is going to burst, so here goes.

1. I want to take a vacation somewhere, anywhere, as long as it has blue skies, blue water and white sand. I'll take Miami if i have to. I need tranquility, nice serene scenery, a poolside, a book and peace of mind. Ahhh....just thinking about it...

2. I want to color my hair so bad! I mean, i have even tried henna, but it only makes my hair look rusty and dry although i do like the conditioning aspects of it and it's really not dry at all. However, the color for me sucks!. Plah! :-P. So, to try not to be unhealthy or unnatural to my hair, i think i will give Aveda a shot...eventually and IF i can afford it. Lord knows, i would love to walk into Sallys, get a box red color and call it a day. my conscience won't let me. Sigh :-(

3. Speaking of hair, i have been trying to be patient, but i am dying for my hair to grow a little bit longer so i can do a nice twist out. I even made my own concoction of whipped Shea Butter [unrefined shea butter, EVOO, EVCO, a little grapeseed and Almond oil too]. I'm so excited but so far, i have only 1 1/2 inches of growth since March 10,2011 from when i shaved it completely off. Ugh! WHY DIDNT I TRANSITION?!?! Oh well! it is what it is. When my hair is longer, i will wish it was shorter. We always want what we don't have, am i right ladies?!?! And how about that color in the pic?!?! Fab! (via http://public.fotki.com/xtremelyperfect/)

4. So to get off the subject of my hair [because i will stay on it if you let me], the other thing i would love to do is paint my apartment. The colors i'm considering is a soft blue like glacier from Restoration Hardware), a spa like color like Silver Sage from Restoration Hardware and a tan color...like a cappuccino, also from Restoration Hardware. I'm on the fence because my apartment doesnt have a whole lot of natural lighting and i dont want the place to look darker, however, these white wells are not that warm and welcoming AT ALL. All the paint colors can be matched at Home Depot with Behr for half the price as long as i have the right color swatch, so i'm going to get on it. My place just needs an all around makeover. IKEA...here i come. :-)

Glacier

Cappuccino

Silver Sage


Ok....i think i'm done ranting for now. Ahhhh....that felt good. i needed to get that out. :-)

Let the fun times begin!

SincerelyNiah!

Just Do It!

Hair Envy of The Day!

I recently became a follower of this beautiful young lady because of her addiction to Etsy as well as mine. Funny thing is, i saw her a long long long time ago while surfing Essences' online magazine looking at their Wedding column. One wedding that caught my eye was the wedding of Cyn and Les. The photographs were absolutely amazing but even better, so was her dress, his tux, their location and the many fun items they purchased to decorate their wedding on a budget from Etsy.
Maybe a year later, i ran across her website, www.addicted2etsy.com and fell in love with her natural hair. As i went through her blog, what do i see?!?! Her wedding pictures....the same ones i saw on essence.com and coul never forget about. What do you know....it was the same girl! Her fro is breath taking! It looks healthy, full of body and sheen. And i just adore the way she styles her hair whether it be in a hat, a curly bang, flat twisted or an all out fro. AND her style of dress is too cute. Homegirl can put a fly outfit together and make it look effortless! She inspires me with my hair as well as shopping on a budget. Support her blog as she continues to give divine ideas of outfits, shops to shop from on etsy and inadvertingly, hair styles to rock! :-)

Check her out at:
http://www.addicted2etsy.com
http://twitter.com/#!/addicted2etsy

Stay Fabulous!!!

SincerelyNiah :-)

They said i had to go to rehab, but i said...NO! NO! NO!

As you all know, i am a product junkie!!! Yeah, i said it and i'm not shamed to admit it! Well....a little, but don't judge me. Lol! I buy any and everything on an impulse. if i think it may give my hair a little extra umph in enhancing my curls, loosening my curl pattern, giving it shine or just making it FIERCE, i will try it!!!

I have tried everything from henna treatments to making my own concoctions and just about anything that claims to be organic or geared towards natural hair. I really need to step back and just try a few things at a time and create a staple, so to rehab i go....

What i noticed works for me right now are the following:

- For Shampoo, either Aussie Moist Shampoo or Yes to Carrots, which is my favorite! Smells soooo good! (target)

- For co-wash, Aussie Moist Conditioner (target)

- After co-wash or shampoo, Giovanni Direct Leave-In (VitaminShoppe)


- For Deep Condition treatment, Generic Biolage (from Sallys), mixed with Organic Honey and Extra Virgin Olive Oil (Whole Foods) that i mix together myself.

- For styling of my TWA or to define my curls and hold them, Eco Styler w/Olive Oil. (Sallys)

- Sealant and or twists, Organic unrefined shea butter (Online...can't remember the site. Eek! ) mixed with coconut oil <---(VitaminShoppe) Shout out to NaturallyCandi for the recipe!

All i want now to keep moisture in my hair is a Huetiful Steamer and i will be the happiest person on this earth!!!! ( i hope my boyfriend is reading this....hint hint! ;-p)

There you have it! This product junkie is officially in rehab. I wont try or buy anything new until i run out of all of these products. Lord knows i will definitely save some money.

Tootles chicas and stay fab. :-)

SincerelyNiah!

Hair Envy of the Day!

Can we say absolutely gorgeous?!?!? Not only is her hair super duper fly, homegirl has her own sense of beautiful style, she's a writer and has a sense of humor (and not even on purpose, but you will see once you check out her Youtube Channel. LOL!)
Support her as she continues on her journey of being natural. For me, supporting her is inspiring me!!! Her twist out/braid out fro is FAB-U-LOUS!!!

p.s. her secret to a fabulous twist/braid out fro simply consist of 3 products:
-Extra Virgin cold pressed Coconut oil and unrefined shea butter (mixed together)
- Giovanni Direct Leave-In Conditioner.

Simply wash hair, section into 4 sections if long enough, add leave-in conditioner to section before blow drying it with a comb attachment, then twist/braid each section in the direction you want the hair to drop when you remove the braids. Cover with a satin bonet overnight and then carefully unravel twists/braids in the morning. Add Coconut oil for shine.

To maintain twist/braid out fro, retwist or rebraid hair each night before bed and unravel the next morning. Shouldn't be too difficult since sections are still somewhat easy to feel.

Check her out at:
http://naturallycandi.tumblr.com/
http://youtube.com/naturallycandi

SincerelyNiah ;-)

"Who Wears Short Shorts?!"

Ok, so everyone and their mother knows about Nair...literally. It has been advertised on commercials as far as I can remember.

The new commercial, however, caught my attention. First off, marketing is everything. It can make or break the product your company is trying to sell. I will have to go on and say that Nair was freakin on it by remaking the 70's Nair commercial. Seriously, after watching the commercial the first time, i was pretty much sold on wanting to have smooth and toned legs (not that they can fix the tone part, but i'm working on that in the gym er'day!). After watching the commercial a dozen or so times over a period of days, i ran out and bought me a bottle of Nair. Sure nuff, the stuff is magical.

yeah yeah...i know you are probably like, "where the heck have you been and why are you just now trying this stuff?!?!" For the record, i tried it way back when i was in my freshman year of high school [without my moms permission. Eek!]. My mother didnt allow me to shave my legs with fear i would cut myself. Anyhoo, i tried it and the smell alone turned me off. It smelled like a perm burning my hair, so i kept it on for less than a minute with fear that the stuff was actually burning my skin and i would have to explain to my mom what happened. Can we say, fear of the death by a mothers hand is not a game?!?! LOL! Needless to say, it didnt work considering the fact that i didnt leave it on for the appropriate 3 minutes or more. I immediately disposed of the Nair thinking "it doesnt work and smells bad anyway", and never looked back until recently.

For years, i have had to shave my legs EVVVERRRRYDAY!!!! Like seriously, if i shaved my legs the night before going to bed, the very next morning, i wake up and feel stubble. Oh, and dont let me get cold and get goose bumps. My shaving and the time put into it is all a waste. Not to mention, all of my knicks and cuts caused from shaving have scarred my leggs. Not in a horrible way but in a way i notice it. Waxing is not an option!

Thank God, i have found my cure. I've tried Nair twice already within a couple of weeks of each other. The results are long lasting, my legs are super smooth for days, and when my hair grows back, it grows back finer. Reason is, as all of you know, Nair is a chemical that reaches below the surface unlike shaving that only cuts the hair slightly above skin level, leaving sharp edges to grow back. No, Nair doesnt smell any better from when i remember it way back when (even though the newer lotions advertise the scent of baby oil, melon, cocoa butter, etc., but thats the small price you pay for something that WORKS! Yay me!

So when the commercial says, "Who wears short shorts?" I can say, "I wear short shorts...or skirts!" Lol!

***Disclaimer***
I am not suggesting anyone else try it, but if you do, do it at your own risk. I do what works for me.
Nair lotions contains a substance called depilatories, which chemically breaks bonds between hair, making them bridle so just one touch could make them fall off your legs.
Since Nair has a chemical strong enough to break hair bonds, they already consider how that chemical will effect our skin. It may be hair removal lotion, but Nair hired some scientists to handle these problems. Ah, the science of hair removing. Along with depilatories, Nair creams exfoliate your legs by removing dead skin cells once the hair is gone.

Hair Envy of the Day

One word: Magnificent!!!


Her hair is absolutely gorgeous! I love the color, the thickness, the texture and naturally the style. This picture was taken in the last months of her 24 month transitioning! Kudos to FusionofCultures for just doing her BC just a few days ago!

Love her senegalese twist!!! They look very natural and not that ole shiny synthetic stuff. Blah!

Check her out at:
http://twitter.com/NeffyFroFro
http://members.fotki.com/Laila-Jean/about/ http://keepitsimplesista.ning.com/profile/LailaJeanWashington
http://www.youtube.com/user/FusionofCultures

The NEW Teen Pop Culture

I am on the verge of freaking out!!! My daughter, who to me was literally just rolling over in diapers yesterday is turning 9 in less then 2 short weeks. Soon, she will be a teenager!! Wait...baby steps. I dont want to think that far. Anyway, i've noticed that she is really into pop music, fashion, singing, dancing and everything that consists of being a little girl on her way to her teens. I love to watch her sing and dance and even more, i love the fact that there are decent boy band groups and girl singers that i'm okay with her listening too. I can't stand the thought of her listening to Souljah Boy, New Boyz or anything like that. There are some things that i will allow her to listen to, but only from her Kidz Bop cd, which is a way clean and much edited version.

Right now she is listening to groups like Lemonade Mouth and Mindless Behavior or individuals like Willow Smith and Selena Gomez. Point is, she is still being a kid. My heart drops when i see these young kids singing songs that even adults shouldnt listen too or find them in the parking lot of my apartments dropping it like its hot with other kids and ADULTS cheering them on. :-O. REALLY?!?! My daughter looks at them and says with her own words, "That is so inappropriate!" LOL! I love it!

My daughters very first video shoot! She was the lead girl. :-)

How can you resist how cute these little boys are?!?!

Willow is a little fashionista in her own right and definitely something to be reconged with. This little 10 year old has the voice of a 20 sumthin year old. Very talented and i love the fact that her creativity teaches my daughter to be herself and be free with creative thoughts.

Ashanti having fun with her fall fashion. Let's see what she puts together this fall.

Too Cute for words!

A young latina girl, Selena Gomez, making it in this world and doing great things is also a good inspiration for my young aspiring actress. Especially considering her latin roots. :-)

All of this talk only makes me flash back to my childhood and pop music in my time. I was in love with me some New Kidz on the Block [don't judge me] and of course some New Edition. To follow would be Another Bad Creation and Immature. Off the top of my head, i can't remember the girl groups or individuals i like, but naturally, you will remember the boy bands if you're a girl like me with major crushes on them!!! LOL!

NE Heartbreak all day! I had the biggest crush on Ralph! And he's still cute. Yeah, i said it!!! Lol!

Jordan was my favorite because he could dance his butt off!!!

This was one of my favorite albums!!!

"At the playground...you know. Plaaayyyyggrrrouuunddd....awww yeah!" Lol! Don't act like you don't remember. ;-)

Summertime heat, natural hair, & oily skin!

Today in the DMV (DC, MD, No. VA area), it is supposed to get up to a whopping 100 degrees with an index of 101 to 105 degrees. Can you say blazing?!?! Its so hot, the devil is pissed and sitting in a corner somewhere fanning.

Needless to say, this heat is making me drink more and more water with lemon to stay hydrated and have a good vitamin c in take. However, the heat is still putting a toll on my hair and my skin. The water i drink keeps my skin somewhat hydrated, but because i've been working out more and sweating more because of all that i drink, i'm still loosing out slightly. I can literally see the difference in my skin when i dont have enough water. It starts to look dull and lack of life no matter how much moisturizer i put on or the amount of blush to rosey up my cheeks. One thing it does do for sure is getting super oily when outside. I blot my face with facial tissues, which is a very temporary fix and rubs off my makeup a little bit, which i hate because i really dont like to have to touch up my makeup more than once a day.

In regards to my hair....what do i say?!?! I can DC (deep condition) all day everyday, co-wash, use a leave-in conditioner...it doesnt matter. During this heat, my hair soaks up water and any product. if it doesnt soak it up, i can later find it running down my neck. There's no winning. I'm in dyer need to find something that will keep my hair moisturized during these hot summer days and winter that is soon to follow.

I've been doing a little research and i have found a couple of things i want to try to rid myself of oily skin and dry-undefined curls-no matter how much product you use-hair! :-)

For my oily skin, i found Pallido Rice Paper Powdered Blotting Tissue.

Palladio rice paper tissues "natural" [also comes in translucent and beige] is a very unique, oil-absorbing two-sided tissue made with natural rice which is much gentler for the skin compares to pulp. With added rice powder to eliminate shine and to leave skin feeling and looking smoother. Use to blot off excess oil that causes skin blemishes. The matte side (without powder) is for blotting to absorb the excess oils and the powdered side is for finishing. Packaged in a pull out tissue component with the convenience of fitting in a purse.

In short:
* Made with rice instead of pulp
* Powder-coated for continued oil control
* Eliminate shine and skin imperfections
* Ideal for midday touchups

As for my hair goes, i have been from vblog to vblog and heard raving reviews about Huetiful Hair Steamer.

Huetiful Hair Steamers are designed specifically for your unique wavy or curly hair. We understand that your hair creates unique hair frustrations that can never seem to disappear. Dry hair, breakage, split ends, or dandruff? A Huetiful brand hair steamer can resolve all of these frustrations and allow you to stop buying multiple deep conditioners and hair treatments that never seem to completely restore enough moisture back to your dry hair.

Huetiful Brand Steamers have multiple benefits:
* Restores moisture to your dry hair 5x better than deep conditioners or hair treatments alone
* Opens up your hair cuticle to allow your conditioners and hair treatments to work more effectively
* Bathes your hair follicle with warm, ionized mist to replenish moisture lost from chemical or heat treatments
* Reduces future breakage and split ends caused by dry hair
* In colder months, keeps weather-dried hair moisturized and strong


You can find both of these products here:
Huetiful Hair Steamer - http://www.behuetiful.com/store/index.php (or Amazon)
Palladio Rice Paper Powdered Blotting Tissues - www.Amazon.com

Who can ask for anything more?!?! I'm excited to try both products in the the next coming months and i'll be back to give my results! :-)

SincerelyNiah

True to self...

true love - love that requires you to align yourself with the path of becoming your true self.

Life isn't about finding yourself, it's about creating yourself. xoxo!!