Hiatus, No heat challenge and new things!

Hello everyone!

I know that I have been gone for a few months and that is because I have poor planning and time management skills (something that I am not particularly proud of).

I started college (university college not community college college) and I got a bit over my head with everything that I was attempting to do so my blog had to take the back burner for a bit.

Now that I'm on winter break I have time to restart my focus on my blog and my schoolwork.

On to my no heat challenge!

As you all know I am a natural hair advocate and I have decided to take a huge leap into the world of natural hair. I will be attempting to go a whole year without using any kind of heat on my hair, starting January 1st 2015. No flat iron, no hooded dryer, no blow dryer, nothing.

I will be using my blog to document the entire process.

In addition to no heat I will also be:

• Drinking 2L to 3L of water a day.
• Working out for at least an hour.
• Trying new kinds of heatless styles (twist outs, bantu knots, etc) at least one a week.
• Wearing my hair in a protective for at least one day out of the week (I'm going to shot for three though).
• No fast food (healthy body = healthy hair)

I'm really hoping to not only improve the health of my hair from this challenge but also, hopefully, retain some length!

And now on to my "new things"!

I am very excited to be sharing that I will be starting my own Natural Hair Care line!

Lately I have being making the products that I use on my hair for two reasons:

• That way I know there's no harmful substances in my products
• It's less expensive

I'm going to be starting small, selling to to friends and family members but I am going to be opening up an Etsy store for anyone who would be interested in trying what I cook up for my hair. All the ingredients are natural and will be on the packaging and I am hoping to make it as cost effective as possible.

So more news on that to come!

And lastly, thank you all for reading to the end of this post. I really appreciate you guys for supporting me especially through the meltdown that my brain was going through these past few months.

Be safe and I will see you in my next post!

        

I'm A Beauty Blogger, Get Me Out Of Here Tag: Week One

Hello friends and welcome to another tag Tuesday!

This is going to be an older tag but I just found it so it is new to me. It is going to be a three week tag and each week will have a new set of questions.

Also if you finish reading this post then know that you are officially tagged!

Okay, let's get started.

1) You can only take ONE product into the jungle (aka your luxury item). What would you choose and why?

If I could only take one product into the jungle it would have to be the It's A 10 Miracle Leave-In treatment and that is because I can go for days without putting on makeup but I would absolutely die if my hair looks like crap

2) What would be your main pre jungle worry?

My main pre jungle would probably whether or not there be humidity because that is killer on my hair

3) You only have five minutes to get ready before going into the jungle, what would be your quick beauty routine?

My quick beauty routine would probably be my Almay Smart Shade CC cream, a little bit of Elf High Definition powder on my T-zone, a thin layer of Wet N' Wild Waterproof mascara and my Burt's Bees Pink Grapefruit lip balm.

4) Last year we saw Helen Flanagan wearing her hair in a top bun. What would be your signature hairstyle?

My signature hairstyle most likely would be a side braid

5) For moral support, which female celebrity would you like to be in the jungle with you?

For moral support I think I would want Halle Berry in the jungle with me

6) Everyone’s given a role in the camp. What lifestyle skill would you bring to the jungle?

I can sew, knit and crochet so I could make clothes

7) What one thing about being a beauty blogger sometimes makes you want to scream ‘Get Me Out Of Here’?

The scheduling, finding time to write and take pictures and all the things that need to be done in order for a post to be presentable

8) Challenge – This is a once in a life time opportunity. You’re up for a trial to face your fears or try something new, what would you choose to do and why?

I would choose to bungee jump because I really do not like heights so that would be something that could help me face my fear of heights

Well guys that is it for this post!

What do you guys think of this tag? Let me know in the comments.

Be safe and I will see you in my next post.

       
 

BLOGGER BUDDIES SERIES: How To Create An Editorial Calendar

An editorial calendar is a schedule and/or list of posts, videos, tutorials or anything that, as a blogger, you want to put on your blog. It keeps you organized and on track which is critical when you are first starting and even after you gain a steady following.

There are many ways that you can do an editorial calendar but in this post I am going to show you haw I have chosen to do mine.

I use Google calendar because I can customize it to my liking and there a lot of different options that make staying organized easy for me.

So let's get started.

First you need to make a Google account if you do not already have one.

It is free to sign up to Google and once you do you have access to all of the services that it provides such as, e-mail, Google docs and YouTube.

Next you need to set up your calendar

When you search for Google calendar it will take you here. All you need to do now is create your calendar, meaning you give it a name.

Once you have your name you can give your calendar a color which comes in handy when you start creating multiple calendars.

Once you have your editorial calendar set up like I have, there are a few things that you must decide:

• How often do you want to post
• What kind of posts do you want to do

Ideally I post 6 times a week. My posts are recurring so it is easy for me to schedule.

This is how a week in my calendar looks.

I create the posts that I want to do has recurring events so that way all I have to do is go in and edit the event according to the post I want to do that week.

And it is that simple.

I do that for all of the posts I do for my blog. I include favorites in series posts on Thursdays and I always review products on Fridays, that way there's uniformity.

That is it for this post.

Was this tutorial helpful? Does it inspire you to start your own editorial calendar? Let me know in the comments!

        

HEY CURLY GIRLS, LET'S TALK: Co-Wash or Not?

Hello curly girls! I am back with another installment of Hey Curly Girls, Let's Talk and today it is going be be all about co-washing.

So lets get started.

Photo courtesy of Walmart.com

First off, this technique gained momentum and popularity with the release of Lorraine Massey's The Curly Girl Handbook which spawned the Curly Girl Method or No-Poo method. This method focuses on using conditioner to cleanse your hair instead of shampoo because shampoo can strip the hair of natural basic oils. Textured hair tends to be drier because these oils cannot make it all the way down to the ends.

Co- washing is short for "conditioner washing". Since all conditioners contain some gentle cleansing agents it is possible to wash your hair with conditioner.

Co-washing can definitely be beneficial to hair especially if you have textured or curly hair.

1. Co-washing will not strip your hair of its natural oils.

2. Assuming you are using a silicone free conditioner your hair will not be damaged or dried out form co-washing.

3. You do not need to be married to co-washing. Which means you can use a conditioner or a shampoo whenever you like.

4. If you have drier or damaged hair co-washing will give your hair extra moisture while cleansing it.

While there are obvious benefits to co-washing, it is not for everyone.

1. If you have dermatitis which is the inflammation of the scalp then co-washing may not work for you because constant conditioning may make it worse

2. If you have oily hair then co-washing will only add to the oil in your hair.

3. If you live in a dusty or highly polluted area you should use shampoo to cleanse your hair and condition afterwards.

4. It is possible to over condition your hair which is not good. If your hair starts to feel mushy and/or spongy you may have done too much.

As you can see co-washing has it's advantages and disadvantages. It could not hurt to try especially if you do have dry, damaged hair and you are looking for a way to make it healthier.

If you are in that transition stage I recommend that you give co-washing a chance for the first year that you are in transition.

Personally I do not co-wash simply because I do not feel like it gets my hair really clean. I understand that conditioners do have gentle cleansers but for me it is just a feeling that I do not like. So it is really all about preference.

Here are some guidelines if you do want to try co-washing:

1. Make sure the conditioner has no silicones. Stay away from ingredients ending in -cone.

2. Apply the conditioner to your scalp and gently massage with your fingers, not your fingernails. This will loosen up the dirt.

3. When you rinse your hair use cold water. The will close your hair follicles and prevent frizz.

4. Make sure you do not over condition your hair.

Well guys that is it for this post!

What do you think about co-washing? Let me know in the comments!

Be safe and I will see you in my next post!

       

MAKEUP MONDAY: Blue/Purple/Pink EOTD

Hello makeup lovers! For today's Makeup Monday I am going to show you guys a really nice EOTD that I was playing around with. 

So let's get started!

First I decided to prime my eyes using my Cinema Touch Creme Foundation. The reason I do not use an actual eye primer to prime my eyes is because I have not found one that I like that is a decent price. So if anyone has any suggestions please leave them below in the comments (:

Next I am going to take my Italia Deluxe Matte Color Chart and using a deep blue I am going to apply it to my lid.

Then I am going to get this lavender color and apply that to my crease and blend of course.

To finish off the eye shadow I am going to take this pink color and apply it just above the purple and blend.

Now, going into eyeliner, I am going to do a thin liner and take it all the way up to my brow bone and stop once I reach the pink shadow. I really like the way this look because it accentuates the straight line of the shadow.

Finally I am going to take my pencil eyeliner from Starlooks and line my water line. This is optional, however, you can also line your tight line.

Then I am going to take my Boots97 Mascara and apply about 15,000 coats of it. Since I do not wear fake lashes I have to makeup for it my wearing obscene amounts of mascara (:

And this is the finished look! (:

Well guys that is it for this post!

What is your favorite eye primer? Let me know in the comments below!

Be safe and I will see you in my next post!