Natural Loves...

As well as my skin journey....I have decided to go natural for a while (probably a day) and I won't get into the touchy subject of how some guys and older generations are disgusted that someone could wear hair that is not theirs.

My simple reply is - "If I bought it, it is mine" ;)

Jokes or not aside, I love my natural hair but having a busy schedule like mine requires a lot of time and effort on my part and unless I consistently want and head full of heat damaged hair to maintain until it falls out, having a weave gives me a somewhat of a carefree alternative.

That carefree alternative being I can singe, bleach, melt, blow up, drown and resuscitate the hair until there is none left of it and still blissfully return to my natural roots, guilt free!

If that doesn't put an end to a debate, I don't know what will..

Moving on, I took a trip to the local black hair shop and yes, I kept the price tags on for authenticity :p. 

Since I dyed my hair last December, I have been neglecting my hair and not moisturising it until a month ago when I visited my local hair salon for the Arosci IRS treatment which is like a Brazilian Blow Dry but has a lot more protein in it. The process was very lengthy however, my hair felt lovely afterwards and it requires a lot of upkeep. It lasts for 3 months and I  will be posting once completed with a length check. 

This week my hair has lost its moisture again and not only that, it has had a lot of product build up so it was definitely time for a wash and deep treatment which I plan to do every 2 weeks. 

 Since my hair has had the Arosci treatment, I was told not to use shampoos with sulfate in it as it will remove the product from my hair therefore reducing the longevity of the straightness and since I love the Creme of Nature Argan Oil range, I opted for the sulfate free shampoo which didn't feel stripping or left my hair dry at all. After usage, my hair felt clean and refreshed with the little bit of moisture it did have left.

As you can see above, my curl texture is very curly and that is due to the Arosci treatment once again as it defines your curls. I do have heat damaged ends at the top of my head ( you can see the long straight line of hair) where I have my leave out for weaves which I will be constantly trimming. 

I wanted a Deep Treatment Masque that didn't have a lot of protein in it as too much protein overload can hinder more than help your hair and I also wanted something with argan oil as it does wonders to my hair. Shea Moisture definitely came to the rescue! I expected a really sweet smelling product however the smell was pretty mild and the texture was thick enough to lather. I didn't need a lot to put in my hair and it did not require a lot of heat. I left it on for 7 minutes and after the wash I could definitely feel a difference in my hair texture and it was easy to detangle. 

Every girl/boy should have argan oil to replenish their curls! It is a lightweight product which you don't need a lot of and it smells amazing. I use it most on the ends of my hair which is most dry.

You can even use it along with your favourite treatment and go under a dryer for a couple minutes and will see a great difference.

Mizani is expensive and a lot of European hair salons stock it for Afro - Caribbean hair such as Rush. I wanted to see what the fuss was all about for myself and I can definitely say this product is a lifesaver for blow drying and straightening your locks. You only need a small amount.

Oh how I could not live without my Denman Do Double Hairbrush Pure Bristle Ceramic from Amazon (£10) , this brush is amazing! If you found blowdrying and straightening your hair hard...think again! It has panels for heat to get in to straighten hair more effectively. The only con is that if your hair isn't properly detangled, it can pull and cause a lot of unnecessary friction so please comb your hair first and do it in sections! 

Hey presto! One of the good things about the Arosci treatment is that no matter how many times you wash your hair, as long as the product is still in, it is easier and quicker to straighten your hair with minimal heat. I finished off my hair by adding Creme of Nature Oil Moisturizer and wrapping my head with a scarf before bed.

So how do I style my hair?

 Creme of Nature is soo good to me that I first Moisturize my hair with the argan oil as any gel or edge control can be drying and cause a lot of build up.

I then use the edge control on my edges as they cause me the most trouble!

I then use a slick brush (who remembers those from back in the day, slicing them baby hairs back?!) to brush down any stray unruly hairs.

Laid or nah?

I then scrape my hair into a ponytail.

Now this is the tricky part as my hair is too short to go over a doughnut, I make my own out of my hair! So I fold my hair over towards the hairband then I get another hairband and secure it over. Kinda like rolling a sock!

I then add the hurrr spray!

L'Oréal Elnett hairspray is life! Never use too much though as it makes you hair harden as it has very good hold.

I then tie my hair down tightly with a head scarf, have my shower, get ready and bam!

I call it the world's smallest messy bun ;)

Let me know what you think!

My Not So Daily Skin Routine

Hey guys!

I barely ever do beauty posts so I thought I'd show you what I do to my skin as everyone is always complimenting me on my skin complexion!

So here it goes....

I pretty much, rarely do anything at all!
*sings* I woke up like this! *sings*

On a serious note, I'm very lazy unfortunately and especially with such a busy work schedule I barely have time to even wash my face in the morning! *que the ewwwsss* I even find it difficult to take my makeup off at night.

But I am trying to make a change now people!

One of my NONO's are foundation, my skin absolutely hates it! So no contouring for me which I'm fine with as I have giant food pouches for cheeks which on the subject I have found a way to contour my cheeks which doesn't include foundation..It will all be revealed in a future post.

I have also noticed that my diet hasn't been very good and I have been eating out quite a lot and as I am trying to lose weight, I thought why not do a 14 day detox?!

So as Friday evening is my only chillaxed night of the week, if that, I decided to start my night time cleanse detox from Bootea as well as give my face a good 'ole scrub with Garnier Charcoal scrub. The scrub did the job by opening my pores so I then dried my face and applied the mud pac. It was a complete de-stress from the stressful week I endured and was accomplished in all of 20 minutes! My skin felt really soft and the spots cleared and dried up within a day.

Charcoal Face Scrub applied:

Mud Pac once applied:

I also added another picture of a scrub I use in the morning and am still working on my skin routine therefore it is still pending!

I got all these skin products from my local Sainsburys!

As for the Bootea 14 Day Teatox, I got it from Holland & Barrett for approximately £20! I will not say anymore on this product until I have finished the 14 days and also completed my weight loss journey so watch this space! Eek! 

Please share your thoughts, tips and advice on your skincare routine, would love to hear them!

Until then,

T will be back ;) 

Worst Behaviour

Friday was payday right?

Only means one thing....

Shopping!

Any chance I get to go shopping, I take it but this month I am learning how to budget *says a silent prayer* as I spend a lot on things I think I need but can actually live without.

So without further a due here's what I can't live without apparently.....

I decided to get some A/W winter bits from Primark as I refuse to pay ridiculous prices for a jumper/cardigan that isn't even warm and I know primark is good value for money. This jacket makes me feel very prestige and simple and allows you to dress without putting much thought or effort in and if you haven't read about me on my 'About Me' page, you wouldn't know zero effort is my thing. I'm lazy, Sue me!

Jeans, jeans, jeans! Since I've put on weight, I have found it extremely hard to find jeans that not only fit me but also flatter me. Now this is where I think Primark falls short for me and I end up getting so frustrated not finding my size and struggling in the changing room that I end up leaving with nothing at all most times. Asos is also the same unfortunately except for mom jeans however the high waisted are usually always tight at the legs and loose at the waist to which I have had to roll up...It isn't a good look. I enjoyed the sizing event very much but I think my measurements only really worked for shoes and tops/jackets.

Topshop joni jeans are the love of my life! I love the range of colours, the fit and stretchiness! These will forever be my go to jeans and I'm not stressed with the price just because they last long and are worth the money.

I featured two shoes in this post. The first are from Primark and they are a cheaper version of the black Timbalands, that being said, please hold on for my next post called 'More Money than Sense'.

The other pair are Cluelessly hot! From Missguided of course and I love them. They look cute and fluffy but they are far from! You know the saying "no pain, no gain"? These are the epitome of that saying. I will never ever wear them on a night out because there is still some delicacy about them but if I wore them it would have to be somewhere where a lot of people can see me in them for a short while or where I can take breaks and throw on my flats! Mission set?

Last but not least, the clutch bag gave me the inspiration for this post. I mean, who doesn't love a Drake song/lyric?!

Comment below and let me know what you think.

Toodles!

Cardigan - Primark Bromley

Joni Jeans - Topshop 

Timbalands Lookalike - Primark

Clutch Bag - Missguided

Anything but Fluffy Heels - Missguided

& Album of the Year goes to...

Souled Out - Jhene Aiko

I have to say I love this album. The sounds are so mellow and soothing whilst on some real talk. Though one of my colleagues at work called this album 'whale music' which they deserve the side eye for, I couldn't help but sit on my travels to work thinking and relating to situations I've never even been in! Lol

Jhene portrays such a strong minded woman who knows her worth and literally takes every day in it's stroll. It's most evident in her songs and her sultry soft voice on top of such beautiful instrumentals is enough for a bad day to take a turn for the best.

So my fave songs from the album?

1. Limbo Limbo Limbo - I feel like she's describing me and this is a very intense upbeat instrumental to her usual tunes and I love it! My life is a ride..that is all.

2. To Love & Die - this song describes some other type of love some of us have never experienced and when we find it, this will be the song we'll be singing.

3. Lyin King - the title of this song was enough to draw me to this song. The way she layed into Mr. Serial Lover was pretty amazing and classy. She definitely has a way with words on another type of Adele!

4. Wading - soothing waves is all I think about when I hear this.

5. The Pressure - when you're under pressure and feel stressed, give this a listen. You'll feel better, I promise and speaking of...

6. Promises - As if this song doesn't make me feel broody enough! Hearing artist's kids on songs make my heart melt as this has a voice over from her brother, Miyagi who passed in 2012 from cancer and Jhene's whole motivation for this track is thoughtful and sentimental for Namiko, her daughter. This song is the most heartfelt of the whole album for me.

7. Pretty Bird ft Common - I think of Spoken Word when I hear this and the fact it has Common featured...just wow! Poetic on another level.

8. It's Cool - "it's cool, we ain't got to be nothing" Enough said.

Jhene if I ever meet you, I don't want an autograph nor a picture. I just want you to sing me a lullaby pleaseee!

Guys check her album out on Spotify!

Catch Me On Another Planet

Hi guys!

So I would like to show you my attempt at a fashion future type Star Trek look? (If you could call it that :/)

I haven't done a tutorial on how to do this as yet as not sure if you guys would like it. So for right now, all I have is pictures.

If you want me to do a post on how I accomplished this, comment below.

But in the meantime....