Coastal Scents 88 Ultra Shimmer Palette

I first read about this palette when Wes of Honey.Brown.Sugar. blogged about it a few months ago, and knew I had to get my hands on it. I ordered mine from CoastalScents.com for only $19.95 on sale. The regular price is about $24.99 (two other people ordered with me so we would qualify for free shipping- can't beat that!)

All I can say is that my eyes have some serious bling going on! Almost any color you can think of is on this pallet, and it is a nice size for the price. I have been playing with the colors which are highly (and I do mean HIGHLY) pigmented so the colors show true to form. Right now I am rocking a killer dark green above my lash line and blended to the lid with a dark gold hue...ooh la la!

My one and only complaint- which I can definitely get over- is that the color has a tendency to fall onto my lower lashes quite a bit. So much so that it looks like colored eyeliner and I have to wash it off with a damp cloth...LOL..might be cute for a party, but not for work :)

They also have this same palette in a matte version and an 88 palette of neutrals. Try it- you won't be disappointed. For the price alone, it is well worth it.

Protective Styling: It's for My Own Good!!

Ok...I finally broke down and admitted that I needed to give my hair a break, so I am finally rockin a curly sew-in weave. I have really small cornrows in the front from ear-to-ear, and red tinted spirals in the back. It's too cute! I decided on curls because I couldn't bring myself to put long, straight hair all down my back after rockin my TWA for last two months... the word "traitor" kept playing in my head every time it crossed my mind. The curls remind me of my own hair and I feel very comfortable in it.

The crazy thing is... I am DYING to co-wash my hair already and it's only been about 5 days. I need to put all of my conditioners away so that I don't instantly throw a gob of it into this weave one morning..LOL..that would be a hot mess!

I have concocted a spritz using some Kemi Oyl, water, and Trader Joe's Nourish Spa Conditioner to keep my braids thoroughly moisturized. The key to protective styling is moisture, and I would hate to take this style down in a month or so only to find crispity, crunchity natural hair underneath!! I plan to spray my cornrows twice a week, and the braids under my sew in at least once a week; washing every two weeks. I am hoping for some serious growth/retention after all of this.

I do have pictures on my BlackBerry, but I do not know how to upload them to a computer. Any suggestions?

Now that my hair is put away, I will probably direct some energy into my diet, skin, and nails so don't be surprised if you see some posts about those topics soon.

Betonite Clay Mask and Avocado Honey Deep Treatment

As promised here are the details of my natural clarifying and deep conditioning session. I first clarified with betonite clay and used a homemade avocado treatment to moisturize...All I can say is that I am a true believer in natural, kitchentician concoctions doing wonderful things for natural hair. I will outline my steps to each process below. Keep in mind that I have a 4-inch TWA, so adjust amounts as you see fit...you will need more for longer hair.

Betonite Clay Mask

You will need:

• 3 heaping tablespoons of Betonite Clay (I purchased mine from a natural seller on e-Bay for about $3.75/lb- Lasts FOREVER!)


• Water (as needed)

Process: In a small mug, I gradually added water and stirred continuously until I had a pretty thick paste. It is nearly impossible to get all of the lumps out, but they smooth into the hair pretty well so don't worry about it. Afterwards, I wet my hair completely but did not use any other products, ie. shampoo or conditioner, and sectioned my hair into fours. Then I started gobbing on the Betonite clay working from front to back until every section was coated, covered with a plastic bag so that it wouldn't dry out, and commenced to doing some housework.

About 30 mins later, I rinsed in the shower, and it rinsed right out for the most part. The plastic bag kept it from drying in my hair, which made it easier. I could immediately feel a difference in my hair; it was softer and I could feel that the curls had a lot more spring and definition. Most importantly, it was CLEAN and it didn't feel dry or stripped. LOVED IT!!

Avocado & Honey Deep Treatment

You will need:

• One ripe avocado (the skin should give under slight pressure)


• One tablespoon of honey


• One tablespoon of oil (I used soybean, but Extra Virgin Coconut or Olive Oil would be best)

Process:

I halved the avocado and removed the pit, scooping all of the pulp into a mug. I added the remaining ingredients and stirred very well to try and get the lumps out, but it was still somewhat lumpy. I sectioned in four and applied all over and covered with a plastic cap. Then I wrapped my hair in a steam towel and covered that with a dry towel to ward off any drips. About 45 mins later I rinsed and noticed a few strands of the avocado pulp were stuck in my hair, so I re-rinsed. There were still a few little white strings hanging on in there, but I didn't care at that point. All I could do was stare at my hair..how clean it was and how nice and smooth it felt from root to tip. I didn't even want to use a leave in, but I know better than that...so I added some HE and oil and rocked a wash-n-go. This will definitely be a once a month session for me.

You ladies should try it and let me know your thoughts on it, too!!

Product Review: Jessiecurl Weekly Deep Conditioning Treatment

Product: Jessiecurl Weekly Deep Conditioning Treatment

Scent: "Earthy"

Price: $12-13.00 for an 8oz jar





Ingredients: Water infused with Lemongrass, Nettle, Burdock, Kelp, Marshmallow Root, Horsetail, Basil, Bay Leaf, Oregano, Rosemary, Peppermint, Sage and Thyme, Aloe Vera Juice, Behentrimonium Methosulfate and Cetearyl Alcohol, Shea Butter, Cocoa Butter, Glycerin, Lecithin, Fragrance,Diazolidinyl Urea (and) Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate.



My Results: This is the second product that I have tried from my NaturallyCurly.com FAK for Curly Hair and I really did have high hopes for it. I am sad to say that I was not impressed for many reasons. It has a rather peculiar scent, very "earthy" if you can imagine that..LOL..but I can get over a scent if the product works wonders. I applied the treatment after co-washing with HE conditioner and let it sit under a shower cap/steam towel combination for about 30 minutes. I must say that it felt great going on, and I just knew I was going to love the results but that was a definite no-go. My hair felt very much like straw, and it looked very scraggedy (is that a word) and my curl pattern was all fuzzed out.. It really looked a mess! Later, I just couldn't take it anymore and decided to co-wash it all over again, which helped a little, but it took a day or two for the fuzz to calm down.



I don't know what went wrong with this application...maybe I should have clarified before using this. I won't give up on it just yet, so I will be trying this product again to give it a fair chance.

Product Review: Curl Rehab by Curl Junkie

Product: Curl Rehab by Curl Junkie

Scent: Gardenia and Coconut

Hair Types: All

Function: Moisturizing Hair Treatment

Price: $20.00 for an 8oz jar

Ingredients: Water, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Cetearyl Alcohol, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter) Fruit, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Equisetum Arvense (Horsetail) Leaf Extract, Urtica Dioica (Nettle) Leaf Extract, Melissa Officinalis (Melissa) Leaf Extract, Mentha Piperita (Pepperment) Leaf Extract, Yucca Leaf Extract, Rosa Mosqueta (Rosehip) Fruit Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Seed Butter, Theobroma Grandiflorum (Cupuaçu) Seed Butter, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol, Vanilla Planifolia oil, Cananga Odorata oil, Lecithin, Fragrance, Citric Acid.

Directions: Use daily, weekly, or monthly depending on the state of your hair. Apply generously to clean hair and comb through. Leave on hair for at least 5 minutes. For extra conditioning, leave on hair for at least 15 minutes with a plastic cap. Rinse thoroughly with water.

Review: This is the first product that I tried from my NaturallyCurly FAK, and I must say that I really loved the way it made my hair look and feel. Looking at all of the butters and oils listed in the ingredients -I can see why. I used this on a day when my hair was feeling particularly dry for some reason and it softened my hair immediately and the feeling lasted after I rinsed. I also use rinse out conditioners as leave-in and this one passed that test as well. My curls looked more defined than usual, even after my hair dried. LOVE THIS CONDITIONER!!

Next up from the FAK: Jessiecurl Weekly Deep Conditioning Treatment

NaturallyCurly FAK

I won! I won! I WON!!

I am usually the person that rarely wins anything..but I submitted to a contest on NaturallyCurly.com and won their summer First Aid Kit (FAK) for curly hair. It arrived in the mail yesterday and being the semi-product junkie that I am...I tried out one of the conditioners before I could get the box open good. It was LOVELY! Stay tuned to see what it was and more on the NaturallyCurly FAK!