My Eyes Are Watching God

Floating in that marvelous creation, it reminded me of the scene of Their Eyes Were Watching God where Halle Berry's character submerges herself in pristine waters and focuses on the heavens above.

I have a thing for water. Rain, rivers, beaches, baths.

It's relaxing, cleansing, spiritual.

This pic was taken a week ago and reflects where I am in life. 

Before I felt haggard, hassled, harassed.

Hurried to make important decisions to fulfill the human definition of success.

Not pausing to hear from God. Not resting in Him.

But this pic is where I am.

Floating in Him. Resting and looking upon Him.

And wondering what it is He wants to ask me.

Sometimes we go about life in a fast pace frenzy 

because that's what is dictated to us as best by society.

Stop and bask in God.

MY HAIR - Back to Black

I told y'all the ombre was gone and BLACK IS BACK!

I sound excited but I wash't at first.

Instead of getting a natural black, I got Silken Black from Clairol Textures & Tones

Why? I'm not sure. Now I still kind of regret doing it.

I'm not a fan. I'm thinking I should have done a dark brown instead.

I have to let you lovelies know the good, bad and ugly of my hair.

Initially, it looked hella fake. To me at least.

I shampooed twice in one week with sulfates to spread up the fading process.

That deep of a hate.

It's not as blinging black as before but I want it to fade more.

This reminds me of the time I did a red rinse when I was relaxed.

At least I knew that would fade, this is a permanent color.

The urge to chop is heavier than before..

Artiste Spotlight - Kristine Alicia

What a way I've been missing!

Anyways, we won't dwell on that.

What we will dwell on is this amazing artiste - Kristine Alicia

Who would I be if I didn't feature someone of the reggae genre from my beautiful island Jamaica?

I've had the pleasure of knowing her for almost 10 years

(since I was a teen)

and I've always been blown away by her unique voice.

It's soulful and sticks with you. 

So much so I find myself repeating her tracks.

She's also a fellow curly girl!

Isn't her tapered cut awesome? Makes me want to chop mine off.

Get into this acoustic version of her song Perfect Time

which just happened to be shot by yours truly :)

For more vids of her singing and giving her take on life

subscribe to her YouTube -> KristineAlicia 

Enjoy =)

Time & Ombre Hair

Summer is over and so is this ombre hair. It was short lived as was Summer. Where did the time go?

It's as if time said "Peace out homie" & left me behind.

I realize I tend to go missing on this blog during those months .. I'm not sure why.

Maybe it's because I get into a state of reflection which turns into a funk.

Life picks up & drops me - then Fall rolls around & I'm back. Two months just flew by me.

Recently, I was reminded by God how time is precious. Time is a gift.

Time is priceless. Time is also fleeting.

We are suppose to invest our time wisely and not squander seconds. Why am I posting about this? Well since 2014 is coming to a close 

[quicker than I thought]

Why not remind y'all to use it wisely as I've been reminded.

Yes You!

What things haven't you accomplished yet for this year?

Ready for this Fall/Winter season?

Artiste Spotlight - Seinabo Sey

source

Today's spotlight is on Seinabo Sey

A singer that hails from Sweden.

I think I have a fascination with singers from the continent of Europe.

Their vibe and tone of voice is just exceptional.

I came across her music on Spotify. 

I have an infatuation with the related artistes tab and my affair tends to give me gems.

Seinabo Sey being one of them.

Her discography is small at the current moment with Younger and Hard Time 

[the latter I absolutely adore]

then this Swedish Soul is one you should be tuned into.If you like the sounds of Disclosure, Banks or Maipei

Peep my fav Hard Time below.

Enjoy =)

MY HAIR - Blonde Marley Twists

Greetings Lovelies!
Where is Summer going? Felt like it just started. I'm a bit sad about it :'(
I did do something "summery" last week by going to camp! No, not as a camper but a counsellor.
It was soooo good. I enjoyed my time :)

Now I didn't want to be bothered with my hair at camp so enter in the Marley Twists.
I've wanted to do this for some time now but hair in the UK was just ridiculously expensive so I didn't but clearly now I did :)
My sister actually did them for me. I did try.. but fail. Thank God for my sissy!

I washed my hair as normal but this time I used Elasta QP Olive Oil & Mango Butter Leave In Conditioner and sealed with Jojoba Oil.
I put my hair in 6-8 braids to dry over night. The next day I rocked a braid out and then my sis proceeded to do my hair.
I bought 4 packs of Bobbi Boss Jamaica Braid Hair in #27.
We started late Saturday night and finished it the following day after church.
To hold the twists, we used the
Elasta QP Olive Oil & Mango Butter Moisturizer + Eco Styler Olive Oil Gel 

I'd like to think I was on my Solange meets Bey vibe. 

I'm still rocking these twists. Almost two weeks.

Gonna say bye to them real soon though because, scalp.

Any protective styling for the summer?

ME, Myself and.. Imperfection

As much of a non-Yonce fan that I am, I realize some of her song lyrics spur on numerous thoughts in my head when it comes to myself and life.

Take for instances, Me Myself and I.

A popular saying that I use to reference myself instead of just saying me.

 I thought of the last part.. and I.

What words start with I that reflect pieces of me I love to show or bits I like to tuck away?

So for that - today's word is Imperfect.

Perfection. A state a lot of us aim for or think we've attained. I hear the word perfect used frequently in the natural hair 'sphere. The perfect twist out, the perfect wash n go. So many posts and videos with these titles that lure women in and telling them how to achieve the "perfect" do.

I tend to steer away from these #noshade .. I'm not looking for perfection when it comes to my hair. It makes me feel as if something is inherently wrong with me. What's wrong with the way I'm doing my twists? What makes the way you do something perfect compared to how I do? How do we define perfect when it comes to hair?

Sleek, shiny and frizz free. Controlled. Defined. (I guess)

Eh. I rather not devote more time then I already do to my hair. Ain't nobody got time for that!

I also think it feeds into the stigma some women deal with of not being good enough. What I do or what I have isn't good enough. I'm not saying one shouldn't have goals and try to better themselves but in this world, nothing is perfect. 

No one is perfect. 

 I am imperfect. That doesn't sound affirming at all but it's  something I need to remind myself of daily in this race of life. When I trip over myself multiple times.  Punishing myself over and over for stupid mistakes. The times I don't get it -school, work, my kinks & curls- "right".

I don't need my hair to be perfect. Wasn't it the same Bey who once said something about flaws and all but now women feel they need to "wake up like this #flawless". I also realize I won't achieve perfection in this lifetime but I can still keep on keeping on and get better at everything.

Give me my messy, frizzy mane on this imperfect shell of mine. That's so perfect to me. 

MY HAIR - Ombré Effect

So I talked about wanting to go blonde for the summer and here it is!
Well kind of..
I wanted an ombré effect because well.. I like how it looks. All over head color without it being my whole head.
My first attempt was with L'oreal Excellence Extreme Blonde in B1. It didn't do much. It brought it to a brown color on my ends.
The second attempt which is pictured here was done with Clairol Textures & Tones in Honey Blonde.
I colored it a week after trying the first time.

It's not the blonde I want and I might do a third attempt at some point.
For now I'm giving my hair a break.
Watch my second attempt below and do subscribe to my channel if you're not already :)

Addressing Change

a draft post that should have been published.

Change is inevitable. Nothing is the same except change. Change is constant but not consistent. Change brings about known and the unknown together in a weird dance that is hard to comprehend. When the seasons change, people follow suit. Summer is upon us and many people are making changes. Changes in their wardrobe, hair color choices and things that are a bit deeper.

I've been thinking about changing my hair color yet again because well I like doing that. Summer awakens a desire to go lighter and this time I want to do full blonde. Completely different yet not really as I've done blonde on more than one occasion. Maybe I want to do it to signal a bigger change that is occurring right now in my life.

I just graduated from university and even though years from now this probably won't be the most significant change, it's the close of a chapter. It is the signaling of something new. Moving back home after living in a different culture and climate will be change. Even though I'm going back to something familiar, in a sense I'm not. I've changed so "home" is different. This new accreditation I have does not guarantee me anything back home. Anyone who has pursued a degree in the creative arts knows that unless you're living somewhere that is a cultural hub, you might be doing work that has NOTHING to do with what you studied. The hustle becomes real. So does the struggle.

I wish I could say I'm scared but I'm not. This calm I have about this change is weird. I've been anticipating it for sometime now. I welcome change, if one doesn't embrace change they don't embrace life. What kind of life are you living where you're afraid of change? Where you resist change... sounds like death.

A new job, home, friend, country - all exciting and scary wrapped in one. But it's change.
Embrace it. Explore it. Enjoy it.

Blowout Business

Alo Lovelies!

Almost two weeks ago, I decided to attempt to straighten my hair.

Didn't come out as I wanted to (all sleek and LAID)

but such is life.

I used the Carol's Daughter Chocolat Smoothing Collection

because it's really the only set of products I trust when heat will be applied to my hair.

Check out my review I did of it way back when here.

I did shampoo first with Tresemme Deep Cleansing Shampoo to clarify

then the Smoothing Shampoo.

Y'all know this struggle!

There was so much product left that would not squeeze out so

the scissors came out to play and viola!

easy access.

I detangled and deep conditioned with the conditioner for about 30 mins.

then I proceeded to blow dry my hair only using the blow dry cream.

DASSIT.

I then flat ironed my hair at 370º

I really should have done smaller sections and whatnot but it was late.

The whole process took at least 6 hours. AT LEAST.

Never again. I will let someone else do it for me.

Comes out nicer anyways.

I'll show y'all a proper length pic soon.

Because, more posts.

The curls are back though!

Anyways, do you do blow outs often?

Feelin' Good

Tuesday felt good so I snapped a bunch of selflies.

handed in a portfolio and now I have my dissertation left to finish.

In two weeks, I'll be done.

finito.

fin

with uni.

#cray how I started this blog before the journey here

How excited I was at the possibility of going to study in England

this likkle island gyal's dream

& God made it happen.

Now this is coming to a close and I've made such wonderful friends along the way

I appreciate everything and everyone I've encountered while being here

Don't ask what's next because I don't know.

& I'm ok with that.

so yeah, I'm feeling good. 

MY HAIR - Finger Coils

So I tried a new style last week - Finger Coils.

Back in the day my mom used to do them on my hair but we called them drop curl

Why? I don't know but drop curl is what I call them.

 I watched ShineStruck's vid and I knew I should have modified how I did it 

but I didn't and started from the front on one side.

Tried to do them chunky.

Yeah no. They didn't hold.

The right side turned out great but the left side was puffy so I had to rock my hair in a way 

where I didn't look lopsided lol.

 Styled with Miss Jessie's Curly Meringue.

I would so try this style again since I got the hang of it on the other side of my head.

I can see this becoming something I do.

Why? I love wearing my hair out and I love the look of it.

Only thing I don't like is I have to wait for it to dry and can't go anywhere while it's setting.

Isn't shrinkage amazing?
This is the day after. I didn't pull them apart so it would last longer.

Ever tried finger coils?

Root2Tip Review - Twists & Curls Pudding

The last of the goodies I received from Root2Tip -The Twists & Curls Pudding.

It's touted as a gel-creme formula which is good for setting natural curls, twists & for defining twistouts

Now I was really excited about getting this product. I was eager to see how it would do for a wash n go because y'all know I love me a wash n go.

I loved the ingredients and the thought of using a whipped texture product.

To really gauge a product, I try to use it solo dolo. 

So when I first used it, I co washed then applied a tad bit of avocado oil to seal my hair before using it. It says it is best to use with one of their leave ins which I think would go down better.

My wash n go was a fail. I think it was due to not using a leave in and using way too much of the pudding to compensate for the lack of leave in.

My hair was just greasy, I did way too much and I was disappointed.

hair with Quench My Thirst + Twists and Curls Pudding before styling

Second time I used it with the Quench My Thirst to do a braid n curl. They work so well together! My hair was all yummy feeling for 2 weeks :) I got compliments on my hair as well.

I still wanted to see how it did by itself (kinda sorta) without a playmate from it's own company.

I used it on my last wash day. I used Nature's Gate Aloe Vera Conditioner as a leave in & sealed with Karen's Body Beautiful Heavenly Jojoba Oil. Styled with the Pudding on twists. It was suppose to be an immediate twist out but I didn't want to pull out the twists. My twists looked really good and felt moisturized. They got hella frizzy by the second day but whatever. 

I did a twist out on the fourth day until now. My hair is still soft.

Braid n Curl with the Twists & Curls Pudding

Overall

It says to use a little and it's best that way. Too much is really too much. Hair will feel greasy and no bueno. It really helps to keep a style.. I have yet to do it in a wash n go so when I do, I'll post about it.

Would I purchase? Not sure. I need to try again for a WnG because I don't look for stylers to do twists or plaits. I really look for stylers to aid in my WnGs. I would buy off of how great my hair feels after not refreshing for days on end.

Shots of Life

So I posted about going to see Ella Eyre.

I did. Amazing!

Her energy on stage is so good. I really hope that the world gets to experience her as I did.

So here are pics from that night.

selfies on the train with my main Mon

Jake Isaac. He is #legit

set list

Deep Conditioning - It's a Wrap!

Ah, deep conditioning.

Is it weird that I love this part of wash day?

It's the aftermath of the storm that is detangling. 

It's the time where I can slap on a concoction and leave my hair to soak in all it's goodness.

I love a good homemade DC.

Check out some of my faves here & here.

I don't use heat when I deep condition because I don't have a hooded dryer 

& 

if I did, I don't have the patience to sit underneath one for that purpose.

Ain't that deep for me. (see what I did there?)

So I prefer to use my own body heat and slap on plastic bags

(because my hair can't fit under plastic shower caps + it's more economical to recycle the bags)

then a warm hat.

OR

a turban.

I feel one should deep condition and feel  look fabulous at the same time.

The plastic bag situation by itself is not a good look and even though I may not leave my house,

you never know who might decide to Skype or FaceTime.

Do you wrap your hair when you DC or leave it be?

Miss Jessie's Transitioner's Magic

So it was wash day this weekend

and I finally tried out Miss Jessie's Transitioner's Magic

Again, if you follow me on Instagram, 

you know I was sent the product by the lovely folks at Miss Jessie's for review.

Took some time to make it across the pond from FL but it is here!

hair with product in

 I cleansed my hair with Shea Moisture Deep Cleansing Shampoo & Dr. Bronner's Castile Soap

Detangled with Tresemme Naturals Nourishing Moisture Conditioner

Deep Conditioner - Creation Gardens Protein Conditioner & Avocado Oil

 styled with the TM on damp/nearly dry hair

sealed with Almond Oil

day after

Wanna know my thoughts?

Check out my review below!

Boots Curl Creme - Wash n Go

Greetings.

Wash N Go.

nothing new to the blog. this style will have me stocking up on various products to see if any outdo the other.

This post is about one of those products. 

I came across Boots Curl Creme somehow one night while I was traipsing through the internet. I was intrigued. It's cheap and readily available to ladies in the UK. Even lil ole me in random ol' Crewe.

If you follow me on Instagram, you would have seen me post about it already but I like it so much, it gets a blog post.

no parabens. no cones. under £2

I've used it two or three times now and it's been good to me all those times. I used it ALONE on damp hair. I would not recommend wet hair as it does this weird thing, 

i.e. nothing good.

I sealed with almond oil because one must seal in moisture.

no idea why my eyes have those black spots. i blame blogspot
hair damp with the curl creme in

I get a good 4-5 days when using this for a wash n go.

Soft, moisturized, fluffy, defined (ish)

Things I love when rocking a WnG.

To all my UK lovelies, try it out!

Won't set you back much if you end up hating it but I don't know why you would.