Alice in Nappyland

Milani Liquif'eye Metallic Eye Liner Pencil in Black

2012-03-02T05:00:00.000-08:00

I've loved soft, smudgy black eyeliner since I first learned that it existed and that was how the people around me got their eyes so dark, intense and pretty. My first pencil was MAC's Eye Kohl in Smolder, which was a classic black that everyone seemed to love and adore. And while I really liked it, I hated that it never lasted more than a few hours on my lower water, the only place I put pencil eyeliner. But at $15 its a bit of an investment that I wouldn't mind skipping if I found something as good but cheaper.

I started hearing whispers about a dupe for Smolder for half the price that lasted longer on the waterline. So when my Smolder started wearing down, I started tracking these rumors and looking to see how many other people agree. And lots of people did. So I headed to the nearest drugstore and grabbed Milani Liquif'eye Metallic Eye Liner Pencil in Black for about $8 (depending on your local drugstore the price may be higher or lower. The ones near me (CVS) are known for jacking prices up like crazy so you can probably find it around $5-6) and rushed home to see if it was anywhere as good as Smolder.

And it was. It's extremely soft, which makes applying it to my waterline painless, but despite it's softness, it's not super smudgy. In terms of color, I think smolder is a TAD darker and slightly bluer, but it's so slight it's barely noticeable and if you layer it you can get a similar inky black shade. And if you let it sit for a few seconds after applying it on your waterline (aka-don't blink), I found it LASTS much longer than Smolder. We're talking a few hours longer before migrating perfectly to my lash line. Now, don't let the name fool you. Even though the black is part of the "metallic eye liner pencil" line, there is NO shimmer, glimmer or metallic particles in it. It's a straight up matte black pencil. If you're into metallic, you should check out the rest of the collection because there is some serious sparkle there and I think these could make a great base for a dramatic look or even as eyeshadow because of how soft they are.

Not taken with natural light

I've used this as a way to set my liquid liner (especially the infamous Stila one that likes to take mysterious vacations in Fiji when I need it to stay put) too. I'll draw whatever shape I want with this pencil first and then go over it with the liquid. Boom, liquid liner stays on longer and even seems a tad darker. Everyone (especially me since I'm getting my money's worth with the liquid liner) wins. This application method also a good way to figure out what kind of shape I want because removing pencil eyeliner is much easier than removing liquid.

One complaint I have about this product is that it's really hard to sharpen. Because it's so soft, it tends to smush in any sort of pencil sharpener and as a result, won't get smooth all around. And since I wear contact lenses often, this has led to some serious problems with application. If it's not smooth all over, It goes on clumpy. These clumps then transfer TO MY CONTACT LENSES leaving me with black spots on my lenses. This leads to fuzzy vision, which on top of being a nuisance, is also dangerous. To make it worse, it's really hard to get it off the lenses, especially if I'm in a hurry or don't have contact lens solution on me (which I didn't start carrying until now because I never had this problem before).

Would I purchase this again, probably not. As much as I love a good deal, I NEVER had the smudging problem with Smolder. But if you're looking for a super dark liner, want to save a few bucks and you don't wear contact lenses, you might want to consider it.

Have you tried this eyeliner? What did you think?

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End of the Month Check In!

2012-02-29T05:00:00.000-08:00

So, February did not go as planned. In fact, February was a bit of a disaster. I ended up going to the doctor again because my busted knee from last month, for lack of a better term, seized up on me on the way to class and I ended up basically returning to square one in terms of injury. I had trouble walking, it swelled up and even the brace I started wearing at the end of January didn't help as much as it used to. She sent me to the physical therapist that specializes in sports injuries because she was afraid I may have damaged my anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), one of the major ligaments in your knee which may require surgery.

And the physical therapist thinks it might be bad. Very bad. As may require surgery bad. And may never walk again if you don't see someone NOW bad. So, off to a specialist THAT WEEK.

For someone who is rarely sick, it's very disorienting to see "URGENT" and "STAT" written on every document, file and piece of paper. It's weird to get appointments immediately instead of dealing with a wait time. It's weird to get return calls from PAs, doctors and secretaries in minutes instead of days. And when the results came in, I got why everyone was freaking out-a bone bruise, a torn (or severely bruised) meniscus and a torn ACL. I was completely in shock and continue to be in shock. I've got appointments coming out my ears and a monster of a brace that I've been ordered to wear until we figure out what to do next. All I know is that I will be having surgery at some point, but when and where is still up in the air since it's possible to live without an ACL as long as I'm very, very, very careful.

Brace + more of my leg than you ever wanted to see

Since the date of surgery isn't set, I've been doing physical therapy exercises once a day and avoiding any potential "issues" with my knee. I'm avoiding long staircases (more than a few steps), walking long distances and running since any possible pivoting of my knee can do more damage to it. This is more inconvenient than I thought possible since I now need an extra 5 minutes to get too and from class since my campus was built around the ideas that STAIRS ARE GOOD FOR YOUR SOUL!!!111.Thankfully, all my professors, deans and disabilities folks on campus have been super helpful and get that I may be late to classes and have started helping me prepare for surgery if I end up having it during the semester (which is the current plan).

During this entire fiasco, I didn't do ANYTHING remotely related to exercise. No shock there all things considered. This started taking a toll on my mental health because now I didn't have a way to deal with basic stressors (usually when I get stressed out I do a lap around campus) and this didn't help my situation at all. I started craving (and eating) "comfort food," like chips, pizza and crackers, that I had previously lost interest in which made me feel sluggish, tired and depressed.

Since I'm taking my final art class at this school (you have no idea how scary that sounds in my head), I started drawing in my sketchbook again whenever I feel triggered instead of only when I had an assignment. And my sketchbook started filling up so fast it was ridiculous. The sketchbook I had already started, which I assumed based on previous history, would last a semester, only has six pages left. And I fill pages. Since I started doing this, I've been less stressed out and my drawings have improved significantly.

Was February good to you? Or at least better than it was to me? Tell me in the comments!

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Hair Idol: Viola Davis

2012-02-27T05:00:00.002-08:00

I held off on posting Viola Davis as a Hair Idol despite the fact she did a photo shoot with LA Magazine rocking a gooorrgggeeooouusss TWA because I wasn't sure if it would be something we would ever see again. I figured it must be a fluke, how many Hollywood Darlings actually show their real hair for more than a split second? And then, guess who showed up at Essence's Black Women in Hollywood dinner with a TWA. That's right, Ms. Davis. So, here you go-she's officially a HAIR IDOL.

I haven't seen any movie she's in (the big ones are The Help and Doubt) So I can't comment on her acting chops but if she managed to go toe to toe with Meryl Streep and people STILL managed to talk about her performance she has to be pretty good right? And don't you dare suggest I see The Help save your virtual ink for a more worthy cause.

On wearing her natural hair:

"I feel very powerful, I really do, I feel more powerful every day, more secure in who I am, and I've waited so long for that.... It feels so divine."[1]

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Product Review: Sheilo Hair Hydrate Sealing Mist

2012-02-24T05:00:00.001-08:00

Advertised:Special edition hair mist seals hydration with Vitamin A, ProVitamin B5 and Vitamin E.

For hair: creates a hydrating seal for fresh, free flowing hair. Excellent for adding extra shine and fortifying strands throughout the day.

For skin: Use as a gentle toner after cleansing. A delicate blend of botanical extracts, including Aloe Vera, form a protective shield that locks in moisture and provides a natural source of nutrients. Excellent when used to set makeup.

Price: 12.95 for 4 oz

Ingredients: I have no idea why they list their ingredients as an image...

Review: Remember that Sheilo set I was sent a while back? Aka LAST YEAR. Well, this was a part of it and I never got around to reviewing it. Before we get this started, I have to mention that even though this went sent to me for free all of the opinions here are mine.

I use spray leave in conditioners to refresh and remoisturizer my twists. As a result, most of my complaints with spray leave in conditioners are issues with the container instead of the product itself. What do I want in the spray bottle? It must be able to spray upside down, it must SPRAY (streams are not acceptable) and I shouldn't be a body builder to get product out of the container.

Sheilo's Hydrate Sealing Mist wins on all front. Firstly, the bottle is AMAZING. The spray is extremely fine mist and after using traditional sprays, I really like because it doesn't make me feel like the back of my neck or clothes are getting wet. As for the scent, it's very light and fresh something I'm not used to (all of the previous ones I've used have been flowery) but really like. For remoisturizing properties, it's good but not great. It wouldn't be my first choice but it's certainly not my last.

Big question: Would I buy this? Errr....No. I have no desire to spend $13 for 4oz of product. However, I plan on keeping the bottle and refilling it with my own concoctions! ^_^

Have any of you used this product? What did you think?

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Your Releaxer Might Actually Kill You

2012-02-22T05:00:00.000-08:00

So....

A new study from Boston University finds evidence linking hair relaxer to uterine fibroid tumors and early puberty.[1]

This is what I like to call "science reporting," which means a news source might be interpreting the results from a scientific paper completely wrong or drawing an incorrect conclusion based on the results from a paper because they are trying to appeal to a non-science readership/population. For example, if the sample size isn't big enough, an overarching conclusion like this one can be down right wrong. And since there is no mention of a sample size, control methods, how long they followed these women, etc. mentioned in the article, until I get a hold of the paper itself (don't worry, I'm working on it!) I'm not sure I (and we in the natural hair community) can make a statement on this yet.

Yes, this is scary. And yes, I do think the lack of industry regulation can lead to the appearance of chemicals causing uterine fibroid tumors and early puberty in the product themselves. But I don't think we can, or should, draw conclusions until someone gets a hold of the paper and posts it for all to see. We shouldn't panic or start screaming SEE! SEE! SEE! I TOLD YOU NATURAL HAIR IS BETTER/HEALTHIER!! until we have analyzed the evidence.

More articles on this topic:
Study Causes Hair Scares About Tumors
Hair Today, Tumors Tomorrow?

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Hair Idol: Tais Araujo

2012-02-20T05:00:00.000-08:00

Taís Bianca Gama de Araújo is a Brazilian actress known for being the FIRST black Brazilian protagonist in a telanovela during prime time on a major Brazilian network in 1996. Since then, she's been in movies, other television programs, commercials and has won numerous awards for her work.

I'm really curious to see if there were other black Brazilian leads on non-prime time or non-major networks because 1996 seems like a really late date given Brazil's huge population of black Brazilians. I do not know very much about race relations in Brazil (besides the obvious) so maybe this does make sense in terms of a specific event/moment in history? If you know more or can point me towards resources, please tell me in the comments!

"When I was little, I did not have anything that looked like me! Now a black girl can have references on TV, including as a standard of beauty." -Tais Araujo

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The Photo

2012-02-17T05:00:00.001-08:00

Remember that poll I asked you all to fill out way back in September 2011? The one about how I should wear my hair for my graduation photo? Well the pictures have FINALLY ARRIVED (five months later...)and here it is.

I ended up wearing a twist out. Yes, I did take pictures with that ridiculous card board hat but I'm not a fan of the hat so I'm not a fan of the photos either.

Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eye Liner in Jet Black

2012-02-15T05:00:00.000-08:00

Remember that eyeliner from my cat eyes and spoons post? I decided not to mention the name because I hated it so much and I didn't want to give it ANY publicity. Until I looked it up on Sephora's site (it was an impulse buy!) and Makeupalley.com to see what other people were saying and I was surprised to find out that it has a HUGE fan base! Seriously, high marks on both sites. So, here is the negative dissonant voice that's pissed off, disappointed, and unhappy about this overpriced eyeliner.

I, trying to escape the cold this past December, rushed into Sephora and to prolong my stay decided I NEEDED the "the blackest jet black black" liquid eyeliner. Because I lost mine. To the Void that is the space behind my bathroom cabinet. And a lovely lady pointed me to Stila's Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eye Liner in Jet Black. And it certainly is one of the darkest black liquid liners I've used, it's wonderfully inky even after it dries. I love felt tip pen applicator too. I'd never used a pen before so I had to deal with the learning curve that comes with that but it because it made applying the liner easy if I'm in a hurry. I can just pop the cap off an apply instead of dealing with a a brush and container and having to wipe some off or else it'll get all over and then not having enough on the brush and having to dip it again, etc. It's also good for travel because it doesn't take up a ton of space in a small bag.

taken in natural light

So, why do I hate it? Because it's supposed to "stay on all day and night" and it DOESN'T. If I didn't put something under it, black pencil eyeliner or primer, I was lucky if I got a few hours out of it! If I rubbed my eye at all, forget it. It was gone. Right away. Even if it dried completely. In the picture on the left, I erased upper set of thick, medium and thin lines by rubbing my finger over it twice with spit. Not make up remover, not soap and water, just spit.

Since I'm not a master of liquid liner, I often have to take a q-tip with make up remover on it and tidy up my lines. If I had a tiny bit of make up remover left on my face, I couldn't even get a line going with this pen. It would just break and crack instantly if I managed to get anything out. And by "tiny bit" I mean if I don't take a cotton ball or tissue to my face and scrub that area until it was bone dry I couldn't put any more product on that area for at least 15 minutes. Not good if I'm in a hurry.

To add insult to injury, it's also the most expensive eyeliner I've ever purchased-$20. And since I've gotten non-waterproof liners that stayed on longer for $5 at the drugstore this is probably one of the biggest fail purchases in the history of fail purchases.

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Hair Idol: Kelly Moreira

2012-02-13T05:00:00.000-08:00

Kelly Moreira's picture has been popping up on natural hair sites since I joined but it didn't look like anyone knew her name because they never mentioned it with their posts! Kelly is a French model who's career took off in 2009 when she became finalist in Elite Model Look France.

Since that contest, she's walked in shows for big name designers like Lanvin and Yves Saint Laurent and has appeared in magazines like Teen Vogue, (Grown Up) Vogue and a host of ad campaigns.

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Alice + HAES

2012-02-10T05:00:00.000-08:00

TRIGGER WARNING:

Discussion of disordered eating, eating disorders and mental illness. All comments will be screened but anon/anonymous comments are allowed. I welcome discussion, but if you act a fool or make this space unsafe -ciao bella/o. If you feel mentioning numbers, specific habits or any other possible triggers--please make "TRIGGER WARNING" the first line in your comment. Thank you.

-The Management

I mentioned in the first Nappyland Fitness post this year that this series is NOT about losing weight, it's about being healthy and pushing myself physically. You can apply some of the tips and use the resources here to lose weight, but that is not my goal. I choose to focus on health because health and weight are not correlated. Your thinness is not a gauge of how healthy you are and, vice versa, your overweighted-ness is not a gauge of how unhealthy you are.

Health is a complicated thing since it takes into account many factors that cannot be seen by the naked eye, especially the naked eyes of others. For example, in the picture to the right I look healthy correct? I look fairly athletic, flexibility looks good, balance is certainly present. But, I wasn't. At the time this picture was taken, I was obsessively counting calories, exercising obsessively and restricting my calorie intake to near starvation levels given my activity. This was also the beginning of a severe downward spiral that lead to me living on one power bar per day, losing my hair, destroying my immune system, a host of mental health problems and permanently screwing up my metabolism.

But you can't see that in the picture. In the picture, you see a fairly fit young woman that probably spends a lot of time in a dance studio. You don't see someone who avoided her friends during lunch period to avoid comments about her not eating. You don't see someone who bailed on events because food was a centerpiece. You don't see someone who cried if she gained a single pound. You don't see someone heading to an early grave. As I continued to get skinner, I kept getting compliments from everyone around me about "how great I looked" and "how healthy I was" and questions about "what my secret" was instead of concern or care about my dramatic and sudden weight loss.

I discovered the Health at Every Size (HAES) movement while I was recovering from disordered eating (I do not call this an "eating disorder" because I was never formally diagnosed with one during this process. More on that later. Maybe.) and it was a big part of helping me reconnect with what my body wants and needs and getting me out of a disordered mindset (weight and self-worth are correlated). The movement's mission statements focus on accepting one's natural shape and appreciating a diversity of body shapes and types, eating "in a flexible manner that values pleasure and honors internal cues of hunger, satiety, and appetite and finding joy in moving ones body. Notice: there is no mention of calories, weight or "bad" food.

Which always gets people screaming that "you can't be healthy if you're fat" or "you can't be fit if you're overweight." Which seems like a weak argument to me since you can't see health/y with your eyes. I always mention the photos from Howard Schartz and Beverly Ornstein's The Athlete as proof of these because "anecdote" isn't considered proof in many cases. All of the the athlete's in this series are Olympic athletes. They've competed in games, won medals and are at their peak physical condition for their particular sports. What is the first thing you notice when you look at some of these photos?

I hope it was that "not everyone's bodies looks the same." And guess what? Each body is a master of a specific sport/task even if the body doesn't correlate to what you or I may think fitness, healthy, sick, fat and overweight looks like.

I am not interested in living as I was in that picture above or any picture taken in the months after it, no matter how "great" everyone said I looked and how "disappointed" they were that I gained all the weight I lost and then some, or how "proud" they are of me that I'm "taking steps to get back there." Why? Because I'm perfectly healthy at my current weight and I don't need to prove that to anyone. My doctor know it. I can feel it. Your opinion and the opinion of anyone who is not my doctor is irrelevant.

Goofing off this past holiday

To me, life is too short to spend it counting calories and exercising with the singular goal of "getting back and staying in my skinny jeans." If that is what you want to, I wish you good luck in your journey. But I know that kind of thinking will make me miserable and will lead to another downturn. Instead, I want to (and do) focus on things possible regardless of my weight that make me happy. This the reason you will not be seeing my weight or references to the amount of calories I consume on a daily basis or before and after photos on this site ever.

What you will see instead? Challenges focusing on physical strength and ability that I set for myself and small things I did to develop and protect this mindset. Completing a physically demanding task (ie- run 5k in 25 minutes) is more fulfilling than "I lost 10lbs!"And who knows, maybe after that, you'll hear me complaining about my training for a marathon. Or bench pressing 200lbs/91kg without a spotter. Or maybe I'll try to get into an Ultraman race (For those who have never heard of this race, it's a three day event that breaks down like so: Day 1: 6.2-mile/10-km ocean swim, 90-mile/145-km cross-country bike ride with vertical climbs, Day 2: 171.4-mile/276-km bike ride with more vertical climbs, Day 3: a double marathon 52.4-mile/84-km).

In terms of how I got to this point that's the harder part because I'm still finding my way. We live in a world that rewards losing weight regardless of how or why they did it, extreme dieting is normal (half of the girls in my high school class were on liquid juice fasts for a month or more for prom) and harsh body talk is considered normal and acceptable conservation. I'd be lying if I said it's "easy" but it is doable and I plan on sharing how I maintain my sanity, because it's a part of what I consider "health."

I hope I'll be able to have a frank and honest discussion about my triggers with all of you and what I do to beat them if I'm being triggered as well. But to be honest with you, I don't see that happening any time soon. It took me 4 weeks to write this post and I think I'll have to retreat for a bit before we can have a more in depth person-to-person discussion about such a touchy subject.

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Doing Your Homework Cosmetic Edition: Research

2012-02-08T05:00:00.000-08:00

Buying cosmetics can be intimidating, especially when you're new to it and you walk into a store and there are a billion products, the music is too loud, the light is too bright and the salesperson keeps showing you a billion things with big fancy words like "non-comedogenic" and "hypoallergenic." So, let's try an analogy to give you an idea of how to make your foray into cosmetics and skin care efficient and money saving. What do you do when you want to buy a new television?

Stick with me, this will all make sense in a second!

You probably do a ton of research, right? It's a big investment! You want to get exactly what you need and never think about it again. Are you watching nature documentaries that need the best in HD technology? Do you want 3D so you can enjoy James Cameron's Dances With Wolves Meets FernGully IN SPACE the way it was meant to be seen? You'd read tech magazines comparing different models and look for product reviews from consumers to see what "real people" think. Well, you can (and should) do the same with your cosmetics and hair products as well to save money and make sure you exactly what you want and need and avoid the hassles of bad return policies.

You probably already do something similar for your hair products, after all you ARE reading this blog. You check out naturallycurly, your favorite bloggers and vloggers to see what they think about the customer service, price, ingredients, etc. And similar resources exist for make up and skincare too! Some of my favorites are:

Temptalia.com: I've already mentioned this site here, but it was one of the first beauty blogs I started reading and it's still one of my favorites. Christine, the owner, posts swatches of each product and saves these in a huge database so you can see what everything you want looks like and how true to pan it is. What makes this site shine is the comprehensive dupe list which has helped me find near identical copies of pricey products I'm interested in/already own. While reviews of drugstore products do end up here, it's a better resource for those looking to invest in pricier products from mid-range to extremely high-end brands.
Nouveau Cheap: If you're on the hunt for drugstore products, this should be your first stop. Like Temptalia, G has a dupe list going as well which compares high end products to their drugstore counterpoints, post swatches and updates the site weekly with a list of sales going on!
Makeupalley.com: They have EVERYTHING. Seriously everything. It's a massive community that share information about their favorite products. However, you do have to get a FREE account to use some of their most usefully feature--the ability to filter reviews by age, skin tone or skin type. Since finding reviews from women with dark skin can be a beast, the ability to filter like this is fantastic.
Youtube.com: Youtube is great for seeing products in action in either tutorials or reviews. There are tons of people of color on it making videos about what they use and how they use it. If you're looking for face products, I'd suggest searching for someone of your complexion using MAC's system because apparently all women of color on youtube use MAC or tag their video using their colors using their system. Some of my favorites youtubers for reviews are: destinygodley (her lighting can be...questionable at best sometimes), pinkiecharm and emilynoel83.
EWG's Skin Deep Cosmetic Database: If you are trying to limit chemical exposure or are looking for the healthiest, all natural products this is the place to be. Based on ingredients listed on products and the scientific literature about it, they created a rating system based on how hazardous a product is in terms chemicals that have been linked to cancer, overall allergy possibilities and the like. What makes it even better, they're willing to say how secure their findings are based on "the scope of ingredient safety data contained in Skin Deep, and the number of studies available in the open scientific literature."
Places you can buy the product in question that aren't the companies website: Whenever I read reviews on company sites, I'm always suspicious that they filter reviews that are less than flattering. As a result, I trust opinions on personal blogs, Sephora, Target, Wallgreens, etc site's more than the company site itself. Sometimes it's like wading through piles and piles of NOTHING since you can rarely filter them in a useful manner but there are helpful gems hidden in there!
Salespeople: Even though they usually benefit from making a sale, they're usually knowledgeable about what they're selling and can help you find something that matches your wants and needs. If you go in already having done some research, they can be even more helpful since you already know what you want it will be harder for them to steer you towards products that you don't really need.

As you can imagine, since I do a lot of research before I make a purchase, I rarely end up buying something I hate or just doesn't work for me and I end up saving a ton of money while procrastinating! Yay!

Do you do research before you buy cosmetics? Where do you go for your information? Tell me in the comments!

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Hair Idol: Marsha Hunt

2012-02-06T05:00:00.000-08:00

Marsha Hunt is an American singer, model, actress and novelist. She moved to Britain when she turned 20 because "anything seemed possible" in London in the '60s.

Marsha and her fro in action

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End of the Month Check In!

2012-02-03T05:00:00.001-08:00

Alright, how did you do on your fitness goals? Mine were up and down because I was on break for almost all of January and in Zone B but my semester started at the end of the month shipping me back to Zone A.

At the beginning of the month, I was really focused on getting into the swing of things. I ran/jogged/walked 2-4 times a week for 20-30 minutes and I introduced a spinning bike into my routine, but that didn't stick unless there was a House, M.D. marathon on.

The end of January screwed everything up and killed any progress I had made in the first couple of weeks. I turned too sharply while skiing, took a tumble and ended up pulling or tearing a tendon or ligament (jury is still out on what exactly happened--all I know is that I'm not happy and I can't get an MRI until 2-4 weeks pass IF I'm still hurting). This injury got me banned from all exercise, especially running/jogging and limping for about a week. To rehab my knee, I was told to do low-impact exercises, like biking, while slowly stretching, icing and heating it while keeping track of what hurts, what doesn't, etc.

My plan for February includes trying to figure out how I'm going to exercise, go to class, blog and job hunt while getting 8-10 hours of sleep a night. Currently, I've scheduled my workouts on days I don't have early classes or days I have free afternoons. Until my knee gets better, I plan on riding a stationary bike twice a week getting some strength back and do some weight training. In the middle of Feburary, I'm going back to the doctor to find out if I can start running again. If they ok it, running/jogging twice a week on a treadmill (it's usually stays pretty chilly until March-April) and riding a stationary bike or spinning bike once a week to keep things interesting.t

How about you? What are your plans for February and how did January treat you?

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Calling All International Natural Hair Bloggers/Vloggers!

2012-02-01T13:22:00.000-08:00

Remember that post about International Hair blogs? Well, I'm still working on it! I spent most of January going through the blogrolls of the bloggers/vloggers you all submitted last year and I'm pleased to say I've added I've found some great resources in them and I've added them to the list.

But I know there are more out there!

So please, send this link to all your friends so we can make this list as comprehensive as possible and a great resources for naturals all around the world! ^_^

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Hair Idol: Turbanista

2012-01-30T04:30:00.000-08:00

Turbanista is a tumblr devoted to turban styles from across the world!

I've been playing with turbans and scarves so finding this tumblr was really exciting because there are so many inspiring styles and they even post video tutorials of how to do some of them!

Do you wear turbans? What's your favorite style/color/look?

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Urban Decay Naked Palette vs. Naked 2 Palette + Swatches

2012-01-27T04:18:00.000-08:00

First off: I DO NOT OWN THIS PALETTE. My sister-cousin (sousin? coister?) has it and she was nice enough to bring it over and let me play with it when she swung by to visit. Like the Naked Palette, you get 12 full sized shadows but the Naked 2 Palette comes with a travel sized Lip Junkie Lipgloss in Naked(pink and shimmery) instead of a primer potion and the double sided Good Karma Shadow/Crease Brush instead of the single Good Karma Shadow brush. It's more expensive than Naked, coming in at $50 but I think that's the result of the double ended brush. Unfortunately, I can't provide an accurate break down of how much of a steal this palette is compared to Naked because the double sided brush is only available with this set but I'm assuming it's in the same $230-250 range.

First difference I noticed is the larger mirror in Naked 2. I actually use the mirrors in my palettes because my eyesight is questionable without my glasses on days I want to wear make up but not contact lenses. I also like the fact the case is a metal instead of velvet. It makes it more sturdy and you avoid the dust/lint that can be attracted to the velvet. I was a little annoyed that the primer potion isn't included because it makes a huge difference in how long these shadows stay on me and how they look. Without it, I'm lucky if I can get an hour without my eyeshadow disappearing one me.

The colors in this palette are: Blackout (blackest black with matte finish), Booty Call Shimmery cork), Busted (deep brown with shimmery finish), Chopper (copper shimmer with silver micro glitter), Foxy (cream bisque with matte finish), Half Baked (golden bronze with shimmery finish), Pistol (light greyish brown with shimmery finish), Snake Bite (dark bronze shimmer with metallic base), Suspect (pale golden beige with shimmery finish), Tease (creamy pale brown with matte finish), Verve (oyster with shimmery finish), YDK (cool bronze shimmer with metallic base) (2) Like the Naked palette, these are soft, bendable and very easy to work with but there were some disappointments.

Picture taken with artificial light but no flash. There is no primer under any of these.

Tease was an absolute disaster. It was the hardest to swatch because it wasn't nearly as soft as the others and the color itself is just pretty blah, it's reminds me of a healing stage of a bruise. Foxy could probably work as a highlighter (with a primer) or a way to tone down some of the intense sparkle going on in colors like YDK and Verve but other wise, it's not a color I'd reach for often. My favorite colors that I know I'd be using all the time if I owned this are Chopper, Snakebite, Busted and Blackout. They're all beautifully pigmented browns, coppers and black that can be used to create everyday, evening and party looks.

The lipgloss is a really nice every day your-lips-but-better pink that smells strongly of mint and tastes fantastic. Seriously, I could eat this stuff. It tingles a little on but it doesn't outright burn like some lipglosses with Peppermint oil do. It's not at all sticky but it is thicker than I expected it to be. According to my sousin, who has worn this much longer than I have, you wont get "the white flaky trim around your lips" as it fades of and it's very hydrating. If you do fall head over heels for it, don't fret! You can get this separately (for $19) as part of their permanent collection.

Sorry my brush is dirty!

I think including a dual ended brush was a great idea but I don't think this was the best execution of it. The shader side is fantastic, it's soft and bendy so it fits nicely in the crease and it blends colors together with almost no effort. The shadow brush side was the disappointment. The brush bristles are a tad narrower in width and smaller in size and much narrower than the one that came with Naked. While it looks really slight in the picture on the left, I really didn't like how it applied shadow. It would take me forever to apply shadow! On the upside, it's size makes it an excellent liner brush, something you can get serious use out of this palette since it does have an excellent matte black.

So, which should you get? It really depends on if you already own the Naked Palette and what kind of looks you like to wear. If you already own the Naked Palette, skip it. There isn't enough of a difference between these two palettes to justify owning both. Unless you're a collector of Urban Decay or see a limited edition color here that you must have. Then by all means, I'm not going to get between you and this palette!

If you aren't a collector or don't particularly want one of the limited edition shades, your big push towards or away from one or the other should be "do I like gold-toned eyeshadows?" Naked 1 is chock full of warm gold tones, something Naked 2 doesn't have in abundance. Naked 2 is much more muted in terms of color choices (more taupe-y, silvery and brown) but I wouldn't call it "cool toned" either. Does that make sense? The colors are fairly warm, but they aren't gold or yellow based.

Personally, I liked Naked a tad more but I won't say no to either. The fact Naked 2 doesn't come with the primer potion, something I think is essential to the longevity of these eyeshadows, was a major turn off that is not redeemed by the brush or the lip gloss. If I could change anything in these palettes, I would replace Naked's Sidecar with Naked 2's Blackout and Naked's Virgin with Naked 2's Chopper. I would also make Naked's Good Karma brush double sided. I think these modifications would make Naked my perfect palette.

Do you own Naked 2? What do you think? Better or worse than Naked? Tell me in the comments!

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Urban Decay Naked Palette: A Review + Swatches

2012-01-25T06:08:00.000-08:00

Before we get this review going, I should probably mention I'm cheap when it comes to non-face make up (lipgloss, eyeshadow, etc.) and before this purchase I owned no natural eye shadows--seriously, zero. And since I have to be an "adult" soon and I figured I should probably get some. Enter Urban Decay's Naked Palette, which according to many, is "THE BEST NEUTRAL PALETTE EVER!!!"--it has a 5 star rating on Urban Decay's site, got an A+ from Temptalia.com, one of my favorite beauty sites for reviews, and a 4.8 on Sephora's site. I was intrigued.

But, when I saw the price tag for the Naked Palette I nearly fainted. It's $48! "BUT IT'S SUCH A GOOD VALUE!!" the fans screamed. Let's find out how true that is. A full sized eyeshadow from Urban Decay usually costs $17, in this palette you get 12 of them. Prospects for this palette being a steal are looking good already. The Good Karma brush that also comes with the set is $26 on it's own (if you read the Temptalia review I posted above, they stopped including the eyeliner because they couldn't keep up with the demand for the palette and replaced it with this brush). So (12x$17)+$26=$204+$26=$230. Did I forget to mention you get a sample of Urban Decay's Primer Potion too? A full sized primer potion is $19 for 11 ml, that works out to about a $1.73 per ml. The sample is 3.7ml which works out to $6.40. So, $230+$6.40=$236.40. So, serious steal. Fan boys and girls, you win this round.

The colors are: Virgin (satin chamois-translation: off white), Sin (champagne), Naked (matte buff nude), Sidecar (cocoa with golden sparkle sheen), Buck(matte nutmeg), Half Baked(subtle, lustrous bronze), Smog (deep coppery bronze), Darkhorse (bronze patina), Toasted (rich copper), Hustle (plum brown satin), Creep (onyx with gold sparkle) and Gunmetal (gunmetal gray with silver glitter).(1) All of the shadows are nicely pigmented, soft, easy to work with and even though some have sparkle, I haven't had problems with glitter ending up all over my face after a few hours. The colors themselves are beautiful and I really like the range of colors that are here.This is a favorite when I travel because it's surprisingly sturdy (considering the case is made of cardboard) and I can create day looks, discoball-eque looks and everything in between.

Photo taken in natural light. There isn't a primer under any of these.

I hate Side Car. I don't see ANY cocoa in it. All I see is a ton of glitter. Which is nice, but not really something I want in a my "natural palette." I was really concerned about Naked and Buck, the two matte shades and how they would show up on my medium/dark skin. A primer under Naked works as an eyeshadow that's slightly lighter than my eyelid and I love pairing it with a dramatic cat eye for a 50s pin up look. Buck, the darker matte shade, is the exact color of my skin (would you have seen it in the swatch if I didn't label it?) so I never wear it on it's own. What's the point? Instead, I layer it over some of the super sparkly colors (Half Baked in particular) to tone the glitter down. This gives me even more options in terms of looks I can create with set number of shades. Virgin and Sin are great highlighters and I've used both on my brow bone, cupid's bows and check bones with great results. My favorite colors are Smog, Darkhorse, Toasted and Hustle. I've used these for a ton of looks and if you layer them over each other you can get some really intense, dark browns.

I have oily lids, so if I don't use the Primer Potion under these shadows, they will fade and crease quickly and the colors won't look very intense (see above). But I hate the tube this comes in because it's a pain in the neck to get all the product out of the container. When I thought it was empty, I sliced the bottle in half only to discover I had over half the container left! I relocated what I had left to a small jar and I haven't had any problems with it drying out on me since ^_^. This plays nicely with other eye shadows too, I've tried it with both MAC and NYX shadows and I've gotten more intense colors and longer wear time from both brands. This will probably one of the few Urban Decay products I'll stick with no matter what (unless the prices goes up astronomically).

As for the brush, it's very flat and very stiff. One benefit of the stiffness is you can get pencil thin lines if you want to highlight the inner corners of the eyes or use a shadow as liner. However, it's not particularly good at getting sweeps of color on the eye, which is how I prefer to apply my eyeshadow. I'm assuming it has synthetic brush hair since it's vegan friendly and it DOESN'T SHED. At all. Even when I washed it.

While this is a serious investment, I'm really happy that I did it! I didn't own any natural/"appropriate" every day eye shadows so it's a great start to my "grown up" make up collection.

Do you have the Naked Palette? Do you like it? Hate it? Tell me in the comments!

Hair Idol: Amelian Kashiro

2012-01-23T05:00:00.001-08:00

Amelian Kashiro is a model, stylist and blogger from California.She was originally from Anchorage Alaska and before anyone asks, yes, she is mixed-- her father is African American and my mother is Japanese.

What I really like about her? She doesn't fight the frizz! Personally, I really like frizz because it makes all my styles look playful and fun instead of completely untouchable and perfect. But it dosen't seem like there are too many naturals that do that. :(

image citations: 02, 01, 03, 04

Online Workouts/Resources

2012-01-20T05:00:00.000-08:00

So, now that it's the middle of January, how are you doing on your fitness goals? When I had a gym membership, I used to avoid going in the first half of January because everyone was on their "Get FIT! Lose 20lbs!" new year's resolution kick. But most of them would disappear by the middle/end for whatever reason and I'd head back because I wouldn't have to fight for a machine anymore. But it's freezing in Zone A. Which means I have no desire to leave my dorm unless absolutely necessary and I've been avoiding the gym in favor of curling up in bed with a book and tea. But that doesn't mean I haven't been able to work out! Here are some of my favorite online exercises that can be done in a dorm room or apartment without gym equipment.

The 29 Hardest Abs Exercises from Livestrong.com: Livestrong.com is a great (and free!) resource for finding exercises online. It was started as part of Lance Armstrong (American road cyclist, cancer survivor and 7 consecutive Tour de France winner) Livestrong project to "provide support for and broaden awareness of the Foundation's mission to provide services for people affected by cancer but do not develop content or tools that are specifically focused on people affected by cancer." Vague mission statement is vague but I interpreted it "spread the message, but make it for everyone." 29 Hardest Ab Exercises was the first page I came across and it's one of my favorites because I barely made it through the first couple of exercises!

passion4profession's youtube channel: For my international readers and linguaphiles this is something great for you! They have pages in French, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, Russian, German, Italian, Korean, Japanese and Chinese. Sometimes the voiceover can be irritating, but I like the fact they include anatomy/show which muscles are being worked and how they're being worked. I also liked the fact it's a multimedia site, instead of using real people, all of the figures are animated.

Sparkpeople.com: Sparkpeople.com is one of my favorite health/fitness websites period. The site is completely free (big plus in my book) and it's very easy to follow and can get addicting quickly. If you're focus is on weight loss, you can punch in a goal weight, level of activity and the site will help you build a plan and track your progress. For those who are focused strictly on fitness (ie-me) the site has fantastic exercise plans that do and don't include equipment.

Coolrunning.com and Black Girls RUN!: I love running. I started running/jogging last year and I hope to make it a larger part of my life in 2012. I've been doing a lot of reading about running techniques and the like and both of these sites have been extremely helpful and inspiring.

What are some of your favorite resources/places to go?

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SOPA/PIPA and Why You Should Care

2012-01-18T08:28:00.000-08:00

If you use any kind of social media you've heard about SOPA and PIPA. You've probably noticed that Wikipedia is blacked out, tumblr is blacked out, google has a giant bar across their logo and many of your favorite sites may have gone dark for a 24 hour period.

Why? Because SOPA and PIPA will "Kill the Internet" but if you haven't read the bill, you probably have no idea what that means. So here is a short and sweet version, if you want the longer version or just want to be properly informed. I suggest you stop reading this summary and read the bill and come back when you're done. I promise this page isn't going anywhere (for now).

Basically, in order to stop piracy, they've ("they" being the senate and the house backed by the US entertainment industry) decided that any “Internet sites…dedicated to theft of U.S. property” can be shut down. Now that doesn't sound too bad right? Until you realize that Facebook, Youtube, Wikipedia, Gmail, Tumblr, Twitter, THIS BLOG and thousands of other sites can be shut down because they all can be branded as copyright infringers because they provide a way for people to commit copyright infringement or circumnavigation. For someone who studies social media (my major is focused on social media and HCI-human computer interaction), this is terrifying. Imagine a world where social media literally doesn't exist or just can't be used. Imagine the one platform that millions around the world use to protest, start revolutions and keep in touch with friends and family--gone.

If you get caught in the cross hairs--you're pretty much a goner. And if you want to avoid getting caught in them, get off the Internet. In all forms. No surfing on your phone, tablet, computer, using XBox live (god forbid you sing "We Are the Champions" when you win), nothing. We can and will all end up felons.

And if this passes, what's to stop other countries from passing similar bills? What is to stop them from limiting or cutting off any and all ties to social media that has been used to push revolutionary ideas and action?

I know this sounds like fear mongering, and it should. Because this bill's power comes from the fact it's convoluted. All of the extreme situations I've described above are all possible based on the wondering. So, please, sit down and read this bill and spread the word. Because we have to stop this. But to stop it, we need to work together, all us bloggers, vloggers, readers and random web surfers. Call your senators, write to them, blog about this, point people towards the resources explaining this bill, join the internet black out, get #STOPSOPA trending and keep reading about this topic even when this news story gets "old". So we can all use the internet as it was meant to be used.

More information (thank you Clumps of Mascara for some of these links!)
-Read the SOPA bill in its entirety.
-Read the PIPA bill in its entirety
-Find out what SOPA means for PR professionals.
-What SOPA is and why it matters
-Understand why SOPA is dangerous.
-25 Things You Should Know About SOPA
-Watch Fight for the Future's Video about the bill
-Find out if your representative supports SOPA
-Find out if your senator supports PIPA

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Product Review: Triple Nutrition 3-Minute Undo Dryness Reversal Treatment

2012-01-18T05:00:00.000-08:00

Advertised:For dry to over-dried or damaged hair. Ultra-rich texture nourishes deeply for stronger, healthier-looking hair. Is your hair dry, over-dried or damaged- does it feel unhealthy to the touch? It needs deep nourishment. Triple nutrition: the 3 nutritive fruit oils penetrate to nourish every strand to the core. Apricot seeds for extra nourishment. 3 fruit oils for triple nutrition: 1. Olive oil: nourishes the inner core. 2. Avocado oil: nourishes and softens the middle layer. 3. Shea oil: nourishes and smoothes the surface. Results: triple nutrition for dry, over-dried or damaged hair. Nourishes deeply for stronger, healthier-looking hair. Create and control any style you want with garnier fructis style.

Ingredients: Aqua/Water, Cetearyl Alcohol, Paraffinum Liquidum/Mineral Oil, Dipalmitoylethyl Hydroxyethylmonium Methosulfate, Cetyl Esters, Cetrimonium Chloride, Pyrus Malus Extract/Apple Fruit Extract, Parfum/Fragrance, Methylparaben, Prunus Armeniaca Seed Powder/Apricot Seed Powder, Niacinamide, Pyridoxine HCl, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter/Shea Butter, Olea Europaea Oil/Olive Fruit Oil, Citric Acid, Saccharum Officinarum Extract/Sugar Cane Extract, Benzyl Alcohol, Persea Gratissima Oil/Avocado Oil, Linalool, Ribes Nigrum Oil/Black Currant Seed Oil, Butylphenyl Methylpropional, CI 19140/Yellow 5, CI 15985/Yellow 6, Citrus Medica Limonium Peel Extract/Lemon Peel Extract, Camellia Sinensis Extract/Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract.

Price: $6 for 8.5 oz

Review: I ended up leaving in a hurry for NYC (yeah, about 2 months ago...The review is coming now because I wanted to really test this out) and I didn't have time to do my hair even though I had a big meeting the day after I arrived. I ended up running into a drugstore hopping to find a conditioner I could quickly co-wash with and get a decent wash and go out of for at least 24 hours.

Since buying it, I've used this as an "emergency product." Something I can get a quick, easy wash and go out of without too much effort when I have no time because I can cover all my bases at once: co-wash, leave in condition and style. As a regular rinse out conditioner, it was ok. There are little beads in this and I have no idea what they're supposed to be for. Thankfully, none of them got stuck in my curls which was my biggest fear. It's very thick which made it kind of hard to work into my hair and I wasn't super impressed with it's detangling abilities but it gets the job done. When I used it as a leave-in/styler, my curls stayed nicely clumped and just crunchy enough to hold without gel for about 2-3 days, which isn't unusual for one of my wash and goes.

But it DOES NOT play nice with other products, when using it as a leave-in with heavy oils I ended up with a mess. Mixing it with other conditioners for a heavier deep conditioner? Bad idea. Even using it as a regular conditioner on hair with a hint of oil or dirt? Nope, not happening.

Would I get this again? Maybe, it's a good product to have in my stash for emergency or travel situations. But since I don't wear wash and goes too much anymore I can't really see a reason to get it again.

Have you tried it? What did you think?

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Hair Idol: Ursula Rucker

2012-01-16T05:00:00.000-08:00

Ursula Rucker is an American poet and spoken word artist. She's worked with artists and producers like King Britt, 4hero, Jamaaladeen Tacuma, Josh Wink, Alix Perez and The Roots. She's most famous for her stage presence which has been described as "strong, vulnerable, wounded and raging."

And they weren't kidding about that stage presence. The first time I saw her perform one of her poems on youtube my skin crawled. Sadly, I don't remember the name of that poem, but it was like...I don't know. Everything she said just MADE SENSE and all was right with the world. Have you ever had that happen?

For Women

image citations: 01, 02, 03

Natural Expressions: Roxy

2012-01-13T05:00:00.000-08:00

Time for the other half of Oh my Afro! You've already met Brittany so now it's time to get to know Roxy. As I mentioned in the last post, their responses are so detailed I wanted to let each of them have their own post to shine! Roxy's journey started with a head of severely heat damaged hair but with Brittany's help, she's now sporting a gorgeous head of natural hair!

Is there anywhere we can find you? Youtube, twitter, facebook, blog?
Yes! We just started a natural hair blog called Ohmyafro. You can find us at ohmyafro.blogspot.com or on our facebook page with the same name. It’s geared toward the younger generation (under 21) because we felt a lot of younger naturals didn’t really have an age group they could connect with. Check it out!

Since your blog focuses on naturals under 21, do you have any advice for people who want to go natural in school but don't have support from their family or peers?
Our advice is simple. You have to want to go natural for yourself first. Some family members/peers will never accept it. Learn to smile, in fact sit in front of a mirror and practice smiling, because when they throw those negative comments that’s the only retaliation you’ll have. Going natural with opposition is a strength in itself, you begin to realize your living for yourself, and not others. Don’t be forceful, and wave your natural hair banner in front of their faces as if your in a war zone. Try to explain to them why, and what your doing. Show them styles, pictures, and show them that you are capable of doing it. If they still are against it, then you have to have that understanding within yourself that the negativity your facing may be deeply rooted in their upbringing. Love yourself first, be able to say “oh my afro” when someone asks what do you love about yourself ;)

completely natural!

Tell me a little about your hair journey--when did you get your first relaxer? What inspire you to big chop, etc.
Oh, I started my hair journey when I was YOUNG. I can’t even remember my first relaxer. My mom told me I got my first perm when I was around 3 or 4, and I got them done twice a year. I had curly afro hair, and because I lived in Venezuela almost no one (not even “pro” stylists!) knew how to manage my hair. So a friend of my mom’s that would travel often to the states, would bring me a baby relaxer after every trip, but on one trip he brought me the wrong relaxer because it was way more stronger than the usual one I would use which only made my hair go from curly to wavy, this new relaxer he brought me left my hair completely straight. After that, I kept relaxing my hair until I was about sixteen. Finally, when I turned seventeen and after a bad break up (boyfriend tried to make me be someone I’m not when it came to hair and make-up) I completely rebelled and finally accepted the truth that I will never be more beautiful and perfect than the way my Heavenly Father carefully decided to make me (Psalms 139:14). So I started growing my hair out, completely unaware of what I would look like after I transitioned. Brittany was my counselor all throughout the process and gave me the knowledge I didn’t have.

What do you think is the "future" of natural hair care and the black hair industry?
I agree with Brittany that going natural is not a trend. My reason why is a little different than hers though. I think being natural goes way beyond a trend. Going natural is a choice you have to make, with a purpose besides “everyone else is doing it” or “no one else is doing it, so I should be the first.” Neither of those reasons will give you enough motivation or strength to do the “big chop” or go through 9 to 12 months of growing your hair out patiently. The patience, strength and persistence can only come from having a firm conviction that you are doing it for YOU and only you and YOUR happiness.

What do you think is YOUR future as a natural?
I love talking about my “natural” future!!! It’s this simple. I want my afro to grow bigger. Much, much BIGGER. I want it to get as big as possible until I can’t deal with so much hair and decide to trim it a bit. I’m hoping that when it grows, the weight will make my fro fall and I’ll have beautiful, crazy and voluminous hair. Yay!

What are some of your favorite hair styles/hair idols?
I know this will sound corny, but it’s the sincere truth. ANY girl I see walking by, or I see a picture of and has natural hair/afro/BC and walks proud and confident that she is beautiful, is someone I look up to. I don’t have any names I can tell you, as I was transitioning I didn’t do that much research (not at ALL as much as Brittany did!) so I can’t exactly think of anyone in specific. Any sidewalk, any hall, any street you’re crossing can be a runway. If you can make it one with your beauty and confidence, you have my admiration.

Last question! What was the worst and the best thing you have done for your hair. And "Getting a relaxer" doesn't count!

Oh wow! I have some answers to give for this question. But for the worst thing, the first one that popped to mind happened when I was a freshman in high school and I allowed a friend to (in my own house too!) to give me some high lights. I trusted her thinking she had a clue of what she was doing but I LEARNED MY LESSON. This girl took random-- COMPLETELY RANDOM pieces of hair our of the huge permed mane of mine and started bleaching in random spots. There was no order at all, she didn't even use a clip to separate sections. After she bleached my hair, she takes me to the shower tub and starts throwing pink dye all over my hair hoping it would stick with the RANDOM pieces she bleached. Oh no, oh nooooo. When I got out of the tub and went to see my hair in the mirror I was in shock. Then my mom (about to cry lol) started checking my hair and noticed that because she only used random pieces, she skipped many of them so now I had pink, white and brown (my natural hair color) all in my hair. Not to mention the orange pieces from using "Sun-In" that summer. I wanted to dig a hole and hide forever.

The best thing I've done, going natural. That's just it. Although, the best choice I made with my transitioning hair was that when I was all ready to cut off the permed hair and just keep my afro, I went to a salon that KNEW what they were doing. This was going to be the most important hair cut in my life and I needed to be sure that I was going to be in the hands of someone that knew what they were doing. I had a price to pay for giving myself that kind of luxury (total cost at the salon was $200), but I don't regret it at all. I needed the security and confidence

Do you want to be featured? Send me a message at aliceinnappyland@gmail.com!

Natural Expressions: Brittany

2012-01-11T05:00:00.000-08:00

Meet the first features of the year-Brittany and Roxy of Oh My Afro! Since their responses were so detailed I decided to break their feature into two. Brittany, unlike most naturals I've featured, went natural really young, at 14 because she felt like it. With the help of youtube's natural stars, she's grown her hair to the length is is now and started a blog to help others going natural or transitioning young.

Is there anywhere we can find you? Youtube, twitter, facebook, blog?
Yes! We (myself and Roxy) just started a natural hair blog called Ohmyafro. You can find us at ohmyafro.blogspot.com or on our facebook page with the same name. It’s geared toward the younger generation (under 21) because we felt a lot of younger naturals didn’t really have an age group they could connect with. Check it out!

Since you're Do you have any advice for people who want to go natural in school but don't have support from their family or peers?

Our advice is simple. You have to want to go natural for yourself first. Some family members/peers will never accept it. Learn to smile, in fact sit in front of a mirror and practice smiling, because when they throw those negative comments that’s the only retaliation you’ll have. Going natural with opposition is a strength in itself, you begin to realize your living for yourself, and not others. Don’t be forceful, and wave your natural hair banner in front of their faces as if your in a war zone. Try to explain to them why, and what your doing. Show them styles, pictures, and show them that you are capable of doing it. If they still are against it, then you have to have that understanding within yourself that the negativity your facing may be deeply rooted in their upbringing. Love yourself first, be able to say “oh my afro” when someone asks what do you love about yourself ;)

Tell me a little about your hair journey--when did you get your first relaxer? What inspire you to big chop, etc.

relaxed days

As with most relaxer stories, I got my relaxer at the age of around 7-8. Im a very nonchalant person, so I didn’t know what was going on, nor did it matter to me. My mother felt it would make my hair easier to manage, as I later learned, so I just sat in the chair and watched tv while my aunt relaxed my hair. I didn’t even know it wasn’t my natural hair until a few years later. Nothing inspired me to go natural but myself, literally. I went natural when it wasn’t really around much, why? I have no idea! I was around 14 years old, and said ok I don’t like this white stuff anymore, I’m not going to put it in my hair, and a year later, cut off my perm. The end!

What do you think is the "future" of natural hair care and the black hair industry?
Personally, I don’t like when I hear that going natural is a trend, or movement. It defeats the whole purpose of being “natural” in my eyes, which literally means existing in or caused by nature; not made or caused by humankind. The future of natural hair care in my eyes is that it will eventually be seen as the “norm”, and the relaxer as a “trend.” As for the black hair industry, I already see natural products all over the place! And it will continue to grow ☺

Who are some of your favorite hair styles/hair idols?
Hands DOWN, Kimmaytube. I saw her first video, and have seen everyone ever since. Mahoganycurls, Chime Edwards (Hair Crush), Tracee E Ross, etc. I loved chisellecouture when she was around, but that’s about it. I love my fro! But I keep it twisted and tucked away a lot lol.

transitioning

What do you think is YOUR future as a natural?
To continue caring for my hair to keep it healthy. Seeing all these inspirational pictures everywhere just makes me happy! I love envisioning that one day ill post a picture of my “luscious, bodacious” hair lol and it will inspire someone. I’m all for trying new things, and being inspirational to try something new is a wonderful gift I’d love to attain just by being myself.

What was the worst and the best thing you have done for your hair. And "Getting a relaxer" doesn't count!

Honestly, I haven’t done anything extreme except for get a perm lol I know it sounds weird, but Ive never gotten color or dye, whatever. Ive never experimented with a lot of products, so I had the same routine, which is why my hair was long both natural and relaxed. Maybe I should step outside that box lol Roxy is DEFINITELY more experienced in the field of being wild with her hair. Im wild with everything but that. I need some sort of balance lol. Best thing ive ever done for hair is sit down, research the MESS out of this bad boy, and start to take care of it myself. From age 15, the best thing I did for my hair was fall in love with it. We have a covalent bond (Alice: for those who don't remember chemistry, a covalent bond is extremely stable).

Do you want to be featured? Send me an email at aliceinnappyland@gmail.com!

Hair Idol: Gemma Cairney

2012-01-09T05:00:00.000-08:00

Gemma Cairney is a Bristish radio personality and stylist. She's worked as a stylist for Florence and the Machine and The Pigeon Detective before switching to radio.

Again, this post is really about the short, dramatic cut.You're probably sick of short haired Hair Idols but I REALLY LOVE THEM OK!

image citations: 01, 02, 03, 04

Nappyland Fitness Goals for 2012

2012-01-06T05:00:00.000-08:00

Like everyone's mother's, uncle's cat sitter, I'm making fitness goals for 2012 too. Except mine do not include "lose 20lbs" or losing any weight what so ever. Personally, I find this mindset dangerous because it takes focus away from physical and mental health and focuses it on "weight." Which, in my experiences can have NOTHING to do with health. I promise a more in depth detailed posts on my experiences with the focus on weight v. focus on mental + physical health at a later date.

My fitness goals for 2012:

Get my mile under 8:30. I can run a 9:30-9:50 minute mile decently but I'd like to push it lower in hopes of a 25 minute 5k in the future :)
Do a decent set of proper push ups: I have no upper body strength. Zero. Even when I did martial arts I used to duck and weave until I could knock my opponent out with a kick because that was "more effective." Needless to say, the Masters were not pleased.
Work on my relationship with food: I'm a comforter eater that has an extremely negative relationship with food. I've gotten much better at this in the last few years but there is still room for improvement.

And that's it! What are yours? Are you planning on running a marathon? A mile? Working out once a week? Tell me in the comments!

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Regimine Three Years Natural

2012-01-04T05:00:00.000-08:00

Wow, time flies doesn't it? I've officially been natural for three years! So, year in review in terms of products, styles and seasonal changes:

Products:

Leave in Conditioner: Qhemet Biologics Burdock Root Cream

Co-wash Conditioner:Aussie Moist

Styler: Hair Polisher Styling Gel with Sparkle Lites

Sealer: Castor oil, shea butter

Refreshers: Jane Carter Revitalizing Leave-In Conditioner, Coconut Oil, Shielo Hair Hydrate Sealing Mist (I apparently never did a review of this...So review coming soon!)

Deep Conditioner: Shea Moisture Organic Raw Shea Butter Deep Treatment Hair Masque

Notice how there is no shampoo or rinse out conditioner listed here? That's because I didn't find one I liked enough to completely devote myself too. I'm still on the hunt so if you have a favorite shampoo or conditioner tell me in the comments!

Winter:
This winter hasn't been as cold as usual (global warming!) So instead of busting out my beanies, I've been wearing a variety of turbans and headscarves. I wear my hair in flat twists or regular twists under these bad boys to make my hair flat(er). Since my hair is in protective styles, I stopped co-washing my hair completely and just wash with regular shampoo and deep condition every 2 weeks.

Summer:
Summer I was in Addis Ababa so my hair routine was completely messed up. I wore my hair straight a lot and played with a lot of braided styles (with and without extensions). I usually washed my hair every 2 weeks because I was lazy and busy, braided it and then sprayed with a leave in conditioner.

General Care:
Even though I don't color my hair anymore, I still do a protein treatment using Aubrey Organics GPB Glycogen Protein Balancing Conditioner to keep my fine strands strong. There isn't a set schedule for this but I start noticing I need one about once a month.

Have you made any changes to your regime? What stayed and what left? Tell me in the comments!

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Hair Idol: Carly Cushnie

2012-01-02T05:00:00.000-08:00

Carly Cushnie is a London born designer and one half of Cushnie et Ochs. She went to Parson's School of Design before getting a job working for Donna Karen and interning for Oscar de la Renta. But this post isn't about her accomplishments, it's about her tapered fro!

I'm going to be honest, I love blonde and TAPERED TWAs. The one thing I regret about my TWA was the fact I never got it shaped/properly "tidied up." I probably would have loved that stage much more if I had a cut I adored.

Also, I've been featured as the first Captured Curl of the year on The Good Hair Blog!Click the link to check out my interview ^_^

image citations: 01, 02, 03, 04

Goals for Year 4

2011-12-30T05:00:00.000-08:00

Before I tell you all my new hair resolutions, let's take a look at last year's to see how well I did:

Bra strap length! Close but not quite.
~~Stop the color addiction by keeping ONE hair color for at least 6 months. (which will be black since I've already had about 3 months)~~ That color was black and I'm pretty back to my natural dark brown :)
Find a way to manage the color damage from the previous year. I have some pretty intense color damage from the bleaching but I have no desire to do a second big chop. I might have to start something that looks like a long term transitioner's regime to deal with this. Which might not be a huge problem since I rarely wear my hair out anymore. Color damage has been trimmed off!
~~Find and master various updos!~~ I wouldn't say "mastered" but I'm definitely more confidant
~~Expppaaannnnddddd. I'm thinking of some new features I'd like to add. More coming soon!(?)~~ Nappyland Fitness and my beauty features (so far) have been a big success so they're staying!

Year 4 is going to be a really big one for me. I'm graduating and heading out in the big wide world and I know there are going to be a lot of big changes and transitions in my life. And I'm gonna be honest, I'm scared. This is probably one of the first times I've started a new year with this much nervousness!

Hair/Blog Goals:

Get a hair cut: It's time to do something new with my hair that doesn't involve color
Experiment more: I've finally got the length I always wanted, it's high time I do something with it.
Finish the header. Seriously, I have no idea why it's taken me this long...

Quote of the Year:
“Everyone born in this world has a unique role that only he or she can fulfill. Were this not the case, we would not be here. The universe never acts without cause; everything invariably has a reason for being. Even the weeds people love to loathe serve a purpose.”- Daisaku Ikeda

What are your hair, blog, life goals? Tell me in the comments and I'll see you all in the New Year!

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

2011-12-28T05:00:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow is Alice in Nappyland's (and my hair's) THIRD birthday! Yay! That's right people, I've been natural for three years and a lot has changed/happened in that time. I've officially mastered protective styling (well, as mastered as that's going to get), colored my hair almost every color of the rainbow and started getting more adventurous with more complicated styles (twisted updos here I come!)

Photos: Year 2 v Year 3-Flat Twist out comparison

The heart needs to be there in the Year 2 photo because I was making THE SILLIEST face ever. I don't remember the exact circumstances of this picture but it was a 2-3 day old twist out. Seriously, the only thing I can remember about it was I had just gotten back to my dorm after an impromptu NYC trip. And the face in the left image was me hating my radiator for interrupting my photo shoot. My hair in the Year 3 photo looks like a hot mess because it was! That photo was taken towards the end of exam week when my hair was completely DONE with me not moisturizing, styling, and slowly but surely picking it out until it looked something like a lion's mane.

Here is a picture with a significantly happier head of hair. The picture was taken with blinding flash at a Christmas party and I'm modeling my cousin's new glasses (which, cousin, in case you're reading this, you looked quite dashing in) that ended up getting passed around members of The Kids' Table. No matter how old you are, in my family, you will never out grow the kids table until someone has children and that child is present. If the child is NOT present, you will remain at The Kid's Table. Which isn't a bad thing!

How was your progress in 2011? Did you make any dramatic changes? Stick to your tried and true routine? Tell me in the comments!

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Hair Idol: Yasmin Warsame

2011-12-26T05:00:00.000-08:00

Yasmin Warsame is a Somali born, Canada based model. Unlike most models, she started her career fairly late in the game, in her 20s (-gasp- so OLD *side eye*). On top of being a gorgeous model, she was also an activist for the Somali Youth Coalition in Canada.

I love the colors in this editorial! I was tempted to post all of them but I figured I should probably show a range...

And a more recent photo, this was taken in spring 2011

image citations: 01, 02, 03, 04

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

2011-12-23T05:00:00.000-08:00

Regular posting schedule has been interrupted to bring you the following message:

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!

I hope you have a happy, healthy and safe holiday season! I'm heading off to celebrate with my family but I'm not 100% sure what we're doing (that doesn't include eating!) One of my favorite holiday traditions is a very competitive game of ite (Ethiopian card game) and a holiday gift exchange game that always end up in laughs. For the gift exchange, everyone brings a gift that costs under a set amount (usually $20) and put it under the tree. Then we all draw numbers and pick a present in that order. If person 2 likes person 1's present, they can take it and person 1 will have to pick again picks. This continues until everyone gets a present. And people get really clever/creative with their presents, once I ended up with a gorgeous holiday box with homemade Christmas cookies and $20 worth of paper clips inside!

What are some of your holiday traditions? Do you have specific foods you always eat or games that you and your family and friends end up playing?

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Everyday Minerals Bases-Truffle and Bronzed Tan

2011-12-21T05:00:00.000-08:00

I hate wearing foundation. I never wore it with the exception of a stint in high school and after that I swore to never wear anything like it again--it was too heavy, rubbed off on everything I touched and would streak if I got remotely sweaty. My friend suggested mineral makeup as a possible substitution and I bought Bare Minerals, at the time the only people making mineral make up. And it was great! Until the container bust in my suitcase spilling powder over EVERYTHING.

I started getting interested in face make up again after I started wearing concealer regularly and I started noticing that there was a line under my eyes because my skin didn't "match" my concealer perfectly in winter or light would reflect differently off anywhere I put the concealer. Even though I adore my tinted moisturizer, it's a medium coverage and pricey which wouldn't make it my go to for everyday. For everyday wear I wanted something light, quick to apply and wouldn't get streaky when it fades.

So when I heard Everyday Minerals was doing a huge sale for Black Friday, I remembered how much I liked Bare Essentials and mineral make up and I snapped up their Truffle Base in the Semi-Matte finish and Bronzed Tan Base in the Matte Finish. Both are 4.8g for $12 when not on sale.

I'm not a huge fan of the packaging. It's really sleek looking on the outside and it's easy to spot the colors with the clear bottom as well figuring out how much you have left and the sifter cap is great for traveling because the likelihood of it exploding is close to nonexistent, but I'd like need more space on the top to get a brush in there more easily. Since there isn't a lot of space, getting the product out, even into the cap is a pain in the neck.

pictures taken with natural light

So the semi-matte finish says it will "creates a hydrating soft dewy complexion with medium to full coverage and feels creamy to the touch. Suitable for all skin types" and the matte finish "is beautifully matte with full coverage for combination skin. Achieve a perfect canvas with silk-like minerals. Evens out skin tones, light and flawless finish." I choose to get both of these because I like matte finishes but I've found that SOME mattes make me look sickly because there is NO natural shine in my face (great if you're oily, not so great if you have combination skin like me). This one does not. It looks completely natural and oil free but the semi-matte is a little too dewy for my personal tastes, my face seemed a little oily and I kept wanting to wipe my face with an oil blotting sheet/tissue.

Color selection wise, I'm not impressed. These are the darkest colors they have out now so if you're any darker than these, tough luck. Bronzed Tan alone is a too dark for my winter skin, which is paler than I usually am since I tan easily. For summer, I'm hoping Bronzed Tan (with a hint of Truffle so I can get rid of it more quickly) will match my summer/spring skin color.Truffle is WAY too red for me to ever wear alone, I've been trying it as a blush/bronzer and it works ok if I layer it like there is no tomorrow. If you're using it as a blush/bronzer, I suggest a dense flat topped powder brush. I don't own one but I suspect that will make the application process easier since you'll have more product going on in controlled, concentrated manner.

While testing Bronzed Tan + Truffle out as a foundation, I tap some of each out into one of the lids and swirled my E.L.F. Kabuki brush (another black friday steal) into the powder to mix them up. I tap off the excess and apply in circular motions all over my face. I only need a little but you can build this up for something close to medium coverage if you keep repeating this pattern. It goes on really smoothly to the point if I don't see it on my brush I'm not really sure it's on my face. And after its been on for a bit, I tend to forget it's there which means it's doing it's job WONDERFULLY. On me it lasts about 6-8 hours depending on my level of activity and I've been wearing it everyday for 3 weeks and it hasn't broken me out so yay!

IN A NUTSHELL: This is a good mineral foundation/base that won't break the bank but their color selection and packaging leaves something to be desired.Will I buy it again? Nope, I'm not a fan of the mess that a mineral product makes and I think it takes longer for me to apply than a regular tinted moisturizer which doesn't make it super time saving in the morning.

Does the fact I write insanely long beauty reviews bother any you (This one is over 700 words)? One thing I've noticed is there aren't a lot of reviews from African-American women on the products I use and I'm hoping to give people interested in them as much information as possible. Would you prefer a jump so if you want to skip and get back to the hair stuff you have that option? Tell me in the comments!

Hair Idol: Wamuhu Waweru

2011-12-19T05:00:00.000-08:00

I love Stylelikeu.com. It's one of my favorite sites for style inspiration and general inspiration (some of the people featured have the most amazing lives). Today's feature comes straight from them.

Wamuhu Waweru is a Kenyan producer, model and travel consultant. What really stood out to me were the designs shaved on the sides of her head. I never see women rock this look and I never really understood why because they're so pretty!

“If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at will change.” -Wamuhu Waweru

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Hair Idol: Herieth Paul

2011-12-12T05:55:00.000-08:00

I've already posted about Herieth Paul but I never posted about her and her short hair! So, quick recap, Tanzanian model that looks suspiciously like Naomi Campbell. You'll probably see a lot of TWA hair idols in the coming weeks because I really miss having short hair.

And a blonde TWA for you color junkies :)

And proof that she's a Campbell clone:

And heads up, posting might be a little sparse because today is the first day of EXAM WEEK *dun dun daahhhhh, flashes of lighting, etc.* I actually don't have exams, but I have three massive papers that are in various stages of completion. Wish me luck!

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Cat Eyes and Spoons

2011-12-09T05:00:00.000-08:00

I can do serious fantasy make up. Over the top, drag-esque, theater make up is a piece of cake. But I can’t do a simple 50s cat eye for every day wear. Even though it’s my favorite form of eyeliner, I’ve never been able to get the line straight and balanced with a cute little triangle at the end. Until I discovered this video by sasakiasahi, a fabulous Japanese youtuber.

On top of being an adorable and creative story, it's surprisingly clever. I'd NEVER thought of using a spoon! I rushed to my stash of silverwear and grabbed the first clean one I could find. And what did I get?

Yes, this is my shocked face.

Wearable Everyday Cat eyes!

Mind you, I got these with some tidying up around the edges. I had some trouble maneuvering my liquid eyeliner around a spoon, but with practice I'm sure it will get easier. I'll post pictures taken with a real camera when I'm not running out the door to class!

Quick tip, you see the spoon she's using in the video? How it's straight from the ladle bit to the end? Use a spoon like that. The one I tried has a bend in it and it made it a little harder to get straight lines because of how I was holding it.

What are some weird/unexpected tools have you used that made your make up application easier?

Natural Expressions: Paige

2011-12-06T05:09:00.000-08:00

Paige is a student and fashion blogger from sunny San Diego, California over at Fashion Emcee. And on top of her adorable style (seriously, I end up going "I WANT THAT!!" to at least one thing in every post), she's got an amazing head of curls!

Is there anywhere we can find you? Youtube, twitter, facebook, blog?

You can find me at fashionemcee.wordpress.com, my fashion blog, or follow me on Twitter, @paaaaigeeee.

Tell me a little about your hair journey--did you ever have a relaxer? Big chop, etc.

My hair journey has been kind of crazy! It started when I was in 7th grade when I relaxed my hair for the first time. I had always had crazy, frizzy hair that I really disliked and having my hair straight was a big (but tedious) relief. I relaxed my hair frequently until junior year of high school when I discovered a really bad chemical burn on the back of my head. After that I became aware that relaxer might be doing more bad than good, and I decided to wear my hair naturally. I’ve been wearing my natural curls ever since.

What are some of your favorite ways to do your hair? What products do you use? What do you save for a special occasion?

I usually just wear my hair down, using a clip to keep my bangs out of my face. I’ve recently discovered wearing all of my hair to one side and I think I like it! I might start rocking it more that way. I don’t usually use any special products but I have used Mixed Chicks conditioner and I like how it works. Honestly, I get the best curls when I let my hair air dry with no product.

Sometimes I’ll break out the straightener for special occasions...but my hair usually frizzes back to curly with any moisture in the air. Such a bummer!

You've got amazing style! Where do you get your inspiration? What are a few of your favorite places to shop?

Thank you! I get a lot of my inspiration from my favorite designer, Alexander Wang. I love how he has successfully made comfy, almost otherwise boring basics fashionable. I definitely dress for comfort. Some of my favorite places to shop at are American Apparel, Zara, H&M, and Solestruck.com.

If you had to limit your wardrobe to 3 pieces (in as many colors as you'd like) what would it be and why?

Oh my gosh..this question is hard. I would have to say my Jeffrey Campbell Litas (comfiest shoes ever), the American Apparel fisherman sweater, and either black shorts or pants of some kind. I wear sweaters all the time, the Litas are seriously the easiest heels to walk in and black bottoms go with absolutely everything.

Do you want to be featured? Send me an email at aliceinnappyland@gmail.com!

Hair Idol: Raven Symone

2011-12-05T05:00:00.000-08:00

Raven Symone is is an American actress, singer, songwriter, comedian, dancer, television producer and model. She was originally of one the kids put through the Disney Machine, as my friends call it, that churns out hit great TV shows, talented singers, etc. extremely quickly.

She's also one of the few celebrities that are pretty open about her use and love of weave. She's even gone on shows and openly said "blonde, 15", name-of-brand" as part of what she was wearing in an appearance!

And please forgive me for missing my friday fitness post! Exams are coming and I spent the entire weekend curled up with 4 papers, a problem set and a presentation! I'm going to try and schedule some posts in advanced though so this blog won't become a tumbleweed hotspot. ^_^

image citations: 01, 02, 03

Maintaining a Twist Out

2011-11-30T03:55:00.000-08:00

The more I wear twist outs, the less I like them. My roots tend to knot up in irritating ways and I can never get the volume I like. I will say one thing about twist outs: their painfully easy style to maintain and it LASTS. The twist out in the photo on the left is 3 days old!

Step 1: Retwist hair into the properly sized section
For a twist out done on medium-large twists, I usually make 4-6 sections. If I do smaller twists, I do 4 sections. I don't like the super defined wave-y thing so I try to make stretch them out a little bit. For this step, I do not use product. My hair is NOT a fan of a lot of oily products so usually the stuff I twist with is enough to get me a week out of it.

Step 2: Spritz!
Every other night, I lightly spray my hair with a leave in conditioner. Again, my hair doesn't care for a lot of product so I don't do this every night. If your hair needs it, DO IT.

Step 3: Bonnet/Scarf
I use a bonnet because I'm a wild sleeper and I can take ANY scarf, no matter how well tied off. So, bonnet on with all the twists tucked up and off to bed!

Step 4:Untwist & Shake
In the morning, I take the big twists down and shake it out to get some of the body and I'm out the door! Volia! Super basic and super easy.

Oh, and I look "devious" in that picture because as soon as the camera came down, I chased the photographer around the yard armed with a stick. What could be more fun!

How do you maintain your twist outs?

Hair Idol: Nightie Aphrodites

2011-11-28T04:58:00.000-08:00

Nightie Aphrodites is a photoshot by Alice O’Malley staring Solange Knowles, Corinne Bailey Rae, Juno Temple and Hélene and Célia Faussart, aka Les Nubians. The concept is simple, 'fros + evening gowns.

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Confession Time

2011-11-25T05:00:00.000-08:00

We all know your wallet is crying. What did you get and how big is your haul?

Me? Nothing for my hair! Well, nothing at the time of this post going up. I wanted to get something from B.A.S.K but I'm not super comfortable using paypal so that's out of the question. And Qhemet ISN'T doing a black friday sale, so I have no reason to buy in anything! I did buy Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty as my one purchase. It's an early Christmas present to myself :)

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Holiday Food Guilt and Why You Shouldn't Have It

2011-11-23T05:00:00.000-08:00

Let's get one thing straight: I hate Thanksgiving. It's one of my least favorite holidays and it's only redeeming factors are pumpkin pie and the 4 days I get off from class. Otherwise, it's a ridiculous holiday that completely erases a chunk of American history. And I don't even get a break on the 4 days off because I'm too busy doing all the work I didn't do leading up to it because of Exam Season Part II.

But let's get to talking about eating and thanksgiving. People (or at least the ones I know) tend to spend more time worrying about where that second piece of pie might show up instead of how DELICIOUS that pie really is. So, on this Thanksgiving, I encourage you to EAT WHATEVER YOU WANT. Seriously, leave holiday guilt outside. Enjoy the company of your friends, family and loved ones. Enjoy the delicious food that you/someone prepared. Why do I do this and encourage others to do this? Because I'm thankful that my friends family has welcomed me into their home with open arms instead of leaving me on campus. And I'm thankful we're in a situation that lets eat like this and share our food with some pretty amazing people.

So, instead of worrying about your food and where it will be tomorrow. Take a second and really focus on the moment. Focus on the room, the people, the plates, the tastes, the laughter and joy. And remember, you are incredibly fortunate and you've got a lot to be thankful for.

This Thanksgiving, I'd like to send an especially heartfelt thank you to all of you readers. Thank you all for sticking with me through changing URLs, through long silent gaps of silence and my general silliness. Thank you for leaving comments and adding to discussions. My little corner of the internet wouldn't be the same without you all.

UNRELATED: Black Friday is coming. Since I've been crazy busy (work, papers, presentations, convincing professor to actually TURN FORMS IN -__-, etc.) I haven't had time to put a decent Black Friday Sales post together. Thankfully, Naturally Curly has a great thread going about and it's been getting updated pretty quickly. So, grab your coupon codes and get ready for an early morning internet sales!

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Hair Idol: Nathan Stewart-Jarrett

2011-11-21T10:04:00.000-08:00

Have you seen Misfits? I've already done a post on Antonia Thomas, one of the actors on it. Which should have motivated you enough to watch the show. Because it's brilliant and hysterically funny (less funny now that Robert Sheehan left, but that's a discussion for another day).

Nathan Stewart-Jarrett plays Curtis Donovan, a track star sent to community service for the possession of cocaine. Like everyone else caught in the freak storm, he gets the ability to manipulate time. But this power gets swapped in season 3 but you're going to have to watch the show to see how that works out for him.

Now you're probably going "Alice, that's not incredibly long hair! Why feature him?!" or "Sure, he's cute Alice but SERIOUSLY? Why?" Well, because I 'freakin LOVE the shape of his hair! Seriously, its absolutely fantastic and looks wonderful on him. If you're considering a short cut, don't forget that you don't have to have your 'fro round!

image citations: 01, 02, 03

Depression + XKCD

2011-11-18T05:00:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite comic strips take on depression:

I thought about writing a big, long post about depression and decide that this comic pretty much summed up what I wanted to say in less words.

Yes, mental health is part of my fitness/get healthy/be healthy series. It probably more important than eating right and exercising.Because it can effect both of them in ways you didn't expect. Is managing your mental health a part of your fitness/get healthy/be healthy regime? How do you fit it in?

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Super Simple Updo

2011-11-16T05:00:00.000-08:00

As you all probably know, I love updos. But I'm not very good at them. So I was really excited to come across this one by Naptural85 on youtube because it's actually *gasp* do able for someone who is updo challenged! It actually reminded me of a portrait I of Queen Elizabeth I but I haven't been able to locate it to include it in here! If I find it, I'll add the link!

Yes, my earrings don't match. They aren't supposed to.

I did this on a week old twist out right before wash day. Since all of my stretch head bands are stretched out (I've been using them for puffs or as a pony tail holder), I just added a pin in the front and one in the back to keep the band from moving too much. Which worked better than I expected, next time I will add a pin on each side to make sure it's extra secure since the wind managed to pull rebel pieces out.

If you want to learn how to do it, just watch the video below!

 What do you thnk? Will it be making an ppaearance in your

Do you think you'll be trying this style? Tell me in the comments!

Hair Idol: Flaviana Matata

2011-11-14T05:00:00.000-08:00

Flaviana Matata was Miss Tanzania 2007. That same year she went to the Miss Universe pageant and placed in the Top 15 as the first Tanzanian candidate (and she was still rockin' a baldie).

Now she's a high fashion model working with designers like Viviene Westwood and participated in an Alexander McQueen tribute. If you're anywhere with a Topshop you've probably seen her in their spring 2011 ads!

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Product Review: Shea Moisture Raw Shea Butter Moisture Retention Shampoo

2011-11-11T05:00:00.000-08:00

Advertised: Hydrates, smoothes and repairs strands, leaving hair manageably soft. For dry, damaged hair. Heal, grow and strengthen.

Sea kelp: Trace minerals detoxify hair follicles of impurities and residue
Argan oil: Restores shine and rebuilds hair elasticity
Shea butter: Deeply moisturizes and repairs damage to hair and scalp
Ethically traded ingredients, sustainably produced
Color-safe
No parabens, phthalates, paraffin, gluten, propylene glycol, mineral oil, synthetic fragrance, mineral oil, synthetic fragrance, PABA, synthetic color, DEA, animal ingredients or sulfates
Cruelty free, no animal testing
Certified organic ingredients

Price: $9.99 for 12oz

Ingredients: Deionized Water , Decyl Glucoside (Sugar Beets) , African Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter) , Aloe Vera Leaf Juice , Argan Oil , Panthenol (Pro-Vitamin B5) , Rosemary Extract , Sea Kelp Extract , Vitamin E , Lonicera Caprifolium Flower Extract (Honeysuckle) , Lonicera Japonica Flower Extract (Japanese Honeysuckle)

Review: I really wanted to like this. I did! It's gentle, the smell is earthy and doesn't linger, and it didn't dry my hair out, but I just can't. Why? Because it DID NOT clean my hair. A few days after I would wash my hair, I'd be itching because there was gunk on my scalp that didn't get removed. And I know it's not gunk related to styling products because they haven't changed in years and the method I use to apply them hasn't changed either! To get it all the oil off my scalp I would have to apply and rinse this shampoo out 3-5 times. And that's just unacceptable.

But, I won't give up yet! When I head back to Zone B I'll be taking this with me. I'm hoping the softer water and the fact I have more of it (I live in a dorm and the water will go FREEZING if someone on another floor flushes the toilet. I'm not joking.) will give me better results. If I end up hating it there, I'll pass it on to one of my color treated friends/relatives with looser curls. This will probably work wonders for them because it's so gentle.

Have you tried this? Am I doing something wrong? It seems weird that something that got such great reviews does ABSOLUTELY NOTHING for me...

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Not Another Hair Typing Method!

2011-11-09T05:00:00.000-08:00

That's right folks, there is another hair typing method out there. This one if brought to you by Wild Sunshine Bliss. It's probably one of the best descriptors in the sense it actually takes in thickness of hair, size of curl AND gives you pictures to compare to so you don't have to go hunting for a ruler.

Step 1: What size is your curl?

Step 2: What's the curl pattern?

According to this, I'm a medium-fine 2-3C. What are you? Do you think this is a better method than the other ones floating around the internet?

Hair Idol: Maxwell (back in the day)

2011-11-07T08:00:00.000-08:00

Maxwell is an American R&B artist. He played an important role in the development of the soul sub-genre, neo-soul. Seriously, you'd be hard pressed to find anyone who claimed themselves as a "fan" or R&B or "neo-soul" who didn't know who he was or wasn't a fan.

Now, I specified "back in the Day" in the title of this post because he doesn't sport this 'fro anymore. He looks much more like the photo below. Which is still NICE...But I like the fro more.^_^

One of my Favorite Songs By Him: Pretty Wings

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Guess Who's in Natural Bloom!

2011-11-04T05:00:00.000-07:00

I AM!

You can read my feature here: http://issuu.com/thenaturalhaven/docs/naturalbloomnov

It's really cool to be in the same issue as so many big names ^_^. Seriously, Chai from Back to Curly, Kcurly from New Natural and Monique from Sofull Sista? What an honor!

Thank you JC!

Miracle Product-Conceraler

2011-11-01T08:00:00.000-07:00

I naturally have dark circles under my eyes. When you add a pinch of stress, a few days of not sleeping, dehydration and a poor diet, you get what look like black eyes. Seriously, someone stopped me in a store and asked me if I was in an abusive relationship. While I appreciate and will ALWAYS appreciate the concern, being mistaken for an abuse victim is no fun.

Like most issues with dark and medium skinned make up wears, finding a concealer that actually matches, covers the way you want it to, doesn't break you out and doesn't break the bank is difficult. My biggest problem: concealers were either too yellow or too pink or just didn't come in my "in between shade" at all. So, I headed to my nearest Sephora and starting poking around concealers looking for something that matched. A sales lady took one look at my dark circles and directed me away from the concealer palette I was looking at ("you'll never need all those colors, and the ones you need don't come a size that will last you a while") and towards the Joise Maran Argan Blended Concealer in "Chestnut."

It was like the clouds broke and a choir of angels magically appeared. I never knew I could get orange color corrector which is exactly what I need for my "purple" undereye circles that look purple because of my skin tone. And the brown that comes with it, PERFECT MATCH for my skin. Since it IS heavy, I only need a little of both shades and I apply some of my moisturizer underneath to make blending it out easier. A plus of it being heavy? This little palette is going to last me a LONG time. I bought it in mid-August, use it almost every day and I've barely made a dent in it. Yay value!

Now, you really want to see before and after pictures. These photos were taken on different days, but the stress and sleep deprivation are about the same in both. The were taken in my bath room which is why I look ridiculously washed out in both. I have no idea what the bright spot on the left is in the after photo so please ignore it!

A downside of this product, the shade selection SUCKS. Seriously, I'm wearing the darkest color they have. At $28 it's a little pricey, but I concealer is something I don't mind paying for because 9:10 it's the only product I'm wearing (other than sunblock!) and it's hard for me to find a color match at drugstore prices.

What are some of your favorite ways to fake "well-rested," "energized" and ready for the challenges the day brings? I'm open to tips because Exam Season Part II starts...Next Week!

Hair Idol: Elle Varner

2011-10-31T08:00:00.001-07:00

Elle Varner has been popping up all over my tumblr dash with her big curls and bright dress. However, it doesn't look like it's a normal look for her. She's a singer-songwriter that (as usual) tends to work straight and weaved style. Regardless, lets enjoy these gorgeous curls!

The style popped up because of this video:

On an unrelated note:

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

Be safe and have tons of fun!

Since I have class tomorrow, my friends and I celebrated over the weekend and have planned a scary movie night with candy, popcorn and problem sets to celebrate Halloween day. What are you doing? Hopefully something more exciting than me!

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Product Review: Renpure Organics My Pretty Hair is Parched! Moisturizing Shampoo

2011-10-28T08:00:00.000-07:00

Advertised:This formula contains Pomegranate Juice and Pomegranate Extract which helps restore normal moisture levels. It also contains Silk Protein which is used to repair damage and Olive Leaf Extracts which are used to smooth and repair split ends.

Price: $7 for 13.5 oz

Ingredients: This formula contains Pomegranate Juice and Pomegranate Extract which helps restore normal moisture levels. It also contains Silk Protein which is used to repair damage and Olive Leaf Extracts which are used to smooth and repair split ends.

Review: Let's get one thing straight, I hate everything about this product. Not enough to justify a haiku, but it's up there on my WHY DID I BUY THIS?! list.

It smells awful. I don't care for flowery scents or overpowering scents but this is flat out masculine. Unexpectedly masculine. And I don't MIND masculine, I've "borrowed" cologne, I wear perfume that is "usually a masculine scent" (yes, that's what she told me when I bought it.) but this was TOO MUCH. It reminded me of Axe and boys locker rooms when they're dousing themselves in cheap cologne after practice (my locker for TWO YEARS was next to the boys locker room. I think someone in the office hated me).

And to make it worse, it dried my hair out. It seriously screwed my hair up. I took it to Ethiopia with me and only used it twice. I used my mother's shampoo the entire time and left it for my cousins. I hope one of them likes it or they just pass it on like I did.

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Reed Between the Lines

2011-10-26T08:00:00.001-07:00

BETs new television show Reed Between the Lines, staring the lovely Tracee Ellis Ross, recently did an episode called "Let's Talk About Hair." Now this is way later than everyone else because I don't own a TV and I couldn't get it to load anywhere online. Since I haven't seen the show before and just jumped in, Reed's (Ross) daughter Casey wants to get a relaxer because a boy in her school now thinks she's pretty because she has straight hair. And Reed wants to talk her out of it.

For the record, I was a "weirdo" in high school so doing ANYTHING that alters my appearance for a boy was something I never considered so I don't really "get" that logic. I think it would have been much more interesting/open more discussions if you had boy, aunt, cousin, etc. all telling her how much prettier she was now that her hair was straight. I also think it would have been more interesting if they addressed the fact the director handed her a nasty wig on the ground her character has " long, flowing hair. Not *touches Casey's hair like he's touching a something rotting* eh."

However, I LOVED Casey in this episode. My favorite quote from her was "MOM YOU'RE INCREASING MY CARBON FOOTPRINT" when she was getting her hair straightened and it started smoking. And I thought it was nice that she talked about her hair as part of her personality and an expression of her style and that "they're making me do this just because I'm a girl! They'd never ask a BOY to do this." It's really insightful for a teenager, especially someone who is probably in middle school (?).

I think they handled this subject very well and avoided taking it to far down any cliche roads. I like the fact it didn't seem like Reed was "forcing" Casey to stay natural. She gave her the choice to stay natural but more importantly, she gave her a lot of good advice and information about the process and it's outcomes so she could make an informed decision. And if Casey still wanted the relaxer after thinking about it, she would get the best one possible done by trained professionals to avoid an at home disaster.

Any insights? What did you think about the episode?

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Hair Idol: Faustina "Fuzzy" Agolley

2011-10-24T08:00:00.000-07:00

Faustina "Fuzzy" Agolley was an Australian television presenter who hosted the long-running music television show Video Hits until it was cancelled earlier this year. She was born in London to Ghanian and Chinese parents.

And can we talk about how amazingly FLUZFFY her 'fro is? I LOVE IT!!

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Housekeeping!

2011-10-21T00:01:00.000-07:00

Remember how I've been complaining about wordpress.com? The little things that have been bothering me? Like the ecopressed ads that I can't control at the bottom of my page? Or the fact I can't customize my layout as much as I want (for free) which has made my redesign extremely tedious, irritating and generally horrific?

Well, I'm tired of it. So I'll be moving blogs.

Again.

I know it sucks, but I'm really tired of not being able to get this page the way I want it too look. I have great ideas (a sketch book FULL of ideas) but I can't make any of them happen because of the limitations wordpress.com has on free blogs. Since I'm a student, I can't afford to pay for the layout and customization options I want. ;__;

So, I'll be headed over to Aliceinnappyland.blogspot.com and I've already imported most of my posts! I'll be working more this weekend to make sure everything makes it over there in one piece. I've already started playing with layout designs and I'm almost done with my header ^_^ I'm so excited! Creative freedom returns!!

If you already follow me on blogspot, tumblr, or twitter, you should be ok in terms of getting updates because the links have already been updated. If they aren't or you're having trouble seeing the update, please please PLEASE send me an email at diaryofakinkycurlytransitioner@gmail.com, leave a comment on this post or leave a comment on any post at Aliceinnappyland.blogspot.com. However, things are a little more complicated if you follow me on bloglovin.

If you follow me there, you’ll have to follow the blogspot site to get the newest updates. It’s not hard, I promise! All you have to do is click the follow image on the upper right (it’s the same as the one over on wordpress to avoid any confusion ^_^) or just click here!

Don't forget to update the links on your site! Thank you so much for leaving comments, following, dealing with me changing hosts so often, and in generally being a pretty awesome group. I know this is really annoying and I really appreciate the fact you're sticking with me.

xoxo

Alice

Product Review: Shea Moisture Organic Raw Shea Butter Deep TreatmentHair Masque

2011-10-18T17:01:00.000-07:00

Advertised: Our all-natural intense treatment masque deeply penetrates to moisturize and repair over-processed, dry, brittle or damaged hair. Sea kelp trace minerals detoxify hair follicles of impurities and residue. Argan oil restores shine and rebuilds hair elasticity. Shea butter deeply moisturizes and repairs damage to hair and scalp.

Price: 9.99 for 12oz

Ingredients: de-ionized water, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea butter) (denotes certified organic ingredients), Argan oil, vegetable glycerin, emulsifying wax, sea kelp extract, Panthenol (vitamin B-5), essential oil blend, avocado oil, Lonicera Caprifolium (honeysuckle) flower and Lonicera Japonica (Japanese honeysuckle) flower extract, Tocopherol (vitamin E), Hyssopus Officinalis Extract, Salvia Officinalis (sage) leaf and Equisetum Arvense Extract, soybean oil and Daucus Carota Sativa (carrot) seed oil.

Review: It's been a LOOONNNGGGG time since I did a product review. I randomly grabbed this at Target because I convinced myself I needed it even though I had been doing pretty well with my cocktail of conditioners and oils as deep treatments.

First off, this stuff is THICK! We're talking thick cake frosting, custard thick, hold-it-upside-down-and-nothing-moves thick, put-your-finger-in-and-see-mark-for-days thick. Which is always good, I tend to use less product when it's super thick which means more uses which means more bang for my buck! The smell, it's not horrible but it's not great either. It's that earthy, mud smell and one reason I hate it because it TAKES FOREVER TO FADE. This doesn't take as long to fade as I expected, but it still took some time which is a turn off.

So, does it work? For the first time, partly because I have no time anymore, I've been able to deep condition for 20 minutes and get the same results as an over night deep conditioning treatment. I've also used it on really stubborn knots that I get after I kept a wash and go in for too long. And those knots? They just melted away. It's amazing. I've never had wash and go knots just VANISH the way they did with this conditioner.

So, if you're looking for a cheap, deep conditioner that you can get on the ground. Give this a try!

Have you tried it? How did it work for you?

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Hair Idol: Ashley Mckenzie

2011-10-16T17:01:00.000-07:00

Ashley Mckenzie was a contender on season three of the UK version of X-Factor. On top of being a talented singer, he's also a gymnast and model. Sadly, he didn't make it past the fourth round.

I'm really surprised there aren't more photos of him online considering he was on a TV show. Don't they do profiles on each of the artists before they get on? Anyway, check out his audition tape below!

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSq3QsI86Bg&w=420&h=315]

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Nappyland Fitness: Check in 1

2011-10-13T17:01:00.000-07:00

Hello! How is the Nappyland Fitness series going for everyone? I know it's been a while since I posted but it's been 4 weeks and I figured I should check in and leave some tips/things I'd like to improve.

Check in!

(1) Exercise

Errr...well..It's not going too hot. My class AND work schedule did a 180 about two weeks ago and getting back on the exercise bandwagon has been hard because I had to do 2 weeks of catch up in one week while getting all the new information down pat. Which was...well, so terrible I can't even put it into words.

(2) Food

Better than exercise! I've been eating at least one fruit or veggie with each means I'm getting a decent amount of healthy things. But stress leads to stress eating (a huge problem for me. Maybe more about that later. It comes down to how much I want to put "out there") which leads to general unpleasantness for me.

(3) Sleep

It's not happening. The end. Hopefully I'll start getting the 9-10 hours I need to be a functional human being but it hasn't been happening for the last few weeks.

To Improve:

(1) Actually post. No. Seriously.

I've been really bad about posting. In the last 4 weeks I've added to this series twice. Which is ridiculous because I can't stay up to date with what's going on with you all and vice versa. To be honest, I've been thinking about stopping this series because I don't want to keep reporting how bad I've been in terms of staying on this quest to be healthier!

(2) Keep it short.

You've heard 90% of this information before. But probably from other places and it's already engrained in your skull so I'm gonna keep these posts short and sweet. Probably one tip per post instead of a looonnggg discussion like my sleep post. You can expect more images too.

Ironically, this post is doing exactly what I said I wouldn't. Go figure.

How are things going for you?

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Hair Idol: Annie Ilonzeh

2011-10-09T17:01:00.000-07:00

Annie Ilonzeh is an American actress best known for her work in General Hopsital and now Charilie's Angles. She's the first black angel the show has seen so Yay! Granted, I haven't seen the show so I can't confirm/deny if it's worth watching but her hair looks good!

She's also played small roles in Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (2010) and He's Just Not That Into You (2009) in case you were wondering where you had seen her before :)

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And Twist OUT

2011-10-04T17:01:00.000-07:00

After the success of my twists, which lasted a remarkable long time given the weather, exercise and general OMGMUSTBOING from friends, these are the results!

Even though they looked AMAZING, my hair was so dirty I had to wash it after only 3 days. My only complaint, I wish I had done them bigger! I found a lot of small knots and tangles at the end of each twist and that has never happened to me before. Maybe something was wrong with my twisting technique?

HOUSEKEEPING: You may have noticed that posting has moved back to Wednesday, which doesn't fit with the four day schedule I promised. Sadly, I can't generate posts that quickly now that I'm completely swamped with school and Midterm Season Part I is starting. So, we're heading back to the Monday/Wednesday/Friday schedule that I had previously.

Hair Idol: Folake Kuye Huntoon

2011-10-02T17:01:00.000-07:00

Folake Kuye Huntoon is the blogger behind the fashion blog StylePantry.com.On top of having an absolutely inspiring sense of style, she's got a great head of hair too!

Another reason I'm such a huge fan of her style, she's a working mother of three. Yeah, you have no excuse to not dress amazingly well if you want too!

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Blog Break

2011-09-29T00:15:00.000-07:00

Hi All,

I'm going to be taking a blog break. Between work, school, job applications, school applications and blogging I'm completely burnt out. Everyone forgets to tell how much time it takes to draft, schedule, post and edit photos for each post and I can't handle it all right now.

xoxo,

Alice

And Twist

2011-09-28T17:01:00.000-07:00

When I went natural I HATED the way twists looked on me. I swore I would NEVER EVER EVER wear twists EVER. The pigs would fly and hell would freeze over before I wore twists out. And in public?! Absolutely NOT!

Well...We all make exceptions. Right?

I decided to do a twists because I wanted to take a break from life and I knew the process would take me a while. The last few weeks have been really rough and it felt nice to just step back and do something kinda mindless and relaxing. The entire set: washing, conditioning and twisting took about 2 hours but I'm willing to make that kind of time sacrifice because I can see myself getting some seriously long wear out of these bad boys.

I've had these twists in for about a week and they're holding up so nicely! Which is amazing because it's so humid I'm practically breathing water. If I didn't have my portrait coming up I probably would have kept these in for another week because they're still looking pretty fresh. And I was really surprised at how versatile they were. Yes, you see people rocking twisted updos, twisted twists, pony tails and the like but I never thought that would be possible because my hair is SO fine. But it worked!

So...scratch everything I said a while ago. These will definitely be making an appearance this fall. And probably winter. And spring. And summer. And...

A funny thing happened at the bakery....

2011-09-26T17:01:00.000-07:00

C, A good friend of mine, and I found ourselves in Chinatown and decided to swing by one of the few pastry shops open at 10:00 pm. There were three people behind the counter, a shop-girl about my age, another woman and a man messing with the register.

As soon as we walked in, I went STRAIGHT to the glass counter to see what they had. Seriously, don't get between me an a Chinese pastry, you might lose a finger. Especially if the weekended before was one of my hardest academically and socially. So, I wasn't paying too much attention to the conversation C was having with the man at the register, the only thing I caught was him complimenting her super amazing short cut that suits her beautifully.

After I ordered, I realized he was staring at me. In particular. My hair.Which was in a super old wash and go as seen on the left.

"Is that your real hair?" Ugh, Here we go again.

"Yep."

"Really?"

"Yeah. See." And I pulled up the roots to show him that yes, indeed this was my real hair. And he was shocked. And couldn't help touching it considering my head was basically in his face at this point. As soon as he realized that yes, he was touching my hair which under normal circumstances would be REALLY creepy, he immediately added that he was a hairdresser and have NEVER seen or worked with hair like mine before. That's why he immediately noticed, and commented, on both of our hair.

The shop-girl, who I think was his daughter because they had the same nose, looked absolutely mortified. She started talking to the other woman really fast in Cantonese and turning bright pink. The more the man-behind the register, who I later learned is named Stephen, and I spoke about my hair, how do you wash it? (regular shampoo and a good conditioner) How long does it take? (20-30 minutes depending on the tangles) How do you get it to curl like that? (it just does that naturally). The pinker she turned and the more she talked to the other lady, in I PLEASE DONT TELL ME WE'RE RELATED!! PLEASE! kinda way. Which was really adorable.

He was so fascinated by my hair and how I care for it he offered me a free haircut if I ever needed or wanted it. He was really amazed and curious about my hair and I don't think he'd ever seen it before. He even ran back to his shop around the corner to get his business card so I could get in touch with him!

After we left, C and I DIED laughing on our walk to the bus stop. It was such a strange situation! For both of us. C especially she couldn't believe that that kind of thing was relatively normal (9:10 people just TOUCH without asking my permission and aren't interested interested in my hair outside the fact it's SO WEIRD. But I guess most people I meet aren't hair dressers?) for me. C, who speaks some Cantonese added, "According to my broken Cantonese, the other lady was deciding if she should get her son. She kept saying you were gorgeous."

Not a bad way to end the night right? Especially since I that shop had the BEST Red Bean Cake I've ever had in this city :)

Have you ever had an weird interaction/conversation about your hair that ended as positively as this one? Tell me in the comments!

Hair Idol from Street Pepper

2011-09-25T17:01:00.000-07:00

Streetpepper.com, a street fashion blog by Phil sometimes has some AMAZING natural hair. Seriously amazing. Have any of you noticed that naturals on these blogs tend to have killer style as well as hair? I'm jealous...

I love the jacket she's wearing in this picture. How perfect is it for fall!

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We interrupt this program (AGAIN) but this is IMPORTANT

2011-09-23T00:39:00.000-07:00

No really! It is!

My senior portrait is next week.Which in itself is kinda scary because it's constantly reminding me that *gasp* I'm GRADUATING soon. But it's scarier because this is the first time since I scheduled it two weeks ago and I have no idea what to do with my hair. At all. I know the Silly Cap will be involved which kinda limits the amount of "height" I can have since it needs to fit on my head but otherwise, I don't know what to do!!

So, pretty pretty please with a cherry on top help me out! How do YOU think I should wear my hair?

Opps! Looks like you missed voting!;_;

On this topic, how did YOU wear your natural hair for graduation? Graduation photos? General formal campus events for seniors?

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Natural Expressions: Chanell

2011-09-21T17:01:00.000-07:00

Chanell of Lillian-Mae.com a long term transitioner who already seems to "get" her natural hair. Check out the pictures below to see what I mean! Seriously, if I was this good at hair starting out, I would have transitioned long term too! She's also a blogger, dancer and accessory designer.
Is there anywhere we can find you? Youtube, twitter, facebook, blog?

I just started a blog! www.lillian-mae.com. It really doesn't focus on my hair journey per se, but I may think about documenting it more in the future. I make and sell hand-made hair accessories so the blog is a venue for that.

Tell me a little about your hair journey--when did you get your first relaxer? What inspire you to big chop, etc.

I am 15 months into my transition. I don't exactly remember the age I got my first relaxer, but I'm sure it was around 7...and I have been relaxed ever since. From 6th grade on into college I wore flat wraps and eventually transitioned to roller wraps. When I went to college, my hair was APL. Due to the change in climate, not knowing how to keep up my hair, or find a stylist in Tallahassee who I felt could do hair, it broke off. :( A year after I graduated, I began wanting to live a more healthful lifestyle in general. This led me to eat better and exercising became a lifestyle. One day, I realized that I was not living up to my new goal because no matter how much I deviated from man-made chemicals I put in my body and on my skin, I still applied a chemical every 6-8 weeks. I knew I needed to make a change. After thinking about it more deeply, I realized I didn't even know what my natural hair looked like! Can you imagine that! I don't think I've ever made a better choice! I hope more women will be encouraged to take the plunge. God makes no mistakes, and that includes your hair (whatever type it may be).

What do you think is the "future" of natural hair care and the black hair industry?
I believe the future of natural hair care is a very bright one. Many black women are discovering love for their natural hair texture. A lot of companies are capitalizing on this and trying to cater their products towards natural hair. A lot of doors have been opened for entrepreneurs as well. Personally it's well over due. I love the fact that a lot of women are taking their cues from Madame C J Walker and making their own products. It's really a shame that there is so much money in the black hair industry and we don't own it. As a self-proclaimed Kitchen Chemist, I like to create home-made recipes for my hair needs!

What do you think is YOUR future as a natural?

Currently, I am transitioning and plan to BC in June 2012. That will be a two year transition. I honestly can't wait. I find myself wanting to cut off my relaxed ends and never look back! BUT, since I made a comment, I am going to stick to it. I often wonder how my hair will behave once it's fully natural...and believe me, I fight the temptation daily not to find out!

What are some of your favorite hair styles/hair idols?

My favorite natural hair styles include mostly off the cuff up-dos, because I like to keep my ends tucked. I also find that up-dos force me to get the hair out of my face! What you see if what you get :) I love the cinna-bun style. It's elegant and fits any occasion. You can also accessorize the style. I have learned to do braid-outs really well, but but I haven't mastered having them last for more than a few days because I after one night of sleeping pretty, I just want to sleep, LOL! Normally what I do to make the style last is to push up my curls and accessorize it with a pretty scarf or any hair jewelry...usually I create my own pieces. Hair idols...that's a tough one. I recognize the beauty in all naturals. It takes great courage to go against the grain. There are women who have helped me along the way with hair style tips and information related to my journey. I love Naptural85 as well as KimmayTube from YouTube. Both ladies have very well put together and informative videos. I also like FusionOfCultures as well. She has a lot of great styles in her videos. I also check out CurlyNikki and Black Girl Long Hair daily. All the ladies mentioned have beautiful hair (not to mention you)! For style inspiration, I check out the Black Girls Rock tumbler page.

One more question! And it's not related to hair! Is that a belly dance costume? Do you dance? How did you get into it? I'd love to hear more about it!

Yes, that is a belly dance costume :) That is a photo of me during the Orlando Arts Festival. I have been dancing for 3.5 years now. I became interested in BD during the end of college and took a few classes...fast forward to 2011 and I perform with a professional dance group, A Magi Belly Dance. We perform at community and private events. Not only is it a great work out, it's fun, feminine, and your meet amazing people.

Here's information and a link to one of our performances! http://www.lillian-mae.com/2011/06/lm-wants-to-know/

Do you want to be featured? Send an email to diaryofakinkycurlytransitioner@gmail.com!

Miracle Product: Shea Moisture's Organic African Black Soap Bar

2011-09-19T17:01:00.000-07:00

I've never had a huge problem with my sensitive skin. Yeah, I had breakouts and spot marks but nothing that required a dermatologist or a complicated regime. I usually just wash my face at night and go to bed. In winter I'll use a light moisturizer to keep my face from getting too dry and in summer I might use some toner to avoid getting too oily. Otherwise, that's about it.

My little brother on the other hand is not so lucky. He has a lot of acne scars from his terrible cystic acne. Cystic acne the worst kind of acne where oil and dead skin cells build up within hair follicles and causes painful and almost boil-like infections. I once wrote him a LOOONNGGG regime (seriously, it was over a page long and included a mud masque) and forced him to stay on top of it over summer when we were together and it helped. But being a boy and a full time student, as soon as he went back university he couldn't keep it up and his skin returned to it's normal condition.

I'm giving you seemingly random descriptions of our skin types because we BOTH use Shea Mosisture's Organic African Black Soap Bar. And it has done wonders for our polar opposite skin types. After 4 months of use, it's cleared up (some) of my little bros acne scars and he hasn't had a cystic break out since he started using this! Which is wonderful because his breakouts are about as fun as an angry pin cushion.

For me, it's removed ALL of my scarring and my breakouts have become much less severe. I tend to break out horribly around my period and this last go round I had...drumroll please....2 zits. TWO on my ENTIRE FACE. I've never gotten so many compliments on my skin before. When I came back to school all of my friends couldn't stop talking about how great and well rested I looked (that's partly thanks to my another miracle product..more on that later).

The best part, it's a killer deal. $5 per 8 oz bar and you can get it at some drugstore and your local target. It's completely all natural and these bars last forever. I usually end up splitting one bar between me and my brother or if I buy my own, I cut it into quarters and stash the rest in a plastic bag for later. When I say "forever" I used half a 4 oz bar once a day, every day, for about 2 months and it barely decreased in size.

I know this might sound like some crazy advertisement but I PROMISE I'm not being paid for this. I'm really happy with what this has done for both of us and I wanted to share it with you.Now It's really easy for my brother to stay on top of his skin care since he has less products to use and he doesn't have to be worried about coming off too "girly" (mud masque) or whatever in front of his roommates. And for me, I get clear skin without drying my skin out or causing some sort of reaction to the ingredients. And it doesn't break the bank like some products recommended to both of us, which is amazing for us poor student types!

What are some of your favorite face products? Do you like using multiple products or are you a soap and water kinda gal? Tell me in the comments!

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Hair Idol: Asa

2011-09-18T17:01:00.001-07:00

Asa (pronounced Asha) is a Nigerian-French singer, songwriter and recording artist. She was born in Paris but as a little girl her family packed up and moved to Lagos, Nigeria.At 20 she returned to Paris and that's where her music carer really took off. In Paris, she started working with Cobhams Emmanuel Asuquo, an award winning producer, who helped bring her into the spotlight. On top of opening for big name artists like Akon, John Legend, Beyoncé and Snoop Dogg, she has also collaborated with Nigerian artists like as 9ice and Tuface.

Her style, in terms of dress/presentation not music, changed after the success of her debut album and she's gotten a lot of flac for that. But this is what she had to say on that issue: Its fun, I think it is part of finding myself because I spent the most of my life while growing taking care of people. I have been responsible for my siblings and so I had to grow up really fast and that took a lot of attention from me because I didn’t care about myself. So going out to various places and events has influenced me. I’m beginning to really like what I see and I tell myself that I’m beautiful and need to take care of myself. Its fun really because I enjoy the growth, I don’t think I have changed I just added more colour. [1]

Honestly, as long as her music doesn't change, I don't care if she wants to wear a dinosaur suit on stage and an ice skating costume on the streets. But I'm not gonna lie, I LOVE her new look and if I had the chance, I'd raid her closet in a heartbeat.

Music Sample

Jailer

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6rsrK6zxFaI&w=560&h=345]

image citations: 01, 02, 03

We Interrupt this program with a word...

2011-09-15T17:01:00.000-07:00

Due to general chaos at the beginning of the schedule, the Nappyland Fitness post this week will be delayed. I'm trying to do 2 weeks of work in about....2 days. Yeah. So here is the WORLD RECORD holder for biggest natural fro.

My only complaint about the video, she talks A LOT about the problems she's had with having such big (and amazingly. perfectly. round. 'fro). ;___; I kinda wish there were a few good things in there because...well...because it's beautiful.

Drum Roll Please....

2011-09-14T23:24:00.000-07:00

The winner of the Pura Body Natural Give Away is....

Shamonica Geer (shamonica38663)

Congratulations! Please send an email to diaryofakinkycurlytransitioner@gmail.com and I'll have your prize sent over right away!

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A review to get you hyped...

2011-09-12T17:01:00.000-07:00

About the giveaway! Remember, it closes on Wednesday, September 14th at midnight EST so get your tweets and reblogs and follows in ASAP!

As usual, these products were sent to me for review but the opinions are all mine.

Cupuacu Hair Butter in Tahitian Vanilla

Advertised: A rich creamy blend of natural butters and oils to combat dry, brittle hair. Cupuacu is well known for its high fatty acid content which benefits dry, damaged hair while protecting moisture and leaving hair soft and silky. The greatest benefit is cupuacu promotes long lasting hydration due to its ability to absorb water to help maintain moisture. Cupuacu hair butter can be applied to natural, relaxed, and transitioning hair.

Price: 14.00 for 8 oz

Ingredients: Cupuacu Butter, Murumuru Butter, Mango Butter, Illipe Butter, Organic Shea Butter, Virgin Coconut Oil, Organic Olive Oil, Jojoba Oil, Organic Brazil Nut Oil, Organic Mamey Sapote Oil, Castor Bean Oil, Herbal extract blend (horsetail, nettles, burdock root) and Essential Oil Blend/and or fragrance

Review: I don't really know much about Cupuacu, Murumuru or Illipe butter outside the fact that they're more expensive, but softer than shea butter. Since they're softer than shea butter, this butter melts infinitely better than shea butter in your hands and doesn't leave a greasy texture behind. Since I use my butters as a sealer or to set dry twists, this is amazing because I hate having to pull out extra strength hand sanitizer to get the residue off.

It absorbs really well too, when I put it in my hair it didn't leave anything sticky behind like some heavier oils I'd usually use. Since it's so much lighter, I got a great second and third day hair (I like second and third and fourth day hair FLUFFYYY!!!!) because the style isn't weight down so much.

My only complaint about this product is the smell. I've never been a fan of vanilla-y smells since I hate smelling like food but this doesn't even smell vanilla-y. It's more of a butter/vanilla cross that I like less than usually vanilla. Thankfully, this comes in unscented and lemongrass so I don't think scent is gonna be a huge issue if I buy this for myself.

Sapote Hair Lotion in Tahitian Vanilla

Advertised: Make dry brittle hair a thing of the past. Sapote Hair Lotion is an excellent leave-in conditioner that promotes moisture retention and softness for dry lifeless hair. Sapote Oil is grown throughout the West Indies, Central and South America. It's rich in vitamins A, C, and plant proteins, carbohydrates, iron, potassium, and calcium. Sapote restores the health of natural or chemically relaxed hair while improving manageability leaving your hair soft and luxurious.

Price:15.00 for 8 oz

Ingredients: Water, Behentrimonium Metholsulfate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Organic Pouteria (Sapote) Sapota, Orbignya Oleifera (Babassu) Seed Oil, Theobroma grandiflorum (Cupuacu) Butter, Organic Bertholletia excelsa (Brazil) Nut Oil, Coconut Milk Powder, Green Tea Extract, Banana Fruit Powder, Mango Fruit Powder, Tocopherol, Phenoxyethanol, and Capryl Glycol **Note: label identifies second ingredient as Behentrimonium Choride which is a misprint the correct ingredients are listed above.

Review: Remember how I said I don't like vanilla smelling products? I actually LIKED the smell of this because it's more fruit + vanilla instead of the traditional cake smelling vanilla. It's not a little overpowering in the bottle, but once you put it in your hair it pretty much vanishes in a few minutes.

Since it's a light lotion-y consistency, I decided to use it on dry hair as a refresher because my hair needs heavier moisturizers to stay moisturized after washing or co-washing. And I kinda liked it, my hair drank it up but it left it very soft and fluffy. I've never used a lotion like this so I was pleasantly surprised and I might switch to something like this instead of my water-y spray conditioners. However, I was really disappointed that it didn't make my hair shiner.

Hair Idol: Sepsenahki Aahkhu

2011-09-11T17:01:00.001-07:00

This face has been popping up all over the natural hair scene but I haven't seen many people actually putting a name/website to her face. So here you are! Meet Sepsenahki Aahkhu of Chef Ahki and sepsenahki.com.

On top of running both of those sites, Sepsenahki is the founder of Exotic Earth Inc., a colon hygienist, raw foods activist, blogger and vlogger (all about, you guessed it-raw food). For those curious about what exactly a raw food diet ism diet is based on the belief that the most healthful food for the body is uncooked (some say heating food is acceptable) since cooking is thought to denature the enzymes naturally present in food.

image citations: 01, 02, 03

Nappyland Fitness: Get some Zzzzzs

2011-09-08T18:01:00.000-07:00

It might seem silly to start a fitness series by discussing the importance of sleep but I think a good night's rest is one of the most important parts of a get fit goal in university. And it's probably one of the hardest. I'd be lying if I said it was easy to get exercise or stay healthy in school. If you're not a part of a sports team or your school doesn't have a Physical Education graduation requirement it's very easy to avoid the gym because you're too busy. It's easy to eat pizza every night because that's what's around and cheap.But the easiest and worst thing you can do for yourself: pull multiple all-nighters in a row.

One piece of advice I wish someone gave me when I was an underclass woman: keep a bedtime. I started enforcing a bedtime my second or third year and it has done wonders for my sanity and general mental health. With the exception of Friday and Saturday night, I go to bed before midnight. Regardless of how much work I have to do*. It sounds difficult but it's really easy to start cutting back one hour every week until you get to where you want to be in terms of bedtimes. Doing this had made me more alert in class, helped me learn complicated material more quickly and made me a much better person to be around since I wasn't crabby and sleep deprived.

Another way to get aqueduct sleep--know what kind of sleeper you are. I'm a morning person, I have no problem waking up at 6am, in fact I almost prefer it. So I schedule most of my classes and workshifts in the morning to capitalize on when I'm most productive. However, one of my best friends is the complete opposite, she hates getting up early and would rather stay up until 4 am and sleep until 2 pm every day. As you can guess, most of her classes are in the afternoon and evening.

If exams are coming and you're drowning in papers and projects and tests and it's ABSOLUTELY IMPOSSIBLE (I mean really impossible, no way, no how, impossible) to get a full 8-9 hours, you might want to try taking "power naps." A power nap is waking up before entering deep sleep and has been shown to quickly revitalize the napper. The average length of these is 20 minutes but I've heard of people napping for 1-2 hours. I would recommend testing different times BEFORE exams actually start because you don't want to sleep and wake up more tired than you were before!

Now that you know a little about the importance of sleep, how the heck do you avoid the all-nighter trap that everyone (including you) will probably fall into? Besides the advice that everyone will give you about effective time management and keeping a planner and not over committing yourself and blah blah blah, accept that you aren't superwoman. Sometimes you have to accept that things will not get done or not get done that way you want them too. Doing that has not only freed up my schedule a little bit but has made me a much happier and healthier and very well rested person.

How do you fit 8-9 hours of sleep into your day? Do you take power naps? Go to bed early? Go to bed late? Tell me in the comments and have a good night!

Oh! Before you head off to bed like a good little student don't forget to enter my giveaway! It closes one the 14th so you better hurry!

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*this rule sometimes goes out the window during finals and midterm season. But at least I get to make it up after finals when I've been known to sleep for 10+ hours straight.

Pura Body Naturals Give Away!

2011-09-07T17:01:00.000-07:00

In honor of Pura Body Naturals one year anniversary, they've asked me to partner with them for...

ALICE IN NAPPYLAND'S
FIRST GIVE AWAY!

The winner will receive:

a Cupuacu Hair Butter
a Sapote Hair Lotion, and
the Organic Sapote Hair Oil

What do you have to do to enter? It's super easy and will take 2 minutes. All you have to do is: Follow me and Pura Body Naturals on Twitter. Then leave me a comment telling me what your name on twitter is so I can make sure you exist. Do you want an EXTRA entry? Retweet "I entered Alice's Pura Body Naturals contest:http://tiny.cc/yiqpf" or reblog my tumblr post about the give away (if you reblog, please provide a link to the post in your comment) and mention that you did this in your comment.

You better do it soon! The giveaway will close September 14th at midnight EST and the winner randomly chosen and announced on September 15, 2011!

Modified Co-Wash Routine

2011-09-05T17:01:00.000-07:00

Now that I'm back in my dorm, co-washing and generally washing my APL hair is a NIGHTMARE. Since I live on the 4th floor, the second highest in my building, it takes forever to GET hot water and that hot water might not STAY hot long enough to detangle and rinse out said conditioner. I've been playing with different ways to co-wash and this is the most successful method I've had so far.

1. Separate dry hair into 4 sections and your apply co-wash conditioner and gently finger detangle each section.

This cuts the detangling time down so I'm less likely to lose hot water. It's a little tricky to detangle dry hair, even loaded up with conditioner, because it's fragile and it's very easy to get impatient and rip through a tough spot.

2. Slap on a shower cap and putter around cleaning, watching youtube videos and avoiding homework for about 15 minutes.

I dont have a problem with procrastination. Not. At. All ^_^. The extra heat with the shower cap will help your hair absorb the conditioner, kinda like a dry deep conditioning treatment.

3. Apply a tiny bit more conditioner and jump in shower.

Since my hair absorbs conditioner like a sponge, adding some more makes up for what has already been sucked up and will make detangling easier since there will actually BE conditioner in my hair.

4. Detangle (in sections) with a wide-toothed comb

Pretty self explanatory right?

5. Done!

Huzzah! Now you're ready to style!

What are your tips to save time while co-washing? Have you stopped co-washing completely? Tell me in the comments!

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Hair Idol: Nneka

2011-09-04T17:01:00.001-07:00

Nneka Egbuna is a German-Nigerian singer born in Warri, Oil City in the Delta region of Nigeria at the height of its new found wealth in the mid 70s. At nineteen she decided to pack her bags and move to northern Germany to continue her studies in anthropology while performing and writing music across Europe. Pretty impressive right?

It gets better. Her first album, Victim of Truth, was a huge success and called "As good as The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill" by UK’s The Sunday Times. Not bad considering The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill is a must have if you want to consider yourself a fan of r&b, hip-hop or neo soul.

Her second album was equally praised (Lauryn Hill and Lenny Kravitz both said-I WANT HER TO OPEN FOR ME!!). Her third album turned more inward and focused on tougher realities like modern politics – both personal and international. For example, writing the song ‘Africans’, which tells her people to stop blaming their colonial past for their problems and take responsibility for themselves, and then performing it in packed houses in Nigeria takes a strength of will, courage and insight that few artists today posses.

Keep her on your radar my music junkies, she's gonna be big!

Music Sample-Heartbeats

The Uncomfortable Truth

image citations: 01, 02, 03

Nappyland Fitness: What it's all about/backstory

2011-09-01T17:01:00.000-07:00

I've always been body conscious and aware of my weight and it's fluctuations up and down--I was a varsity athlete in high school until a knee injury knocked me out and a dancer, which as you all know, basically means spending hours and hours in front of a mirror trying to get "the look" and the steps perfect. This hyper-awareness spiraled out of control towards the end of high school/beginning of college and lead to some very unhealthy and unhappy times that we don't need to discuss. Our focus is on positivity here!

When I started school I promised myself that I would do my best to not get obsessive about my body BUT I would stay healthy, which was surprisingly difficult since I ended up super stressed, surrounded by horribly unhealthy dining hall food and very sick. The combination of the three made me gain about 40lbs. As you can imagine, gaining that much weight so quickly did a number of my sanity/general mental health which made it hard to focus on exercise-for-health instead of exercise-for-weight-loss.

I decided to start Nappyland Fitness when I came back from Ethiopia and noticed that none of my clothes fit. They were all too big, which REALLY surprised me. It was the first time in over ten years I hadn't actively tried to lose weight or cared about my weight. What had happened? My lifestyle had completely changed. I was eating small portions of vegetable heavy dishes (we rarely ate meat) and walked A LOT. And I was really happy with how healthy I was feeling: my skin was clearer, I was sleeping better, I had more energy and was more focused on daily tasks at work.

So I decided to (try to) maintain that in what could be the most impossible place to maintain it: College. But, fear not, I have a plan. Which is:

Diet Changes: I feel bad to call it a "diet" change because it's really more of a "wow, I didn't know I had a food allergy!" I recently learned I'm lactose intolerant to the point small amounts of cheese will make me gassy and unpleasant. Since I never really ate red meat, I've cut 99% of it out of my diet. The exception is an Ethiopian dish call tibs which I KNOW I couldn't live without.

Exercise: I, like most students, am incredibly busy so I actually scheduled 3x a week exercise sessions around my classes and work schedule. This is partly to stay sane as well, when I was dancing intensely, I noticed my head was clearer since I channeled all my daily frustrations into a class. Hopefully I'll be able to do something similar this semester ~~especially since I'm expecting a boatload of ignorant comments in one of my classes~~.

So what exactly is Nappyland Fitness going to be outside of a personal log? It's going to be a once weekly feature where I share tips for maintaining a healthy and happy life in an stressful and chaotic environment. I'm going to be talking (writing?) about food, exercise, mental health, physical health and just posting things that make me smile or make my day just a bit (or a lot) better.

For all of you students, no matter what level, or 9 to 9ers (I know you're reading!) how do you stay in healthy and happy? What are some of your favorite exercises, foods, etc.? How do you stay motivated when things get too hectic? What makes you smile when things are getting to hard? Tell me in the comments I'd love to get some ideas :)

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Product Review: Hair Milk Curl Perfecting Conditioner

2011-08-31T17:01:00.000-07:00

Advertised: Gentle Conditioner for Curly Hair
We love this because it:

This penetrating moisture treatment restores while supporting healthy-looking natural curls. A blend of natural ingredients perfects your curls, leaving them soft and bouncy--yet completely manageable.
Helps minimize tangles and balance moisture with Pro-vitamin B5 (Panthenol)
Helps promote healthy hair with Biotin (Vitamin H)
Conditions scalp and protects against moisture loss with Vitamin A (Retinyl Palmitate)
Protects hair from environmental damage with Vitamin E (Tocopherol)
Has essential oils of Orange and Lemon

PLUS, this has NO Parabens, Petroleum, Mineral Oil or artificial color

Price: 10 oz for $19

Ingredients: Water (Aqua), Cetearyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Cyclopentasiloxane, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter), Citrus Medica Limonum (Lemon) Peel Oil, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Oil, Elettaria Cardamomum (Cardamon) Seed Oil, Thuja Occidentalis (Cedar) Leaf Oil, Panthenol (Pro-vitamin B5), Retinyl Palmitate (Vitamin A Palmitate), Tocopherol (Vitamin E), Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E Acetate), Biotin (Vitamin H), Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C), Linoleic Acid, Linolenic Acid, Cetrimonium Chloride, Dimethicone, Amodimethicone,Cyclohexasiloxane, Divinyldimethicone/Dimethicone Copolymer, Caprylyl Glycol, Propylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate, Citric Acid, C11-15 Pareth-7, C12-13 Pareth-3, C12-13 Pareth-23, Dicetyldimonium Chloride, Laureth-9, Polyurethane-14, Polyquaternium-37, Polysorbate 60, PEG-45M, PPG-1 Trideceth-6, Trideceth-12, AMP-Acrylates Copolymer, VP/DMAPA Acrylates Copolymer, Tetrasodium EDTA, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone, Fragrance (Parfum).

Review: Like the shampoo I reviewed earlier, this was given to me as a SAMPLE THIS! IT'S GREAT!! From my aunt. And I was surprised.

Because I kinda liked it.

My hair was POPPING and it was super easy to detangle my hair with a tiny bit of product, which is impressive because my hair has been crabby and basically rebelling against everything on the grounds: NOT MOISTURIZING ENOUGH! Which is a perfectly valid response given the way I'd been treating my hair (I got a new deep conditioner and spoiling it royally to make up for my bad behavior). My wash and go, looked AMAZING without any product and it probably would have stayed like that.

Two complaints: 1 the bottle-like I mentioned in the shampoo review, the bottles for the shampoo and conditioner are REALLY similar. Painfully similar. Every time I picked up the bottle I had to check to make sure it wasn't shampoo which gets really old really fast.

Two: the smell. OH THE SMELL. It's HORRIBLE if ANY is left in your hair. Usually when I leave a little bit of conditioner in my hair it doesn't really bother me or anyone around me. This actually smelled like rotting and mold and all sorts of pleasantries. I WAS ACTUALLY STOPPED by a relative who asked me if I had some sort of scalp sickness because my head stank.

Would I buy this for myself? Nope! The possibility of accidentally leaving some in and smelling like death + the price is enough to turn me off.

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Hair Idol: Tracee Ellis Ross

2011-08-28T17:01:00.000-07:00

Tracee Ellis Ross is probably the most popular Hair Idol for new naturals and it's amazing I haven't featured here on this site yet! For those that don't know her, she's an American actress most famous for her roles in T.V. sitcoms.

For those curious about how she cares for her hair:

I wash my hair once a week. I use a couple different shampoos. Once a month, I use the Aveda Shampure and at the same time I'll also rinse with the Rene Furterer Vinegar Rinse. But if you don't want to spend that much you can use apple cider vinegar and cut it with water. Your hair will shine, but you can't use it all the time because it will dry your hair out. On a regular basis, I use the Gold Wells Conditioning Shampoo. On a weekly basis, one of my beauty secrets is that I steam. I go to one of the Korean day spas. I fill my hair up with Gold Well Kerasilk Conditioner-that conditioner is fantastic for conditioning hair under a heating cap, which I do if I can't get into a steam room. With the Kerasilk, your hair will not curl up. My hair gets so soft that it doesn't curl up, so I have to use another conditioner. The other is very expensive but you get a lot for your money. It's called Hair Mayonnaise. It is a growth enhancer. It's an organic company. It comes in a big tube. I's a really good deep conditioner. Then, when I want my best hair I'll use Denman D-4 brush or the salon industrial heavy brush. I am an advocate of Denman brushes. It is a rubber brush. The older it gets the better because it has gotten softer. I also use the Cherry Almond Burnt Conditioner by Aveda. I mix with a little of the Deep Penetrating Conditioning from Aveda for the smell. And, I seperate my hair into six sections in order to brush it out. So, I don't break my hair. And you start from the bottom. The way your mom taught you. I do this in the shower. I put more conditioner in my hair, shake my hair so my curls can find each other, and take my hair up with a big clip. Leave it in for a while, then, I turn off all the hot water and turn up the cold water. Put the cold water on low pressure because the high pressure will break up all the curls that just found each other. The low pressure cold water keeps it shiny and keeps the curl.(1)

But I really like her because she's really plays with her hair. Up. Down. Curls. Rollersets. Big. Long. Short. Straight. I'm pretty sure she's done it all and done it beautifully.

image citations: 01, 02 ,03

Product Review: Carol's Daughter Hair Milk Shampoo

2011-08-22T17:01:00.000-07:00

Advertised: A nourishing shampoo for the type of hair that needs it most…curls. Cuts frizz, gently removes dirt, and product build-up. Made with essential oils and vitamin A to help condition the scalp and lock in moisture. Gives curls what they need for that desired healthy, bouncy look

Price: $16 for 10 oz

Ingredients: Water (Aqua), Disodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Glycerin, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, PEG-2 Cocamide Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter), *Arctium Majus (Burdock) Root Extract, *Malva Sylvestris (Mallow) Flower Extract, *Equisetum Arvense (Horsetail) Extract, *Citrus Medica Limonum (Lemon) Peel Extract, Citrus Medica Limonum (Lemon) Peel Oil, Citrus Medica Limonum (Lemon) Fruit Extract, Camellia Sinensis (Tea) Leaf Extract, Pyrus Malus (Apple) Fruit Extract, Saccharum Officinarum (Sugar Cane) Extract, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Oil, Elettaria Cardamomum (Cardamon) Seed Oil, Thuja Occidentalis (Cedar) Leaf Oil, Panthenol (Pro-vitamin B5), Biotin (Vitamin H), Retinyl Palmitate (Vitamin A Palmitate), Ascorbyl Palmitate, Tocopherol (Vitamin E), Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E Acetate), Linoleic Acid, Linolenic Acid, Creatine, Sodium Hyaluronate, Cetrimonium Chloride, Betaine, Glycol Distearate, Hexylene Glycol, Hexapeptide-11, Citric Acid, Disodium EDTA, Sodium Hydroxide, Acrylates Copolymer, AMP-Acrylates Copolymer, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Hydroxypropyl Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Silicone Quaternium-3, PVP, Trideceth-7, Trideceth-12, Polyurethane-14, PEG-7 Glyceryl Cocoate, PEG-150 Distearate, PEG-200 Hydrogenated Glyceryl Palmate, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone, Fragrance (Parfum) * Certified Organic

Review: Carol's Daughter's products are pretty hit or miss for me and usually when I get a hit, I don't want to buy it for myself because I hear my wallet crying as soon as I go "Wow! This is GOOD!". So, I did not buy this. My aunt let me borrow it because she loved it and wants everyone in the family to try it. I'm 90% sure if I don't give it back she'll ~~kill me~~ take it by force.

Back to the important stuff: I actually like this shampoo. Maybe it's because I've been using cheap drugstore brands that dry my hair out (the Renpure Organics one I said I would review? I hated it so much I don't even want to give it a post. Actually. Maybe I WILL review it so none of you will buy it) so this felt like a spa treatment on a cookie or maybe this shampoo is actually THIS GOOD. The world may never know.

What do know: this is probably one of the creamiest, most moisturizing shampoos I ever tried. When I first put it in my hand, I wasn't sure if it was conditioner and had to double check the bottle because it comes out so creamy. Which ironically is something that started getting on my nerves. Since the bottles look so similar and my eyes are so bad, I had to constantly double check which was which when I was in the shower and that got annoying really quickly.

On the bright side, My hair got super clean without getting squeaky clean and I even managed to do some detangling! This is impressive considering my hair likes to knot up and tangle as soon as water gets on it. Another plus, the smell is really clean and citrus-y which is a welcome change from the overly flowery over or overly musky scents the other Carol's Daughter products I tried.

Would I buy this for myself? Ehh...maybe. I'm not completely sold on the price but I love everything it did for my hair. If you have recommendations for a cheaper shampoo like this, tell me in the comments! I want to try it!

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Hair Idol: Herieth Paul

2011-08-21T17:01:00.000-07:00

Herieth Paul is a Tanzanian model who was recently on the cover for Elle Canada looking suspiciously like a Naomi Campbell look alike. I wish she would work her fro in more editorials. Look at how fluffy and fly it is!

And one TWA shot:

image citations: 01, 02, 03, 04

What's going on?!

2011-08-20T06:45:00.001-07:00

Hi Everyone,
You may have noticed that I suddenly imported all of my blog posts BACK to blogger. This is because I'm thinking of coming back here because I've been slowly getting more and more disappointed with wordpress.com and the fact I can't customize my blog the way I want to. So thanks for sticking around and maybe we'll see each other again soon!

Please be patient with the layout funkiness. I have to manually edit all of the posts to make sure they're properly aligned.

Alice

Reflections/Diaspora/Culture Shock/Whatever

2011-08-18T17:01:00.000-07:00

Alice, meet Giant Balloon Dog. Giant Balloon Dog, meet Alice

I've been trying to write this post since I landed stateside but I haven't been able to put my feelings into words. Was this an absolutely amazing, inspiring and rewarding experience? Absolutely. I didn't talk much about what I was doing since I figured no one would be interested in my day to day routine/I wasn't sure if I was allowed to because some of the projects had set announcement dates. So, here is the quick and dirty run of mah job: I worked as a production assistant/assistant to the director of the Modern Art Museum. Which means I spent my time putting together exhibits, organizing a calender, planning events, hanging out with artists and other creative folk, researching contemporary and modern artists in Africa, etc.

Since I've been thinking about going into museum work (curating, art conservation or archeology) this was perfect in terms of getting connections and seeing how everything works but it also got me thinking (more seriously) about heritage, culture and this thing called "Diaspora" which everyone I worked with thought I was a part of.

The word "Diaspora" started popping up everywhere in 2003 (Diaspora Square, Diaspora Ave, Diaspora Building, etc.) with the millennium celebrations (remember, different calenders folks) when thousands of Ethiopians came back to the country to celebrate with friends and family. Many of them ended up staying and starting their own businesses, schools and hospitals, etc. to give back to the community in some way, shape or form. And honestly, after my time here, I can definitely see myself moving to Addis (for a little bit. Maybe. ) and becoming part of this.

Adjusting to being "home" has been difficult and painful (nearly lost a toe nail walking around the HOUSE in the dark -__-) but mostly WEIRD. In Addis, I felt like I actually belonged and my mannerisms (well, most of them) like hugging everyone, eating off other people's plates and sitting to close to people were completely normal. Back here, I can FEEL eyes on me when I steal a bite of someone's plate and adjusting to the idea "personal space" took longer than I expected it to. And the first two days I kept wanting to ask "WHERE DID ALL THESE WHITE PEOPLE COME FROM?!" Yeah, not used to it. At all.

But, I'd be lying if I said it wasn't good to be home. I've been seeing old friends, celebrating birthdays, belated birthdays and unbirthdays, enjoying the sunshine and preparing for what might be the craziest academic year of my life. I've got over 1200 photographs and videos to remind me of my time here and...Well..I don't know. I kinda wanted to end this post on a big inspirational type line but that seems foolish and stereotypical. So here's honest:

I'm eternally grateful and lucky to have stumbled on this opportunity.

I'm eternally grateful to have spent 10 weeks surrounded by some of the most inspiring and creative people I've ever met.

I'm happy I learned so much about myself in such a short time.

I'm happy I got to see family that I haven't seen in 15+ years.

I'm happy, inspired and ready to take on the world. I've been through some of my the highest highs and the lowest lows in Addis and I'm pretty sure I can handle anything else the world wants to throw at me.

Lalibella

2011-08-17T17:01:00.000-07:00

Lalibella is the second holiest city in Ethiopia (second to Axum, which I didn't get to go to because I ran out of money ;_;) and is about an hour and 10 minutes by plane north of the city. I wanted to come here because of it's famous thirteenth century rock hewn churches and because it's where my grandfather was born!

The top of Bete Giyorgis/ Church of Saint George

There are 11 of these rock hewn churches and they're divided into three categories: monolithic, semi-monolithic and cave. They're also all connected via a network of tunnels (with the exception of 2, I think. There might be a tunnel and I wasn't allowed in it) which makes getting from church A to church B really easy.

Ne’akuto Le’ad

I'm only going to talk about my two favorite churches: Bete Giyorgis/The Church of Saint George, the most famous one and Ne'akuto Le'ad/I-have-no -clue -how -to- translate -this -name, the cave church. First off-Saint George. It's a monolithic church which means it has no support coming from the rock surrounding it. One thing the posters and photographs don't capture about this building is how AMAZINGLY HUGE it is. It's literally like someone dug a hole and stuck a 3-4 story building in it and called it a day.

When you think about when it was BUILT (13th C) it gets even more amazing. And one thing about these churches, nothing was done "because I think it's pretty." Everything from the fake windows, to the window shape, to the entrance has some symbolic meaning. For example, there are levels carved on the sides of the church which have their own window style that correspond to the different things Noah brought on his arc.

Collecting Holy Water

Ne'akuto Le'ad was hands down my favorite. There are no words to describe this place and whenever I try it doesn't accurately capture this place. It's about 7km outside the city and is literally built into the rock. Out of all the churches I wentto on this trip (trust me, I've probably gotten enough prayers and blessings to last the next 2 years), it's one of the few where holy water comes down from the ceiling and is collected in stone basins. Where the water comes from, I have no clue which is probably why it's considered holy. My grandmother is a fiercely religious lady who asked us to bring her some so we brought about 2 liters of it in a water bottle and stuck it in our carry-on, ironically it was NOT taken at the airport but my toothpaste and contact lens solution (even though I argued it was eye medicine!) was. Go figure.

When you go inside, literally the only thing you hear is the sound of water drops and birds singing. The church is built into/around this amazing grey and black stone and since it was a super grey day when we got there, the entire place had this amazing silvery glow to it. I can't really describe it. But when you add these amazing 13th century paintings to the mix the entire place felt like it had been completely abandoned in time and I was lucky enough to stumble on it that day.

I had a lot of trouble writing this post because I don't think I accurately managed to capture how magical and amazing this place really is. The entire time I kept touching the walls (partly to keep from falling, the paths are steep and narrow) and looking around trying to take everything in because I could not imagine how this place could exist. If you end up going to Ethiopia, you need to come here. Hands down it's one of the best experiences of this trip.

Alice + Butter

2011-08-15T17:01:00.000-07:00

Kibae, literally freshly churned butter, is a popular traditional hair treatment and headache cure. It’s so popular that most salons, high and low, offer it on their list of services. My hair was looking a little rough (note to self: bring your regular leave in when you travel regardless of what you plan on doing to your hair!) and my grandmother suggested I try it. Since her neighbor owns a cow and sells kibae, it wasn’t too hard to get and try at home. I was a little hesitant because…it’s BUTTER. Straight up can-put-this-on-toast BUTTER.

I had my cousin do it for me because I was a little too freaked out by the idea of putting butter in my hair. It felt really nice going on though—I can see why it would be used for headaches—literally instant cooling sensation. It stayed in my hair for a few hours (carefully wrapped so it wouldn’t drip all over my face!). I was really worried about the smell since I was CONVINCED it started stinking by hour three but according to everyone around me (entire family and a few unexpected guests. Of course they show up when I'm doing this.) I didn’t smell at all.

completely buttered

Another thing about I was nervous about was washing this stuff off. Surprisingly, it wasn’t as difficult as you think it would be! Regular old shampoo and conditioner got everything out in no time and little effort. I wasn’t allowed to rinse it off in the bathroom but since I wasn’t in there my family was willing to help my questionably coordinated self out.

the results!

The results were AMAZING and I completely understand why it’s so popular. Soft and shiny and everyone kept telling me I was glowing (probably because I did end up with butter on my face). To give you an idea of how soft/shiny/amazing/etc it was, I had a perfect wash and go sans gel and a creamy leave-in (my secret to wash and go success) for 3 days. Not to bad!

Hair Idol: Kimberly Gipson

2011-08-14T17:01:00.000-07:00

Look it's a proper Hair Idol post!

If you've watched any Top 40 music videos you've seen Kimberly Gipson, but you probably didn't know who she was. She's one of Beyonce's back up dancers with a hugely fierce fro and she tends to steal the spot light from B herself (watch how they position in her choreography!).

Backstage photo

Kimberly was born and raised in New Jersey before she skipped town to dance in Vegas casinos and latter joined the Philidephia 76ers dance team. Her time with the team lead her to Atlanta for an audition for Beyonce, which as you already know, she nailed.

On top of dancing professionally, she also started a dance workshop called KiMMESTRY. In her eyes it:

is more than a dance workshop. It’s a ME movement, using dance as a vehicle on the road of discovering one’s self worth. With all the negative imagery of woman in the media and magazines, it’s difficult to develop a healthy love for who we are. Every woman goes through stages where she wishes she could change “this” or be more of “that.” Some of us learn to love who we are while others never embrace their individuality. My goal with KiMMESTRY is to increase the importance of self-love in the women of our future.*

Kimbery live with Beyonce (and not gonna lie--I love this wig on Beyonce. And do you recognize the twin dancers with her? They've been featured here before! )

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TwzRrcV4tDY&w=560&h=349]

image citations: 01, 02, 03

*quote taken from bglh's interview with her

Sebeta

2011-08-12T00:15:00.000-07:00

By a waterfall

Sebeta is in southwestern Ethiopia about an hour outside the city. It’s famous for 2 things—the Meta Beer Factory and waterfalls (which are located on the Meta’s property). For a small fee, you’re allowed to go into the factory to see the waterfalls and enjoy one of their famous cellar beers, which are beers that haven’t been fermented yet. They’re so popular that people order 3,4,5 or however amount they plan on drinking at once because once they’re out for the day, they’re out.

They also have a decent sized monkey population because they’re in a hilly area. But they’ve gotten very used to people and have developed a taste for candy, especially chewing gum. If you offer them gum, they’ll literally take it out of your hand. My mother gave one of them a piece and the monkey liked it SO MUCH when she was given something else to eat, she took it out. Put it next to her. Ate what she was given. Put the gum back in her mouth and started chewing. For the rest of the time we were sitting, every time my mom opened her purse the monkey perked up to see if she was getting another piece.

It might seem dangerous to have waterfalls + beer factory but they have a lot of natural and human defenses to keep drunk folks away from the wet cliffs. Before you can get to the water, you have to pass at least 2 police officers. If you make it past them, you have to pass level 2: the rifles.

There are little booths set up with toy rifles or handguns that shoots darts. If you get a bull’s eye, your shot is free. If you don’t, 1 birr. And

Level 3: Failed

you can do this for as long as you want. Very few people can pass this up —everyone I went with tried this but the closest we got was inner circle. Mine ended up on the EDGE of the farthest one. Clearly, I was not meant to hunt my own food.

You made it past level 2? Now try level 3: Camel. There is a photo opportunity with a camel that is too good to pass up—it’s only costs 10 birr. After much coaxing, I ended up on it’s back for the photo. And they’re big. Really big. I managed to sneak a few steps in (the owner was NOT happy) and they’re a pretty comfortable way to travel. Much better than a horse since they aren’t super boney or jumpy.

Hawassa

2011-08-10T17:01:00.000-07:00

boat riders on Lake Hawass

Hawassa is a southern city known famous for it’s lakes, resorts and amazing weather (it doesn’t rain much in winter and it rarely ever get cold!). The only airport there is privately owned which meant for the first time I had to jump on one of the big public buses*. And I swear I will never get on another one again. The bus ride out was a cramped, uncomfortable situation because my legs were too long for the seat and the ride itself took 6 hours because of the constant stopping. To put this in perspective, if you take a mini bus it takes about 3 hours to get there and if you drive yourself you can do it in even less time.

I stayed at the Haile Resort and I don’t regret a single second I spent here. It sits, like most resorts, right on the edge of Lake Hawassa with access to boat rides, swimming (strongly discouraged by staff if you weren’t a local) and lovely walking paths. However, since they work closely with the natural wild life and preserve the “look” and feel of the area you may end up sharing your lunch with a monkey like an unfortunate man next to me.

The actual city of Hawassa-downtown

The city of Hawassa was one of the most interesting cities I’ve visited thus far. One, it’s so FLAT. It’s so flat a majority of the population was using a bicycle or a motorcycle to get around. The fact it has paved or cobblestone roads make riding either of this much easier than the rocky, wet, hilly and muddy Addis. It’s also the first city that I’ve been to in Ethiopia that is not a walking city—to get around you literally need a pair of wheels (preferably a bike or a motorcycle) because everything is spread so far apart.

For the first time, I did not look like a local. Each of part of the country has a distinct “look” and somehow, even though a ¼ of my family comes from here, I don’t have ANYTHING that looks remotely “local” in my face, manner of speaking, etc. It’s very strange to be treated like a tourist. I don’t like it one bit!

outside the resort on the last night. Yes, tanned and it was warm enough for a dress

The bus ride back was an EXPERIENCE. Since I needed to be back before 10am to make it to work on time, we decided to take a minibus back to Addis. Except minibuses don’t leave the city? Err..ok. Regular bus it is. Ugh.

But this bus was FANCY. Television playing American, Indian and Ethiopian music videos. Big chairs that didn’t SQUISH ME INTO A PISSY BLOB. I was ready to sit down and enjoy my 6 hour ride home and everything was GREAT because even in 6 hours, I still would have made it to work on time. Late but this is Ethiopia, late is relative. We started making AMAZING time. We hit the rest stop in less than 2 hours which means we could have made it to the city in 2 more. Not bad for these beasts.

But, the bus breaks down 160km outside of Addis. At high noon when it’s a bajillion and 5 degrees and then STAYS broken for 2 ½ hours. The only reason I made it back to the city before the sun went down was because my grandmother elbowed someone in the chest and dragged me onto the ONLY MINIBUS that stopped for our busted bus.

For those curious, I ended up missing work completely.

sunset on Lake Hawassa

*There are small “mini buses” that you can take around Addis, which have been my primary mode of transportation here. They’re basically vans that you can catch from pretty much anywhere to get around both the city and the surrounding areas.

Gondar-Fassil Gimb

2011-08-08T17:01:00.000-07:00

NOTE: Sorry everyone! My bandwith got maxed out and will be maxed out until the 12th. Posts after this SHOULD load normally though!

xoxo

Alice

Fassil Gimb isn’t really a single castle; it’s more like a network of castles. Maybe at some point it was a single castle, but now it’s a network of ruins.

The castles here are all different ages and were all used by different kings and queens. When the Italians invaded, parts of them were destroyed in order to make way for things like a garage and lower morale. Honestly, this probably just pissed the Gondarian population off because they are fiercely proud people. Especially when it comes to their history.

Lions' cages

Hair Idol: Braided Mohawk

2011-08-07T17:01:00.000-07:00

I'm back! But I'm horribly jetlagged and don't have the energy to do a proper Hair Idol post.Booo. So today we're going to talk about one of my favorite natural hair styles is the braided Mohawk. It's one of my favorites it ALWAYS look cool and since I CANT DO IT (me? cornrow? are you nuts!?) every time I see it on someone with it I have to tell them how much I love it.

I would also like to send out a HUGE thank you to Anaïs who took care of Alice in Nappyland while I was away. You did an amazing job and thanks for putting up with me and my in and out internet!

In terms of travel posts, I have some left and I'm going to keep the 4x a week posting schedule (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday). When I finish getting the travel posts up, I might revert back to the 3x a week (Monday, Wednesday, Friday) but I have a few tricks up my sleeve that might get you more!

big hair AND big earrings? My favorite things!

See! You can do it on short hair too!

image citations: 01, 02, 03, 04

Gondar-Ras Gimb

2011-08-05T17:01:00.000-07:00

Before we dive into this post, a quick lesson on Amharic. It’s a phonetic language, which means when you translate anything into English there are at least 3 ways to spell something. So, Gondar can actually be spelt Gondor, Gonder or Gondar. And this is all relevant because I’m pretty sure Tolkien got some inspiration for HIS idea of Gondor from this place.

Gondar is north of Addis and it takes about 50 minutes to get there by plane. I came here for work. Yes, work. My job took me here. Why? Because we’re restoring one of the historic castles! Quick history lesson: Gondar used to be the capital of Ethiopian society before it was moved to Addis. As a result, there are tons of castles and other ruins dating back to the 15th and 16th century.

Sadly, most of them are just structures with all of the artifacts that used to be housed inside them missing, stolen or in storage somewhere else. It’s actually really depressing because hundreds of years of history are just GONE. Literally GONE. And no one has information on where or when they’ve disappeared.

The castle is called Ras Gimb, which translates, into “Head Castle.” It’s an appropriate name since kings lived in since the start of the monarchy. Unlike some of the other castles, there are some objects left—furniture and things too heavy or too cumbersome to move or that seem to have little value. -___-

The original architect/designer person paid a lot of attention to tiny details. For example, each door knocker was individually carved. Locks (on top of being hugely cumbersome and difficult to open. Not that I was breaking into some of the rooms.) were carved to match the door knobs/knockers and even the support beams were painted and decorated to match the rooms.

Door Knocker

I love this castle. Seriously, I ended up sitting on a stone just outside and listening/watching the world go by for hours. There is a church down the street, which means there is a music store specializing in church music down the street as well. All you hear inside the property are church songs and birds and occasionally the wind (it didn’t rain when I was there so no rain). It’s absolutely magical. That’s the only way I can describe it.

Endoto + Menelik I’s Palace

2011-08-03T17:01:00.000-07:00

Endoto Ragule is a classically Ethiopian Orthodox Church nestled in the mountains just outside of Addis Ababa. It’s about 30 minutes from where I’m staying by car, but most people take a minibus to the bottom of the mountain and walk to the church. And trust me, it is NOT an easy walk. A pretty walk yes. But certainly not easy.

One of the first things you’ll notice is that it’s shaped funny in terms of your standard western style churches. The church is shaped like an octagon for a very specific reason. Why? 7 itotallydontrememberpleaseleaveacommentifyouknow+ 1 God=8. Hence, 8 sides. In the center is a pillar like structure that supports the roof that’s hollow and seems bigger on the inside than the outside. Well, actually, I don’t really know how this central support thing works because you can’t see/go inside it unless you’re part of the hierarchy of the church. I say seems “bigger on the inside than the outside” because the tabote is kept in there and I don’t think that the people who carry it + other religious artifacts can FIT in there.

Death of the 12 Apostles

The central support thingy is painted to depict the life and times of Jesus starting from his birth until the end of days. These paintings are over 125 years old and I’m really surprised they let me take flash photos (that’s the reason you can actually SEE anything).

I never knew this fact, but in traditional Ethiopian painting, if you see two eyes on a figure that means they’re good and one eye means they’re bad/evil. I’ve also never seen an image of Satan in Ethiopian church art before this either. Something to think about, he’s depicted as having 2 eyes…And another cool fact: he’s picture is usually hidden behind a HUGE portrait of Jesus because no one wants to look at it/protection from it.

Cave Church Entrance

There is one of the original cave churches here too. Before they started building actual church complexes complete with all the paintings that you see above, churches were literally caves that were hand chiseled into the stone with a small alter. The ash on the ceiling from when they used to burn candles and incense here is still there. I couldn’t bring myself to take a flash photo of the alter because the painting on top of it was SO OLD (it’s 120+ years) and still had most of it’s original color probably because they never took it out of this cave.

A view from the bedroom's balcony

Menelik’s Palace is on the same hill as Endoto but farther down. It’s actually behind another historical church where many members of the royal family pre-Halie Selassie were buried here. I didn’t take many pictures here because, honestly, it wasn’t super interesting. Most of the artifacts, clothes, crowns, etc, are either housed in a small museum on the property that doesn’t allow photos (boo!) or in the National Museum or have been lost/stolen.

Hair Idol: Valerie June

2011-07-31T17:01:00.000-07:00

Valerie June plays what she calls "Organic Moonshine Roots Music." What is Organic Moonshine Roots Music? It's a mix of East Tennessee’s country music and Memphis’ delta blues with a dash of southern gospel and traditional folk sounds.

And her locs are free formed. So everyone who wants to free form but has people telling you that your hair will look "a mess." Well, congrats you now have someone to prove the haters wrong :)

Music Sample

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5BTcYImuB4?rel=0&w=425&h=349]

image citation: 01, 02,o3

Hair Idol: Measha Brueggergosman

2011-07-24T17:01:00.000-07:00

Measha Brueggergosman is an award winning Canadian soprano who performs both as an opera singer and concert artist.

I think this is from the Olympics

She has performed with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Montreal Symphony Orchestra, National Arts Centre Orchestra under the direction of Pinchas Zukerman, and at Roy Thomson Hall. Oh and let's not forget the performance at the 2010 Winter Olympics!

Before you start sassing me about the fact the woman in the video doesn't look like the person in the images, she's lost a lot of weight recently.

Music Sample

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbCWjfM3bTg?rel=0&w=425&h=349]

image citations: 03, 02, 01

Ponderings - The First 2 Weeks

2011-07-20T17:01:00.000-07:00

I keep a sketchbook/notebook with me at all times and I like to scribble notes to myself in it. I started this thing called “ponderings” when I didn’t have internet in Diredawa and Harar. I kept writing them when I couldn’t access Twitter on the university campus where these probably would have been posted. Here they are for the first 2 weeks of my trip:

Contemplating existence at 120 km/hr in the middle of the Rift Valley=bad idea. You don’t want an existential crisis in the middle of nowhere
Seat belts are good, especially against an army of camels
Camels won’t move for you. They know you can’t hit them.
2nd scariest thing in the world? Goats. Scariest? Goats in trees.
If I see another Mirenda, Coke or Fanta I’m going to be sick
Italian style steak>American style steak
Burgers CAN be good here. Crunchy bread + good meat=great idea. But sometimes there is 3x more bread than meat. ;__;
Hyenas are HUGE
Ambroshock? Amboshock? I have no idea what this fruit juice is called I just want another one
The fruit looks like an angry baby watermelon. Green and spiky...
FLIES
No. More. Pasta. No. More. Bread. Please. Spicy. Now.
Few things are better than Anise based boozed with your mother and grandmother
I totally understand “pat your weave” now.
Dogs are not your friend. Unless it’s Tina. Tina is your wiggly furry friend that will chase chickens on the roof. ☺
Rain? More like someone is going “BUCKETS! MORE BUCKETS! I NEED MORE BUCKETS!! WHERE ARE MY BUCKETS!!” For hours and hours.
Bronze casting without safety goggles? 0___0