I am.

I am:

Facing forward.

Facing fear.

Facing myself.

Harper's Bazaar Winner!!

Greetings,
I was recently named the Grand Prize winner for Harper's Bazaar's Fabulous At Any Age Contest. Check it out!!

http://www.harpersbazaar.com/bazaar-blog/fab-at-every-age-winners

My Jams

Being a product junkie, I thought I would start sharing with you some of my favorites, or my "jams" as I like to refer to them as. Here are just a few.....


1. Red Flower Ocean scented lotion - this stuff is heavenly. Not only is it organic but it is so moisturizing without being heavy and is all around yummy. It is certainly full of deliciousness.




2. Hamadi Beauty Hair Care - WOW is what I have to say about this line of organic hair care. These products make my hair super clean without stripping it of any moisture and does a great job of making it soft and manageable.







3. CVS Pharmacy - anyone who knows me knows that CVS is my jam. I can always find anything here, they're on every corner, and the rewards program truly give rewards. I almost always save at least a few bucks off of my purchases.

Getting my phil....

Not sure if it has started happening to you yet, but my skin is becoming more sensitive the older I get. Two years ago it was adult acne that appeared out of nowhere ("but WHY is this happening to me? I never had it as a teen and hardly ever get a zit?", I pleaded with my doctor), and now for six months off an on it's a rash that is a random reaction to something I've used on my face. The flare up seems to come and go at its whimsy and is annoying as you know what, and two dermatologist visits later I was prescribed good ole fashioned Cetaphil to calm my skin down. Although I only use mild products like Neutrogena, which I've been using for many many years, she insists that my skin apparently doesn't like something now. Be it make up, my moisturizer, something I ate, we just don't know, and for the next two weeks I am relegated only to the use of Cetaphil. No toners, no scrubs, no make up, no face masks. Just Cetaphil cleanser and moisturizer.

It's only been two days into my Cetaphil experiment so we'll see what happens over the next few weeks and what happens over the next few years.....

All buttered up and ready to go!

The other day my friend and I were talking hair, of course, and she told me that Shea Butter works really well for her. Her natural hair is long and healthy so I thought I'd give it a try. Following her instructions, I washed my hair with my organic Olive Oil and Aloe Vera shampoo, and conditioned with my Pantene Hair Mask - which is fab by the way - and instead of drying with a towel like I used to do, I simply lightly patted my wet hair to remove some of the water so I wouldn't be a walking faucet, and while it was still wet I applied the Shea Butter directly to my scalp and to my hair, braided it up, and let the butter work it's magic. Surprisingly, like the Kinky Curly Custard, the Shea Butter absorbed the water and my hair stopped dripping and it didn't take long to dry.

This morning I woke up with soft non-oily curly hair that looks and feels better than when I simply used olive oil after washing.

So the verdict is in, Shea Butter has made it on my list of jams!

Two quick things

1. Has anyone had experience using Shea Butter on their hair? I'm curious....

2. I'm uberexcited that I found Revlon's Cherries in the Snow lipstick at CVS. I used it as a teenager and it has suddenly reappeared after all these years. I wonder if the formula has changed because it's now much brighter than it used to be. Oh well....

Kinky Curly could be my new jam

As earlier reported, I tried the Kinky Curly line the other day at the suggestion of a friend who swears by it. Skeptically, I applied the Custard to my soaking wet hair like the instructions direct, and miraculously as soon as I applied it, it absorbed the water and didn't drip. I was mesmerized! It took a while to dry (I eventually had to sit under the dryer for 15 minutes because I didn't want to go to bed with a wet head), and yesterday I was pleased to discover that it had made my hair so soft (I think I used a bit too much because it was a little sticky - I'll have to watch that), and I had definition that I had not had before. I didn't care for the shrinkage too much - my friend says she does not have that side effect - but it the pros outweighed the cons in this case.

Last night I decided to braid it to regain a little length and I was again pleased at the results this morning. I still had definition, moisture, no breakage, and no brittleness. So, my friends, I believe I may have a new jam.

Tryin' somethin' new on the do'.

I am always looking for new products to try to manage my natural hair.

Typically I use the Olive Oil and Aloe Vera shampoo by Organic Root Stimulator, followed by either Nexus Humectress conditioner or Motions conditioner, that a friend passed on to me which I loved by the way, topped off with good ole' fashioned olive oil to moisturize after washing.

Going on the recommendation of a good friend, I tried the Kinky Curly line today. Their Knot Today conditioner was great - left my hair soft - and the Custard has yet to take it's full effect as my hair is still air drying. So far, I am experiencing shrinkage, but I do have great curl definition. My friend's hair does not shrink when she uses it - proof positive that we all are blessed with different textures and have different experiences with the same product.

Has anyone else used these brands?