Krissy Went to K-Mart

The weather here was beautiful today. It was a nice change. Crystal clear skies, about65 degrees and a nice little breeze. So I decided to make my way down to K-Mart and enjoy a little retail therapy even though I said I would wait. Here's what I picked up:
I picked up the essential cosmetic sponges. These are washable which is a plus. The next item is the AMBI Even & Clear Daily Moisturizer. I'm super excited about this one. It will be few weeks before I'm able to supply a good review for this because I have to give it time to work. But I have it in my clutches nonetheless. SO yay! Last is Wet n Wild MegaGlo. I got the concoction in 343 Rosy/Rose. I was looking for a blush and something to give my skin that sun kissed glow. The good thing about this stuff it that it's not a powder. I guess it could be called a cream. At any rate, it's can be used on the cheeks, lips, eyes, and all that. So I think this was a great buy.

I'm ready to go wash off my makeup now and put on this new moisturizer. Once I'm all scrubbed up, I'll do some before and after shots of my problem areas. That way I'll be able to accurately chart my progress.

I've Got My Sights Set On...

I've had great success with the AMBI complexion cleansing bar. Even though I had a minor break out (with wasn't caused by the soap), I still trust the product. It's supposed to be specially formulated for ethnic skin types. And I've been recommended to try more fro their line. So now I want to try their Even & Clear Daily Moisturizer with SPF 30.

I will be purchasing this moisturizer in the next few days. I looked up some online reviews for it, and it's supposed to be pretty good. Plus, it has a sun protection factor of 30. That's going to be great for keeping out those harmful rays that can ruin the skin. I'm excited about this one. Stay tuned for a review. :)

Creme of Nature Lemongrass and Rosemary Leave-in Creme Conditioner Review

I swear by leave-in conditioners. As a matter of fact, whenever I buy them, they are always a splurge. Most of the ones that I buy are never under 7 dollars. But being that I use them so much, it can get to be quite expensive. So I decided to get the Creme of Nature leave-in. It's a new item in their line from what I understand.

I used this on my hair today after my relaxer. And I loved it. It's thick and creamy. The smell is refreshing and invigorating, but not overpowering. And with this being 3.79USD (or 3.59 USD if you have a Sally's card), it's a slam dunk for those feeling the financial crunch. I would even go as far as saying that I like it better than the Neutrogena Triple Moisture. We'll see.

But I urge everybody to at least give this one a shot. Tell me what you think about it.

Self Relax

I'm so proud of myself. I put on my own relaxer for the first time. And I think I did a pretty good job. I may have rinsed it out too soon because I was afraid of overprocessing. Nonetheless, here are the results. The first image is my hair before the relaxer. The second pic is my hair after the relaxer.
I know it looks like I could use a trim. But at the moment, I'm just dusting until I get to my desired length. Besides, my ends aren't lighter than the rest of my hair. That means they aren't dead. Plus I'm part of the One Year No Trimming Challenge and the KISS Challenge Tough Love Boot Camp which requires that I don't trim. But I am allowed to dust. Despite the fact that I haven't had a trim in months, I'm not seeing any breakage or slowing down in growth. My hair is healthier than it's ever been. And the length will fill in with the coming months.

At any rate, comment on my new venture into home health care. And HHG! :)

Queen Helene Oatmeal n' Honey Natural Facial Scrub Review

This is a review for the Queen Helene Oatmeal n' Honey Natural Facial Scrub. Ladies, this is going to be a staple for me. I see the beginning of a beautiful relationship with this scrub and my face. It does exactly what it claims. And that is that it removes the dull surface layer of skin. The smell is amazing.

What I did before using this scrub was use my Ambi bar to wash my face. Here's a pic of that just for reference.I used the Ambi bar just to remove my makeup and daily grime from being out in the elements. It's good for that. When I finished with that, I applied the Queen Helene scrub as directed. I was sure to get problem areas on my face like the creavases on the sides of my nose, my forehead, and this weird dry spot on my eyebrows.

I've used a number so facial scrubs. And they were ok. Only thing is the others left this artificial layer of residue that tricked me into thinking my skin was softer. But this product didn't do that. After I rinsed, my skin felt so clean and refreshed. And it was so soft. My skin looked brighter and glowing. I almost couldn't believe what I was seeing. I'm so serious. It's great for my combination skin. The texture of this scrub is what I think made it so effective. It cleansed and removed dry skin, but it was gentle and spread fairly easily.

I'd recommend this product for everyone. No complaints. I hope to try more skincare products from the Queen Helene line. I hope this review is useful.

Today's Trip to Sally's

On my way home from classes, I decided to make a pit stop at Sally's. I know I said I was going to get off into the whole skin thing. But I haven't had a relaxer since my birthday back in October. That makes me nearly 14 weeks post relaxer. So I will have to put the skin care thing aside until next week maybe. I've got enough here at the house for now.

I wanted to post a pic of some of the items that I picked up this last go round. Here it is:I only got four items. The first item in the yellow container is Creme of Nature Lemongrass and Rosemary Leave-in Creme Conditioner. I heard that Creme of Nature products are supposed to be great for moisture. So I'm trying that. Expect a review soon. The second item is Wave Nouveau Moisturizing Finishing Lotion. This is a staple for me. I got the large bottle this time because I know that I like it. Next is Queen Helene Oatmeal n' Honey Natural Facial Scrub. I bought this on a humbug. Besides, it's hard to go wrong with Queen Helene products. And I did promise myself something special for my face. Lastly is the Just For Me relaxing kit. I got the super because my hair is quite coarse. And by this being a children's formula, using a super strength is probably the equivalent to the adult regular. But it's cheaper and more gentle.

More on Skin Care

I've been on YouTube and seen a lot of tutorials about skin care and all that. And most didn't appeal to exactly what I was looking for. But then I happened to luck upon videos posted by the user MichellePhan. And I liked her videos because she seemed to go step by step. And her camera angles are really good. That's really important when you are trying to see what someone is showing you how to do somethin.

One video that I found a little outrageous but terribly fascinating was one about a kitty litter mask. I thought it was crazy at first, but then after getting all the fact I was sure this would be something for the budget conscious to try. Here's the link to the video.

Click Here

There is another video she posted about the aspirin mask. I tried it (sans honey or aloe vera). And boy was I surprised. I had just used my hair removal cream and had a little bit of a burning sensation and redness. So I left this aspirin mask on for 15 mintues as instructed and rinsed. It was amazing. My skin was brighter, softer, and there was no redness afterwards. It was gentle and totally inexpensive. I had aspirins here in the house. So I'll post that link to that video here as well.

Click Here

Hooray for Sephora

I ordered a few products from Sephora.com last week. And my shipment came in the other day. I'm excited about it. I'm trying to extend my beauty roots into the makeup industry. It's rather exciting. I'm sorry that I didn't do it earlier. I love beauty. And makeup as I've recognized definitely encompasses the ideal of beauty. So here's a pic of my little goodies. It's not much, but I think it'll do just fine for now.Let's see what I have here...The silver case contains a travel size brush set. It contains five brushes and a protective plastic flap to protect the brushes. The next item is basic black liquid eyeliner. I like this better than the pencil. It's a lot less work. Next is Sephora's Fresh Lip Gloss. It has a minty smell. And I love the sensation it gives me lips: fresh! :) Then I bought an eyelash curler/brow brush combo. the brush slide out of the bottom. It's super neat. I'll have to take more pics of this one. At the top right is a false eyelash set. It's just for fun at the moment. I like novelty. Lastly is the eyeshadow. I decided on pinks because they compliment my skintone.

There are some more items that I must purchase in the coming months. I would love to buy everything from Sephora, but the prices are a little out of my budget. The things I've purchased here ran me just under 60 dollars. But I thought they were well worth it considering the prices of other items on the site.

I'm looking at everydayminerals.com, Wal-Mart, and possibly Sephora.com again to obtain mroe stuff. And I've got a Mary Kay lady now. So I think I'm good. I will be posting some pics of my successes and failure with the things I get. So be sure to stay tuned.

Skin care

My skin has been turning against me lately, so I think it's time that I made some adjustments. here's my plan:

• Get back on hair, skin, and nail vitamins
• Purchase a exfoliating facial cleanser
• Purchase a lighter moisturizer
• Do a clay mask once a week
• Purchase a daily facial cleanser
• Purchase more toner

My skin hasn't really been on a regimen as of late. I just try to keep it clean and moisturized. And I haven't worn foundation or anything like that in months. So now I'm starting to believe that it's my diet. I'm going to have to start wearing a good sunblock as well. It'll have to be something with a high SPF so that my skin is fully protected.

I'm gonna do some searching online tonight and see what would work best for my skin type. I have a typically oily t-zone and the rest of my skin on my face is dry. So whatever I look for is going to have to be for combination skin. I'll be sure to post my findings. Until then, HHG!

Revamp

Ok. So things are getting back to normal now. And so I'm ready to get back to normal as well. I have to admit that I've been going through some things that have caused me t not be taking the best care of my hair. But that little phase is over. I'm gonna have a husband soon. So I can't let myself walk around here lookin a hot mess. LOL

I'm doing a revamp on my regimen. I've already started shampoo washing less. And I'm going back to my growth serum. It's not just the amazing growth I get with it. I love the smell and the oils in it. They're really good for the scalp. And I'm having mild scalp dryness. Also, I am movig away from the braids. I don't like that. Braiding my hair a bit time consuming, but it holds moisture in longer, and I like the texture. Plus, it protects the hair from the sun ans wind damage of the winter.

My ends seem to be turning against me. But that's ok. My solution is going back to my baggies until I like what i see. They tend to be highly effective if I do this at least twice a week. The way I baggy is I add a good conditioner with some oils and let it sit over night. Then I conditioner wash the next day.

I've switched up on the prepoos as well. I'm going to try letting olive oil sit in my hair with a plastic cap overnight. Another options is to put the oil on witha plastic cap and go under my bonnet dryer for 30 minutes. This would really let the oils soak into my scalp. And then I could follow up with a a moisturizing shampoo and the whole deep condioning regimen.

That brings me to this. I've been so short on time lately that I've been deep conditioning my hair prior to washing. It's just as effective. I do this especially when I'm in a big hurry. I like to let the conditioner sit on my hair as long as a I can stand to wear the cap. And I try to do things around the house that cause make me work up a sweat. That way I feel the heat from my body under the cap. Then when I rinse I try to do a little detangling because it's so easy to do at this point.