Going back to my roots #hairjourney

So I’m embarking on what, natural hair enthusiasts call , a hair journey

It’s been a pretty long time coming….I’m not using any more chemical straighteners, and I am giving up the whole blowdrying, straight ironing side of my life for a-surprisingly not less trouble-wash and go look….
I’ll go through the whole rigmarole of smoothing it out for special occasions (when it is not raining) but for the most part this is me now….
I got tired of sitting for a minimum of an hour to get my hair done only to let the slightest sign of humidity (dude you could just put a kettle on)  bring my hair right back to its curly self
So this is me now.. a mess of unruly curls which seems to evoke a range of emotions in the people I know…at the risk of generalising (which I am openly doing right now) the general consensus is that white people want to know if they can touch my hair,black people ask if it’s a weave and coloured people reckon I’m lazy and should “do” my hair ….
My hair isn’t 100% where I want it yet but I found this amazing blog moknowshair.com which is helping me along the way….
Wish me luck, will keep u guys up to date 😉
*PS the best part is sharing the curly haired gene with my Lil man (I’d kill for his curl pattern though)

My favourite things:home edition

I’ve been asked to post some of my own home decor on the blog and thought now is as good a time as any – best time is after the cleaning lady visits Hehehe ……here are some of my faves in no particular order

1. This wall art is actually two unrelated stickers, I just thought it worked well together even though it was purchased two years apart. It is placed above a vintage piano which used to belong to Rob’s gran. 

2. On our second anniversary Rob and I went to the Knysna area for a few days where we ended up visiting flee markets and such, I totally fell in love with this piece so Rob got it for me and even painted a section of our lounge ceiling black so my crystal beaded chandelier could stand out more, the piece was actually created as part of a community upliftment project in Sedgefield

3. Aidan’s room has featured on my blog before, but it would be so wrong to not include it on my list of favourites, his crib/cot has become more of a storage space lately as he prefers a toddler bed…will be updating his room from baby to toddler later this year.

4. (Top left in collage) this beautiful mosaic table top was a wedding gift, most things on the table are actually gifts or souvenirs, either from trips we took or trips taken by loved ones…

5. (Top right) here I have candles to light if I ever have something really big to pray about, Aidan’s foot prints are there too along with a box of memories of Logan. I used to have lots of things to remind me of him but the box is enough now…he is in my heart regardless.

6. (Bottom) that is my clock wall in tv room… I love clocks (u can see on my souvenir table that people know this about me and have brought me clocks from abroad) but as much as I love the look of clocks the ticking can drive you bonkers so only the really large one actually shows time while the others are stopped at significant times in our lives like when we got married or when Aidy was born) Aidan has a large wicker basket filled with toys in this room so it is almost  constantly a mess

For my fellow curly girls

So. True.

I came across this tumblr account, Curly Hair Problems, and find it super educational and entertaining. I believe some straight haired people get annoyed at the posters on the site (well according to comments on pinterest) but I find it funny and truthful and needed because doing the naturally curly thing is quite a journey. I bet there are a bunch of funny truthful comments straight haired people could put up, but I’m a girly curl and this blog gets my vote… anywho check out the site here are some of my favourite posters:

Haha... Because it takes forever to straighten & still can't get all the curls straight. What a pain! ;)
curly hair problems
Curly Hair ProblemSO TRUE! Curly hair problem #508 I don't understand... this worked yesterday!Curly Hair ProblemsCurly hair problems. Word.

curly hair problemhahaha so true!I think this is a thick hair problem. But either way... YesTrue Story!!!!!!!!!!!!Curly Hair Problem #170

I love your ACCENT ;)

So I have a new love, ACCENT NAILS! As seen above (ignore my slightly swollen arms) I’m still pretty tame when it comes to the whole thing…like today it’s just my dark grey by Essense and my light grey by Kangol but I really love the look, it’s one of those things not every1 agrees with and some would say is sooo outdated, but I LOVE IT . . . & I intend to do more and be more adventurous, it’s just SO ME!… here are some ideas I found online:
Click on captions to find out how to and to see more ideas . . .

A quirky moustache:
27 ideas



glamour says
DIY
DIVA
Retro

Going glitter

My Beauty Basics

They say you can tell a lot about a person by what they have in their medicine cabinet (and I don’t mean medication) I mean beauty products. . . Here are the top ten products I cant live without, ok I can but prefer not to:

 

1. Nivea Pampering body oil

   – I initially bought it because of the novelty value of a oil that turns into a foam – how cool is that – but the smell and the way it makes my skin feel keeps me coming back, I use it with number 2 on by list


2. Exfoliating gloves

   – Winter has my skin feeling very dry and scaly (over share I know) but regular use of my trusty (cheapo-like 30 bucks from clicks) exfoliating gloves, really helps especially when used before number 3


3. Bio Oil

  – With the scars from my emergency c-section (right down the middle of my tummy) and the general post pregnancy stretching, Bio oil has become a saving grace (I just need to remember to use it more)

4. Aussie, hair products
  – My hair is pretty moody, so I need to change my products pretty often, recently I received a free sample of Aussie 3-minute miracle and LOVED IT! I bought the set and am still pretty much LOVING IT!  I pair it with number 5

5. Paul Mitchell Super Skinny Serum
 – This stuff is a God Send! it’s not cheap, but lasts forever because one pump goes a long way, I don’t know the science behind it but it makes my hair dry in practically half the time and leaves it soft and manageable and that’s all I need to know

 

6. Kangol Nail polishes
 – I have different nails every week, that’s just my thing, and Kangol nail polishes tops the bill, it seems to last long (even just in the bottle, it doesn’t get old and thick fast) it dries quickly and doesn’t chip easily

7. Palmer’s Lip Butter (Dark chocolate&cherry)
 – It’s clear non sticky and PERFECT for the whole winter lip problem, I don’t do lipsticks (have giant lips so try not to draw to much attention to them) so it’s usually just this or for a pop of colour I add number 8

8. Yardley Rollo Gloss (Nude Shimmer)
 – It’s like grown up lip-gloss and adds just the right amount of colour, initially stole it from my mom, now I’m hooked

9. Oh So Heavenly Come Clean, hygiene waterless hand cleanser
 – Don’t know if I can even count this on my list, but I use it every day so it’s officially on the list 🙂 it does need a bit of cream after, that’s where 10 comes in

10. Nivea Soft
 – I usually don’t do the hand cream actually don’t even do body creams because it makes me feel sweaty (yes another over share) I do like this for my hands in winter and actually need to go buy more today

MAKE-UP your mind

My stash, and for those of you who care, YES, that is a Victor Hugo bag, I got it from the designer himself when I visited the Sao Paulo store *brag moment*

I’m not a big make-up person, by saying this I admit that I do have loads of the stuff, I’m just too lazy to do anything fancy, also I prefer the natural look.

This is my daily (if I can remember to and I’m not doing anything too fancy) routine, complete with products I use 🙂

—– First I clean my face with Clicks 3 in 1 Facial Cleansing wipes I love the stuff! and apparently it’s the only cleansing thing my skin likes, I usually have pretty clear skin (knock on wood) but using any face wash will cause a break out so instead I stick to clicks facial wipes

—–  I then dab Concealer under my eyes, I don’t even know the brand name now, think its LaLu, I got it in a goodie bag and it actually matches, talk about luck

—– Then I brush on my MAC Tinted Moisturizer I love it, it’s light and just makes me look a little more alive without having that BASE look that some people do

—–Then it’s time for my Clinique mascara, I usually just get my lashes tinted and skip this step because mascara wipes on my glasses and that is not a plan

—– Then I put on some Justine define eyeliner so my eyes don’t look too washed out behind the glasses

—– Then I put  MAC eyeshadow, in seedling lightly below my brow line

—– The last two steps are Labello hydra care which I’m never without

—- and my MAC lipglass in spirit and soul

I usually end up looking just like me just slightly more in focus, hehe, will load before and after pics this weekend.

Since I was thinking about make-up I used the wonder of technology (facebook) to find out the beauty secrets of some beautiful women I know:

Salma Abrahams Eyeliner and mascara without is I luk like I just woke up lol lifeless heeheehee!!
Shannon-Leigh Barry MAC Foundation. The coverage after being really drained is awesome. Mascara and liquid eyeliner too
Jocelyn Elize Uithaler Miracle cream…cos it’s a miracle! Thank goodness for Elizabeth Arden
Chantal Chandre Varnicker Estee Lauder double wear foundation for a look thats still fresh 8 hrs later. Honestly at the end of the day it still looks freshly applied.
Tanya Coskey Eye pencil!
Barbara Robertson My YSL Touche Eclat to perk up dullness, puffiness and cover under-eye dark rings
Lana Breedt my perfume. Coz it makes me smell like me.
Danelle Bhana Coetzee Nope, not one thing but everything. I think u must ask which beauty brands u can’t live without then ill tell u. Coz ill make every1 faint if I told them which product(s) I can’t live without. 😉
Pat Candido eye brow pencil. Face plain enough to be without eyebrows

Ashlynn Valaydon Elizabeth Arden 8hour cream lipstick and their double wear stay in place concealer… my reason is that the lipstick can double as a blush! And its has an spf! Fresh faced and lipped all day
Cecile Koopman Lipbalm,lipbalm,lipbalm…nothing says eww like flaky/dry lips.Elizabeth Arden 8hr lip protectant stick with spf 15 is great,but Labello works in pinch.You can’t pull a believable pout if your smacker isn’t up to par,lol!