A youth-friendly #naturalhair meet-up in DC? Let's make it happen!

<3

So I was surfing around on Twitter (this is my twitter page) and I was looking around on the #naturalhair hashtag looking around for random tips when I saw this tweet from Alexandra (her twitter) from The Good Hair Blog discussing a natural hair:

"Would any #naturalhair ladies be willing to host a panel for young black girls interested in transitiong to natural?"

I saw this and definitely wanted to get involved because this area has such a vibrant natural hair scene and I think it would be cool for a huge meet-up to get together for support, stories and lunch. Imagine-a bunch of big-haired ladies down at a chill spot like Busboys and Poets or something chatting about re-defining the standard of beauty in America...DOPE!

I just wanted to get the idea out there and see if anyone was interested and to ask if anyone ever attended a meetup like this. What was your experience like and did you like it? I want to know more :-D

Making budget-friendly pasta

PASTA! :D

If you look carefully enough, some of you may recognize that this looks a lot like the Pesto Cavatappi from Noodles and Company. My nearest Noodles and Co. is a bit out of the way, so I did some experimenting and found an easy way to copy their pesto cavatappi without mushrooms (I DESPISE MUSHROOMS!) So, if you are a beginner in the kitchen or are wanting a good meal for around $10, come on in, I'll show you the ingredients and take you on a crash course on how it's made. 

Note: I'm not really a huge fan on measuring, so if you're really particular on measurements...let loose because cooking is not an exact science and you can get different flavors from food buy not being so exact :)

3 minutes worth of scary flashbacks

Who else had flashbacks after watching this video? Or am I the only one? I haven't had a relaxer in my hair in almost nine years, but hearing the screams made me feel the burns all over again D:

YAY FOR CLEARANCE SHOES!

Macy's has (in my opinion), some of the best shoe clearance sales ever. Actually, lots of department stores and places like TJ Maxx have pretty good shoe clearance sales.

Like these for example. These shoes would have cost about $70+tax had I bought them full price during the season. These were reduced to $25, and I wear an 8.5 US which is a pretty common size. 

This shows once again that one should never overlook the clearance rack because you never know what you can find. I feel like the clearance rack has gotten a stigma for carrying throwaway items that no one wants and in this economy, this is no longer the case.

 What deals have you found and were shocked that the item in question wasn't sold out?

Eyes of Friday Night

So on Friday, I didn't go out because 1) I had forgotten my phone at home therefore I had to go back home and 2) I have too many papers and readings to catch up on. The way that I like to take my mind off school is by practicing how to put on eyeshadow. Weird? Perhaps it is a bit weird, but I've gotten better at my technique!

I have a question for make-up lovers out there: What lip color would you pair this with?

So here's what I came up with. Products are behind the cut.

100 years of East London Style

Seeing as the world of fashion and style are in the midst of Mercedes Benz Fashion Week in New York, this week, I found cool video depicting 100 years of  East London style in 100 seconds to get ready for London Fashion Week which starts on Thursday. A few things I found interesting:

• How a lot of our modern day styles are a bit of a mix of past trends
• How absolutely gash 90's style was! D:
• The evolution of menswear fashion. I feel like the 50's was such an epic era for menswear!

September 2011 wish list

I missed several months of wish listing...I miss this series because it sort of encourages me to go shopping and this time, I want to challenge myself to find unique items that wouldn't be found commercially. This month, I made a challenge to find unique odds and ends from Etsy and I didn't just pluck them off the first page of results, I did some proper digging for these items!

1) This bracelet

This is available on etsy at this shop run by CorsoStudio. Perfect for True Blood fans!

2) Duct tape wallet

Have you ever seen a wallet this cool and it was made out of duct tape? No? Me neither! If you're interested, you can find this and many more designs at this shop run by KittysCraft0402.

3) Shoes remixed

Take a regular old pair of shoes and remix them. I thought these were pretty cool although they're not in my size. Shoes with edge are always pretty cool. I found these at GlamorousHeelsToEnvy's store.

4) State Jewelry

One thing that has been on trend recently is "represent your state" jewelry. There are so many cool and unique ways to show off where you live and I just thought this necklace of Maryland was pretty cool. This picture is from IntegrativeCreations' store.

5) Cool Medical ID bracelets

As someone who has asthma and food allergies, I love this bracelet because it doesn't look like your mother's or even your grandmother's medical ID bracelet. It serves its purpose by alerting someone of an allergy while looking good-can your medical bracelet do that?

Misadventures of An Awkward Black Girl

I honestly feel like this is me once I graduate except that I highly doubt that I'll be in her situation by the end...
If you haven't been watching this series, WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN!?! You can watch the entire series here. The 'F' Word series is pretty good too, so check that out too!

Have a good weekend!

Stop it, you're BLUSHing: Part II

The reason why i was not in a hurry to upload part II...I need more practice!

Remember how I told you that my new blush obsession would come in two parts? Well, I've actually been working on this one for a while-it's just that every time I work on it, I apply the blush in a way that I look like a clown, then I get frustrated with trying to perfect the color, then i end up washing the brush in frustration. I don't know why I'm frustrated at the brush when it's me applying the color!


Part II is my other new favorite blush, NARS Taj Mahal. Like the last blush I bought recently, I bought it off a friend, but you can buy it off of NARS official website because Sephora never carries this blush (sidenote for the easily offended-the names of some blushes are sexual in nature, tread lightly) . It is described as "burnt orange with golden shimmer" and I feel like this is a blush perfect for summer (ironic because I'm writing this on Labor Day, the unofficial end of summer in the US). I've seen that this blush is a popular choice among darker women like myself and I see why, when applied correctly, it blends with the skin perfectly. Read more to see up close pictures of said blush and a shot with this blush applied correctly.

Shopping for Jeans without feeling defeated #3

Hello again!

Continuing the series...its almost done, I promise!

School has started up again, so expect semi-regular postings from now until...December? Yes, from now until December!

So, we've already covered color and length and the reason why I listed these first was because you can eliminate a pair of jeans that you don't want immediately. Now the next three tips are going to take a bit of trial and error-as you try on a few pairs at first, you begin to notice a pattern of what works and what doesn't work. Once this pattern is established, shopping becomes easier and you may be able to find your most loved pair on your first try-and who wouldn't want that, am I right!?

If you missed it:
Part 1
Part 2