These are a few of my favorite things!

Hello all! This is going to be the beginning of my Favorite Things Series, which I will be doing monthly (or will attempt to do monthly). They will consist of things that I own or recently purchased that I love!

1. Aldo Forwood Wedges

These babies are super f*ckin dope!! Enough said. I absolutely love these and they are my new favorite shoes, and I own a lot of shoes. I'm really feeling wedges, give you the sexiness of a tall heel with the comfort of a wedge bottom. I've had them for about a month, wore them to work on a dress down day and received so many compliments. These would go great with a color blocking look, red skirt, a mustard colored blouse and simple accessories...yesssssss! They look so much better on the foot. Gonna get a pic for you guys and post shortly.

Nail of the Week: Essie Pretty Edgy

I haven't done a nail of the week in awhile, I definitely owe you guys. These pictures are from when my nails were slightly shorter, I'm thinking about going back to this length. This is Pretty Edgy by Essie.



This color has won my heart in a major way. It's just so pretty! Came out in Essie's Summer 2010 collection and it is most definitely a great summer color. It's a pretty grassy green. The color in the pics are not accurate. The color is a pure grass green while the pictures are giving it a slight turquoise cast. Personally this is a year round color. I love Essie! They have really stepped their color game up! Application wasn't bad. This was 3 coats to patch up any baldness, Nail Life Gripper Basecoat and Poshe Super Fast Drying Topcoat.



The Quest to Kick Dry Hair to the Curb!

Good evening! So I'm going to get right to it: I have extremely DRY hair. Like super Sahara Desert dry hair. Since I started the journey to natural hair (I'm 4 months no relaxer, so proud of myself) I am noticing that my natural hair that is coming in is feeling extremely crunchy and brittle. So not a good look. When I was relaxed I had pretty dry hair so I can only imagine what lies ahead once the relaxed hair is completely gone. I'm currently rocking a sew in weave as a transitioning style, observe exhibit A:

Lmao please excuse the goofball face. I'm wearing a completely closed in sew in with a net underneath. The very back of my hair is left out which happens to be all new growth. My last relaxed do was a short asymetrical cut where the back was completely shaved down, hence why this part was left out. I've been very diligent about taking care of my hair underneath the weave. I'm been shampooing and conditioning 1x a week to maintain the freshness of the weave and have been moisturizing my hair underneath with a concotion of Shea Moisture Restorative conditioner, extra virgin olive oil mixed with African pride braid spray.

Want Strong, Beautiful Nails?

Just had to share with you ladies, for the longest I always had short nubby nails that refused to grow. I hate artificial nails because they make your nails grow temporarily and the moment you take them off your natural nails break. I decided I was no longer going to get artificial nails and promised myself I would grow them on my own. I started taking biotin, and I purchased Sally Hansen Hard As Nails. I've heard so many people rant and rave about it but I never paid it any attention because I hate products that promise you a result and doesn't deliver. So I decided to try it...and I LOVE THIS STUFF! I apply it on bare nails and under the tips just before I apply my nail polish and I've been doing it consistently for about 5 months. My nails now:

At one point my nails actually grew longer than this and I had to cut them down. I'm definitely happy with the outcome. My nails have never been this long in my life. No more falsies! The best part about Hard As Nails; It's dirt cheap. It retails for about $2.50 a bottle at drug stores and comes in clear and natural which gives your nails a slight pink tint. So ladies give it a try, apply to bare nails and under nail tips before each nail polish application. It really strengthens and hardens your nails, can't even remember the last time I had a nail break on me. Also take biotin for the health of your hair skin and nails. It works!

The Natural Movement: The Journey to Healthy Chemical Free Hair



Good day everyone! So I have decided after much thought and lots of back and forth, to finally make the transition to natural hair. No more relaxers! I think my hair has officially run its course with relaxers. After 22 long years of the creamy crack its about that time to say goodbye. And this is why...
Like most brown girls, I got my first relaxer at a very young age. I've had relaxed hair since I was 5 years old, I'm now 27 and have no idea what my natural texture is like. That's a really long time to be unfamiliar with any part of your body. As soon as little black girls are brought into the world their mothers start relaxing their hair by the time its time to start preschool.  

Nail Polish Lovers!! 2011 Zoya Nail Polish Exchange



Hello lovelies! If you are a nail polish addict this post will be of the utmost importance. ZOYA, who is quickly becoming my new favorite nail polish company has launched their yearly Nail Polish Exchange in honor of Earth Day. Starting today April 20, 2011 until April 27, 2011(11:59PM EST) the Nail Polish Exchange will allow you to swap your old, empty, or outdated  bottles of nail polish for some brand new spanking Zoyas! Zoya has an overwhelmingly vast collection of up to 300 colors to choose from. All you have to do is is go to Zoya's website and select a minimum of 6 bottles but no more than 24 bottles of your choice. You apply the promo code EARTHZOYA and you will receive a discounted rate of $4 per bottle of polish which is a steal since Zoya polishes retail for $8. The shipping is free since its incorporated into the discounted rate for the polish. Once you get your Zoyas ship back the equivalent number of polishes to the ones you purchased along with a copy of the order slip. The bottles you return cannot be Zoya, Qtica or Nocti brands and once Zoya receives your old bottles they will dispose of them according to EPA guidelines.

If you don't know about Zoya learn about them,. They are truly a wonderful company, they have excellent customer service and they constantly have promotions galore. Zoya polishes are formaldehyde, toluene, camphor and dibutyl phthalate (DBP) free and are pretty chip resistant. I ordered my 6 polishes today so as soon as I receive them I shall post swatches. Hurry because the promotion only lasts a week whereas last year it ran all the way until June 30th. Happy buying!

Kisses!

Von

Nail of the Week: OPI Simply Smashing w/OPI Black Shatter

Hello lovelies! I know I'm a little late, but better late than never right? Let me just update you on my life before I dive into nail of the week. I've been accepted to grad school! Yay me! The original plan was to start right after undergrad in 2005 but due to laziness and procrastination I'm finally starting six years later. Lemme just say I'm nervous as heck, I haven't been to school in forever and I heard grad school is quite intimidating. Not to mention I am not looking forward to taking quantitative analysis (scared face). I'm so not a numbers person, which is pretty funny since I'm doing the finance concentration for my MBA program which is all about numbers, smh.  Just promise me you guys will wish me much luck because I'm soooo going to need it.

Nail of the Week: Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Thinking of Blue and Hidden Treasure

Hello lovelies!! I know, I know don't kill me its been so long since I've been on here but I just started a new job and I moved out of my apartment back to moms and things have been super hectic. I'm so busy all the time all I do is sleep, shower, work and find time to eat in between. But I felt the urge to write and decided that I'm going to start a weekly series entitled "Nail of the Week" where I showcase a different nail polish and write a review on it. So anyone who knows me knows I'm a makeup fanatic, but surprisingly I haven't made a trip to the MAC store since the Wonder Woman release. The most recent collections they released, Jeanius, Sheen Supreme Lipstick and the Cremeblend blushes did absolutely nothing for me, but ladies we know when we take a hiatus from one thing, we discover another bad habit (bbm embarrassed face). Nail polish. Thanks to the wonderful beauty bloggers that I follow, I have discovered several fabulous new websites that sell popular nail polish brands like OPI, China Glaze and Essie for less than store retail value.

MAC Wonder Woman Review and Swatches

So I went to the MAC counter yesterday to get some things from Mac's newly released Wonder Woman Collection. I was so excited for this collection because I loved Wonder Woman growing up, she is the ultimate superhero diva! This collaboration between MAC and DC comics was first announced summer of 2010 and I just knew the collection was going to be very interesting. I was then able to see the preliminary photos on Temptalia (ladies if you don't know about Temptalia, she is the ultimate beauty blogger) and the packaging is what sold me. It is soooooo cute! Check out full collection photos here courtesy of  Temptalia .

Sex, Lies and Stereotypes

So...yesterday was Super Bowl Sunday and can I just say I am ecstatic that the Sh*tsburg Steelers lost!! Woooohoooo! Very happy that Green Bay won, I'm not a fan of theirs but they never lost their focus the entire season and I think they were very deserving of being this years Super Bowl champs. And most importantly, I get some relief from hearing black and freaking yellow coming out of every obnoxious Steeler fan's mouth.

The Art of Pole Dancing: Rant and Rave

So yesterday I finally had the opportunity to go to a pole dancing class!! I have to admit I am a sucker for strip clubs, not because I'm attracted females but because I am fascinated with the whole art of pole dancing. It is truly one of the most sensual, most seductive if not the sexiest of dances that a female can do. I feel like if you can dance on a pole you possess a certain kind of power to make men fall at your feet. And most importantly it just looks awesome! I have thought about purchasing a pole for my own residence and I've actually been doing some research. Ladies check out http://www.lilmynx.com/ if you ever thought about purchasing one of these contraptions. Excellent prices!

Im blogging!! An Intro...

So...I finally decided to start blogging ( I know, Im about 10 years late behind the rest of the world). I'm addicted to reading other people's blogs because I've always had a curiosity about a day in the life of others and their perspective on things. I admire those who can step outside the box and share their point of views with their peers minus all the judgement. Its self expression at its finest and me being the free spirit that I am, I'm all about self expression. I feel like my written words are how I express myself the best and since my perfect journalism career never launched the way I intended, that doesnt mean I should stop writing. It's still very much a passion of mine and honestly, I would rather write for the enjoyment, not for the hassle, long hours and less than mediocre pay most newbie journalists experience. So with that being said I just want to share my world. Whether its about my makeup artistry career, my family, my friends and my ever so entertaining love life (or lack thereof), this is my outlet for all things me and what I see, think and feel. I'm going to be blunt, I'm going to be honest and I'm going to be real because I dont know any other way to be (hence the sass). Its just the everday adventures of me, which I have to admit are quite hilarious. So...don't be a stranger, and as always thanks for all the support!

Kisses!
Von