Braids

        Braids are in style right now. I’m so excited because I love braids. You can do almost anything with them. You can wear them off to the side, down the back, in a French braid, there is an endless amount of things you can do with braids. My favorite, which I have yet to master, is the upside down braid. I recently saw an upside down braid that was really tight and went into a high ponytail it was looked cute. I can’t wait to try it.

Bangs Update

           Why did I cut my bangs? I’m regretting my decision so much right now. They are way too short, and now I feel like I can’t fix my hair anymore. I mean I didn’t really fix my hair before, but now that I can’t, I want to. I made my bangs thicker than they were before, as well, so it is not easy to put them back with a bobby pin because it looks like I chopped them, which I did but it looks bad. Now I’m back at stage one, trying to grow my bangs out again. I think they would look fine they were just a little longer; maybe I should just make the front bangs. I’ve never had front bangs before. Do you have any suggestions?

So Much Hair

           My friend has so much hair! She wanted to dye her hair and asked me to do it for her. I agreed, but didn’t anticipate it taking too long. She has so much hair it takes four bottles of box hair dye to cover her whole head. The whole process of dying her hair took about two and half hours. It took two hours alone to apply the dye to her hair. Her hair was all kinds of colors, so the dye took to some parts, but not others. She had pink in her hair, so the dye was not one color. At the end, her hair was still not one color the top was lighter than the bottom because of the pink. It was fun, but I feel badly because I don’t think her hair is the way she wanted it to be.  

Ombre

        Since I dyed my hair back to black, I’ve seen everyone with an ombré. It makes me so jealous. I loved my blonde/ombré hair, but it is such a hassle having blonde hair when your hair is naturally black, or dark in general. I did try to keep it as blonde as I can for as long as I can, but the type of water we have here isn’t good for dyed hair. I used the toner and the expensive shampoo and conditioner the salon gave me and my hair still turned orange. I tried everything but nothing worked out too well.

Bangs

        I’ve been growing my bangs out for a while now; it has been a roller coaster. My friend and I have both been growing out our bangs and we both decided to cut them. So she looked on Youtube so I can learn how to cut bangs, on both myself and on other people. It was a complete success on my friend’s hair, but mine was a completely different story. My bangs are far too short and I am regretting cutting my bangs because my bangs take forever to grow. I learned how to cut other peoples bangs, but have yet to master my own.

V-Cut

        When I was out in the real world I got a haircut. Well, I got a trim. I usually get a straight cut because I want my hair to be even for when I donate it, but since I’ve dyed my hair so much, I think I’m going to hold off donating it so my hair can be recover from all the damage. I got the straight cut and now I’m regretting it because I’ve seen pictures of the “v-cut” and it is so beautiful. I wish I had the guts to get it. Next time I’m out there I want to ask the hairdresser if it will be okay if I get it because I don’t know if my hair is thick enough. What do you guys think?

Sephora

           The basketball trip was fun, and I spent a ton of money on things I absolutely do not need. Our team was ranked number one in our region. It was our year to take our hometown to state. Unfortunately, we didn’t win. We played three games, but only won one. When regionals was over we ranked fourth, but we all had a blast, played hard, and celebrated with junk food, soda, and energy drinks.

        When we went to the real world, we spent money on things we don’t need. I bought a lot of clothes. I finally bought a pair of black converse. I also went to Sephora, which was a horrible idea. I spent $132 on makeup, which I truly think I needed. I got myself Smashbox foundation and foundation brush, Make Up For Ever concealer, and a Clinique de-puffing eye massage serum. All of these products were worth the money because my foundation looks so natural and it doesn’t look cakey. I strongly suggest these products to everyone because they are well worth the money, and such high quality.

        The Smashbox foundation works wonders! When I was at Sephora I met with a makeup artist who took pictures of my forehead, cheek, and neck with the Color IQ device that takes pictures in the complete darkness. The device reveals the right foundations for your skin tone. This is called a Skin Care IQ Test. This test is so helpful because now you know what shade you are without having to physically test them on your skin. You can type you IQ scores on the Sephora website and it will pull up foundations that match your skin tone, out of all of the foundations on the website. I think Smashbox is perfect for me because it isn’t cakey. It also has a matte look to it so I don’t have to use powder foundation with the liquid foundation, which saved me money in the long run. If you want a foundation that looks natural I would strongly suggest Smashbox Studio Skin foundation.

Travel Makeup

        I’m leaving on Wednesday and I don’t planning on taking a lot of makeup. We should talk about how much makeup to travel with. Of course you need your foundations, mascara, and eyeliner. I also think you should always grab an emergency eyeshadow. I don’t wear makeup that often but I sure will grab some because I’m sure I will be more awake because when I am home I sleep instead of getting ready. Being more awake will allow me to apply eyeshadow instead of my normal neutral look. If you have any other suggestions about travel makeup please leave a comment!

Graduation Shoes

        Graduation is creeping up pretty quick. It is time to start ordering a dress and new shoes, of course. I know that I cannot get shoes that are six inches again because I will be dying! When I wore my nude Louboutins at the Christmas Program my feet were killing me. At graduation I might be standing for a while, so four-inch heels will work. I’m thinking about getting black Louboutins, but I might get silver sparkly ones. I guess the color of my shoes depends on the color of my dress. I will let you know soon about the colors I choose of my dress and shoes!

Blackhead Remedies: Day Two

        Blackhead Remedies: Day Two. Our remedies have been working at the same pace, I think. My remedy is making my blackheads pop more. My boyfriend’s remedy isn’t doing much; I don’t see much of a difference. Yes, they are working at the same pace because both of the remedies are not working as fast as we wanted them to. These remedies, like any other, take time to work their magic. I will let you know more when I see better results, if we ever do. You can look at my pervious blogs to see the remedies or at www.pinterest.com/ . http://hairbeautyj.blogspot.com/2015/03/blackhead-remedies-day-two.html

Fishtail

        I want to braid my hair with two braids going around my head then going into a fishtail braid, like shown below. I think it is the best way to keep your hair out of your face. It is also a great workout hairstyle. The one problem I have with this hairstyle is that my hair might look like a tennis racket. Don’t get me wrong, I love this hairstyle, but if you look at it from a different angle, it looks like a tennis rack. I am defiantly going to try this hairstyle, but I don’t know how long I will keep it in. I found this hairstyle on www.pinterest.com/ .

Blackhead Remedy

           Yesterday was day one of using a remedy to try and remove my blackheads. The remedy I used was mixing cinnamon and honey together, and then applying it to the area necessary. Leave the mixture on the area for about fifteen minutes. Then you wash it off with lukewarm water and dab dry with a towel. It didn’t smell too good, but my boyfriend’s remedy smelled so much worse! He used tea tree oil and applied it to the area where he has blackheads. He left the oil on his nose overnight. We are going to see whose remedy works better. I didn’t see much of a difference after applying either one of the remedies, probably because it was the first day. I will let you know how well these remedies work. I found these remedies on www.pinterest.com/ .

New Eyeshadow

        I haven’t tried a new eyeshadow in a really long time. I always used brown shades. Most times I’m scared to try new eyeshadows because most colors don’t go with my skin tone. When I look on Pinterest for eyeshadow ideas there are always brown and purple colors. I’m not a big fan of purple shades because I think my skin tone is too dark. If you have any ideas on what colors I could try or how to make the purple colors work with my skin tone, leave a comment! Thanks.

Cosmetology or Psychology?

        Every time I see a picture of a salon, I think, “that is where I should be in the next few years,” but when someone talks about the brain or psychology, it also gets my mind flowing. I don’t know what I want to do. I’m torn between the psychology and cosmetology. I know that I can do both; I know I am capable of doing both, but what comes first? Do I take the easy route and go into cosmetology, or not? It is not about the money, it is about my career, what will I want to do for the rest of my life? It is overwhelming. I’m going to be the first person you can get your hair done while getting your therapy session in at the same time. Psychology is something that I have always wanted to major in, but now it’s different. If you have any suggestions for/about what I should do leave a comment! Thanks.

Drawing

        For the past year I have been drawing, and I am finally reaching my artistic potential. I’m not good at drawing faces, but flowers and stuff with a soft tone to it I can draw really well. I am horrible at drawing things then coloring them in because I don’t have much creativity. I know I can do it, but I don’t want to take the time to learn. I want to further myself with the things I know how to do. The drawings below are some sketches I did free hand in my Fine Arts class. It was frustrating but fun nonetheless. I think drawing and makeup go hand and hand because with makeup you are pretty much drawing on your face. But I don’t necessarily think that you have to be a good artist to do your makeup, and vice versa.

Black is Back

         My black hair is back! I tried to be blonde, bold, and different but I want to go back to being “Plain Jane.” I really like my natural hair. I was looking at old pictures and was super excited I decided to go back to black. I was excited to go back because my hair is long again; I am back to the old me. I also have the perfect outfit to come back, too! I’m going to wear black tank top with a tan cardigan designed with black shapes, black leggings, and brown boots. My outfit is going to be on point. I’m also going to curl my hair like I used to before I cut and dyed my hair.

        I’m excited but I’m also sad to dye my hair back. I don’t think my hair looks good, and it is super dry at the ends. Re-dying it is going to make my hair even more brittle, but I loathe the color it is right now. I’m just going to dye my hair this one last time. Graduation pictures are coming up and I don’t want to have orange hair in my pictures. I’m going to dye my hair then use Coconut Oil to try and save my hair from all the damage I have caused.

Contour Kit

        The contour kit I got works great! Although, I thought it was going to get cream instead of powder but it still works. I do want to get some creamy contour kits because I don’t know how well the powder is doing for my skin. Like I said before my face has been breaking out, badly. If you are looking for a good contouring kit, I would suggest Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour Kit. It is available at www.sephora.com/ for about forty dollars. Expensive/pricey, but worth the money!

Beach Waves

        My hair is finally long enough to do the beach waves I always did when I had longer hair. I don’t know if the hairstyle is called “beach waves” because the curls are not crazy. I think it is more of a vintage hairstyle. I just need to learn how to do the side sweep, like the picture shown below. It doesn’t look that hard, but every time I try to do it the side sweep it is almost always big. It is never flat; I’ve tried flat ironing it, curling it back, using mousse, and hairspray-- you name it I tried it. If you have any suggestions for me please leave a comment! Thanks

Acne Product

With the weather changing now, my face is breaking out. I don’t usually break out, but this winter my skin has been bad, really dry. The best acne product, I think, is Clean & Clear Advantage Acne Control Kit. When I had surgery, I broke out with tons on pimples, so I got this kit and my face was clear within two days of using it. You have to be religious with the kit if you want to see quick results. I usually use the kit two times a day-- when I first get up and before I go to bed. This kit is about sixteen dollars at www.drugstore.com/.

Eyebrow Stencil

        I think it is time to start doing my eyebrows. I didn’t noticed how bad I let them get. I would have thought someone would tell me that my eyebrows are crazy! I am open to criticism everyone, please don’t let me walk around looking crazy. I have an eyebrow stencil, which is extremely helpful because I can never get my eyebrow shaped the way I want them to be without the help of the stencil. If you don’t want to spend money getting your eyebrows professionally, then you should invest in eyebrow stencils. They usually come in eyebrow kits, so buy some, guys!

        The stencil I have is a little too thin, so I had to improvise and make them thicker. The way I use the stencil is I place it on my eyebrow and fill in the stencil with eyeliner. The parts of the eyebrow that don’t have eyeliner on it, are the areas that I remove. This method is pretty helpful because I made my eyebrows thicker than the stencil is. The only downfall about the stencil is getting your eyebrows even, such as thickness and shape. The stencil are still worth purchasing.

Think Healthy

        My blog is about Hair and Beauty-- and I think that health can fall under that heading, too. Last year I almost got hospitalized because I wasn’t getting enough nutrients. So I had to drink some water and eat healthier. I hate water! So I was looking on Pinterest for ways to help me enjoy water and found a lot of detox drinks! I mainly use lemons in my water because I love lemons. I also needed to eat more vegetables and fruit, so the nutritionist suggested putting them in smoothies. Did you know when you mix broccoli with apples in a smoothie you cannot taste the broccoli? It is truly amazing. Detox drinks are also beneficial for people who are trying to lose weight. If you ever need anything I would strongly suggest going on Pinterest because it pretty much has everything! www.pinterest.com/.

How to Clean Your Makeup Brushes

        Lets talk about makeup brushes. How often do you clean yours? I don’t clean my as often as most people do because I  use makeup at least once a week. The best way to clean your brush is to use dish soap or some kind of antibacterial soap and extra virgin olive oil. Fill a small bowl with three quarters of soap and one quarter of olive oil and stir it until it is all mixed together. Next put your makeup brushes in the bowl and mix the soap and olive oil into the brushes. Then run the brushes under tap water while rubbing them back and forth on your hand. Finally squeeze the water out of the brushes and put them upside down in a cup to dry. It works fantastically. I found this on www.pinterest.com/.

Nail Polish

        It has been a couple of weeks since I’ve had acrylic nails and my nails are still trying to repair themselves. I use Sally Hansen Hard as Nails clear nail polish that is suppose to strengthen and help your nails grow faster and it is working well, but slowly.  If you want to get acrylic nails you have to be willing to take care of your nails afterwards. The nail polish is working really well thank goodness. If you are willing to take care of your nails prior to getting acrylic nails, I would suggest getting this nail polish because it does work. The nail polish is available at www.drugstore.com/ for $1.99.

Detox Bath Results

        I tried the detox bath last night and it worked wonders! I didn’t have ginger so I just used Hydrogen Peroxide, but it still worked. I feel so much better than I did last night because of the bath! I did rest and drank a lot of liquids last night, so that helped as well. I felt so relieved after the detox bath; it was refreshing. Hot showers and baths work really well for colds, but this one released all my toxins, if I must say. I found the detox bath on www.pinterest.com/.

Coconut Oil

        The Coconut Oil is not working fast enough for me. I keep grabbing scissors and cutting off my split ends. I hope that I am not ruining my hair too much. I know that it is making my hair uneven but where I live, there isn’t somewhere I can get my haircut often. When I get out to the real world the hairstylist always tells me how my hair is. I know, this time around, they will tell me they need to cut my split ends off. I just don’t want to cut my hair anymore because it was so short when I cut it last. I want my hair to be as long as it used to be, and as healthy, but it can’t be as healthy if I have a lot of dead ends. If you are impatient I wouldn’t suggest using Coconut Oil because it takes a lot of patience.

Knee Problems

        My goal for the summer was to be able to run or walk on the beaches here but that is not going to be possible this summer. My last knee surgery was not as successful as I thought. I don’t know what my new doctor wants to do, but I want to get this fixed. I know this is off topic but it has been bugging me. I went through about eight months of recovery, and now, two years later I’m finally getting full strength back in my knee and then I found out that that surgery wasn’t successful. I hope I don’t have too many surgeries ahead of me. If anyone is going through surgeries I would suggest keeping up with Physical Therapy because it truly makes a difference.

Men's Hair

        Well, looks like I have to learn how to cut men’s hair. A couple weeks ago my boyfriend got his haircut and the person who did it messed it up, badly. He had another friend attempt to fix it and it turned out decent. Thank goodness he did because I probably would have messed it up more. Unfortunately, the friend who fixed his hair left for the Police Academy so I’m the one who will cut his hair. Well, maybe I will. I don’t know if I can do it. I know, its hair, it will grow back but the pressure of messing up is terrifying. I hope Pinterest can help me, wish me luck!

Detox Bath

        I’ve been sick for about a week now, and I’m so over it. I went on Pinterest and looked up remedies for colds and I found a detox bath recipe. When you take a bath, add Hydrogen Peroxide and ground Ginger to it. I’m going to try the bath later on this evening. I’ve also been loading myself with liquids and Emergen- C so I hope I will get over this cold soon. People also suggested taking hot showers but that is not good for your hair, and my hair can’t take any more damage right now, so I’m going to stick with the bath. I found these remedies at www.pinterest.com/.

Hair Problems

        I know I’ve been talking about my hair a lot, but I am so aggravated with it. I decided not to dye my hair yet because the ends of my hair are so dry. I’m also not sure if I want to fix my hair with the blonde tips anymore. After that catastrophe I’m over having colored hair. I want to dye my hair once more but to my natural hair color, which is dark black. I’ve damaged my hair so much, I feel like the only way to truly revive my hair is to cut it and start over. But I don't want to cut it, so coconut oil is going to be my best friend.

Hair Dye Results

           Last week I told y’all that I was going to dye my hair a brighter blonde. Well let’s talk about that terrible decision; result. The friend that was supposed to help me dye my hair took too long, so I decided I would do it myself.  I used the brand Clairol Nice 'n Easy Hair Color, Neutral Blonde. As I mixed the dye, I was praying that I wouldn’t mess up the dye job too much. I started to apply the dye to my hair; I was so nervous. I let the dye sit for forty-five minutes because I wanted the blonde to be brighter so people would notice that I dyed it. I washed the dye out and looked in the mirror, at first, I couldn’t tell the difference in my hair. I was so mad because the smell of the dye was so bad, I could barely breath when applying it. After it dried I noticed that it did not work at all! The dye made my hair darker not lighter! I hate the color, so I’m going to re-dye it.

Christmas Gift Cards

        I’m finally using my gift cards that I got for Christmas. I went on Sephora and got myself a contour kit. I went to American Eagle Outfitters and got myself jeans and cardigans. It was good to buy more clothes, or just get new things. I had to get cardigans because I never take my jackets off because I'm always cold. The unfortunate thing about me wearing my jacket all the time is my jackets are all black. Now I’m waiting for all of my things to come in, the waiting game.

Uggs

        Winter finally came for a short visit, I hope, and I’ve been wearing my Uggs. They got wet from all the snow and now they look ugly. So I looked on Pinterest to see if there was a better way to clean the boot, and make it look and feel better. The first thing you want to do is brush the boots with a stiff brush to wipe away the dirt. Next, with a damp towel gently wipe the boots all over. Then stuff the boots with something to hold the shape of the boots. Finally, put the boots in a in a cool place to dry for about 24-48hrs. You don’t want to wear the boots until they are dry because the boot can lose the shape. I will try this later, and let you know how it worked out! www.pinterest.com/

Postponed Senior Pictures

        Senior pictures got postponed because our gowns and the green screen weren’t ready. Thank goodness because I can dye my hair before we take pictures. But the person who usually does my makeup may not be here when we take pictures, so I might have to do it myself. I don’t feel too great about that because I’m not confident enough in myself to do my own makeup. I’m going to have these pictures for a long time. Anyways, my gown is black; if you have any suggestions on how I should do my makeup, please leave a comment!

Wedding News

        The wedding went well! The bride was absolutely gorgeous! The bridesmaids wore messy fishtails and a neutral smoky eye. We all had an amazing time. The night was filled with excitement and joy! I know the bride and groom are happy; they are currently on their honeymoon. I wish her and her husband a happy and long life together!

Blonde or No?

           My hair is orange, again. I am so tempted to go to the store and get blonde hair dye and dye my hair. I’m sure my hair will take the color; I mean it is already bleached. I’m sure it cannot turn out any worst than it is now. I probably won’t do it by myself though; I need someone else to be there with me. If I mess this up, what am I going to do? I don’t want to fry my hair. The struggle of being a girl is frustrating. Wish me luck!

Maple Bars

        I’m going to go a little off the topic of hair and beauty and talk about the time I made maple bars. Over Christmas break I had a really bad craving for maple bars so I went on Pinterest and looked up a recipe. I went to the store and bought all the ingredients. Did I mention this was my first time making maple bars. I made the dough, which was the easiest. When I was making the maple topping the store didn’t have the ingredients, so I had to improvise. I called a friend who likes to bake, and she told me to just used regular syrup, powdered sugar, vanilla and maple extract; it worked out well. After I let the dough rise for an hour I started rolling it out and cutting into “bar” shapes. I started to fry them and they wouldn’t puff up like the picture. I realized that I killed the yeast in the dough. I was so embarrassed because I got everyone excited to have maple bars and messed them up.

Game Day

        I am the manager of the high school basketball team at my school. Today is game day! We are going to have tournament here at the school for the first time in years, so we are going to start to dress formally on game days. I love it because it gives me an excuse to dress nicely. Another the plus about game day is the whole community comes together to cheer on team!

Senior Pictures

        Next week my senior class will be taking senior pictures. I’m so sad because my hair isn’t the way I want it. I have one more treatment before my hair will look the way I want it to. Don’t get me wrong; I am excited to get the pictures done but my hair isn’t the way I want it to look. This is a picture I will have for the rest of my life. One day I will have a college graduation picture and my hair will hopefully be the way I want it to be.

Wedding

           This Sunday one of my friends is getting married! I’m so excited. My dress is beautiful it is light blue and long. I love long dresses because I have a big scar from my knee surgery. I think I am going to wear my hair in a messy fishtail. I’m not sure how to wear my makeup, but a friend is going to do it for me. Oh, I forgot to mention, I’m the Maid of Honor! I’m grateful she wanted me in her wedding. I’m happy for her and her future husband!

        My friend asked me to do her makeup for her wedding day, but I’m not confident enough to do it. It is too much pressure to be the one to do her makeup because she is going to have pictures of her day for the rest of her life. I know I’m the maid of honor, but I don’t want to be the one that messes up her makeup. I was completely honored she asked because she knows I love makeup, but I’m not at the stage of doing someone’s makeup for something this special.

Mascara

     I got they’re real mascara and let me tell you it takes a lot of patience. I tried it the first time and my eyelashes were clumpy. Normally, when you apply mascara you move the wand side to side to make sure you get every lash, but not with this product. With this mascara you want to just bring the wand straight out. I was a little disappointed with the mascara until I did a little research on it. I don’t use it too often because of how time consuming it is.

Nails

When I was out in the real world I got a mani pedi and I was so disappointed. First of all my manicure was more than it was supposed to be because the person doing my nails misunderstood me. Secondly, my nails were uneven, dramatically uneven. My pedicure was okay, I guess. The girl doing my nails seemed like she was in a rush. The nail polish on my nails was also uneven. I know I shouldn't have paid for it, but I am way too nice.

Vacation

My vacation to the real world was so much fun and well worth the money! I did so much. My parents, Dallas, and I went to visit our family members, went to the malls, and went out bowling. The day after we got into town I got my hair done. Of course, they told me that I needed more than one treatment to get as blonde as I wanted. I needed to get rid of the orange I had, so we went for a sandy blonde. Thank goodness, we decided to keep natural hair color for the top. I loved my hair at first, but with the type of water we have here it strips the dye quicker, and unfortunately my hair is somewhat orange again. At the place where I got my hair done at they gave me shampoo to help with the discoloration, which helped; I just have to use it more.

Family is the best thing about going out to the real world. We got to see a bunch of family members whom we don’t get to see as often as we want to. We all had a great time, good laughs. Christmas Day away from home was hard, but we all had fun. We went to family member’s house with dogs-- it was the scariest ten minutes of my life. The dogs warmed up to me and finally calmed down. Other than that we had an amazing Christmas.

For our entertainment on the vacation we went to the malls and wasted money… Just kidding, we got Christmas gifts and other necessities for home. Another activity we did was we went out bowling. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to watch a movie because we didn’t have enough time. Like I said before it was a well-needed trip and so much fun!