Is your hair did?

I took that up-do out this weekend and did a bunch of yard work on Sunday. I co-washed it, threw on some kinky curly and knot today and went out to eat. I wore a huge bang - typical of me - and gathered the rest into a loose, low, curly puff. I've been wearing it like that ever since. Yesterday we decided to go out- kinda impromptu. I slapped a lil makeup on and wrote my hair and outfit off as a partial loss. lol.

And what do you know... Everyone and they mama were out on a Monday night! lol.

I saw people I hadn't seen in months, met people in person I only knew on the web, met friends of friends and was surrounded by fabulous #teamnaturalhair beauties dressed in the most ethnic and flattering ensembles in the city. DOAh! I want a do-over!

I sooo wish I had my hair out in some huge puffy do-hicky. I got a few complements regardless- people tried to figure out how I had the back part separated (it was just a single plastic pony-holder.) But damn if you can't get caught slipping in DC at any moment!! I want to get a new hair cut asap! I feel I can't wear it out without some manipulation because the shape is now super warped from my year old grown out cut. Bagh! I feel this is all part of a need for more organization and time management.  I have to be ready- to be ready! lol

I did go shopping by the way, and I got a lot more pinky/pastel/girly cut tops and jewelery. "Operation Frillier" is underway. I have to get a few more pieces to be able to make complete outfits on the drop of a dime and I plan to knock those out this weekend in a few more trips. I'm not really a fashionista type- but I'll post some of it here so you can see what I'm going for.

;-)

New Figure 8 updo- thanks Youtube!

I bit off this style by ForeverCurlyCatrina! My hair is quite a bit shorter and ummm, not as smooth as hers even roller set- But I made it work! Here is the result:

Here is the inspiration vid:

Partial updo on roller set hair

I want to grow my hair our for the next 2 months, particularly in back in preperation for my next summer cut.  I decided that the best way for me to do this without driving myself crazy meanwhile is to experiment with up-dos for a few months.

I roller set my hair on as few large rollers as I could manage- which still ended up being a lot lol.  I used Giovanni Direct leave in, Organix Nourishing Coconut Milk Styling Mousse (winner!) and Shea moisture's spray oil stuff (scored from last week's Walgreens sale). I sat for at least 2 hours and it was alllllmost dry when I went to bed.  I put it in large double strand twists with large purple flexible curlers at the ends. 

This morning the back was still too frizzy to wear out into the overcast and HOT day here (over 80!) so I devised this updo.  I didn't have time to style the back.  But I will do that tonight to try and get a few days ouf of this style before switching to another up-do. The front is just a HUGE, loose double strand flat twist.  I took the end of it and coiled it around to make a "flower' and used a bobby pin to secure it.  The sides are regular flat twists.

 

hehe- homeboy in the BG is like why is this chick taking picts of herself on Metro...

I got a compliment on the train on the way in from a fellow natural- so I feel encouraged to keep this one up for a few days :-)

I also feel like my Native American blood is showing up today lol.  Maybe it's the jewelry or the changed texture of my hair. The Cherokee is in there pretty prominently all the time waiting to bust out!  I see it in my cheeks and in my Grandmother's pictures- RIP.

Spring Sprung and shopping in our own closets

Spring has Sprung!  

Yesterday my job had its annual walk over to the Tidal basin in DC to see what was left of the cherry blossoms.  We ended up walking a total of 5.1 miles in the middle of a beautiful day! 

Me on the other had- not so cute. (womp womp).  I'd forgotten about the walk, and I'd certainly forgotten about the group picture they take at the end at the Jefferson memorial. Ya'll... I will be memorialized in that picture forever with two pigtails.  Yes. I am over 30 and I had my hair in two pigtails. 

I have been soooooooo super lazy and un-interested in styling my hair.  I want to cut it NOW! Ever since I decided to go with another short spring cut, my year of growth has been getting on my nerves!  I've had at it with the scissors a few times but I didn't want to cut so much that I can't do one single ponytail yet.  I kinda failed at that.  I did a shingle set on my dried hair and I didn't like the way it came out (cool on the outside, hot mess in the middle) but I'd trimmed it short enough that I could not loosely gather it into one while shrunken (without getting a headache).  So I roughly gathered it into two- not caring about a part even. I went to bed like that- woke up and left it like that and went to work- like egh....  I don't care.  and now...  PHOTO, forever. 

This morning, so as not to be caught slipping again for any reason, I wet it, combed it out in the shower and got it much more easily into one pony puff.  It looks much more like I care. lol

But anyway- the other interesting thing going on:
This weekend my girls and I are meeting up to put our creative minds together and closet raid before we go shopping for spring.  I like to make jewelry and earrings and to recycle fabric in different ways. My home girl is getting her personal shopping and styling business off the ground.  I have another close friend with a personal organizing business.  We are all meeting up with some clothing and accessory duds from last year with the goal of doing some swapping, re-purposing, and salvaging (and donating).  We are going to attempt spring looks, vintage looks and just whatever suits our fancy.  I'm so looking forward to it- the energy in the feedback has been really high!  We'll be modeling in our creations in photos.  Maybe I will post the results here!

A few things I love

I am at a transition point with my hair.  It's almost summer, but it's still biting cold on most mornings.  I know I am cutting my hair soon.  In fact, I trimmed about 1.5 inches off already myself lol.  BUT I will be shaping it somehow for the summer.  I just saw this pic by Brianna McCarthy this morning, and I really like the shape of the hair.  I don't have enough in back, but in a few more moths I can approximate it.  It's a long version of my second BC.  I'm pondering.

But meanwhile I have needed to distract from my desire to change my hair, by changing some other things.
Make-up and accessory things.

• My number one thing this season is- Pearls.  I have a pearl necklace from a wedding I was in years ago and wore it recently on a whim.  It's not white/cream pearl, but more like rose and amber pearls (or this).  I think it contrasted nicely with my hair, and picked up tones from my skin and eyes.  I got compliments and a few glances. I feel it added a subtle "something" lol.  I will be adding more of these pieces to my spring shopping haul.  I always thought the texture of kinky/curly hair to be similar to lace, and we all know that lace and pearls are sexy together :-) 
• Second, I am still digging lip stains.  Cover girl lip stain to be exact, which I already posed about. With the weather warming it's great to be able to set it and go- throw some gloss on top...  done for 12 hrs.  I want an orange color though- and they don't quite have it.  I'm looking for a similar stain that has what I want.  
• And then- Green eye liner.  I have hazelish eyes.  Mostly brownish grey, but sometimes they can be a little greenish.  I always used a complementing color (Purple or Orange) to bring out that hue, but I discovered that when I use green I can play up the grayish color pretty well. I want to cut down to two color palates with my makeup- so an orange lip and green eye as my primary day look and then alternate with my purple eye and brown lip.  I usually carry much more than that, and I have a bad habit of not doing my makeup at home but rather at work- if at all.

So what are you ladies looking forward to for spring?