Pick 6 - Spring

It has been such a long time since I last posted (actually since the last Pick 6 for Winter). Summer is here and it is time to share my...

So... Lets jump right in!!!



Hair: Entwine Couture Exotique Butter-Creme Hydrator - For whatever reason, I was sleeping on this product for a few months and I honestly do not know why. What made me revisit it?: a frustrating moment of running and hands through my DRY hair trying to figure out what I already owned that could help other than using shea butter to seal in moisture. I can apply the butter-creme hydrator to my hair WITHOUT spritzing with water and my hair feels soft and rejuvenated.

>>Click here to to see my review on this is other Entwine products<<

Fashion: Palazzo Pants - being comfortable is the name of the game and I am personally tired of wearing slacks to work. I am so glad and palazzo pants are still a trend and can be found almost everywhere. I am stocking up on them now and my stores of choice are Target (check out the Ava and Viv collection) and Cato...Which by the way, was something else I was sleeping on. Side Note: I hadn't stepped foot in Cato in well over 2 years and honestly forgot about it but a friend reintroduced me to the store and I am impressed.

Beauty: Eyebrow pencils - meh! I really don't have much to say about this except that... I have limited hair above the eye and therefore choose to enhance it by filling them in. My favorite brow pencils are by e.l.f. and NYX.

>>Click here to see my eyebrow demo<<

Skin: Dermasil - If you have read any of the past Pick 6, you may be aware that I have troubling skin (ie: sometimes dry, oily, hyper pigmented....blah, blah, blah). Now I am dealing with my eczema breaking out on my wrist and ring finger...My left ring finger to be exact. Dermasil combats the dryness of my eczema and keeps it from itching. I using the formula for extra dry skin.






Accessories: Crocs flat shoes - OK, so don't judge me and don't take me off you "Cool" list...If I was ever on it but. I am LOVING them. I hated Crocs when they 1st came out because they are hideous however, knowing that they have different styles have helped a lot of people (including myself) accept them. These things are so comfy. I will certainly be purchasing more to wear to work

Random *Wish List Item*: Fujifilm Instax mini 8 - I have seen this camera circulating on line and it is adorable. It takes me back to the old school Polaroid instant camera that my parents owned. I though it was so cool sitting there shaking my the picture anticipating the image. It may seem like overload because I have a digital camera and my phone but I don't care... I want one. They run about $70.00 and I am considering it (no time soon but I am interested).

What items were you loving on this Spring?

Pick 6 - Winter

Well, hello Spring. Even though the warm weather hasn't officially settled in  I must say that I am looking forward to any sight of sunshine and warm weather BUT, before we move on past the chills let me share my...

Hair: African Braid Durban Twist Hair - I lucked up on this at a nearby beauty supply trying to figure out a quick way to style my hair. What really caught my attention was the definition: as if it were in large twist. The texture of the hair is softer than other braiding hair I have used in the past which is also a plus for me. I wasn't in the mood to do any detailed styling so I resulted to simple top knots to keep my hands out of my hair for a while. I buy this hair again and attempt to install kinky twist.






Fashion: Trench coat from Target - I purchase this coat well over 4 years ago for $13.00 from Target and I absolutely love it. With the cold weather that hits North Carolina, it is nice to have a nice long coat to wear. It is also machine washable so I have no problem keeping it clean.






Beauty: Very simple for the this Winter - A cocoa butter stick. Along with dry skin I suffer from hyper pigmentation  on my face which happens very easily when I mess the the acne on my face. If I catch these dark spots soon enough, I'm able to correct them by slathering cocoa butter on spot before I go to bed.








Skin: Shea Moisture Massage Oils - If you didn't know already, I'm #TeamSheaMoisture. Once out of the shower, I simply apply this to my skin without completely drying off to help lock in moisture. I've been enjoying the Olive and Green Tea oil.








Accessories: Stud earrings from Target - I wear these literally everyday when I'm  not looking to over do the ear glam. They are simple but "blinged" out a bit where I do not feel like I am doing too much.

Random: Hmmmm. I would have to say that my random this Winter is BAGELS - I've really been leaning with them hard this season as a quick breakfast. I have  enjoyed all wheat and poppy seed bagels 

with Garden Vegetable cream cheese.




Share with me your favorites from Winter :)

No Fast Food February UPDATE

February has come and gone so, I wanted to come and give you my...

UPDATE

I honestly enjoyed this challenge as it forced me to really plan out our meals: prepping food a day in advance and going into my recipe box to pull out some recipes that I hadn't used in a while. Along with this challenge, we tried our best to prepare meals that consisted of fresh produce so there was a lot of fresh veggies filling the fridge and with there being more fresh food, we were more moved to go ahead and actually cook and eat so none of it would go to waste.

With the cold weather taking over the month, comfort food was the name of the game: 

Pictures Clockwise: Grilled peppers and onions (rice not pictured).
Turkey Kielbasa, peppers, potatos and onions.
Buffalo chicken, broccoli, cheese and potatoes.
Turkey chili.

We enjoyed a lot of hearty meals throughout the month and had the opportunity to take a crack at making a soup (mind you, this is was a very random soup where I literally just purchased broth and veggies...Chopped 'em up and threw them in a pot... It turned out yummy):

Shared via Instagram

Shared via Instagram

With all of this being said. I am sad to report that I only made it 14 days straight without any fast food (insert sad face here). See, what had happened was...Sir and I hit the town and on Valentine's night and had all the intentions of coming home and preparing a meal HOWEVER, mother nature saw fit to hit Wake County with winds so harsh that when we arrived home, our power was out. 

All in all, we had takeout food 5 times last month...Which to me, was still good although I would have loved to complete the full 28 days with just home cooked meals. This was easy on the pockets and helped us clean out the fridge and actually start eating more of what we purchased. 

I will be trying this again. 

Did you participate in #NoFastFoodFebruary? If so, did you make it through the month?

-creatively coiled

Guess Who's Back?

Having a larger figure than the average person means there are limited choices as far as clothing stores with trendy items that are reasonably priced. So when I find a store I stick with it.

Unfortunately, in the later part of last year, a store that I would frequent for cute and simple items announced they were closing down HOWEVER, this past Saturday I received the following email:

Is this a cruel joke?: Sending me an email to a store that [last I checked] was long gone.

So, I followed the link and realized that there is an online ordering option. To verify, I did a Google search for news and discovered that dots was bought by a company in Florida that decided to give the chain another chance. Along with this, some of the store locations would reopen. 

(Source: crainscleveland.com)

So yes, dots is back and the location in Garner, NC has re-opened. I took the time to swing through to take a look at things and while speaking with a sales rep was informed that the store has been opened since January 30th.

Were you a dots shopper? If so what items do you enjoy?

No Fast Food Febuary

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

POSITIVE ENERGY TO ALL IN 2015

Watching what we eat is easier said than done. Over the past 3 years sir and I have worked on improving our eating habits to assist in our physical and financial health however, depending on "variables" that play a part of our daily life, we've found it to be difficult at times to stay on track: 

Late work day: Grab a fast food meal on the way home.

Late night(s) out on the town: Grab a fast food meal on the way home. 

Forgetting to prep dinner and/or just not in the mood to cook: ...You get the gist...

We have certainly come a long way as I can remember a time when we ate out almost everyday. There are some fast food restaurants that have been completely removed from the radar and we make better choices when ordering but it can get better. 

While we aren't as bad as we use to be with eating out and/or ordering in, we are still looking to improve this habit. I have personally noticed that when I do eat out a lot... I feel bad physically.

Mission for the month: No Fast Food... Again, easier said than done with it being so easy to just hop in the car and swing through someones drive-thru for a quick bite but, with the help of Pinterest (ie: yummy fast food meal substitutes) and restraint, we can make this happen. 

Our plan is to avoid outside foods all together: fast food and ANY sort and dining out will be prohibited this month. I know some are thinking "well, what about Valentine's Day?". Well... what about it??? We can still have a lovely dinner at home (as we have many times. I really enjoy preparing dinner rather than going out on V-Day).

I'll be sharing some of our meals via social media (mainly Instagram @Creatively_Coiled) and maybe at the end of the month I'll post all the pictures her on the blog. 

Do you and your family make it a point NOT to eat out? Do you have any tips that would help others avoid the call of fast food?

Farewell 2014

*sings* "Ten years come and gone so fast
I might as well have been dreaming
Sunny days have burned a path
Across another season..."
Does anyone remember that Oprah theme song for her 10 year anniversary?

Aaaaaaanyway... We are coming the close of another year and with all of the events that occurred locally and nationally I wanted to ask:

What events are/were memorable for you personally this year?

My memorable moments:

- Marrying my best friend.
- Rekindling my love for art.
- Finally meeting "Pumpkin" (my friends baby) after her world debut (lol).
- Watching another friends creative GENIUS grow with her music.

I'm ready for 2015 and what it has to offer and hope I have many more memorable moment to look back on ans share.

POSITIVE ENERGY TO ALL IN 2015!

Pick 6 - Fall

Seasons Greetings! 
We're officially in Winter and 'Tis The Season for shopping, family, and recapping on what has transpired this year BUT, before we move forward  I'd like to share some of my favorite items from Fall. So...

L E T S   G E T   S T A R T E D !  

Hair - Simple protective styles. It honestly took  me a while to go back to basics with my hair. Understanding that protective styles do not always have be complicated (ie: small flat twist, mini twist...styles that take more that 20mins to get together). With my new cut I have been wearing my hair out a lot but when I'm not in the mood to deal with it, I pin my hair in a simple pompadour and rock it out for a few days. So easy to do and it helps me keep my hair stretched.





Fashion - Cardigans and Sweaters. What more must I say? This is a timeless piece in any persons
wardrobe.  You can dress them up or down and they are great for layering. Not to mention they can be found EVERYWHERE. I'm particularly loving Merona's cowl neck sweaters at Target (purchased in both gray and black).




Beauty - NYX Setting Spray, Matte. I figured I would take a chance on trying this spray to help with setting my eyebrows. I've been filling in my brows for a while now and SHOULD be use to the fact that there is makeup on my face but I still have a habit of touching my face and then the desk at work and papers, thus leaving brown makeup streaks everywhere. NYX setting spray actually helps combat this. I will say that I wish it kept my face with the matte finish but I think its just my skin. Again, does the job at keeping the makeup on  my face and off my fingers so, thumbs up.






Skin - Sugar Scrubs. when the colder weather hits I slack off one task...SHAVING MY LEGS. Luckily my legs aren't that hairy so it isn't a big deal. To replace  this chore I do a nice full body scrub once a week to keep my skin feeling smooth in the colder months.
There are 2 scrubs that I enjoy: 1st is Shea Moisture Superfruit Complex scrub (still loving on this product from my Spring Pick 6). The 2nd scrub is Tree Huts Pomegranate Acai scrub. Both smell awesome and while it would be easy to make my own scrubs... I can't duplicate the fragrances.



Accessories - Gold! Over the past year, I have been buying more gold accessories lately to mix it up. Particularly loving my gold boyfriend watch from Charming Charlies, and my large button style gold earrings from Aldo.




Random -  iSound Twist Wireless Speaker. This rechargeable speaker has a long battery life and the sound quality is great considering the size of the speaker. It's also easy to pair it to your device(s). I take it around the apartment with me while cleaning when I need to keep my phone on the charger. I also bring it in the bathroom  for shower time when pretending I'm a singer ('cause you know, everyone sounds great singing in the bathroom).

What items have you enjoyed this Fall?

- creatively coiled