Pick 6 - Summer '16

Fall is in full swing and I have yet to share my favorite items from Summer '16. 

Let's jump in!

Hair| Mango Butter 
In my opinion, this butter is pricey however, the smell and the fact that I can mix small amounts of it with my whipped shea butter mix to stretch it makes is worth it. It is also a very sleek butter.




Fashion| Sinful Colors  "Poisonberry"
I love love L♡VE this polish. I rarely polish my finger nails but this summer I used this color when I was feeling fancy. Sinful Colors is such a reasonably priced polish that [in my opinion] has great coverage; two coats and im good to go.





Beauty| Nicka K - True Matte "Millbrook"
I have never been big on lip colors because I feel like I could never find a color that looked decent on me. A co-worker introduced me to this beauty store brand. The color lasts for most of the day. My only con is that it leaves your lips feeling tacky after it dries... but just put gloss on top and you're good.





Skin| Charcoal mask
A Dollar Tree find from a few months ago; when I have those pamper moments to myself at night, I steal away in the bathroom to do my nails and put on this mask. It's creamy, doesn't dry too tight and doesn't leave your skin feeling dry when you remove it.





Accessories| Frames
I'm still obsessed with frames and keep a lookout for different types. I refuse to spend more that 10 bucks on them so my favorite places to go are beauty supply stores (I can usually buy 2 for 10). 









Random| Glad Angel Whispers air freshener
I originally lucked up on this fragrance at Dollar Tree and when I realized how awesome is smelled, went back and purchased ALL that were left. I later found out that this is in fact a popular smell and DT was not able to stock it again (whomp whomp). I do find this at other stores so all is not lost. Angel Whispers is a soft clean smell and can be placed in any room in the house. I love to have it in the little ones room and at work. 

Farewell 2015 | Memorable Moments

Another year is coming to a close and again, so much has happened on a national and local level. I prefer to reflect on the more positive events that have happened this year in my life.

So, what went down this year: 

• Anniversary | Hubby and I were able to celebrate our 1 year wedding anniversary by taking our annual trip to the coast to relax. It is always a joy to get away with him and just take in sights and sounds of the coast.

• Retirement | My mother retired this year and now has the joy of... DOING WHATEVER SHE WANTS  with her time. I feel like I was more excited than she was. It is always nice to see someone hit the milestone of retirement [in my eye]. Praying I get the reach that mark.

• Birthday | Our family was blessed with the birth of our baby girl this Summer. It was a trying time but I would not take it back for anything. Parenting is definitely a new venture that we're so excited to go on.

What were your most memorable moments of 2015?

Positive energy to all in the new year!

Pick 6 - Summer

As much as I've enjoyed the sitting pool side, wearing sundresses, sun glasses, and digging my feet in the sand, we must soon say farewell to Summer (boooooo!). BUT before we do, I want to come to you all with some of my favorites this season. So...

                                                       L E T S   G E T   S T A R T E D !

Accessories - Viva La Juicy and Viva La Juicy Gold rollerball perfume. I've been leaning hard with this duo. Two fragrances in one and I'm able to slip it in my bag to take with me in case I'm in a rush. I am certainly a fan of the original Juicy Couture but I've enjoyed the Juicy Couture Gold for more of a "stepping out on the town" fragrance. The two smell very similar but the Gold has a hint of what may be vanilla (***does a quick Google search to verify my assumption***) YES! vanilla. which gives me a more grown and sexy vibe when applying.






Fashion - Old Navy T-Strap Flip Flops. Let me just say...I have worn these flips flops just about everyday this summer. Lately, I've had trouble finding a all black flip flop with straps (a lot of flip flops that are out now have black straps but the base/bottom is a different color...I'm plain). I like the quality of these because they're made with a heavier rubber (unlike the foam flip flops that are always on sale at Old Navy).




Beauty - Maybelline Great Lash Lots of Lashes. Summer means sweat and I am not in the mood for wiping makeup off my face, and clothes. To still jazz up my look, I draw/fill in my eyebrows (click >>> HERE <<< to see my technique) and apply mascara. Great Lash is the best mascara I have used so far. It really defines my lashes. Also, I am "multiple application" gal (meaning I'll apply at least 3 coats to make my lashes pop). Now, it clumps a little but not nearly as bad as other mascaras I have used.




Hair - Afro Puff. Need I say more??? This Summer was not nearly as hot as I anticipated but, for those days
when I did not want to deal with my hair brushing my neck and/or sweating my hair out. I would simply wear a puff. When I first discovered I could achieve the afro puff with my own hair, I would only wear it when it was getting close to wash day BUT CHILE... I love it now! Bad hair day, good hair day, just not in the mood to deal with my hair, the puff is in full effect.




Skin - ***2-for-1***Neutrogena Astringent and Toner. So, for my Pick 6 for Spring I talked about how I use the Neutrogena Wave Sonic. I've gotten better with the routine but I'm only using it 2 days out of the week (as I noticed that using it everyday was drying my skin). My daily facial regimen after washing my face is to apply the Neutrogena Astringent on my problem spots (which clears me up in about 3 days). Then after that dries, I use the Alcohol Free Toner to close my pores, and to hopefully help keep my skin tight (as it is). This is really helping out my problem areas and my skin doesn't feel tight (like some medication make it feel) or dry after applying.

Image pulled from Crane website

Random - Crane Pop-up Sun Shelter. The husband and I made 2 trips to the beach. The 1st trip was a bit
of a hassle because it rained most of the day. Along with the rain came wind which ruined 2 beach umbrellas that we purchased when we arrived (very upset at the waste of money). Before we took our 2nd trip to the coast I lucked on this Pop-up Sun Shelter while shopping in Aldi. This thing is awesome!: Just like the name says, it is a pop-up shelter so no assembly required. It is large enough for both of us to sit out beach chairs in, easy to put away, AND it comes with a carrying bag. This made our day at the beach even more care-free because we were able to setup, and pack up quickly.

I'm tagging Ms.Naturally Random and anyone else that would like to participate.

What are some items that made your Summer???

-Creatively Coiled

Curls Around The World - Mini Haul

I'm always excited about going to expos to enjoy the presentations, networking, and fellowship. But the main thing I like is checking out the vendors to see what they have to offer. Vendors are awesome as you're normally looking at one of a kind items, or items that you know are not mass produced (which I'm always attracted to).

With that being said... LET ME SHOW YOU WHAT I GOT!!

We received mini swag bags with samples from JessiCurls, Eden BodyWorks, and Coco Curls.

Made a lovely scented purchase from the Pure Shea Store: Cocoa Mango Shea Butter, and a mango scented shampoo bar (more deets on how that worked out in a late post). 

Now, with it just laying on my vanity, you are not getting the full effect of this. Made a wonderful fashion purchase from S. Benson. This my friends is a Peplum belt that can be paired with any plain outfit.

Last thing I walked away with was a bottle of Almond Oil from Monique's Natural Boutique.

If you want more information on the products, please visit the merchant sites below: 

http://www.sbenson.com/

http://puresheastore.com/

http://moniquesnaturalhaircare.com/

https://www.jessicurl.com/

http://cococurls.com/

Have any of you used any of these products? If so, what are your thoughts?

- Creatively Coiled

Curls Around The World Natural Hair Tour

On August 23rd some of my lady friends and I went to Greensboro,NC to enjoy the festivities at the 2nd annual, Curls Around The World natural hair expo and hair show. Showcasing vendors selling hair and body products, jewelry and accessories.

Guest speakers: 

Dr. Prenik James from Design Essentials

Chisa from Lady Bizness 

Diane Bailey, ambassador of Shea Moisture

Jeannell Darden of Coco Curls

Jessica McGuinty of Jessicurl

Pamela Jenkins of Koils By Nature

...And many more came to share their vision for their businesses and care of body and hair. There was plenty of energy in the building along with GREAT presentations.

Jeannell Darden of Coco Curls

We did not get a chance to peek in at the workshops,  but I'm sure they were full of information.

- Creatively Coiled

OOTD - Wedding Day

August 27th Marks the 2 month Wedding Anniversary for "Boo Thang" and I. We had a very small ceremony with our parents, grandparents, and siblings at the J.O.P. (Justice Of Peace).

The initial game plan was that we were not going to go all out (dress up and whatnot). But after talking with our friends and family, we decided to help make the day extra special, we would dress up a bit.




I knew for a fact that I was not going to spend a lot of money on a dress. So the hunt was on to look for a nice, simple, and cheap dress that could be re-purposed.





Dress:        "Something New" Lace V-                                 Hemline Skater Dress (Torrid)

Shoes:       Re-purposed from a friends                                wedding (Payless)
Pearls:      "Something Borrowed" (from                          my Sister)
Earrings: "Something Old" Pearl with gold                        trim (from Mother)
                     "Something Blue" stud earrings                        (gifted)

Thank you to all that gave us the side eye when I explained that we had not planned on dressing up because "We're just going to the Court House". I really was not that pressed about getting jazzy but it makes SO MUCH SENSE now looking back because we have photos...Decent photos to commemorate our day. I honestly have no clue WHAT we were thinking. Now before you all say "what the heck were you going to wear?" let me explain: I joked with a lot of people saying we were going to wake up and throw on some sweats then head to the J.O.P. That was so not true...But I was going to wear some dress pants/slacks, a nice top, and some flats and leave it at that. This was a much better alternative.





- Creatively Coiled