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

My World - NC Artist Sonyae

Hey Hey!

For #MusicMonday wanted to share with you all a lyricist who is Native to NC. Sonyae released her debut EP "Leave of Presence" on November 28th, 2014 for the masses.

 

Along with dropping her 1st project, "Leave of Presence", she has also released a video for "The Gift", which gives insight on the meaning of the album:

I have somewhat watched Sonyae grow as an artist/lyricist and had the pleasure of working with her on creating her cover art.

Learn more about Sonyae, check her out on bandcamp.com Sonyae - Leave of Presence. You can also find her on social media: 

@justsonyae (instagram and twitter) and like her fanpage on Facebook (justsonyae)

New Do - The Undercut

Hey hey!

If you follow me on Instagram (@creativelycoiled) you have probably noticed the new do I have been sporting.

I have been iching to do this for a while but was nervous about how it would turn out. Late September I finally mustard up the nerve to have my sister help me cut my hair:

I absolutely L♡VE the cut. With the bottom half of my hair GONE, it is easier to manage (ie: wash day). Plus, I can easily slap my hair in a top puff ( which is my go to style until I think of others).

My inspiration for this cut was YouTuber Beauty Cutright and a very cute illustration created by @adorkableaffiliation in Instagram. 

I am going to see how long my love for the undercut will last. I will say, with the recent change in weather the back of my head is taking a whipping from the cool air (may work on a crochet project to fix this).

Have you considered an extreme cut? 

- Creatively Coiled

My World - Raleigh Food Truck Rodeo

Photo from Downtown Raleigh Food Truck Rodeo's website

Sunday, October 11th, sir and I took a trip downtown to enjoy the last Food Truck Rodeo of the year. This even takes place on Fayetteville St (by News Channel 11) and stretches roughly 10 blocks. All the local food trucks in one spot for the choosing. 

DOESN'T GET MORE ACCESSIBLE THAN THIS!

We enjoyed jerk chicken, rice, and plantains from Virgil's Jamaican Restaurant...

...Bahn Mi Pork belly sandwich from Foster's on the fly...

...And dumplings, and chicken wangs from Dump Pho King.

Unfortunately, I did state above that [from the looks of it] this was the last rodeo of the year BUT, for more information, please visit downtownraleighfoodtruckrodeo.com to see when they'll announce the next dates. 

Have you ever attended the Food Truck Rodeo? Whether you have or have not, what are your favorite local trucks?

- Creatively Coiled

Preparing for Fall...Protective Styling

I love Fall because I enjoy layering: cardigans, scarves, cozies...I love it! Another thing I love about the Fall weather is that almost perfect for wearing my hair in twist outs or braid outs because it isn't as humid so I can retain length throughout the day without weighing my hair down with a lot of product(s). The reason I said the weather is "almost" perfect is because I have to remember that even though my hair looks fabulous during this time of year...It doesn't always feel fabulous. With my tresses rubbing against my scarves, and sweaters, and the dry air, I come home to some dry ends when its time to prep my hair for bed. 

This Fall I will be doing more protective styling to keep my hair moisturized as we enter into the colder months. over the past 5 years I've filled my repertoire with go to styles (some basic, some a bit more detailed). Protective styles help me keep my hands out of my hair so it has a chance to rest. I have learned that my hair LOVES to be left along BUT since I'm can't just put my hair in straight backs and slap a hat on (because I look weird with straight back corn rows and we aren't allowed to wear head gear to work) I have to be creative with my strands to still look presentable.

The game plan is to share my styles with you. I'll be posting pictures on Instagram, Twitter, and Tumblr.

Do you protective style? If so, what are your go to styles?

I'd love to see you styles (and possibly copy them *smiles*)

-Creatively Coiled 

September is Sickle Cell Awareness Month

#BoldLipsForSickleCell

A friend on Instagram tagged numerous women including myself to participate in #BoldLipsForSickleCell photo challenge as a way to help raise awareness of the disease and knowing your status (whether you carry the trait).

Now, I'm not one for lipstick so I was a bit apprehensive once tagged however, I was interested in knowing more about Sickle Cell Anemia. I have only known one person that has the trait and they have a child with Sickle Cell but I never went any further to ask questions.

Sickle Cell Disease is an inherited blood disorder that affects red blood cells. People with sickle cell have red blood cells that contain mostly hemoglobin S, which is an abnormal type of hemoglobin (normal blood cells contain hemoglobin A). These blood cells do not last as long as normal blood cells and can sometimes become sickle-shaped (like a crescent) which makes it difficult to pass through small blood vessels. With many of these sickle shaped blood cells blocking small blood vessels, blood flow is limited which causes complications.
(Source: Sickle Cell Disease Association of America)

For information on Sickle Cell, traits, medical problems, treatments, to donate, and more please visit: 

sicklecelldisease.org

The easiest part is being informed and donating...Now...I am going to also participate in the photo challenge: 

this is the only color lippie I own (lol).

I'm tagging EVERYONE!!! 

-Creatively Coiled