Product Review: Chagrin's Valley Ayurvedic Shampoo Bar

Todays product review will be on Chagrin's Valley Ayurvedic Shampoo Bar.
One Word, Awesome !! This shampoo bar was everything I hoped it would be and more. I can already tell it will become a staple in my hair regimen. I was so excited to use this shampoo bar, that I  took out my protective hairstyle I had in two weeks earlier just so  I could try it. I specifically ordered this shampoo bar because I want to move towards a more ayurvedic regimen when it comes to my hair, well for now, so I knew this shampoo would be perfect. It had a whole lot of ayurvedic herbs that I knew my hair would love as well as other butters and essential oils great for promoting hair growth! The shampoo bar lathered really well, even after the first try. Normally- with normal liquid shampoos it takes two washes before my hair really lathers up. This bar had my hair ready to go in just one try. My hair felt clean, moisturized and not stripped. I will definitely be trying out the company's other hair shampoo bars when I run out of this one ! The shampoo bar was only $7.95 if I recalled and seems like it's going to last a long time. Also if you don't want to try out the full size bar like I did, the company offers sample sizes that literally come in the size of normal soap bars for like $2 or $3, so either way you're definitely getting more bang for you're buck !

I provided the link below so you can check out the website. Even if you're not into shampoo bars there are plenty of butters, teas, moisturizers and etc you can try out !


http://www.chagrinvalleysoapandsalve.com

Do you ayurvedic?

xoxo,

Big Chop X Transitioning: The Journey To Natural Hair

What is exactly is NATURAL HAIR? I think this term varies from person to person. But we can all agree that being completely natural means being perm free. Notice I didn't say chemically free. To me, being natural means embracing your hair in its natural state without chemically changing the texture of your hair which a perm/relaxer/texturizer and any other hair chemicals used to make your hair straight or curly do. I think you can still be natural and play wit your hair when it comes to adding color, highlights, etc that you accomplish with the used of dye chemicals. Im not going to discredit anyone for being natural because they have color in their hair. In my head there are three types of natural haired people but that's for another post.

This post is dedicated to two of my friends who are currently transitioning from the creamy crack to the natural hair cult. Yes I said cult. What's the difference between transition vs. the big chop? My friend asked me. Well here you are:

Let's Talk Natural Hair

Hair. Permed Hair. Straight Hair. Kinky Hair. Fine Hair. Coarse Hair. Curly Hair. Natural Hair. Hair is hair. Or is it ? Every year I reach a point in my life where I feel like doing something, extreme, different, far from average. July 2012 I had one of those moments. I big chopped my hair again for the second time. Why? Because I can. Well ok. Because I had been natural for a couple of years and although my hair was long (middle of back) & full, I feel as though I had robbed myself of really enjoying the natural hair girl experience the first time I big chopped. So I wanted to do it the second time and do it right. Im really not sure if there really is a right way to go natural but there were some things I wanted to experience like really experimenting with my tea (teeny weeny afro), following up with my homemade concoctions and really just enjoying the journey.

#Worst Behavior X Pre-Birthday Festivities

I'm not even gonna talk about how I've been lacking with my posts, but  promise I'll do better. When you're in law school  you just never know when you're gonna have time for anything.

Anyway, this weekend was GREAT ! I started my Saturday off with taking the MPRE in the morning, then after that running all over Houston getting things ready for that night. This birthday I wanted to do something different. I wanted this to actually go as planned & guess what-- it did ! I kicked off my night with a mini kick-back at my friends house and then hitting up Bowlmor lanes in Katy, TX. Everything was awesome ! From the people, to the music, to the food ! To me singing Kendrick Lamar at 3 am outside to nobody -_-. I couldn't have been more happier. It was important to me that everyone had fun, rocked out, and enjoyed themselves. Safe to say I can pat myself on the back for that. Check out some pictures from the jump.

Just Another Wednesday x OOTD

Today was a great day ! I woke up feeling blessed, looking good, living better (sings to self). No, but really today was great. I think it had to do with the fact that I finally got a new phone after being without one for almost a week :(. So I decided to snap a couple of pics of the outfit I wore today. It was around 95 degrees in Houston so it's still hot for me to do anything major in terms of fashion wise ! Sighs, I can't wait till fall comes to Houston. Anyways I kept it simple in a summer bodycon dress I got from Joyce Leslie from my recent summer trip back home to Jersey, as well as white transparent ankle strap heels.

xoxo !

Fall x The Leather Edition

It's the day before Labor day and all I can think about are all the leather pieces I've been building and adding to my wardrobe and the different ways I'm going to style them this fall. Now don't get me wrong, I wear leather all year round, but there's just something about wearing leather in the fall that makes it just so....so official lol. Anyways, living in Houston I probably will not be able to wear and spruce up all my leather pieces the way I want to but I will definitely try even if it kills me. Here are a few ideas on what to do with those key leather pieces you may be eyeing this year. Remember you can still get that expensive leather look with faux/imitation leather. Who says fashion has to break your bank account? How are you wearing leather this year?

Fall x The Leather Edition by itsmissnay 

H M jacket
$46 - hm.com

Leather vest
$31 - shelikes.com

H&M imitation leather pants
$39 - hm.com

H&M high heel platform boots
$46 - hm.com

H M vegan purse
$31 - hm.com

Gold bracelets bangle
windsorstore.com

Gold bracelets bangle
heatherbelleco.com

Asos hat
$19 - asos.com

NARS Cosmetics lip stick
beauty.com

Nas X Lauryn Hill Concert

On Halloween night I had the chance to go to the Nas & Lauryn Hill concert that was at Bayou Place in Houston Texas as a pre-birthday gift. The concert was great. Jhene Aiko was the opening act, followed by Nas who did his thing on stage. Im not really a Nas fan but I did enjoy his set. Some of my favorites he performed were off his "Life is Good" album which dropped earlier this year, were "Bye Baby", "Cherry Wine", and "Daughters". He finally ended his bomb set with "One Mic", which happens to be my favorite song from him. After his set, we had to wait like what seemed like forever for Lauryn to grace us with her presence on stage. I really enjoyed her set although it seemed like she rushed some of the songs she sang and I would've enjoyed some of her songs to be original instead of straight live with the band and all the hoorah. Lauryn Hill also debuted her new spoken word song, "Black Rage" which was beautiful. I'm pretty sure you guys will hear it soon if you haven't already. Overall I had a fun time with my girls and wish I would've had time to take a lot more pictures. But enjoy the ones I did manage to take !

p.s. I loveeddddddd Lauryn's outfit. Will be recreating it soon as a DIY project ! :)

My emergency outfit, but it worked out :) 

OBEY the SPIKES

Okay. So boredom kills. Cant' you tell? Anyway I completed another DIY this weekend and I Just wanted to share it with you guys. I thrifted this Obey hat from the Buffalo Exchange near my house and decided to spike it up to give it a different look. So after a lot of hot gluing and bending and sticking I'm finally done. Hope you guys enjoy !

Have a great day guys !!!

Smooches !

DIY: African Print Shorts & Bangles

This summer it's all about doing it yourself. From shorts to shoes to hats to jewelry, DIY is now in. I mean it's always been a do for me, but more people are catching on to the wave. I've had a couple of projects lined up for the summer in my DIY itinerary and I proudly bring you the first. I am a fan of incorporating African fabric into my home projects and these shorts as well as bangles I created are the first of many.

Items used:
-pair of shorts
-african fabric or fabric of your choice
-glue gun
-fabric glue
-scissors
-sewing kit or sewing machine - which ever's easier for you
-wooden bangles

The key to achieving this look is sewing the fabric onto the shorts. Using a glue gun or fabric glue to apply the fabric will not give you a long lasting result. In other woods, once you throw the shorts in the washer, the fabric will come right up.

I will be selling these shorts like these with other prints on my Etsy shop soon so I can't wait ! You can also email me @obiseluj1@gmail.com if interested !


Smooches !!

heART & Soul Poetry Event

This weekend I had the chance to check out this poetry/open mic event that took place in Houston. After moving from the NJ/NY area, I've missed going to poetry slams, open mic's and such things of the nature, so I was very excited. The event took place in a little cozy coffee shop around the downtown area. Even though I was late, I was able to catch two performances and they were well worth the $10 I paid lol. I was happy when I found out that they actually host this event once a month. I will definitely watch out for this event this coming July.

heArt & Soul webpage
Check out photos below for what I wore to the event.

Smooches !!!

NYE Fashion Resolutions

I stopped doing NYE resolutions a long time ago. Like really. We all say 'this year is gonna be different", "I'm gonna do this", "I'm gonna do that". And then two weeks later we revert back to way we were before. So this year I decided I'm going to work on updating my wardrobe and making it more me. I have a great closet don't get me wrong, but with all things, it can always be better. I want to look fab but not break my bank account  (law school student woes). These fashion resolutions will be fun to keep and I know with a little digging, my wardrobe for Spring/Summer 2012 will HAUTE!

NYE Fashion Resolutions

1.  Add more patterns - Patterns are a nice way to spice up your wardrobe and it shows your versatility when it comes to style.
2. Signature pieces- What's going to make me stand out from the crowd this year. Signature pieces. I mean pieces that are timeless and will take my outfit to the next level.
3. Bold pieces of jewelry- I have a few statement jewelry but not enough. So yes that is my goal. Bold em up!
4. Thrift, Thrift, Thrift- Being a law school student and not being able to work has really taken its toll on my bank account. So I plan to thrift as much as possible and only hit the malls when I need key items like jeans or things you just can't thrift lol.
5. Versatility with my Hair- Being 100% natural I haven't fully unlocked the potential of my hair. My hair is an extension of my personality and I really want to bring it out this year.

These are all I could think of that I really wanted to work on and I think that's just about right!
Stay tuned to my journey as I update you guys about my search !

'Tis the Season to be Thrifty !

Ok. So I don't know if the title is still appropriate but I like the way it sounds so I'm keeping it. Anyways, I went thrifting about two weeks with my mom in McKinney and Plano, Texas and came across some fantastic finds. Every time I go thrifting I'm always grabbing blazers so I decided to switch it up this time. I was really looking for big grandpa sweaters alongside with nice silky ( i use this term loosely) button up shirts that would look good with high waisted jeans. I came across all these and more. From sweaters to skirts to blazers and blouses my shopping cart was full. All the while as I'm piling more and more finds into the cart, my mom is looking at me crazy and I'm reassuring her that I need all these and more. As we make our way to the register I'm silently praying to God that my purchases don't go over $100 lol.

Long story short, all my items came out to be around $65 with some items half off and nothing in my basket costing more than $5. Till date, I think this is my best thrift purchase haul to date and hopefully with more experience I'll be able to pick out more signature pieces that will make my wardrobe pop.

Take a look at the items i thrifted below!





my favorite blouse from this haul !

This blazer is from the Armani Collection <3...it's even written in Italian so you know it's authentic !