My Favourite Foundations!

These are my two favourite foundation sticks at the moment. One has been a fave for over a decade the other I just started using last year; it was a gift from a friend who had bought the wrong shade so she decided to give it to me. Before that I was a bonafide Fashion Fair girl, I still am. I tried MAC once but did not like it this was way back when they did not have that many shades for darker skinned complexions so I gave it a pass but I am willing to revisit it again but for now these two will do.

Fashion Fair fast finish stick foundation in colour ebony brown; I also match pure brown from the same brand. I like this because it gives me a matt finish which is perfect for oily faced me. It almost feels like a cream to powder foundation. It has a slight creamy texture when you apply and almost feels like matt powder by the time you start blending it in. I have used this brand for over a decade now both the foundation and oil control pressed powder.

Bobbi Brown Foundation stick in colour Espresso 10 this has a creamier texture than the Fashion Fair one and spreads easily which I like it also blends in very well. I only just started using this mid last year and this is definitely a brand that I am willing to restock once this one runs out. 

My face does not do liquid foundations or mousses for that matter very well I tried them once with disastrous results so I stick to stick foundations. Pardon my amateurish photography skills for clearer photos please click on the highlighted links Fashion Fair and Bobbi Brown.

Silky Kinky Afro Twists!

Hey ladies hope you are all doing well. It’s been a minute since I have been on here *clears cobwebs* life happened; but I am back now. Anyway this wash day post is almost two weeks late in fact I should be getting ready to do my twists wash day but it’s all good. So I decided to get a protective style done after almost seven months of wearing my hair out and got afro kinky twists installed. The plan was to henna first as I always do before installing a long term protective style but that never happened and considering I had previously hennaed a little over a month before installation I just went ahead and got my hair done. Since time and other factors were not exactly on my side I simply washed my hair first with blackshampoo then a two in one regular shampoo/conditioner, applied my leave ins, had my scalp oiled, new growth stretched by blow drying and then proceeded to get the twists professionally installed. I figured since my braid spray of choice is the Crème of Nature Strength and Shine leave in conditioner my hair would be conditioned at least three times a week at most.

 

File photo: my braid spray of choice

I used this brand of hair *see photo below* and really loved it. It’s soft and silky just like it says on the pack not rough like some other afro kinky/Marley hair brands. I initially wanted to get an extra pack but my stylist said the three would be enough and she was right, we even had some left over hair enough for maybe five or six twists. Four packs would have been too bulky even though the hair is light but it would have been cumbersome when it came to styling so the three packs worked out just fine in the end. I had them done in a medium size and hope to keep them in for as long as I can; ideally two months and will get the hairline redone at the four week mark if I keep them in for that long. I plan to wash every two-three weeks depending on my schedule and level of activity like workouts etc. Maintenance is very simple braid spray at least thrice a week and oil scalp at least once or as needed. That being said I am really loving this hair and plan to get it done again at some point in the year; the hair can be reused several times.

The hair I used

 

Love them!

Taking Stock Two!

Making: plenty of time for some much needed me-time

Cooking: a lot with courgettes/zucchini

Drinking: warm lemon, ginger, honey water; I have a slight sore throat

Reading: a bunch of stuff

Wanting: a whole lot of things that I am going to get soon enough

Looking: inwards

Playing: a Dionne Warwick album

Wasting: nothing

Wishing: that my short term goals materialize like yesterday

Enjoying: some downtime

Waiting: for time to pass so I can call someone when she gets off work

Liking: the way sweet almond oil makes my face feel; I just started using it as a face moisturiser

Wondering: if I should go ahead with this business idea I have been toying with

Loving: my cute pinky purple socks

Hoping: that my travel dreams come through this year

Marvelling: at how big my friend’s son has gotten, he was just a toddler the other day!

Still Needing: a new phone, a tablet and a vacation not necessarily in that order

Smelling: nothing really but I smelt some scented candles at the supermarket yesterday

Wearing: leggings, a long top and pinky purple socks

Following: some awesome people on twitter who light up my timeline never a dull moment on there:)

Noticing: my whiteheads, time for a steam and scrub session aka DIY facial

Knowing: that my happiness and peace of mind is a priority

Thinking: of yesterday - it was a really lovely day spent with lovely people

Feeling: like everything is going to work out just fine…

Bookmarking: this YouTube page just because I needed to bookmark something hehehe

Opening: my eyes wider

Giggling:  more like smiling at the moment

Link: Taking Stock One

Henna With A Splash of Red!

It has been a couple of months since my last full head henna application.  I have been meaning to henna my hair from the beginning of this year, but the procrastinator in me would not let me do it for the last month. So last Sunday I said to myself it was now or never and actually got round to finally doing it.

I mixed my henna with cold water and about a spoonful of white vinegar and added a heaped spoonful of powdered red food colour that had been sitting idle in my cupboard since my last red velvet cake attempt. I think it was called raspberry or something but comes out red when mixed with water. Anyway I added the food colour into the henna mixed well adding water as needed, covered the mixture with cling film and let it sit overnight for the henna dye to release.

Next morning I wet my hair in the shower towel blotted damp and proceeded to apply the henna I have become much better at henna applications; less messy and quick. Application done I wrapped cling film around my hair, secured everything with a scarf and let the mixture sit in my hair for about three hours. I even took a nap in between but made sure to cover my pillow with an old t-shirt just in case of any leakage – thankfully there was hardly any.

 

The reddish brown hue can best be seen in sunlight/natural light

I never set out to sit with henna in my hair for three hours it just happened house chores and all. Once I was ready to rinse I hopped into the shower and rinsed out well. Henna takes several rinses to come out properly I take about 30 - 45 minutes in the shower on henna wash days. Hair rinsed I shampooed with African Black Soap twice and then conditioned with regular conditioner and let that sit for about five minutes as I cleaned the shower walls -  it was red all over. Bathroom clean I slightly detangled in shower and then rinsed out my hair and t-shirt blotted dry. I applied a little bit of coconut oil and let it air dry for the rest of the night. The next day I oiled my scalp with my amla/castor oil mix, moisturized with my leave in conditioner and then did four joining braids in readiness for a braid out. And then it rained the next day so I ended up with a bun instead of a braid out:( 

I always tuck in the tails to prevent them from unravelling