I am 17 months postpartum guys! It’s been such an interesting journey. In my last blog post about my hair, I talked about caring for my hair, and the products I’ve been using to maintain… More
Amazon the Drop Review: Highlowluxxe Collection
I found Jenee’ (check out her blog here!)on Instagram through her styling her clothing racks. They were so well put together, coordinated and themed perfectly. Then I got to know her a little bit through social media and realized at the time, she had a full-time career at Target (I used to work there too!) and she was blogging on the side. Sis was dressing well, looking well, and I’m pretty sure smelling well, making affordable items look all luxurious.
Now, she is one of the few that I enjoy following when it comes to all thing luxe. I mean I can’t afford it, but she is a reminder that I can have nicer things if I choose to. So when she partnered with Amazon to create a beautiful luxury collection, I was stalking the drop like clockwork! I wish I got everything but I settled on the cream wrap dress, the cream set, and the black mini dress. Let’s talk about my favorite dresses.
I don’t see myself giving this dress away. Mini dresses are here to stay and with this one so well made, I can wear this every fall/winter season. Its very versatile and you can wear it with pretty much anything, including tights.
Okay this has to be my favorite drop. A true wrap dress is so timeless and it will never go out of style. My favorite feature about this dress is how thick and well made it is. It is not flimsy or “trendy feeling” . For those with a modest lifestyle, this dress is perfect as it is tasteful in the length and cleavage area.
stay tuned for my next review!
Sweater Weather with NYandCo!
Its officially sweater weather guys!! Even though the temperature changes and it doesn’t feel like fall, I can still wear this lightweight top from NYandCo! It is so comfortable and I love the festive green color! Click here to shop for yours!!
Amazon The Drop Review: SignedBlake Collection
I recently learned that Amazon collaborates with bloggers and influencers from around the world to create a clothing collection that represents them and their current trend. Its pretty intense because you have 30 hours to shop the collection and once it sells out, its gone.
Recently I had the pleasure of picking a piece from the @SignedBlake collection that was completely out of my comfort zone and decided to style it out of my normal style. Blake is the first black influencer I noticed to have a collection, and not only do I follow her, she is quite the badass. Most of the collections within The Drop are not plus size friendly, so it is definitely enlightening to see she thought of us.
Wanna know what’s funny? I didn’t originally order this piece. I wanted the floral ruffle maxi dress, so im not sure how my order was mixed up. At the time I couldn’t return it because the piece I wanted sold out in my size. After a couple weeks I decided to take it out for a spin and go grunge chic. Yeah, that’s what I’m calling it. I decided to pair it with some combat boots that’s high on trend this season and I belted the dress to give it more shape. Also rolling up the sleeves helps frame the look as well.
I’m so glad I decided to step out of my comfort zone and try something different! Stay tuned for my next Amazon The Drop review!
Celebrating our 1 year old!
Lord have mercy where has the time gone? We have a whole one year old! It was just a few days ago, we were bringing her home in this small carseat that we didn’t know how to fix the car straps for, trying to figure out how to maneuver her in our home. Or, it seems like yesterday that I was taking her to my dad while I get acclimated back to the work place. They say time flies when you’re having fun, and I believe it. Although our first year as parents was very hard and stressful, we are so overjoyed with our “healthy, happy, and beautiful” little rugrat.
One of the things I am most proud of as a mother is that I did not compare myself to other parents and I only took advice I had with a grain of salt. Its like God equipped me with a different set of wisdom to use that I never had. My husband and I learned a long time ago, that children are different and we talked a lot of about our own childhood where we made a plan to fully rely on each other. I’m telling you, it is SO IMPORTANT to have a partner in child raising. I commend single parents and I really don’t know how they do it, but I know some of them would love help.
Harper is a funny kid. She is always smiling and laughing. As soon as she wakes up, she is smiling and talking. She loves to clap and she just started dancing. She loves to “praise the Lord” (we love Jesus over here folks) and will lift her hands every time she hears “Yes, Lord!” She marches to her own beat on her very own drums and she loves to give hugs.
We had plenty plans for her for the year of 2020, lots of travel, outdoor activities, swimming lessons, but COVID delayed all of that, and we’re just now getting her out but with much precautions. We will be able to tell her about this in a few years, that she spent most of her first year of life, in a pandemic. We will also tell her that we are sad that she didn’t get to meet our beloved Bishop/Pastor who witnessed mommy and daddy’s engagement, counseled us, and then married us. We also prayed that he would be the one to christen her, but the Lord thought it was time for him to come home. Harper is full of discernment, but is very friendly.
We are now in the stages of fully reading to her and indulging in the academic world just to get her more exposed to numbers, letters, literature and possibly different languages. We are so nervous, but excited. Although her birthday is October 7, feel free to wish her a happy birthday. We’ve been celebrating all month!
Battling Postpartum Shedding w/Creme of Nature + manageable tips
After Harper was born, I decided to get a jump start on taking better care of my hair before the postpartum shedding would make their debut. Although I know nothing can stop postpartum shedding, I can do what I can on my end to make my hair more manageable and to possibly retain as much health and length as possible. After all, I didn’t know how PPS would take my hair out or if my hair would come out at all.
I stumbled on some products from the Creme of Nature Argan Oil from Morocco line, the Plex Breakage Defense. One thing that caught my attention was that this line helps reduce damage and breakage , reinforces weak bonds and helps fill in fragile strands. With me being anemic as well, I thought this would be a great way to be proactive. My pregnancy treated my hair so well and I wanted to keep that up with healthy eating and proper hair maintenance. I started using this product back in March and have been using it ever since. I also bought this entire set, 3 times.
The line contains 3 products: Step 1: The Bond Mender Pre-Treatment, Step 2: The Restoring Shampoo and Step 3: The Restoring Conditioner. I use the bond mender right after the detangling process either on dry or wet hair, depending on the state of my hair. After about 20 minutes, I rinse, and proceed with shampoo and conditioner. One thing about the shampoo is that it is very clarifying despite the organ and castor oil, almost stripping my hair. However, the conditioner adds plenty moisture back in my strands. One thing that I noticed with this product is how I experience less shedding and more length retention in my hair.
Results
When I was pregnant last year, I noticed a little breakage and limped strands so I decided to cut my hair to the healthiest point to give myself a fresh start since I was not too far away from the 2nd trimester.
Any other Tips, You Say?
Remember, postpartum shedding is inevitable and you can’t control it. Some have it worse than others. I’ve been blessed to see minor breakages on my edges and a little thinning. Not only that, my body waited almost a year to see the shedding. Here are a few things I did:
Leave my hair alone. //We’ve been in a pandemic all year and I’ve been working from home, so one of my favorite things to do was after I washed my hair, I blew it out lightly flat ironed it
Protein Treatments// Most people only do these twice a year, but I say, do it when needed. For me, when my hair is too soft and shedding too much even after a trim, it is time. My favorite product is the Aphogee Treatment. Their entire line is superb. Stay tune for a demonstration.
Protective Styling// I always talk about protective styling and my favorite are braids. When done correctly, it can help with the growth of your hair. Now that my edges are broken off a little, I focus more on jumbo box braids.
Take vitamins/supplements and drink plenty of water// Taking vitamins or supplements are really hard for me because I forget, but I’ve seen great results when I do, especially when I add plenty of water.
So far, with these tips I’ve been using, my hair has been flourishing nicely. My plan is to continue these tips and we will come back with an update.
How did you do with your postpartum shedding?
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