Postpartum Hair Update: Giving myself a Curly Cut|Stop Being a Lazy Natural!

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 the health of my hair as much as I could. But I will tell you, its been very challenging because, like I said earlier, you can’t avoid postpartum shedding. Here we are in March and I am upgrading the hair care.

I was reminded how much of a lazy natural I can be. You think when you’ve been natural for such a long time, you can make shortcuts, when you really can’t. Welcome to my life. I recently was reminded that I have low porosity hair which means its a little harder for water and products to penetrate my hair. Not only that, its important for me to use warm water from start to finish during my wash routines as well as heat (sit under dryer or steamer) to help products penetrate my hair for added and extra moisture. Most of these things I already knew, but I was reminded that the reason why my hair has been dry and limp lately, was because I’m skipping deep conditioning treatments with heat and using the LCO method instead of the LOC method. Also, gels aren’t really good for my hair as they tend to help dry out my hair faster. I was also skipping using oil for style takedowns we well. Who knew??

My goal is to grow my hair out as long and as thick as I can, and I will continue this journey til my 36th birthday in December. Of course I will be giving updates throughout the year on my progress. In this video, I take you along my curly cut routine, and I’m sure I’m not doing something right by way of the professionals, and that’s okay. If you’re in Charlotte with an opening, message me on IG. If you’re on a hair care/growing journey like me, feel free to join me! Head over to my instagram @curlswithstyle to follow my journey.

Skincare Routine with Urban Skin Rx!

Skincare wasn’t something I learned early on like some women did. In fact, I didn’t learn about it until my late 20’s early 30’s. So for me, learning about the different kinds and methods of skincare was very overwhelming for me and costly. Brands would say their products the best, and I’d try it. Then immediately stopped when I noticed no good results.

Fast forward, I saw this brand being talked about by a lot of women, especially black women. Women who had the same issues as me. Despite my having a keloid, it doesn’t deter me from perfecting the quality and longevity of my skin. Sometimes, its not just drinking water and minding my own business, I gotta put some extra work in it too.

I started out with the Even Tone Cleansing bar and the Super C Brightening Serum. I got them from Target. They were kinda pricey for me, but, I look at it as an investment. Still drinking my water and minding my business, I noticed some improvements after a week. My skin tone was mellowing out and I had a glow. My face started brightening up, didn’t have any redness, or breakouts. Alright, what else you got?

So I visited the site and started searching. Oh y’all pricey pricey! For my pockets. I was willing to try more things but was still skeptical about the costs, so at the time, they had the Even Tone products in a travel essentials bundle. If I remember correctly, it was the cleansing bar, the serum, moisturizer, SPF, and a spot treatment. This should last a couple weeks for some real results.

DO NOT GET THIS STUFF IN YOUR EYES! IT WILL BURN! ESPECIALLY THE SERUM.

If I had to tell you, its because, I got it in my eyes, LOL. It’s disgusting too. Yeah, some always gets caught in my mouth too.

After two weeks, I looked different. I looked refreshed, not tired, more lively. Being a new mom, working from home with plenty responsibilities, and not much sleep will have you looking like a zombie or in my case, a “mom-bie.” So I’m walking around my home looking refreshed but tired! My makeup started looking better.

It will be almost a year that I’ve tried these products and I still use them, branching out to new products and even trying out different brands (little by little), but I am loving these products. Like any other brand of skincare, consistent use is key. I used these products morning and night, consistently. The pregnancy glow that I lost after Harper was a few months came back with interest. My skin was overall one color. My pores around my nose shrunk more than normal, and my makeup looked better. Even though our skin has texture and makeup will never be that smooth (unless your skin is super perfect), I could tell my makeup went on better. The oil on my t-zone seemed to be nonexistent. My favorite moisturizer to combat my t-zone is the Hydra Balance Instant Moisture Infusion (night) and the Radiant & Bright Glowing Moisturizer (day).

If you notice in the March photo, the perimeter around my face is slightly darker from my cheeks down to my jawline. Now, its even throughout. Thanks to the serum, my under eyes are not that dark anymore, including around my nose.

Here is my most updated skin care routine and how my skin is looking right now! Don’t forget to subscribe for new content to come! And stay tuned for a night time skincare routine!

#Style Me 3 Ways: Polka Dots Top from NY&CO!

With the pandemic still going on, I’m having all kinds fun styling and re-styling different pieces in my closet. Gives me an idea of how I’m going to wear something when we can be social again. I mean, we can be social now, but of course, lots of restrictions.

We’re going to be styling this top that I love from NY & CO three different ways: very girly, somewhat casual, and a wildcard. Gives me an idea of how many times I can get away with wearing the same things. So let’s see what we have!

Very Girly

Give me an excuse to put on a dress or a skirt and I’m there. You may have see this skirt before, but I love it. It literally goes with anything and I can wear it any kind of way. I kept everything simple with the blush pink, to let the top shine.

Skirt: Target, Shoes: JustFab, Purse: KateSpade

Casual|Print Mixing

We mixing prints in 2021! I know I’m late to the party, but I always thought that print mixing didn’t look good on me. So here’s to trying new things! Since it was kinda chilly, chose my trusty cardigan also from NY&CO. Not only is this look is cool, but also, comfortable enough to run after Harper!

Jeans: Forever 21, Shoes: Kate Spade, Cardigan: NY&CO

WildCard

How cute and simple is this look?? You know I never owned a cool leather jacket until now? A simple black and white look can be elevated with just the boots and jacket. Fun fact: I was not a fan of the combat look until last year. I bought these boots just to test the look out to see if I liked it. I must say, I’m a fan.

Jeans and Jacket: Torrid, Boots: JustFab

Stay tuned for more posts on #styleme3ways!

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!