Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Skin Care Regiment

The City Song?

i don't think this is it but I thought i'd share.. I wish I didn't delete it of f my DVR, but i'm so sure MTV will Play it again.. Enjoy


The Hills/The City

Ok so this is pretty random, but I wanted to a quick blog about the premieres last night since I USED to love The Hills. It was alright, but I miss the days where you only speculated that it was fake. Now it's just so blatantly made up its hard to really enjoy the "drama." I wanted to give Kristen a try, but it's still the same Hills. I thought Kristen could bring it back to life, but I don't see it. AND WTF she is friends with Stacie the Bartender? I mean really MTV. Spencer and Heidi are pointless, and Audrina is boring. The only thing that did look interesting, was when the showed what was coming up this season, Jade( Brody's GF) throws a drink dead in Kristens face. The funniest thing ever. Other than the I think i'll be tuning out.

On the other hand, The City kinda had me intrigued. I watched last year simply out of love for Whitney, and it was ok, but this year it actually looks pretty good. There's a new girl, I don't know her name, but she seems like a much better bad girl than Olivia. It's too soon to tell, but there was a song at the beginning that I loved and I can't find it, so if I do I'll post it
peace
so much love
erika

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Have you Heard..(lovers addition)

My ringer on his phone



His ringer on my phone




And I Just Like this One

Something for You Twilight Fans




If you are like me, and you’ve read all the books, you’ve watched the movie probably about a zillion times and you are counting down the days until November 20th just to get your next Twilight fix than this may be for you. There is a new show on the CW called Vampire Diaries and although it’s not quite as good as the real thing, it definitely keeps you satisfied until Edward and the gang reemerges
.
It comes on Thursday nights at 8, and it has all the angst and drama that you want from your “teenage” vampires. The Vampire Diaries started off as books, and was turned into a TV show after success of Twilight. It is centered around the popular girl, Elaina, whose parents died over the summer. It picks up at the beginning of the school year as she and her brother try to re adjust to life after. Little does she know there is more in store for her this year than she ever imagined. Stephan is the new “kid” in town that has everyone, including Elaina talking, but what they don’t know is that he is really an 140 year old vampire. Dun DUN DUUUUUUUN!!!!!

Now I have not read the books so I’m not sure where it goes from here, but it looks like there is going to be some sort of love triangle( think Edward, Bella, and Jacob) but instead of a werewolf, the other suitor is Stefan’s older Brother Damian. Stefan is most defiantly the Edward, so I’m sure they will end up together when it’s all said and done, but there is something about Damian that I think may give him a run for his money.

This Thursday is only the fourth episode, so if you want to watch you haven’t missed much. It is defininatly worth setting your DVR’s for.

Peace
So much love
Erika

Monday, September 28, 2009

Khole and Lamar..


Ok so when I first heard that they were getting married the first thing I thought was, give me a break. I mean they honestly COULD be in love, but can you really truly love someone after only a month? And how did he ask her? In my imagination it went something like this...
Hey Khloe can I talk to you for a min?

Yea sure doll whats up?

Well we been dating for what about a month now, and We have gotten so much publicity off of a few dates imagine what it wold do if we got married

F*uck Yea, then maybe people will stop calling me that other Kardashian. Hey maybe we can get E to film our wedding?


I think it went something like that. Seriously tho i just wish people would stop taking marriage so lightly. I mean what happened to vows meaning something? I read somewhere, I think on Perezhilton.com that this ceremony will be just that a ceremony, and that they won't actually legalize the wedding unitl the pre nup is drafted. I don't know how true that is, but I would imagine so because I doubt they had time to come to an agreement about that since they just decided to get married last week. Anyway I give it 6 months. And that's being nice!
Peace
So much love
Erika

How to get Healthy Hair, pt 1


Having recently discovered that LONG HEALTHY BLACK HAIR is NOT impossible, I was over the moon. Then I realized just how much effort it takes to actually achieve long healthy black hair. I spent countless hours on hair boards, blog sites and NING desperately trying to make sense of it all. There is so much information to filter it can be overwhelming, but the hardest part is knowing where to start. So because of how a mess I was when I started taking care of my hair I decided to a 3 part series how where to start with your journey. It won’t cover all the information, jus everything you need to know in order to begin. Then once you have a solid foundation it will make it so much easier to build from.

The first thing you need to do is take a picture! Pictures help you to notice the subtle changes that occur in the beginning of your journey. My advice is to take a picture of the back, front and sides of your hair. I like to take update pictures with each new relaxer, or if your natural, every 2-3 months. Taking an update picture every month is kind of like waiting for water to boil Rome wasn’t build in a day and neither was LONG HEALTHY BLACK HAIR. A lot of women make fotki’s(http://www.fotki.com/) to keep track of their pictures, but I just keep them in a dollar store photo album and I write the dates on the back. I know it sounds generic, but I prefer it that way because I feel like I notice more with a hard copy of the photo. I know it’s crazy, but that’s me lol.

Now that you have your picture the next thing I would suggest doing is making a regiment. Your regiment is a set of guidelines, things that to do to your hair daily, weekly and monthly. Beginners should start off with a simple regiment to insure that it is something you can stick to, because if you are not consistent than what’s the point? A simple regiment would be:

Moisturize and seal nightly
wrap hair with satin scarf every time you lay down
Wash once a week
Deep condition once a week
Clarify once a month
Use protein when needed


Now that you have a basic regiment you need to pick your products. What I would suggest in order to avoid becoming a PJ (product junkie) is to go through the things you already have and determining what products are good and which ones are bad. First throw out or give away anything with Mineral Oil or Petroleum in the first 5 ingredients. There are other things to look for too, but in the beginning just worry about the Mineral Oil and Petroleum and you will be fine. Once you have determined what you already have and what you need, then go shopping. You can read product reviews and ask other people on hair boards and blog sites(like this one, or this one, oh and don't forget this one) for direction, but as long as you are avoiding the bad stuff, everything else is really just trial and error to see how your hair will respond. So here’s what you will need:

Moisturizing Shampoo/Conditioner
Protein Conditioner
Moisturizing and protein DC(deep conditioner)
Leave in conditioner
Hair oil to seal in moisture
Moisturizer
Clarifying shampoo
Heat protectant
satin pillowcase/scarf/bonnet

I just want to stress on thing. DO NOT RUN OUT AND BY EVERYTHING THAT EVERYONE SAYS WORKS WONDERS! Everyone’s hair is different, and what may work for me may not work for you. Listen to your hair it knows what it likes and what it doesn’t. It will tell you, trust me. So my advice would be to try one thing at a time. If your current moisturizing shampoo is striping your hair, add some oils or some honey, use it up, and never buy it again. If it’s too stripping, give it away or throw it away, but don’t run out and by 3 different shampoos because you’ll be BROKE, and you will never really know which one is working.

Before I finish up, I want to suggest doing one last thing for your hair and that would be to keep a hair journal. This is for you to keep track of what works and what doesn’t. It’s good for storing information that you’ve found online about hair care, and just keeping up with your progress in general. Write it down, and look back on it when you need to!

Peace
So much Love
Erika

Sunday, September 27, 2009

Deuteronomy 31:6

Happy Sunday! I hope all is well with everyone. I had an extremely long day at work today, but I wanted to share this quote with you.


" Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you."



I know sometimes life is hard. I know sometimes it seems as if things couldn't get any worse. I also know that no matter who leaves, or judges or hurts you God will be there to pick you up. I am living proof. Even in your darkest hour God will never leave you. Stay focused. Stay strong. Know that you are loved.
Peace

So much love
Erike

Saturday, September 26, 2009

Fall Fashion 101

Ok so i have kind of been on a roll today, but this will be my last post of the night. I wanted to quick fall fashion update. This isn't everything but its a great first start. Now I am a firm believer in dressing how you feel and in what makes you feel comfortable. I am a fashionista on a bugdet so I know you don't have to spend a millon bucks but you should always look like you did. My fall must haves don't always match up with whats trendy right now, but I like to think that I have a pretty good sense of style.

Number one thing to remember for fall, is layers! I love layers all year round, but fall is the best time to show them off. It's not too hot, or too cold, so you don't have to cover it all with a big sweater or jacket just to stay warm. Here is a look from my favorite desginers right now Dean and Dan Caten, DSquared.



I think this will be my signature look for the fall. Its so cozy. Heres another example with a killer brown leather jacket. I must have one. I probably won't be this one but I will have a brown leather jacket before spring time.. mark my words muahahahahahaha!



Incase you were also wondering. Here is a picture of the designers and you can see the rest of there collection on style.com. just click on fashion shows, all shows fall rtw 2009 scroll till you see DSquared!



So to recap. You don't need a lot of money to have a great style. Check out stores like Forever 21, H&M, Rue 21, and pretty much anything else in the mall, for great prices on cardigans blazers button downs scarves and other great layering pieces. Also Old Navy and Wal-Mart have great plain T-shirts and under shirts to wear underneath. Get creative!
Peace
So much love
ERIKA

Why i'm here

I'm not normally a Solange fan, but this was worth sharing.. Enjoy!!

My Hair Regimen

Ok so I am a proud member of KISS (keepitsimplesista.ning.com) so my hair regiment is fairly simple. I like to keep it simple mostly because if its too complicated/time consuming then i won't be motivated to continue doing it. So here is my nice and simple regiment:





Wash once a week-- Organix hydrating TeaTree Mint Shampoo(Sulfate Free)


co-wash once a week-- Mane n Tail(light protein) HE Hydralicous Reconditioning conditioner(moisture) Vo5(when i'm out of the other 2 or when I feel like changing it up)


DC one to 2 times a week-- I haven't found a staple DC, right now i'm using Queen Helene Cholesterol, Vo5, and my Oil Mix, Once i'm out of the Cholesterol i'm gonna try something new, but I'll do a review on whatever i get.

Moisturize and Seal atleat every night-- I use HE None of your frizzness, or a mix of rosewater, glycerin, and aloe vera jucie. I seal with my oil mix which is Castor oil, Coconut Oil, Peppermint Oil, Eucalyptus Oil and Rosemary Oil.( sometimes i moisturize in the morning because my mn dries my hair out, but thats only if my hair feels dry. Listen to what your hair is telling you)


MN every other night- My MN mix is 2 tubes of Target Brand MN, and a generous amount of my oil mix. I like it to be about the consistency of lotion. not too runny, but runny enough to slide out of my applicator bottle

Supplements every morning-- 2 1000mcg of Boitin 2 1500mg of MSM 2 Daily womens vitamins


Thats it! I do protective styles 100% of the time, Right now i'm wearing a Wig, and once my hair is long enough for a good bun I will be bunning. I wanna go hard for a year to get maximum results so until then...

peace

So Much Love

Erika

My Hair Journey

Ok so one of the main reasons I wanted to do a blog was to help me keep track of my hair care regiment, and products I use/love/hate. I only started my hair care journey 2 months ago and I already filled up 2 notebooks just with things i've learned about my hair. I figured atleast now i wont have to buy any more notebooks.


So my hair journey offically began July 15, 2009. 22 years of doing the wrong thing and one Rihanna inspired asymmetrical cut later I had had enough! This is where I started.






I am hoping that by living healthy and following my regiment religously I will be able to be here:
















and then maybe even here



But until then, I am just gonna have patiences, and take solace in the fact that the things that I am doing to my hair now can't be any worse then what I was doing. It's just like Miley Cyrus says, It's the Climb!

Peace

So much Love

Erika

Welcome to Carmel Roads


Welcome to Carmel(Car-Mel) Roads. I named it that because Carmel is my middle name, and although i'm not sure what I want this blog to be yet I know it will be a journey into self discovery.
One of the main reasons I wanted to start this blog is becasue I've recently discovered how to properly care for my hair. I have been on that journey for about 2 months now and there are a million and one blogs from women who have been on there journeys for years now, but I have only come across a handful of beginners like myself.
Another reason I wanted to start this is to get in the habit of writting everyday. I am not in school currently, but when I was I was a print journalism major. I can't see myself doing anything else with the rest of my life. I love to learn and share my knowledge with others, so unitl I can afford to go back to school, I figure this is the best way to keep writing and learning.
I am interested in so many things I like to consider myself a jack of all trades, but a master of none. So with this blog you will get hair tips and updates, make-up and fitness info, recipies, poetry, relationship woes, spiritual quotes, and everything else that goes on inside my head. I hope you enjoy, or if nothing else I hope you can come here and have a nice laugh.
Peace
and so much love
Erika