Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Juices and Berries



It's no secret that I am in LOVE with Oyin Handmade. I think it's a great company, and I love what they stand for. About a month ago I made my very first purchase with them and I haven't had any regrets.

I would have liked to have used this on my real hair a few more times but because I only purchased the sample size 2oz bottle I used most of it when I was in kinky twists. I’ve only gotten the chance to use it on my real hair twice before I ran out. I probably wasted a lot of the product because I enjoyed the fruit smell it left behind so I used it more often then was probably necessary.

Here’s what the company says
"Greg Juice" has been one of our most popular products since its introduction - and "Juices and Berries" is the same oil-free mixture of vegetable moisturizers and herbal essences; The change? The fragrance... Juices and Berries is fragranced with the juiciest, fruitiest, brightest fruit scent we could find! Perfect for summer, or anytime you want to sweeten your day.
The therapeutic effects are the same as for Greg Juice - spring water, strongly infused with a variety of herbs known to help stimulate scalp health and encourage hair growth; vegetable ingredients for detangling, moisture and suppleness; vegetable glycerine for humectancy and shine; and an essential oil blend nutritious to the scalp.
This formula, like Greg Juice, is excellent for a daily pick-me-up on cornrows or twists. My sisters say it keeps their locs moisturized without weighing them down. And if I tried to detangle my hair without a bottle standing nearby, it would stand up and laugh at my comb. Many uses, this potion has. Cop a 250ml oz bottle and find out for yourself.

Ingredients

Juices & Berries contains: purified water infused with horsetail, lavender, nettle, roses, and chamomile; organic flaxseeds; aloe vera juice; vegetable glycerine; essences of lavender, sweet orange, ylang ylang; grapefruit seed extract; citric acid. It is naturally preserved with grapefruit seed extract and citric acid. Please use within 6-12 months, refrigerate for extended storage.

Here’s what I say:
I like to judge a product on 3 things.

1. Does it do what it says it’s supposed to do?


Simply put, YES! It keeps my hair and scalp soft and nourished without a greasy buildup feeling. I used this product as the company suggest right before my nightly shower and wow! My twists were moisturized like nobody’s business The only downside to this method is I did notice it cause my hair to frizz up more, but that’s with all products that contain glycerin so I knew what I was getting into.
I also have never tried to use it to detangle so I’m not sure If it works for that :/.


2. How well does my hair respond to it?

My hair seems to like this stuff. I’m not sure if I would like it over a creamier moisturizer when my hair is out because I have very dry, thick and coarse hair so I need something a little heavier for that, but as far as refreshing braids or twists it’s great.


3. Am I getting a good value for money?
For the regular size 8.4 oz bottle it cost 12 dollars +shipping. I think that is a fair price for what this product does and if you are not big on making your products at home, then it’s worth the money. If you do, however, like to mix your own stuff then I would say don’t bother because I’m sure you can make something just as good in your kitchen.


Final thoughts.
I like this product, it smells good and it does what it says it’s going to do. I wear my hair in twists a lot, so a leave-in spray is a must in my regimen. I would purchase the full size of this spray, but it’s not a HG for me.
I would probably only buy it if I need to purchase something else from Oyin to justify paying shipping. The reason behind that is because although this product is great, I can use and aloe/water spritz or a water/leave-in spritz or pick up something locally(i.e. shea moisture) for less money. I know I’m cheap! I’m trying to plan a wedding!

Anyway all and all I like juices n berries, I would buy it again, but it’s not a MUST HAVE for me.
Peace
So Much Love
Erika

Food For Thought: Sausage, Red Beans and Rice


Food For Thought: Sausage, Red Beans and Rice: I created this recipe in my mad search to find the perfect red bean and rice. Caleb is super picky when it comes to red beans and rice so...

Monday, December 19, 2011

Weekly Update 12//12-12/18

As Christmas gets closer, my free time has seemed to disappear. In the few spare minutes that I have really been getting into cooking, thus my new food blog! I have always had an interest in cooking but in the last few weeks I promised myself I would try at least one new recipe a week.

As far as my hair is concerned I have been pretty lazy but I did put in some "tiny twists"



I call them tiny twists because they are not quite as small as the typical mini twists, but they are smaller than small twists thus the tiny twist was born! I put them in because I didn't feel like doing kinky twists, but I wanted a style that I could wear with as little manipulation as possible.

It took my about 2 1/2 hours to do and I am hoping to get 2 weeks out of them. I even got a compliment on my hair yesterday at the grocery store so I am thinking this style will be a keeper.

I was hoping to kinky twist until Feb, but we are planing on taking out engagement picture sometime in January, so I definitely don't want to take them in kinky twists. I think these will be an awesome alternative if they last the whole 2 weeks.

Have a great week!
Peace
So much love
Erika

Sunday, December 18, 2011

Simple Sloppy Joes!!!




For this recipe and more check out Food For Thought

Saturday, December 17, 2011

Pink Champagne Cupcakes



For this recipe check out my Food Blog!

Check Out My New Blog!!

It's a cooking blog.

Food For Thought

I was torn on wether or not I wanted to include recipes on my main blog or not, But I decided it would be easier and more organized if I just started a new blog for cooking!

There isn't much on it yet, but I make baking cupcakes tonight! if your a foodie please follow that blog if not, don't worry I will Post pics on this blog when I make something new and you can check out the recipe if it interests you.

Peace
So Much Love
Erika

Thursday, December 15, 2011

My First Blowout!!

Hey Dolls,

This week I did my very first blowout! I was inspired by Glamazini. I wanted to take some length check pics, but I didn't want to flat iron. So when she uploaded this video I thought I would give it a try.

I used the Bee Mine Luscious Moisturizer and Grapeseed Oil and My heat protectant. I will warn you the Bee Mine is crazy expensive(about 19 bucks for 8oz) but they do offer sample sizes to try before you buy, and if you are a mixtress you could probably make something close. (i'll do a full review later but ya know)

Can I just say I am in love with my fro!! And My hair reverted right back to its original state, so the grapeseed oil is a keeper. I also was impressed with the Bee Mine! I have only used it the one time, so it's too soon to tell if its a new HG, but I am loving it so far.

Anyway enough of my rambling, here's the Video

Monday, December 12, 2011

Take Care

I'm in love with Drakes new album, and I have this song stuck on repeat.

Weekly Update 12/5-12/12

Hey Doll's,

I know its been a while since I posted, but its for a good reason, I am in the process of filming and editing My Terressntials Mud Wash detox. Today is day 5 and without giving too much away, I think this stuff is going to be a game changer for me!

Anyway, I think I am going to start writing weekly updates, just to keep you guys up to date on what's going on with me, my hair and wedding planning. So check back here every Monday for that.

Last week was pretty uneventful, I started the mud wash detox mid-week so I have been keeping a pretty low pro since my hair was going thru the ringer.

Wedding wise we are in the process of planning our engagement pics! I also started a wedding blog, but I think i'm just going to keep it for updates for friends and family so they know what's going on with the big day, and post planing ideas and pics on this one.

I also am going to start with fitness updates, I will just incorporate them into this weekly update, as I am only really interested in toning up, for the wedding/honeymoon
so it's not like I am expecting major transformations!

Ok that's all I wanted to say for now. Be on the look out for my detox video and have a great week!

Peace
So Much Love
Erika

Saturday, December 3, 2011

VS Fragrance Haul

Hey Dolls,
As you can tell from the title I did a little fragrance haul at Victoria Secret today. I love to buy lotion and body spray from them to layer under my perfum or just to wear around the house so that I can still smell good but not waste the expensive stuff!

I like to pick up scents in pairs, 1 body mist and 1 lotion(I prefer the ultra moisturizing hand and body cream, but they also make a body lotion, and body butter if you were looking for something lighter or heavier)


I normally buy from the Secret Garden Collection when they have those buy 6 for $35 sales. Basically if you buy 6 items from the line then you get a 7th free. Plus I had a $10 off coupon so I ended up getting my 7 items for $26! It's totally worth it considering these 7 thing will probably last me for about 6/7 months lol!

I try to pick scents according to season and what I think will work well my the perfumes in my current stockpile. That way I can layer them with similar notes and customize my fragrance so that I never quite smell like anyone else!


Anyway enough rambling here's what I got!
Wild Scarlet-- juice apple and lily (I put DKNY Be Delusions on my Christmas list)


Amber Romance--amber and creme anglaise(I love anything with amber in the colder months)


Sheer Love-- white cotton and pink lily(This is a very clean smell I figured it would work with almost anything or even be perfect for wearing fresh out the shower.)




Lost In Love--Brazilian orchid and Kiwi (I picked this up as my 7th free. I bought this fragrance in the summer and loved it so much I figured I would repurchase the lotion since I ran out, and still had half a bottle of spray. It smells the same but the older version had passion fruit instead of kiwi. The difference is subtle and I probably wouldn't have noticed if I didn't write this blog! I guess the floral is the main note so the fruit it is mixed with doesn't change the scent all that much.)

Fave Five: November 2011



Hey Doll's

Here is a list of my monthly Faves with pics and where to buy!!!

1. Naptural85

2.Oyin Handmade

3.CoverGirl Lip Perfection Lip Color in Shade Entwined(also can be purchased from walmart/Target/ drugstore)


4. Sinful Colors Sugar Sugar (Walgreens/Target)


5. Kinky twists