My goals for the Year 2012

     Every year around this time you get the question "are you making any new years resolutions?/ what are your new years resolutions?" I hate new years resolution, honestly I think they are a bit pathetic, especially when you have a really god memory like I do and you are aware that this person has been making the same resolution for the last 3,4,5 years running. Lets not forget the one person who wants to be healthy and starts a diet that doesn't even last til the end of January. 

    

      I prefer goals, they are easier to attack and you wont get the feeling of being over whelmed since you can put them in a list and break them down into categories and subsections. Last year I only had 1 goal which was to be consistent with my Hair Regimen which by now most of you can see that I have been quite successful with. For 2012 I have decided to make a list of goals that I would like to achieve for the year. 

my 6 month Goal - Learn to swim by June 2012


Hair - Wash my hair every 10 days, ie the 10th, 20th, 30th of every month.
       - Grow my hair out to full armpit length
       - Relax hair only 4 times in 2012 march 31st, July 31st (or thereabouts) October 31st and December         31st


Finances - Save 25 from each paycheque
              - Place 25 into my credit union account every quarter in 2012


Spiritually -  Keep a still tongue in 2012


Education - Attend 3 academic workshops this term
                - Graduate in July 2012 




xx

BlogMas Day 19

     Ok ok ok I have been missing in action (somewhat) but I have not forsaken you my loyal readers. I had two assignment deadlines to meet last week and some job interviews, in the end sleep deprivation got the best of me. Also I did a deep treatment on my hair last friday (I am currently 10 weeks post relaxer right this minute) then I blow dried it straight with my heat setting on 0, and the speed setting on 2.  a post about that will come later. 

   BlogMas day 19 was wet, rainy and freezing cold. For some reason an Arctic front  has descended upon the UK and it is freeeeeeeeezing cold on so many different levels. I ventured out to the supermarket yesterday to pick up a few essentials (bread, milk, toilet paper) and I was dressed like the abominable snowman. I had on my  long coat which reaches mid way down my shin, a fleece under that and my knee high Wellington boots. Days like yesterday make me just wish I had a Harry Potter teleportation device because a beach, a bikini and a Antiguan Smile is sounding would be so good right now. Now I am off to play my Christmas music playlist on my itouch.

Hang low the mistletoe, I'm going to get to know you better, this christmas

xx

The State of the Union

We get so consumed with our elected leaders and all the things we think they should be doing. Sometimes I think we get sidetracked and subconsciously handicap ourselves. With a little collective effort we can get as much done as what we want our elective leaders to accomplish.  Do not wait for leaders:do it alone, person to person. - Mother Teresa 

My Winter Beauty Essentials

     Hello there I thought with the weather turning you guys would be interested to see what items I think are vital to me at the moment. It is a mixture of products some skincare, others are bodycare and some makeup. 

Nivea Essential Care lip balm  (the one with the dark blue cover) - the first item on the list is a lip product, with the weather so dry at the moment, lips are so easy to get chapped. I have been purchasing this for over 10 years. It is an oldie but a goodie, plus it's recession proof (aka very affordable). It is such a good product for me to quickly put on my lips to keep them moisturized and it is small so I can easily put in it in my handbag or my cosmetics case/makeup bag.

Palmers Shea Body Butter - this is another product which is very winter proof and recession proof, with the central heating and the cold air outside, I have been using this to keep my skin supple and away from  *the ash*.

Purell Hygienic Hand Rub - winter is the feeding ground for colds and flu, I have been using this hand sanitiser to keep myself germ free.what I love about the Purell sanitiser compared to others on the market, is the fact that it does not dry out your hands. 

Lotus Olbas oil Vapour Release Tissues - *whatyouknowaboutthat* yes its winter so runny noses come with the territory. I have been using these tissues to keep my nose dry, but also to keep my sinus passage clear. These tissues have been sprayed with tiny capsules of Olbas oil, so when I am going to use them I just crush the tissues up to release the oil vapour. Then I breathe in the vapours as I blow my nose.

 Boots Anti -Viral Tissues -  they claim to kill 99% of the cold and flu virus, cannot hurt I use them interchangeably with the Olbas oil tissues. Essential for the random runny nose.

Wet ones Be zingy Antibacterial Wipes - these are great, the original wet wipes, I use them on my hands, face or body as needed, and the citrus scent is great for the winter when everything is so blah. 

Shower Creams -  now I know that there is a great debate going on regarding shower gel and if it gets your body as clean as soap does. However I love shower gels/body washes.  For the winter I have been loving shower creams, shower creams are like shower gels/body washes but they have in more moisturizers and less sulphates ( the ingredient that causes the bubbles/lather). Products which contain less or no sulphates are less drying on the skin. The ones that I have been using are Original source Shea Butter and Honey shower cream (I have gone through 2 bottles already), Original source Vanilla and Raspberry shower cream ( this smells good enough to eat, reminds me of cupcake toppings), The Body Shop Shea shower cream, and The Body Shop Coconut shower cream.

Soap and Glory Some like it hot body softening Thermal Scrub - its an exfoliator, with all these layers upon layers, I make sure to keep my skin smooth by exfoliating twice a week. 

 Cowshed Cowslip soothing hand cream - Got to keep away the ash, I use this hand cream to keep my hands moisturized. As you know the hands are the first to show signs of aging , I am keeping them looking as young as possible for as long as possible. lol

xx

Miss Mai

The Story behind the Glory.

    Depression and many other mental illnesses affect many people of colour. However these illnesses often go untreated because of the stigma attached to mental illnesses within the black community. Read and share my friend Ritas' poignant Post about her battle with Depression. 

http://12images.wordpress.com/2011/12/13/being-a-loner/#comment-238 

Beauty Tag: Whats your fragrance?

Hey everyone this is a tag that has been going around the beauty community, so I decided to jump in and liven things up a bit. enjoy 

1. Floral, Fruity, Warm, Spicy or Food smell?

I love Floral scents, there is something about them, that is so feminine which I am just drawn to. 

2. Body spray or Perfume?

Perfume, for the longevity, body splash for versatility and portability. They both have their uses. (no to body spray)

3. What is your all time favorite perfume?

Gucci 2 by Gucci , though Ralph Lauren Romance comes a close second. 

4. What is your favorite Body spray? (splash)

Go Fresh by Dove green tea and cucumber body /splash, it is such a refreshing scent. 

5. What fragrance are you wearing right now? 

Go Fresh by Dove green tea and cucumber body splash

Hope you enjoyed the post, 

xx

BlogMas Day 12

    Woke up to rain, rain rain, went to uni, for a quick visit, that took me 1.5 hours walking to and from, so basically that was my workout for the day. Went over to a friends house to catch up with her after her trip. Came home  gathered some books and started making a reference list for my assignments. Christmas Day is on a Sunday this year, for some reason I don't think Christmas is as sweet when it falls on the weekend. 

xx

BlogMas Day 11

BlogMas day 11 was a chill day, finished folding more clothes, tidied up my room some more and rested up for the week ahead. Still not feeling the Christmas Spirit though. 

Words from another... T.I

"I do not know how to deal with boys, and the federal government has taken all my guns." T.I. 

Three Rules for Living

For the Lord gives wisdom Proverbs 2:6
To succeed in life you must do these three things 
1. Decide what is IMPORTANT.
2. PRIORITIZE your time.
3. Learn to MOTIVATE yourself.  "David encouraged himself in the Lord" Samuel 30:6
 To succeed in life you must learn to encourage yourself, pray and build yourself up.

Words from another ... Warren buffet

Have a dream and back it up with Faith. 

If you have a dream in life you must pursue it. It's your vision for what your life should be. What's important is that you must first have the vision then back it up with an unbelievable amount of faith. 

Hair Update

      My last relaxer was in September after a 3 month stretch, I am exactly 8 weeks post relaxer. Stretching my relaxer for 3 months instead of 2 months definitely  worked in my favour hair wise. I was able to see more clearly,  how much length I had retained when I took length check pictures. So I have decided to stretch my relaxers for 3 months at a time from now on. In 2012 I will only be relaxing my hair 4 times, compared to the present where I  relax my hair 6 times (every 2 months/8weeks) a year. At the moment I am in university, so I do not know how this might change later on when I get a full time job, but with everything in life we change and adjust. I have been wearing my hair in protective styles roughly 80% of the time. I did try bunning but combing my hair every day to put it in a bun is not the one for me, most days my hair is in two plaits and pinned up. I am 8 weeks post relaxer with alot of new growth, my hair is really thick. I have not seen anyone with hair as thick as mine on youtube or any hair blogs, For these persons whom I have seen their hair types and textures might be conducive to bunning every day, but  for my hair type it cannot work. Also after week 6 in my next stretch I wont be using coconut oil to moisturize my scalp/new growth anymore, instead I will be using Hairveda's Almond Glaze. I have a sample that I am using at the moment and this stuff is great. it keeps my new growth moisturized and helps it to lay down flat. I am going to try it a few more times though to make sure that it is not a fluke. If it works then I will be purchasing a full sized jar of it. I wont be using it on my freshly relaxed hair, because it is slightly thick and would just weigh my hair down, also it would be a waste of the product. I will begin using it from roughly week 6 to week 12 when the new growth is prevalent. I haven't had much shedding during this stretch, I am experiencing slight  breakage you know the little drabs from the ends, but that should be sorted out with a protein treatment, so I am not panicking or worried. My shower comb has been great during this time, along with my 2 other wide toothed combs.  

     I am undecided when to relax my hair lol, at first I wanted to relax my hair on the 31st December so that I would be fresh for the new year. However we don't have classes til the 16th January, and I don't want to show up the first day of class, which is a Monday with my head looking stale. Exams are from the 2nd January til the 14th of January so everybody usually looks a hot mess inCORporated during those two weeks.  Next problem is that My birthday is the 25th of January, and I usually get my hair done fresh for my birthday, that would mean me relaxing around the 21/21nd January. I have narrowed  it down to next relaxer being anytime between the 16th -22nd January.

BlogMas Day 10

     BlogMas Day 10 was a good day. My mommy came to see me (cheers to that), she stocked me up on some groceries, snacks and even brought some food that she had already cooked (the woman even brought seasoning). The cooked food came in handy after a a whirlwind 2 hours folding clothes and cleaning my room, for her arrival. It got me to thinking, though everyone's relationship with their parents are different. There is just something about my relationship with my mother that is different, maybe its because we are so much alike or the fact that I am her first born. I tell her I want to move to another country halfway around the world and she says "ok, you will be fine." While everybody else is being uber negative, she is just cool with the idea, she already knows that I am going to be fine. 

     I remember when Jennifer Lopez was speaking about starting her career and she had one time called her mother crying, saying she couldn't make it etc etc and her mother told her this is what you want to do, so go be successful at it. I just think no matter what you Goals/targets/ambitions you have in this world if your mother is supporting you, you have already made it half the way. 


xx 
Miss Mai

A mans view on helping men to understand the transition from relaxed to natural hair.

     I'm still laughing so there isn't much of a summary to go with this. This video is a has some good points on how to get your partner to understand, what you are doing to your hair and how it will benefit the overall, texture and appearance of your coif. Alot of people think relaxed hair all you need to do is put in some relaxer  and then it's da dun dun, similarly alot of persons believe that just because they are natural they can be running around looking  ashy headed  or they put lots of hair colour in their hair, or flat iron it all the time without heat protectant. Hair both relaxed and natural requires care and attention in order to maintain optimum health. Plus there is nothing wrong with educating your brother/father/man/husband about black hair care, it could be a way to increase intimacy or just build up some communication. Also it would stop you getting the looks like you are speaking spanish when you are talking about trying something new to moisturize and seal.      
     I have found that men do appreciate the effort that is put into maintenance be it hair, fitness or health even more so when they understand what the different processes are, and how different products work. Type 4 hair in the building. lol lol watch the video guys.

xx

Miss Mai

BlogMas Day 9

BlogMas day 9 aka Friday aka the beginning of the weekend.  Before the weekend arrives  there was work to do. I hit up the library again, did some stuff, (Economic Issues in International Business is a great class) went home and had a nap. After I woke up I caught up with my tv shows that I has missed during the week. 

xx

BlogMas Day 8

BlogMas day 8 was a bust. I went to work and got caught in a torrential downpour on my way home. 45 minute walk home in hard rain, equals me looking like a wet fowl. Lots of sneezing coughing and blowing of the nose ensued. The end

xx

Products I am using right now: Hair

Products that I am currently using at the moment in my Winter Hair Care Regimen

Washing
Elasta QP Shampoo for Relaxed hair 
Elasta QP Intense fortifying Conditioner (deep Treatment)
Ojon Damage Reverse Restorative Conditioner (deep treatment)

After washing - Leave ins
Infusium 23 Maximum Body Formula Pro-Vitamin leave in conditioner
Aphogee Green tea and Keratin Reconstructor (protein spray)
Matrix Biolage Iron smoother (heat protectant)
IC fantasia heat protection Serum (heat protectant) ------> if I am going to blow dry my hair and then flat iron it I will use this then blow dry, after blow drying I will apply the ic fantasia heat protection serum comb that throughout my hair to distribute evenly and then flat iron my hair.
IC Fantasia heat protection serum (heat protectant) ---> If I am going to blow dry my hair alone I will apply this after my leave in conditioner and protein spray in place of the iron smoother,  comb it through then blow dry my hair. This is also very good if you are air drying, it helps to keep the hair tangle free.   

Moisturizers/Sealants 
Coconut oil for scalp
Elasta QP Olive/Mango Butter (moisturize)
Organic Root Stimulator hair moisturizing lotion(moisturize)
Olive oil (seal)

Triple kick (sample of lush R&B hair moisturizer + sample of Hairveda whipped creme ends hair moisturiser + some Elasta QP mango butter + 1 spoonful olive oil + a little bit of ors hair lotion = Triple kick.  I did this because I had a sample of the Lush R&B moisturizer and though it smelled lovely and the shop attendants had told me of the great value of it, the sample was tiny, I would have needed 3-4 more samples to be able to moisturize my entire head. So I just threw  few things together and mixed them up. 

BlogMas Day 7

    BlogMas day 7 was one of those days where it was so cold I could not even think. There was a outside and turn around and go back to bed that ensued. It was freezing cold and I was not going anywhere, dreams of sunshine and short shorts floated in the air as I drank some Twinings Lemon and Ginger tea. All was not lost, I read a few chapters and looked up some information for one of my assignments, drank some more tea. Did some research and generally stayed warm. The Christmas spirit hasn't hit yet in a major way, only one house has decorations up on my street which is kinda sad, but on the other hand I understand why. Most electricity providers in the UK are going to increase the prices they charge by 20% in the new year, so people are trying to keep costs low. 

xx

The State of the Union

The State of the Union "Live your life like a Mission, not an Intermission" there is no Act 1 Scene 2 cut to the second part, you are the main character  act like it. K.L.S

BlogMas Day 6

     Today the stress has really started to pile up in terms of these assignments, the typing up and the double checking. Tuesday is my long day at uni so I go awol since I literally have classes from 9am -5pm. I took packed lunch with me roasted chicken & potatoes, some carrots thrown in for good measure. Of course being outside in the British countryside (my university is in the middle of nowhere and borders a highway) means that since I walk to uni, I am usually  at the mercy of the elements, needless to say I got to class looking a bit windswept. Trying to decide if windswept is better than "surfer girl"  which is how one of my roomates describes my everyday look.  lol I took some product photos after I got home, so I will be doing some product reviews soon. In the evening there was a little get together with a few friends and some Long Island iced teas -----------> You cannot go wrong with girl talk and happy hour. lol 

xx

Miss Mai

BlogMas Day 5

BlogMas Day 5 was very uneventful, I went to uni  since I had Lectures. After lectures I went to the library for a while to do some reading for assignments. This is the second to last week of the term so the lecture was lacking a few bodies, but the library was packed. It will be even more packed next week since deadlines are coming up. Then I went to Sainsburys to get a few bits and bobs. For those who don't know Sainsburys is a supermarket in the UK. I walked home after my trip to the supermarket. Put some chicken to defrost to cook later and at the moment I am eating some crackers with cream cheese and smoked salmon. 

BlogMas Day 4

December is here, yippieeee. For those of you who know I asboluetly love Christmas, I'm already playing my hristmas songs, and playlists disturbing the peace, but I don't care its Christmas. This year I am doing #BlogMas it started on you tube with several beauty gurus doing videos every single day til Christmas day aka December 25th.  Yes I am 4 days late but better late than never right? So since I am a Blogger (who knew) I will be  doing a blog every day til Christmas.

   To start BlogMas I will just let you know what I am doing. At the moment I am laying in bed tired as hell. Yesterday was a marathon day of standing up. I did a relaxer, deep treatment, colour and full head weave on a friend. We started about 1 in the afternoon and didn't finish til after 10 at night. So now I am bone tired and in bed with my cup of  tea. Twas a hard day lovelies.

Happy sunday to all

xx

Miss Mai