DIY Nail Polish Wall Display

Fro’ Fashion Week 2012

Fro Fashion Week 2012- Chilling In The City

Original Date: 11.26.12

-Acrylic: Nails were sculpted with use of nail forms and acrylic. No tips added. 
-Polish: Base Color (110 Green With Envy by Sally Hansen), Glitters (1099 Jade-D byChina Glaze Crackle) & (200 Strobe Light by Sally Hansen

Original Date: 10.25.12

Personal Challenge:
Sooo, I have been on a mission lately. Not a James Bond type mission but one more-so like "action-movie" type. The physical aspect anyway. I'm a pretty petite woman so I personally never cared to "work-out". 

I always had a fear of it because of the whole, I do NOT want to lose weight thing. I acquired some knowledge within the last few months that has helped me break a phobia. 


Believe it or not, my diet is not exactly very vegan-like or "healthy". I love soul food, junk food, all the killer sugars and things that we hear about and read up on.

 I can eat forever if I could. This of course, has helped me keep weight while getting toned. If you're anything like me, you may have a high metabolism. Not your fault, we can't help what genetics we're born with. 

Many people swear I am the most fit person in the world. LOL! I am far from it. I need to work out, seriously.

Original Date: 10.18.12

Original Date: 10.10.12

Ohhhh Yeah! The genie locks are back by popular demand! I definitely had to switch up again for this coming Fall season. It's always great to get into another protective style and keep my fingers off of my own hair.

This go round, I actually made the locs a lot more smaller, therefore I have a lot more hair to handle. I'v been trying to keep them styled in several updos. Enough so that it doesn't come out looking as though I'm wearing a weave hat, lol.

Original Date: 10.02.12

Hey Loves,

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This was a recent encounter of mines. I really needed some input on why some women tend to judge quickly on a woman they feel is either a threat or happens to be more attractive. Not physically, but as in character. You can feel a person's energy. I believe there is a compilation that stems outside human nature. Below are some opinions I collected from my social like and personal pages. What are your thoughts on this.

As if being a black anything isn't already a problem many of us have against us. Let me ask this. Are you a black entrepreneur or business owner? I'm sure, that like myself, you may have encountered people that wanted "the hook up". I have quite a few times. Being a black nail technician among many other things, people often feel the need to think that they have an advantage of knowing you or believe that just because you're black and they're black that you will be very willing to give away your services for little to no cost for them. WHAT?! No way! 

It is amazing at how technology of our time can literally generate life-like holograms of those who have since passed on. At this years' 2012 Coachella Festival on yesterday, fans were both stunned and some a bit at a lost for words after seeing late legendary rapper, Tupac Shakur perform with Snoop Dogg & Dr. Dre live!! I watched the performance and I must say, I was also amazed. It looked so real and was just pure amazement. It makes you think, what else is this amazing technology capable of? What's next, me being able to appear in someone's living room having a virtual conversation? lol. Read on for more about the festival...

I've been doing much a lot of evaluation lately with myself and everything around me. I am responsible for whatever debt I've accumulated or brought upon myself. This includes my biggest debt, student loans. Although, I think it is good to invest in secondary education, the economy and government makes its so hard for us to get through without so much half-stepping. My goal for 2012 has been to get my financial situation is some serious order. Frivolous spending habits and living above our means is a sure fire way to keep us broke or in debt. So, I took it upon myself to do some research. Below is an article on how you can begin looking for ways to save and budget your life.

Check out my nails from last week. It was kind of a random selection of colors one night. This was also the nails I had in my previous post, Mirror Check| Thrift to Pastel Pump. Super fun and the colors reminded me of cantaloupe fruit, yuuum! How do you like it?

This past Thursday, I posted a picture of my OOTD onto my Facebook and it was pretty popular that day lol. I felt so cute and girly. Like a savvy businesswoman that just came straight off a fashion runway. I wanted to, of course, share my fave outfit from the week. I decided to make my watch the key piece in this outfit instead of my shoes for this post. Purposely, lol. What do you think?

What more can I say, I really love the old school soul, "feel good" music. I grew up listening to songs like this in my grandmothers' house, at family house parties and such. I absolutely love the soulful and sensuous vice of Al Green. Ohhh, the love in his music. You just feel good when you listen to his music. I'm currently playing an album of his and I'm in my zone so this post will be short lol. Of course, this would be the topic of studio love tonight... Enjoy two of my favorites :)

Keyshia With "Snooki"

Hey beauties! I recently celebrated my 21st birthday this past Tuesday and I had an amazing time! I have so much to share you but I wanted to share a separate post on these specific lipsticks. I am in love with them. If you've ever heard of model/video girl Keyshia Dior or "the girl in the blue lipstick", then I'm pretty sure you also know that she launched a line called Ka'Oir Cosmetics. She was also the video girl in the Timbaland & Drake music for, "Say Something" back in 2009. She retails only online her bright, beautiful, bold, and vibrant lipsticks, lip pops (glosses), eyeshadows, and nail lacquers. Amazing colors!! Check out the four I ordered:

It's been a long time coming but as I promised, here are my face and body skincare secrets. I use these products faithfully and they do indeed get the job done. Check out what I use below:

Hey everyone! The past few days have made it known that Spring has begun to arrive. The weather has been averaging above 80 degrees, ladies have been stepping out in bright and vibrant colors, men are pulling out the shorts, and kids are still adjusting their naps to daylight savings time, lol. In celebration of my favorite time of year, I gave myself some nail love. This week, I went for bright and glittery. You all know I LOVE glitter. Check it out!

We all could use some inspiration. For those of you that are thinking about transitioning and going natural this video is just for you. For those of you that are new to the natural hair community, this video is for you. For every man, woman, and child that rocks their natural hair with pride and confidence whether in a fade, (TWA) teeny weeny afro, locs, afro, etc...this video is also for you! Let's all come together and help inspire others. To be a natural is to be free. LOVE your hair and LOVE the person rocking it!

I had a great time catching up with an old college friend this past week. This talented and super multi-skilled artist deserves quite a few grammys for his hustle and raw underground skill. If you never heard of ForteBowie, then you are missing out on what this generation lacks in the music industry... pure authenticity. Born Denzel, "ForteBowie" Ayuk, this southside Atlanta native has truly emerged as an overall singer, songwriter, producer, and many more occupational genres. In my opinion, if you're a self-taught anything, you're a rare breed. This describes ForteBowie, perfectly.

The title may be a but confusing but I wanted to briefly speak on people we tend to expect will always be there. Everyone is not meant to be in our lives longer than they're meant to be. Lately, I've had to learn that no matter how much someone may tell me that they will do this or wont do …

Hello everyone!  I was tagged by blogger, Miss Dre of "So She Writes" to share 11 things about myself. I guess I could come up with a few random things that I find interesting, lol. Enjoy... 

1. I tend to hum my own tunes while I'm eating or just laying around. *Mm, mmm, mmmhmm...*
2. Both soles of my feet are capable of touching in a very juxtaposed way. Perfect and creepy at the same time.
3. Leaving an imprint of my lips on the Pyramids of Giza is on my bucket list. :) 
4. I'm very analytical. I break down every situation as much as possible. Does that make me seem crazy? 

Congrats to Tempestt Perry for winning my first ever LFN contest. "Welcome to 2012: Manifest Up Contest/ Giveaway". I didn't want to go all out for this one because I'm building up a foundation. Who doesn't love FREE stuff?! Yes, FREE! The contest began in january and ended February 10, 2012. I was super excited to announce the winner. She deserved it! Fair win simply because she shared referrals, entered numerous times, and followed directions, lol! 

I definitely enjoyed seeing people enter the contest. This one went very well so the next one I'm planning will be even better! Hopefully, Many more entries will be received. If you LIKE me on Facebook, you will be the first to know about any giveaway or LFN-related news. In real time media, whoo!! Again, congrats Tempestt. You go girl!

My heart is weighing so heavy right now. So much has taken a tole on me in the past 15 hours that its just hard to fathom. You know the feeling you get when you lose a loved one or when you read something that makes your heart just drop? Well, for the past few hours I've been releasing tears. O…

Do you remember this gorgeous songstress? Many of you might not but if you once had a thing for the guys of vintage boy group, B2K, then you may have seen her a few times. The then 15 year old, Jhene Aiko was signed to T.U.G Records/ Epic Records with Chris Stokes alongside B2K. Many people knew her as Lil Fizz's "cousin" even thought they're not related. 

She also made a cameo as the girl in the headphones in the B2K-"Uh Huh" video. She left the labels to continue her education. In 2008, she gave birth to a babygirl, Namiko, who's father happens to be O'Ryan. You may remember his as well. The brother of singer, Omarion. He dropped a few songs too but didn't really go mainstream. In you listen to Drake, you heard her on the 2010 single, "July". In 2011, Jhene signed to the No I.D. label, Atrium, which is distributed through Def Jam. She will be 24 March 16th. Overall, the girl has a beautiful voice and I really enjoy her music. Check out two of my favorites. Enjoy.

Today I was in serious need of a fill-in. Since I had to go work at the salon today, I decided to work on my nails while I waited on clients. I broke my "acrylic fast" three weeks ago because I ended up breaking two of my natural nails. They looked so uneven that I just decided to give myself an overlay. I waved off the nail crack for a few months prior due to weakened nails and began using the CND Shellac gel polish system. I love it. Just for the sake of having nice-looking nails, I added extensions. I wanted something wild, fun, and super glittery this time around. Check out the routine I use on my clients as well as myself:

• Remove any polish you may have layered onto your nails with acetone.
• Take a cuticle nipper and remove any loose or hanging cuticles, carefully. Do NOT pull the roots. If you do so, you will experience inflammation and be at risk of possible nail infection.
• Upon removal, begin to file or drill over the nail, starting between the new growth and acrylic layer. 
• Once you have completed that step, set up to fill. Depending on the acrylic that was previously laid,  you may need to use a natural or clear powder. In my case, I used natural. Be sure to apply a primer before you fill.

I must say, before I get into detail about my oh so AMAZING experience here that I had an awesome night. Perfect place. Nope, I wasn't alone, if you were wondering, lol. Enjoyed my evening with family. For those of you who don't know what BoneFish Grill is, it's a nice, high-end seafood restaurant. Super sophisticated and classy, just like I like it. PLUS! No worries, the prices aren't too bad. If you plan to eat here for two, be prepared to spend up to $60 or more.

Full Head Sew-In

Ohhhhh!!! Got to love the old school legends. So many to choose from, so many sounds to enjoy. I love me some Stevie Wonder. Alongside many other great and successful musicians, his smooth melodies and rythmic grooves makes his music untouchable. I believe I was often born in the wrong decade at times. I love music with true substance and his happens to be apart of my musical LIFE! Stevie is known for making music that applied to the lives of everyday struggles, joys, memories, etc. Enjoy my faves for the night...

I'm not going to say I despise the hustle of Nicki but I watched her Grammy performance of her latest single, "Roman Holiday", from this past Sunday and couldn't help but shake my head. Is it just me or has being mainstream sucked the "Onika" out of Nicki? I say yes. Her music was a lot more raw in her beginning hustle but the bigger she got, the more animated she's become. Calm down Nicki stans, I'm not bashing the woman. Her split personalties and various characters are a bit much for me. 

I'm not going to lie, I've sung to a few of her singles since she's been under Young Money. But, that Grammy performance popped the cherry off her cupcake. I'm sure she had her wild reasons for wanting to go with a performance that plagiarized the Catholic church and stirred up even more controversy about "Illuminati". As I watched it, it seemed like a performance you would expect for Kanye West to do. Something that reminded me of his, "Power" video.

It's taken me a while to really get to a point where I'm happy with my figure. I remember being a bit thicker than a snicker once upon a time lol. Back in 2008, I was. Maybe the breakup I experienced during that time sped up my metabolism or maybe I was just coming into my own, hormonally. I was young so who knows? Growing up, I was never the "popular girl" with the perfect shape. I wanted to be but it wasn't something I forced myself to be. Life moves along. I was nine years old when I started to develop my boobies.

 It was a hit for the young boys at school for sure. I remember being in the forth grade, in line, when this boy in my class poked me in the side of my right breast. I was set ablaze then, pissed. I told on him because I felt violated and he was told to apologize to me lol. *sigh*

Aw! Here we go again! I recently had a small-minded person use my own ammunition against me. I must say, I've definitely said my peace about women and weaves. For the past month I haven't worn my natural hair, it's been protected. There is a difference with a woman rocking a weave as a necessity versus a woman rocking weave as an accessory. 

My opinion is that if you NEVER rock your own hair, natural or not, there may be an underlying discomfort or that a woman may not see herself as beautiful unless she's living in what society defines as beautiful or sexy. Kind of like how they say being skinny is better than being big. Not true. everyone isn't meant to be a size 0 or a size 16, simple as that. A woman that wears a weave every blue moon is a versatile woman. A chameleon in her own right. Confidence is her name. I was told, "Why are you wearing weave if you're natural? Isn't that being a fake? What was the point of going natural for you then?"

The secret to beauty is not packing piles of makeup onto your face or sleeping in it hoping it'll still be picture perfect when you wake up. The secret is all in how you care for your skin at home. Like many, we may get an occasional breakout from satisfying cravings we need to avoid but we're only human, right? I often get complimented on my skin. "OMG, are you wearing foundation? Your skin is flawless." Not everyday. I recently started wearing liquid foundation from a luxury salon brand not sold in stores. It's amazing and nothing compared to filler-filled formulations. Before using that however, I would only do cleanser, moisturizer and eyeshadow. I still do, of course, but foundation is only whenever I'm working in the salon.

This celebrity piano instructor is nothing short of an intelligent, sophisticated, talented, and natural beauty. The woman behind the Lady University Movement, LadySonya Music Studio, and iNetworkDoYou. 

LadySonya's amazing talents along with consistent faith, sacrifice, and determination has allowed her to bing great substance to the music industry. LadySonya has aspired to use her skills to chase her dreams as well as helping others to do the same with theirs. 

I went to Target one work day looking to purchase a few snacks. Of course, I can never leave a store without checking out the beauty aisles. Passing through Almay and Maybelline products, I stumbled upon the Covergirl section. I was always interested in trying out a few Covergirl lipsticks, particularly from the Queen collection. 

If any of you follow my work, then you would know that I love lip color. I decided to purchase three of the 24 colors offered in this brand. Each lipstick is around $5. The Covergirl Queen Collection was specifically designed for women of color. The silk moisturizing formula helps maintain moisture levels so lips feel smooth and look gorgeous. The more you wear it, the more gorgeous your lips become! 

I absolutely love waking up and just throwing my outfit together. You will be amazed at some of the things I come up with. I'm not your "get it together the night before" type dresser. My job is very laid back and I get to play dress up a lot. Today happened to be my diva day. Ever just felt like Sasha Fierce? lol. I got new hair and an attitude like Diana Ross. I wanted to feel divalicious as well as professional. I do nails so I like to look the part when catering to professional working class women. I'm currently at work writing this post to you, listening to Adele's "Waiting For You". Love this song! Peep my outfit...

I must be honest, having natural hair definitely takes work. It's like caring for a plant. You MUST keep your hair moisturized, clean, and fertilized (oiled). I've been through my trial and error phase with finding the right products for my hair type. I am a 4b/4c (Afro Textured). Many girls with my textured hair may find that at the beginning, it's hard to define your curls. I did. I tried a few things. Of course, like many naturals, I've tried defining my curls with Eco Olive Oil Styling Gel. It was okay until I noticed that it dried out my hair and left it feeling crunchy. Not cool at all. I don't use it so much anymore if at all. Since then, I've upgraded, lol.


Products in order from left to right--> 1. Shea Moisture Curl Enhancing Smoothie. 2. Water/ Conditioner Mix (Short Spray Bottle). 3. Terressentials Left Coast Lemon Hair Mud. 4. Apple Cider Vinegar Mix (Tall Spray Bottle). 5. Oyin Handmade Whipped Pudding. 6. Africa's Best Herbal Oil. 7. Oyin Handmade Honey Hemp Conditioner. 8. Healing Herbs by Rene Peppermint Ginger-Lime Shampoo.

I purchased some Biotin supplements a few months ago just to try it out. I've seen a few comments on it, both good and bad. Also, I have talked to various girls with natural hair as well as have seen videos where biotin was apart of natural hair regimens. I figured, why not give it shot? 

Before I begin to share with you my experience taking the supplement, here's a little background knowledge you may find useful. "Biotin is a coenzyme and a B vitamin, also known as vitamin H. As a supplement, biotin is sometimes used for diabetes, brittle nails, and other conditions. Biotin plays a key role in the body. It supports the health of the skin, nerves, digestive tract, metabolism, and cells. Biotin may also help to treat some types of nerve pathology, such as the peripheral neuropathy that can result from kidney failure or diabetes."