~2012 Beauty Resolutions and No-Buy Updates!!!~

Hey Everyone!!!

I'm here tonight to bring you my 2012 Beauty Resolutions...an ENTIRE MONTH LATE:). Now, I figured them out and wrote them down in December 2011 but just didn't blog them. Why? Who knows. *shrugs* Here they are now!

1) Stay on the cleanliness of my brushes

I swear I say this every year but I can go a LONG time *looks around* before I wash my brushes. Its because I have so many and I'm really not affected if they are clean or dirty meaning, my skin is not effected. However, the quality the look is.

2)Learn to: a) wax b) flat twist c) cornrow d) set my hair on flexi rods

I'm in a learning mood this year...especially with beauty...I like to know how to do things myself out of necessity, of course.:)

3)Invest in better makeup.

I've PERSONALLY learned in the last couple of years that as much as I spend on cheap makeup, I could have some of the better makeup I really want. Case in point: Urban Decay Naked Palette. I've probably spent over $50 on different neutral palettes from drugstores and beauty supply stores trying to dupe that thing when I could've bought it by now. I get caught up in the cheaper dupe swindle. Nothing wrong with that but I like the good stuff too. Definitely investing this year.

4)Enjoy my hair.

I'm entering my third year natural and it feels awesome. This year, I'm going to enjoy the length that I've retained, try to keep it on my head and play with some new styles. I spend most of the first two years obsessing over length goals, as many naturals do, but its only when you are not thinking about it is when you hit the goals. I'm blessed at 34, that I have no gray hair and I have more hair than I've ever had in my life and I'm going to enjoy it!!

****NO BUY UPDATE MONTH ONE!!! January 8, 2012- February 8, 2012****

The No- Buy ( click HERE for the original post!) has been pretty painless. I had two big fails...one was a Walgreens WnW haul and the other I spent $29 on $1 jewelry. Other than those two, there has been no craft store, no thrift store, no Etsy, no Amazon, no magazines, no subscription boxes!!!!

 The makeup, jewelry and eating out is hard because there are so many new things out, I love cheap jewelry and I get tired of cooking and don't cook on the weekends.

Tomorrow will start Month Two. This No-Buy has stopped alot of crazy buys including a massive haul on that Milani 75% off...which I only got two things because I look at the list of the markdowns before I went and stuck to the plan to get two blushes. My gas tank has been full, I got money from week to week, making better decisions on what to and what not to buy....

Basically, in order to live on the tight coins I have....I can't shop. **shrugs** And now I got to stop buying Frappes and eating out.:)

Month Two!! Let's GO!!!

*********************************************************************************

~Hair~ New Products: Cleansing Conditioners....

The drugstore/mass market companies have been on their toes in the last couple of years when it comes to keeping up with the popular brand concepts. I've noticed in the last couple of weeks, cleansing conditioners, or low or no shampoo "poo"-shampoos have been coming through the stores.

This is a very popular hair product since Wen became a popular mass product available through infomercial All women of all hair types boast the benefits and the love for Wen's cleansing conditioner. There's a Wen "knockoff" in Sally Beauty Supply called Hair One and companies like Ouidad make one as well, sold in salons and Ulta. Now L'oreal and Salon Grafix has one that available in your local CVS or Walmart.

I know I lot of women, relaxed and natural, who cleanse with light conditioners. They call it "co-washing" or "conditioner washing".....

I saw this entire display of L'Oreal  EverCreme system that includes a cleansing cream in my local Walmart.

Spotted this Salon Grafix cleansing cream in my local CVS.....

I picked up the Ever Creme Cleaning Conditioner to try. Right now, I use Original Moxie Get Clean No-
Foam which amazing. It lightly cleanses but it's packed with moisture, so my hair and scalp are clean and soft.

Have you seen any of these "no-poo" "low-poo" products around? Do you use them? Let me know!!:)

~Fresh Coat~ China Glaze Owl's Night.....

 I found this bottle of China Glaze Cat's Eye in a mom & pop Dollar Store among a bin of other polishes. I've probably had it for over six months, its been swimming around in my polish collection. Notice it has the old China Glaze labeling, but the polish is super fresh, not sticky or gloopy.

This is two coats of Owl's Night...its a gorgeous olive green. I did a bit of research on the color, turns out Owl's Night is heavily wanted and rarity in polish addicts circles. I even saw on Ebay, one bottle being sold for a $14.50!!!

~Hair~ My 6-Day Hair....

Last Wednesday, I decided to wear a style I tried back this summer that was inspired by You Tuber MsVCharles. I didn't want to mess with my hair for a day or two. That day or two, turned to a WEEK! lol! I couldn't believe it! I dare say, I wore a "protective" style...which the term itself... makes me itch.:/

Here's the post I did on it last summer with the video by MsVCharles....

This is Day Two....

This is Day Four, a rainy Saturday, I wore a beanie...

This is Day Six...I like how the top expanded and got all fluffy. On Day Five, I redid the french roll in the back, but other than that, I wrapped my head in a scarf every night and in the morning, freshen it up with a bit of oil and I was done.

Yesterday, I re-washed it and instead of  a plain french roll, I did mini twists for more variety. I can wear the roll, a puff, a bun, or a ponytail.

At the top, I did the finger coils with Pro Style Gel aka Black/Brown Gel...it just works better on my hair.

Here's the back with the mini twists in a french roll for today....

This year is my third year fully natural. I'll admit, that I'm not where I wanted to be length wise, but I refuse to live another year CONSUMED with length goals and tracking my length. I'm going to enjoy the hair I got and continue work keeping it on my head!!

~Rural Style~ DIY Stretch Beaded Bracelets..... Part Two!

It was on Sunday, I realized, out of all the jewelry I owned, I didn't own any pearl bracelets. Such revelation would come on my sorority's founders' day. LOL!

So instead of buying some( because I am on a NO-BUY):) I made some!! I just took one of the many strands of cheap pearl necklaces I had, some earrings that was "over" and some stretchy cord and got to work.

That one necklace yielded three bracelets...which a perfect stack....

Then I took a wooden beaded necklace that I never wear and made some similar bracelets....

All stacked together!!!

Super stacked!!!