Hi ladies!!
Some of you lovely ladies preed this style on a recent Instagram post and I promised I would do a mini "instructional" post on how I achieved this look. (Well, I'm not even sure if I can call this an instructional..lol). But I'll do my best to tell how what I did!
What you'll need:
3-4 packs of hair (about $6/pack)
1 crochet needle
Hair details:
What brand of hair did you use?
I used about 3 packs of Montego Twists (2X Jumbo Strands) in 1B (pictured above).
Which braid method did you use?
I braided my hair all back using a technique that you can find here.
How did you install it?
I installed the hair using the invisible knot method (Example video here)
Did you comb/pick the hair before you installed it?
Nope. The texture of the hair is very soft so combing it to achieve this look was unnecessary. Instead, I separated each (already separated) strand of hair - pulling one strand to make two. This allowed for the style to look more realistic, last longer, and easier to pull through braids.
How long did it last?
It was full like the photo shown for about 2 weeks. I trimmed the ends every so often after that period. Depending on care, this style can last about 4 weeks (1month).
Can you style it?
Yep! (Just make sure you braid it properly)!
Hope this was the least bit helpful!!! Good luck, beauties!
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If you're anything like me, you thrive off busy days, lack of sleep, and a constantly filled calendar (with no time scheduled for R&R). There's just something about the busy life that I absolutely love! (Maybe it's the fact that the more busy I am, the less time I have for those socially awkward encounters...which I'll talk more about later)..
While in London, my schedule has been nothing but (organized) chaos. While studying full time, I found some way to keep even busier with one full time job and one part time job. Now that I'm no longer a student my schedule seems even more hectic. When I'm not jumping from train to tube to bus, I'm zig zagging though Oxford Street or preparing things for a client.. I've realized that while I love keeping busy, the pressures of all my deadline was slowly getting to me and suddenly realized how anxiety can slowly creep up!
I've found these 5 tips useful in finding rest and maintaining balance in my seemingly hectic life.
- Respect your time. This means creating a schedule. Sticking to appointments. Ensuring that colleagues, business partners etc also follow suit and also respect this space. (and making sure that this is reciprocal)!
- Be vocal. Don't be afraid to let those around you (i.e. boss, colleagues, etc) know when you're feeling stressed or getting anxiety. If your work load is too much for you to handle, speak up!
- Learn how to say "no." While balancing academics and work, I've learned to hard way that it is okay to tell people when you are unable to deliver. This can apply to almost anything: no to meeting up with friends for a night out when you just have way too much on your plate; no to taking on another client for business services...
- Be intentional about "me time." I've recently learned the essence of taking just a small amount of my day to focus on me. In this time, I often spend time with God and work on spiritual growth and refuel what my day has taken out of me. I love reading the book of Psalms and perusing those calming passages. I also find it refreshing to take some time to watch a comedy..(lately it's been The Proud Family!!! Yesss...I found it on YouTube, y'all...and it's been giving me life and laughter!). So, be intentional about taking some time out daily to do something you you! (Maybe even a mani/pedi!).
- Protect your resting space. During this past summer and early autumn, I struggled to maintain a normal sleep pattern and had so much trouble sleeping. I would often fall asleep by 2am and wake up around 6am every day. What kept me up? Work. Or the thought of work. I'd often fall asleep with my notebook right next to my pillow and my laptop not too far away. I had to learn to protect the one space I had for rest.My bedroom. For some time I did not allow myself to work in my room and made it a rule that I would do work everywhere but that space. Soon after I started separating work and rest, my bedroom became less associated with anxiety and my sleeping pattern was once again back to normal.
"Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest"
- Matthew 11:28
Around my junior year of undergrad, I began noticing these really dark spots that had developed on my cheeks due to scarring. Whenever I saw a pimple on my cheek I knew I was doomed (lol). I hated this because being acne-free was something I took pride in. I never really had problem skin as a teen. At that point I began trying almost every facial cleansing products. I tried Ambi, Neutrogena, Clearasil..and more..everything.
Safe for your skin, and safe to be eaten, which is exactly what you need when treating the most visible part of your body!
If you follow me on Snap Chat (@JoyfulLove), you've probably seen where I've mentioned some of these remedies. Per the request of some of my lovely followers, here are a few steps you can try for yourself.
Disclaimer: I have no intention of portraying myself as a beauty guru! These are simply remedies that have worked very well for me. Each person's skin is different and what works for someone may not work for everyone.
If you have any other great tips you've tried, please share in the comments below! xo
~
Baking Soda as an exfoliator to treat acne, reduce scarring and remove excess dirt.
- Prepare baking soda by pouring a small amount (tablespoon size) into a small bowl. Pour a small amount of water over powder (about teaspoon size) to create a paste.
- Dampen skin with warm water
- Use finger tips to massage paste onto skin, focusing on problem area.
- Rinse off :)
- (Some people prefer to use this baking soda paste as a mask and let sit on skin. Again I emphasize, you may skin react differently so I would recommend testing this paste somewhere on your skin before applying it onto your face).
Green tea for blemish control, toxin reducer & anti-inflammatory
This has been one of my favorite DIY cleansers. (Y'all, stop buying those expensive cleansers from the store!). Green tea has soo many beauty benefits and always leaves my skin feeling as soft as a baby's bottom the next morning.
- Eye mask: after steeping tea bag in hot water, let cool. When the bag is still relatively warm (but cool enough for direct contact with skin), allow the tea bag to sit on your eyelids. I take it a step further and wipe underneath my eyes with the tea bag.
- Scrub: after letting tea and tea bag become warm enough to place on skin, cut open the tea bag. First, dampen skin then use tea leaves to lightly scrub skin. This gets quite messy so doing it over the sink will be your best bet. Rub tea leaves onto skin. I like to let the wet leaves sit on my face for a few minutes.
- Rinse(/Toner??): to get the full benefits of the green tea, I finish off by rinsing off the leaves with the remaining (warm) green tea. Rinse off skin with cool water when completely done.
Lemon to brighten skin and reduce dark spots (also great for your pores).
Simply cut open a lemon and squeeze the insides into a bowl. Use your (clean) finger tips to dab onto skin and rinse off. If your skin is sensitive be careful! Lemon might not be the best remedy as it will be too harsh for sensitive skin. (I personally did not use the lemon method too frequently because of my sensitive skin. It would sometimes cause a burning sensation).
Coconut Oil to remove makeup, and moisturize skin
- You can either apply coconut oil directly onto skin or apply onto a cotton ball.
- Use cotton ball to wipe off make up :) That's it!
- You can also use coconut oil along with any baking soda, and green tea leaves. When I use this method, I apply oil directly onto my skin before apply baking soda or green tea leaves (for example).
Makeup: less is more!
I've noticed that with the less make up I wear, the more my skin improves. I honestly stopped wearing make up everday just because I can't be bothered to put it on (haha). However, if you do insist on applying make up daily (but I would suggest perhaps skipping days), be sure you completely remove all of it before cleansing your skin and going to sleep. If you really want these cleansers to work, you need to be sure that there is nothing on your skin standing in its way. As I mentioned above, coconut oil is a great make up remover.
Drink water!!! & exercise!
Looking back, I noticed that I started getting the most compliments on my skin was when I first moved to London a year ago. Just prior to that time (& when I became more intentional about getting clear skin), I started drinking loads of water. At work, I would drink about 4 bottles of water per day. Once I got to London, I noticed that water seemed a bit scarce (lol) so I started carrying around a water bottle wherever I went and made sure to drink a certain amount per day. Water is the most important component to a healthy lifestyle, period. And ultimately, your skin needs moisture from the interior in addition to the exterior!
And exercise explains itself. Stay healthy on the inside, look healthy on the outside!
Happy cleansing!
I have a love/hate relationship with birthdays. In addition to them being a joyful time to celebrate life, to spoil yourself, to reflect on blessings, for me birthdays are also a time to measure how far I've progressed. I know I just turned 24 (yaay!) but for some reason I feel so OLD! I'm knocking on 25 and 30 is only around the corner! Yikes! I've experienced so much in the past year. 23 for me was a year of growth. A year of figuring out and realizing who God wants me to be...& how He desires to use me..So 24 needs to be a year of progression & preparation to step into my role. I've spent the past few weeks mulling over a mental to do list of realistic things I want to accomplish before I hit the big 2 5 - and in writing these things out (and sharing them with you all) I can only hope it will help in keeping me accountable!
- Earn my master's of science in Psychology
- Make a financial plan! (savings plan, budgeting plan..etc...the future is closer than I think!).
- Learn about investing my money (stocks, shares...all that jazz).
- Stay organized! Discipline my self to religiously write down life plans, business goals & career goals....As a student and passionpreneur I'm definitely organized now, but as more things come I think it's imperative that I form a system that will not only keep me organized but also keep me accountable.
- Perfect 5 go- to meals...I like to think I can throw down in the kitchen...but I need to perfect 5 Nigerian meals before I leave my father's house..ha! Jollof rice, pepper soup, egusi soup, stewed meat, my mother's fried rice!
- Create a 5 year plan...I'm all about writing down my goals- but now it's time to write out where I see myself in the next 5 years...one year at a time (Yikes! So scary to think that I'll be 29!!! Lord, be a fence!).
- Attend more conferences! (women's, business, culture...etc)
- Perfect 2 go-to hairstyle that I know I can rock!...I love experimenting with my hair..I'm a fan of changing my hairstyle every other month & can switch from faux locs, to crochet braids, then back to a wig in a matter of weeks! But as I get older I think it will be beneficial to just switch between one or two hairstyles...(no fun!).
- Own at least 3 go-to outfit essentials.
- denim jeans/blazer
- little black dress
- interview outfit (preferably a chic black dress)!
- oh..can't forget classic "nude" & classic black pumps!
- Learn how to make my make-up "on fleek"....I'm a fan of makeup but hardly a pro...it looks nice on people but I just can't be bothered with spending time to fill in my eyebrows and contour my cheek bones!...gotta do better so I can be "shine shine gal" (Naija accent)!
- Be beautiful..be confident...be fierce...not that fake confidence or that fake beauty...not the one where I look cute on social media but am actually a mess in real life. But the kind where I can step into a room and not be afraid to speak my mind, the kind where I'm bold enough to share my opinions, the kind where I'm not hesitant to let my personality spice up a conversation..and the kind of fierceness that will make me believe that my beauty is authentic.
- Learn a new language...like almost every Californian I took Spanish in school and can speak the basics. I currently live in Europe...so I told myself that I can't leave this continent without learning a new language! Oh & on that note I need to practice my native tongues! (Yes, tongues..lol..I'm Ijaw so my family's native languages are Ijaw, Obolo, and Igbo..ya girl has lots of learning to do..pray for me)!!
- Visit a foreign country...by myself....get immersed in another culture, interact with new people..lose myself in the midst of newness..be brave...take risks... As Paul Coehlo said: Nothing can substitute experience. And what greater an experience than taking a risk (but a cautious one) on my own?
- Take on more challenges..whether that's hiking up an incredible mountain, speaking in front of a crowd, serving God in a way I never expected or planned...
- Be on time and stick to a schedule.
The best thing about a to-do list is being able to cross items off once you've accomplished them.I'm excited to look at this list daily and track my progression over the next several months! (Inspired by my fab blogger friend Vic Styles)!
Outfit details:
Y'all know I had to step into 24 with class and a little sass! I wore this number to afternoon tea in Marylebone (London's West End) to celebrate my birthday :D
Soft Pink Midi BodyCon Dress: Miss Selfridge, London | Can be found here: Miss Selfridge
Floral Print Pumps: Primark, London
Clutch: Consignment shop in Santa Barbara, CA
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