BeautyXchange

Are you planning on switching up your hair style or hair color in the New Year?  If so, here's some color inspiration for you.  Apparently the trend will be multi-colored hair.  I definitely would not recommend trying these color combinations at home, it's best to leave it to the professionals.  

I'm a fan of album covers, more so from female artists.  You can see here, here, and here :-) I'm really digging Keri Hilson's new cover.  The makeup, the hair, the nails, the colors, they all work, so edgy.  

Welcome to another edition of Hair's My Natural Beauty - a series of informative/inspiring/insightful Natural Hair Interviews.  This week's Natural Hair beauty is a super talented makeup artist, say hello to 

Name: Tamara
Location: Charlotte, NC
How would you describe your hair?
How long have you been natural? 
What prompted you to "go natural"?  



What is the main difference between having natural hair vs chemically relaxed hair?
What hair styles are you fond of using to style your natural hair?


Do you accessorize your hair?  What accessories do you use?
What hair products (shampoos, conditioners, styling aids) work best for your hair?  

• Shampoo with Giovanni Golden Wheat Shampoo
• Deep Condition with Giovanni Smooth as Silk Conditioner or Aubrey Organics Honey Suckle Rose
• Leave-In Conditioner with Giovanni Direct Leave-In
• Twist my hair using Carol's Daughter Hair Milk or Bee Mine Curly Butter
• Seal in Moisture with Raw Organic Shea Butter and Coconut Oil

What is your hair regimen? How often do you wash/co-wash?
What resources, tools, books, videos, etc helped you along your natural hair journey?
Hair's my natural beauty because.... its unique and strong. No one on this earth has hair exactly like mine, it was designed just for me like everything else on my body. And the fact that I still have any hair on my head after years of abuse is a testimony of its strength.   {Love this statement!}

Foreign Xchange Beauty:  highlights women of various cultures that represent a wide spectrum of beauty

Noella Coursaris is from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Africa.  She is a model and activist, empowering young Congolese girls through education and literacy.

Hola chicos & chicas! Hope all of you are having a wonderful day!  So, I just wanted to share this article that I came across from O, the Oprah Magazine.  First, thing first I'm pretty much enamored with Oprah (but who isn't right?)  I thought this Top 20 Things Oprah Knows for Sure would ring a bell with some of you.  I'm easily inspired by words, quotes, mantras, etc.  The power of words is truly undeniable so anywho without further adieu (I think that ryhmes LOL) here's the article.....



Since the day the late Gene Siskel asked me, "What do you know for sure?" and I got all flustered and started stuttering and couldn't come up with an answer, I've never stopped asking myself that question. And every month I must find yet another answer. Some months I feel I hardly know a thing, and I'm always pressed to make the deadline for this column. This time around, in honor of our tribute to the subject, I looked back and came up with my all-time top 20:

1. What you put out comes back all the time, no matter what. (This is my creed.)


2. You define your own life. Don't let other people write your script.


3. Whatever someone did to you in the past has no power over the present. Only you give it power.


4. When people show you who they are, believe them the first time. (A lesson from Maya Angelou.)


5. Worrying is wasted time. Use the same energy for doing something about whatever worries you.


6. What you believe has more power than what you dream or wish or hope for. You become what you believe.


7. If the only prayer you ever say is thank you, that will be enough. (From the German theologian and humanist Meister Eckhart.)


8. The happiness you feel is in direct proportion to the love you give.


9. Failure is a signpost to turn you in another direction.


10. If you make a choice that goes against what everyone else thinks, the world will not fall apart.


11. Trust your instincts. Intuition doesn't lie.


12. Love yourself and then learn to extend that love to others in every encounter.


13. Let passion drive your profession. 


14. Find a way to get paid for doing what you love. Then every paycheck will be a bonus.


15. Love doesn't hurt. It feels really good.


16. Every day brings a chance to start over.


17. Being a mother is the hardest job on earth. Women everywhere must declare it so.


18. Doubt means don't. Don't move. Don't answer. Don't rush forward.


19. When you don't know what to do, get still. The answer will come.


20. "Trouble don't last always." (A line from a Negro spiritual, which calls to mind another favorite: This, too, shall pass.) 

Pumps are an obvious item any lady should have in their wardrobe.  How many of us have pumps that are in a neutral/nude shade?  To my chargrin, I don't - but that will change soon enough.  Check out these below......

PATENT LEATHER PEEP TOE/Zara

ASOS PERFECT Platform Court Shoes/ASOS

Stuart Weitzman Avignon 2/6PM

It's fitting that I would pick hair care items as gifts...I told you all I'm hair obsessed. Plus, everything on this list is stuff I want too- LOL.  So, here they are in no particular order....

Name: Delisha





Location:  North Carolina





How would you describe your hair? Well behaved after all these years of training-LOL!  I would say my hair has variety. It's coily in the back and on the sides and on the top & front it's a loose wave.







How long have you been natural (no chemical relaxer)? 4 years.

What prompted you to "go natural"?  I always wanted to know how my true texture was so when I was pregnant with my first child I decided to go natural. I was also reading a lot and thought it would be healthier for the baby if I didn't relax my hair. 

What is the main difference between having natural hair vs chemically relaxed hair?  Versatility with different styles and texture. My strands are also thicker, healthier and my hair is longer than it ever was when I had a relaxer.  

What hair styles are you fond of to style your natural hair? I LOVE my wash-n-gos, but since it's the winter time I've become very found of the Bantu Knot-out or twists and twist-outs.

Do you accessorize your hair?  What accessories do you use? Sometimes I accessorize. I usually put a big flower on the side of my hair.

What hair products (shampoos, conditioners, styling aids) work best for your hair?   I make and sell my own sulfate/paraben free shampoo, shea butter  moisturizer and hair oil. If I do us a retail product it is usally the VO5 or Suave cheapie conditioner for detangling or co-washing. Why? Because most of the retail products dry my hair out or cost to much. I also enjoy making my own products and experimenting with different raw materials.

What is your hair regimen? How often do you wash/co-wash? I co-wash about every 3 days if I'm wearing a pony puff. If not, every 2 weeks I wash with my shampoo and then I use a deep conditioner (Queen Helene Cholesterol) and finish up with my Shea Butter Curl DeLish!   I'll double strand twist and then let it air dry. 





What resources, tools, books, videos, etc helped you along your natural hair journey? My main resource was the Long Hair Care Forum, then I started watching YouTube videos to get different hair style ideas. In the beginning there was a lot of trail and error to figure out what works for my hair. I've learned that what works for one person will not work for all.

Hair's my natural beauty because.......It's on my head! I feel so blessed by God to have my hair. I love the versatility, the beautiful coils and the puff....just the "naturalness" of natural hair. :-) -- 

If it's one thing that I dislike seeing on a man - it's filthy, uneven nails.  It's almost as bad to me as unpolished shoes.  So, men out there if you are reading, here are some simple steps to keeping your nails looking freshly manicured without going to a nail salon. 







1.  Wash Them - Okay, this may be obvious to some but some may want to take note.  After eating, using the bathroom, playing basketball, working on the car, etc use soap & water to take away the dirt and grime away.  Keep hand sanitizer in the car, the gym bag, your desk, etc for those times when soap & water are not available.





2.  Trim Them - There is no reason to have long or uneven nails if you are a grown man.  No excuses.  Keep a nail clipper handy and trim your nails regularly.  





3.  File Them - Okay, this is optional.  As long as you trim them evenly you shouldn't have much of a problem.  But, filing them helps to smooth out any jagged edges.



4.  Moisturize Them - Slather hand lotion, Vaseline, body lotion whatever is available to  you to keep your hands from looking dry, cracked, and ashy.  It is not a good look to have your hands a completely different shade from the rest of your body.





5.  Use a Clear Polish - This gives them a nice sheen & also serves to protect or harden the nail.  

One of the first things on my To Do List for 2011 is to get a professional facial.  I am long over due and it is a necessity for me especially post pregnancy.  I already have a 30 minute consultation scheduled (I am not playing y'all LOL) so that my facial is catered to my exact skin needs.  Read this post for my skin type.  When I say a professional facial, I mean one provided by a licensed aesthetician.  









1. If you've never had a facial before or don't know which type to get, I would suggest getting a consultation first.  Most times they are complimentary and it gives you a chance to ask questions and get answers from the aesthetician.  Also, the aesthetician is able to take a look at your skin and recommend any suitable treatments that will benefit your skin.





2.  Once you've figured out what type of facial you're going to get, the first step in the process is cleansing.  





3.  After cleansing, the aestethician will look more closely at your skin under a magnifying lamp to look at your pores, and any skin conditions, etc this is typically a more in depth skin analysis from your initial consultation.





4.  Next step, exfoliation, is a process of removing dead skin cells either it is typically followed by a steam treatment to open your pores which is necessary for the next step. 





5.  Extraction is next, my favorite part!  Some people opt not to have this process done because it can be somewhat painful or at the very least uncomfortable, I on the other hand look forward to it :-).  It's the process of removing blackheads by applying pressure to the clogged pore (s).





6.  After the extraction (if you choose to have it done) the aesthetician will basically massage your face and then apply a mask which he/she will let sit for some time so that it hardens on your face.  





7.  After the mask is removed, it's time to moisturize and voila you're pretty much done.  





Don't you feel like you just had a virtual facial?  If only it were that simple!! :-) 





So, are you planning a facial in the near future?  Do you enjoy them as much as I do but don't get to indulge as often as you would like?  

Author: Amanda Green via Woman's Day



When it comes to shampooing your hair, it's as simple as lather, rinse, repeat. Or is it? By now we all know there's no need to repeat––the instruction is just a clever ploy to get consumers to use up the product more quickly. But that's not all. We talked to the pros for insider information on everything from how to keep color from fading to the right way to wash your hair. Read on to get the lowdown on what you need to know to start having a good hair day, every day.





1. Shampoo is not the most important part of washing. You can buy the most expensive shampoo on the market, but if you aren't using it correctly you won't see results. "The massaging of the scalp and hair as well as the rinsing are the most important parts of washing your hair," says celebrity stylist Riccardo Maggiore. Curl expert Ouidad recommends using the cushions of your fingers to massage the scalp while you shampoo in order to get rid of the secretion of sebum (an oily, waxy substance) so hair follicles can grow healthily from the scalp. And always be sure to rinse the shampoo completely out of your hair to prevent buildup.





2. Natural home remedies aren’t necessarily better. Just because a shampoo contains a natural ingredient doesn't mean that ingredient is good for you on its own. "Lemon, for example, can irritate the scalp and hair follicle," says Maggiore. "And mint and menthol—which, when used in salon products can create a soothing effect—can actually cause severe allergic reactions when used in home remedies." So don't use shampoos as guides to what to use on your hair—they've all been formulated and balanced by professionals.





3. Don’t expect the same results as in shampoo commercials. "I know firsthand that all the volume in those beautiful flowing full-headed hair ads comes from setting the hair in hot rollers," says Terrence Renk, a television and film hair stylist. "While you do need a good foundation product to create the swelling of the cuticle that creates volume, those luxurious locks of hair are the result of very patient and talented hair artists."





4. Less is more. According to Maggiore, using too much shampoo—more than a quarter-sized amount––to create a lot of foam is actually counterproductive. "Foam can help you effectively work the shampoo into the hair and scalp, but too much foam actually prevents you from massaging the shampoo in properly."





5. Even though a shampoo boasts a fancy-sounding ingredient, it might not do any good. "I've seen some shampoos that contain olive oil or caviar," says celebrity stylist Philip Pelusi, owner of New York City's Tela Design Studio. "But for it to make a difference, the shampoo needs to contain anywhere from one to five percent of that ingredient." Similarly, Pelusi advises being wary of bold claims. "When companies make a big promise, they have to deliver results right away. So if you use a conditioning shampoo, it may work well the first few times, but you might notice it over-delivering—creating a buildup––by the third or fourth wash."





6. You can buy salon shampoo brands in a drugstore. Though in the past you may have heard you shouldn't buy salon brand hair products at the drugstore or big-box store because they might be diluted or low-quality, that isn't necessarily the case anymore. "With the economy as it is, companies are finding different ways of getting their products out to the market," says Ouidad. "So some brands are simply extending the places where they sell their products."





7. Blondes need to use clarifying shampoo more often. If you have chemically treated light hair, you need to use a clarifying shampoo more consistently. "Dyed or highlighted hair—particularly bleached hair—becomes very porous,” says Renk. “So it can easily absorb unwanted yellowish tones from the outside environment, like from hairspray, perspiration, city smog and even minerals from your shower water.” Using a clarifying shampoo weekly will help dissolve product and natural buildup, neutralizing those unwanted tones.





8. Your hair doesn't get used to shampoo over time. If you notice your shampoo isn't working quite as well as it used to, don't toss the bottle. "You hair changes with the seasons, so that might account for a difference in texture," says Ouidad. "Or, if you aren't rinsing thoroughly enough, there might be a buildup of product on your scalp. It has nothing to do with the shampoo not working for you anymore. You don't change your face cleanser, so why would you change your shampoo?"





9. Even the fanciest shampoo can't permanently change your hair. "Washing your hair with the right shampoo is like a great exercise program: As long as you do it you'll look good, but if you quit, three months later you're back to where you started," says Pelusi.





10. Not all ingredients are created equally. “Many shampoos contain foaming agents like ammonium lauryl sulfate, ammonium laureth sulfate or sodium lauryl sulfate, which are harsh and drying to the scalp,” Maggiore says. “So you should stay away from those shampoos." Instead, sodium laureth sulfate is a gentler agent, as well as TEA lauryl or laureth sulfates, which are also good picks.





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I pretty much agree with #1 though for me deep conditioning is the most important part in my hair care regimen.  #3 You shouldn't expect the same results from a product even though someone has the same hair type or texture as you.  #4  Less is definitely more.  #6  Where you purchase your shampoo is not nearly as important as the ingredients it contains. #10 pretty much what I said in #6.

BIO  Hey Everyone! My name is Alexis Jones (aka Jonesy) and I'm a born and raised New York City girl, cancer researcher, future physician and lover of fashion. My goal in life is to help my patients physically and scientifically through research while having my own clothing line on side. Changing healthcare in the United States is a huge passion of mine. I want to foster outreach to under-served communities. For this reason I am the creator of a health club in my community called Parkchester Cares. Parkchester is a part of the Bronx, NY and the goal of this club is to act as a bridge to make sure community members are aware of the many resources NYC has to offer to the medically uninsured.



How would you describe your style?
My style is definitely multi-faceted since I draw inspiration from many decades and trends. On some days i'm boho chic and on other days preppy or couture. I feel that every women should venture between different styles since you might just surprise yourself.


Look for every kind of means to purchase things second hand and discounted! That means filene's basement, thrift shops, ebay, consignment shops, etc. As I mentioned before I am an avid Louis Vuitton fan. I purchase used bags which helps me to look fabulous on a budget. Another tip is to make things yourself. Buttons, thread, feathers and other things are really cheap to buy at fabric stores. I take plain pea coats and change all the buttons on them to make them look more high fashion.


Random fact about yourself:
I am the proud owner of Michael Jackson's autograph. I slept on a street corner for 2 days to make the cut for his album signing back in 2001.

What beauty items are in your makeup bag at all times?
Lip gloss or Chapstick and a good facial moisturizer with SPF are a must for me at all times. I am not really big on makeup... I grew up always being told that makeup ages your skin faster so I leave if for special occasions and events.

In your own words, what does beauty mean to you.....
Beauty is never being ashamed of who you are. Beauty is treating others as you would like to be treated. Beauty is living every second of everyday for the future not the past.


Thanks Alexis for sharing your personal style! Not only is she stylish but she has a passion for giving back to her community.  To keep up with Alexis check her out on Twitter @Jonesin4Jonesy.

The retail price of these babies are between $60 - $65 - enough to put me in a hissyfit.

A few weeks ago I had my baby shower and I gave soy candles & hand lotion as favors.  I chose candles because it was an all women shower and I figured they would definitely come in handy plus I just LOVE candles.  In addition, I knew I wanted to give out something useful, unique, and custom made.  I knew Etsy would be the way to go but with so many shops I didn't know where to begin.  So, I emailed my blogging buddy over at Coup de Coeur, Amina and asked her for some recommendations.  She is the ultimate Etsy shopper and I knew she wouldn't disappoint.  She recommended Lilac Ave.

 Lilac Ave is a shop that specializes in handmade soy candles with natural fiber wicks, SLS free soaps, and lotions.

The owner, Deb was the sweetest.  Not only was she easy to work with, she also included a card & mini candle as a gift.  The sweetest little gesture that was so unexpected.  Here is the finished product in blue organza bags.  Sorry for the bad picture - I had the wrong setting on the camera.  Overall, I was very satisfied with my purchases and the candles smell great (especially Clean Cotton - my favorite!)




If you're interested in custom made soy candles that are scented, stop by Lilac Ave.