soulae

New Music: Champagne Life - Ne-yo

Well Mr. Ne-yo has done it again. Champagne Life is on constant repeat and I am loving it... I was a little skeptical when he release Beautiful Monster. My first thought when hearing that track was "is Ne-yo doing club music now?" I am sorry to be so hard on Ne-yo but he always brings the heat so I expect nothing but the best from him. 

His new album Libra Scale is set to be released soon (September 21st) and I am sure it is going to be just as much a banger as all his other projects. 

For your listening pleasure:

Decide for yourself:

For more album information and Ne-yo updates check out his website: Ne-yo Official Site

What we think about Silk Elements

Here’s something I’ve found that works wonders on natural hair.  It’s called Leave-In  Hair Moisturizing Cream by Silk Elements.  It works like a conditioner and leaves your hair feeling soft and for natural hair it holds the curls.  It also works like a hair oil but doesn’t leave your hair greasy.

Silk Elements  Leave-In Hair Moisturizing Cream really does a great job of holding your curls in place and keep the “frizzes” away, which can be pretty common when wearing natural hair styles. 

You can use this product on wet or dry hair, and according to the directions it works well on chemically treated styles as well, to protect the hair from “thermal” styling.  There is no brassy or overwhelming sent to Silk Elements products.  Not only is the leave-in hair moisturizing cream light weight on the hair, it’s light to the nose too

You will be able to find this product and all other Silk Elements products in Sally’s Beauty supply www.sallybeauty.com  for about $5.00.  It may also be found in other drug and beauty supply stores as well. 

I like the whole line of Silk Elements products from the shampoos to conditioning treatments and they all are in the same price range from $3.00 - $5.00 and they leave the hair feeling well,  like silk.

Triple Moisture: A new Product from Garnier

Can I say, not what I was expecting? I found this product in my local dollar store for $3 and purchased both the shampoo and conditioner. Since the label promised triple nutrition I decided to give it a try that night. My first impression was not good at all. The shampoo left my hair feeling waxy, and the conditioner did nothing at all for me. I tend to lean towards conditioners that are heavier and give me that certain softness to my hair, this did none of that. 

I am a garnier user, my regular hair reggie includes:

• Deep Condition with Garnier Fructis Sleek and Shine Fortifying Deep Conditioner. Since I am on a strictly no heat reggie, I make sure that my DC/EVOO mix is covering my hair, then I plastic cap it, and go about my chores for the day. I leave it in for anywhere between 45 mins - 4 hours(I know but sometimes things happen). Once I feel that my hair has had enough conditioner, I rinse and shampoo.
• Shampoo with with Garnier Triple Nutrition. This is new to my regimen, I just decided to try this out because it looked great. Triple Nutrition contains three essential oils, Olive, Avocado, and Shea. These are three products that I use seperately in my hair anyway so why not us a product that says it contains all three. 
• Condition with Garnier Triple Nutrition. Again, this is another newbie to my hair reggie and it is worth it. 
• Once I have conditioned I add my essential mixutre of oils before I dry m hair at all, this way I can seal in as much moisture as possible. Like said before I have always been a Garnier junkie. My initial love with Garnier products started with the Moisture Works line which really helped to cut back on the dryness of my hair. As I have mentioned many times in other posts, I suffer from desert hair (I know, it's like the sahara!), so when I am searching for new products there are things it must have and promises it must make before it can come home with me. 

Anyway, I decided to give the GTN another try and re-worked my regimen to see if I could achieve better results the second time around. Instead of conditioning first with the GTN, I decided to shampoo and then Deep Condition with the GTN Conditioner. The results were fantastic, my hair has never been as soft and easy to manage. I was able to finger comb my hair and did not have to use as much oil and moisturiser as I normally do to achieve some semblance of decent hair. 

My curls were more defined and my hair smelled great, needless to say three weeks later I am still using this as part of my weekly reggie and love the results. I havehad to switch up to try new products and have even ventured back to my GMW, but still I must say that the Triple Nutrition gets my vote of approval. This one is a keeper!

Great Skincare Finds: St. Ives

We are all familiar with the St. Ives brand and have probably used it at one time or another. For me, I have used the apricot scrub for years and love the way it gives my face that clean feeling. With a little effort it even helps to eliminate the appearance of those stubborn blackheads around my nose. On one of my many trips to the Walgreens in search of yet another product to try for my new hair regimen I stumble across some new St. Ives products and also noticed that they have a new look (which I like!).

The first thing that I found was the Oatmeal and Shea Butter Body Wash. Anything that has the word Shea in it is an instant magnet for me. Lately I have been using shea butter in everything (un-refined of course) and it has helped with the dryness of my skin as well as with my hair. Anyway I grabbed a bottle of the body wash and must say that despite the $8 price tag, it has been three months now and I have not missed my dove essential moisture body wash at all. The smell of the Oatmeal and Shea Butter body wash is great, it is a smell that attracts, not repels. For a person like me with dry and itchy skin, it gives me just the right amount of moisture and keeps my skin soft. 

The second thing that I found and I must say I really like is the Oatmeal Shea Body Polish. I was not sure at first what a body polish was exactly, I soon discovered that it is a gentle exfoliating scrub that leaves my skin clean, soft and radiant. At first I was addicted and used the Body Polish daily, but with a price tag close to $7 I decided that I would use it twice a week. The body polish add some extra moisture to the mix when you use it with your Oatmeal and Shea Butter body wash. The lather that you get from it makes you feel great and the smell is wonderful. 

A lot of ladies have been putting the focus on sulfate-free products and I can understand the reasoning behind it. However I have yet to find something without sulfates that makes my skin feel as soft  as this, also leaving me with moisture during the day. The Oatmeal and Shea Butter combinations are not the only ones that St. Ives is offering. You can also try these combinations to see which one you like best:

Mineral Therapy

Collagen Elastin

Also, just to make it easy for you, here are the most popular items from St. Ives:

Facial Cleansers

Hand and Body Lotions

Let us know which one you decide to try and what your thoughts are!

The Essential Little Black Dress

My closet is about to be home to one of my best purchases yet. The Marilyn Convertible Dress is a dress for any occasion. I just happened to be browsing the plus sized net and found this dress that could be converted into numerous styles. Imagine having one dress that you can wear to every occasion and still have people saying "Wow". 

With just a little manipulation you can have 20 different dresses only taking up a little hanger space in your closet. Now my only decision is where to get it from, I can get it from this place for $89.99, or I can splurge on Monif C for $195. To me they look exactly the same so I may just take the first route for now, even though I advise you all to check out the other dresses in Monif C's collection, she has some hautness. 

You may be wondering why you even need to own a little black dress? Its simple, diversity. Owning a nice fitting, polished black dress can save you time, money, and closet space. Instead of always having to step out and shop for something new for each church event, business function or glamorous evening you plan to attend you can just spice up this one essential piece with little effort. 

Accessories are the key to making it work. The right shoes, handbag, scarf, broach or jewelry can change the appearance of even the simplest of things to something eye catching. You can use accessories to make your black dress the focal point of your outfit or you can choose accessories that demand all the attention for themselves. Any way you go, you can not go wrong with owning a black dress, even if it is just for the knowledge that black makes every ones curves look good. 

So on your next shopping adventure consider adding a black dress to your closet, you will not regret it. 

The Little Black Dress is Essential!

Pantene Nature Fusion: Moisture Balance

Nature Fusion Moisture Balance by Pantene is one of their newest products geared towards african american women. It intrigued me because it boats the ability to make your hair stronger and protect it from damage within 14 days. Just so you understand, I am a sista that conditions on a daily basis. My hair routine only calls for shampooing on a weekly basis or as needed. Recently, I have been looking for a gentle shampoo that I can use daily or every other day to help keep the pores in my scalp from getting clogged since I tend to use a lot of oils. 

In other posts I have shared that I am naturally nappy (and happy) and I suffer from extreme dryness. This means that any product I use needs to meet certain standards, the most important of which is extreme moisture retention. I hate to have that "I just washed my hair and it is soo freakin dry it sounds like a paper bag" feeling, similar to the one that I got with Aveeno. When I get that feeling I just pass off the product to someone else I know. I am a firm believer in not wasting anything; and who knows, what does not work for me may be just what the hair doctor ordered for the next person. 

Here are the ingredients that Pantene has highlighted in their new product. I took the time to do my own sort of research on them so I could share with you the benefits (if any):

• Cassia also referred to as Senna,  is an herb that can either be mixed as a powder or applied as an oil. It is most commonly used by women to add moisture and an additional coloring agent when using henna. It can be used as a conditioning agent on its own or when added to your usual mix.
• Calendula has many healing properties, it also has a fragrence and it commonly used in mens cologne. It can be used as an anti-inflametory agent or to stimulate blood flow. Ithas aslo helped with healing scars, burns and infections. When used frequently over time it can provide natural shine and anti thinning assistance. 
• Ginger is useful in controlling dandruff and can be used as a growth agent. Ginger is considered one of the most powerful herbs in Ayurveda. With its potent stimulating properties, ginger increasesthe blood circulation to the scalp which can result in faster-growing hair. 
• Aloe Vera as with the rest of the ingredients, is a hair strengthener. It can be used by itself and applied directly to the scalp to decrease breakage, stop dandruff and make the hair shiny. Aloe vera is also a key essential in any Ayurvedic regemine and helps to control hair loss. 

So if this is what you are looking for I would suggest that you un out and grab yourself both the shampoo and conditioner, give them a try and post your comments. We would love to know what you think. As for me, I passed this to my mom, the fragrance was too much for me! I will stick with my normal products for now. 

For more information you can check out a couple of these sites:

Black Hair Planet

http://www.ayurvediccure.com/

Black Hair Media

http://www.ayurbalance.com/beauty_haircare.htm

Next up: Mizani Coconut Souffle, Butter Rich and Gloss Veil. 

Who should wear leggings?

You should!  I am a great fan of leggings and I think that for some of us who feel the need for a little more coverage for that dress that maybe a little bit too short (depending on age) or that tunic that may need a little something under it, or if you are like me, you haven’t quite gotten around to shaving those legs, leggings are a the way to go.

However, I’ve seen leggings worn in a way that should be outlawed.  For no reason on earth should you ever, ever wear leggings with a shirt that hits you right at the “belly line”, especially if you have more than one (belly that is).  If people ask you when your baby is due, that should be a great indication that you should cover up.

I’m not the slimmest woman in the world, but I believe that I have enough fashion savvy to know when something is just not working.  If I have to think about it, then I probably shouldn’t wear it. 

Leggings should complement the body and your outfit, not foil it.

But of course there are those people who “ooze” much confidence and believe they look good in and can wear anything.  Now, don’t get me wrong, I strongly believe that we should love ourselves and except whatever color, shape and form God has given us, but at no time should it ever matter how big or small a person is, but to always be happy with who you are as long as it generates  healthy living for you. 

I’m an “experienced” shopper (that’s a more creative way of saying, “it’s out of control”) and I’ve come across a variety of styles of leggings.  Stripped, multicolored, polka dot, metallic Gold, metallic Silver, primary colors, secondary colors, you name it; you can probably find it in a legging. 

There are rules to wearing leggings. Here are a few that I have come up with through tria-n-error:

•  Leggings should never, ever take the place of pants

•  Leggings should be treated like stockings that have a ruin, get rid of them.

•  Leggings should be worn in good taste.  (i.e. wear a top/dress that is long enough to cover from the mid-thigh to the knee).

•  Know the difference in texture.  Leggings are usually opaque in texture (thick fabric) footless tights are more shear.  Know the difference

•  Leggings can be worn with both flats and heels.  May I suggest that you try different styles, colors and lengths of leggings to see which works best for the entire outfit. 

Have fun with the “leggings craze”, don’t be a slave to what the so called fashion experts says you should and should not wear, but might I suggest that the least you can do is listen.  

Aveeno Shampoo and Conditioner

I decided to give this product a try because they were offering a free trial by mail. Keep in mind that I am a naturally nappy and loving it. At the moment my regemine is not strictly adhered to at the moment b/c I am still in the process of trying out new products. The first thing I must say is that I am not a fan of fragrance, so immediately Aveeno recieved two thumbs down. The fragrance was really heavy and reminded my of my grandmothers perfume, not something I want to spend my days smelling like.  

My kinks are very, very dry so I need products that promise moisture with a capital "M". There was no noticable difference in the before and after wash with my hair. My hair still felt dry and brittle, so again there was a minus sign checked off my list. Daily wash is essential for me because of the dryness of my hair and the amount of oil that I use to ensure non itchy scalp during the day, so this is something that I would not recommend for daily wash. 

I would suggest that you try this product for yourself, who knows it may be just what you need to give your hair that extra umph you've been looking for!

Next up on the chopping block, Pantene Nature Fusion