Hair of the Day: 8 Months Natural!

 So today's hair was super rushed.  I literally made the decision to do a chunky twistout this morning while I was getting ready to go.  I didn't even have time to finish twisting my hair before I left, so I quickly threw on a hat.  I did have time to get my hair things together in order to finish twisting at school.  My hair wasn't too bad but I definitely need to take the time to do it right from now on. 

 On June 27, 2012 I big chopped.  So it makes 8 months that I've been natural.  I've never really done a length check like this but here it is!

American Idol Recap: Amber Holcomb

I don't know if you've been watching American Idol lately (meaning the last ten years or so) but it has slowly but surely lost all hope.  It's almost like the criteria for being a contestant has nothing to do with being able to sing.  I will say that last year's Joshua Ledet was easily the best male contestant ever.  In fact he could out sing/perform anyone in today's music industry in a heartbeat.  I digress.  This season has been no different from the last couple of seasons as far as mediocre competition goes, but there was one person who proved me wrong.

Amber Holcomb, an 18 year old from Houston, TX, is without a doubt the next American Idol. She performed during the first week of the live sudden death rounds.  The time hasn't come yet for America to vote, but she already has mine.  I must have rewound the tele about 50 times listening to her sing "My Funny Valentine".  Her vocals were pitch perfect.  If you think otherwise, I'm just going to go ahead and assume you are either a hater, tone deaf, or both. If she doesn't at least make the top 5, there is something seriously wrong with America.  I can't wait to see what she'll do in coming weeks. Take a look at her performance below, and you'll understand my anticipation.  You go girl! 

 

Tune in to American Idol every Wednesday and Thursday on Fox at 8/7c

Source: American Idol

Hair of the Day: Wash and Go

 So today started off with some serious bed head....

 Then I co-washed with TreSemme Naturals...

 My hair was looking good after I used Shea Moisture Curl&Style Milk...

 There was a heavy snowfall and I didn't have a hat so my hair got the worst of it...

My thoughts on the Oscars...

I needed grumpy cat to express my feelings.  I've never really been a fan of the Oscars.  There's always way too many categories that no one except the winner cares about.  Not to mention the movies and actors/actresses I want to win never do.  So this is for you Quvenzhane Wallis, you had my vote from the moment I saw you in Beasts of the Southern Wild. 

Hair of the Day: Chunky Twist Out

A little late posting this, but yesterday I took down my chunky twists and ended up with this marvelous twistout! I'll definitely be doing these more often, but next time I think I'll make more twists. 

Song of the Day: Return of the Mack

http://www.last.fm/music/Mark+Morrison

I came across a video of some people singing this song yesterday and I had forgotten how great it was.  I never knew who sang it, and I was actually a little surprised.  Mark Morrison is an English R&B singer who was signed to Death Row records.  He was the first solo black male to have a number 1 with this song, Return of the Mack, in 1996.  This used to be and still is my jam!

Hair of the Day: Chunky Twists

I hopped on YouTube only to be sucked in by the natural hair videos.  I came out inspired to do chunky twists, by Carmen of MyNaturalSistas.  I Cowashed, then styled on damp hair.  It was a pretty lazy quick hairstyle.  I hope it comes out right tomorrow for church.

Song of the Day: Don't take your love away

http://www.last.fm/music/Avant

Avant had a listening party for his new album on my birthday earlier this month, why oh why didn't I go!? Avant is yet another underrated artist in the music industry who has some great hits.  This particular one, Don't Take Your Love Away, first came out in 2003 back when R&B still existed.  I'm always randomly finding myself listening to this.  So here ya go!

Nails of the Week: Every girl's dream

These nails were first inspired by this pearl necklace belonging to my sister.  I was just thinking about what colors would look good with it and my mind immediately went to the "Pastel Teal" KleanColor Nail Lacquer.  I'd like to call it generic Tiffany Blue.  So with pearls and Tiffany in hand, I had to go all the way girly with the "Golden Goddess" from e.l.f!

Black History: My Top 10 fave Movies

As I watch different movies, I'm constantly ranking them in my head. For a while now, I've been making a list of my favorite "black films".  Black films in quotations because I don't understand the need to call it a black film when we don't call the other movies "white films".  I digress.  Of course now that the time has come for me to put my list in writing, I completely forgot what I had on it.  But I gave it a shot anyways.  This list is in no specific order except the order they came to my memory.  It was hard for me to narrow it down to just 10 movies, and I also wanted to have only the movies that were directed by black people (since its black history month and all).  So here's my faves/absolutely gotta watch when it comes on TV:

10. Roll Bounce (2005 Directed by: Malcolm D. Lee Written By: Norman Vance Jr.)

http://images.zap2it.com/images/movie-89545/roll-bounce-5.jpg

Allllllll Skate, Rolllllll Bounce! Fun fact about this movie: I had a birthday party at the rink where this movie is filmed! Roll Bounce makes me angry that I can't skate this well.  This is just a really family oriented movie that everyone will love.

9. Baby Boy (2001 Directed and Written by: John Singleton)

http://iamcocoa.com/storage/babyboy.jpg?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1325192667381

So I admit, Baby Boy is one of my guilty pleasures.  I don't know what it is about this dysfunctional drama filled movie, but I just love the chemistry Tyrese and Taraji P. Henson have on screen.  The movie also has Ving Rhames (who I can't take seriously due to a certain role he played *cough*holidayheart*cough*) Snoop Dogg (or Lion) and my favorite Gooding brother Omar. 

8. Love and Basketball (2000 Directed and Written by: Gina Prince-Bythewood)

http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lzohtfsC2Z1qdyz8lo1_500.png

 "Hey...Double or Nothin'?" This is a classic. Nuff said.

7. Poetic Justice (1993 Directed and Written by: John Singleton)

http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mej29x2eFX1qako3ko1_500.jpg

I love Tupac and adore Ms. Jackson (if ya nasty) so of course Poetic Justice had to be on this list.  This movie was actually really silly for lack of a better term, but I just like the easy flow of the script.  It was like watching real people who decided to record their lives one day.

6. Cooley High (1975 Directed by: Michael Schultz Written by: Eric Monte)

http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lm8l1dfCbk1qbrimro1_400.jpg

Cooley High is way before my time and its super depressing, but I still love it.  I wish I grew up in the 70s...

5. Friday (1995 Directed by: F. Gary Gray Written by: Ice Cube and DJ Pooh)

http://www.ifc.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/111711_friday.jpg

All of the Friday's are good in their own right, but there's nothing like the original.  Ice Cube and Chris Tucker make a surprisingly good duo.  Again, this is one of those movies that just flows like its real life.  I ain't gots to lie Craig!

4. Harlem Nights (1989 Directed and Written By: Eddie Murphy)

http://sfj70.typepad.com/life_in_the_mind_of_a_mod/images/2008/01/29/harlem_2.jpg

In case you don't know the meaning of epic, this is it! Richard Pryor, Eddie Murphy, Redd Fox, Della Reese, Jasmine Guy, Berlinda Tolbert, and Arsenio Hall just to name a few made this movie beyond great.  

3. Soul Food (1997 Directed and Written by: George Tillman Jr.)

http://images.zap2it.com/images/movie-19892/soul-food-1.jpg

This movie and the soundtrack to this movie are something special.  While Nia Long, Vannessa Williams, and Vivica A. Fox are the stars of this film, I think the real star is the narrator.  I don't know where he is now, but he definitively did his thing in this one.

2. Pride (2007 Directed by: Sunu Gonera Written By: Kevin Michael Smith and Norman Vance Jr.)

http://collider.com/entertainment/archive_detail.asp/aid/3754/cid/13/tcid/1

Of all the uplifting black films, Pride is definitely my favorite.  I love everything about this movie from the performances of the actors to the soundtrack. 

1. Low Down Dirty Shame (1994 Directed and Written by Keenan Ivory Wayans)

http://s3.amazonaws.com/auteurs_production/images/film/a-low-down-dirty-shame/w448/a-low-down-dirty-shame.jpeg?1325623246

Not your typical Wayans parody film, but this movie is still a hit.  I shall now provide you with one of my favorite scenes from the movie. Peaches and Wayman are too sassy for me!  p.s. If anyone knows the song that plays whenever Salli Richardson is on screen, let a sista know...

Song of the Day: The Panties

http://www3.pictures.zimbio.com/mp/NvMtpa2Br23m.jpg

Yasiin Bey, formerly known as Mos Def provides us with a song for today.  Maybe its just me, but this man is gorgeous!  He has always been that artist that I'm like "I need to start listening to his music" but I never do. So on my quest to discover him, I first ran into this song, and quickly got hooked.  Despite the odd title, The Panties, this song doesn't exactly "go there".  The Panties is not jammed packed with lyrics.  Instead it takes you on a journey of good vibes and feelings by way of the instruments.  Its hard to explain, so just listen below...

YouTube Special: Bantu Knots

Here's the video tutorial of how I did my Bantu knots.

Hair of the Day: Bantu Knot Out

I'm convinced that accessories are the fix to any problem.  I took my bantu knots down and I wasn't exactly pleased with the results.  So I picked and patted, and finally I just threw on a bow and ta-da! Problem solved.  For now, I think I'll just stick to twists until my hair is longer.  Check out my creation below!

These will never get old...

Everything Sweet Brown said in this interview has become apart of people's everyday dialogue.  I really hope she got her cold pop!

You can't tell me this song isn't a hit!

I'll never know how to make fruit salad now...

Hair of the day: 2-Strand Twisted Bantu Knots

I decided it was about time to revisit my favorite transitioning style of bantu knots.  When I transitioned, I did the regular bantu knots, but I got fancy this time and two-strand twisted each knot.  This was a surprisingly quick hair style; it only took 1hr and 15mins.  I made a video of how I did them and it will be posted as soon as possible.  Check out some up close pics of my bantu knots below.

Song of the Day: Losing You

If you're ever up late at night and you need something to watch, I suggest you tune into Soul Sessions on Centric.  This was a song I came across on the internet a few months ago, but the fact that Soul Sessions played the video made me very happy.  As popular as Solange is, her music pretty much goes unnoticed.  I happen to really love the songs I've heard from her, and her latest Losing You is no different.  I absolutely love the video for Losing You.  Check out her funky cool moves below.

Nails of the Week: All black errthang!

 In honor of black history month, I decided to go all black with my nail polish this week.  I've never had black nail polish so this was a change for me.  I used e.l.f black and topped it with NYC matte top coat.  The black was super messy to put on, and I ended up having to put on numerous coats to cover up mistakes.  I'll try to take my time the next go around.

Hair of the day: Puff

 Today I sported a second day hairstyle.  Yesterday, I wore my hair in a puff and I wrapped it up at night so that I would be able to wear it again without re-doing the style.  The first day, I cowashed with Tresemme Naturals conditioner and used Shea Moisture Curl and Style Milk as a leave in.  I then applied some Eco-Styler gel to the edges of my slightly wet hair in order to slick it back.  I won't get too detailed because I'll be making a video tutorial soon.  Anyways, wearing the puff for the second time today proved to be easier than yesterday because it wasn't as tightly pulled (goodbye headache!).  Minus some fly away hairs here and there, I was pretty satisfied.  Check out my second day puff below!