Hair Care: Deep Conditioning

Conditioning is a very important part of my Natural Hair regimen. I have leant since cutting off my hair that shampoo is the devil and will make your hair feel like the Sahara Desert. Conditioner helps your hair maintain moisture and also helps to remove product build-up without completely stripping your hair and scalp of moisture. After a CoWash or a Deep Condition session, your hair is curly, healthy, and vibrant. I've not tried out much deep Conditioners.... in reality i've used two brands (As I Am & DooGro), and so far i've fallen deeply in love with the 'As I Am Deep Conditioner'. My hair is softer, during conditioning my curls are more defined, and at the end my hair is easier to style and smells great all week. Your deep conditioner does not have to be costly but you should research ones that work best with your hair type to avoid disasters. In addition to conditioning your hair, you should always drink a lot of water which helps to lubirate the scalp and skin

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It has been 6 months since i big chopped and my hair is already past my ears and on the tip of my nose. I've been taking care of my hair pretty well in my opinion, and i love that my hair is healthy and I'm not forcing my hair to conform and do what it wasn't meant to do. Deep Conditioning is important to make your hair malleable and flexible for styling as well as detangling. If you've recently started your healthy hair journey... Happy trails to you ♥

Insta Feature: Nichole Burton-Fleming

If you are like me and enjoy looking up creative and interesting people on instagram, then you are going to love what i'm introducing. I've decided to feature some of my favorite instagrammers here on my blog and show my readers why i decided to follow them in the first place... maybe you'll even want to follow them too. My very first 'Insta feature' as i've so cleverly called it, is on one of my all time favorite instagrammers... Miss Nichole Burton-Fleming who goes by @niiiiiiichole on instagram.

Nichole is very keen on making one of a kind, hand-made, artistic creations. She is an amazing artist and is frequently admonished by her followers to create an Etsy account to benefit from her work. She's really crafty and can do alot with paint and paper. Not only is she a good artist, but she's an excellent photographer as well. She has an eye for detail and captures lovely shots. She is truly a master at her craft and uses her instagram as a medium to showcase Antigua's natural beauty as well as the wonders of the earth.

Her feed is a really wonderful one which matches her wonderful personality. I've met her in person once and her sunny personality and wonderful smile just made my afternoon. I really admire her and her work as well as her beach goer life. It's really cool seeing things from her perspective and it truly allows you to find beauty in the little things around.

all Photos courtesy of @Niiiiiiichole on Instagram

Rihanna

 

The Queen of Controversy is what i like to call her. Rihanna is a daring fashion icon who continuously pushes the boundaries of what is acceptable in fashion and makes it her own. From her nipple freeing LUI Magazine cover to her barely there netted dress, Rihanna's Style has been keeping us all on our toes.

Her style is distinct and unique to her. She pulls of effortlessly looks that a normal woman can't. For this reason, Rihanna is in my mind a major contributor and pioneer of style in today's fashion world.

Out and About: Birthday Brunch

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Wednesday was my Mom's Birthday and being the wonderful daughter that I am, I decided it was best to take her to town and grab a bite to eat. She donned her best outfit, put on some make-up and we headed into town to do some exploring and have a bit of good ole birthday fun. We went to C&C wine house to get some delicious Chicken Alfredo Pasta, then restaurant hopped to Big Banana for some coconut crushes and butter rum cake. We ate till we were fat, but of course i always have time to snap a few pictures of the food before scarfing it down.

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We did also do a little eye shopping in town too! We walked into this store called Island Gourmet Boutique and look at the wonderful goodies they had there. We looked at the Locally made Jams and cooking supplies and took in the tasteful decor that adorned the cozy little shop.

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I was so happy to pose with their potted Aloe, which i thought was beautiful, and spazzed over the Cotton and Cane decorative elements that they used in the store. I really loved the vintage feel that the store had and wished i had photographed their calabash lights for this short post.

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We made our way to another store on Heritage Quay which had lovely local soaps on display. They had the most amazing fragrance and only cost $8.00XCD which was a pretty good deal to me. The packaging was also quite lovely and was what attracted me to the soaps in the first place.

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All in all i can say that we had a good day and i'm sure my mom enjoyed her birthday outing.

Relationships

“The most powerful relationship you will ever have is the relationship with yourself.” ― Steve Maraboli, Life, the Truth, and Being Free

Relationships are an important part in the lives of people everywhere. Interaction with family,friends, and even significant others help to shape people into who they are. Romantic Relationships especially are a very big deal. It seems as if lack of a boyfriend means that you aren't doing something right or that something is wrong with you. Being surrounded by a flurry of couples on a daily basis can do a lot to a person's self esteem. However, i'm not in a rush to get myself a boyfriend and it's taken  me quite a while to be comfortable with that idea. I used to think that i wasn't pretty because i didn't have a boyfriend, and i racked my brain questioning myself as to what was wrong with me. I used to pick out my flaws and say maybe this is why i'm not good enough or whatever... But then one day i said... who is going to love me if i don't love myself. Like the quote at the beginning of this post says, the most powerful relationship i will have is the one i forge with myself. Having a boyfriend isn't going to make me love myself or make me look any different. Learning to love myself, be at one with myself, and accept it is all apart of being happy with myself.

However, even though i have reached this understanding, lots of people elsewhere haven't. Some women still feel the need to let a man define them. " A busy, vibrant, goal-oriented woman is so much more attractive than a woman who waits around for a man to validate her existence"(Mandy Hale). We should teach girls that there is more to aspire to in life than to be at the side of a man. We should instill in our girls the values which consist of hard work and making a good name for yourself instead of going to guy after guy to be happy. I'm not saying that boyfriends are bad, but our approach towards the concept should definitely be changed. Having a man isn't everything, sometimes when you evaluate things you would have been better off single. You should be fully comfortable with yourself before you go around asking other people to add their luggage and issues to yours. Relationships require balance and you should only get into one if you have the right reasons. I'm going to wait until i find the right person before i have a relationship. You have to love yourself before you can think of loving anyone else. And the fact of the matter is, having a boyfriend right now wouldn't make an explosive difference in my life.  If there is a guy who can accept my quirks and flaws i'll be happy to give him a chance.

“Hope for love, pray for love, wish for love, dream for love…but don’t put your life on hold waiting for love.” ― Mandy Hale, The Single Woman: Life, Love, and a Dash of Sass

“Single is no longer a lack of options – but a choice. A choice to refuse to let your life be defined by your relationship status but to live every day Happily and let your Ever After work itself out.” ― Mandy Hale, The Single Woman: Life, Love, and a Dash of Sass

“Being brave enough to be alone frees you up to invite people into your life because you want them and not because you need them.” ― Mandy Hale, The Single Woman: Life, Love, and a Dash of Sass

Disclosure