Let's Spot a Deal!

So I have a problem. My problem is shopping. I mean it's not really a problem as long as I continue working my 50 million jobs to support my habit. So...let's discuss this week's deals.
Kids:
The Gap has a great selection for kids on their sale rack. My son skipped an entire size so I have been shopping up a storm. This week I was able to find him 4 pair of jeans and slacks for 8 or 9 bucks each! On top of that, the GAP had an additional 25% off all sale items.
Old Navy also has all outer wear for 50% off AND hats and scarfs for a BUCK! GREAT deal for the babies.
Ladies:
Earlier this week, 6pm.com had some GREAT deals on Nine west and Kenneth Cole shoes. I found nice leather boots for as little as 29.95! So...make sure to get to their site and sign up for alerts.
MARSHAL's! For the last three weeks...I have been at Marshalls once a week. :-) I will be sure to post pictures when I wear some of my find...here is a list of some of my finds:
High Waisted flare skirt...$10
Patent Leather BCBG knee Boots $39 (they didn't have my size but thats a great find)
The PERFECT Skinny Jean...$10
A CUTE leopard print dress ...$7
Shirts and such for my son.....$7
And much much more....I will be back with updates as I add more..
Lately..I have been looking for a Peplim wiggle dress. So far I have not had the chance to find one...I am going to try a few thrift stores on tomorrow.
In order news....I have switched from MT to OCT and this is my progress over 5 months. I only used MT for the last month. I will update with MT/OCT progress a little later... toodles!

Abs Diet for Women...

Ok. We are working on hair and skin. Let's include the body. I plan to purchase the book soon. But in the meantime...here is a little something to "snack" on.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18784277/

**Update** Accutane - 2 months in

I have been back on accutane for two months and thought it would be cool to track my progress. When I started I had lite/moderate acne. It was not cystic but my skin bruises quite easily. Being a former Accutane patient I decided to try it again. The first time I was on the drug I only took it for two months, this time I plan to complete the entire treatment.

Some common side effects of Accutane are severe depression, excessively dry skin, hair loss and bone issues. So far, I have experienced only two side effects. In my opinon, they are minimal. I have extremely dry lips(Carmex balm is my best friend) and dry peeling skin on my face. I guess those are both a result of dry skin so that's one side effect. I have no signs of depression and my hair is progressing quite nicely. I have continued to work out regularly without any bone issues.

I have no pimples whatsoever. This excites me because I injest MSM water and 7500 mcg's of biotin daily. I still have faint dark spots but they are fading as we go. I have attached an image to track where we are.
I will check back in at month four. Toodles!

....

Growth Aids.....MegaTek Step up!

Hello all...it's been a minute but I thought I would check in for a second. I have been very low key with the hair as of late. When I took the last weave out (Brandy pro 10) I have been wearing a bun with my hair baggied underneath. I ended up getting a small cut labor day weekend to get rid of some dead ends...and I have been bunned up since.
Well I decided that this was a great time to start with a growth aide. I started with Megatek...So far...the only thing I can say is Megatek DEFINATELY increases thickness. I have only been using this consistent for about a month and my hair is noticibly thicker.
I will post pics tonight of where my hair was 2 weeks ago when I straightened (gotta love that Chi) so that I can see if Megatek is TRULY all that people claim that it is.
For the record...I use it STRAIGHT. I apply it to my scalp and edges after I CW every other day before I bun up. So....to be continued.....

2 months post BC **pics**

So....I took the weave out...and I have been using MT on a daily basis. I am also back to do my daily CWes. My hair is now so thick that my phony buns no longer fit and the instant waves have a bump in the back. I am getting irritated with my hair...and I am considering braids, twists...or more than likely...sewing the brandy pro 10 hair back in this week. Sheesh...I may even invest in some Brazillian Bohyme hair...I will more than likely be weaved up for the next 2 to 3 months. I need to be APL by the end of the year...and that is a good 3 to 4 inches. Hopefully with my CWes and MT and supplements...I can reach it. OH I also started back with Biotion. So now...I am using Biotin, horsetail, MSM and a mix of Rosemary, MN and MT. Now if that doesn't jump start some growth....LOL Somthing is not right! I have added a few pics as my fotki is FULL! LOL I will be adding a few more soon. More than likely comparison pics...my hair straightened doesnt look much longer. My hair straight does not seem longer to me...but I did just trim so eh...who knows.

Busted and Disgusted

That describes how I am looking today. I just finished my work out...and my head looks a mess..**pouring out a little for this Brandy Hair**...OK So we made it 2 weeks. I could push it a little further if I wanted...but I started with my MT mix and the rosemary has me smelling like an old ladies tin can. I can not WAIT to get home...and take this crap out...and WASH and DEEP condition.

As for the work out...I am seeing results. Not really in size...but a chick is toned.
I took before pics...I need to take some now and see how they compare. The only thing is I am scared to post them here because I am in my draws...LOL Going forward I will do shorts and a bra top. My goal is Sept to see a difference in hair and body (I am sure this burger I am about to eat is not helping) And October the 1st for skin. Wish me luck ladies...
I will be back with an update after I get this weave out. I am thinking I may do a quick weave protective style for a few days....then reweave with this same hair.

Pat Your Weave girl, Part 2

Ok. I am known amonst friends, foes and family and the Weave Queen. Now that I am in the process of growing out my TWA, I will be wearing more and more weave. Like I said in previous posts, in order to avoid blending issues, I have pretty much been sticking to kinky weaves. I found some hair that is affordable, blends well, and does not shed much at all. This BSS hair gets the Fabulous Stamp of Approval. Check it out, Brandy's Pro 10 Bohemian Curl. I have attached photos...it is a little old here but I LOVE this hair! One pack of 10 inch hair will run you 15 bucks. It is not human hair. It is classified as "protein hair" What ever that is...all I know is...I can wet it...and fluff it...and be about my way. GREAT hair for a natural diva that wants to take a break from dealing with her own mane.

Pretty Skin vs Long Hair

Why can't I just have both? Why must it be a either or? I have been drinking MSM water for about 4 or 5 months now. I must say, it does work. My hair has grown allot. Well it really was in vain, because I gained a nice length...and then did the big chop. Well the only downside to it, is the SKIN issues. I have always been prone to acne. However, MSM seems to make it worse. So I decided to try to beat out the MSM...and I took a trip to my derm. He gave me some samples of Differin Gel. I have been using that and my skin is WORST! LOL I can't win. I am going to start on Accutane in a couple of weeks. Hopefully the MSM and the Accutane together will help me reach my goal of pretty clear skin WITHOUT make up and long thick flowing hair. I plan to straighten my hair most of the winter months, so I need to be APL by January.

Will I reach my goal of APL by Jan? Stay tuned to see....

Pat Your Weave Girl! Part 1

I have this problem. I have gotten over thinking that natural hair is not attractive, but I am still not please with how my hair looks at it's current length. I just do not feel glamourous! The simple thing to do would be to get a weave. Well I am sure allot of you know how expensive and time consuming installing a weave can be. Though I am blessed to be able to do my own weave…it is still not easy to find time or good hair to do it. Add to all of that the fact that I suffer from mild Hair ADD, and you have a whole new set of issues. With all that being said, I had to find a solution. Instant Weaves! I could KISS the genius that invented these. An instant weave gives you the finished look of a sew in and the convenience of a drawstring ponytail. What more can a girl ask for? Here are some tips I have picked up over the years of wearing instant weaves.

1.When you find a good one that you like, buy more than one. This applies ESPECIALLY if it is a synthetic styles. In the past I have purchased IW that I did not like right away and as they got older I LOVED them but when I go back to buy another they are no longer in stock.

2.If you are natural or texturized, stay away from silky straight shiny styles. If you are leaving a portion of your hair out, please chose a style that looks somewhat similar to what the good lord blessed you with.

3.When wearing curly styles, pick pick pick! Pick and pull and tease and touch. I know allot of people do not like big hair but the more you pick and pull the better it will look. Most ladies do not have frizz free perfect curls, so the less perfect your IW curls are the more natural your IW will look.

4.When leaving hair out in the front, less is more. You do not want to leave a large chunk out in the front. Only enough to cover the tell tale HUMP where your instant weave starts. If you work out and plan to put your hair in a ponytail, remember to leave hair out around the perimeter.

Now the important part, how do you wear an instant weave? Putting it on can take as little as 5 minutes and as long as an hour. It all depends on your skill level and the type of style that you opt for. Being that I am natural, I have not worn a straight instant weave in quite some time. I know that with the southern humidity, the front of my hair would not last very long. I also use IW’s as a protective style so putting heat on the front would defeat the purpose. I did post step by step instructions in my fotki album. www.fotki.com/tuttifruityone
Check it out for more detail on how to wear an instant weave. Here and there I will spotlight different instant weaves and also continue updating the tutorial album. I hope that this helps someone. Now…go ahead…Pat those instant weaves ladies!

Unbeweavably Natural

About a month and a half ago, I was on fotki looking at hair albums. I come across this one lady that has lovely natural hair. Being that I had been transitioning for a year, I sought out albums with natural hair similar to mine for inspiration. Well I saw this one lady that had beautiful kinky hair..and she was so chic and glamourous. This was new to me. Growing up in the south, I was raised to believe that my hair in it's natural state was not attractive. My mother however was not bothered by what was attractive or not...she refused to relax my long kinky hair. Well as we all do...I rebelled and got a relaxer. After getting my relaxer, my hair was never quite as long and healthy as it was in its natural state...
Now, let's get back to where I was...as you can see...my thought process is very random. LOL At any rate, I can across this album with a Fly Natural Chic. My hair was styled in a sew in weave at the time. I stared at her hair for a good 10 minutes before I got up, went in the bathroom and began cutting my weave out. I knew if I thought about it too long I would chicken out. Well one hour later I had cut all of the relaxer out of my hair and I LOVED it.

Then I woke up the next day. LOL Am I saying I regret it? NO. Do I regret it? Heck no. I love my natural hair. BUT...I feel I look better with longer hair. I feel like a walking lollipop with shorter hair. So after wearing my hair out and natural once publicly, I found that shrinkage was NOT my friend. I have become very acquainted with phony ponies, half wigs and sew ins. All of that to say I cut all my hair off...to become...naturally...UNBEWEAVABLE. I will revisit my hair without assistance after a few months of growth.