Bacon Cheddar Muffins and Coffee Chocolate Chip Muffins

Tomorrow will be Muffin Monday at work. Everyone got really excited when I mentioned bacon cheddar muffins, so I guess that's what I'll make. I'm using the same recipe I used for the chocolate chip muffins last week, except adding 1/2 cup shredded cheddar and 1/4 cup chopped bacon.

Maybe I'll add more bacon next time

For anyone who doesn't want bacon cheddar muffins (yes, those people exist), I decided to make coffee chocolate chip muffins. In my opinion, it's always good give people a choice.

Dry ingredients mixture

Wet ingredients mixture. Mmmm whole stick of butter

Both mixtures combined to make Captain Planet

Captain Planet + chocolate chips = ...... I don't know

 I used instant coffee because I don't have instant espresso. I thought about using a bottle of Starbucks frappuccino in place of milk, but that probably wouldn't be a good idea. The first batch tasted a little bitter, so I added an extra 1/4 cup of sugar to the second batch.

I made 2 dozen of each type of muffin. In the first batches, I used Lactaid milk, and I switched to regular vitamin D milk for the second batches. I don't know why a recipe would say whole milk. Do people actually keep that in their houses? Would it make the muffins taste better? I doubt it.

Simple Side Braid

In my search for hairstyle ideas, I've found lots of sites telling me that braids are very popular right now. I used to wear my hair in cornrows all the time, so braids are not a new concept for me. I found this easy style on the Tresemme web site. I've worn a style similar to this one, but I've always made a skinnier braid. I thought trying a wider braid could be interesting. This style is great for me and my headaches because I could have most of my hair loose and still keep it off my face.

I didn't watch the video; I just read the three steps. It's pretty easy to figure this one out from the picture. I also didn't use the Tresemme mousse. Instead, I washed my hair and massaged in the Motions hair lotion from root to end, of course paying special attention to the ends.

First I had to separate out the hair for the braid and secure the rest of my hair.

Then I did the actual braid, twisting the strands toward the outside instead of inside. I just think the inside braids look a little funny as cornrows. I used a clip to hold the braid behind my ear instead of braiding all the way to the end. And that's it. Very simple style and finished very quickly. This one is definitely a keeper.

Nixoderm

I've been looking for something to help fade the old acne scars covering my face, and I came across Nixoderm. I read a LOT of reviews, and it seems this product has been around for years. Some people say their grandparents used it when they were young. So why am I just finding out about it now? Well, it's not really sold in this country, except maybe in specialty stores. The easiest (and cheapest) way to get it is through eBay.

A lot of people who use this say it burns horribly. I say if you want serious results, of course it will burn. If it didn't burn, I would be suspicious. There were a few responses saying don't put on too much and don't exfoliate before you put it on. Alright, I'll listen to experienced people because I don't like pain. People says it stinks. Well, it doesn't smell great, but I wouldn't say it stinks. I think it smells like Proactiv sulfur mask mixed with Vaporub. The container is a little weird, but it wasn't too hard to open once I got the hang of it.

This stuff is definitely a mask. It will look like you have white stuff all over your face, so don't expect to put it on and then go out. The instructions recommended applying a layer of vaseline under the mask the first few times you use it. Well, I use strong stuff on my face every day, so I thought I would be ok.

Ok, I was soooo wrong. I felt like my face was on fire. I was very close to just washing it off and then trying again with vaseline. Then I realized it burned a little less when I fanned my face.

The burning only lasted for a few minutes, so I'm glad I gritted my teeth and endured it. I put this stuff on in the evening and then slept with it on. A lot of the reviews say it's hard to get off your face and you have to wipe it wish a tissue before you wash your face. I tried wiping it, but it was totally dry. So I just washed my face like normal and it all came off. A few of the reviews said it burned the skin so badly that the entire face was like a huge blister afterwards. My experience wasn't anything like that. I had no irritation at all. The scars were noticeably lighter, and my skin felt a lot smoother. That's after only one use. I will definitely keep using this stuff. The directions say to use for 7 days and then don't use for 3 days and then start over. Alright, I'll follow the directions. So far, that's been working for me.

Pretty Twisted Bun

This is another hairstyle from Seventeen. I like wearing my hair in a bun because it's secure and off my face and neck, but I think brushing my hair straight back is really boring. This bun gives a boring style a little twist, literally.

I didn't wash my hair this morning, so I started with dry hair. That's actually good because the bun will be a little bigger than it would be with wet hair. I sprayed all over with leave-in conditioner to dampen the hair a little and make it easier to work with and also to make the edges lay down.

Deep part. Check. I made another part a couple inches below the first one to create a rectangular section of hair.

I tightly twisted the top section of hair. While holding the twist, I gathered the rest of my hair into a ponytail behind my ear and added the twist on top.

I divided the ponytail hair into 2 sections and twisted one section around the first to make a bun. Then I twisted the second section around the first bun. I think it looks like a Cinnabon. It's kinda making me hungry. By the way, taking a picture of the back of your head is really difficult.

I really like the finished product. Normally, I don't do side ponytails or buns, but the cuteness of this one really surprised me. I might do it more to side next time just to see how that looks. Also, this only took a few minutes. I'm not one of those people who wakes up extra early for hair and makeup. I like my sleep.

Oatmeal Raisin Muffins and Chocolate Chip Muffins

For some strange reason, I really wanted to try the oatmeal muffins recipe from MuffinRecipes.net. I have no idea why, but the person who made up this recipe seems to think it's a good idea to use sour milk. Um... absolutely not. I don't even want sour milk near me, let alone in my food. Instead, I used vanilla rice milk and soaked the oatmeal for about 24 hours instead of just overnight.

It's been awhile since I used shortening, so I forgot how difficult it is to work with. When I tried to add the Crisco to the mixing bowl, it refused to let go of the measuring spoon. Then it refused to mix with anything and just sat in lumps, but I think I got it with some elbow grease. By the way, I don't know if we have an electric mixer or not, but I just like to do it by hand. I was feeling really tired and cranky, and as soon as I started mixing stuff, I had a drastic mood change. Yeah, I definitely need to keep baking.

The other ingredients mixed together without the oatmeal/milk

All ingredients

According to the recipe, raisins are optional. I disagree; raisins are essential. I also added cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla extract because that's what I always put in my oatmeal. If we had any brown sugar, I would have added that, too.

I found these little boxes of raisins, and I used three and a half boxes. When the muffins came out of the oven, they were moist and delicious and the raisins were soft and juicy and awesome. I ended up with 14 muffins. I guess it was supposed to be a dozen, so maybe I should start filling the muffin cups more.

At work today when I mentioned the possibility of muffins, someone requested chocolate chip. So I had to find a recipe for chocolate chip muffins. I didn't like the one at MuffinRecipes.net because it uses 4 eggs, and I only had 4 left. I never like to be completely without eggs. I found an awesome recipe that makes basic muffins and allows you to choose your own add-ins. So I added one cup of chocolate chips.

I also sprinkled a few chocolate chips on the top of each muffin before I put them in the oven, partly for awesomeness and partly so I could tell them apart from the oatmeal raisin muffins. Again, I used vanilla rice milk instead of regular milk, and I substituted apple sauce for the oil. I don't know why they say to add oil, but applesauce tastes better and makes the muffins more moist. (Yeah alliteration!)

I will definitely be using this recipe again. I'm in love with the idea of cheddar muffins, but I'm really sleepy. I'm even more in love with the idea of bacon cheddar muffins. Don't react; just think about it for a second. Bacon. Cheddar. Muffins. Yeah, it's gonna be super tasty. I'll probably have to use less sugar, though. In addition to the bacon cheddar, I'll also be tackling this one pretty soon since I had another request at work.

Breakfast of Champions?

People who know me are well aware of my little eating problem. Sometimes I eat only once a day or not at all. Most of the time, I don't get hungry, so I don't realize I haven't eaten. A few people at work are fasting because we are currently in the month of Ramadan according to the Islamic calendar. The non-Muslims are always saying there's no way they could get through the whole day without eating. Well, I do it all the time. If I eat only once, it's usually dinner, so I fast until the sun is down. Unintentionally. In college, I had a Muslim best friend. I always wanted to observe Ramadan with her as a way to offer support because it's difficult doing it without your family, but I never knew when it started because it's a little earlier every year. It snuck up on me again this year. I guess with my recent unexplained weight loss, low blood sugar, low blood pressure, and anemia, it's probably better if I don't fast.

This is what I had for breakfast. I don't usually eat breakfast, but I needed my energy today. My sleep schedule is still a little off, and I keep feeling like I want to sleep during the day. During my first semester of college, I took a required fitness and nutrition class. I learned that one easy way to balance your diet is to make sure all of your food isn't the same color. It isn't a foolproof method, but I think we can all agree that a meal with chicken, potatoes, and rice isn't always the best idea. So I noticed my whole breakfast was basically the same color. I recently started drinking Boost and Ensure to supplement my regular diet (or lack thereof) and try to keep my weight from dropping any more. Even though it has lots of vitamins and minerals, I probably would be better off if I added some source of protein, like eggs or a breakfast meat, and some fresh fruit. I'll definitely try to do that in the future. Maybe you noticed that there is no lactose in this meal. Sometimes I have issues even though I take 1 or 2 lactase pills, so sometimes I like to give my body a break. Also, I absolutely loathe the taste of milk, and Lactaid milk is tasteless. Soy yogurt has a slightly different texture than regular yogurt, but maybe I feel that way because textures can really bother me. It definitely tastes ok. The only cereal we have right now is Rice Crispies. Three boxes. I'll definitely encourage my mother to get healthier cereals in the future.

I actually managed to eat 2 meals today. With dinner, I had fish, green beans, mashed potatoes and corn. I would have taken a picture, but I was half asleep and didn't think about it. However, I thought this meal was more balanced than my breakfast. Normally, what I eat in an entire day is approximately equal to what a normal person eats in one sitting, but I did better than that today. I get full from a very small amount of food, so this is not a regular occurrence. I'm very proud of myself, and I'll try to keep up the good work.

It's always good to congratulate yourself and acknowledge your accomplishments. There is a difference between dwelling on mistakes and learning from mistakes. In my humble opinion, the best course of action is to let go of the mistake and make a promise to yourself that you will do better next time.

Triple Ponytail

Today I wanted to try a new hairstyle. I searched for hairstyles online, and I just kept getting pictures of girls with their hair parted and brushed down. Ok, that's not a hairstyle. It's a haircut. And that doesn't help me. Most updos are meant for prom or weddings, but I don't usually go anywhere except work and stores near my house. I don't need fancy hair for that. I just need it to be off my face and neck so I don't get hot. Oddly enough, the web site I found most helpful is Seventeen magazine. It's been awhile since I was a teenager, but I decided to give them a chance anyway. I looked through all of the hairstyles for medium-length hair and curly hair and eventually settled on this one under Updo Hairstyles. Obviously, my hair is different from the model's hair, so I can't expect the style to come out the same way on me.

Last night after I washed my hair and greased my scalp, I braided each of the four sections. When I unbraided them this morning, I was left with a nice crimping effect.

Since I have this bangs situation, I usually need to separate a triangular-esque portion from the front my my hair to be pinned back later.

Before I made the three ponytails, I sprayed the hair close to my scalp with Aussie Hair Insurance. This stuff smells great, and my hair is easier to work with when it's wet. The spray also hardens a little bit when it dries, so all the strands of hair are held in place. After I made the ponytails, I generously sprayed the hanging hair. Since my hair curls more when it's wet, I thought this would give the curls a little boost and also help keep them nice throughout the day.

The finished product kind of looks just like the next to last step. I wasn't exactly sure on how pinning the ends of the ponytails was supposed to work, so it came out a little wonky-looking. I actually prefer the look of the penultimate step since it gives the illusion of one long ponytail. I really enjoyed this style, and I'll definitely be adding it to my regular rotation.

You Put Grease In Your Hair? Like, Bacon Grease?

Yesterday, I started to notice some itchiness throughout my scalp. I can't even remember the last time I greased my scalp, so it's definitely time to do it again. Whenever I say "hair grease" in front of people who aren't black, I get blank stares. These are people who say "if I don't wash my hair every day, it gets all greasy." Yeah, right. I'll show you greasy.

When I was in college (all girls college), we always had clogged drains. The residence life staff recommended we all comb our hair before the shower to get rid of any loose strands and decrease the amount of hair in the drains. Well, I still do it.  Yeah, it's poofy. I don't go outside like this.

I've got my mom's Pantene shampoo and conditioner, my Super Gro hair grease, my Motions hair lotion, and a rat-tail comb and pick. 

After washing, I use the tail end of the comb to part the hair into 4 or 6 sections. I did 4 sections this time. Then I apply grease to all of the parts and the edges.

In each section, I make parts about 0.5 to 1 inch apart and grease them. 

I also apply a small amount of grease to my palms and rub it into the ends of each section, making sure to get the ends of the shorter layers.

Then I massage a small amount of the hair lotion through each section of hair. I know it doesn't look like that much, but it was plenty. After moisturizing, I use the pick to get rid of any tangles. In the past, I always used a wide-tooth comb, but my mom recently suggested using a pick. I thought it was a terrible idea because the teeth are so close together and picks make me think of the guys in baggy jeans and hoodies who walk around with a pick sticking out of their nappy fro, but I tried it anyway. It turns out I lose less hair with a pick. Of course I realize hair that breaks off could be unhealthy, but the detangling implement could also be to blame. It's always good to find what works best for your hair.

I don't expect the grease to make my hair grow like it says on the jar. I just use it because it smells great and it isn't thick or heavy. When applied to my scalp, my body heat softens the grease so it's more like oil. I can massage my scalp and spread the grease to any places I may have missed. This is also good for my headaches.

I'm not one of those sulfate-free shampoo people. It's so irritating when people with straight, fine hair say "you should use shampoo without sulfate or you should just stop using shampoo." My response: maybe YOU should do that, but my hair isn't like yours. Yeah, I get irritated when people act like the stuff that works for them works for everyone. I'm not telling anyone to grease their hair; I'm just showing how I do it because people ask. Yes, sulfate strips oil from your hair. That's how it cleans your hair. When I grease my scalp, I like to start with a clean, fresh scalp and hair. It's just a strange personal preference, I guess.

Pineapple Muffins

I really wanted to make pie, but that seems like too much effort for right now. Instead, I decided to make muffins. I did a Google search for muffin recipes and discovered MuffinRecipes.net. Ok, that sounds like exactly what I'm looking for. After looking over a few recipes in their list, I settled on pineapple muffins. I love pineapples, except sometimes they make my lips and tongue swollen and itchy.

Ingredients party!

Mix dry ingredients. Mmm sweet flour.

 Add wet ingredients. 

Left: beaten eggs, vanilla extract, lemon extract. Smells good. I would have tasted it if not for the raw eggs.

Right: applesauce and pineapple juice from the can. I did taste this one. It was wonderful.

When I went to the store, there was no crushed pineapple, so I had to cut up some chunks. It was tedious, but listening to an episode of White Collar on Hulu helped.

Completed batter. Mmm pineapple lumps.

 I wanted the muffins to be bigger, so I filled the cups a little higher than usual. I hope that doesn't backfire. Things tend to go badly when I make unauthorized changes to recipes.

Ok, not bad. I realized the recipes on muffinrecipes.net don't tell you the yield. I ended up with 16 muffins. The suggested baking time is 15-20 minutes; I baked mine for the full 20 minutes. They are extremely sweet, so I would recommend using less sugar. They're also sticky, but they taste soooo good. 

Food Myths

I love reading articles about food. Best foods, worst foods, most calories, food myths. A lot of people are so quick to believe everything they hear instead of doing their own research. This prevents cancer. That gives you cancer. This helps you lose weight. Don't eat sugar. Eat sugar. High fructose corn syrup is bad. Only eat raw food. Well, you know what? I eat what I think tastes good, and I'll try anything once. Making my own decisions instead of blindly following the media is something I enjoy. For some reason, whenever I saw Greek yogurt in the grocery store, I imagined it tasted like olives. I don't know why I thought that. I tried it for the first time about a week ago, and it turns out I like it a lot better than regular yogurt. I have a thing about food textures, and yogurt is really pushing it. Thicker Greek yogurt has a much more tolerable texture for me, and I'm so glad I found it. I read that lactose intolerant people should  be able to eat yogurt without ill effects, but that isn't true for me. I'll just have to remember the lactase pills.

While I don't believe everything I read, I still enjoy reading. Also, if you read the same thing in multiple places, that tends to give it more merit. Here are some interesting food myth articles.

Low fat foods make you lose weight and fast food is bad for you. FALSE.

Eggs are bad for your heart and high-fructose corn syrup is worse than sugar. FALSE

Soy: good. Red meat: bad. FALSE.

For the most part, I don't really change what I eat based on this stuff. I like bread and pasta, so I eat bread and pasta. Am I fat? No. Obviously, people shouldn't eat deep-fried butter or a daily Big Mac. It's really just common sense.

I've discovered a few new videos in the past few days. Definitely check them out if they're new to you.

My mom told me about this one. She said, "I thought I put ketchup on everything, but this chick is so much worse!"

The other videos are from Epic Meal Time. I don't want to ruin, so all I'm going to say is pay attention to the calorie counts.

 

Yes, I've Tried Proactiv (People Always Ask)

It's no secret that I have a bit of a skin problem. I was hoping it would get better after the teenage years, but I'm still waiting for that to happen. My skin tends to be very oily, and I hate how it's shiny in all my pictures. I'm particularly upset about my passport picture because I have to keep it for 10 years. Fortunately, I don't have that many pimples. Sometimes I have breakouts, like whenever I travel. I think my skin reacts to the different water. I also think it reacts to stress and hormones. Aside from the occasional breakout, my biggest problem is scars. I have a ridiculous amount of scars. Through years of trial and error, I've arrived at a 4-part formula that works pretty well for me.

1. 2% salicylic acid cleanser OR microdermabrasion scrub
2. 2% benzoyl peroxide cleanser
3. 2% salicylic acid toner or astringent
4. 10% benzoyl peroxide cream

This is my current skin regimen. I try to do it twice a day, but some evenings, I just fall asleep. Yes, I realize that's part of the problem. I also know I need to drink more water.

I read about microdermabrasion being helpful for post-acne marks, so I decided to give it a try. I use this one about 3 days a week now. The first time I tried it, I used it every day, but that was during the winter. It can make your skin more sensitive to the sun, and I think adding a moisturizer with sunscreen could be 1 product too many. It worked a lot better when I used it daily; I definitely saw a huge improvement in the number of scars.

I use the Loreal cleanser 4 mornings per week plus every evening, if I don't fall asleep first. I really like the little scrublet, but I recently read that it can hold bacteria. I don't necessarily believe everything I read, but that actually makes sense. I don't know why I didn't realize it myself. Well, I'm much too lazy to sterilize it twice a day, so I probably won't buy it again once this bottle is finished.

A lot of people think of AcneFree as bootleg Proactiv. Well, it worked much better for me than Proactiv. Proactiv helped a little, but not nearly enough to justify the price. My first experience with AcneFree was when I tried one of their systems. I don't remember which one, but it was either clear skin or severe. I really liked the first step, the acne wash, but the toner and lotion seemed too weak. Now, instead of using the whole system, I just buy the acne wash by itself.

When choosing a toner or astringent, I was specifically looking for something to target the scars. Luckily for me, the Neutrogena astringent claimed to do that in addition to preventing breakouts. I don't know if you can tell from the picture, but the bottle is almost empty now. I'm not complaining about my lack of pimples because that's absolutely outstanding, but there are sooooo many scars. This astringent is supposed to fade old scars, and it definitely has not done that. I'll definitely be trying something new within the next week. I've found that astringents without salicylic acid don't help me, so I'll definitely be looking for that active ingredient. I'm open to suggestions.

The most important part of my regimen is the pimple cream. If I use something with less than 10% benzoyl peroxide, my skin just laughs at it while exploding with bumps. I think the unique thing about this cream is the time-released thing. I don't know how they do it, but it works. This is the best cream I've ever used. It's not a quick fix, though. I don't expect overnight results, and if I miss a day, there will probably be consequences. When I do have an occasional breakout, this cream knocks it out in a few days. It is important to note that most creams like this are meant to be spot treatments for individual pimples. I definitely use it on my entire face. There have been times when it seemed like my whole face was one big pimple, and I never want to go back to that.

And that is your introduction to the mountainous terrain I call my face.

My Style

I absolutely love shopping. Online shopping is the best because I don't have to move, and I have everything at my fingertips. Well, everything except the actual items. I really like feeling the materials, and I like having the opportunity to try things on. Unfortunately, when I do go to stores, I usually go to places like Herald Square, Union Square, and Soho (NYC), and the lines for the dressing rooms are always ridiculous. It makes things difficult. My favorite stores are Forever 21 and H&M. That hasn't changed since I was 16. Some people have the idea that you shouldn't shop in certain stores once you're over a certain age. Well, I don't really have a choice. Women's clothes are made to accommodate all those curves we're supposed to have. I'm shaped like pole, so grown-up clothes tend to be baggy in weird places. Luckily, I'm able to find mature-looking items in any store, even if there are middle schoolers shopping next to me. BUT who wants to look mature all the time? If I have to wear a blazer to work every day, I want to wear fun clothes when I'm off. I don't think there's anything wrong with that.

This is the first time I've ever done a screenshot. I had to research how to do it. It's good to learn new things. I recently discovered this iPhone app called MyStyle. Basically, you take pictures of your clothes, which is very tedious, but once it's done, you can scroll through tops, bottoms and shoes to make outfits. You can also keep another set of pictures for items you want to buy, and there is a calendar to keep track of when you wear each item so you can avoid wearing the same things too often. I don't use all of the features; I just like scrolling. I have quite a lot of clothes, and sometimes I forget certain items. If a friend wants to go to a club, I can filter the clothes and only look at what I've designated as "going out" and decide what to wear. I can let friends pick something they want to borrow even if I'm not at home, and that's great. I love sharing. You can also add layers and accessories. I really love earrings, but I buy most of mine from Claire's so I don't feel bad when I lose them. I always lose them.

My other favorite place to shop is eBay, which is where I found this dress. A lot of people think eBay = used, but that is not the case. It's very simple to limit your search results to only new items. Personally, I don't mind used; there's nothing wrong with hand-me-downs. That's what washing machines are for, right? Through eBay, I find a lot of stores based in Asia. That's good for me because my body shape is more similar to theirs. In addition, their styles are different from ours. I hate when I go out and I see all these women wearing the same thing, leggings + North Face fleece + Ugg boots or romper + gladiator sandals for example. There's a difference between following trends and putting yourself into a mold. Individuality is a good thing. When I'm in NYC, there's quite a wide range of styles, but I also spend a lot of time in Delaware. Whenever I go shopping or out to eat in Delaware, the women are like Stepfords. Then they look at me like I'm so weird because I'm wearing a tight miniskirt with knee-high 4-inch heel boots or a minidress from Asia with platform sandals. Well, this is nothing new to me. When I was younger, we didn't have that much money to buy clothes, so I made do with what I had. I still have the penny-pincher mentality, and eBay can be SUPER inexpensive. Plus they have almost everything. I've bought clothes, shoes, skin products, musical instruments and accessories, computer accessories and books and I've never had to give anyone negative feedback. Not even neutral feedback. If there's a problem, sellers work hard to fix it for you. I love eBay. I also love thrift stores.

Allow Me To Introduce You To The Mystery That Is My Hair

I get so many questions about my hair. I'm mistaken for Dominican, Guyanese, Haitian and Puerto Rican almost on a daily basis, and I'm pretty sure the hair is what throws people off. I've also been asked if I'm from Jamaica, St. Thomas and Barbados. Nope. I'm American and so are both of my parents. How did my sister, father and I manage to grow this stuff? I have absolutely no idea. I don't consider my hair long, but I have been charged extra in hair salons.

This how my hair looks now when it's freshly washed. It's a few inches shorter than usual, still recovering from the last pruning. I don't know if you can tell, but it's been relaxed. At first I was using Mizani relaxer, but my hair doesn't really respond to it. Now I use Optimum relaxer, and the results are much better. I chose to relax my hair because it was completely unmanageable. An untold number of combs and brushes have lost their lives because my hair snapped them in half. My mom always gave me cornrows when I was younger, but it hurt so much. Plus it gives headaches. I had waist-long braids with weave once, but it was way too heavy and way too expensive. Never again. Before the relaxer, I tried wave nouveau and texturizer; those are all pretty similar. I didn't really like wave nouveau because of the products required to keep it looking good. That stuff smells weird. I liked the texturizer, but every time I had it touched up, my  hair got a little closer to being relaxed. Now I'm all the way there. By the way, I didn't have any chemical treatments until high school. There are relaxers specifically for children, but I won't be doing that to my children if/when I have some. I just don't think it's a good idea.

I have some sort of layers and side bangs going on. When I had the bangs done, I wasn't completely sure what I wanted. Bad idea. Always bring pictures. I'll probably wait until my hair is willing to be straightened (mid-October?) before I get the bangs fixed. I definitely want them shorter, and I want them to cover more of my forehead. Not blunt, though. It's complicated. 

I borrowed my mom's shampoo and conditioner today: Pantene Moisture Renewal 2-in-1 Shampoo & Conditioner and Pantene Fragile-to-Strong Conditioner. I try to stay away from their Relaxed & Natural products, mainly because I'm offended by the brown bottles. I like to try different products. I never buy huge sizes because I hate waiting months for it to run out so I can get something else. For shampoo and conditioner, in addition to Pantene, I've used White Rain, Suave, Organix, Garnier Fructis, Tresemme, Creme of Nature (it's for black people but has different colored bottles), Herbal Essences, Dove and Mane & Tail. I really like them all except White Rain and regular Suave; Suave Professional is much better. Also, Creme of Nature has a weird smell, and I prefer fruity or flowery smells.

For days like today when I don't really care that much about how my hair looks, I'll just use some sort of moisturizer like Motions Hair Lotion (smells great) or Pink Oil Moisturizer (smells weird) to make sure my hair won't be dry and then throw it into some sort of messy bun or clip. Eventually, my scalp will require some special care, either hair grease or oil. There will definitely be more on that later.

I once saw a Youtube video with a woman sitting in her car during her lunch break and having a hardcore rant about black women with long hair. I really wanted to link it here because it was absolutely hilarious. Unfortunately, I can't find it right now, but if I do, I'll definitely post it.

Let's Get This Thing Started

I am an insomniac. One night around 3:00 AM, I came across Idée Géniale, a blog specializing in hair tips and product reviews, fashion, and food. Well, I have hair and clothes and I eat, so why not? (after I hungrily devoured the entire blog from end to beginning and then started in on her friends)

I love shopping. I don't pay attention to any of that Fashion Week stuff because runway clothes tend to be ridiculous, impractical and sometimes nauseating. I look at everyone around me in NYC to see trends in action. It's like a constant fashion show. For example, these unwitting models have shown me that many people cannot tell the difference between leggings and tights. Almost every day, I see cute shirts with see-through leggings, which means I also see underwear and butt/thigh dimples. I don't know why anyone would want to show off their dimples. Personal preference, I guess. Also, one of my biggest fashion pet peeves. If you're wearing them in the summer, aren't you hot? If you're wearing them in the winter, aren't you cold? Can you think of any other garment that's meant for both heat waves and snowstorms? I can't. I don't think that exists. Yeah, I could go on about leggings for a very long time. I might do that one of these days even though it tends to piss off the people who wear them.

I love food. I don't eat very much, but I wish I could. I've been told I need a reverse gastric bypass. That's probably true. Still, I love food presentation, and I almost always take pictures in restaurants. I'm not so much into cooking, which is something I'd like to work on, but I've always enjoyed baking. I really want to make some fruit pies and chocolate pies, maybe because it's summer. Wish me luck. I'll definitely need it. Maybe a prayer and a miracle, too.

I do not love fighting with my hair, but it's necessary. If I can be of help to anyone out there with hair like mine, that would be great. I'll probably be showing my attempts at new hairstyles and the disastrous results. My hair can be extremely unruly, especially in the summer. I don't usually even attempt to straighten it until at least mid-October. Until then, all my adventures will be curly.