au na·tu·rel

mohawk pic/smell good/SALE

2009-12-11T09:44:00.000-08:00

looking like the black female adam lambert lol....

anddd a smell good post!! my friend has this perfume and i really love it:

description taken from sephora.com

Burberry London
Burberry's new fragrance embodies the elegant, yet modern spirit of Burberry London. It epitomizes the cosmopolitan London lifestyle with independence and relaxed confidence.
Notes:
Clementine, Honeysuckle, English Garden Rose, Tiare Flower, Jasmine, Peony, Veil of Musks, Indian Sandalwood, Patchouli.
Style:
Elegant. Modern. Feminine.

its a really sexy yet fresh smell...and strong but not too old lady-like e.g White Diamonds (lol i HATE that fragrance)

AND (for all the people that like good SALES!) one fragrance boutique (i'm really sure it was Perfumania) is selling select perfumes at buy one get one for 9.99!! as in 10 buckaroos!! and unlike what I thought the select perfumes are actually really good perfumes (such as all the burberry perfumes, vera wang, and a lot of other top designer perfumes) and not cheap stuff. And we all know perfume makes a great gift...this is an excellent way to get more perfumes for your money!!

the catch is, only Perfumania OUTLETS are having this sale. i'm pretty sure all the outlets from the Chelsea Premium Outlets chain has a Perfumania in it....so....

click here to find a chelsea premium outlet near you!!!

MOHAWK

2009-12-07T16:34:00.000-08:00

sooo i decided to press my hair straight for a bit....and i shaved the sides down.

and basically it looks like this....

its definitely a hairstyle that i feel that only be pulled off now i'm young fresh and new *pun intended* but it's still very wearable...and all my clothes look so much more stylish with this haircut.

maybe i'll pull a move like the lovely writer of natural-belle and shave it all off. or maybe not. i don't quite think i can pull it off as well as her.

toodles! XX

♥

gorgeous hair

2009-11-08T23:07:00.000-08:00

all my type 4 sisters check out this fotki!!

facebook photo!

2009-11-08T11:02:00.000-08:00

just wanted to share with yall my profile picture on facebook. took it yesterday at a baby shower =) posted a couple more picture on natural hair groups on facebook

my facebook page

feel free to add me but just send me a message sayin your addin me from seeing this link because i am a cautious adder lol

5 months natural / smell goods hehe

2009-11-04T19:36:00.000-08:00

heyy guys i'm trying to be a little more frequent with the updates. anyhoo next week i'll be five months natural and just wanted to share a couple pics (make it one pic--serious computer issues) i took just for yall

this is a great experience! loving how my hair is growing and i can't wait for it to get even longer and stronger ♥ doing way more growing than it EVER did relaxed in this short amount of time it's so mind boggling...

random but i wanna discuss perfumes, with the holiday season coming up and all ♥ i think smelling good is one of the important aspects of a woman's physical appearance, plus you just feel
good when you smell good!

so for starters (all descriptions taken from sephora/com)

Flora By Gucci

Gucci Flora is a subtle, sophisticated, floral fragrance inspired by princesses from the past, present, and future. The Flora Donna is a young, classic, and refined woman with the 'Gucci edge' of power and sensuality. The first Flora scarf was exclusively designed for Princess Grace of Monaco in 1966 and soon became one of the most popular Gucci icons. This scent is an expression of the Flora legacy. Its seductive layers mirror the playful details and

bright colors that channel the heart of a fashion empire.

Notes:
Citrus Accord, Peony, Rose, Osmanthus Flower, Pink Pepper, Sandalwood.

Style:
Elegant. Natural. Spontaneous.

my boyfriend got me this as a surprise "just because" present! dont you love those? it smells great

next up:

Parisienne by YSL

The essence of a woman who is incredibly free—she is not from Paris, but Paris adopts her. She knows how to love, how to live. Parisienne is the fragrance of ultra-femininity and sensuality, built with notes of blackberry, damask rose, and sandalwood. The grand floral with a woody structure is luminous even in its mystery.

and last but not least:

Miss Dior Chérie L'eau

Discover Miss Dior Chérie L'eau, a side of Miss Dior Chérie you've never seen before. This lighthearted, energetic fragrance adds a bubbly new facet to the original essence. You can't resist the charm of this fresh take on Dior's classic gourmand blend filled with confidence and enchanting surprises.

Notes:
Strawberry Leaves, Pink Jasmine, Caramelized Popcorn, Strawberry Sorbet, Patchouli.

Style:
Feminine. Playful. Irresistible.

NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH MISS DIOR CHERIE - "EAU DE PARFUM" i don't like the smell of the original one bit =X

protective styles

2009-10-28T13:07:00.000-07:00

sorry i havent blogged in soooooooooooooooooo long just been really really busy. can't wait for this semester to end so i can blog frequently. anyways i've done about two protective styles since the last time i blogged. one braids and one a quick weave.

now for some pictures....

the ridiculously short outfit was for a uni's homecoming. there were so many beautiful naturals there it was ridiculous!

anyways after one week inside my quickweave cap my hair really flourished! so i figured i'll keep my hair under the cap for a week, take it out, wash and condition and oil my hair/scalp then put it back on. and by the way my hair has grown a little over two inches in the past 4 months i've been natural. but i have crazy shrinkage!!

and i bought some biotin from "yes! organic" line (don't really remember the mg's but i do know that it is 5000% of my daily value (!!!) ) i'm REALLY bad with rroutinely taking any kind of pills, so i went a whole week without taking them. i'll try to take them more regularly.

at the 6 month mark i'll take a bunch of pictures and show them off.

peace xx

more 3 months updates

2009-09-22T21:31:00.000-07:00

this is without the thread braids, don't mind my ooogglay face, really tired ♥ my hair has grown more in the past 3 months than it has in years

hot blog

2009-09-20T17:02:00.000-07:00

has nothing to do with natural hair but it has great style stuff

CHECK IT OUT HERE

youtube &love;

2009-09-20T16:34:00.000-07:00

a six months natural video from @sheacocoluv. her hair looks AMAZING and she carries off her hair so well

much needed update! 3 months natural n some days

2009-09-20T16:29:00.001-07:00

excuse my angry face lol so this was after a co-wash and i thread braided it. i keep it under a quivkweave cap i made:

so yea, all my type 4 ladies: any curl-defining products you prefer?

almost 2 months natural!

2009-08-01T23:02:00.001-07:00

finally put pictures in my fotki

2009-07-18T18:14:00.000-07:00

CHECK MY FOTKI OUT!!! LEAVE FEEDBACK!!!

protective style! /1 month/youtube &love;

2009-07-13T18:36:00.000-07:00

hey guys! i've been sooo busy in the past two weeks haven't been able to update, but anyways it's been one month and a day since i've been natural...and it's really been an interesting experience....anyways right now i'm wearing a protective style...crochet braids, and just focusing on my growth aids and my vitamins.

here are some pics of my braids:

i did them myself =) and people loved it! was in texas this weekend and i got so many compliments (texans are so polite i swear) anyways, this is the video i used to learn do it....

check her vids out @toysvoice

hair updates (finally)

2009-06-30T00:09:00.000-07:00

its been about 2 weeks since by BC. taken after a fresh co-wash.

lots of youtube &love;

2009-06-29T06:47:00.000-07:00

sooo i'm pretty impressed how quickly this tribute song to michael jackson came out. it feautures diddy, chris brown, usher, boyz II men, nas, the game...i thinks thats all of them. it's called "better on the other side" and it's really nice, well chris brown's hook makes the song. anyways enjoy:

and here's a video of some hot natural hairstyles...love the versatility of natural hair:

you can check her out @crownofHisglory

then its a video of a BC (after she transitioned for 9 months i believe) natural hair looks GREAT on her:

check her out @ xGOLDn

update! / youtube &love;

2009-06-29T06:30:00.001-07:00

it was finals week for me *summer classes* so although i had access to a computer i wasn't able to blog much...so its been two weeks since i've been natural, my hair is growing pretty fast i'm quite impressed (but ANGRY that it just refused to grow while permed) will have pictures soon...doing a protective style (full head sew in) in about two weeks and will probably keep that for about three weeks - a month.

sooo I have product reviews...Hollywood Beauty Olive Oil Creme Hairdress -

its nice, not really anything special...gets my hair soft but doesn't really stay soft...no mineral oil...pretty inexpensive...if you're a product junkie like me it's nice to have

then there's suave tropical coconut conditioner....

another just nice product....its thicker than v05 moisture milks conditioner but my hair responds to vO5 waaaaayyy better. But if you're looking for a thick cheapie conditioner this is definitely the way to go.

Did anyone else see the BET awards? I cant be the only one who thought it was a HOT MESS!!! except for trey songz....hmmmm he looked SO good (here's a youtube video in this honor lol)

so i was on the bus last night....

2009-06-23T08:37:00.001-07:00

and these two ladies were sitting next to each other on the pair of seats in front of me. they obviously were friends (ok maybe not obviously, they could've been really friendly). assuming the whole "black don't crack" theory, they were in their 50's. One lady was a greying (sp?) natural (she had looooooooong dreadlocks). The other lady.....hm....well....she obviously had been relaxing her hair for a long time, possibly has done lots of weaves and this is the closest picture to visually describe what her hair looked like:

BUT imagine also no hair on the sides either. or the back. in fact, just imagine that all the hair she basically had was what was in her ponytail.

the point i'm trying to make is....i've noticed that naturals have their hair for a much longer time than relaxed sistas....most of my older aunts (like 70s) who are natural still have hair while the others are clamoring for wigs.

just felt like sharing.

mama africa

2009-06-22T09:04:00.000-07:00

soo this is a review after a couple days of using Africa's Best Ultimate Herbal Oil. I just love the ingredients (no mineral oil) its basically just a mixture of all the oils that i have in my room. I use it on my body sometimes, and i did a hot oil treatment with it. most of the time i just put it on my hair after my daily extra cold water rinse (which great for curl definition). It keeps my hair really really soft, and it doesn't leave a greasy residue at all! My only problem is the scent. its not exactly bad, its just kinda peculiar. Maybe its just because i tend not to like powdery smells....it smells like old-lady baby powder (that's the best description i could come up with)

Ingredients: Soy Bean Oil , Walnut Seed Oil , Kiwi Fruit Extract , Olive Fruit Oil , Castor Seed Oil , Sesame Seed Oil , Jojoba Seed Oil , Carrot Seed Oil , Sweet Almond Oil , Tocopheryl Acetate , Safflower Oil , Calendula Extract , Yarrow Extract , Cucumber Extract , Carrageenan Extract , Ginseng Extract , Sage Extract , Comfrey Extract , Aloe Extract , Fragrance

The fact that its so cheap (and doesn't have mineral oil) makes it almost too good to be true. Hope my hair doesn't fall out lol. Anyways you can buy it HERE

AND i'm looking for a good creamy leave-in conditioner....any suggestions?

youtube &love;

2009-06-21T18:03:00.000-07:00

what a beautiful first year journey! and lots of growth...go girl ♥ ! check her out @BlackOnyx77

first week natural/birthday tomorrow!

2009-06-20T17:23:00.000-07:00

so I haven't been able to update because my charger broke :-( but lo and behold I am back because my darling boyfriend bought me the ipod touch for my birthday! Just won't be able to put up pics until I get my charger fixed. So today I hit up victoria's secret semi annual sale (not that great IMO) and bought some body lotions. Then hit up target and bought some suave tropical coconut conditioner ( heard good things about it on the blogs/forums and it was freakin 95 cents) and this herbal oil chockful of amazing ingredients, it's from Africas Best. Also got some antillean coconut oil in this glass jar, smells divine! and now that I can see my curl pattern I can safely say I'm in the 4a range with patches of 3c here and there. Anyhoo about to watch the Hangover movie...hope it lives up to the hype. Peace & hair grease ♥

le coil/youtube &love;

2009-06-16T20:29:00.000-07:00

major hairspiration
dunno if y'all know about "le coil" but its a really cool site

very hot hair yo! check her out @ S1MNICITY

glycerin + water =

2009-06-16T20:18:00.000-07:00

AMAZINGNESS! ♥

i mixed it in a spray bottle at about a 3 : 7 ratio (7 being water of course) and a little bit of sweet almond oil for a good smell, and it kept my hair so supple for the entire day! and it was much better than some of my oils i've bought, and cheaper (who doesn't appreciate that??) I'm going to make a mini spray bottle of my new hair spritz to carry in my Speedy.

i bought some Organix Coconut milk shampoo today (FINALLY), some castor oil, coconut oil, and another bottle of vO5 Moisture Milks conditioner because it was on sale for like 77 cents. I literally just dug up the change in my bag and was able to pay for the conditioner. Ridiculously great. 24 more days until my first month natural!

so i was walking outside in the rain

2009-06-15T13:10:00.001-07:00

and i wasn't even afraid of getting my hair wet! it felt wonderful and just...hmmm like an exoneration (the prison being my relaxed hair). just felt like sharing that with you all. now back to statistics lol

youtube &love;

2009-06-14T16:10:00.000-07:00

great video, and she has a pretty twa!! so look at the rest of her videos @sheacocoaluv

sunday morning

2009-06-14T15:36:00.001-07:00

was going to a friend's bbq after church (no i didnt wear this to church lmao) everyone is so surprised about the short hair. and guys' reactions are great for the most part lol like a "rare flower" effect. who knows? i might end up missing the twa phase :-P

words of inspirations (since it's a sunday):

"There are no failures - just experiences and your reactions to them"

saturday &love;

2009-06-13T10:14:00.000-07:00

naijapals

the best thing to happen to my life in a while lol, since the streaming nigerian movie sites are TRIPPING most of the time
((currently watching: my private parts))

going to my best friend's house in a couple hours, haven't seen her in months! gotta catch up for real

anyways this is what im doing for my haircare reggie:

co-wash every other day
moisturize with jojoba, olive, and coconut oil
sulfate-free shampoo every 3 weeks
deep condition once a week
use 2 hair growth aids
take my multi-vitamin
drink 8 glasses of water a day

will take some growth/progress pictures after a month, and after my first month i'll do some protective styling, probably a full sew-in or some box braids, a sew in is nice but some braids will be a HELL of a lot cheaper so i'll see

ciao! ♥ ♥ ♥

BC Pics!!!!!!

2009-06-13T06:59:00.000-07:00

so YES i went through with the BC yesterday/ I went out right after so I didn't have time to post up pictures, here are just a few:

today's the BIG DAY =)

2009-06-11T21:18:00.001-07:00

deep conditioning with lustrasilk shea butter conditioner, dont mind my lack of maquillage (makeup) ♥ its still on my head as i type

soooooo i washed my hair with a clarifying shampoo, which was soo rough on my head (no more sulfate shampoos for me, i'm going to be doing the "Curly Girl" routine) and i conditioned with vO5 moisture milks, which was surprisingly AMAZING! it made my hair soo soft, and not a bit of hair came out in the comb. and it smelled great, kind of (well very) fake but great, reminded me of like those cheap body sprays targeted to pre-teens. and i got it for a DOLLAR people

i'm hella nervous about tomorrow. my new growth has come in and its pretty curly and very defined i love it, but how will i look with a bare minimum amount of hair on my head?!?! I tried pulling my hair all the way back and putting on some big hoops, and it looked cute. hopefully i'll still look cute. and i gotta tone up for real for real lol. cant be having no hair and a chubs face

and i reaaalllllyyyyy wonder how my hair will grow in, hopefully it'll all be worth it. anyways i know it'll be better than this damaged stringy crap on my head right now. wish me the best!

organix coconut milk shampoo - cant wait to buy this sulfate free shampoo! smelled it at CVS before *rachel ray voice* "Delish!"

dr bronners almond soap - smells great as well, and its not expensive AND its best when diluted with water anyways AND its a body wash as well, so lots of pros

Miss Key 10 en 1 conditioner - since i'm from new york i'm pretty familiar with dominican hair products, and this one is fabulous! no mineral oil, and it gets your hair like butter

as you can tell i have no camera right now :-( but i'll get take pics of my BC tomorrow (thats if i like it) with my camera phone and upload them ASAP

DeenScene/RIP Kamber

2009-06-10T21:01:00.000-07:00

ahhh its that great time when nature run its course, so im not in the best of moods. but anyhoo i fell upon this girl's (Naydeen) business whilst looking at natural hair vids on youtube (which is taking up a really uncanny amount of my time nowadays hehe) but i love cute earrings and she really makes some cute ones! and she's in NYC

her myspace

her etsy page

and her stuff is really really affordable! she also makes some pretty neat skirts/handbags

one of my faves she made, she has lots of others but im in too much of a sluggish mood (thanks mother nature :-( )

AND kanye and amber broke up....but im not too surprised about that. she obviously was using him for publicity and stuff. so lets see how she'll fare now that she's not with him anymore

a pic of Kamber for old times' sake:

her shiny dome reminds me, i'm about to be a damn-near baldilocks in about one day. Oh My.

wtf?

2009-06-09T13:04:00.001-07:00

i can't deal. just wanted to share this with everyone.

test in 2.5 hours. midterm in less than 24 hours. BC in about 2 days. oohlala

youtube &love; x100000000

2009-06-08T21:40:00.000-07:00

this is possibly one of the best natural hairspiration videos i've seen, if not THE best. created by a proud black man. enjoy ♥

i'm going to........

2009-06-07T12:06:00.001-07:00

bartending school!
i have to finish summer classes first but after i do i'm on my way! i'm going to be taking classes in NYC (no better place to do it), and i'll be taking the 1 week course. i figure it'll be a great way to make extra cash. wish me luck =) ♥

summer trends! according to people mag

2009-06-07T11:39:00.000-07:00

i was looking at the people magazine website for the first time in a looong time, and they had a list of hot looks for the summer, these are some that i considered the hottest:

puff-sleeved dresses: i like how they are structured yet feminine at the same time

long sleeved minidresses: SO hot in my opinion, sexy and still somewhat demure

suit sets w/ shorts: hot! not really recommended for the workplace, but a really fresh evening look

cut-out black dresses: really sexy but the RIGHT cut-outs are necessary, love handles = no side cut-out lol

cowl halter dresses: cute look, not for the big-chested though, unless the cowl is very big and lengthy

tye dye maxi dresses: i love maxi dresses, and tye dye is a nice touch, i love lauren conrad's (middle) dress

white dresses w/ black leather jackets: my FAVORITE out of this list, a perfect mix of girly and tough! i have soo many leather jackets but no black one (ironically), need to get one for this look asap

black sequined dresses: hot glitzy evening look

since it's sunday, here are words of encouragement:

"Great effort from great motives is the best definition of a happy life."
William Ellery Channing

follow me on twitter

youtube &love;

2009-06-06T19:47:00.000-07:00

fell upon this girl when i was searching "natural hair journey" and "bc", she really carries off her BC sooo well, she looks beautiful! hope i can look even half as good lol her youtube channel: CHEVerlyHillz

saturday &love;

2009-06-06T13:24:00.000-07:00

today was a pretty boring day to be honest, went to run errands, and when i finished that i went to marshalls with my cousin, saw this bag (betseyville) that would make the PERFECT school bag, and it was only $40! i'll probably go back for it asap

a little gaudy but, dont care! :)

then i went to go get some vO5 stuff, looking around youtube/forums i've heard good things about the moisture milks conditioner for a cheapie co-wash, and i just bought a clarifying shampoo as well for the heck of it, together both cost a dollar and 50 cents (!)
sooo BC is in less than a week, still have some other stuff i plan to buy:

heard it gets your hair pretty soft, and its under 3$

i have a lot of ecostyler (my BSS gave me a huge tub after i made a huge haul ), but i want to try this too!!

and i've heard about the magic of coconut oil, so im excited to buy some

i have enough olive oil to last me a lifetime, and i'll probably get some glycerin and a spray bottle to make some spritzer mix i saw in a forum, but anyhoo, thats all folks!

youtube &love;

2009-06-05T22:01:00.000-07:00

love this song/video! like the claymation and overall schitzy theme it has,and rihanna's body looks amazing!

birthday wishlist

2009-06-05T19:40:00.000-07:00

sooo my birthday is in about 2 weeks (turning 19 woohoo) and i've thought of a new list of things i desire. some i will definitely get, some i'll have to just keep on wishing...but anyhoo here there are:

starting off, i love perfumes....and these are the ones i want the most:

KENZOAMOUR - floral and reaally long lasting

THE BEAT by Burberry - fresh, clean, everyday fragrance

then for makeup, besides my sephora compact i really need this compact in my life:

88 colors of eye shadow, and under $25!

then this my dream gift, found it on bluefly:

beautiful!

and jewelry from F21:

and pretty summer scarves:

and this dress from american apparel:

this snake bracelet ( i love snake jewelry) and flower ring from blu bijoux:

and lastly my boyfriend has been going on and on about 80s "investment banker" (his words not mine) style eyeglass frames..... think i want a pair too

these run for like 40 bucks, not bad! just get my prescription lenses in them and i'll good to go :)

hmmmmm........ finally done!!

"soap is to my body like your laughter is to my soul: a necessity ☮ & ♥"

youtube &love;

2009-06-04T12:18:00.000-07:00

just wanted to share a live performance of "say yes" by floetry that i LOVE. sad the duo doesn't make music any more....anyways according to the person that posted this vid it was in '06 and in London. enjoy ♥

since i have a 4 hour break! until my next class

2009-06-04T11:46:00.000-07:00

just wanted to put up some hairspiration photos:

a pretty TWA (sesilee lopez)

cute fro in process, def will be copying the whole headband thing (wakeema hollis)

my dream fro... a shame she didnt win top model (yaya dacosta)

the self proclaimed "world's most versatile black super model" (BIG side-eye) keisha omilana. beautiful hair nonetheless

I got these pics from looking at a wiki list of "black fashion models", and let me just say that the majority of these models had natural hair. So....video models not included (and don't know if i can really consider that modeling) it seems that the fashion industry generally wants its black models to have natural hair. Interesting thought.

BC in exactly 1 week....starting my natural journey

2009-06-04T09:22:00.001-07:00

so i had another blog that i started about a year ago but anyways this is a new blog about me, nina-belle, becoming natural. I've been relaxing my hair since i was like 4 (sad i know) and my hair has greatly suffered in the process. my BC (big chop) will be next week and i've been mentally preparing myself for this for a LOOONG time. hopefully i don't come out looking crazy...i will be tracking my progress on this blog (with pictures), posting pictures/videos of "hairspiration", and just ramble on about beauty and everyday life....to the right is a picture of my last perm...

pic of me growing out my hair with braids...should take a little more time but i'm too impatient! must embrace my future TWA (teeny-weeny-afro lol)

au na·tu·rel

mohawk pic/smell good/SALE

MOHAWK

gorgeous hair

facebook photo!

5 months natural / smell goods hehe

Flora By Gucci

bright colors that channel the heart of a fashion empire.Notes:Citrus Accord, Peony, Rose, Osmanthus Flower, Pink Pepper, Sandalwood.

Style:Elegant. Natural. Spontaneous.

Parisienne by YSL

Miss Dior Chérie L'eau

Style:Feminine. Playful. Irresistible.

protective styles

more 3 months updates

hot blog

youtube &love;

much needed update! 3 months natural n some days

almost 2 months natural!

finally put pictures in my fotki

protective style! /1 month/youtube &love;

hair updates (finally)

lots of youtube &love;

update! / youtube &love;

so i was on the bus last night....

mama africa

youtube &love;

first week natural/birthday tomorrow!

le coil/youtube &love;

glycerin + water =

so i was walking outside in the rain

youtube &love;

sunday morning

saturday &love;

BC Pics!!!!!!

today's the BIG DAY =)

DeenScene/RIP Kamber

wtf?

youtube &love; x100000000

i'm going to........

summer trends! according to people mag

youtube &love;

saturday &love;

youtube &love;

birthday wishlist

and this dress from american apparel:

and lastly my boyfriend has been going on and on about 80s "investment banker" (his words not mine) style eyeglass frames..... think i want a pair too

"soap is to my body like your laughter is to my soul: a necessity ☮ & ♥"

youtube &love;

since i have a 4 hour break! until my next class

BC in exactly 1 week....starting my natural journey

bright colors that channel the heart of a fashion empire.

Notes:
Citrus Accord, Peony, Rose, Osmanthus Flower, Pink Pepper, Sandalwood.

Style:
Elegant. Natural. Spontaneous.

Style:
Feminine. Playful. Irresistible.