MAKE UP SALE!!!

Okay so as a general rule we don't push brands or stores on here because we just don't want to be product pushers...LOL... but I saw this sale and just felt like I had to let you know about it...

For years I believed that make-up had to come from MAC (even though I hardly wore make up and was shelling out major money for MAC).. fortunately, as I grew older I also got a little wiser... and discovvered that quality isn't always found in a name brand...

So Ulta is having a major sale on palettes...

first up in the 92 piece blockbuster



This collection comes in 2 color palettes: the Classic Collection and the Trendsetter...I already have a lot of classic eyeshadows so I opted for the trendsetter...

What you get: 64 eyeshadows, 22 lip colors, blush and pressed powder... the pressed powders never match me but I use them as an eyeshadow primer... oh and a couple of brushes

The best part is the price 17.99 and click here for a 20% off coupon and you'll get it for 14.40 http://www.dealigg.com/story-ULTA-Coupon-Code-Promotions

What else I bought:

I am going on a beach vacay very soon and thought why not look great while I frolick on the beach and Ulta swooped into the rescue



water resistant eyeshadows !!! oh yeah...frolick in the sand and water and keep my make-up on..oh yeah I'm ready

They also have OPI,Orly, Essie, and China Glaze nail polishes on sale buy 2 get 1 free

My NEW favorite Revlon PhotoReady foundation is on sale buy one get one 50% off (which is an amazing deal considering I used to fork out $40 for MakeUp Forever foundation)

So print off one or more of those coupons above and get yourself to Ulta...this sale won't last forever

Summer Hair...Sexy Beach Waves

So all of our favorite magazines are touting the hottest summer hairstyles...I couldn't help but notice that most of these summer styles require heat... There has to be a way to have fabulous summer hair without a whole of direct heat...right??? Well our mission (and yes we choose to accept it...LOL) is to recreate some of these hot summer looks without that NASTY HEAT MONSTER... Now we don't make any promises that styles are going to be exactly the same because we are not professionals but hey it's summer and we figure the only way to know for sure is to try...

So my first attempt at a cool summer style... SEXY BEACH WAVES

here's the magazine looks




it's a good look for J Lo



and Rachel Bilson

an article on how to get the beach waves look

http://beauty.about.com/od/hairbasics/ht/sexywaves.htm

most articles I found on recreating this look suggested using a curling iron and then separating the curls... I have tried that way in the past and it does work... but you need to add oil sheen and polisher afterwards to get a shiny look because your hair is so dry (and please don't forget the heat protectant if you try it this way)

My Challenge:

Okay since I was determined to use NO direct heat for this style.. here's what I did


Washed
Light Protein Treatment
Coffee Rinse
Deep Conditioned
Air Dried
After my hair was dry, I moisturized and then parted it into 4 sections and did a big bantu knot in each section
Slept on it overnight and VOILA (ignore the scowl on my face...I'm feeling a bit under the weather)

here's what you get... be kind...I don't have a lot of experience with bantu knots







All in all I give myself a B+...I would like them to be a little bit cleaner but they are supposed to be tousled... Okay so you all weigh in... what grade would you give me and will you be trying this style out for summer??

Better Hair = More Confidence????

Okay so I realize that some of you may be reading the title and saying "Duh Ke Ke".... But I have to say that I did not realize how much my confidence was actually tied to my hair... Like every human being, I've experienced moments of self-doubt or even felt unpretty but for the most part I'm a pretty confident chica....

Whenever my friends and I have prepared for big events, we've often channeled or compared ourselves to our favorite celebrities... For instance, I am about the same complexion as Halle Berry and even the same hourglass body shape(but I am heavier than she is) so many times when I was considering a style or an outfit, I used her as inspiration... In fact, once a friend and I were planning a vacation and I literally planned all of my outfits based on various outfits Halle Berry was wearing in pics... Yep it was that serious... and before you fall out of your seat laughing you should know that I got compliments on my clothes all week.

So what's the point??? Well a few weeks ago I was having a conversation with some friends and the question arose about which celebrity we'd most like to "be" like... In the past, I would have had a ready answer for that question... While I don't envy her personal life, I've always admired Halle Berry's beauty, confidence, and persistence to pursue her dreams...BUT for whatever reason that day when the question was asked I felt like I was at a loss... I don't envy any celebrities, I thought and really the way I feel about myself right now I don't want to emulate any of them... I'm just so proud to be Ke Ke right now.. and quite honestly, I feel like the only thing that has changed about me in the past few months is my hair...

Maybe it sounds crazy but I really feel like the triumphs I have had with my hair over the last 9 months have instilled a new confidence in me.... I have always known that when it comes to work if I set my mind to it then I could accomplish it but some things I thougvht were beyond my control... my hair was definitely one of those things... when it wanted to behave it did and when it didn't I couldn't do anything about it but pull it back in a ponytail... I no longer feel helpless about my hair... in fact, I feel like I can grow it to any length that I'd like... I love that it is full thick and bouncy...I see myself differently when I look in the mirror... I used to envy women with long hair (especially women of other races) because it seemed like they had "perfect" hair and I just thought that was beyond my reach AND now I know just how great my own hair CAN be... and it's a great feeling...

I have received messages from Black women who say they thought the only way Black women could have long thick hair is by getting a weave or wearing wigs.... the truth is, Black women can grow long hair.... Our hair grows at the same rate as everyone else's...there is no scientific proof at all that our hair grows slower than other races...our problem comes with length retention and we fail to retain length because we don't know how to properly care for our hair... But we can learn !!

Remember even in a world full of chaos, you can achievve a healthy state of hair...