I purchased Curlformers with my birthday money and I'm so very happy to finally have my own case! Last week I thoroughly enjoyed my stretched curls and twist out results. My Curlformers are a great hair tool.
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What I got out of doing a 30 day style challengeI decided to do a style challenge in the month of May. A random list of daily style goals I found on Pinterest months ago has been on my Projects board collect virtual dust. I decided to try the challenge in the month of May because as you can see it’s been some time since I’ve written a post. Considering the name of this blog please use your better judgment to assume that I haven’t been feeling progressive or perfect in a while. Not to discount my life. My overall life has been really great lately, albeit boring and mundane. I don’t have any complaints about the things happening or not happening yet. I was feeling frumpy nonetheless. As usual I’m in a body funk because that’s just how I live. Training hard for a few weeks, enjoying too much junk food for a few days, sedation after and then pick back up the cycle when I start to feel like I’m out of control.
I planned as many outfits and styles that I could in advance. I even put each days challenge on my calendar as to not forget and be prepped for the next day. The only thing I was worried about were the pictures. How was I going to make sure I got a flattering picture every day for 31 days? I not much of a selfie taker and I’m an editor by nature. So yes, I do edit a lot of my photos before posting them anywhere. I don’t use photoshop apps and alter my appearance but I am a fan of filters, auto-correct, crop, saturation, brightness and shadows. In addition to only having the camera on my LG as a photo resource, daily photos became very time consuming after the first week. I didn’t take any pictures of me defeating this challenge. I like the way dressing up and being prepared for the day ahead gave me clarity and focus. It cut out a lot of down time I was wasting in the morning. It helped me navigate my schedule a little easier. I realized that it was still a good idea to continue the challenge even though I wasn’t documenting for all to see. I realized that doing the challenge was for me and only me anyway. I rediscovered old clothing pieces that I hadn’t worn in a while or have been stumped to try and fit into my current everyday wardrobe. I started wearing makeup again. Since being out of the modeling industry I gave up on my every day makeup. I claim the only place I ever go to is work. I need makeup for an event on the weekends I might slave for 30 minutes trying out a random look. While doing the challenge I started dusting off old eye shadows and cleaning my brushes. I went shopping for new things and realized my signature lip color is any shade of orange with a shimmer. I started feeling really cute, sexy and absolutely girly leaving out for work in the morning. Before the challenge I had spent a lot of office hours in jeans, basic t-shirts and hoodies. During the challenge people complimented me on my clothes and “new” makeup choices. A lot of my clothes and shoes collecting actual dust were shaken free and given the chance to shine. I fell off the challenge consistently around day 15. It was a Friday and the plans I had for that style challenge fell through. I still looked at the challenges every day and adjusted to try and still fit everything in the month, even if that meant doubling up on one day. Now it is the following month and I’m happy to say I’ve been fairly successful. And you should know it’s true because since I don’t have the photos to prove it I could easily lie and say I defeated the challenge. Defeat, I did not. But I did ignite some much needed confidence and was able to take inventory on my wardrobe. This challenged gave me the opportunity to make my own inspirations and test my dormant creativity. I was easier than a writing challenge and way more fun than a fitness challenge. I would encourage trying new things with your personal style, consistently, for a week. It is well into June and I haven’t drawn on my eyebrows or done my hair in a twist out. I’ve been taking it easy this month focusing my energy on more important things than my looks. I’m actively looking for the next inspirational jumpstart to keep my mind occupied now. Suggestions are appreciated. I’ve always had a love/hate relationship with sweat pants. I’ve believed no one ever looks good in sweat pants. Seeing people wear them outside of the house used to make me cringe. I thought a man can pull off sweat pants in public and make it look decent very rarely and for women it was an ultimate NO NO NO! Ask any one of my sorority sisters; I would not let them be seen with me unless they were wearing jeans. I hated those crop sweat pants with PINK on the butt. To me sweatpants were an excuse to eliminate all style. It starts with the sweatpants. Then because you’re cozy, you don’t brush your hair. Then you think, “well no need to brush my teeth either.” And then “oh hell, who needs a bra anyway.” And finally, “Shoes? These slippers are just fine.” And folks walk out of the house, like that! But now track pants are a thing and I’m eating my words about sweat pants. The tapered bottoms, interesting prints and patterns and different colors have transformed the traditional cozies and made them wearable in public and even fashionable. Styled the right way, track pants can be the ultimate no effort piece to make any fashionista look like she styles in her sleep, literally. I’m wearing classic gray aka black heather Lucy Leggins by Fila today. This look is extremely comfortable and perfect for causal Friday. And thanks to my awesome employee discount I just received two more pairs today, one in the same color I’m already wearing.
For the past few weeks I have been trying to figure out the porosity of my hair to better maintain my natural hair regimen. I did the water test and the feel test as well but was still very confused about what type of hair I have. My hair is extremely dense with a very tight but defined curl pattern. The hair is so dense and prone to frizz that my tiny little ringlets barely get to show themselves in all their spiral glory.
I'm a cowasher and am obsessed with Tresemme conditioners. Tresemme conditioners have a lot of slick and move through my hair nice. There is so much slick I have slipped in the shower on multiple occasions while washing my hair. I'm constantly dropping the soap. ;-) I must confess though that I am lazy when it comes to my hair regimen. I wash my hair often to avoid styling it. I'm an avid wash and go performer because I forget to tie and moisturize my hair at night. I wake up often looking like Samuel L's character in Django. So this morning while I was washing I started taken notice of how my hair was absorbing. My hair LOVES conditioner. It soaks it right up, dividing itself into individual curls. With conditioner in my hair its easy to detangle with fingers or a wide tooth comb. As soon as the water hits my hair, however, it washes away the conditioner and immediately frizzes. The conditioner hasn't absorbed into my cuticle. My hair doesn't even stay wet under the water stream of the shower. First sign I have low porosity hair. After drenching my hair, squeezing the water in trying to completely soak it I spray it with Aloe Vera juice and try to seal in the juice with a DIY hair and body oil mixture. When I step out of the shower my hair is an afro with beads of water falling all over the bathroom like rain drops. I use a styling conditioner and then follow that up with mousse to try and keep any bit of curl definition in place before blasting it with the diffuser. Second sign of low porosity, my hair NEVER dries completely. Which is another reason I'm not a fan of twist outs because the hair twisted never dries fully so that when the twist is released there is no twist pattern just stretched out frizziness that will eventually air dry right back to afro shape. The last sign of low porosity hair occurs while I'm at work and begin feeling the oil, and styling conditioner rolling down my ears and on the sides and back of my neck. There is oil EVERYWHERE. I'm literally sopping it up with napkins, rubbing it into my legs, hands and elbows for extra moisturizer and feeling like the biggest grease ball in the world. My hair is not absorbing ANY product that has be placed on it. Low porosity hair does not absorb products because the cuticle of the hair is too tight. This is a good and bad thing. Bad because when the cuticle is tight water can't get in but good because once you get the water in, it stays in and hair will shine brighter than a star. Heat is good to help open the cuticle and allow hair to absorb moisture. Since I do not have a dryer or steamer at my desk I am currently working with a Wegman's bag tied strategically around my afro to try and stimulate some heat from my head to open up cuticles and absorb some moisture. The. Struggle. Is. Real. I'm embarassed but I'd rather do this until lunch time than have to sit with a roll of paper towels around my neck sopping up hair oil. Discovering your hair type and best ways to care for your hair is a struggle. I have been natural for a little over 9 years and I still haven't gotten it figured out. I even cut all my hair off 5 years ago because I was so fed up with the process. But I decided to grow it back to better understand it and work with it. A woman's hair is her crown and very important to how she sees herself. My hair is a big part of how I feel about myself everyday. True it is just hair, but it's my hair and that's what makes it special. Girdles are bad. They squeeze, constrict, and restrain. Girdles hold your pussy together. They do. Also known as body shapers, Spanx or foundation in the fashion world, all forms of girdles hold your pussy together. Call this my own version of "My Angry Vagina" from Eve Ensler’s Vagina Monologues, but I believe that the pussy is supposed to be wide and loose and able to spread. It wants to spread naturally. Pussies can’t do that locked up in a girdle. But today I have to go to the mall to buy a girdle. I have to get shape wear for my career and for my comfort. Also, I feel like my adventure to purchasing control top panties are a punishment for fitness lack and cookie bingeing. Working with my agency this summer has gotten me back into my model frame of mind. Even the clothes I’ve been donning have been very minimally elegant. I love it. I’ve become very aware of my appearance, giving into a makeup routine in the morning. I’ve even been wearing my hair straight in an effort to motivate my daily appearance. If I have to calm my frizzy mane, then I’m more apt to putting on mascara and remembering deodorant. But in the midst of all this appearance maintenance, OT at work and traveling to my agency, my diet and exercise has dipped, as it often does. The main culprit is cookies and cereal. At this point I know my body very well and I know that too much sugar and too many refined carbs in combination with a sedative lifestyle will bloat me. My belly fat will protrude beyond a desirable flat state. Pencil skirts and high waist pants that otherwise flatter my svelte waist line become uncomfortable to move in. Skinny jeans are a nightmare. I hold the history of my last few weeks in my middle, and carry the burden around. There was a time that belly bloat would cause severe anxiety. I would stop eating for a day or two, binge on laxatives and live in the bathroom. I would burn 3500 calories in a week doing nothing but cardio, sweating away any reminisce of a hairstyle. During these times of intense purging I don’t bother with anything more than a high afro pony tail. Currently, maybe because it’s the summer time, or maybe I’m starting to enter a more progressive less stressful state of mind, but the only way I wish to feel different about my belly bloat is to buy a girdle. But I think girdles are bad. I do. Why would I spend my money on a product that is basically a tool to manipulate a woman’s body into a fabricated ideal of beauty in order to be accepted by a patriarchal society? Because I don’t want a belly bulge in my pencil skirt, my BCBG black romper, my Cynthia Rowley high waist red sailor shorts, or my tight black capris that hug my hips and gives me the silhouette of a 40s pin-up. My belly may not be a perfectly flat, ripped abs board, but I have a plump ass and curvaceous hips that complement my slim waist. I’ve harmed myself by focusing on one part of my body that I don’t like. I’ve come to the realization that there is not much I can do about it under my certain circumstances. Sure I could cut out all carbs, weight train 5 days a week and have colon hydrotherapy every 3 days, but I don’t feel like it, right now. I can’t afford to right now. What I can afford is a girdle, control top shape wear, to get my mind off of it while I bounce my hips from side to side in my pencil skirt. So maybe girdles aren’t that bad. I’m finding out as I’m approaching my 30s, that foundation underwear is essential and ultimately portray a more lady like and put together visual appearance. I’ve never met a plus size model who didn’t have artillery of foundation and bras for every type of clothing. I still believe in allowing your pussy to breathe and spread, but she doesn’t have to be wide open all day. That’s how fungus is grown. Just a classic case of whatever makes you happy and not sucking in will really make my day. My blog has a name! Thank you so much for the votes. That was a lot of fun! The race was close but in the end Progressive Perfection was the favorite. I'm glad because it was my favorite too.
Perfection is impossible. It's a state of being that we stress about daily. "Everything has to be perfect." "I just want to be perfect." Well if there was such a thing as perfect then why would we need erasers, backspace, or undo feature? If you read the bible you are aware that nothing is perfect except God. In fact most of the world's beauty lies in the imperfections. When you think about who you are and the fact that God is perfect then you realize that how you are is no mistake. We don't have to strive to be perfect but we can continue to actively work on reaching the perfection horizon. We will never be perfect but as long as we are working towards being the best ME we can be then the progress will speak for itself. What should we call me? Help me narrow down a name for this blog.It will be fun. And give me a chance to use the cool polling feature on this site. I've narrowed down a few of the names I've brainstormed. Although I do have a favorite, I'm stuck on which will appropriately fit the needs of this blog. My original Autobiographical play is titled Model Perfection, so I wanted to keep the name similar as a clear and easy reference. Thanks for your help. What you wore todayI've been wearing green all week in honor of my Irish Paddy's and in hopes that my viridian hues will summon some Spring time weather. To compliment today's green sweater I paired navy pants with my favorite flats: leopard Maressa by Ralph Lauren. I purchased my flats through Piperlime.com in October and got them for a great price. Now, at under $50, these flats are a steal! These leopard flats go perfect with rich earth tones in the Fall. My favorite way to wear them is with a pencil skirt and a solid bright colored sweater. I've started scouting some Spring time style ideas for my flats. The weather is picking up slightly now and it's not too cold to reveal a little skin. For the Summer to look polished yet simple. It's Veteran's Day and although some people are rocking PJs at home I woke up and came to work today. A pretty boring day because it's a no mail holiday and I work in a mail room but oh well. I decided to share my OOTD. I love floral that works all year round. And nothing makes me feel better about going to work on a gloomy morning than bright yellow. I'm my own sunshine. Although, after 11am the sun came out and the weather was a nice 65 degrees in the Cockeysville area. Jacket, Tinley Road, piperlime.com. V-neck Shirt, Target. Floral Pencil Skirt, Goodwill. Opaque Tights, Unknown. Black Booties, Bowfish, piperlime.com |