Woah! Where has summer gone?

Hola!


Yesterday I posted a link to my blog yesterday and I had an amazing 100 views in one day! I am soo excited. Thanks to everyone who has been reading. I have been thinking to myself and this summer has definitely flown by. There are sooo many things that I've been wanting to do, but it seems like I have stayed super busy. This summer I took at class at a local college to stay ahead, volunteered with two different organizations for my major, and worked. I am EXHAUSTED...but I know that it is going to pay off several years down the road.  It's almost the Fourth of July & as my one of my besties always says, "Once July comes the summer will flyyyyyyy by." Anywhoo, since I'm great at making lists, I came up with several things that I wanna do before the summer is completely over.


1. See Bad Teacher: Even though I've been completely busy this summer, I've managed to see a lot of good movies this summer. I saw 'Jumping the Broom', which was absolutely hilarious. I wouldn't mind seeing that again. Then I saw 'Fast Five' which was AMAZING because they brought back all of the main characters again. & now this movie seems hilarious.
2. Find some new music! I feel like I always listen to the same artists over & over again. I need some versatility in my life. 
3. See my friends! Lol This really shouldn't be on the list. However, I've been so super busy that I haven't had time to visit soo many of my friends. 
4. Hit the gym...in particular go to ZUMBA. I <3 Zumba. For my senior project (wayy back when in hs (: ) I choreographed my own routines & taught a Zumba class for a class of about 50 people. it was soo much fun. I used to go to Zumba up to three times a week, but it seems like I just don't have time for it anymore. 
5. Read another book. I started off this summer good, but when school & work & everything else kicked in I lost time for reading. Ugh


Okay this list/post is now stopping because the more I write, the more I feel like I don't have a life. 


xoxo


Jackie (:

Music! Yay!

Hey y'all!


I haven't made a music blog in a quite a while. As a matter of fact, I have blogged in quite a while. However, I'm really in the blogging mood so here is my second post of the day & this time it's all about music. I feel extra special too because I figured out how to insert youtube videos into my posts...no more clicking links! Yay! Anywho, I usually have a theme to my music posts, but today's post is going to be completely random. Here are some songs that have been on my mind, stuck in my head, my current faves, or just songs that I feel like posting. haha. But I hope y'all enjoy!




I'll Be Waiting- Adele

On my last music post I talked about how much I love Adele's new album, 21. Well a month later, I'm still enjoying it! I was hoping to see Adele in concert this month, but unfortunately she cancelled several of her American stops due to laryngitis. Wahhh! Feel better, Adele. So Adele "I'll be waiting" for your next trip to the US. Lol!

Man Down-Rihanna
I have been patiently waiting forever for this video to come out. Man Down is probably the best song that Rihanna has made to date. I love the fact that she doesn't hid her accent. So I had to post the video on here!


How to Love-Lil Wayne
Ummm...ill. Why am I posting a song by Lil' Wayne? I honestly don't know. This goes against everything I stand for. For those of you who don't know what on earth I'm talking about, I absolutely hate Lil' Wayne. HE SUCKS! He can't sing, he can't rap, he recycles his lyrics, he makes a horrid attempt at playing godawful chords on the guitar and he got two girls pregnant at the same time...gross! I mean do I have a point here? I think so. But anyway, something about the lyrics to the song just make my heart melt. For once (and I'm sure that this will probably be a one time only thing), Lil' Wayne has made a heartfelt, somewhat meaningful song. & I really enjoy. That is all.


Taboo- Don Omar

I don't really have too much to say about this song except for the fact that I love it. It makes me wanna hop on a plane and head straight to Rio de Janeiro to dance the Samba. You might recognize the hook which sounds similar to Jennifer Lopez's On the Floor. Both songs sample from Lambada by French pop group Kaoma ft. Brazilian songstress Loalwa Braz. 


I'm On One-DJ Khaled ft. Drake, Rick Ross and Lil' Wayne
This is my absolute favorite song right now. I think I've stressed enough that I'm in love with Drake and one day we are going to get married ;) So of couse, I'm going to love any song by him. I'm sure this song probably could have been better without Lil' Wayne and for that matter without Rick Ross snorting like some sort of farm animal. LOL! But I hope y'all like this song as much as me :)


Let's Kill Tonight- Panic! at the Disco
As far as I'm concerned, PATD has made their their second comeback with their third album, Vices & Virtues. I absolutely loved their debut album, A Fever You Can't Sweat Out. But I was really upset after Pretty. Odd. failed to live up to PATD's potential. However, Vices & Virtues is pretty amazing & Let's Kill Tonight is my favorite song off the album.


That's all for now. Keep singing everyone! 


xoxo
Jackie

Natural Hair Update

Hey yall!!

I even rocked natural hair on
Easter :)

Okay so please forgive because it's been a good three months since I've last blogged. I got really carried away with classes & studying but I'm hoping that it will all pay off in two weeks (after finals), so my non-blogging won't be in vain. Anywho, here's the blog that I promised yall way back when!I have some amazing news about my natural hair journey. I went the entire month of March without flat ironing my hair!! I can't believe it. Now I'm in my second phase of complete naturalness and I'm going to try to last throughout the entire summer. Here goes nothing!! Haha. The last time I straightened my hair was the week before Easter. I washed out my heated hair that Monday & I've been natural ever since. I even rocked the natural look for Easter ;) Before you read this post, you should probably check out my original natural hair post for some beginner tips.So I've learned a lot along the way (but I've still got lots to learn) and here are some updated tips on how to care for your natural hair:

A Wash-n-Go Hairstyle (:

Dang Detangling: I still don't feel like I've mastered this. Ugh. However, here is my current cycle. i wash my hair once a week, usually every Friday morning (because it's the summer ;) )When I wet my hair for the first time after having straight hair, I wash my hair with a sulfate free shampoo. Then I condition it & rinse it out. Next I condition again,but this time I leave the conditioner in and add detangler. While I'm still in the shower, I put my hair under the stream of water and comb through my hair. This makes it a lot easier to comb through my hair. However, remember that although it is a lot easier to detangle wet hair, your natural curls are still fragile & can easily become damaged under water. After my hair has been natural for a while, I only use conditioner to wash my hair. Shampoo has some of the same ingredients as dish washing detergent (shocking right?), so there is no need to use it on fragile, naturally curly (and dryer, less greasy) hair. I would only advise using shampoo when you have used a lot of greasier products. However, if you insist on using shampoo in your hair, try to find a sulfate free shampoo. Finally, I detangle my hair using suave detangler for kids (yeah I know...immature right?) and motions leave in conditioner. The leave in conditioner makes it soft and manageable while the detangler makes it easier to comb through.

Products!?!
When it comes to finding the right products for your hair, the most that I can say is "to each her own." However, there are a couple of things to keep in mind before you begin your quest for the right products. There are five good products that you are going to want:
1. A detangler (pretty self explanatory)
2. A good conditioner (to properly clean your hair with)
3. A good leave in conditioner (for added moisture. I use motions cpr triple action leave in conditioner)
4. Something that you want to seal your hair with (to protect your ends from splitting up to the roots. I use unrefined shea butter)
5. A good gel (for when you wanna throw your hair up into a bun. I use eco-styler gel.
There are plenty of natural hair care websites which lists a great deal of information on finding products. I would suggest using curlmart.com (part of the naturallycurly.com website). They have a ton of AMAZING natural hair products and great reviews. This will help you to find the best products. In addition, target.com has a wonderful selection of what they call "multicultural hair products" with great reviews. Once you have read a couple of reviews on a product which you are interested in buying, I would suggest getting onto youtube and typing in "product name review on type __ hair". Ex: "Miss Jessie's Curly Pudding review on type 3c/4a hair". This way you can actually watch someone use it on their hair & have an idea of how the product may turn out on your hair.

What to do with dry hair?

As a natural, you're probably going to find that your hair dries out quickly. What you need to do is first apply a product with water as its first ingredient while your hair is still damp. I use motions triple action leave in conditioner. A lot of people also use Africa's Best Olive Oil Leave in Conditioner. After I apply my leave in, I top my hair with shea butter. This seals in moisture. At night I also like to seal my ends with shea butter. I'm still having a problem finding the right products to make my hair soft. I was looking into some products and i really like the kinky-curly hair care line method. I think I'm am going to try it. You might be interested in reading about it too. Click here!

I had an amazing twist out!  haha

Braid out/Twist outs are the bomb: I've found that when I wear my hair loose, it tends to get really knotty really quickly. However, no fear, twists outs are here.
Here's a quick how to.
But in my own words:
1. Do whatever you do to detangle your hair.
2. Plat it out into four to six sections.
3. Braid or twist each section.
4. Wrap hair and sleep overnight & BAM! Sexy, stress free hair.
Sometimes I braid my curly hair into sections for a big-curly-hair look (like in the picture above with the purple shirt). However in <--- this picture, I combed out my curls first and then braided them. Experiment and see what works best for you.

What to do with your hair overnight:


At night: There are several things that I tend to do to my hair overnight. If I want to preserve my curls I pull my hair into a loose ponytail directly on the top of my hair. This hairstyle, called the pineapple, preserves your curls while you roll around in your sleep.
Here's a great how to.

In the Morning:
Take your hair out the ponytail & shake shake shake your hair out. If the shaking method doesn't work, some girls like to add water to their hair (via spraying). However, this causes your hair to shrink up and often knot up. Instead hop into the shower, wash your body, but don't "wet" your hair by putting your head under the stream. Instead the steam from the warm water will loosen up your curls perfectly.

Miscellaneous stuff:
There are sooo many amazing natural hair blogs/videos out there. What I would suggest is to type in your hair type into the search bar (ex: 3c/4a natural hair care) and go from there. If you don't know what I mean by "your hair type" please refer to my beginner's post. However, here is a list of some of my natural hair faves:

1. The best natural hair playlist ever. This natural hair list has a whole bunch of natural hair tip videos. But remember, this is for my hair texture (3c/4a). Refer to my previous hair care blog for a link to a site that has a curly hair type information page. Find out what the name is for your hair type & try to find similar videos! But this is a good place to start.
2. How to elongate your curls: Use the blow dryer to "stretch out your roots."
Here's another great how to.
3. These are some great/informative hair styling videos:
Twist Rod Set (Part Three)
Defining Your Curls
How to pull your hair up into a puff
Q & A about Moisture
Bantu Knots!!

Welp that's all that I can think of today! I really hope you enjoy this post and that these tips are helpful to you!

xoxo,

Jackie ;)

Hey yall!

Mkay, so I am completely at a loss for what I should blog about today. I've been thinking about it all week but I seriously can't come up with anything. I thought about maybe doing another natural hair blog but I wanted to do something different. Welp, my brother graduates from high school tomorrow. I can't believe it. My little babe is all grown up :( My Abuelo & family members will be heading into town tomorrow, so that should be exciting. Also I'm trying to find some good books to read, but I seriously have no idea where to stop. I'd prefer to read something that's already reached the library, since I'm on the broke college girl's money diet. Haha.

Here's a list of some of the books that I have read:
1. The Lovely Bones
2. The Ditch Diggers Daughters
3. Their Eyes Were Watching God.

That I wanna read:
1. The Great Gatsby (taking it back to the high school days)
2. The Memory Keeper's Daughter
3. Miral
4. Three Cups of Tea (Although I'm not so sure anymore because of the whole controversy thing).

But anyway, I really need some ideas. If you're reading this (even if you're a first time reader), please...PLEASE send me some suggestions for reading. My list is rather dull. I'd appreciate it a lot! Also, if you have any suggestions for what I should blog about that should be great!

Love, love, love

Jackie

New music post Yay!!

"Without music life would be a mistake."

~Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche

Okay so I'm really on a blogging high tonight & since I haven't blogged in a while, I'm making up for missed time. Plus, I'm supa dupa excited because so many of my favorite artists have/are going to release albums this year. Yay! Don't forgot to click on the name of the song. It will take you to a youtube video of the song so that you can listen to it. Okay so onto the music...

Mala- Jadiel: So usually my spanish song is a reggaeton song, but I wanted to do something different from the norm. This song is more a pop/reggaetonish song. Either way it's amazing & makes ya wanna bust a move. Lol! It was also one of my "take a break from
final studying" songs.


He Won't Go- Adele: In my last blog I talked about how I'm currently on an Adele high. Well she is Uh-may-zang to say the least. This is currently one of my faves from her new album, 21. I wish that I could have half the voice that she has. I love Adele!

Adolescents- Incubus: I also talked about Incubus in my last blog. I really liked their last newest single, 'Black Heart Inertia.' But after Brandon Boyd came out with his solo album, 'The Wild Trapeze,' I had a feeling that Incubus was no longer in existence. Welp, I thought wrong. This song has the stereotypical 'new age' Incubus sound to it & I love it. I hope that you'll enjoy it as much as I do.

Memories- Big Sean: After seeing Big Sean in concert, I downloaded a butt load of his songs onto my I-pod and I must admit that this is my absolute fave. You know that real emotion was put into a song when your stomach curls as you listen to it or when you're suddenly filled with some emotion. This song makes me feel somewhat sad, but a good sad nonetheless. Listen to it & you'll hear why I say this.

Joan of Arc- Ryan Leslie. He's back with a new cd coming out soon!! Yay! This is the only song that has been formally introduce onto itunes (I believe) and I love it. I am so excited for this cd! And like I've stressed before in previous blogs, his first two albums, "Ryan Leslie" & "Transition" are the ishhh. They are a must bye!

Liquor Store Blues- Bruno Mars ft. Damian Marley: Y'all....y'all...when I say I love this song...I mean I LOVE THIS SONG! Omg this song is amazing. It has that reggae vibe that I love & it has Damian Marley! Btw, Bruno Mars' entire cd is pretty good. I suggest that you take a listen!

The Kids Don't Stand a Chance- B.O.B. ft. Janelle Monae. Okay so after I went to the B.O.B. concert & became a true fan, lol, I found this song. Actually I found this song through my roomate. Haha. I'm a liar!!! Regardless of how I found it, it's a great remake with a great message. Janelle Monae has an amazing voice as well and I'd encourage all of you to listen to her music.

Corazon Sin Cara- Prince Royce: Alrighty! Last song of the post. This song is a Dominican style of music called Bachata. Along with it goes a very sensual, but easy to do dance. You should look it up. Anywhoo, this song is truly a great song. I would strongly encourage that you listen to the lyrics. This song in particular has changed my opinion of Bachata music. Before Prince Royce, one of the leading Bachata bands as Aventura. I don't really care for them b/c they sound like little girls crying their hearts out in every song. Lol! However, Prince Royce's songs are romance songs that are super sweet.Oh and the fact that he's cute just makes me love him even more. I wish that someone could write me a song as great as this one. I would suggest that you look up an English translation of this song.

summa summa summa timee yay!! :)

Alright I'm really sorry. I admit that I'm probably the suckiest blogger of all time! I haven't blogged in about 3 months but I promise it's all for good reasons. For my second semester I ended up with 3 As, an A- & a B. Woot woot :) Gahh I'm trying to think of what I need to write to fill y'all in. I'm pretty good at making lists so here goes nothing:

1. My dorm for next year= WIN! So I was a little upset at first because we my roomate (& two other friends who were supposed to be roomates) ended up not getting into the dorm that we had originally intended to be in. However, we ended up getting into the dorm that almost all of our friends are going to be in. Plus it looks like a freaking hotel room. YES! :)

2. They murdered Osama Bin Laden? What? I really can't believe that that happened. But I'm also worried. What could possibly happen later on? I'm going to leave it up to God & pray.

3. Dude, why wasn't this # 1? I'm done with freshman year!!!! Ahhh! I can't believe how fast this year flew by. It seems like yesterday we were packing my things to come to school. My roomie & I had to repack things gradually and ultimately it was more hectic unpacking that packing. It was soo sad to say goodbye to all my hallmates :( We were all super close & next year we'll all be going to different places. Sara, Peep Courtney & Katie to their sorority houses, Patrice, Karlea & Suzanne (my roomate from this year) to apartments & Rachel & I to other dorms on campus. I'm just hoping that we'll have reunions here and there, but we'll see what happens. My RA & I said a sad goodbye to each other on the last day of packing :( But ultimately I must say that I had a great freshman year & I'm looking forward to another great year next year :)

4. I went natural for an entire month. Natural...as in no heat whatsoever for almost 5 weeks ;) Currently I'm in my second trial run of no heat. I'm trying to make it through the entire summer but we'll see how it goes! I will definitely provide updates soon & I plan on dedicating an entire future post to natural hair. Please stay on the look out.

5. I'm currently on an Adele high right now. Gosh all of her music is AMAZING. At first, I didn't really like 21 (I was a huuuugeee 19 fan). However, I must admit that it's warming up to me. ahhhh she is amazing. & she is going to be in concert at a place near me very soon...hopefully another concert is on the way.

6. Speaking of concerts, I saw both Big Sean & B.O.B. live in concert this semester. I really loved B.O.B. I didn't know a lot of songs by him, so I wasn't sure what to expect. I found out that he is such a talented artists. He raps, sings & plays the guitar. & oh lawd, speaking of guitars...his guitarist (the one with the dreads) was fiiiiooooonnneeee. Oooh-wee..that man could play the guitar to me all day long. Ahahahaha. But overall I was really impressed with him. Big Sean was great too! & I touched his shoulder! woot woot.

7. Incubus has a new cd coming out. *Screaming* Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!! Hopefully Incubus concert #2 in the making :)

8. If there is anything that I learned in college, it's not to be afraid to try something new. I know that this sounds completely cliche...really cliche. But I'm serious..the best way to have a great time in college is to let go of your past ways & try something new. Expose yourself to something so different than anything you've ever done. Step out of your comfort zone. You'll find that there is a whole new part of you that you didn't know existed. Stepping out of my comfort zone came when wearing my hair completely natural. People loved it! But ultimately it's not about what others think. It's about what you want & what's best for you. And when you can accept that & find confidence in who you are, you'll find that others will have a greater respect for you as well. With confidence you can convince anyone of anything :)


Welp, that's all folks!!

love love love

Jackie :)

Natural Hair for Beginners

Hey Yall! My last post about natural hair got a lot of hits so I decided to post a new one. I've literally been natural all of my life, with the exception of two painful years, but for the majority of my life I've worn my hair with some form of heat in it. My curls are so curly that they begin to curl one on top of the other and intertwine, thus forming dreads after only a week. Basically, I didn't know what to do with my hair. But in my spare time, I've been browsing through multiple natural hair websites & I've comprised a list of tips that I've wished I'd had when I started going natural:

Tip # 1: Know your hair type. This probably sounds stupid. It's the hair that you were born with. Of course, you know your hair. It's long thin loose curls. Or maybe it's thick tight & kinky. That's all well & good, yet trust me I've tried to type "hair tutorials for mixed race curly hair"......and nothing came up. Lol! Use a website like the following for the curly hair classification system. After you've figured out your hair type using this website, verify that it is YOUR hair type by typing the hair type name into the search bar of youtube. Videos will pop up with numerous people with your hair type. I have type 3c/4a hair.

Tip #2: Learn the Terminology. What is a big chop? A co-wash? Figuring out natural hair terminology is crucial to figuring out how to care for your natural hair. Use this dictionary to figure out every term that you need.

Tip # 3: Know What Ingredients Make for Healthy Hair. Many girls who go natural continue to use the same hair products which they used before their transition to natural hair. This is not good! Actually, many of the hair products which you used before your transition to natural hair, may actually have ingrediants which remove mositure from your hair. With natural hair, you need moisture!! This website offers the best Q & A session that I've ever read. Very informing.

Tip #4: Explore the Wonderful Worldwide Web. There are numerous websites out there to help you in your journey to natural hair. My absolute favorite is curlynikki.com. She has great hair tips, tutorial, survival stories (haha) and ideas. She even has numerous guest bloggers that help to make the website awesome. Use Youtube! There are so many awesome hair tutorials on the web. Like I said ^^^, type in your hair type and work from there.

Tip #5: Find a good detangling method. This is probably going to be my worst tip, because it continues to be my biggest struggle. But hang in there ladies (and gents haha), like me, you'll be able to persevere. Youtube, youtube, search search search...that's all that I can really say. Yet this post is a good way to start.

For the time being, I'm still using heat...a little contradictory after I gave all of these tips, right? Wrong! haha. For now I'm studying as many natural hair methods as possible. Pesonally, I don't think that the winter time is a good time for me to try to keep my hair all natural. I've worn it natural for several days, but it dries out really easily since there is very little humidity in the air. I am constantly having to wet it. So as soon as the spring comes and it begins to get more humid I will take another stab at natural hair. Hopefully when that time comes around, I will have all the right products and knowledge to take care of my hair. I don't want to go completely natural (as in using no heat) for the rest of my life. But once the summer comes, because it is so humid and pressed hair instantly frizzes, I plan to not add heat to my hair whatsoever. Also, I want to make sure that I am properly educated on how to care for my hair and not damage it. But to all of you girls who are teaching yourselves in the winter, I salute you!

Good Luck!!