My Natural Hair-Care Routine (Part 1)

Being natural is literally a part-time job. On wash days I can't plan to go anywhere else on that day. Reason: it is an ALL DAY process to cleanse, condition, and style my hair. If you are a natural looking for a hair care routine, than this is the post for you.
***DISCLAIMER***
This routine is not going to work for everyone if you do everything exactly how I do it! This is just a guideline, so make changes according to what works best for you.
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1. Personally, I don't detangle my hair before I wash it because it causes a lot of breakage.
I find that detangling before I wash breaks off a lot of my hair. However, a lot of naturals say that detangling before the wash prevents breakage. Like I said, I had to make changes according to what is best for my hair.
Detangling before a wash will probably work best for naturals with 3a-3c textured hair, since their curl pattern is loosed. But my hair is 4a in around the perimeter of my head and 4b in the middle, which means that it has one of the tightest curl patterns. Since my curl pattern is so tight, it is also weaker, causing it to break tremendously if I detangle it while its dry.
With that being said, you may choose to wet your hair and then detangle if your curl patter is tighter. It all depends on what works best for you.

2. My first shampoo is usually one to rid my hair of product and dirt build up ON my hair.

I hear most naturals say that wash your hair (as opposed to just your scalp) is damaging and drying. My hair doesn't do well if I don't take the time to cleanse it of product build up. I use the Doo Gro Moisturizing Shampoo for my first wash.
It is key that if you do shampoo your hair, that you use a moisturizing shampoo so that your hair won't be dry afterwards.
My scalp doesn't get touched in the first wash because that is what the second wash is for.

3. During the second wash, I try to only wash my scalp and get all the dandruff buildup out.
This is the most important wash because it cleanses your scalp and your pores, allowing your blood to circulate and your hair to grow. I use the Nizoral Anti-Dandruff Shampoo for this step. This product is basically the off brand version of a medicated shampoo like celsium blue. This product works great for me.
During this wash, I scratch (yes, scratch) my scalp to get up all the dandruff. Then I let the shampoo sit on my head for a minute or two before I rinse.

4. Repeat the first wash.
For the third wash, I just do the same thing that I did for the first wash, but I don't use as much shampoo and I only do it for about 30 seconds.

5. After every wash, I finger detangle while rinsing.
This step is pretty much self-explanatory. As I rinse, I comb through my hair with my fingers. This saves a lot of time when applying conditioner.

6. Yes I dry my hair with a towel.

A lot of naturals say that it's bad to dry your hair with a towel, but it doesn't cause any breakage in my hair, whatsoever. I don't rub my hair to get it dry because that is when it will begin to cause breakage. I usually just wrap the towel around my hair and let it sit there to soak all the extra water out. Besides, when I style I usually end up spraying water on my hair anyway.

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This is just the wash portion of my hair-care regimen. This part usually takes me about 30 minutes. The next post will be the conditioning portion. Like I said, adjust these steps to what works best for you, because everyone's hair is different!

Peace and Love,

~Genesis J.

6 Tips for Getting and Staying Organized

Getting and Staying organized is one of the hardest things to do in life. I'm here to give you some tips on cleaning up, keeping track of things, and staying neat and tidy.

1. Go through everything in your room (including the closet), and decide what to keep and what not to keep.
This is the first thing that I did when I was purging my room. I started with my closet. I took EVERYTHING out and decided what was and wasn't trash. The clothes I didn't keep, I gave to Plato's Closet and the Goodwill. This gave me so much more room for my other clothes, purses, shoes, and art supplies. The next thing I did was go through all the papers and miscellaneous items in my room and made two separate piles: one for trash and the other for keeps. I didn't give these items to Goodwill or anything, I just through them in the trash. After doing all this, I was surprised at how much more airy and clean my room felt and looked. I felt like I could breathe more. This process alone made my room look much cleaner.

2. Give every item a certain place.
This step is key to having an organized room. If nothing has a certain place, things are bound to wander around and end up in places where you can't find them, or you will forget where you last put them. This leads me into the next tip.

3. Get in the habit of putting everything back where it belongs.
If you don't do this, your room will become just as junky as it first was the very next day. Like I said, things will end up in places where you can't find them or where they're not supposed to be, which makes life that much harder for you. By putting everything back where it goes when you're done using it, you are keeping your room organized and saving yourself from the trouble of trying to find something later.

4. Make/Buy a calendar.
Without a calendar, I don't know what I would do. My short term memory is terrible, so I tend to forget things A LOT. With a calendar, I can write down long term school assignments that are due, times and places for my basketball games, and important dates/events that I may have to remember. I made my calendar because I like arts and crafts.but you can opt to buy one if you don't have the time. Whichever way you chose, a calendar will definitely be helpful.

5. Use the notepad apps on your phone/tablet.
Personally, I don't use these apps a lot. The only thing I may use them for is for lists or something like that. Even in this way, it is still helpful. But some people use it to type in passwords so that they won't forget them, or maybe you can use it to jot down homework assignments or ideas for work or a project. The notepad apps are very helpful in many didn't ways depending on the individual.

6. Don't get lazy!
I know that saying these things is a totally different thing from actually doing them. Sometimes I have this moments when I'm like "Oh I'll put it up later". NO! Do it now!  If you procrastinate, then your room will end up staying messy and cluttered. I'm really bad at this when it comes to folding clothes (I hate folding clothes with a passion),but I know that it eventually had to get done. The thing you hate doing the most, always do it first so thar you can get it over with. Procrastination is the enemy!

I hope these tips were helpful! If you use them when organizing your room or any other room in the house, you will definitely have a clutter-free home. And besides, being in a clean, neat environment is just better on your mind and your soul. Not only does purging and organizing declutter your room, but it also declutters your brain. Thanks for reading, and I hope you find these tools useful!

Peace and Love,
~Genesis J.

A Go-to Outfit for Running Errands

This is one of my go-to outfits for running errands or it could be for a comfortable day to the movies or shopping. I actually  wore this outfit today and the sweater and jeggings and boots were really comfortable together. I love this outfit so much!

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The first thing that I have in this outfit is my oversized sweater that was originally my dad's. He got it from Goody's and it is in a size XXL. It was too big for him so I figured I would wear it. It fit exactly how I wanted it to and it was super comfortable. I had to roll the sleeves up a bit. I could actually wear this sweater with a pair of patterned leggings to give it a little pizzazz!

The next thing that I have are my dark blue jeggings. I've had these for a while, and I wear them like all the time because they are super comfortable. They literally go with anything and I got them for a good price at one of my local beauty supply stores. So you probably have a pair of these near you somewhere.

The next thing that I have is a Houndstooth print scarf. I'm an Alabama fan (Roll Tide), so you know that I had to rep my team after what happened yesterday (you know what I'm talking about). I also really like this scarf because it's really thick and it keeps me warm. I could also wear this as a head scarf if I wanted. I think I got this from Versona.

Onto my accessories.

I love wearing my glasses with a bold lip color, so I chose the Maybelline On Fire Red because it goes perfectly with my sweater! I painted my nails red and added a Matte Top Coat by OPI to add another red accent to my look (I was really feeling red today). I wore silver earrings to pull the whole look together. Silver goes with anything, right?

The last thing that I have here is a basic tan color over-the-shoulder purse that I can literally wear with almost anything. Since I was running errands, I decided not to wear a huge tote. When I wear totes I tend to fill them up with just about everything I have. Literally I'll put a magazine, tissue and wipes, a huge bottle of lotion and perfume, and my tablet. That would have been way to much to carry just for a few errands, so this bag was perfect because I only needed a few things.

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Like I said, I love this outfit because it is so comfortable and I could basically sleep in it if I wanted to. I hope you guys liked this outfit, and maybe you'll decide to try it out for yourself. Thanks for taking the time to read this, and I'll talk to you guys soon!

Peace and Love,

~Genesis J.

DECEMBER favs

These are just a few of my favorite things that I got in December. I'm an extreme bargain shopper, so most of what I got was either on sale or really cheap. I'll talk about from left to right, top to bottom, according to the picture.

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The first thing that I got is a red sweater from Goody's. It was originally my dad's sweater, but it was too big for him. I figured that I could wear it as an oversized sweater, since it is an XXL in men's. I absolutely LOVE huge sweaters because they are really comfortable and they keep me warm during the fall and winter months. And I have also been needing a red sweater, and I finally got one!

The Second thing that I got is the matte top coat by OPI. I had been trying to figure out how people got their nails to have a matte finish, but I couldn't! One day I was in Sally Beauty Supply, and I came across this matte top coat. You have no idea how excited I got (everyone in the store was looking at me like I was crazy). Now, I use it almost all the time. This is probably the only expensive item, which cost me about $10 for one bottle.

The third thing (or should I say things) I got was a set of 3 hoop earrings from Claire's. I always go to Claire's to get my earrings because they always have really good deals on sets. The sale for that day was that everything an original $6.50 and up was marked down to $5, and everything and original $6 was marked down to $3. These were originally $10.50 and I got them for $5. I say that that's a pretty good deal. I love these because they are simple but they come in three different variations.

The fourth thing I got was a pair of boots by Makalu. I don't know how much these cost because they were a Christmas present. I actually got another pair with these, but I decided to show my favorite, which is this Chestnut pair. These are soooooo comfortable and they keep my feet extremely warm. And they go with just about anything.

The fifth thing that I got was a Samsung Galaxy Tab 4. I know it's not the newest version that samsung has, but I like because it syncs with my phone (I have the Note 4). It's also really nice for watching Netflix and YouTube, and editing pictures for Instagram and for my blog.

The last thing that I want to show you guys is my glasses that I got from Claire's. I spent $9.50 on these, which is a little on the expensive side, but I had really been wanting some glasses like this. I really like these glasses because they're great for the preppy/nerdy look that I love.

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These were just a few of my favorite things from December that will give me a great start to the new year! Thanks for taking the time to read, and don't forget to SUBSCRIBE!

Peace and Love
~Genesis J.

My Favorite MAC Lipstick Dupes || NYX, Black Radiance , & Maybelline

When I started wearing makeup, I thought that I had to wear the highest quality makeup out there (which also turned out to be the most expensive kind, too). However, I quickly realized that I wouldn't be able to afford any of the stuff. So I began looking for good alternatives to the name brand makeup.
*NOTE*: I can't remember the exact prices for the lipstick, but I will do my best to get as close of an estimate as possible.
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One good alternative for the MAC Something New is a lipstick called Hibiscus by Black Radiance. I absolutely love this color because it's kind of like a mixture between red and pink. It is a very bright color, which is great for the spring and summer seasons. I think that I payed about $2.50 for Hibiscus at CVS, versus the $16 that you would pay for the MAC Chili.

Another lipstick by Black Radiance called Purple Passion is a good dupe for MAC Madly Magenta. This color is like a bright pink/fuchsia color, which is also great for spring and summer. I payed the same price for Purple Passion as I did for Hibiscus, which, like I said, is way better than $16.

Now onto my fall and winter colors. A great dupe for the MAC Ruby Woo is the Maybelline On Fire Red. The only difference between the two is the MAC's has a matter finish and Maybelline's has a more glossy finish. I think I paid about $7.00 for the On Fire Red. Some people might still consider this to be a lot for lipstick (me being one of them but I was splurging that day), but it is very high quality lipstick, and it is very long wear.

The last dupe that I have is a matte lip cream called Transylvania by NYX. This is a great alternative to MAC's Living Legend. Because this lip cream has a matter finish, I don't even think that anyone will be able to tell that your wearing a dupe. I paid about $5-$6 dollars for NYX's Transylvania. The only con that I experienced with this product is that I usually have to use a lot of it to get the look that I want, but it all depends on the individual and what your desired look is.
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I hope that you find this helpful because I know that not everyone can afford the name brand makeups. These are really good dupes for me, but if you find an alternative that you think is better, feel free to recommend it to me and I would love to try it out! I am always open to new or better ideas! Thanks for taking the time to read all this, and I'll talk to you guys later!

Peace and Love,
~Genesis J.