Boxing Kitten Fashion

Great looks from BoxingKitten. Click on the following links to see their different collections: Summer 2011, Fall 2011, Resort 2010 , Fall 2009 & Spring 2009.  Source: Boxing Kitten & Fashion Bomb Daily

Link of the Day! To die for Loc's

I apologize in advance for this slightly PG-13 image... lol.  But her hair is to die for!! I had to share. 

Source: Common Thought

Fashion Illustrationer - Lula

There is a great fashion blog called LULA.  I have always been a fan of fashion, sketching, illustration and basically all forms of art.  So this blog really caught my eye.

 

"Lula is sketched, scanned and digitally restyled. This Blog features her work titled "The Subject I know Best" consisting of a series of pictures that she describe as "Self Portraits". In her words: it's a "celebration of paper, glue, bindings, pages capturing images you can't forget". To describe herself she quotes her friend Jessica saying : "I'm not bad.I'm just drawn this way"." - Lula

Images & Content Source:  LULA 
Artist link found on: Natural Bella

Link of the Day! Chris Hines

See Chris's interview in The Main Source.

Fun Updo!

I am loving my loc updo right now. It is a fun look that is great for the office or for a formal event.

Get this look!   To create this updo, try the following steps below. If you can, wash your loc's first or spritz them with a setting spray, so that when you take your hair down (after you hair is completely dry), you will have a nice curl pattern.  

1.      Braid your loc's into sections, using 6 or so loc's per braid. Use a rubber band that matches your hair color, to secure the end each braid.  I always wash my hair the night before I do this style, so it gives my hair a chance to dry a bit, before creating this updo.

2.      To start the updo, pull all your braids into a high ponytail.  I always do a two section ponytail because my loc’s are long and can be heavy in an updo. With a two part pony tail, you make a ponytail with all your loc braids, except the ones that are on the crown/front edges of your head. Once you have created your first ponytail, and have adjusted it so it’s comfortable, add the remaining loose braided loc's to your first ponytail, with a second pony tail holder. 

3.      Once you created a ponytail, continuously grabbed a one of your loc braids from the bottom of the pony tail and reach it around to the top and tuck it in to the hair band. Because my loc's are long, I don't need to use hair pins. But if you are having problems with getting the braids to stay tucked in, use hair pins to secure each braid that you want to tuck in. Make sure to adjust the hair pin so it is comfortable. After a while, you will not be able to reach the headband(s), so when you wrap the braid lock around the bun, tuck the end of the braid under the closes loc braid, enough to where you feel the braid is secure, and will not fall out.

4.      Once all the braid loc's have been tucked in, fell around to see if any braids feel like they are loose or are sticking out; and also take time to adjust the bun by moving it around a little bit with both hands to achieve the bun shape you want. But do not use to much pressure, or your bun will fall apart. If your loc’s are shorter, you can also put a thin hair net (that matches your hair color) over your loc bun, to make sure none of your braids fall out during the day. To use a hair net - place it over your bun, and tuck in any loose parts of the net under your bun, and secure it with a hair pin.

5.      Now that you have completed your bun, you can add a decorative headband or fancy hair clip to complete the look.  Enjoy! 

Link of the Day!

Source: Voici Abby

Therese Olsen - Den of Angels Dolls

 

Australian Doll Artist: Therese Olsen (aka - Twigling)
The Queen of Africa , The Stargazer , Dark Angel, Lilykoi's Nkiru

*If copying photos to another website, blog or social networking page, please credit my blog as the source of the information and photos. And please give credit to the artist. ~ Thank you

Link of the Day - Versace Spring 2012

"Donatella Versace took to the ocean to inspire her Spring 2012 collection, painting seashells, starfish, seahorses, and fish on a series of dresses and chic separates." -  Fashion Bomb

Natural Beauty of the Week - Synethia

Meet Synethia - A women that has a great talent for styling locs. Synethia talked to me about her inspiration and what makes her a Natural Beauty.

Q: What is your hair story?  What kind of hair styles have you rocked, before embracing your natural hair?
A:  I have had many hairstyles from a press to jerri curls to a perm.

Q:  When and why did you decide to start wearing your hair naturally?
A:  I have decided to wear my hair naturally in second year of university. I got really tired of my hair and scalp being battered and scared from perm and damaged from the heat and over processing.

Q:  Did you have any big fears about going back to your natural texture?
A:  Going natural was a great accomplishment for me and I have had more joys than fears. I have had chemical in my hair since I was 10 years old and hardly ever knew what my natural hair looked like. Even though I did not transition to my natural hair in its loose state, I was still overjoyed that I made the step.

Q:  What are three products you can't live without for nurturing/styling your hair?
A:  Lock and twist gel, mango and lime Catcus oil, Dr Bonners Tea Tree Shampoo.

Q:  What would you say to someone who's thinking about embracing their natural hair, but scared about being rejected in various parts of their lives?
A:  I would say if you believe in your natural hair, confident about it then go for it. I have been rejected many times and because I believe that my hair in its natural state is beautiful, I have won over many into realizing that. Most times these people are unaware and need a little education and guidance. Don't crumble just be confident and strong.

Q:  How long have you had a natural hair blog? What has been the most rewarding part of your blogging experience.
A:  Jungle Barbie is 8mths and 11 days old. The most rewarding parts of my blogging experience are dispelling the myth that locks are not stylist, inspiring other locked sisters and brothers and sharing my knowledge whether it be hairstyles and or hair care tips.

Q:  How can we keep up with you and your journey i.e. blog, twitter, facebook, fotki, tumblr, personal or professional website? (Optional)
A: Blog: http://junglebarbie.blogspot.com
     Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/JungleBarbie1
     Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jungle-Barbie/155643014486925
     Tumblr: http://junglebarbie.tumblr.com/

     YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/pecadora99

Love & Hate

Love & Hate…  I had a very eventful morning today.  I came into contact with two strangers – one that that expressed hate and one that expressed love. 

Hate Filled Rage:

While I was driving to work, a man was crossing the street going in the same direction that I was driving. I stopped at the stop sign and watched as the man and his daughter crossed the street going in my same direction. Suddenly, with out even looking to see of any cars were coming, he stop midway in the street and tried to cross right in front of my moving car. Thankfully I was not driving too fast and was able to slow down to stop as he and his daughter crossed the street.  Instead of looking my way and saying thank you (because obviously, you do not stop in the middle of the street and try to cross into  oncoming traffic) he looked at me with complete hate and started to yell out at me “You Ignorant  #%R*&!”   Thankfully I did not hear the end of that statement, because I rolled up my care window. But by the look of pure hate on his face, he was probably going top call me a  B*tch or a N*gger (he was not of the same race).  I usually don’t assume such things, but he had pure hate in his eyes, which was completely irrationally because he was in the wrong. My first thought as I drove away, is that they guy was probably already angry about something else and maybe even racist (who knows…). And most importantly, how could he put his child in danger by crossing into incoming traffic with out evening looking to see if any cars were coming their way. The whole thing completely threw me off guard. And my beautiful morning, at that moment was ruined by this person irrational hateful reaction towards me.

Unbiased Love:

After parking my car, I started to work towards the building I worked at.  A gentleman came to a stop as he saw me and a few ladies on another street walking by. He asked in a very genuine tone – “How can it be, that all the women in this city are so very beautiful?”   I instantly blushed and said I did not know and thank him for the kind compliment.  He then said with this beautiful smile and glow on his face “You are welcome beautiful lady.” It warmed my heart that someone would stop their day to give such a beautiful message. And he had such a look of piece and joy in his face that I knew he was a coming from a good place in his heart when he spoke to me.

Two completely different experiences, from two complete strangers. Both of a different culture and age groups. One filled with irrational hate and one filled with genuine love for others.

Artist - Ana Miralles

Anyone that has followed this blog knows that I love art. I just found some amazing art online today, byComic book artist Ana Miralles. "Ana Miralles (born 16 December 1959; spelled as Ana Mirallès in France, where her work is well published) is a Spanish comic books artist. After a degree in fine arts, she became an illustrator. In June 2009 Miralles became the first woman to win the "Gran Premio del Salón" at the Barcelona Comics Festival (its highest honor)." -  Wikipedia

*Please - if you want to copy this art to your site, or social networking page, please credit my blog for the source and the artist for her work. Thank you

Link of the Day! Gorgeous Loc Style

Style By: Maria Thompson, www.twistandcurves.com
Photographer: Keston Duke
Model: Lenise NuNuu Smith
Makeup: Brettnee MsMichelangelo Nelson
Jewelry: Jessica Dickens — with TwistandCurves NaturalHair and Lenise NuNuu Smith.

 

Blog Review - Amy the Visionary Diva!

I found this great review of the Naturally Beautiful Hair blog online, and I just want to say thank you sooo much to Amy, aka - Visionary Diva!  I appreciate your taking the time to write about my blog, and I am so glad that you found it to be encouraging as you went through the beginning stages of y our natural hair journey.

Naturally Beautiful Hair (Blog Review)

posted by Visionary Diva  

February 9, 2011 - 3:48pm

"It was 11 years ago when I got fed up with the vigorous schedule of being in the shop every week or two getting a new hair style and every 3 months getting a perm. The oiling and wrapping up started to be to much...not to mention the harsh winters that broke my hair off and caused me to become un-be-weave-able!! Extensions led me to a whole other problem that involved my ends breaking and other unhealthy methods of gaining a eye catching hairdo. Enough was enough and I decided it was time to do something different. I can't really remember what I was thinking other than I wanted to "beauty shop tango" to stop. So sitting on my couch, armed with a pair of scissors and a mirror I began cutting my perm out and twisting my hair. I was happy with the out come and have been every since.

What I didn't realize at that time was how hard it was to find magazines or beauty shops willing to aid in maintaining my wonderful locs. As the years went by more hair products came out...some I liked and some that were just awful from the start. In the end most of what I learned came from word of mouth and trial and error. That is until recently!!

Anybody who knows me knows that I am always online and always on the look out for new sites, intriguing articles and art work (just to name a few). The other day while googling random topics and reading random blogs I came across a site that stopped me in my tracks and held my attention for 2 hours. There seemed to be some type of halo glowing over the top of my computer and I was mesmerized.

The site was all about MY hair! Not black hair in general...not permed or straight hair. It was not a site with millions of pictures of different hair styles and a small section on natural hair...no it was all about my beautiful natural hair and titled accordingly (without the my of course). Mentally I was jumping for joy as my eyes danced across the different pages filled with interviews, tips on how to keep my locs looking healthy, and  even artwork showcasing and inspired by natural hair. Who knew there was a remedy to that pesky lint situation that so many loc wearer's battle with or that a brush could come in handy!

Besides some very useful information I found the site to be very welcoming and organized for quick reference. There's something about the tone of each piece that lets the reader know how much care goes into the development of the site. This [blog] is a "grab a book and cup of tea" kind of good only it's about Naturally Beautiful Hair!!" 

To read more about Amy - see her blog Visionary Diva .

Afro Glitz Magazine Project

Check out the Afro Glitz Magazine Project.

"For "afro" women like me, there's a lack of representation of both appearance and interests in magazines that are marketed towards us. I do not close these magazines feeling empowered, inspired or more knowledgeable than before. Rather than doing absolutely nothing to solve this issue, I vowed to be the change that I wanted to see.  I now present to you: The Afro Glitz Magazine Project. We're women of many dreams and talents.  We love to create.  We love to build.  We love to learn. We love to inspire. Afro Glitz will be a magazine for the creatives, beauty lovers, fashionistas, writers, health enthusiasts, science lovers and techie geeks.  In addition, this magazine will be a true reflection of its audience, allowing one to submit content to the magazine.  Each article will be presented in an artsy, high quality fashion. Here are a couple of examples of how articles would be presented in the magazine:"  - Afro Glitz

To learn more about the Afro Glitz, the project and how you can help, go to Afro Glitz Magazine Project and the Website.

Giveaway!! Sephora Only Gold For Me Nail Polish

The Naturally Beautiful Blog reached 1000 Subscribers a last month (we are now at 1036! Whoo Hoo!!). As a thank you to everyone who reads this blog, and continues to contribute both here and on Facebook, I am giving away a brand new bottle of Sephora's Only Gold For top coat nail polish. I first tried this polish yesterday, when I went to get my nails done. After getting french tips, I went home and put two layers of the top coat over my nails. I think it came out pretty cute.  I liked it so much that I went out today, after work, and brought a brand new bottle to share with one lucky reader.  Here are a few more photos that I found online on how you can use the polish -

To enter the contest, follow my blog's Twitter page at FlyLocDiva and "Like" Naturally Beautiful Hair on Facebook. After that, leave a comment replying to this post telling me your twitter screen name, confirming that you are following the blog on both Facebook and Twitter, and how you would use the polish.  The winner will be chosen randomly on September 30th at 10 pm. Good luck everyone!!

NADJA

Great Photo of  NADJA 

Fashion Blogger

Source: N-adja & Ccurrently Obsessed

Great Humor - Natural Hair Problems

I am absolutely loving this new tumblr blog that I found online last week called Natural Hair Problems. There are so many statements that are dead on and just plan funny.  Loving the wit and the blogs author to allow us to all relate to some of the funny and not so funny issues that we may run into while being Natural!  :-)

 

    

See more at:
Natural Hair Problems

Natural Beauty of the Week - Nola Henry

 Gorgeous loc hawk from Barbados beauty - Nola Henry.

More about Nola:

Where? I'm located in Barbados

What im passionate about?  I'm passionate about beauty, style, fashion and natural hair. I also love to encourage and educate people about natural hair also help them to find more ways to feel beautiful and alive with it just as they would with relaxed hair.

What inspires your style?  My style........pretty much I like to do my own thing. I call it living la vida nola lol.. I create new styles, to set new trends and sometimes when I see some relaxed hair styles that everyone's rockin, because its the ish.  I try to deliver that same type of stye for my clients or myself, so we are not left out the loop...natural hair can be fierce n beautiful we just need to embrace it.

What is your advice for women looking to find a way to express who they are?  We have one life to live and sometimes we just need to do what we want and quit holding back , its ok admiring others but let someone admire u for a change ....live alittle and make the change u've always wanted .....the feeling is great

Website: BEAUTIFUL U

Nola Henry on Facebook

Ethnic Dress Up Games for Kids

 

Game sites:  Warrior Maker/Adventure Girl, Female Pirate,  Pin Up, Cute Locks, World Cup Soccer

More games at Fun Games for kids.