Did u pull a Solange?????!?!?!?!?! & Dermablend kits

WARNING-THIS POST IS SUPER DUPER PIC HEAVY - YOU'VE BEEN WARNED!!!

No actually I pulled a "Shana"...see the evidence below...

some of my styles thru the years (yes even the preschool pic!)




the style that I want my own hair to mirror, but this was a weave

T&T Kid & I about 3 years ago, I actually had a texturizer at the time but I pulled & slicked that hair back w/in an inch of its life...then slapped some hair on the back - VOILA!

T&T kid and I this time last year, I was going to my stylist regularly and my hair grew...a LOT, haven't had it this long since maybe middle school if not before then...elementary school probably.

Me about two months ago

Me today...well actually yesterday is when I snapped this pic - its a wiggy poo which is the route I will take until my hair grows out & gets a bit more healthy.

You see I have done the "big chop" so much that I have lost count. The very first time I went natural was my freshman year of college (at FIT not Eastern Shore). I was in New York, a place that welcomes the artistic, creative, risk-taker, *insert adjective here*, with open arms, so I thought what the hell - go for it. And I loved it...for a while actually...until it got to that stage...you know how you get with your hair, whether its natural, relaxed, weaved, braided, whatever - it gets to a point where you are just sick of looking in the mirror and seeing the same person with the same style looking back at you - so I tracked it up!

That has been my routine for years and years, from cuts, to weaves, to braids and back again. I change my hair a LOT. To me its an accessory and its MY accessory to change how I please. The reason I cut it now is because as you can see from the most recent pics above I had it cut, and dyed black - that style requires a LOT of upkeep and as a mom of two with a freelance makeup business in this economy that just isn't feasible. So when my new growth started to appear I said F it and got a wig and then another, and another. I tend to prefer the big curly look or the super short look because of my face shape so that's what I got (as you can see above).

The plan is to grow my hair out so that by this time next year I can wear it in its full healthy glory-a big fro is what I would like to have in an ideal situation. I will do an update post once a month to show you all my progress. The beauty of this is now there is an abundance of info on the web about what products and processes to use to obtain and maintain a healthy head of hair, back when I first started there wasn't much and I didn't really have the patience to do the research in the first place. Luckily now that has changed...here are some close up shots of my curl pattern achieved using only a cream based product that I didn't write the name of so I would remember - its just something I grabbed at the beauty supply store for curly hair that has olive oil in it , eh...on to the pics:

my problem area, the very front and sides tend to be dry and take a while to grow in - that's from my dad's side of the family aarrgggghhh

this shows my 2 textures-look at my little coilies awwww

oh if only my whole head would behave like this, my curls and coils are prevalent in the middle of my head...oh well, I love it no matter what

So stay tuned for the updates - I'm excited!

Dermablend kits...

I received an email that Dermablend was offering the Cover Creme Perfection Kit for $26 and included 2 foundation samples, finishing powder, brush, spatula and bag so of course I had to order it. I placed the order on Friday and it was here Monday (they totally get an A+ for service).

I threw the spatula in the trash because I have many disposable ones in my kit anyway...I have used Dermablend before to cover tattoos so I know how well it performs for that but Ive never used it as a foundation on the face. In the first picture above I am wearing it and I am not really that in love with it. The coverage is there definitely but it takes a while to blend and the color wasn't exactly right. I had to go over it with MAC Studio Fix in NW45 to try and warm it up and even then it was just a bit off for my liking. I didn't use the powder but to me it looks like MUFE HD Powder which I already have and use a lot for photoshoots. The brush is teeny tiny just as it appears in the photo, it is a bit rough on the face while still being soft if that makes any sense at all. LOL Those with sensitive skin probably wouldn't like it. The bag is super cute and I will be making it my new makeup bag for my purse.

I tried the Dermablend Cover Creme Perfection Kit and the truth is if you want to try the Dermablend brand I'd say this kit is right up your alley. It comes in 4 different skintones (2 foundations per kit) and if you complete the survey that comes with it you can also get a FREE application techniques DVD (while supplies last). If you are looking for a day to day foundation and you don't have many skin issues then I'd say pass on this.