oh pasTELL-naw!

pink jacket: vintage
silk blouse: vintage
high waisted wool pants: vintage
gold collar: f21
red flats: vintage

On my last day of the ABS show, I decided to go all pastels. I'M CURRENTLY OBSESSED! I live in them I love them. There's something so magically 80s about pastels, makes me feel all sweet valley high without a beach blonde twin sitter who tries to steal my tots hot bf!

I really wanted to go simple with this look, well my definition of simple. And since dave was parked on the rooftop of McCormick place, we decided, hey..PHOTO SHOOT, it was super fun, and sooo sunny! I know it some pics I must look like Janis the muppet from such harsh shadows but the artist in me finds them rather endearing. After the show, it was TACO TIME, these were rated some of the best tacos in the chi, I beg to differ. Dave argued that they were very street vendor in mexico good, but I don't know.....! I'm hoping to find some good mexican in NY, I actually have YET to find a place that's authentic, and not some hipster fusion food truck...in time i guess.

SO excited for the weekend. I couldn't have asked for better weather because: I'M OFFICIALLY ON SPRING BREAK! YAHOOOOO! I'm trying to get all my work done while I'm still on campus so I don't have to work over break! So expect me to be online more often until I leave for my trip on thursdayyyyyy! ~~~~♥

ps. lovin the new hair cut!!

life as a model part deux

(rockin out with texture media co- founder Michelle Breyer)

On the second day of the ABS Dickey of Hair Rules did me a BIG OLE FAVOR and gave me a hair cut. I don't think you guys realize how awesome this is...I mean a FREE haircut, by a CELEBRITY stylist, I knew I was in good hands. In fact I haven't cut my hair officially in almost three years (bad bad bianca) and I noticed a lot of breakage after several hair colorings and heat damage. ALSO I started cutting my hair wet in december, which I learned was a big no..no. (I was too scared to get it cut professionally in fear that they would get too excited and cut all my hair off...)Oh well, at least now my hair looks FANTASTIC, my curls LOVE ME, and I actually have a shape. PLUS: I only need four hair cuts a year....guess I'll be going to NYC four times a year now ;)

I thought it would be more fun to make the pictures of this event more of like a storybook, so here we go:



after dickey blew me out he began to cut SO MUCH HAIR off...#mytearsdryontheirown
He noted that its best to cut curly hair dry and straight, for better shape and more versatility
(I swear I de-age like 10 years when my hairs straight! I LOOK 14!!)


after another wet down and a curly whip application, its back under the dryer!


S-T-R-E-T-C-H them roots!


AND TADA, a beautiful new do!


I even got to derp my model duties while peeps touched my hair


HAIR RULES RAWWWWKSSSS


and so does texture media!

All in all, I had a FANTASTIC TIME, made lots of friends, and learned sooooo much about my hair! I hope that my blog continues to bring me these AMAZING oppurtunities, I mean, who knew being my dorky self would be rewarded XD!
Feel free to ask me any questions hair related. And maybe one day I'll do a vlog...#loljk

my life as a hair rules model

Kelis, Estelle, Michelle Obama...what do they all have in common? Celebrity stylish, Dickey from HAIR RULES, and by wave of miracle, Hair Rules asked me to model for them for the America's Beauty Show this past weekend. YOU COULD NOT BELIEVE MY EXCITEMENT! Who knew that little ole me would be praised for what was once the subject of ridicule?

They found of about me from my awesome blog of course (lawls) and what felt like a new york minute I was at the McCormick Place on the runway for Hair Rules. Dickey loved my hair, I felt so honored! Plus the whole area that we were located in the ABS was ran by Texture Media. I always wanted to go to one of their events, and tada!! Here I was.

Dickey was so wise about sharing the do's and don't of natural hair. Such as, WASH YOUR HAIR OFTEN (like 3-4xs a week, not just once!), if you're hair is dry is not "water" aka MOISTURE drying your hair out. Sleep on a satin pillow case, detangle, and use more than a "dime" size of product if you have ALL THIS HAIR. Plus move your hair routine into the shower, your natural curl pattern is actually when its most wet. If you keep it in that arena and add product then, your hair will be held at its MOST CURLY.

They used their no suds daily cleansing cream, quench conditioner, and curly whip! Who knew I had curls when I thought I had kinks! They detangled my naps (haha), put in the curly whip, threw me under they dryer for about 15mins, and stretched the roots with a blow dryer! I felt so honored to have my hair done by such an astute stylist, and very informative, and just ADORABLE! Ah thank you Dickey for my wonderful hair, and this WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE!!

THANK YOU HAIR RULES!! ♥
+++stayed tuned for part 2 where I get....A HAIR CUT...oh boy!

my hair recently {kinky curly vs. hair rules}

(why yes that is a cast of my face.....)


So remember when I was singing the praises to Kinky Curly? Well, those hymns have long ended because I found a NEW LOVE, that is much more enjoyable than Kinky Curly. And it's called Hair Rules.

One of my biggest dislikes of Kinky Curly was it made your hair crunchy. And I strongly disliked that feature. I even hated how you needed to buy two products to get the full effect. It weighed down my hair and made me look older. Plus I noticed my hair drying out. That could possibly be noted to being on antibiotics for a whole month, BUT I will never really know. So BUH BYE Kinky Curly, Hello...Hair Rules.

I learned about Hair Rules from my ALL TIME FAVORITE video blogger Taren916. I've been watching her videos since I decided to go natural, and she's just SO COOL. I mean she lives in Brooklyn has beautiful hair, and is just ADORABLE. Anyways, I noticed she was using a new product that made her hair looks so fab and I wanted to try something new as well. Don't get me wrong. I LOVES my Mixed Chicks, but in the harsh Chicago ultra drying winter I need something a little more....creamier....

So I ran to my local Ulta..(in a snow storm!)...and snatched up a bottle. It seemed to not work at first...but after a while I saw my hair TRANSFORM. My hair looked thicker and more natural.I also stopped combing my hair every time I shower but finger combining it instead. It looks as though my hair has grown SO FAST (I did cut it again thanks to Kinky Curly damage :/) Kinky Curly made my hair look manufactured, Hair Rules makes me look as though I wearing nothing at all. AND I LOVES IT. I'll definitely be using this through the winter and spring! The price isn't that bad if you sign up for Ulta's coupons, and you also don't have to wash as often because it holds very well.

I hope to visit their salon in my NYC trip next month to her my hair did!!!

Yay for beautiful curls. Yay for Hair Rules!!

mane and tail

*First of all, don't use mane and tail , dear lord, unless you want your hair to fall out :/

Anyway, I thought I would do a quick update and talk about one of my favorite subjects. MY HAIR. Now I know you can easily read my tips about how I maintain my hair at my interview with bglh. BUT I am always changing things up, and I just started using a new product. So thought I'd share it with you.

I'm always watching videos about natural hair, reading blogs like bglh and urban bush babes about the best way to maintain your hair. I always been a little too carefree about my curls but as the seasons change so does my hair, and after a recent mistake of dying my hair with garnier (which I've learned that almost any garnier product damages your hair) I decided to GET SERIOUS.

I cut off all my damaged ends (hence the shorter do) and started fresh! Hopefully in March I can ombre my hair again for spring. It does the ombre naturally but it takes like...YEARS and I'm too lazy to wait that long AGAIN. (plus the only time it will naturally ombre quickly is if I am in mexico (aka hot weather, salt water))

In the meantime I have been trying out new products, deep conditioning weekly, and doing whats best for my hair. The product I wanted to talk about today is Kinky Curly.

Rumor is Kinky Curly and Mixed Chicks are like the "holy grail" of natural hair/ curly girl products. I once testified to Shea Moisture, but it left my hair too greasy and weighed it down (esp in the summer) so I switched to Mixed Chicks, thanks to my dad actually. (Which he was like your mixed, try this!)

I LOOOOOOVE MIXED CHICKS leave-in:

Pros: its simple, it's a 2-1 leave in & styling product, you don't need much, its doesn't leabe your hair crunchy, and it lasts like 3 months to a bottle, its vegan! you can use a diffuser or air dry and get similar results.

Cons: its mad expensive, it doesn't work as well as the weather gets dryer. It will last possibly 2-3 days without having to rewet your hair. Plus you have to pineapple your hair to keep the look longer. It's also only available at select retailers (or online)

Since the weather has become dryer I decided to try Kinky Curly on a trip to return some Jane Carter Solutions (DONT LYKE) The Mixed chicks wasn't working as well as it did in the summer heat, and I wanted something that would last me longer without me having to RE DO my hair every to every other morning.

Pros: it lasts about 4 days without having to re wet your hair, its vegan, works with dry cold weather. Air dry or diffuse. It's available at Target.

Cons: you have to buy two products (leave in & custard), its really expensive, you have to really LATHER IT ON. Leaves your hair with that crunchy gel look on the first day.

The cons with Kinky Curly almost make me want to go back to Mixed chicks IF, mixed chicks lasted with longer. It sort of evens out because even though you use more product your applying it less frequently. And to get rid of that gel look, scrunch your hair with an oil of your choice when its COMPLETELY DRY. (I use Moroccan oil)

Like I said, I like it so far and I'll continue to use it. In the pic it's DAY 3 HAIR! Without tying it up when I sleep (gives me headaches) but sleeping on a satin pillow case.

Love the longevity, hate the price, but as a college student, to be able to wake up and go in this chicago winter...A MUST, Kinky Curly for now! ♥