I'M BACK....With Something For The Fellas

Hi Beauty's!!! I have seriously been MIA! Honestly, it hasn't been for any reason in particular besides being extremely tired from this HORRIFIC TEXAS HEAT, working out at the gym after work (that's a whole different post...ughhh) & having writers block.  But, I'M BACK and I dont plan on having that long of a hiatus again....PROMISE.

So, today's post is a little interesting.  I have a close male friend of mine who stops by my page every now and again and he asked me to create a post about how men can get and maintain waves in their hair. I thought to myself, what an interesting topic and I said what the heck!! Let me tell ya Beauty's, after doing much research on this particular subject it is in my opinion that men damn near have to do as much maintenance with their hair as we women do! Good Greif Charlie Brown! It is a real live process that requires dedicaton & time that they MUST take in order to have these infamous 360 Spinning Waves (I learned that's what they're called along the way).

After much research (via You Tube of course) I found SO many videos with guys who used everything from texurizers to hair gel to obtain waves in their hair. I was shocked by some of the products these dudes were willing to use. It was down right shameful. To think that there were MEN out there that were putting perms and all kinds of other foolishness in their hair for the sake of having waves! But needless to say, I finallly ran across a guy who I thoroughly enjoyed! He only used olive oil and/or shea butter, a doo-rag and his trusty brush! I found him to be awesome! And his hair is beautiful! Check him out.....

After watching this video along with several others from this gentleman, it is clearly evident that the key to a man gaining & maintaining a strong wave game is BRUSH, BRUSH, BRUSH!! And just when you think you've brushed too much....BRUSH SOME MORE! I found him to be very insightful and I hope this helps any men that may drop by my page from time to time. Until next time......

To Go Natural Or To Not Go Natural.....That Is The Question

Hello Beauty's! Well, it's Thursday and my vacation is almost over! (that makes me sad) I have been sitting here thinking already of what I will do with my hair when I take my twists down. Do I get them redone? Do I go for another style? What do I do? Or better yet, what can I do that I haven't already done? Ughhh...something has to be done! I am a firm believer that your hair & your shoes can be one of your best accessories! Then I think to myself, why not go natural! Most of my closest friends have either decided to or have already gone natural. I've seen some of the most beautiful natural hairstyles. And who wouldn't want to have healthy hair free of all the chemicals found in relaxers. But, as you can see from my Stylez I've Rocked post, I consider myself to be somewhat of a chameleon when it comes to hairstyles! LOL! So I'm wondering do I go natural or do I stick with what I know? Here's some inspiration that's sure to make any girl that has that question go for it.....

 

 


Beautiful right?!?! It's gorgeous to be exact! However, where there's beauty there's pain. Not actual pain but from what I understand there is a lot of maintenance where going natural is concerned.  Not everyone has the same hair type therefore the products that your girlfriend (who's natural) may use on her hair may not work for you.  Also, natural haircare products are expensive.  The lady's that I know that have gone natural already, have mentioned that you have to try so many different products until you find what works for your hair type.  Of course with any way you wear your hair you want your hair to be hydrated, & have shine. But with the natural effect you have to maintain hydration, shine, softness, as well as use a product that promotes growth.  Well ladies, I'm thinking that I may just stick with what I know and admire the natural look from a far.  Until next ladies.....stay tuned!! :)

Sunday Brunch With The Fam!

Hey Beauty's! Long time no hear from right? Well, I've been pretty busy lately. I went on vacation from work (AHHHHH), I got my hair braided early Saturday morning, and I had a fabulous brunch on Sunday for my birthday!! Let me start by saying that I feel so blessed to have been able to see another year of life! It feels so good to be healthy & happy and there's nothing like sharing moments like that with friends & family!  I was able to hang out with my usual crew, Katie Mac & Fitz as well as my Hubby and a few other friends on my birthday at Cyclone Anaya's! And while I show you all pics of the awesome time we had, I also get to debut my kinky twist!

It's ME....The Birthday Girl!

Me and My Husband all posed up! Shocker...he's not much for pics! LOL!!

Katie Mac & Fitz

Tracy & Trice

Here's the Tres Leches Cake that was complimentary for my B-day!

Here's our LAZY waitor- Jeff! Dude was funny, but it was clear that he did NOT wanna be at work!

So after brunch we went into the courtyard by the restaurant to take pics!

We hit this small little cupcake shop and we were posed up!

Katie Mac- Fab as always

It's me again!

Katie Mac & Shandha Lee

Tracy & Fitz

 All in all, I has such a wonderful time with my girls & Hubby! All of my homies couldn't make it but hey, that didn't stop us not one bit!! I can't wait til this Friday because we're hitting up The Tasting Room. More good times, good drinks, good food & GREAT friends!!! Until next time Beauty's....stay tuned! :)

I Love Thrifting Party!

Hello Beauty's! So this past weekend Katie Mac from The Mac Styles hosted the I <3 Thrifting party.  It was held at A Perfect Fit Resale Boutique where the owner is a close and dear friend of Katie Mac's family.  Let me tell you ladies, this resale shop holds true to it's name! It was so adorable! The items in there were beautiful and will definitely having me coming back and get this......THEY HAVE LAY-A-WAY!!! What the what??? A resale shop with a lay-a-way?! Shut the front door!!! So not only can I get great items for less but I can take my sweet time paying for it?!?! Win and Win!! There was a great turn out and as promised, I have pics! Check it out....



Shandha: She did a super cute DIY with her I <3 Thrifting shirt!

This is what she did with the back! AWESOME!

Priscilla & The Bean (the baby) He was thrifting too! :)

She got a cute little Cat In The Hat Onesie! Too Cute!! 

 

Joycelyn & Katie Mac (Joycelyn had a DIY shirt)

Yours truly....Katie Mac and her infectious smile! :)

Myself, Joycelyn, Geli, Shandha & Fitz! We were FIERCE!!

All of the wonderful ladies who came out to support this great event!

Katie Mac was so awesome that she even created survival kits for everyone who came out. Gotta Love that Katie Mac!! They were really cute, take a look......

The Mac Styles Survival Kit

The contents (including a really sweet Thank You card, So Classy!)

As you can see, this was a very successful event and we had an amazing time! What's not included in these pics (I hate I didnt get a shot of it) is the beautiful spread that was laid out. It consisted of an array of cheeses, fruits, sausage, crackers, mints & Pinot Grigio! It was definitely picture perfect! I'm so proud of Katie Mac and I'm sure that she's already contemplating her next event. Whenever & wherever it is.....Strictlihair will be in the house! Until next time Beauty's....stay tuned! :)








Psss....I Have A Secret!!!

Good evening Beauties! So I thought I'd jump on really quick to share a secret with you all. I know that all of my faithful followers are fashionistas! Therefore, I know you all (like myself) must have tons of heels, and few pairs of Coach sneakers in your closets! Well, have you ever run across your favorite pair of patent leather heels and realized there was a HORRIBLE scuff on them that made you want to cringe just from the sight of it? Or even those Coach sneakers that have thick white rubber sole that has GRUNDGE on it that just wont go away no matter how many times you've wiped them down? I have a secret for you ladies that will revive those shoes!! Wanna know what it is? Okay, Okay....it's Hand Sanitizer!! YES, my Beauty's....good ole trusty hand sanitizer! It removes scuffs on heels and that God awful grundge on your sneakers. I know it sounds crazy right, but it really works!!!! I'm about to show you a demonstration...check it out!





Well Beauty's, there you have it! Hand sanitizer will help repair, restore, & reserve some of our most prized possessions......SHOES!!! And it's doesn't stop there ladies, this stuff removes ink, dye and anything else you can think of that may be tough to remove. Hope you all have enjoyed my little secret/tip. Until next time Beauty's....stay tuned! :)

When DIY Goes Right!

Hi Beauty's! First things first....Happy Fourth of July! I hope everyone has had a chance to have a long, great, fun-filled weekend! I'm so excited about todays post! Unfortunately, it's not about hair....I know, I know I'm sad too! :(  However, since most of you (if not all of you) are fashion enthusiasts, I thought to myself this would be a great way to grab you gals attention!

So here's a little background to my little DIY project. My good friend & fellow blogger Katie Mac from The Mac Styles is hosting a Thifting party this upcoming weekend! (details of the party can be found on her blog) The party is being held at a thrift store so that friends, family & bloggers can come out, meet & greet, mingle and most importantly learn the art of thrift store shopping! I'm all for it!! There's even a really cute T-shirt that has I <3 Thrifting on the front of it! Courtesy of one Mr. Goodwill Hunting who also happens to be a very fashion forward home decor blogger and the reason why this whole thrifting party even exist. 

Once this party was mentioned, I knew I would be onboard! Until, I go to order the shirt! This T-SHIRT is $14.99 + Tax-$1.20 + Shipping- $4.99 which comes to grand total of $21.18. Those who know me, know I have NO problems spending money....especially on clothes! But come on, $21.18 for a T-SHIRT?? Mind you a T-shirt that I would probably only wear for this occasion? So Katie Mac ordered hers an brought it to work for us to see. Just as I suspected, it was a regular T-shirt! So I thought to myself, I can do that! And that's when I set things in motion! I went to Michaels, bought a large hot pink t-shirt, and some iron-ons. I even thought to myself, how cool would it be to crop it at the top. At least that would ensure that I would wear it again seeing as how crop tops are the "in" thing to wear to these days.  So with my trusty Iron-ons and a couple of YouTube videos under my belt, my first DIY project was under way. 

This is the T-shirt that is for sale (it's cute) 

This is the T-shirt that I purchased and I've cut the neckline to crop it
*Tip- if you pull/stretch the shirt after you've cut the neck line, it will roll down hiding where you've cut

This is after the neck crop and once the Iron-ons were added

This is my finished product! YAY!!!!

I DID IT & I WAS SO EXCITED!!!! Now, granted it's not as fancy as Mr. Goodwill Hunting's shirt.  But for ONLY $12, I think I did pretty darn good! You all may have noticed that the heart that I have on there isn't very visible. For whatever reason, it just would not stick it only made an imprint. The heart was actually a different brand from the letters that I used which stuck perfectly.  However, I fully intend to fix that before the event. It wasn't much, but I'm very proud of my DIY project and I learned SO many techniques on cropping and freaking out T-shirts on YouTube. So this may not be my last DIY update here on Strictli Hair! Until next time Beauty's....stay tuned! :)

P.S. I'll have plenty of pics from the Thrifting party this upcoming weekend! Later Beauty's! :)

Before I go, I'd like to give a special heart felt thank you to Trice from High Heels & Good Meals and Sonya from The Art of SAT who graciously awarded me with A Lovely Blog Award! I truly appreciate the Love & support you ladies have shown for my blog! I'm sure most you have already but for those who haven't, please check out their blog because they are both fierce on fashion and Trice adds fabulous taste when it comes to food! :)

The rules:* link back to the person who passed you the award
                * share 7 random things about yourself
                * award 15 blogs
                *drop a note to tell them about it

Random Things about Me

1) I am a shoe FIEND

2) I Love Scary movies

3) I'm a reality show fanatic

4) I'm a cell phone junkie

5) I dont like tomatoes (but love ketchup, go figure)

6) I have twin brothers

7) I'm the only girl & and oldest of 4

I would like to pass on the recognition to the following Fabulous bloggers:

*Comme Coco*
Fashion Nette Work
Rush Our Fashion
Curves and Confidence
All Things Fabulous 101
Style & Poise
Style Chic 360
Full-Figured Diva

I absolutely love these blogs and you should check them out! Later Beauty's! :)

Summer, Summer, Summer Time!!!

Hi Beauty's!!! Let me start tonight by apologizing for being MIA for as long as I have!! I was really struggling with my next hair move and was kinda feeling uninspired. But I'm back!!! I'm sure you ladies have all been waiting to see what style I chose. As mentioned before, I do NOT want to cut my hair! Although living in Texas has made that decision EXTREMELY difficult! It has been crazy HOT here!!!! But, I've stuck to my guns and I've resisted the urge and didnt do the big chop. This weekend, I went to my good friends babyshower thesproutingbean.blogspot.com.  I was there with good friends & fellow bloggers themacstyles.blogspot.com and fitzchronicles.blogspot.com. It was here where I revealed my latest look! So without further delay, here the style I decided to go with......

TAH-DAHHHHH!!!!

Hot, Hot, Hot (The weather that is!)

Close Up!

Back Shot!!!

Loving this Color!

Summer Time READY!!!

Well Beauty's I hope you all enjoyed my choice! I'm LOVING my latest look! It's sleek, it's sassy, it's easy to maintain and most importantly it's COOL!!! I'll be rocking this style for a couple of weeks and the it'll be on to the next one! Sighssss....decisions, decisions. However, I must let you know ahead of time that I will probably be rocking one more (maybe two) style(s) before I get braided up for the Summer for my B-day. I know, I know you're probably thinking what could I possibly post with my hair braided up? But the fact of the matter is I really do SOOOOO many more styles with my braids! The possibilities will be endless, Until next time Beauty's....stay tuned! :)

Shout out to my photographer Fitz from fitzchronicles.blogspot.com. Thanks Fitz!!! :)