MsVcharles Blogs

Not My Face Man!!!!

2012-02-11T11:39:00.000-08:00

As most of you already know, I have changed my eating habits a LOT. I went cold turkey back into a vegetarian lifestyle along with cardio workouts 5 days a week.

Because of all the changes, my body has gone into HEAVY detox. One of the most visible signs of this are the breakouts I've been experiencing on my face.

A lot of times when having breakouts, most of us would think that something must be wrong. However, not all breakouts are a bad sign. To help explain this I thought I would share with you some of the research I have come across online.

Skin breakouts are the most common detox symptom and vary in visibility and intensity. Breakouts most often occur on the face but also occur on the neck, chest and back. Pimples appear singly or in groups or clumps, like acne, in the form of whiteheads and deep red and sometimes painful pimples.

The duration of the skin reaction has variables, including the individual's skin type, the addition or depletion of more toxins to the body and the primary trigger for the reaction, such as a change in contraception method; premenstrual symptom; quitting alcohol, cigarettes, or other substances; change in diet; or an herbal detox. The skin detox symptoms could last from few days to a few weeks, depending on these variables.

Skin detox symptoms are a NOT a bad thing. They show that the body is working properly and ridding itself of toxins. It is often assumed that the skin reaction means that something has gone wrong when, in fact, the skin will be fresher and clearer once the detox process is complete.

In detox, it is best to allow the body to do what it has to, so waiting out a skin reaction is necessary. It is possible, however, to expedite the process in the following ways: 1) Drink a lot of water. 2) Use a loofah sponge or dry skin brush to remove oils and dead skin, help unclog pores and enhance the skin's ability to detoxify. 3) Use a sauna and clear the body of fat-soluble toxins. 4) Do not further irritate the skin by picking, rubbing or squeezing it or by clogging the pores with cosmetic products.

Read more: Skin Detox Symptoms | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/about_5114584_skin-detox-symptoms.html#ixzz1m6T2jQ17

What?! TOO Cheap???

2012-02-08T17:03:00.000-08:00

Yes Home Skillets, even I have to admit there is such a thing as being too cheap.

You guys all know how much I love to bargain shop. However, there are times that you can't get around spending a little extra for quality. Today I experienced the perfect example of this.

Remember my combat boots that I loved sooo much? [If not, check out the Look Book for photos.] Well it just so happened that today was their expiration date...lol.

There I was...thinking I looked extra cute (I've been working on my fitness) and as I walked I kept hearing "flop, flop, flop." I looked down and what do you know...my heel was peeling off!! Now at the time I spent my $10 on these boots I thought I got a great deal. But today I was all heated about these "cheap $10 shoes!!!" LOL!

Sales are awesome but if you're looking for quality don't always bet on the cheap stuff.

GIVEAWAY Time!!!

2012-01-30T20:52:00.000-08:00

Check out my latest Giveaway in the Get Some section of my website!

Good Luck!

Nothing But Oils

2012-01-28T07:54:00.000-08:00

So earlier this week I posted a video about Castor Oil and hair growth. I received such an awesome response to that video that I have decided to do a whole series dedicated to oils and how they benefit our skin, hair, and health.

The oils that will be featured in this series are those that I use in my personal hair care regimen:
- Castor Oil (already completed)
- Coconut Oil
- Grape Seed Oil
- Jojoba Oil
I am also considering adding on a few other commonly used oils to this series (like Olive Oil).

I find it pretty amazing how often oils are overlooked in comparison to many overly priced moisturizers that promise fast growing, bullet proof, "make your type 4Z change to a type 3A...or your money back" hair.

Stay tuned for series in February!

Garden Burger and Fries Please!

2012-01-23T19:19:00.000-08:00

Can we say addicted???

As some of you may already know, I started out the new year going back to my vegetarian lifestyle...heavy on the veggie part. The only problem is that for the past few days I haven't been packing my lunch so I've been buying food at work.

Not bringing lunch plus a really good chef that can grill them mess out of a veggie burger is just not a good combination!...even if it's vegetarian!

The really sad part about it is that I anticipate going to work just so I can have another garden burger. Lawd help me!

So what are some of your food addictions?

It All Started With A Challenge...

2012-01-07T22:09:00.000-08:00

Every year we have have a weight loss challenge at my job (which last from Jan 4 to March 2). I've never joined because I never needed to loose any weight. However this year I decided to join the challenge...not so much for weight loss but as a way to motivate myself to start eating healthier.

So after doing a bit or research I found a lot of information on "raw food diets" and "green juice detox". I've seen and heard about this years ago and was actually going to do it, but I backed out. The green juice detox is a deep tissue detox for your body and has actually been proven to aid the body in healing itself from many sicknesses.

These diets are for those who are serious, not just about loosing weight but who are looking to live healthier lives. If you are interested I would suggest checking out the movies above (especially "Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead") which are full of information and inspiration.

Straight...For All Of 2 Days

2012-01-04T19:42:00.000-08:00

Yes, you read correctly. I kept my hair flat ironed for all of 2 days...lol. Straight hair is cool and all but I was really starting to miss my kinks! I was also curious to know if my hair experienced any damage, and Home Skillets, I am so pleased to let you know that my hair is still as kinky as ever. Thank you Jesus! The only thing I have to do now is finger comb my hair so my coils can start to clump back up.

Unfortunately, I didn't take pictures of my daily hairstyles (I'm still trying to catch up with everything after my Christmas vacation). However I kept in mind that many of you may be curious about how I slept with my hair so I was sure to take a quick pic of that.

When bunning my hair for bed I made sure to firmly twist my hair as I rolled it up. All I had to do in the morning was take down my bun, finger comb through my hair and style it. This method (one the Dimples uses all the time) gave my hair a feathered appearance.

At the end of it all, I much prefer the look of blow outs than my flat ironed hair. This experience was great, but I do not see it happening again any time soon.

In Celebration of 2 Years Being Natural!

2012-01-02T22:51:00.000-08:00

If you follow me on Facebook you have already heard the big news. In celebration of my 2 years of being natural I decided to flat iron my hair. Yes, I gave in to the torture chamber of heat...lol.

I was so nervous about getting heat damage and what it would look like (would it be thin and frail or full and healthy). Well I must say that though my hair is very full, it is really time for a trim.

Anyhoo, let me share with you guys the products I used and how I used them.

• • •

Now the first thing I did after my wash was moisturize my hair with a leave in conditioner. Afterwards I used a combination of grape seed oil (which is proven to withstand heat up to 399 degrees) and heat protectant (Beyond the Zone mousse for blow drying) to do a tension blowout. *If you would like to learn more about tension blowouts check out my video #103 on my YouTube channel!

Once my blowout was complete I started the flat iron process using my Paul Mitchell flat iron. I made sure to only use small sections at a time and used a spray heat protectant (Beyond the Zone spray for flat ironing). I used a heat setting of 340 degrees. To be honest with you guys I over did it with the heat protectant...lol...but better safe than sorry.

All in all, I am very pleased with the progress of my hair growth. My hair hasn't been this long since I was in the 7th grade (about 19 years ago). The only thing to do now is enjoy my flat hair and pray that it reverts with no issues.

*Please note that I have tested my hair's ability to take heat and revert weeks prior to me flat ironing my hair.

Well Home Skillets, I will keep you guys posted on the progress of my hair as the week progresses. If you have any questions about my flat ironing, please feel free to leave a comment below.

Good Times!

2012-01-02T01:07:00.000-08:00

Finally made it home from Houston and it feels so good to be in my own bed! Haha! Isn't it funny that when traveling, no matter where you go or who you go out to see, the very first thing you tend to think about is going home to a nice comfortable bed???

As some of you know, I was gone to Houston TX for a week to see my family for the holidays. Being out there with my family was GREAT but going and coming back was a beast!!! Why you ask? Well you see, we drove out there...

Road trips are always fun and a great way of making memories so always remember to keep a camera or cell phone handy and ready to take photos. You never know what life will bring. =)

MY LOOK BOOK!

2011-12-31T12:00:00.000-08:00

My "Look Book" is a photo collection of my favorite outfits, accessories and great deals at my favorite stores!

Photos will be added periodically so be sure to check it out for OOTDs, inspirations, and a few pieces put together by the girls (O and Dimples).

Just click on the "Look Book" tab located under the page banner.

Gotta Love My Crazy Family

2011-12-30T19:39:00.000-08:00

Like all families, mine has it's ups and downs...but in the end I really love this crazy bunch!

Be sure to check out my Vlog channel for more family fun: www.YouTube.com/user/VeeVlogs

Vee-zzy's Got The Firzzies!

2011-12-30T09:10:00.000-08:00

As most of you already know, I am in Houston TX visiting my family for the Christmas holiday. I have been here for almost a week and guys let me tell you...if there is one thing that I do NOT miss about Houston is the humidity!

Being that it is winter I assumed that I would have little to no problems with my hair. Oh yea... I was totally wrong. Twist outs, wash-n-gos, afro puffs...you name it, I've tried it and the results are always the same: fail!

Because of this experience I have realized that I totally need to find a regimen for humid climates (more so along the lines of hair styles).

If you guys have experiences or advice to give on styles and regimens that fight against humidity, please share your thoughts in the comment section below.

Budget Your Time: Meals

2011-12-19T06:00:00.000-08:00

I am frequently asked for tips on managing time. Though I have yet to fully perfect time management, there are a few simple ways that I have learned to save myself a lot of it. One of my favorite strategies deals with meals.

The first is having a game plan: What's for dinner??? Start off by charting out what you will be making for the week and pre-cut, pre-season, and refrigerate (or freeze) those ingredients according to the proportions needed for each day. During the week all you have to do is grab your ingredients and throw them in the pot or in the oven. No preparation needed!

The next strategy is one of my favorites. Instead of simply preparing my ingredients for the week, I take it to the next step by cooking all my meals for the week and freezing them in tupperware. This way all I have to do is defrost and warm up my meals. This is perfect for singles like myself who hate to cook...just get it all out of the way...lol!

Do you have any tips and tricks that save you time around the kitchen? Please share with us by leaving a comment below!

Color me Stila!

2011-12-18T14:40:00.000-08:00

Here is a Stila trio ("warm" collection) that I got in my STYLEHAUL party bag yesterday. I really like this collection and how the glosses have a bit of shimmer in them.

I absolutely ♥ love lip gloss! I like the settle color and awesome shine that I get from them. The only down side is finding one that isn't tacky or have a funky smell.

So far these Stila lip glosses seem to be very smooth and smell kissable. (*^_^*)

Apricot Creme Bouquet

Chocolate

Plump It Real Good!!!...?

2011-12-18T12:52:00.000-08:00

So if you haven't already seen my new video or read my Tweets and Facebook posts, I went to the STYLEHAUL Holiday Party and came back with a bag full of goodies! One of the things that I liked the most were my lip glosses and one in particular was an Urban Decay "Lip Junkie" lip gloss in the color Jilted.

I LOVE this color on me but the friggin' lip gloss is a lip plumper!! As if I need my lips to look any bigger!! GRRrrrRrRrrrrRRR! So what do you guys think? "Plump It or Dump It??? LOL!

Here's a picture showing my lips about 15 minutes after application.

STYLEHAUL Holiday Party OOTD!

2011-12-17T11:08:00.000-08:00

STYLEHAUL is having a Holiday Party today...or lunch like I would like to call it since it starts at 2pm...lol. I'm really excited about this event and curious about who will be there.

Anyhoo, check out my LOOK BOOK to see how I dressed for the event!

ROCKING WITH NATURAL GIRLS!!!

2011-12-16T15:40:00.000-08:00

About a week ago I was contacted by a representative from Natural Girls Rock to attend an event they are hosting in ATL. I was very excited at the thought as well as scared/nervous since I have never been to a public event.

Well yesterday I got an "urgent" tweet from YouTuber Whoissugar telling me to check an email she sent to me. Come to find out, she was invited to the event as well! So on January 14, 2012 Whoissugar and I will be hosting the Natural Girls Rock event together!!!

Event Info:
"Natural Is...the FREEDOM to be YOU!"
595 Event Venue and Lounge
595 North Avenue NW
Atlanta GA

Tickets:
Advanced Online Purchase $15 + $1.37 FEE
Lunch included on ALL ticket pricing.

**NGR** VIP Tickets $25 + $1.62 FEE
Includes: Lunch, VIP Parking, and Reserved Seating

All online purchases end Jan. 14, 2012
Door Ticket Price: $20 pending availability!!!

I look forward to meeting a LOT of you Home Skillets there! =)

I ♥ ASIAN MENS!

2011-12-15T00:00:00.000-08:00

Yes, I said it..."mens"...and Asian ones at that....especially Koreans! There is just something about an Asian man that really gets my blood pumping. And I know it's not just me because O swears she's going to college in South Korea and find her husband there as well. So speak up ladies...anyone else with a bad case of Blasian love? ♥

HERE'S MY INFO

2011-12-13T16:58:00.000-08:00

So last week I thought it would be a good idea to make some business cards for myself...especially since I will be attending an event this coming Saturday.

When I was attending business school, a professor once told me that it was a great idea to always have "contact cards" with you because you just never know who you will come across. Contact cards are a great asset to have no matter who you are or even who you aspire to be.

And hey...when you see that hot guy in the suit sitting at the bar by himself...it just may impress him a bit when you give him your number (haha).

15DollarStore.com

2011-12-13T16:30:00.000-08:00

I don't know how many of you have heard of this FANTASTICAL (my new word of the month...lol) online store, but I have been shopping there for about 7 years now and I have never been disappointed.

This store carries everything from shoes, dresses, jeans, tops and even accessories. And just in case you are wondering they even carry things for men and children too.

Well to my suprise they now carry a discount section where you can get things on sale for $5...as if $15 wasn't cheap enough! Anyhoo, to see a few of the items I bought as well as how I dressed up one of the shirts I got check out my LOOK BOOK.

MAKING NEW FRIENDS ♥

2011-12-10T11:16:00.000-08:00

This is Irani. I've known her since the 4th grade, but I could not stand her! She was so annoying and used to do things that irritated me sooo bad. She was a cheerleader and I was on the basketball team so you can say from the start we were not meant to be.

Then came middle school where we were in band together, so I learned to tolerate her and even say "hello". Being in the band together was enough for me to hang out with her, but not that much.

Then the BIG High School came and we decided to join the same section in the high school band. From then on, we noticed that we were the perfect two. It's crazy how much alike we are from what we order at Starbucks to our favorite meals at McDonalds. We basically have all our classed together and it's pretty much US, the whole day!

Yup, you can pretty much say that she is a part of the family now. Dimples and I have a new sister and Vee (or shall I say, "Mama Vee" as Irani likes to say) has a new grey hair.

After everything is said and done, I guess what I want to tell you guys is that you should never judge a person until you really get to know them. If me and Irani would have never taken the time to get to know each other, we would have never discovered this wonderful friendship.

"FUSION"

2011-12-08T20:15:00.000-08:00

Today was my cousins' last band performance for the school year, and it was a special performance held for the friends and family of the band members. These girls are truely amazing and talented.

To be honest with you guys, I've never seen them perform until tonight...mostly because I had to go to work early the next morning or I was just too lazy to go (yea I know, what a bozo right!?!). Well, I was so happy to see them just as much as they were happy to see me. Love you big heads!! ♥

HEALTHY & BLEMISH FREE SKIN

2011-12-06T18:24:00.000-08:00

I'm often asked what I do to keep my face clear of acne and blemishes. Although I do suffer from both, I have found a very simple regimen to keep it all under control: wash, tone, and moisturize.

I wash my face twice a day using African Black Soap. Many have testified to it's super powers and I must say that, over time, I've seen the light!

Characteristics of African Black Soap:

- Light to Dark Brown in color

- Chunky

- Soft enough to break with your hands

*I purchase my African Black Soap on Amazon.com

The second thing I do is use a toner for my face. My main toner is 100% natural Witch Hazel. My absolute favorite one to use is "Witch Hazel Toner with Rose Petal" by Thayer. Can we say bomb.com?!

However when I am trying to do some heavy duty blemish fighting, I use pure lemon juice instead of my Witch Hazel toner. And yes, if you didn't know lemon juice has been said to help exfoliate the skin, eliminate black heads over a period of time, lighten age spots and other skin discolorations, as well as relieve sunburn when mixed with water (livestrong.com).

And of course the very last thing that I do is moisturize my skin. I usually use "Neutrogena Oil Free Moisture SPF15". Now the only thing about this moisturizer is that it can be a little pricey, so I decided to find a cheaper alternative that was just as affective.

CVS Pharmacy carries an in store brand that is very comparable to the Neutrogena brand. When switching to the CVS brand I noticed that I didn't experience any breakouts (a great indication that my face likes this stuff).

When choosing your own personal moisturizer you do want to make sure it is an SPF...I mean we are trying to lighten those dark spots, right?

Well, there it is guys, how I keep my skin healthy and blemish free. Oh, and before I forget, I also include my neck and chest in this regimen.

Read more on lemon juice at: www.livestrong.com

"WHAT ABOUT ME?!?!"

2011-12-04T17:05:00.000-08:00

Something that you guys may have not known is that O and Dimples have a little brother.

Home Skillets...meet Jair, the 12-yr-old human garbage disposal. This kid eats 20 out of the 24 hours provided in a day...lol!

Just last week I happened to glance at his cell phone and noticed that his wallpaper is a photo of some chicken that my aunt brought home for dinner one night. Not the usual "hot girl in a bikini" photo that most boys drool over.

I remember one day he was in the kitchen eating a chicken pot pie and the crust (his favorite part) fell on the floor. So he picks it up and says, "10 second rule!" But as soon as he picked it up it fell again. I couldn't believe it when he picked it up and said, "20 second rule!" o_O

We love you Jair!!! ♥

TRASH 2 TREASURE

2011-12-04T09:47:00.000-08:00

If you guys follow me on my YouTube channel, you know that I am a firm believer in the 3R's in fashion: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Why throw away those old shirts that don't fit right anymore or those hair accessories that came appart when you can make them into something new...something that displays your personality?

In a recent video I show how I make 4 different accessories out of 1 shirt.

WORKING TOGETHER

2011-12-03T00:52:00.000-08:00

"Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress, and working together is success." - Henry Ford

If you told me about 2 years ago that I would be posting YouTube videos about my natural hair, as well as be in a Christmas collaboration video with some of my favorite YouTubers I would have told you to, "Shut the front door!"

About a month ago a few YouTubers and myself accepted an invitation from "GirlsLoveYourCurls" to do a Christmas collaberation video and on December 1, 2011 the video went live on YouTube. All of us girls were extremely excited and proud of our collaberation.

Though this may seem as a small thing to some, I think it is a HUGE step forward for ourselves and the natural hair community on YT.