Changes

My mother told me she feels I have lost my spunk...

She feels the negative personalities I come into contact with has taken my smile.  She said she wants me to go back to being that happy baby in all of my baby pictures.  You literally cannot find a pic of me without a smile.  I have always been that happy bubbly person.  I think that I am starting to realize that my life did not go in the direction it should have gone.  I took too long to figure out what I truly wanted to do with my life.  Now everyone my age is set in their careers and moving around doing all of the things I dreamed for myself.  I am steps behind because I chose a different path.  I know I want to work with people, in a laid back setting throwing out ideas being taught by leaders who encourage creativity.  This is what I really want.... I want my spunk back.

J.O.B

This is one of the hardest and longest job searches I have had.  It's so much easier for me to get another job locally but that is not what I want.  I am ready to get out of this city, take on the world like a young adult and not feel the need to stay local because my family is here.  It's time for me to fly, solo and break away from the V...

I'm tired of flying in formation.  I have said for years, I am independent this and independent that because I have always had a good job, lived on my own and paid my own bills...even supporting myself through college as we speak, but to be fully independent really means to be able to choose my own formation, to fly where I want to fly.

My parents chose to move to NC after all the moving around with the military.  They chose their path and chose where to end it and I want to be able to say I did the same.  Not to say I stayed so long i got stuck.. I literally fill out hundreds of apps a day w/ no luck.  I know it will take time but I am so used to finding a job really fast.  Again probably because I am local and it's easier to hire locally then to hire someone out of state which is why it has taken so long for me to be offered a job.  hmmmmmm

Just wish me luck, I'm going back to applying.....today might be the day.
Finger's crossed
xoxoxo

My Road to Career Freedom...

I feel like I have applied for every single job there is in the states/cities that I am interested in living in.  Problem is, I am looking to work for a unique company that encourages creativity and thinking outside of the box.  I can no longer work for companies that speak about creativity in an interview and instead you end up being robotic, not able to have a voice...

I am a military brat who has lived in many places in my life, being stuck in this small city working jobs that do not make me happy is not where I saw my life at the age I am at.  I don't want to get stuck like a lot of people I know.  So many have said they would break away from this city, go on to bigger and better things, work for a company in a position that makes them happy.  That's what I want.  I asked my mom the other day if she truly loves what she does.. was this how she saw her life.  She says she loves what she does but because she does not like the company or the people she works for, it makes her not love what she does anymore...

I always end up with a cool boss but doing what I don't love for a company I do not like, ending up with the worse boss ever in an atmosphere that discourages creativity but working in a position that I would love if I was allowed to really express myself through my work...

I don't know if I am making sense b/c right now I feel like I am rambling, but I needed to vent.

Now what?
I am slowly becoming more and more claustrophobic... It's time for me to break away.  Take on a new city on my own. A city I choose at a company I'm passionate about working at.  No more corporate robot.

It's time to do me. 

Far too long....

Where the heck have I been.. Well I've been so busy I decided enough was enough and put extension braids in my hair. 

Between work and school I've been too busy to do anything to it.  But I did finish school w/ a bang and I am loving that I do not have to do a thing to my hair each day or fight w/ the weather to contain my curls.

In other news, I am job hunting my butt off like I never had before.  I really want this job in Atlanta that I saw.  As hard as it will be for me to move, I know it is about that time.  NC is too dull for me and w/ the traveling I did growing up, I am surprised I lasted as long as I did.

I started off talking lots about my hair and all that, but I think this is going to now be a blog just about my everyday life because my hair does not consume my life as much as it once did when I first big chopped.  Soooo What do you want to know? What do you want to hear about.. Should I tell more about myself???

Ok I will anyway... lets see....

I am in my 20's, work for a University, I have one sister, my parents are divorced (thank goodness) and my city is claustrophobic.

I wish I could feel the way this picture looks each and every day... isn't it beautiful!!
As you can see from how I am bouncing around from topic to topic, my mind is all over today.. More to write tonight but for now....... Don't just breath, LIVE.
xoxoxox

OOTD + Day 9 Hair/Day 4 Twist-Out

My OOTD is a simple boho style.  I didn't feel like wearing heels to work today but I still wanted to wear layers for an office feel.  My office is pretty chill where everyday is dress down Friday so wearing heels is pretty dressy for my office.  Most of my outfit came from a local thrift store called Cheapskate.  I love this store because you can buy and sell from the store and they love name buying name brand items from people.  I also had a pair of simple shades on with a brown tint to them that I got from Forever 21.  

Cardigan (grey); Mix Nouveau Scarf from local store CheapSkate; White basic V-neck, ripped Jeans; Express Flats (Magenta-similar pair); Nicole Miller Purse (Black) from Belks; Necklace from Cheapskate w/ simple silver studs

This is 9 day hair and a 4 day twist-out so today is definitely wash day!  I was going to wash my hair last night but I got lazy.  I did stop by the store and purchase a few products I will be using tonight to prep for my mini twists.  I will be doing a deep conditioning treatment and when I begin twisting I will still use my castor oil but I will also use some Shea Moisture Organic Curl Enhancing Smoothie that I purchased from Walgreens for $9.99 (online you can purchase it for $7.99).  I will deep condition with Shea Moisture Organic Raw Shea Butter Deep Treatment Hair Masque that I purchased for $9.99.

 

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Regimen for tonight's conditioning and twisting:

1.     Spray hair with water and distribute in 4 sections, Organic Hair Mayo and Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) or any oil of your choice.  If you do not have Organic Hair Mayo, you can use regular Mayo in your fridge w/ EVOO.

2.     Put on plastic cap or plastic bag and wrap warm towel around the bag or sit under the dryer for about 15-30 min.  

3.     Rinse a section and co-wash with your choice of conditioner (I prefer Herbal Essence).  Repeat on all sections.

4.     Apply your deep conditioner (I am using Shea Moisture Organic Raw Shea Butter Deep Treatment Hair Masque).  Cover with cap and sit for 15 minutes.

5.     Rinse each section and apply your leave-in conditioner or reapply the masque (the jar says you can use the masque for frizzies).

6.     I usually air dry or lightly blow dry on cold-hi setting.

7.     Apply Castor Oil and Shea Moisture Enhancing Smoothie to section.  Separate parts w/ fingers and begin twisting.  Depending on the size, this could take me about 4-6 hours to complete. 

**After a week or 2 of twists, I wear a twist out for about a week and begin from step 1.  I do detangle in the shower when my conditioner is on my hair w/ a denman brush, BUT, I will be trying the finger detangling method tonight.  If it works, this will be my new regimen for detangling.**

Thanks for stopping by loves :)
Come see me tomorrow for my Tutorial vid!

OOTD + FRO LOVE

Here are some pics from my outfit of the day (OOTD).  I will do a mini twist tutorial that includes how I co-wash my hair and I will post it tomorrow :)

Gap Blazer (black); NY Collection Sequin Tank (teal); Forever 21 Skinny Jeans (dark denim); Charlotte Russe Thigh-High Boots (black); Necklace (thrift shop), Forever 21 Bracelets (assorted pearl & black)

Mini Twist-Out (Day 8 hair; day 3 twist-out)

I Love H81 (Forever 21) Scarf (black/grey); Silver Studded Earrings Forever 21; Palladio Herbal Tinted Lip Balm Bronzy Pink PTB07

.....IT'S JUST THE BEGINNING.....

BESOS...

First and foremost WELCOME!!  This is a place where I share everything I love, including fashion (OOTD VIDS), hair care (TUTORIAL VIDS) and music (MOSTLY LOCAL ARTISTS AND NEWS).  I will give you a little background history and hopefully you will come back again for my posts, vids and tips.

ABOUT ME....

**My name is Chrystal, military brat that finally settled down in NC.  I am looking to move soon so a "Get Out Of NC B4 I Go Nuts" post will be up soon!  I work for a university, love hanging out with friends and try to keep myself in the local hip hop music scene as much as possible.  One of my BFF's is a blogger and suggested this to me some time ago.  I can admit that I have a small obsession w/ my hair.  The longer it gets the more excited I am to play in it.  This is why I have tried using protective styles lately including the weather changes.**

 

HAIR: 2 years natural w/ a steady regimen

Length Check after trim (10/15/12)

Left Side: 7"

Right Side: 7 1/2"

Front: 7 1/2"

Back: 7"

Top: 8"

Regimen

Currently my regimen includes mini twists, mini twists and more mini twists.  Every 2 weeks I co-wash my hair, lightly blow dry or air dry and do my mini twists using either Castor Oil or Miss Jessies Baby Buttercreme.  I leave them in for about a week and wear it as a twist out for week 2 and begin the process all over again.

FASHION: ... Fashionista...hmm depends on how much effort I choose to put into it, but lately I've been putting in a lot!  Some of my fav brands or stores include, Forever 21, Charlotte Russe, Jessica Simpson, Guess, Gap, HauteLook and DSW.

MUSIC: Currently in my playlist you will find Lazurus (local Raleigh, NC artist), Common, Miguel, Frank Ocean, Dwele, Kirko Bangz, Lupe Fiasco, Kendrick Lamar, Goapele... so many different genre's I can't even keep up with what I like the best so I say, I like anything that makes me tap my foot.  I usually go with Kirko in the morning to wake me up and Common radio on iHeartRadio to keep me going. 

This is my first post on my new blog.  Thank you so much for viewing and be sure to come back and see me :)