Curls & Cuts

I recently received the following email from a fellow reader and decided to share...
Hey lady,

Thank you for taking the time from your busy schedule to read this email. I was on your blog today and was looking at your pic on haircut + pics, I immediately thought this is for me!! Which by the way your hair looks GORGEOUS!!!!! I have been wanting to cut my hair for about a month now. The winter has been extremely horrible and I need to get rid of these darn split ends. I've been researching places where I should get my hair cut and at the moment I'm thinking of Devachan and Afrigenix (not sure if this is the correct spelling) which I found on NaturallyCurly.com. And now here I am today not so sure anymore since I read you recommend Santa Cruz Salon for naturally curly. Enough of me rambling on, lol. Can you give me some advice PLEASE :-D. I've attached a picture of my hair so you can see what my hair looks like. Again, thank you so so so much for reading my email.

My advice:
Let me first start by saying your hair is GORGEOUS as well. I've been to Devachan twice and yes, they are very well educated in understanding how curly hair works, but after my second visit, I wasn't too happy with my results. They have their own cutting technique that involves cutting each curl one at a time. This takes a lot of time and I noticed that they don't like to cut a lot of hair off at one time. Another thing I didn't like was that their cutting technique isn't compatible with straight hair. When I had blown out my hair a few weeks later, it was lopsided- one side was longer than the other. Good thing I'm not a total dud with scissors, I ended up trimming my own hair myself to get it "looking" even. I've also used their products, I did like the One Condition for a time, but I've moved on since then. Remember, this is all just my opinion. Devachan is extremely popular and they have a lot of fans. If you do go, make sure you see a senior stylist (that was my mistake, I didn't).
I don't know anything about Afrigenix, if someone knows please comment below- I'd like to know your thoughts as well.
But yes, I would definitely recommend Salon Santa Cruz, she knows curly hair VERY well and most importantly, she talks to you to make sure that you are getting what you want. She will explain her technique and if you want, she'll blow your hair straight to make sure it is all even.

Hope this helps and good luck to you in your hair journey. Please come back and keep us posted :-)

NP2 Nail Polish & Giveaway

I had the opportunity to try out NP2's nail polish and I jumped on it. I'd never heard of it until now and the savvy bottle design is what first caught my attention. How cute! A based and top coat PLUS color in one neat little "lego-like" packaging. Cool.

Now that the bottle had my attention, I wanted to know if the polish inside would live up to it's outer hype. And it did. I painted my nails last Wednesday and on Saturday, it was still presentable. The base/top coat was also very shiny, which is extremely important to me. I like my nails to still look wet once they're dry.

Well, the good news is that I liked this polish so much that I want YOU to have one too! 

Simply send an email to hbsbabe@ymail.com entitled "NP2 4 ME 2!" by Thursday, 3/11/10. One winner will be selected at random and announced on Friday!

Good luck gals!

Haircut + Pics

On Friday after work I ran home and did my hair. I couldn't wait to see what it would really look like after I did my "professional" work on it ;-)

I washed with my RenPure "My Pretty Hair is Parched" shampoo and conditioner, then used the Garnier Fructis Leave in Conditioning Cream to style my wash & go. I did about 3 tiny two strand twists for the frizzy area at the crown. For the front left side (that absolutely refuses to curl), I also did 2 two strand twists, and set the ends on cut pieces of straws (using a large bobby pin to secure).
*Note: I always use McDonald's straws because they're much wider than regular drinking straws.

After drying underneath my bonnet dryer for about 45 minutes, I fluffed a little with my fingers and then put up into a high ponytail to sleep. In the morning, I took out the ponytail, shook it out and fluffed it up some.

 

For the cut, I went to Time Salon in Brooklyn (718) 522.9030- It's located at 9 Greene Avenue (Simply take the C train to Lafayette Ave.). I wouldn't really recommend them for cutting natural/curly hair though. If you're hair is relaxed or you're looking for an edgy, short cut, then this is your place.

If you're looking for someone who REALLY knows curly hair, check out Santa Cruz at Salon Santa Cruz, (212) 684.2386, located at 254 Fifth Avenue, between 28th and 29th streets.

Friday's Dessert 3/5/10

Welcome to the weekend :-)

"The best way out is always through"
-Robert Frost

Just to update everyone, my hair is SHORT. Way shorter than what I anticipated. Long hair, short hair, that part doesn't really matter to me but I just have to figure out how I'm going to work with it. I've been at this length before but now I have to work it out all over again. I'm going to mess around with it this weekend and I'll post some pics up by Monday.
What happened was that the stylist cut my hair while it was straight (big, big mistake). He washed, conditioned and blow dried THEN cut. It was also partly my fault though, because I kept telling him to go shorter! So, when it's straight its about shoulder length but curly, it looks very short.

Time for a Change

I'm getting my hair cut today guys! Nothing too drastic, however I do want to be able to wear my hair more in my face. Something similar to Tanika Ray's style. I just dont think I want it that short though... Ohhh... Decisions, decisions... I'll keep you all posted on the outcome. I'm excited :-)

RenPure Organics & My Curls

I've been using RenPure's "My Pretty Hair is Parched" Moisturizing Shampoo and Conditioner and what can I say? I absolutely LOVE it. I'm not too crazy about the scent though, it kinda reminds me of something that I clean with, but I can't put my finger on it. That's the only negative thing I have to say about this line though.
After I've styled my hair and it has dried, it is VERY soft, like baby hair almost. It also has a healthy shine to it. It doesn't feel heavy or weighed down, or stiff. I purchased my set from Duane Reade at 6.99 each (don't quote me on that though, it may have had an additional percentage taken off with the discount card).

These are the results after the second time I used it, I wish you guys could feel how soft it was. I thought it was because I had deep treated it beforehand. But no, I just did my hair again last night and it still has that buttery soft feel to it.

This is going to be my favorite shampoo + conditioner for the moment... (You know, unless I find something better ;-)

Have you tried RenPure yet?

Love it or Leave it? Raven Simone

Ok I know I'm a few days late on this one but I really like this short new 'do on Raven. It makes her look more mature and less child-ish. She actually looks like a grown women instead of a Nickelodeon star!

What do you think?

Who is Kennedy?

Kennedy Jacobs is a fictional female based on an upcoming (soon to be published) novel by... ME.

You know Ken.

She's the girlfriend that you call to confide in, shop and gossip with. She doesn't make friends easily but once she's got you, she'll go to the grave for you. Naive when it comes to relationships and always looking for advice, insecure and scared to take her own.

Yeah, you know her.

We all do.
_________________________________________________________
Ok, now allow me to explain...
For those of you who've been following this blog, you already know that I've been trying to finish my novel, for the LONGEST time now. I always start, then stop, change my mind and then start off where I last left off.
Well I don't plan on stopping any more until I'm finished. Writing this novel has been extremely challenging thus far and not to mention overwhelming.

Fiction goes to another level...
"Kennedy" is simply one of the insignificant characters of the current story I'm working on and Kennedy Says is HER blog, chronicling her thoughts, trials and tribulations- many most of us can relate to in real life.
"Kennedy Says" is just a sneak peek into what you can expect from me some time in the near future :-)

So I ask that you please support the effort; read along, leave comments, send emails... you know how it goes.


Visit Kennedy at www.kennedysays.blogspot.com!

The Perfect Navy Blue- Borghese Nail Color

I've been searching for the perfect navy blue polish for YEARS now (literally)! Thanks to the good folks at Borghese, I was able to get my hands on this lovely shade of deep, dark blue. It's perfect for me- Unlike OPI's Russian Navy, this doesn't have shimmer. It is simply navy blue.

Borghese's Mezzonite Blue 

 

Friday's Dessert 2/26/10

I just finished reading the MOST disturbing book I think I've ever read. "A Deep Dark Secret", by Kimberla Lawson Roby is the fictional account of a 12 year old girl, Jillian, who is dealing with frequent sexual abuse at the hands of her stepfather. Since age 7, she has kept this deep dark secret from everyone she knows.

At times, I found myself skipping over several pages and paragraphs (which is probably why I read the entire book within 24 hours!). I would put this book in the same category as "PUSH" by Sapphire (aka the movie "Precious"). A tough read indeed, but once I start a book I HAVE to finish it.

One of the quotes from the story that stuck with me after shutting off my Nook was this:

"For everything bad that happens, something good always comes out of it."

No matter what kind of situation you may be going through, ALWAYS try to see the silver lining in it... No matter what.

Have a great weekend and if you're snowed in like I am, enjoy it!

Curls and Caps?

The two usually don't mix. I've met several women who don't don hats in the winter for fear of smashing the curls that they worked so hard to create. This is primarily why I'll go for a more subdued look with roller sets (big, loose curls) during the frigid winter months.

However, for those cold days when I do rock my natural curls, I have two knit caps that I can wear that won't mash them up. They don't really keep my head warm though, I still have to end up putting my hood on.

Here are several examples of the 2 hats that I have:



I wanna know: Do you wear caps/hats over your curls?