Still Raw!

Hello lovelies! I hope you are all well.

I want to take a moment to send my condolences to all affected by the horrible bombings in Boston last week. As a runner, it made me physically sick to imagine feelings of euphoria and triumph turn to fear and pain. As a human being, I am saddened by some who choose to also call themselves human, yet bring themselves to commit such unthinkable acts against others. My heart and spirit is encouraged, though. I know as a people, overall we are still good, kind, and full of love. RIP to all those who lost their lives, and peace to all those they left behind.

Well as promised, here is an update on my 30 day raw challenge journey! Today is day 15 (cheer, roar, clap..take your pick)!!! Dare I say that I feel like this could be a MAJOR change in my life? I know it may be a bit premature as I'm only 2 weeks in, but I feel so amazingly fabulous that I can't imagine not doing this from here on out. At least 80-85% raw, while incorporating some of my faves such as brown rice, beans, almond milk, and grains into the other 15-20% of my diet. Let me slow down...and take you back to the last 5 days =)

Days 11-15

Day 11 was a pretty good day. My diet is pretty much the same now daily. Over the past year I have grown to love bananas, which is funny because I used to hate 'em. Since on this raw challenge, I have been eating them like I'm a baby monkey. I had 2 for breakfast along with an Ataulfo, or yellow mango. Lunch was another banana and an orange. I snacked on raw nuts and dried cranberries and later had more fruit for dinner. I had no veggies today. Not sure why, but wasn't really wanting any. I drank about 6 cups of water and had 3 cups of herbal tea. My skin is softer and the eczema that occasionally flares up on my hands are gone.

Day 12 started with a fruit cooler for breakfast: 1/2 cup seeded watermelon, 1/2 cup strawberries, 1/2 cup blackberries, juice of 1 lemon, 1 peeled orange, 3 cups water and 2 tsp agave nectar blended. Really refreshing! I bottled and refrigerated the leftovers. Lunch was a spinach, kale, cucumber, and tomato salad with my home made curry dressing. I forced myself to have 2 bananas and an orange for dinner later that night. I was not hungry at all. I only drank about 4 cups of water today and had 2 cups of herbal tea. I have to increase my water intake to flush these toxins out and keep hydrated! My allergies are still irritating me. I wake up very congested still.

Day 13 started out with any innocent desire to have something different for breakfast and turned into a trail mix buffet of sorts. I received a call from my cousin in Canada and we were on the phone for about an hour. By the time 10 o'clock rolled around, I had eaten more than a handful of raw cashews, dried papaya, raw hazelnuts, raisins, and dried pineapple. I felt bloated and thought that it felt like a bit of a binge, but guilt has no business here so I let it go. I had a banana and some dried seaweed for lunch with herbal tea and water. I had fruit for dinner as the fiance and I watched a movie later. I'm in the bathroom so much, I might as well slap on a diaper =\
My sleep continues to be good with very vivid dreams. I sleep about 6-7 hours a night and feel rested.

Day 14 was a BEAUTIFUL, beyond day. Although I still woke up congested, once I hit the shower, my nose and sinuses cleared up and I stopped sneezing like a fiend. The fiance wanted to picnic in the park and that's what we did. He made a smoothie for my breakfast before we left: strawberries, blackberries, bananas, coconut and dates. Bam! Delicious. I packed a ginormous salad for the both of us, sandwiches for the manchild, a bottle of wine for the fiance, hummus and chips for the both of them, and fruit and water for me. We sat by the water at Sweetwater Creek State Park, played some Teena Marie and had a blast. Dinner was more salad for me and water. I feel noticeably lighter and my clothes are a bit looser. I haven't weighed myself in a while. Maybe I will tomorrow.

Day 15 has been a bit of a stomach churner. Literally. I swear it's like I can actually FEEL and HEAR all the food I eat digesting! Weird. I'm still congested, but not as bad. I had 2 bananas and some of my watermelon cooler drink for breakfast. I felt a bit tired today so I had a 2 hour nap from about 12-2pm and that did wonders. I snacked on raw cashews, papaya, seaweed, strawberries and blackberries. Dinner was leftover salad from yesterday's picnic. I drank 8 cups of water today and had 1 cup of herbal tea. I made sesame-ginger stir fried rice for the fam's dinner and for a split second, I thought I wanted some rice. This was the first time I've had something close to a craving since I've started. I even baked bread last night for the manchild without a second thought. Thankfully, as quickly as the thought came, it was gone. I'm actually excited for the the next two weeks.  My fiance says I smell like berries. I didn't believe him until I smelled my arms. I actually SMELL like fruit. Awesome!

 Picnic Salad

 Yellow Mango

Toasting life with my love

 Picnic basket

Well, there you are. I'm truly loving this challenge. I want to incorporate more veggies because it seems like I'm eating more fruit than veggies. Which, I'm not sure that it's necessarily bad, but I want to make sure I'm getting all my nutrients. I'll probably do another vid tomorrow. Until next time,


Love and Happiness,

Nikki

30 Day Raw Vegan (Is She INSANE?)

Hello my lovelies! I really have been here, I promise. Life is great and is keeping me busy. I hope all is well with you and that you are rocking this life OUT!

Last week I announced on Twitter, FB, Instagram, etc that I would be starting a 30 day raw vegan challenge, which I started on April 8. Today is day 10 of my journey and I have to say that I FEEL AMAZING. You can check out the video below for some quick info on what this is and why I'm doing this. I will be doing this challenge from April 8-May 8 and it will incorporate raw fruits, veggies and some nuts as well. Raw eating is an incomparable way of living. It's actually a lifestyle, because it impacts every other aspect of your life. I love this blog by 19 year old Em from Vancouver, Canada. She embodies my philosophy and has some pretty impressive raw recipes on her site:

This Rawsome Vegan Life

Wasn't that beyond?? Good for her!!

I thought I would be blogging about my journey 2-3 times per week, but I felt like it would be monotonous to keep posting about what I'm eating all day =) 
So instead, I will blog and vlog periodically with updates (that you may or may not care about..lol).

Days 1-6

Day 1 was pretty good. I didn't feel sluggish or have any detox symptoms. I ate bananas and grapes for breakfast. For lunch I had a green smoothie (spinach, kale, bananas, and pineapple) and dinner was a big salad made with avocado, spinach, tomatoes, cabbage, orange slices, onions, and my homemade dressing made of curry powder, lemon juice, cayenne pepper, spicy mustard, sea salt, pepper, and raw sugar. I slept well and had no major issues.

Day 2 was a bit of a mixed bag. I woke up feeling very positive and light. I had a strawberry banana smoothie for breakfast. I ate similar to above, but I started to feel "snacky". Ha! That means I wanted some pita chips and hummus, folks. I worked that day, so that kept me from focusing on it too much. I ate a lot of raw almonds and raisins to help with the snacking fever. However, I did have to make a pit stop to Sevananda (a whole/heath foods store here in Atlanta), and found some raw vegan kale chips that were amazing. Satisfied that demon! Also, lots of visits to the bathroom (or water closet, as my BFF's hubby calls it-ha!). No details needed.

Day 3 was a sleepy day. My body just felt heavy and foggy. I tried to eat as much as I could, but I mostly just rested. Detox. Yuck. More fruits today than veggies.

Days 4-6 were much better. We were out of town for spring break in the Smoky Mountains! I surely did haul my raw life with me. For the road, I had bananas, grapes, water, and Bolthouse Farms unpasteurized juices (Green Goodness and Berry Blast), along with my raw trail mix. That kept me satisfied. Once we got to the cabin, I made a huge salad for dinner and banana ice cream for dessert. Banana ice cream is the shizzz! All you do is freeze a peeled banana (or several for more people) and let it soften a bit before you blend it. Once it's blended, it looks just like soft serve. It has a great taste, and you've used ONE  RAW ingredient. You can always add peanut butter, chocolate, fruits, etc if you want to, but I love it just like this. So did my future hubby =)
Throughout our trip, I noticed my appetite had begun to diminish, so I would have to remind myself to eat a banana or an orange just to keep my nutrients up. My boo even brought some cognac with us and I just sat back and watched him drink. Didn't even want  a sip. I KNOW....ME! You'll notice that the more natural, whole foods you eat, the less cravings you'll have. True hunger is an amazing feeling. I also slept very well and woke up by 6-3:30 on my own feeling refreshed. That mountain air is intoxicating, by the way. Had a blast.

Days 7-10

Day 7 had me thinking I was Superwoman. I felt so high! I was buzzing all over the place. My poor fiance just wanted to go and rest somewhere after our trip and I was so full of energy. Ha! I had a smoothie made of 1/2 apple, juice of 1/2 lemon, 1 banana, and 1 orange. It was sooo good. It reminded me of that old school juice place in the mall, Orange Julius! Remember that? No? Ok, moving on.
We were on the road by lunch/dinner time so I had some more raw trail mix (raw peanuts, almonds, sunflower seeds, raisins). For dinner, I wasn't really hungry so I had some herbal tea and 2 bananas.

Day 8 was another great day. I woke up feeling refreshed and had some beyond dreams that I won't puzzle you all with. They were dope, though. I had peach herbal tea and grapes for breakfast. Me and the hunny went to the Dekalb Farmer's market and scored big. I was in vegan girl heaven! I've lived in Atlanta for going on 8 years and I had never been there. Smh. We ended up spending about $115, but we got a ton of goodies. Can I just take the time to say how supportive my fiance has been this past week? He has unconsciously joined me on this journey and he didn't have to. Thanks, babe!!!
We came home and immediately, he made a huge salad from our exotic veggies. The most notable taste was the red leaf spinach. I swear it tastes like licorice!! I made another dressing from red wine vinegar, lemon juice, turmeric, cayenne pepper, ginger, garlic, and raw agave nectar. Beyond.
Dinner was a small amount of some more of the amazing salad. It was a great day.

Day 9 KICKED MY ASS!!! I felt horrible! What happened?? And I was funkeee. The fumes coming from my armpits could have won the war on their own. Oh my goodnasss. Since the skin is the body's largest organ, you will detox through it in the form of either increased body odor, rashes, pimples, or a combination of all. I was also cramping in my back, and my allergies were turned all the way up; I couldn't breathe. I felt like utter crap. I really pushed myself to eat, but ended up only having tea, water, 2 bananas, some raw trail mix that the fiance made out of our dried fruits and nuts, and a fruit salad that was the highlight of my day. I was in bed most of the day and finally drifted off passed the hell out around 10:30 or so.

Day 10 (today) is like I'm someone else. I feel like I did on day 7. My energy is through the roof. I was literally doing twirls around the house this morning as I got the manchild ready for school and yapping a mile a minute at my fiance. He just made me the most amazing "berry delight" breakfast smoothie as I'm working on this post. Just what I needed. Sometimes I think we can read each other's minds. Which makes me monitor my thoughts around him sometimes. Ha ; )

30 Day Raw Vegan Challenge Video 

Some of our Dekalb Farmer's Market Haul!!

Raw nuts and dried fruit, red kale, red spinach, organic red chard (hey, we were on a "red" kick), organic seaweed (so good!), fruits-including yellow mangoes, which were DIVINE, avocados, tomatoes/lemons/hot peppers, and my day 9 fruit salad

 

So that's where I am lovelies. I feel good today and hope I have made it through the worst of it. Don't let the funky days discourage you if you're joining me on this journey. It's just your body's way of ridding itself of the ish it doesn't need. Hope you enjoyed the pics, vid, and journey. See you soon!


Love & Happiness,

Nikki

Two Cent Tuesdays!

Hello again my lovelies. I know it's almost Valentine's Day, but um, Happy New Year (and Chinese New Year)! Hope you're having a helluva time keeping up with all of those resolutions you made so far =)

As for me, I've decided to be a bit more consistent with my Two Cent Tuesdays. I know! That's big news, right? It is for me...I realized that I can still be on track with curbing my spending and review products I already use. No need to go crazy buying things just to review! Light bulb.

So stick around to see what shenanigans I've been up to on my quest to find products I absolutely need in my life!


Apricot Oil

I discovered this oil by accident. I was shopping for avocado oil that I normally use in my hair and on my skin, and GNC was out of it. I read that Apricot oil was good for dry skin, so I decided to try it. Let me say that it did not disappoint. This oil is light, non-greasy, and absorbs really well. I ended up using it mostly on my skin and noticed it cleared up the eczema flare on my hands almost immediately. Looking for Vitamin A, E, and essential fatty acids? Check. It reminds me of sweet almond oil in texture and properties. Great also for psoriasis, dry, dull hair, and even scabies (ew!)

  Now Solutions apricot oil $4.99, GNC
Bottom line: Recommended


Benefit Cosmetics
benefitcosmetics.com

So it was my birthday on January 25th, and of course I made my annual pilgrimage to Sephora for some new goodies. I tend to splurge in there, but the good thing is you get a freebie on your birthday. Yep.
This year, I received the They're Real mascara mini and Watt's Up soft focus highlighter for the face. The price for the two on Benefit's website are $10 and $30 respectively.
The mascara's wand has a cool shape, and my lashes definitely rivaled the look my Maybelline Mega Plush Volume mascara currently gives me!
The highlighter looked okay under my brow line and on my cheekbones, but it was nothing mind blowing. I may have to go back to the store and have a demo of how to apply since this is not something I normally wear. I checked their website to see if their products are cruelty-free (owned by twin sisters Jean and Jane Ford), and the answer was somewhat ambiguous. They say that they don't test on animals, but also state that no company can completely make that claim...huh? Read for yourself here.

 

 Bottom line: Somewhat recommended. I would definitely purchase the mascara, but not quite sold on the highlighter for myself...yet. Especially for $30!


Sephora

 My new obsession is pink/purple lip color, so I tried several different shades while at Sephora for the perfect shade. I ended up choosing the 12 Hour wear Jumbo Liner Crayon in Lilac Shimmer, which is actually for the eyes. The color was perfect, and it does go on with a smooth, almost powdery feel. I make sure to wear lip balm first to prevent my lips from drying out and looking like a crazy person. It's also waterproof so I can eat and drink without having to reapply constantly throughout the day.
Sephora, $14

 
Loves it!!

 

 Bottom line: Highly recommended 

 

 Susan Nichole Handbags

I have been a fan of Susan Nichole vegan handbags for a couple of years now. I finally treated myself to one for Christmas. After rocking lots of high end leather bags for years, I was skeptical about "vegan" accessories because I hadn't found any that lived up to my taste...until now. These bags are fab, hot, and most importantly cruelty free. I was feeling kinda "hobo" and ordered the Meghan bag in gold. Since I was on their email list, I receive offers for special sales and other perks; to that end, I received my bag for only $38 versus the $125 it is sold for. Heeeck yeah!
The bag itself is very spacious, colorful with a funky burgundy strap that I wear across my body. I get lots of compliments on it.
Of note, on their website, you can learn how to enter to win a FREE BAG of your choice every Thursday at 10pm EST on Twitter and Facebook. Really simple to enter.
They even let you return your bag/wallet for recycling once you're done with it...AND they give you a $10 credit towards your next purchase for doing so! What else do you NEED??

Ivy in Dark Green, $125

Miss Betty in Oatmeal, $150

Meghan in Gold, $125 (but I received for $38)


Bottom line: With both fabulous fashion pieces and conscientious business practices, it's a no- brainer. I will definitely be a repeat customer. Highly recommended.


There you have it. Overall, I was very satisfied with the products/merchandise I purchased. I'm excited that some or all of this helped you guys. Thanks again for all the messages and love you all have been showing me here, on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. We're gonna keep this thing growing!!!

Until next time,

Love and Happiness!!

Nikki




Food!

I know. It's been a long time...um, nearly six months? Sorry. BUT I do have good reasons...I moved back to Atl from an unexpected detour to Baltimore this summer. I worked at Johns Hopkins' new children's hospital. Loved it...great experience.

Soooo..when I got back to Atl in October, I then went to NY (following me still?) because my honey was officiating his cousin's wedding on the 14th. He then proceeded to PROPOSE to me during the reception...with his cousin Vernon and his wife's prior permission, of course (unbeknownst to me!) Thank GOD I looked decent! Ha ha.

I say all that to tell you guys that I'm engaged! So my life has been a tiny bit hectic, on top of the usual frantic. Yet, I still find time to cook and shop...yep! I'm excited to share some of the details of the planning and fun stuff for our 2013 wedding, but for now here are some good vegan eats for you.

Happy Holidays, lovelies!


1. Hearty veggie burger sandwiches with home fries AND sweet potato sticks****

I made these using two types of bread for variety. The one on the left is on a Telera roll (so good) and the other is a rosemary potato bread that I sliced and baked in the oven for about 5 minutes. I found both at Kroger.
Other ingredients for the sandwich:
Boca burger vegan patty sauteed in olive oil
sliced avocado
sliced onion, pickles, tomato, Dijon mustard, baby spinach leaves
mayo (for my honey as he is not vegan, but vegetarian)
ground sea salt, pepper to taste
potato wedges and sweet potato sticks, baked in extra virgin olive oil and sea salt for about an hour in 350 degree oven
One of my BEST sandwiches ever!!!

2. Sweet potato pie****

I made 2 of these for Thanksgiving...one with raisins and one without. Really, it's the only pie I eat. I also made 2 different types of apple/fruit pies for the rest of the fam. This pie received great kudos, even from the kids =)

Ingredients for two pies:
2 graham cracker crusts (ready to bake), or your choice of crust
4-5 moderate to large sweet potatoes/yams, baked for about an hour, then peeled when cooled
cinnamon, cloves, vanilla, nutmeg (to taste...I never measure-sorry)
1/4 cup white sugar, 3/4 cup  dark brown sugar
1/2 cup orange juice, grated rind of 1/2 lemon
3/4 cup or so of vanilla almond milk
                                 3-4 tablespoons flour, raisins (optional)
                                 bake at 350 degrees for an hour or until toothpick comes out clean

3. Vegan Asian stir fry****

If you don't try ANYTHING else, please try this stir fry! Absolutely delicious. I was inspired by my love of Chinese food growing up in Brooklyn. This is my vegan version.

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons of sesame oil, heated...stir fry 1 chopped onion and 3-4 cloves of garlic, and about 1/2 tsp grated ginger
-add about 1 cup of broccoli heads, chopped along with salt and pepper to taste
-add about 2 cups frozen vegetable mix (peas, corn,carrots, etc), and about 1/2 cup zucchini or other squash (optional)
-add Chinese 5 spice powder and red pepper flakes to taste. I also add genuine pepper sauce from Trinidad to make it EXTRA hot...but that's just me =)
-now add about 3-4 cups cooked hot white rice, tamari sauce, and one package of veggie crumbles. Stir together and enjoy!!!


   

4. Black Bean Salsa and Guacamole***

 This was a joint effort between the fiance and myself. We were craving Mexican food this past Monday night, and we came up with something delicious!

He made the black bean salsa:

1 can of black beans, drained, chopped onion, garlic, celery, diced tomatoes, fresh cilantro, salt, pepper, more pepper sauce (see above), and a dash of Old Bay seasoning. Mix together and heat through.

I made the guacamole:

2 avocadoes, juice of 1 lemon, ground sea salt, pepper, 1/2 cup of salsa sauce (hot)  or 1 small tomato, cilantro, and 1 clove of garlic. Mix in food processor until you reach desired consistency. Done!

We added a dollop of salsa, chips for dipping, and of course a glass of red wine...Fab!!!

Hope you enjoyed some or all of these. Until next time, lovelies!

Love & Happiness!

Nikki

Poetry Reading!

Hello again, my lovelies!  I wanted to share a poem with you guys that I was invited to submit in the World Poetry Movement contest on Facebook.

I know it might be a bit "darkish" for some, but it is truly from my heart and a reflection of a part of my experience here on earth. Truthfully, it is how I came to be here, and I think it reveals how and why I have so much determination to succeed, love, and support others in this life. See? Everything can be turned around and used for good!

I'll leave the link to the poem entry at the bottom if you feel so inclined to vote for me, and/or comment. Take a deep breath...and enjoy.

Dysfunctional Womb

By: Nikki Thomas

The darkness of its shelter
prepared me for a lifetime
An absence of warmth, a presence of resentment
Nothing nourished me, her voice never spoke my name
I don't remember a visit from love
I don't remember a visit from joy
I don't remember asking for much
Yet, her womb rejected me; I wasn't welcome


It trapped me with scorn and made me afraid
But my pulse was my lullaby and it often sang out my name
Otherwise alone, I had no sanity
No passersby smiled at my bulging intrusiveness
She never invited them to touch her new girth
She had no glow
Her mind was ticking
What would she do?
How would her existence mimic what it was
before...before I was planted and morphed into a life
she could no longer ignore?


Maybe it was time for me to surrender
Yes! I planned to search for air I could breathe
Life I could live
Love I could feel
I twisted and turned and happily brought her pain
The journey from the bitter blackness filled me with hope
She looked away and gave me up with a bloody push
and never embraced me, no not once


I didn't care
I was here
And the darkness of its shelter had prepared me
for this...

Whew...emotions, huh? Lawd! Well, here's the link I promised.

Unfortunately, you have to click on it from a laptop/desktop vs your smartphone or it will just redirect you to the World Poetry Movement page on Facebook (which is ok, too!) I'll also put up a vid on YouTube of me reading it later today, as well as discussing the meaning behind this a little bit more in depth. My second YouTube site is http://www.youtube.com/veganfashionista

Hope to see you there.

The universe allowed me the chance to do for my baby what my mother couldn't with me. Love unconditionally.


Until next time,

Love and Happiness!

Nikki <3

Curried Chickpeas and Rice

Hello again, my lovelies! I was sitting around chilling yesterday (Saturday), when I suddenly had a craving for something "curried". Blame it on my Trini bloodline.

The wheels in my head started turning like it was my job! I decided on curried chickpeas and had everything I needed to make some (minus fresh ginger, but since there was ginger listed in my curry powder mix, I valiantly fought the urge to run to the store).

You can watch my stellar prep and performance in the vid below, but I want to warn you that I'm the type of cook who doesn't use exact measurements. However, I did pretty well in letting you know roughly how much of each ingredient was used.

I usually make a larger amount, but since it was just for myself and the manchild this time, I only made enough for two. Use 2 cans of chickpeas if you want to serve 4 people as a main dish, and roughly double the remaining ingredients.

So for this episode, you'll need:

(1) 15.5 oz can of chickpeas/garbanzo beans (reserve about 3/4 can of the liquid)

1 small to med onion

2 cloves of garlic

3-4 Tbs Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 Tbs fresh thyme (or cilantro if you prefer)

curry powder (to taste)

cayenne pepper (to taste)

 1 tsp fresh ground black pepper

3 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp cardamom

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground cloves 

1 cup water

cooked white rice (or brown if you prefer..I only eat white rice when I'm eating curry)

You can also eat with couscous, quinoa, bread...whatever grain you feel like. Shoot, it's all about what you feel like!

Optional:

Some people also chop 1-2 small potatoes and add to pan while onions and garlic are cooking, then finish cooking, covered with chickpeas.

This vid can also be found on my new YouTube channel www.youtube.com/veganfashionista

Hope you enjoyed my fancy-pants cooking vid! If you try the recipe, let me know what you think. Add your own twist and see what you come up with. Vegan cooking is simply the bomb!!!


Until next time,

Love and Happiness,


Nikki <3

Two Cent Tuesday!

Hello again my lovelies! It's a beautiful day to review some of the products I've been using for the past month. Some I've used for a shorter period, so I've decided to do a bi-weekly review on Tuesdays of vegan/eco friendly products I've tried.

Remember a while back when I blogged about starting my friend Petra Cleary's Arbonne skin care products? Well, it was March 20th to be exact, and I've been using them daily since. So let's start off there...

1. Arbonne FC5 Complexion Revitalizing Set
arbonne.com

I decided to try Arbonne products because I wanted to get back to regular skin care regimen for my face. I liked the fact that the company touts their products are safe, eco/animal friendly, and pure. See their ingredient policy for yourself here. I also trusted Petra in recommending the right line for my skin type, which is normal to dry. This product line uses cell phytonutrient formulas to hydrate and protect the skin. Formulated in Switzerland and made in the USA, I like that the line contains the following extracts: kiwi, strawberry, mango, carrot, and pumpkin. Each has its own properties. Check out the science here! I used the hydrating cleanser twice daily, and it left my skin clean without being overly dry. I followed that with daytime moisturizer, which includes an SPF 20 sunscreen (important!), and then at night I used the moisturizing night creme. Both moisturizers felt great when applied; not too heavy or greasy. The night creme is my favorite though-it felt very luxurious and has a nice scent to it.

FC5 Hydrating Cleanser and Freshener (contains strawberry extract)

FC5 Nurturing Day Lotion Broad Spectrum SPF 20 (contains kiwi extract)

FC5 Moisturizing Night Creme

There is also the Complexion Perfecting Set if you have oily skin.

What's the bottom line? Recommended

I really like the way this skin care line makes my face feel and look. The only thing I felt like I missed was a separate exfoliating wash, just because I like the way my face feels after I exfoliate. However, overall, it's a pretty simple routine and easy to stick to. It may be a bit pricey for some. I bought the set, which is $98 (valued at $108). But, I still have some left, which has lasted about 3 months. At roughly $30 per month or less for the set, it's a pretty good value for quality, natural ingredients. You can purchase separately as well. Arbonne has lots of other products, including health and wellness items. Click on the link above to explore the site!

2. TRESemme Naturals Aloe Vera and Avocado Conditioner

http://www.tresemme.com/Products/Naturals/

I first heard about TRESemme's line of natural products from fellow YouTuber MahoganyCurls. Her hair is gorgeously healthy, so I decided to give it a try. The collection claims to have low sulfate shampoos and silicone-free conditioners which are formulated with USDA certified organic ingredients. They also claim to leave your hair 10x stronger after just one use. Read more here.

Since I'm always on the search for natural hair care products, I decided to give this a try. As you may already know, I cowash about twice weekly depending on how intense my workouts are. There are several Naturals conditioners including Vibrantly Smooth with coconut oil and jojoba, but I purchased the Aloe Vera and Avocado Nourishing Moisture. I found it at K-Mart for $5.99.

I detangled my hair with water and aloe vera juice as usual, and then applied the conditioner in the shower, working through my hair and leaving on for about 5 minutes. After rinsing out, my hair felt amazingly soft and the curls were even more defined than when I used my home made banana conditioner =/

It definitely was shiny, and there was very little shedding afterwards. As stated previously, my hair is very curly and tends to be dry, but this conditioner made a big difference it how it felt. It also smells sooo good!

What's the bottom line? Highly Recommended

I have to say, I am pleasantly surprised with this product and would recommend it to any natural girl no matter what hair "type", but especially if you want to focus on moisturizing and strength. I will definitely be purchasing again when this bottle is finished!

If you have any comments, or have used any of the products above and want to comment-please do! If you have a natural product that you would like me to review, send me a message with the details and I'll get back to you asap! I'll be back in two weeks with more reviews.

Until next time,

Love and Happiness,

Nikki