Lady Mika--The Locs Start HERE. (lol) Leaving the interwebs for a while.

KinkyNappyHappy wrote:Hi LadyM

I'm using black soap as well, (on my face) but I find the shea butter to be a bit oily. Are you making you own shea butter mixture for your face, and do you experience oil build up through out the day? Just curious

Nice avatar!!

Have a great day..

KNH

Hey KNH!

The mixes I make can be used on both my body AND hair. I have combination skin, so I only use a VERY SMALL amount of shea butter on my "t-zone" (nose and brow area) and focus on the spots that dry easily (cheeks and jawline). This keeps the oil buildup to a minimum for me.

Thank you for the kind words!

Hey LM!! what's happening today?

Juices-n-Berries wrote:Glad you finally joined us! You have lurked long enough!

I wasn't lurking...I was QUIETLY OBSERVING. I'm glad to be here though. It's hard to keep up with all of you though! I might need a skateboard or a bike or something to make the rounds easier!

sweetdrk1 wrote:Hey LM!! what's happening today?

Hey Sweet! Not much, just the usual: Wash Day. Pay Day. PAY THE RENT Day.

Good to see you over here lady!

What's up Miss LadyM! Glad to see you on Curl Street! I'm excited to follow your journey! You really make me miss my TWA days...it's the bizness!! Just beautiful!

Thanks CG and AfrikanLatina! I'm really starting to like Curl Street. Lots of cool neighbors!

Update on my DC:

It's GOOOOOOOOOD!! My hair felt SO good when I rinsed it out. And it LOOKED good, had a lot of shine to it. Came out better than if I had used the Giovanni S.A.S. by itself. So, I will be using this mix (S.A.S., coconut oil, honey) as a deep conditioning treatment from now on. I didn't even use my leave-in mix (KCKT, water, essential oil); I sealed with my shea butter mix and put castor oil on my edges. Gypsy is very happy today.

Now I am off to get the laundry and start my day.

Deuces.

Hey Lady Mika!

I love Giovanni SAS. I will have to try adding an oil to it the next time.

I'll be honest. I bought the Whipped Gelly so I could get a sample of the Afroveda Kissi Seed conditioner (which I'm none too crazy about). I already know what to expect/how to use the KCCC with or without the Knot Today (did a review on my blog about it), so I gave the Whipped Gelly a spin.

I DO like the smell--smells like vanilla frosting, and I LOVE the smell of vanilla. I also like the texture; it's creamy. Like...frosting! But what I found out YESTERDAY (since I forgot to spray my leave-in mix), was that if you DON'T layer your hair with a moisturizer FIRST, THEN seal your hair, you're gonna get CRUNCHY. And that's just using a small amount.

Now the definition isn't bad, but it's nothing to rave about either. It's not as intense as the KCCC. I think this product would better serve twist outs rather than TWAs and wash-n-gos. Or if you just need something to set your TWA for a day or two and definition isn't a focus for you. If you WANT definition, the KCCC is the better product.

It (the Whipped Gelly) also leaves some buildup, but it's nothing that a warm water rinse and a co-wash can't take care of. (w00t for CONE FREE PRODUCTS!). To tell you the truth, I don't like one product more than the other. In fact, I alternate using them but I lean a little more on the Whipped Gelly because I find the smell more tolerable than the KCCC. The KCCC smells TOO sweet for my liking at times.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

krazy coils wrote:Hey Lady Mika!

I love Giovanni SAS. I will have to try adding an oil to it the next time.

Hey KrazyCoils!

The Giovanni SAS is probably the best store-bought conditioner I've EVER used thus far. Yes, do try adding an oil and honey! Share your results with us when you do!

*driving by waving*

Good morning everyone!

This week, I got a refund check from a return I didn't file in a
previous year. Needless to say, this check was pretty good. So I did what I was SUPPOSED to with it--pay bills and run
errands. (Rather ONE bill, ONE errand, and ordered ONE THING off the
internet in addition to minor purchases (toothpaste, mouthwash, etc) and
groceries.) No frivolous spending for me, no sir.

I also decided to take some more guitar lessons, just to fill in the
ridiculous amount of time I have on my days off. Which IS ridiculous.
THREE DAYS OFF and NOTHING really to do? Yeah. So, I signed up for ten more classes at NYC Guitar
School in Midtown (near MSG). I've taken classes with them before, and
the staff is nothing short of professional. TRUE masters of their
craft. They ALSO know me by name cuz apparently, I'm
the ONLY student with a sexy, black and silver Ibanez electric guitar in
the ENTIRE school. Word son. Straight hip hop. That being done, I also made a payment on my student loans EARLY because
it's the one bill I always seem to forget to pay until the last
minute. Even though I have it written down in THREE
places with the due date and have an ALARM set in my phone (yes, I'm
that bad). But with my payment made, I kept it moving.

This week, my parents were supposed to visit me and my boyfriend but I
don't think that's going to pan out. I dance because I actually need the time to
practice and get myself into a routine before my classes start. I've
been a bit...well... A LOT lazy with practice over the last couple of months, so I
really need to get back on the ball. I also want to work on a painting
AND visit Rising Dragon Tattoo Studio this weekend. Yes, I have tattoos--four to be exact. And because I know someone's going to ask:

1. No, it didn't hurt (I have a high threshold for pain), but some places WILL hurt more than others (nerve "pockets", directly on bones).
2. Yes, it CAN get expensive but you want QUALITY WORK from a PROFESSIONAL. Preferably one who's been doing it for AT LEAST ten years. (Quality COMES with EXPERIENCE--you want BOTH.)
3. Yes, my mother DOES know and yes, she likes them.
4. Yes, my STEPFATHER knows, and yes, he likes them.
5. Yes, I know you must treat your body like a temple. I choose to decorate MY temple.
6. No, I'm NOT worried about my supervisor complaining because my current tattoos are in places that are easily concealed by clothing. And my supervisor--and managers--know that I have them. THEY also have tattoos themselves. There are about a DOZEN of us with varying amounts of tattoos, and as long as we're relatively covered, there's no problem.
7. Yes, my boyfriend is okay with it and HE is also tattoo'd: two sleeves (both arms covered), a back piece, a chest piece and a belly piece. And because he's CRAZY fit, it looks SO SEXY. Can't keep my hands off!!
8. I don't get tattoos because it's the "cool" thing to do. I get them because I appreciate the time and effort taken to master the trade, and I also appreciate the artistic value. You won't make it as a tattoo artist, if you're NOT already an artist YOURSELF.

The artist I'm meeting with on Saturday has been a tattoo artist for TWENTY FIVE YEARS. So you KNOW he's all about his work. I'm going to get a feel of the shop, talk to him and check out his work in person, and go from there. My plans are to get my hips/waist done (I have two cherry blossoms on my right hip that I want additional work added to), and start work on my sleeves (which I've been pining for since 2007).

Since I'm off today, it's breakfast and then I'm going back to sleep. Might check in after I practice this afternoon.

Deuces.

Pics of the tats!

I can't wait to get some, but I'm also scared as though. I have a low tolerance for pain. My idea is still a thought in process, but it's kinda like an homage to The Beatles and because the songs (Blackbird and Imagine, which I know is just Lennon, but still) embody what I stand for (Imagine) and my struggles (haha various things) and that hopefully I can one day just be completely happy and free.


Anyways, guitar classes sound cool (and so does the money)

Good morning,

I was wondering why I didn't see you by the train station! hahahaha enjoy your day off!

Welcome! You also add comic relief to the different threads, thanks!

Honey is nothing but the truth for shine, love it!

Your DC mix sounds good. I have a bottle of SAS I don't remember using. I will try it next time I do a protein treatment. Thanks for sharing!

@Karyn: TAKE YOUR TIME and decide what you want. Take even MORE time and find a professional artist you're comfortable with. I spent upwards of a YEAR fishing out tattoo parlors and artists before even CONSIDERING Rising Dragon. Before that, it'd been about THREE YEARS since my last tattoo, and I spent those same THREE YEARS sussing out ideas, styles and even the artists themselves (as well as going to conventions--yep, there's tattoo conventions! --and stopping people I felt had good work done on them). Like I said, you HAVE to be that picky.

...You also gotta be 18 to get tattoo'd in this state (it's the law actually). But trust me, the time spent deciding what you and finding a GOOD artist will definitely be worth it in the end.

I'll try to get pics because two require me to damn near strip (not really, but clothes do have to be shifted around a bit), and I don't want to hurt the eyes of anyone here.

sweetdrk1 wrote:Good morning,

I was wondering why I didn't see you by the train station! hahahaha enjoy your day off!

Don't worry, I'll be back ON POST later in the day!

I have two tattoos myself (right hip and lower back) so no judgment here. I wanted to get one on my foot but I decided not to get anymore....those things are addictive!!!

@Lynnie: Come on, just get ONE MORE. You know you wanna! Yeah, they ARE addictive! I bet it's somethin' in the ink.

LadyMika wrote:@Karyn: TAKE YOUR TIME and decide what you want. Take
even MORE time and find a professional artist you're comfortable with. I
spent upwards of a YEAR fishing out tattoo parlors and artists before
even CONSIDERING Rising Dragon. Before that, it'd been about THREE YEARS
since my last tattoo, and I spent those same THREE YEARS sussing out
ideas, styles and even the artists themselves (as well as going to
conventions--yep, there's tattoo conventions! --and
stopping people I felt had good work done on them). Like I said, you
HAVE to be that picky.

...You also gotta be 18 to get tattoo'd
in this state (it's the law actually). But trust me, the time spent
deciding what you and finding a GOOD artist will definitely be worth it
in the end.

I'll try to get pics because two require me to damn
near strip (not really, but clothes do have to be shifted around a bit),
and I don't want to hurt the eyes of anyone here.

I know my mom would kill me (whilst laughing at me) if I told her I
didn't go to a good tattoo parlor. I haven't seriously considered
getting a tattoo, as far as looking for artists or anything, since I
know you have to be 18 to get one. It sounds like quite a journey lol.
Three years is crazy! What was so bad about other artists?

Hahahahaha. Cherry blossom tattoos are usually super pretty! This girl on another forum I go on has one and it's amazing. Pic

@Karyn: It's a great journey! You get to meet a lot of cool people and learn a great deal about different cultures as well. Highly recommend looking into body art; there's different forms of it, tattoos and piercings aren't the only ones!

I went three years without new ink mostly due to financial reasons, but also because I PREFER shops and artists with experience and skill in CUSTOM tattoo design. Nowadays, it's been made too easy to just walk in, pay $100 for some generic cookie-cutter design that's hanging on the walls and walk out. You can even get what you want off the internet (some sites even charge for the designs). That's fine if you're just getting started with tattoos. But if you want something that's NOT on the walls, that's not really on the internet, you NEED an artist with the skill and experience necessary to deliver.

It's almost like shopping for clothes: you DON'T want to end up wearing the same s*** as the person next to you. You should WANT your tattoos to be UNIQUE, and you should want an artist who is capable of GIVING you something unique. If I have to spend three years or more to find an artist to give me what I need, then so be it. Being that patient and serious about finding an artist saves you from A LOT of potential disasters, and trust when I say that I've SEEN a few!

lmaooooo!!! ur post entertain me! heee heee!! u are truly the one on the corner with the guitar! i love it. that SAS mix sounds good, i had to jot down notes on that too! u aint got to explain no tatz, i have 3 and done did everything from a tongue ring to a nipple ring(s) !! that was my rebel wit a cause days...im a mommy now..im **shanay-nay voice** imma layyyydee!!

lol @ Shanay-nay

Hey LM! Did we post pics of these tats

@Nubie: LOL!! Nubie if I could put you in a "break in case of emergency" box and take you with me, I'd never have another bad day! Love it!