Etsy haul: Njoi Creations

Salaams and Salutations Beauties,

As I've been moving to more natural products I came across Njoi Creations on Etsy. Etsy is a 'kinder/gentler' Ebay. Mostly for persons that make things with their hands. (Its a site that deserves its own post..but that will happen another day)Thanks Amina for 'putting a sista on'..lol.

So Njoi Creations sells a couple of products that I use. One is the Herbal hairdressing ( all natural grease). We all use it. It is great!! Not heavy, will great for the summer time for sure.



The next product is the Apple Cider Vinegar Shampoo bar. In the natural hair world, ACV rinses are use to naturally strip your hair of product build up. Amina did a post about ACV here. Check out what she does and how she uses it there. ACV rinses are especially for locks and for those who braid their hair a lot. Since I do the girls hair weekly Big A does tend to have a lot more build up. Its less messy than the liquid ACV. I love it.

Here are the pics of girls hair after using the hairdressing. Now I do mix products. On Little A I use Oyin's Burnt Sugar palmade and on Big A's hair I use Karen's Body Beautiful Hair Milk (thanks to AMINA!!) and Burnt Sugar on the ends.

Big A's hair after using KBB and Njoi hair dressing


Little A's hair after the Oyin and Njoi hair dressing


Little A's face...she's trying to smile? lol

I'm really happy with these product choices for my girls hair. Big ups to Njoi Creations...she does great work. If your looking to make that change to more natural products..please check her out. Check out ETSY man...its a creative peoples paradise...lol. Oh and when you order from Njoi Creations you always get extra goodies (samples) in the box!!


B Beautiful
Umm Amirah

Tip: Mark your brushes

Salaams and Salutations All,

Sooo your buying make up and brushes (MAC or other wise) and you take your stash to a make up party. A friend has the SAME Sonya Kushuk brushes that you do!!! OMG You all get to makeing your faces up, eyes, lips, and the brushes get mixed up!! or LOST!! Well....I have a way to keep YOUR brushes identified and out of other people's make up bags.

It's a technique called marking. It can be done with your favorite nail polish colored and clear. If you check YouTube..there are some WILD examples out there.

See Tutorial below:


Here are what mine look like:



B Beautiful,
Umm Amirah

Recession-Proof Beauty

So words like budget and frugal aren't exactly sexy but neither is eating Top Ramen in a cold apartment whilst rocking the newest makeup look! This is the first installment of the Recession Proof Beauty! As a SAHM (stay at home mom) I've had to become a lot more fiscally responsible but I still want to look good ;). So here are some tips to stay fabulous on a budget!

*Set a beauty budget! Set aside a specified beauty allowance for each month. If you know you want to splurge this month because MAC Hello Kitty collection comes out perhaps next month you can just pick up a couple of inexpensive drugstore items.

*Catch the sales!! Do you know how quickly I placed an order when I got the email Sephora was having friends and family discount? I am on mailing lists for all my fave brands and stores so I'm among the first to know when sales happen and I tell all my girlfriends!

*Samples are your friends! Request them often. You think the Sephora chick is giving you the stink eye? The sales associate at Nordstrom is acting snooty? SO WHAT! You better get your samples ladies! I have tested products that are SO not in my budget this way.

*Know what you can go cheap on and know what you should splurge on! For me I don't like spending a ton of money on mascara or colored eyeliners so I get those at the drugstore typically; however I splurge on my skincare products, blush and foundations/concealers.

*Shop your stash! Keep an inventory of your beauty booty! I have bought a duplicate product because I didn't know I already had it.

*Shop your friends stash! I like to have product trades with my friends (I've done this with Purvis, Umm Amirah and my MIL). If that Bobbi Brown lippie didn't work for you maybe your friend can use it. Khadija didn't like that NARS blush? Well perhaps it is your lucky day!

*Get multi-purpose items! I like to be able to get a couple of different uses out of products. My body oil, for instance, can also double as a hot oil treatment!

*Experiment with making your own products! This is a personal favorite of mine! I go to the kitchen and use over ripe avocados or banana as skin or hair treatments. I use honey for a head to toes moisturizer. Oatmeal for a body scrub etc!

Those are just a few tips but I will share more with you on the next installment!

Toodles,

HijabiApprentice

natural beauty: bentonite clay

hiya beauties! so i bought bentonite clay (Aztec brand from Whole Foods) to do a detoxification and deep cleansing for my hair and scalp. well i ran across a post on bgwlh where she had used it for a facial cleanser. my skin has really suffered at the hands of this cold/flu bug that i had and since i had to put an appearance at the masjid and at my sisters' house i thought i'd give it a go. i took about a teaspoon of the clay and mixed with enough water to make a paste and i scrubbed my face with it. i rinsed it off in the shower and i have to tell you i was quite pleased with the subtle glow my skin had! this will be an addition to my skincare regimen for sure.

if you do a search on youtube you will find a plethora of videos on bentonite clay!!!



image from anita grant (check out her goodies)