Other Side of the Game

Color, highlights and a blow-out

Straight Hair!

If you're in Atlanta, ask for Mrs. C.J at Like The River Salon, 240 N. Highland Ave.

Beautiful Skin is In!

You know I can't hold out on my fellow Curlies. I've started a new skin care routine and I'm noticing IMMEDIATE  results! Christine over at Temptalia.com interviewed Renee Rouleau, an esthetician who warns against over-exfoliating facial skin with the Clarisonic. Instead, she suggests alternating weeks of chemical and physical exfoliation, and using adequate moisturizer. Click here for the full interview.

Here's what I've been using for my dry skin. Make sure you choose products for your skin type.

Week 1
Cleanse with Philosophy Purity Made Simple
Exfoliate with Philosophy Microdlivery Peel (day 1)
Apply Reviva Labs Glycolic Acid facial toner (vitacost.com)
Moisturize with Philosophy Hope in a Jar Dry, Sensitive skin

Week 2
Cleanse using Oil-Cleanse Method
Exfoliate with Honey Olive Oil Sugar scrub, 2-3x/week  (3 TB Olive Oil, 2 TB Honey, 1/2 C sugar)
Moisturize with Garnier Nutritioniste Skin Renew serum and
Philosophy Hope in a Jar

My skin is so clear, virtually pore-less. My face looks healthy and glowing. Old acne scars are fading and I don't need to wear foundation, just a bit of concealer. I am sticking with this routine, and I hope it works for you if you give it a try. Always remember to eat well, drink water, exercise and rest. Vitamins can also be a great supplement. Leave a comment and let us know what works for your skin!

Outfit of the Day- Dad's 55th Birthday Dinner!

My father-in-law turned 55 Sunday, and to celebrate my mother-in-law invited the entire family over for a beautiful dinner. Dad was pleases, and everyone got a kick out of reminiscing with old photos. The icing on the cake- was Grandma's pineapple cake! Heaven!

Headband: BCBG
Beaded Jacket: Loehmann's
Tunic Tank: Foever XXI
Skinny Jeans: GAP
Boots: Old Navy
Bracelet: Wet Seal

FOTD- This is my 5-minute face, no foundation or concealer. I simply added eyes.

Face: No. 7 Radiant Glow Beauty Lotion, Target

Brows: Maybelline Define-A-Brow pencil, Med. Brown- Strong brows are very on-trend for winter, and in to Spring 2010
Bobbi Brown angle brush
Cover Girl e/s, Brown Smolder as brow powder
Mascara: Cover Girl Lash Blast, Very Black
Base: Loreal De-Crease
Vincent Longo Eye Shimmer Souffle, Pallido (a very soft, gold cream shadow, used as a base)
Zitomer Luminous e/s, Metropolitan on lid
Cover Girl e/s, Brown Smolder, crease
NYX l/s Echo
MAC l/g 3N


I am the Queen of mixing high and low, vintage with modern. You don't have to spend a million to look like a million! Be beautiful, Curlies!

Update: Hair Routine

Check the "routine" tag in the sidebar. I've just been playing around with a few ingredients and made a few tweaks. 

twist-out

wearing 2x twists

• Scalp massage on wash day using avocado oil, Auromere oil and blend of  rosemary, tea tree, peppermint e.o
• Pre-poo with hair in 2x twists with Auromere oil, or conditioner under hooded dryer for 20 min. This helps with detangling since hair has been in twists 7-14 days.
• I pre-poo on DRY hair with a combo of 3-5 of my fave conditioners and seal with oil. Pop on a plastic cap, wrap a towel or scarf around that, and wear as long as I can stand it, sometimes overnight. My current pre-poo conditioners:
• Aubrey Organics Honeysuckle Rose
• Burt's Bees Shea & Grapefruit Deep Conditoner
• Desert Essence Jojoba Conditioner (vitacost.com)
• Inecto Pure Coconut Oil Conditioner (Ulta)
• Coconut Oil to seal
• Finger detangle twists after pre-poo, then wash.
• This is key: Deep condition under hooded dryer for 30-45 minutes, then detangle with shower comb and paddle brush. No more detangling in the shower for me. Rinse and apply leave-in.
  
• Nature's Blessing hair dressing on scalp while twisting with Shea-Aloe. Seal with coconut oil, aloe vera gel mixed in palm of hands.
  
• Refresh twists daily with leave-in spray and seal with oil
• Set twists on rollers (sponge removed) on Saturday night for church
• Twist- out Sunday, detangle with fingers and paddle brush, moisturize  and re-twist Sunday night. This is the key to fewer tangles on the next wash day.
  
• Day before washing, saturate dry hair with fave conditioner and finger detangle
• Wash day and repeat

Best of 2009!

Happy New Year, Curlies! Better late, than never, right?

I still love you, I just want to make sure I'm giving you the best information I can, so I write when there's something exciting to write about. 2010 will be full of new product reviews, updates, beauty, skincare, videos and more! Before we jump into the new, let's recap some of the best products of 2009. Here we go......

Overall Hair Care: Curly Girl Method, "Baggy", and Sealing

Eliminating sulfates and -cones in my hair products has been the single best thing I've done for my hair in 2009. It retains moisture better, it's softer, shinier, and it simply looks healthy. For more info, check the tags in the side bar.

Shampoo: Aubrey Organics White Camelia

This cleanser is sulfate-free, but still does a great job cleaning my hair and scalp. I only use this product once every 2 weeks, focusing mainly on my scalp.

Co-Wash Conditioner: Trader Joe's Nourish Spa

Deep Conditioner: Aubrey Organics Honey Suckle Rose

I get much better results with a damp washcloth over my hair, plastic cap, and a hooded dryer for 30-45 minutes. Makes detangling a breeze!

Leave-In Conditioner: Desert Essence Jojoba Conditioner and Taliah Waajid Protective Mist Bodifier

Moisturizer: Shea-Aloe (with a KinkyCurly Twist)

Follow the recipe for basic Shea-Aloe. Once the oils have cooled, add 1/4 C of conditioner (must be silicone and protein free) and 1/4 C Taliah Waajid Bodifier. Mix until creamy

Oil(s): Auromere Pre-Shampoo Conditioner

This Ayurvedic oil is a blend of Indian herbs, coconut, and wheat germ oils. It gives my hair nourishment and amazing shine. For an amazing hot oil treatment- saturate hair with oil, pop on a plastic cap, and sit under a hooded dryer for 20 minutes. Wash and style as usual.

Styling Product: Taliah Waajid  Lock It Up "gel"

This product defines curls like a traditional gel, without the drying alcohol. It's also made with nettle, hemp, and Taliah's Black Earth formula.

Routine: Check these    posts

Skin Care (For my dry skin)

Cleanser: Oil Cleansing Method (All skin types)

100% African Black Soap

Moisturizer: I love experimenting with the ingredients that I have on hand. This winter, my skin has been loving shea butter, jojoba oil, and aloe vera gel mixed in the palm of my hand.

Exfoliator: Philosophy The Microdelivery Peel

Worth every penny! Vitamin C crystals and lactic/salicylic acid gel combine to exfoliate and resurface skin revealing glowing, just-had-a-facial skin. This will last months-a little goes a long way.

Five Minutes to Gorgeous!

With two boys, three jobs, and no time, it's sometimes a challenge for me to look as glam-tastic as I would like. These are my absolute must-have products and accessories that keep me looking  my Kinky-Curly best- in a hurry.

1. Moisturizer- If you're opting for a foundation-free face, make sure skin is primed and moisturized. Choose a product that suits your skin type. For my dry skin, I love a mix of jojoba oil, shea butter and aloe vera gel.

2. Groomed Brows- It literally takes seconds to fill in brows. They frame your face and keep your look polished and pretty. I love Maybelline's Define-A-Brow, or a brown eye shadow like Cover Girl's Brown Smolder.

3. Lush Lashes- Simple enough. Curl lashes and apply 2-3 coats of mascara. I love Cover Girl Lash Blast. Go for a brown mascara for a very natural look.

4. Gloss, Gloss, Baby!- Slick on a moisturizing balm, then apply your favorite color. The choices are endless. I'm loving cocoa brown shades of lipstick and gloss this season. Some to try: MAC's Touch l/s, 3N l/g, Mad cap l/g, NYX's Echo l/s, Cover Girl Queen Collection Shiny Cinnamon l/s.

5. A Cute Coif- Check out my hair routine post for details. I love wearing my 2x twists in a retro updo. No need to worry about frizz or weather-worries. Just secure with pins and add oil for shine.

6. A Pop of Color- Scarves are great all year long. A bright orange or purple scarf transforms jeans and a tee into a sophisticated uniform for Curlies on the go. Choose wool blends in winter and sheer cotton in summer months.

Now, I'm ready for errands, playdates, and lunch with the girls- whatever the day brings, I'm game! Make sure you are too. Until next time.....

Merry ChristmaKwanzaaHannukah

Whatever holiday you celebrate, here's a gift idea to get you started! I just ordered one, and I can't wait to wear it 10 different ways!

The Unisex Circle Scarf, $28, store.americanapparel.net

Use code FSW332A73 and it ships free!!!!!!!!!!!

For ways to wear, check out this video link http://www.americanapparel.net/storefront/movies/RSA0503/

Emerald Greene Designs in Essence Magazine!

I can not BEGIN! to tell you lovely KC Cuties how excited I am about these photos! God is so Awesome to me, and I believe He is pleased with my committment to my family, my children and my natural-haired sistahs. When we honor God, He will honor us.

I was selling my designs in a boutique in Atlanta that has since closed its doors. During my time there, a stylist by the name of Kimberey Lacy fell in love with my pieces and contacted ME to borrow them for a photo shoot. Happy to get the exposure and recognition, I signed over everything I had. Little did I know, the shoot was photographed by Atlanta's premiere photographer- Mr. Derek Blanks! and for Essence Magazine no less! This was almost 1 year ago, but these are the pics I recieved from the shoot.

I left my position in Fashion and Beauty, which was my dream job in NYC, to focus on raising my two sons. It was a decision that not many people supported, and I faced a lot of criticism and negativity from family and friends. I believe this is proof that God is pleased with my heart, and that's enough for me. This is only a taste of what's to come for me in the future!

Get your custom designs NOW, before Oprah calls. Just kidding, but not really :)

www.emeraldgreene.etsy.com

Until next time.......

Kinky/Curly Magazine Celebrates One Year! and Tyra's Real Hair!

I wrote my very first blog entry on September 8, 2008. I let the entire World Wide Web know about my hair-story. Much of that story is still being written. I've fully accepted my crown, and I wear it proudly. I wear it well. My heart's desire is to now help other women accept theirs.

I think it's fitting that today Tyra Banks premiered Season 5 of her talk show by revealing her real hair (sans weave, still permed. It's about baby steps, y'all). She looked beautiful. She looked like that sistah at the mall, your child's always-put-together teacher, like YOU! It made me ask myself, If Tyra's gonna use weave, why use so much of it? Why must the transformation be so far from your original beauty, into a blonde, silky-haired stranger? It's gonna take baby steps, for real.

Tyra noted that the obsession with weave is not just a Brown Girl issue, noting that both Jessica Simpson and Paris Hilton have hair (extension) lines, and that everyone in the industry wears weave. If everyone got nose jobs, Tyra, would you get one too?

Guests on her show revealed how insecure and unattractive they felt without weave. One Black woman said her weave gave her confidence, and that she "hated" her natural hair. A White guest with hair extensions stated "I am my hair." Where did the notion that long hair (straight, or natural) equals beauty come from?

Many men and women I asked said simply that long hair is more feminine, attractive and sexy. Women use it to flirt, men think it's a turn-on and want to run their fingers through it. It's what distinguishes us as the opposite sex. It's magical, the lore of fairy-tales, and it's romantic, and quite frankly, short hair is for lesbians. Not my words, Curlies. Don't shoot the messenger!

I challenge anyone reading this to question your own ideologies about hair and beauty. Can you emerge from the barber's chair rocking a Caesar and still feel FIERCE! If not, what's holding you back? Did you just "big chop" and now you can't wait for your "natural" hair to grow long so you can feel pretty again? Are you obsessed with vitamins and frequent "length checks", counting down the days until your hair is "bra strap length". If any of this rings true for you, ask yourself 'Why'.

Shaving my head made me feel strong and liberated. I defined beauty for myself, beauty was Me. Still is. I challenge you all to do the same.

Next season, Tyra? A twist-out? Can't wait! Until next time, Curlies.......

A Little Fall Face For 'Ya

Brick, Berry and Bordeaux lips are so hot for fall. So are warm lids and bold brows. Get ready!


Courtesy of Bobbi Brown:

Lipstick- Rich Cocoa

E/s- Chocolate Shimmer

Blush- Velvet Plum Pot Rouge (can also be used on lips)

Product Review: Karen's Body Beautiful

On a not-so-recent trip home to NYC (sorry I'm so late with this review), I paid a visit to my old stomping grounds in Fort Greene, Brooklyn. It's being re- gentrified, almost beyond recognition, but there have been some welcome (and much needed) additions to the neighborhood. @ 436 Myrtle Avenue stands a beautiful storefront known as Karen's Body Beautiful, with glass windows and doors, and an open kitchen where customers can watch owner Karen Tappin mix up healthy hair options for Brown Girls and Kinky Curly Cuties such as myself.


Najiyyah graciously walked me through the entire line of hair products (creams and butters, oils and hair masks), and introduced me to all the yummy fragrances! There are over ten heavenly scents (cranberry cocktail!, pomegranate guava!) and I settled on Creamy Coco Mango. I purchased a hair cream ($16, 8 oz.) and I have been very pleased. It has a whipped and fluffy consistency, and melts into your hands and hair effortlessly. A little goes a long way! This is a product I recommend and would repurchase.

Owner Karen Tappin (photo above), offers these tips for healthy hair.

Face of the Day-FOTD

It's a lazy day here at the Kinky/Curly casa, so I'm playing with my makeup. This is a natural, I'm not wearing any makeup, makeup look. It's sort of my siggie. Perfect skin, bronzer and highlight, and some gloss. If you have small eyes like me, but love the drama of eyeliner, here's a tip: Line your top lids and only the outer corner of your bottom lids. Use a bright, shimmering shadow on the inner eye/tear duct to open up the eye area.

Get the look:
Brows- Maybelline Define-A-Brow (medium brown)

Cover Girl e/s brown smolder, using an angled brush

Highlight under arch with concealer

Eye shadow- VS Cream Shadow (bronze medal)

Used Loreal Decrease as a base, to prevent creasing, especially in the summer.

Liner- NYC Brow/Eye Liner pencil #921A, $0.99 yall!

NYX eye/eyebrow pencil, white, in the water line

Vincent Longo duo eye pencil, carnaby pink, on the tear duct

Mascara- Cover Girl Lash Blast, Blackest Black, the BEST ever!

Revlon eyelash curler

Foundation- I used three mineral powder foundations to build coverage for a natural finish.
Maybelline Mineral Power (Tan)
MAC Mineralize Skin Finish Natural (deep dark)
Revlon Colorstay Mineral Finishing Powder (Sunkiss)

Concealer
MAC Studio Sculpt NW 45, on blemishes

Blush
MAC Mineralize in LoveJoy, Sephora Blush Me in Corail Frisson

Contour using Iman sheer finish bronzing powder, Clay

Lips
Sephora lipgloss, Sweet Berry
The Body Shop sparkle l/g ? Sorry

Hair of the Day-HOTD

My Curly 'Fro:

12 2x twists all over

Applied whipped shea butter, Karen's Body Beautiful Hair Cream, and Carol's Daughter Healthy Hair Butter before twisting

Sealed each twist with Avocado Oil

Covered at night

Untwist in the a.m with Carol's Daughter Lisa's Elixir on hands (to prevent frizz)

Fluff into place with fingers, and G-O!

Conditioner Only Method- Day 3 + Pics!

Sunday I used Yes To Carrots. Since I was 0 for 2 in the curl department, I added gel on top of my conditioner (still in the shower, hair dripping wet). I used Origins University of Mane soft styling gel and Herbal Essences Set Me Up gel.

The Verdict: WOW! My curls were poppin'! What 'ya know 'bout me? What 'ya what 'ya know 'bout me? The gel definitely helped elongate and define my curls. They dried crunchy, though. I guess I'll use this method as a last-minute, hop in the shower, be ready in 20 minutes, the show starts at 8, kinda hair style. My hair does not like wash-n-go styles. My curls tangle around themselves as they dry if they're not stretched. I have so many knots after this challenge I'm afraid to go near a comb.

Are you trying this method? Leave a comment and share your results. Stay beautiful. Until next time......

On the Check In

Thank you to my subscribers, and those of you who stop by once in a while. I'm lining up great articles, interviews, product reviews and rollin' out new columns. Splurge vs. Steal will compare two similar products at different price points, and I'll give you my honest opinion whether the pricey brand is worth the money. Beauty Insider will offer quick beauty tips and tricks that I have picked up over the years as a Beauty Editor (for Real Simple Magazine), Make Up Artist and Beauty Junkie.

I just returned from a family vaca in NYC and I have a story to tell 'ya about my hair. Let's just say a week old bun + protein gel = dry hair and excess shedding! LOL! No worries, though. An overnight DT and my hair is good as gold. I'll fill you in lata and tell you how NOT to make the same mistake I did.

Thanks again to all my loyal curlies. Spread the word, tell a friend. Until next time....

I LOVE My Hair

My hair is undergoing a rebirth of sorts.

Every summer since high school, I would sashay into a local barber shop and request a Dark Cesar. All the fellas looked on, some in horror, others in disbelief, as I sat in the chair and made what seemed to them to be an awful decision. There were whispers of "Is she gay?", "Naa, she's too pretty to be gay.", and "Girls without hair are just unattractive." I simply took a deep breath and tuned out the buzzing sound of ignorant chatter and the barber's clippers.

When the cape dropped, and I rose, I looked at my beautiful face in the mirror. My eyes looked brighter, my complexion was glowing and there was no hair to hide the shape of my pretty, round face. Everyone in the shop would have to eat their words. I. Was. Fly.

As I reluctantly creep up on 30, I don't want to chop off my locks anymore. I''m desperate now to cultivate meaningful relationships, both personal and professional, so why not start with my hair. In my younger days, my hair was not pretty. No one loved it- not my mother who hated combing it and was sorry she never learned to cornrow, not older ladies at the Beauty Nest in Brooklyn who hated pressing my hair ( at least three times over), and certainly not me. How could I? All I heard was how hard, ugly,nappy,short,and difficult it was. That I could be pretty if it were long and straight. We've heard it before, you know, that "good" hair. But things are different now. Now, I love my hair.

First things first. Kinky/Curly Magazine is dedicated to the cultivation of healthy, natural Black Girl hair. Healthy Hair 101: Nothing in the Ethnic Hair Care aisle is good for our hair! Natural hair needs love from Mother Nature. Our locks thrive when they are pampered with rich oils like jojoba and coconut, drenched and conditioned with honey, olive oil and avocado hair masks, and twisted and coiled with shea butter and lots of love.

In this magazine you will learn new ways to love your hair-and yourself. Until next time...