Birthday Behavior

Today is my birthday, and I feel incredibly blessed! I am so grateful for all that God has given me, and I am incredibly excited about what the next year will bring. 

Today's post is a few pictures of my birthday outfit. Lately, I have been very into the black, gray, and white color palette, which goes along with my own minimal vibe. I still like to add a pop of color, which often comes across in my accessories and makeup. 

Black & White Stripe Turtleneck: H & M

Black Trousers: H & M

Black Leather Chain Booties: Aldo

And then I decided to add a hat because I felt like I was missing something! 

Black Beanie: Forever 21

Until next time,

Stay faith-filled, fearless, and fabulous,

Kurly Ken

Style Post: Outfit Collaboration with SHEisADollOnABudget

So I decided to do an outfit of the day blog post collaboration with my long time friend and fellow fashion blogger, SHEisaDollOnABudget. On this particular night, we headed out to the Dallas Museum of Arts (DMA) to try something different.

The DMA is open late nights every third Friday of the month and MAN... IT. WAS. PACKED!!! There was a whole lot of art, people, and street vendors! 

Here is what we wore:

If you would like to know the outfit details for my friend, please head over to SHEisADollOnABudget, where you can learn tons about her personal style, gain tons of outfit inspiration, and find links to key style pieces she has been rocking. 

Now my outfits have been pretty minimal these days. 

Outfit details:

Olive Green Muscle Tank-Forever 21

Black Midi Con Stretch Skirt-Forever 21

Wristlet- Coach

Until next time...

Be faith-filled, fearless, and fabulous,

Kurly Ken

Until next time....

Be faith-filled, fearless and fabulous,

Kurly Ken

Ten Reasons Why I Love Box Braids

So for the past four weeks, I have been living in box braids, and may I just say, I freaking love them.

Here are my Top Ten Reasons Why I Love and Am Living in Box Braids:

Número Uno... I can simply wake up and go. I spend less than a minute or two styling my hair in the morning, which means I can sleep a little longer! Who doesn't want that!?!?!

Número Dos... I have multiple style options! There is never a dull moment when I rock my braids. Whether it's a simple ponytail, complex updo, or just all down, I can always switch my hairstyle with ease. Check out my other blog post for box braid style inspiration:

Creative Hairstyling Options for Box Braids

Box Braid Hairstyle Pictorial: Braided Pompadeur

Número Tres... Braids are a great protective style. I can easily moisturizer my own natural hair with sprays and leave in conditioner to ensure my hair is not being deprived while its tucked away!

Número Cuatro... The hair for box braids is fairly inexpensive. While the installation process may take some time, especially if you are doing a self-installation like me, it will all be worth it.

Número Cinco...My wash day routine is cut in half because I can easily get to my scalp to clean it. I wash my braids once a week and moisturizer my braids just like I would my own hair, but the process moves much faster.

Número Seis... My hubby loves them. Enough said!!!

Número Siete... My hair is growing like a weed!

Número Ocho... Did I mention I can leave them in my hair for 6-8 weeks? Winning all day over here!!!

Número Nueve... You can safely rock hair color when you wear box braids! I stepped outside of my normal 1B/ Off black/brown box and added a little honey blonde just for a little spice.

Número Diez... Box braids fit any setting you're in, whether it's casual, semi-casual, or professional. You can get away with box braids anywhere you go! 

Now, after reading this post, you should want box braids in the near future! Don't be surprised if you see me rocking them again before this year is over! 

Until next time,

Be faith-filled, fearless, and fabulous,

Kurly Ken

How To Achieve that Bronze, Sunkissed Glow for Brown Skin

Summer time is here, and I have been searching for ways to get that perfect bronze glow. However, finding products for brown skin girls, such as myself, has not been easy. I wanted a naturally sun kissed look for the summer months so I did a little research.

Below are some of my top product recommendations to achieve this look, and most products are budget friendly.

(left to right: MAC Mineralize Skinfinish, ELF Sunkissed Glow Bronzer, Nyx Blush, Mary Kay Lipsticks)

Top Products:

MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Dark Deep

If you have not heard of this product, you have officially been under a rock! This is one of my holiest of grails! This product provides an all over natural glow. While it retails as a high end product, the product formulation and the color pay off suit my skin perfectly. Also, my skin is super prone to breakouts so when I find a product that doesn't break me out, honey, I stick to it like glue!

Elf (Eyes Lips Face) Sunkissed Glow Bronzer in a Warm Tan 

This bronzer is most certainly a bargain product. Initially, when I picked it up, I had no idea how I would use, but for $2, I couldn't leave it there. But now, I literally use this products as a highlight on the bridge of my nose, Cupid's bow of my lip, tear ducts of my eye, and as an illuminator on my cheeks! I seriously love this product and just a little goes a long way in providing the perfect shimmer you need. 

NYX Blush in Terra Cotta 

This is a product that has been in my makeup kit for a while, and I suddenly found use for it. I use it as a blush to warm up my cheeks. It is the perfect way to provide subtle warmth. 

Lipsticks

The next two lipsticks are used in conjunction with each other. When I want a nude lip with a little shimmer, these two lipsticks certainly do it for me:

-Mary Kay Lipstick in Shell

-Mary Kay Lipstick in Amber Glow 

As a brown girl, it hasn't been easy finding an affordable (key word here!!!) nude lipstick, but these lipsticks provide that sultry, barely there lip color I want to achieve that compliments this brown skin of mine. Not to mention, these two lipsticks are super moisturizing! 

(All products mentioned above were used to achieve this look)

What are some of your favorite make up products that help you achieve that summer glow? 

 #randommomentsofken

And on another random note.... I have some different ideas for my upcoming blog posts that cover my other areas of interest like healthy eating, exercise, minimalism, spirituality, and yada-yada-yada. But don't worry! I still have plans to do some upcoming posts on hair, makeup, and style. I just wanted to mix it up a little. Stay tuned lovelies!

AND LASTLY, HELLO TO MY NEW SUBBIES! GLAD TO HAVE YOU HERE!!!

Until next time...

Be faith-filled, fearless, and fabulous,

Kurly Ken 

How to Henna your Hair

The Benefits of Henna

Today's post is dedicated to the henna process. Henna has some wonderful benefits, and these include:

• Shiny, more manageable hair
• Less breakage and splitting ends
• Smoother texture
• A slight reddish/ brown hair tint (depending on your natural hair color) in the sun and other lit areas

My Henna Process

Now, I have been applying henna to my hair for the past three years. I typically henna my hair once every three months. In this post, I show you the steps I take to prepare my henna, the process of how I henna my hair, and my post-henna treatments.

The morning of...

I prep my henna mixture. I use the following products/ingredients start with :

Jamila Henna, can be purchased online or at your local indian grocery store

8 drops of Real Lemon 100% Lemon Juice

3/4 cups of water

Steps to Create Mixture:

1. I start by pouring the Jamila Henna in a plastic tupperware bowl (specifically used for henna and henna only).

2. I add 8 drops of lemon juice to the henna. Lemon juice has lightening agents for hair. In the past, I have added honey to provide additional moisture. Additionally, I have also added conditioner to my henna to create a henna gloss. I received this idea from Henna for Natural Hair. There are multiple ways to mix henna and this article provides a great overview.

3. I add 3/4 cups of water to the henna and lemon juice.

4. Then I use a plastic utensil and begin to stir the products/ingredients together. 

Initially, the mixture is watery, but as stirring continues, the mixture will thicken, which is normal. 

5. Once the mixture thickens and no lumps in the mixture are detected, it should look like this.

6. I cover my mixture with a lid. 

7. I then take the henna mixture and place by the window so the heat can allow the dyes in the henna to release. The henna mixture sat by the window for 9 hours (while I was at work). 

Once I shampooed my hair using Naturally Athena Goddess Clay Cleanse, I untwisted each section of hair, applying the henna to each section.

This is how my hair looked once the henna was applied. 

I covered my hair with a plastic bag for three hours. After three hours, I rinsed with warm water. Then I conditioned my hair for 30 minutes with Naturally Athena Goddess Conditioner. It's important to condition your hair after you complete the henna process. Henna almost reminds me of a protein treatment, strengthening the hair strands. Like a protein treatment, it can also cause your hair to be a little dry. Therefore, conditioning the hair is a must after a henna application. Following my conditioner application, I then moisturized my hair with Naturally Athena Goddess Curl Creme to prepare my hair for box braids. 

24 hours of braiding later...

Until next time,

Be faith-filled, fearless, and fabulous,

Kurly Ken

Fall/ Winter Lips: A Lipstick for Every Occasion and Pocketbook

I have a sumptuous lipstick feast for you today. The colors includes berry, plum wine and chocolate colored hues! Doesn't that sound delicious! Lol! 

I wanted to bring three of my favorite fall lip colors. Also included will be a brief product review, links to the products, and lipcolor swatches! One other bonus is that they are all super affordable! You gotta love that! 

The first is a berry lip color by Nicka K Lipstick in Patriarch (506).

What a festive lip! I love this pinkish purple lip color for a night out on the town with friends, a holiday party, or some other festive occasion! This lip color goes on ultra smooth  and is extremely moisturizing. The retail price is $1.49 and can be found at Nicka K's main website.

Next up is a plum wine lip color from Ruby Kisses 

Color Design Custom Lip Styling in Plum (RLS 07).

This deep lip color has plum/wine hues, which is a great color for the workplace. This color provides the perfect amount of color for a more conservative setting. I found this particular lipstick to be moisturizing and has good color pay off. The only setback is that I have to wear lip liner since this lipstick has a tendency to bleed throughout the day. The retail price is $1.89 and can be purchased at beauty supply stores and websites.

The last lip color is a chocolate lip color by Nicka K Lipstick in Sable (914).

This has to be one of my favorite lip colors of the season.

Catch that beat, beat, beat!

If you love a vampy lip, this chocolate brown lipcolor is just for you! This lipcolor is super pigmented and wears well for extended periods of time. This lipstick is perfect for a date night with hubby. The retail price is $1.49 and can be found at Nicka K's main website as well.

Swatches

Top Swatch: Nicka K Lipstick in PatriarchMiddle Swatch: Ruby Kisses Color Design Custom Lip Styling in PlumBottom Swatch: Nicka K Lipstick in Sable

BONUS LIP COLOR:

NYX Lipstick in Bruised

Well, those are some of my top fall/winter lip colors, which include an array of deep, dark lip tones. Now, if you are looking for a red lip color, check out my previous post on red lipsticks here. 

What are some of your favorite fall/winter lip colors? 

I'm looking forward to hearing about them down below.

Until next time...

Be faith-filled, fearless, and fabulous,

Kurly Ken 

Box Braid Hairstyle Pictorial: Braided Pompadour

This is a super easy hairstyle I tried while I was in Austin 

to add a little pizzazz to my box braids. Enjoy! 

Section off your hair so that you have the small front sections.

Split the front sections into two sections. 

Now, literally tie the two sections together.

Take the two sections and tie it again.

Continue to tie the two sections of hair until it looks like this. 

Then take the the "tied" hair and roll it under. Continue rolling it under until the hair is in a tied pompadour.

 Ta-Da! That's it! 

Recap Time: 

Until next time...

Be faith-filled, fearless, and fabulous,

Kurly Ken