Let Me Tell You 'Bout My Box Braids!!

So, a few posts back I told you all how I basically grew up with braids in my hair 80 percent of the time. This trend followed me into high school and the first couple years of college. I think it was around my junior/senior year of college where I decided "NO MORE BRAIDS." It wasn't because I didn't like the way they looked or anything, it was more because I hated the process. Sitting for hours and the pain was just not worth it to me.

So anyway, you may ask yourself how did I end up back in braids if I was so over them? Well, as you may know by now, I am natural, and my natural hair is extremely tough. It is no joke. Long story short, I needed a break. I decided it was time to go back to #teamboxbraids. And let me tell you, I am loving it. No stress in the  mornings. I literally get up, throw some gel on these edges and keep it moving. It is the best feeling ever. I think I am going to be #teamboxbraids for a little while. Although, I do miss playing around with my curls.

The pictures below are of  me today with my box braids. They have been in for exactly one month now. I am planning to keep them in for another couple of weeks. The way I take care of them is by keeping them mositurized with Cantu Shea Butter Coconut milk shine and hold mist. This is something that I already use daily on my natural hair to moisturize it so my hair is already familiar with it. It is a great product and it doesn't hurt that it smells great. I honestly don't need to use it daily because it works so well that the shine and moisture usually lasts a couple days. I also use the one and only eco styler gel on my edges. I use the olive oil eco styler gel but i've heard a lot of great things about the other ones too. Aside from that all I do is oil my scalp every now and again. Oh, and most important remember to WRAP YOUR HAIR. I don't go to bed without wrapping my braids up. This means even if I'm just going to take a nap.
Anyway, enjoy :)

Hope you all enjoyed this post. Feel free to comment below! And if you have other inquiries feel free to shoot me a message in the "Talk To Jo" message box!

xoxo

Jo

"When I first moved to New York and I was totally broke, sometimes I would buy Vogue instead of dinner. I felt it fed me more" - Carrie Bradshaw

Casual Day With Boyfriend Jeans

So yesterday I posted about the amazing Boyfriend Jean. I talked about a couple ways to wear it and what I like about the jean. Today, I decided wear one of my Boyfriend Jeans and I convinced one of my brothers to take some pics of me for the blog so I can visually share what I was explaining in the Boyfriend Jean post. So below are three pictures of my outfit today. I didn't do too much with this outfit. I kept it simple. A casual tee, my boyfriend jeans, and a necklace with body. As you can see I also layered my wrists with some arm candy. This is particularly important in this outfit because the shirt I am wearing is so casual and without the arm candy the outfit will look well...basic (lol). I also have on a pair of statement flats. The moral of the story is. With boyfriend jeans and a basic tee you really have to dress it up with your accessories and shoes in order for the outfit to have a real feminine touch. Oh, and I am also rocking my box braids in a high bun for this outfit.
Soooo you want to know where to get a nice pair of affordable boyfriend jeans. These particular ones that I am wearing came from a small boutique in Atlanta, GA. But honestly I am in love with a pair that I found at The GAP. So definitely check those out!

     

Hope you all enjoyed this post. Feel free to comment below! And if you have other inquiries feel free to shoot me a message in the "Talk To Jo" message box!

xoxo

Jo

"When I first moved to New York and I was totally broke, sometimes I would buy Vogue instead of dinner. I felt it fed me more" - Carrie Bradshaw

Kelly Rowland Dirty Laundry

If you haven't listened to and downloaded Dirty Laundry by Kelly Rowland by now, what are you doing with your life. Let me tell you why this song is one of the greatest songs i've heard in a while. THE HONESTY! Singers, rappers, and celebrities in general love to talk about how "real" they are and how they want their fans to relate to them. Raise your hand if you really actually ever relate to their super fabulous and extravagant lives. The reason that I am so here and present for Dirty Laundry by Kelly is because of the realness. No, I may not have experienced domestic violence but which one of us women hasn't been in a relationship that your friends want you to get the heck out of. We have all had that relationship that our friends or family members just don't agree with. Shout out to Miss Kelly Rowland for being able to speak out so publicly about this negative time in her life.
Another reason I absolutely love this song is the way she talked about her initial feelings towards her sister Beyonce's success. Come on now! We have all had that friend or family member who is out there doing big things and you are just like ugh "when will my day come?" This song absolutely humanized Kelly and I love her for it. We often idolize our favorite rappers, singers, and actors without realizing that behind all the glitz and glamour is a real human with real life problems. I think Kelly taught us all a lot of things with this song. She personally taught me that it is okay to be human and make mistakes its not the mistakes that define you, rather, it is the way you pick yourself back up.
In the words of Miley Cyrus "There's Always gonna be another mountain, i'm always gonna wanna make it move. There's always gonna be an uphill battle and sometimes your gonna have to lose. Aint about how fast I get there, aint about what's waiting on the other side...it's the climb." 
So no matter what you are going through today. Just keep climbing.
And thank you Miss Kelly for making yourself so emotionally available to your fans!

If you haven't already, definitely download "Dirty Laundry" by Kelly Rowland on iTunes

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/talk-a-good-game/id651708826

Hope you all enjoyed this post. Feel free to comment below! And if you have other inquiries feel free to shoot me a message in the "Talk To Jo" message box!

xoxo

Jo

"When I first moved to New York and I was totally broke, sometimes I would buy Vogue instead of dinner. I felt it fed me more" - Carrie Bradshaw

The Boyfriend Jean

So lets talk about the boyfriend jean. This piece is a staple in my closet. I have two boyfriend jeans and they are such a go to pair of pants in my closet. I am very big on masculine pieces worn with a feminine touch. The beautiful thing about the boyfriend jean is that there are so many ways to dress it up or down without looking too boyish. 

For a casual day, I throw on my boyfriend jeans with a pair of oxfords (or other flats) with a slouchy tee and feminize it with a chunky necklace and lots of arm candy layered on both hands. With this outfit, I most likely will wear my hair in a high bun. And because this outfit is so casual, I think it calls for some bright lipstick! So definitely consider some Sephora Rouge Cream with this one ;)

For a night out, I throw on my boyfriend jeans with a pair of gladiator booties or point toe heels, a simple tee and my STAPLE - a blazer. Definitely throw on a chunky necklace with this fit too. You really can't go wrong with a chunky necklace. 

So, I know this may be a lot to take in but i'm definitely going to start taking outfit pics for you too see. Visuals always help! 

Hope you all enjoyed this post. Feel free to comment below! And if you have other inquiries feel free to shoot me a message in the "Talk To Jo" message box!

xoxo

Jo

"When I first moved to New York and I was totally broke, sometimes I would buy Vogue instead of dinner. I felt it fed me more" - Carrie Bradshaw

Friend or Foe?

Look around you and stop to think for a minute. What kind of friends do you keep in your circle. Do you have the type of friends who tell you the truth/keep it real with you or do you have a bunch of yes men. One of the most important qualities I look for in my friendships is someone who can keep it all the way real with me. This means being able to tell me if my hair isn't aight, my outfit ain't tight, and my man aint right! If you look around you and you have a bunch of friends who have never checked you, those are not your friends. This doesn't mean that they need to be snapping on you left and right or constantly putting you down. In the midst of all the fake friends and acquaintances we have, we should have at least one friend who you know won't have you out there looking a fool. We all need that friend who will be up front with us and tell us if we are in a bad relationship or if they think we are going about a certain situation the wrong way. This doesn't mean that you will always take the advice that they are giving you but the honesty proves a lot about how they feel about you. Good friends do not sit back quietly and watch their 'friend' make bad decisions without saying anything. And if your friend gives you advice that you don't take and you end up making a wrong decision. The true test of that friendship comes when they can do either of two things. 1) rub it in your face that they were right or 2) help you get back on your feet. I don't know about you but I keep a circle of friends that I know will help me get back up. All this being said, there is a very thin line between keeping it real with your friends and being a negative individual. Negativity is easy to spot. There usually is no substantial reasoning behind the feelings of a negative individual. They just feel the way they feel about things because ..... well because they feel like it (lol) NO SUBSTANCE! So, my point is take a look at your friends and ask yourself if they are real friends or disguised foes!

My Essentials

Since I just started this blog. I think my first few posts should help my readers get to know me better. So this post is basically about a few of my fashion essentials. Things that you most likely will always see me with or in. How would I describe my style? I don't really know how I would describe it because I pretty much would try anything new. If it looks good on me, then I guess it is my style. So here are 5 of my essentials.

1) Blazer's Galore - Anybody that knows me knows that I am addicted.com to blazers. I have a ton of blazers and I love em. They are essential to me. I noticed that a lot of my outfits often favor modern androgyny and I credit this to my blazers. I love it when a woman can make a masculine piece look so feminine.

(By the way I adore Jessica Alba's style)

2) Pants - I have a ridiculous obsession with pants. Its like I can't get enough of em. Every store I walk into, I gravitate right to the pants. And this isn't just jeans. Its pants in general. It's a ridiculous addiction. I have enough pants. Someone tell me to stop!

3) Lip Stick/Gloss - There is nothing worse than a pair of crusty lips (hahaha). I do NOT go ANYWHERE without at least my lipgloss. Personally, I am a Sephora girl. I haven't really gotten into MAC but I don't see a reason to when Sephora hasn't let me down thus far. I'm very into bright colored lipstick because they bring out my full set of lips. Take a trip to Sephora and get you something juicy for those smackers girl! My personal fave is right out of the Sephora collection it's the Rouge Cream Lipstick. My little secret to make it last longer is to apply it with the little smudge brush on the other end of my Cover Girl eyeliner. Which brings me to number 4.

4) Eyeliner - I'm not a big makeup kind of girl. I don't wear a lot of makeup. It just isn't me. But what I do wear from the makeup family is eyeliner. This is definitely one of my essentials. My favorite eyeliner thus far is the CoverGirl Perfect Point Plus Eyeliner. Its magnificent! I don't use the smudge brush for my eyes but if you read number 3 you know what I do use it for. I love it.

5) Earrings - You will not - I repeat - NOT ever find me without earrings and if you do don't talk to me because that means I am having an awful day (lmao). I just feel ever so naked without a pair of earrings. If I get fully dressed and I walk out without earrings it means nothing and my outfit isn't complete. I get my earrings and jewelry in general from all over the place. Like most women, I don't have one specific place I shop for jewelry

Au Naturale

Sooooo in June of 2012, out of nowhere, I decided to "Go Natural." This news came as a shock to all my friends and family who knew how much I loveeeeed the creamy crack (perm/relaxer). When I tell you I was the major advocate for creamy crack, I am not joking. I was all about getting my edges right with some perm OKAY! haha. Well, with some inspiration from the sister of a guy I was dating at the time, I decided it was time to go Au Naturale lol. However, I didn't want to big chop my hair and get rid of it all immediately. I wasn't prepared for what I would look like with a fade haircut. So I decided the best option for me would be to transition. Transitioning basically means that I allowed my hair to continue growing without relaxing the new growth. This meant that I now would have two textures of hair. The kinky new growth and the ever so straight relaxed ends. Boy was this a journey. I've heard sooo many horror stories from people about their transition journey but mine actually wasn't that bad at all. Once I had figured out what styles my hair liked and what products it took to, everything was a breeze. One thing I did learn is that as much as all the natural hair bloggers and vloggers were VERY helpful you MUST NOT compare your hair to other women's hair. Your hair is your own. It is unique. It does what it does for you! You cannot always expect the same results as the next woman or you will end up extremely frustrated. I learned that my hair loved a good braid out and curls products. When I decided to go natural I hit up the one and only "Sallys Beauty Supply" LMFAO. I literally spent about 80 bucs on product and I didn't buy product again until after I big chopped 9 months later. Being natural saves $$$$$ trust me (haha). Above you see pictures of my journey. In the middle is a "Then and Now" picture. It was an exciting journey to natural for me. I big chopped my hair in March of 2013 and I have been loving it. I enjoy watching my hair grow and do its thing. I generally apply a "NO HEAT" rule to my hair. I just am not a fan of what heat does to hair. Nope not a fan. I even air dry lol. I love my natural hair and I encourage any women out there who want to do it to go for it!  I am currently rocking some box braids. I am all about protective styling. It is soo healthy for the hair. Any way enjoy my pics!

Little Girl Love Your Hair

As a little Nigerian girl, growing up I ALWAYS had braids. All types of braids. Braids here braids there braids everywhere. And boy did I hate sitting there to get those things done! The frustration from the pain and the hours it takes to get your hair braided. As a little girl all I wanted was to look like the girls on the 'Just For Me' perm boxes. I know somebody out there feels me on this (haha). Those little girls always had their hair laiiiiiidd! I wanted to look exactly like them. I have always had extremely thick hair. Lil Wayne said it best "tougher than Nigerian Hair." I'm Nigerian and my hair sure is tough but I don't think anything is tougher than it (haha). My hair stressed my mom out so much. Combing through it was a nuisance. So she got me hooked on that creamy crack. My mom did such a great job taking care of my full head of hair but you know how it is when you are a little girl. You want all this independence and you want to do your own hair. Well, when I got into high school after years of complaining and begging my mom finally let me start doing my own hair. When I tell you it was a disaster, I am not even playing! Hair falling out, split ends, dry hair, the whole nine. It was so bad my mom said, "Nope, I can't help you with this, you are going to a salon" (Lmao). It literally got that bad because all I ever did was manipulate my hair and try to make it do things I knew darn well it couldn't and wouldn't and shouldn't do. I was a part of the do-the-most coalition. I was literally doing the most with my hair. It got pissed and started to give up life (haha). So, my mother took me to a salon and the beautician started me on a healthy hair regimen. The only part of her regimen I didn't follow was the whole eating healthy part (haha). My eating habits are terrible! In-between perms my mom would still braid my hair or give me a nice sew-in. Thank God for African moms that can do hair! For tha Freee (lol). So, I would see all these images on the internet, in commercials, in music videos of all these women and their hair and I wanted it! I wanted my hair to look exactly like theirs. And once again I practiced my do-the-most behaviors (lol). It wasn't until I made the decision to go natural that I fully appreciated my hair. Don't get me wrong, I loved my perms. Swinging my long black hair back and forth and watching it blow in the wind (lol). I loved it, but I only loved it because society loved it. I loved it because that was the common image of what is beautiful. I'm not going to go into a big old rant on society and all its wrongs (that would take all day) but I will say this. Your hair should be a representation of who you are and who you know yourself to be. It should not be a representation of what you think others want you to be. If you wear a fade, you should wear it because you love to see yourself that way. If you are team creamy crack, it should be because you genuinely love your hair that way not because you are trying to live up to some standards. etc. So, my point is, let us teach young black girls to love their selves. Little girls should not be comparing their selves to the next woman on the cover of a magazine or pop stars. Lets instill attitudes of self worth in these young ladies. Little Girl Love Your Hair :)

She's So Me

Welcome to my blog. My name is Joanna but most call me Jo or JoJo.