Nail Talk- SensatioNail Kit Review

So I was in Walmart last month and as always, I cruised the beauty section for new products. I picked up a can of Maybelline's Air Foam Foundation (which I'll have to review another time) and kept it moving to the nail section. Being an esthetician, I am not supposed to have my nails painted or grow over the tip of my finger. So my nails have been pretty much bare for the last 3 years. Plus, my paint job never lasts more than three days because of chipping from being I'm on a computer at my day job.

But, I saw a gel nail kit that had everything you need for up to 10 nail applications. It was from SensatioNail, it was $50 and included the LED lamp, lint-free wipes, nail file, cleanser, primer, base and a nail color. (S/N, I didn't like the color on the box, so I bought a taupe which was $10.) It took me about 10-15 minutes to complete and I love the results.

The kit plus taupe color I bought separately.

You have to cure your nails a few times throughout the process.

Taa-Daah! They look gorgeous.

Very natural.

I loved that my polish didn't chip and fade (too much) the whole two weeks so I went and bought two more colors.

However, I must say that removing the polish was a total pain. I did every trick I knew: I took a acetone soaked cotton ball and wrapped my fingertips with foil for 15 minutes. That only took off some. Then I soaked my nails in the acetone for another 15-20 minutes- that only took off a little more. I just gave up and started filing the rest off, which was fine for the taupe color, but when I was trying to remove the midnight blue, I did more damage than good. 

So I would definitely recommend this kit, but I would advise patience when it comes to soaking the polish off. If anyone has any tips or advise on this, PLEASE let me know.

*ADD ON*
I figured out what I did wrong. I forgot to buff the nail before soaking in acetone. So, I will try that next time,it may save me some headache.

Also, I would recommend putting a little sunblock on your hands, especially around the cuticles so the UV rays from the LED lamp don't cause unwanted harm. 

Love, Peace and Soul Deep Beauty.

New Soul Deep Beauty Video

I did a video last week on my signature summer lip look. Check it out.




 Love, Peace and Soul Deep Beauty!

Me and My Hair: Genie Locks

I knew that these braids were going to be quite a task going into it, but dang I wasn't even ready for it. It took me 21 hours over two days to complete these genie locks, but I am satisfied with the results.

This is what I used:
Washed, conditioned and deep conditioned with Carol's Daughter Tui Set.

I bought this set off of HSN for $27! It's $35 now.

I applied Hair Rules Leave in Conditioner and de-tangled with my Tangle Tweezer.

Purchased at Ulta.

Purchased at Sally Beauty Supply

Applied grapeseed oil prior to blow drying each section.

Purchased at Beauty Supply

Used Shea Moisture Curl Enhancing Smoothie for each braid.

Purchased at Target

I used Red Heart 100% acrylic yarn in black- bought 2 packs only used 1 and 1/4 of the second one.

Purchased at Michael's. It was a big roll, too. On sale 2 for $5.

I did the three strand method throughout the whole head and tied and burnt the ends.

I let my kids tear up my house all weekend while I watched movie after movie and show after show including:
-4 episodes of Real Housewives of Atlanta
-3 Tyler Perry movies
-The last 3 Twilight movies
-and a whole bunch of other mindless TV that I can't recall.

Unfortunately, I did not take pictures throughout to track my progress or make a video like I had planned because I just wanted to be done. I'll post pics along the way though of the fabulous styles I hope to create. I want to say that these will stay in for 2-3 months, but I know me and my love for big fluffy hair, so I will try to keep them in for at least 2 months.

Love, Peace and Soul Deep Beauty

Beauty products sent to my door?... Yes, please.

I don't know what's more dangerous- window shopping or internet shopping. With window shopping, I almost always find something I just have to have. But, with internet shopping it's so simple and convenient. You put your cloths/shoes/accessories into the "cart", enter your payment info (I suggest paypal) and in a few days, your item comes right to your door.

Well, there have been some people who have taken internet shopping to a whole other level with monthly subscriptions. For those of you who read my post about my shoe subscription, your gonna love this.  There are several options out there to sign up to a monthly subscription for health and beauty products and here a few that I'm considering. It's great way for product junkies like my self to try before I buy.

The Look Bag

Membership Program Options: Yearly or Monthly

Cost: $110/Year, $10/Month, can also transfer to a friend or gift it for 3. 6 or 12 months

What's inside: 5 luxury beauty product samples 

Extras- Spearheaded by renowned Eyebrow King Damone Roberts

            - Samples sent are according to results from your personal beauty profile

            - You get 20% discount off merchandise on thelookstore.com

            -Previous bags included products like Shadow Shields or Damone Robert's Brow Highlighter

Beauty Army

Membership Program Options: Monthly

Cost: $12/ Month

What's inside: 6 beauty samples

Extras- You get to pick what samples you want

            - Previous samples included products from La Fresh, NYX and Rapid Lash

Birchbox

Membership Program Options: Monthly, Yearly or gift for 3, 6 or 12 Months

Cost- $10/ Month

What's inside: Samples from a long list of brand partners including Dermalogica, Bliss and Wei

Extras: You can get a sample box for men's products for $20/Month

 My Glam

Membership Program Options: Monthly *At this time there is a waiting list

Cost: $10/  Month

What's inside: 4-5 Full sized products

Extras- Created by YouTube makeup vlogger Michelle Phan

           -Products based on beauty quiz results

           - Comes in a cute makeup bag

           -There are videos featuring the month's beauty products and users are encouraged to upload their own reviews

 New Beauty Test Tube

Membership Program Options: Tubes are available 4 times a year

Cost: $29.95 plus 8.95 S+H

What's Inside: Deluxe and full size products

Extras- Gift cards to spend on spalook.com

           - Past products include Moroccanoil, Mally, Skin Ceuticals

           - Subscribers will get video emails about products

Sample Society

Membership Program Options: Monthly *There is a waiting list

Cost: $15/ M

What's inside: 5 deluxe size samples

Extras- $15 coupon towards a $50 Beautybar.com purchase

          - Free one year subscription to Allure Magazine

          - Collaboration between Allure Magazine and Soap.com' Beauty Bar

Glossy Box

Membership Program Options: Monthly *Will be coming to the US soon, currently in UK

Cost: $10/ Month

What's inside: 5-6 deluxe samples

Extras: Have option for men box as well

I even found one for the nail enthusiast!

Julep Maven

Membership Program Options: Monthly 

Cost: $20/ Month

What's inside: $40 worth of customized products including never before released colors

Extras- In introductory box you get the Julep Facial for Hands Glycolic Hand Scrub

           - You receive 20% off purchases from Julep Maven Boutique

           - You have the option to skip the month

           - All nail polishes are free of carcinogens, formaldehyde or DBP

And you know I couldn't leave out my natural hair divas.

Curl Box

Membership Program Options: Monthly *Subscriptions are sold out right now

Cost: $20/ Month

What's inside: 5-7 samples and coupons

Previous boxes included products from Hair Rules, Ouidad, Shea Moisture and Curls

Curl Kit

Membership Program Options: Monthly

Cost: $20/ Month

What's inside: 5-7 samples and coupons

Previous kit included products from Carol's Daughter, Shea Moisture and Uncle Funky's Daughter

In a perfect world, I would subscribe to all of these, but I did the math and it ain't pretty. So, I'll choose 2, or 3 and keep you posted. 

Love, Peace and Soul Deep Beauty

Naturally Flyy Detroit Meet Up

"An independent woman can't find a man because an independent woman IS a man." (Pause for reaction.) That was just one of the pearls of wisdom that was dropped at Saturday's Naturally Flyy Detroit Presents the Mens Forum, Part 2. But, that little pearl didn't come from a brotha, it came from one of the founders of Naturally Flyy Detroit, Ms. Espy "Etta Flyy" and she shut the crowd down with that one.

If you saw my previous article about Naturally Flyy then you know that I had been waiting with anticipation for Saturday night's festivities. There were vendors who sold everything from earrings and hats to candles, hair butters and even hand made purses from Africa. There was a belly dancing segment from Tene' of House of Bastet, a natural hair Q & A session with Ms. Wanda from Transitions Salon and Ms. Everette from Everette's Natural Hair and Beauty School/Salon. (S/N- I plan on taking classes at both House of Bastet and Ms. Everett's school. I'll keep yall posted.) There were women, men and children taking in the sights and smells as natural hair became the main event.

But, little did I know that hair was just the beginning as the men's forum opened the floor to the dynamics of  male/female relationships, how the media portrays black women, interracial relationships and how the men were brought up played a part in how they looked at themselves. The men were respectfully blunt and honest and I think we all left with the overwhelming theme of the night and that is simply to be who you are and don't wait for anybody to validate you. One of the gentlemen said that when a woman walks around confident with her head held high, a man can't help but to bow down to her. I couldn't have said it better myself.

Now, let me show you what I bought. BTW, I did have some pics of the event but they came out so dark it wouldn't even be worth posting them.

My girl from college, Stephanie and myself. So Flyy.

I got a tank for me and a t-shirt for my daughter. Too Cute.

Ms. Eartha Kitt Ladies and Gentleman.
I don't know the young lady's name who made these because I grabbed the wrong card
but I do know that she is at the Rustbelt Market on Weekends.

I circled around this cuff about 3 times before I decided to bite.
It is...the business.
The young lady who made this is Jocelyn of Jewelry Fetish and she
sells her creations out of The Artist Village where event was held.

So that's it for now. A good time was had by all and I hear that the next meet up will be May 19th. Yeah.

Love, peace and Soul Deep Beauty!

My first fashion show!

Last week I had the honor to be one of the makeup artists for the ERollins Group Meet and Greet/ Fashion Preview. It was held at the Detroit Institute of Arts and featured samples from designers Eric Darnell, Charles Lynch and the entire line of Diane Berry. There were also some amazing looks from local boutiques Simply Casual and You Gotta Have It.

I put in a full day's work but it was worth it to able to work beside the talented and focused driven CEO, Ebony Rollins and Creative Director, Le'Ticia Fisher, who is seriously a "Jane" of all trades: makeup artist, photographer, stylist, magazine editor...you name it, she does it.

I run a solo business, so it was great working along side other artists and swapping ideas and techniques. In an industry that can sometimes be competitive, I appreciate the solidarity. So I hope and pray that this is just the beginning of  a wonderful business relationship.

Here are a few back stage pics taken by yours truly.

Also, here are some pics from the event on Metromix! (Peep me in pic #10 making faces)


This video was added after initial post. Take a look. Your girl made her debut at 2:15. All smiles

The Business Expo: wins, losses and great finds

So, it's been a few weeks since my last post but, in my defense I have been super busy. Juggling home life and business life can be exhausting at times, but it has been all worth it. I had been preparing all week for the South Oakland Business Expo, which is basically, an expo for all the Chamber of Commerce groups (I'm a member of Royal Oak's Chamber) in the South Oakland County area and it was a great experience. I was a vendor at last years expo as well, with very few prospects that would actually benefit me and my business. However, as my determination grows with each passing year, I decided to give it another try and I couldn't be happier with the results.

The Wins-
Let's start with the obvious. Whenever you do a trade show or expo, the whole point is to tell people about your business- put your name out there. Because I don't have a particular product to sell and I am "selling" a service, my job basically is to educate people about who I am and what I do. So I had my brochures out, my makeup portfolio was available for people to look at and I had some candy and other giveaways available for people who stopped and talked with me.

I met a lot of people who were interested in my services and even had one make an appointment the following day. I have a few prospective spa parties lined up and overall I felt like there was a need for my services (unlike the holiday fair fiasco last year).

My table was simple, cute and effective.

The Losses-
So when I first got to the expo, I found myself in the tech world underneath the twitter screen they had up for the whole show and around a whole bunch of male vendors who couldn't have been the least bit interested in what I was offering. None the less, I made do so it wasn't a complete loss.

The other thing that you have to keep in mind when being a vendor is the cost. I think I spent a good $600 to prepare for a 7 hour event. That's including the table rent, marketing materials, my giveaways and the shirt and suit jacket I bought the day before. (The temperature dropped drastically so I couldn't wear original outfit- that's my story and I'm sticking to it.) So my bank account is definitely at a loss right now, but like I said, it was worth it in the long run.

The Great Finds-
Anybody who knows me, knows that I am a total nerd at heart. A very cute nerd, but still I take classes for just about everything. So, when they said there would be some free seminars during the event, I left my table for a couple hours and got me some free education. The two classes I went to were about Internet marketing- one talked about the new Facebook Timeline and the other about  FB, Twitter and LinkedIn. The info was good and gave me some things to think about. I also joined the Twitter world finally (BTW, follow me @RhondaSoulDeep). I don't know how often I will tweet, but we'll see how it goes.

I also met a woman who is a life coach and she may just have a business opportunity for me to become one myself. I always wanted to do something for young girls, as far as some sort of mentoring program and this may just be another door opening for me.

So there you have it, the wins are many when it comes to business expos. If you have the opportunity to vendor at one, I highly recommend it.

This is me at home after the expo- all smiles.

Natural Hair Poem

I just saw this on A Curl's Best Friend and I had to share. The poet's name is Carizma. Do ya thang, girl.

Viola Davis representing for Team Natural!

I just had to share this pic because I thought it was so beautiful.

The cover of LA Times

Did you see it yet? The newest edition of HER Detroit Magazine.

So, for those of you who don't know, I am writer for one of the hottest local publications in "The D", called HER Detroit Magazine. I write a skin care column called The Redden Report, and this past issue, I did a story on the flyyest sisters of Naturally Flyy Detroit. I am literally floating because I got to write about two of  the things I absolutely love- skin and hair.

Please check it out and let me know what you think. Your girl is trying to do big things (praise God from whom all blessings flow) and so grateful for the opportunity (shout out to my editor, Natashua Sanders).

Click on the magazine cover to see full digital version of the mag, or to jump straight to The Redden Report, click here, for the Naturally Flyy Detroit article, click here.

Due to printing space, I had to edit my original article to fit for print. But, because I think it's share worthy, here it is.

Being Naturally Flyy in Detroit

By Rhonda Ware-Redden

I know you’ve seen them. From the Eastside to the Westside- Old Redford to Midtown, the city streets are filled with black girls rocking their natural hair. Take a look in a magazine or on television commercials nationwide and you will see women with their locs, twist outs or TWA’s (teeny weenie afros) proudly representing team natural.

There’s a natural hair movement taking the city by storm started by two native Detroit sisters, Jennifer and Espy “Ettafly” Thomas. Their group is called Naturally Flyy Detroit and it was created in 2010 as a way for natural haired women to come together and get advice on products, ingredients and natural hair styles. Jennifer, who has worn her hair natural for over 8 years, recalls looking to the Internet initially for help when looking for ways to style her natural textured hair. “I noticed that girls in other states were having little group times together where they could meet at a restaurant or coffee shop, or somebody’s house and I was like, I want to have that. I want to talk to people about natural hair …if I’m going to wear my hair like this I need to have all the information so that it can be cute and I can feel good.”

So after the date was set, they decided to make an events page on Facebook and hold the meeting at their family’s business, Sweet Potato Sensations. All of a sudden, a meeting they thought was going to be around 20 or 30 people, turned into one hundred guests as the RSVP list kept growing and growing. The first meet up was a success and over a year later they are still going strong as a welcomed event in the natural hair community.

The last event in October was moved from their family business to The Artist Village across the street. It was a bigger space to meet the demands of the hundreds of naturalistas that swarmed parking lots and stopped traffic with their head turning do’s. Espy, whose natural journey started 12 years ago, wants people to know that it’s not just a meet up, it’s a sister hood and it covers the untapped territory on being natural. “I think it was something people wanted, but it just wasn’t going on here,” says Espy, “and a lot of times, especially with black women, our hair is so important to us. People really want to have hands on experience and talk to somebody else…it’s like a safe space to do that. It’s no negative energy, it’s peace and people get ideas. And I think it’s something that people really want to connect on a level of sisterhood like that, they just haven’t had that chance before.”

Well, the chance will come once again in February for the next meet up. The official date has not yet been set, but they expect to have more vendors, the product and accessories swap, live demonstrations and a few other surprises that they have up their sleeves. One feature that a lot of women are looking forward to is the discussion panel, The Men’s Forum Part 2. This is where a panel of men, ranging in ages talk about their love, or dislike of women with natural hair. Espy believes that the panel is important and says it’s a very frank discussion with everyone respectfully saying what’s on their minds. “In order for us to cultivate good relationships and family, we need to keep this open dialogue with our black men,” she says, “women are the silent leaders anyway, so if your confident in your natural hair, he’ll be confident with it too.”

But, don’t think that they will be checking hair at the door, all hair textures are welcome. These meet ups are about empowerment and just to let women know that they have other options. “We always try to encourage people when they say ‘how do you do that’ or ‘I don’t have time for that’. This is the easiest thing in life, ever. But, you have to take the time, have patience,” adds Jennifer. “When we used to call the girls hair (good hair) back in the day in elementary school it was because her hair could be worn curly or straight. That’s what it was to me. That’s what this is.”

Both Espy and Jennifer take pride in not only bringing more people to the area, but also being able to dispel the myth that black women can’t work together. They are glad that Naturally Flyy Detroit has encouraged conversations and friendships. Although it starts with the hair, ultimately they want women to focus on their values “from the crown down”- how you think, how you speak, the clothes you wear down to how you present yourself to the world. They just launched Naturally Flyy Denver in August, but make it plain that they are more concerned about growing in ideas, than growing in numbers.

For more information about Naturally Flyy Detroit, go to their group and fan pages on Facebook, or their website www.naturallyflyydetroit.com.