Restaurant Review: The Melting Pot

For my birthday this past week, I went on a celebratory date with my boyfriend to The Melting Pot in Arlington, Tx. We had 8:30 pm reservations and when we got there, our table wasn't ready. There was about a 10 minute wait for us, and the 3 other couples who had reservations as well that came in behind us. No worries....because after we were seated everything went up hill from there. 

On every table there is a mini electric stove top where a fondue pot goes to heat up and stay warm throughout the evening.

We chose to have the 4 course dinner: appetizer (cheese fondue of our choice), salad, entree, then dessert fondue. 

For our appetizer we decided on the spinach and artichoke fondue. I expected the waitress to bring out a pre-made spinach dip that would simply heat up or stay warm on our little stove and pot. Instead, the waitress brought out all of the separate cheeses, spinach, artichoke, etc to make the dip in the pot in front of us. It took about 1 minute for it to mix and melt then it was ready to eat! We were supplied with bread, chips, raw veggies, and Apple pieces to dip in the fondue and enjoy as an appetizer. DELICIOUS!

Next came the salad. Nothing special, just a small plate of salad. 

The entree round is what really surprised me. Instead of them simply bringing your food and maybe having a warm sauce in the fondue pot for dipping, they bring you RAW MEAT! Surprised? We were too! I ordered a sort of sampler called The Classic and it featured pork, steak, chicken, and shrimp. 

The food was already preseasoned to perfection and the waitress explained to us how long to cook the food. It was all very simple and turned out to be delicious! Just put the meat on the skewer and leave it there as you submerge the food in the fondue pot (whatever flavored liquid you choose will be what is in the fondue pot). They supplied us with raw potatoes, broccoli, and mushrooms that don't need to be skewered, just pour them in and they will cook just fine

Everything can't cook at once but that's ok because once you eat what has cooked, it's time for the next round to come out. (Yes that is me in the scarf and shirt).

Lastly is the dessert round. There are different kinds of chocolates that could go in the pot. We chose the "s'mores" (I'm not a big fan of chocolate so I didn't expect this to be a forte for me). We were supplied with marshmallows, pound cake, rice crispies, cookie chunks, and strawberries to dip in the chocolate. It was really good. I didn't expect to even like it and was pleasantly surprised. 

Yes that is my birthday candle :)

As far as costs, me and my boyfriend got the 4 course meal and we each had 1 drink each. The bill was $93. So this may not be the best place to go to every week (unless you have money like that) but it is definitely a good place to go to treat yourselves!

Rating: 9.5 out of 10

Hair Journey Update: 7 1/2 months Transitioning

 

Hey Guys! So I just randomly decided to do an update on my natural/transitioning hair. I decided to go natural, not because my hair was damaged, but because I wanted a change. I rarely wore my hair straight so what was the point of perming it? I had a really good grade of natural hair to begin with. I didn't start getting perms until I was in high school anyway and that was just to fit in.
Anyway, here is a picture of my hair before transitioning:

This is all from 2012-April 2013. Long-ish healthy hair. This is why I hate when naturals talk down on people getting perms and coloring their hair. Mine was permed and colored. Boom! Pow! Take THAT!
But anyway, Since then, I shaved off the sides of my hair and it has grown back to about 3-4 inches long. (Of course its natural so its curly and you can't tell it's 3-4 inches long) It's very easy to tell the difference between my natural hair and relaxed hair because my relaxed hair is permanently colored while my natural hair is my natural dark brown.
Before the wash (hair was blow dried a week ago and very dirty!):

Yep that's me, no make up no nothing! Anyway, the next pictures are of me with freshly washed hair with a light conditioner on it. I have a combination of 3c/4a hair. On top it's more 3c, and 3c/4a mixture on the sides.

So there you have it! 7 1/2 months transitioning! We're making progress!

Beauty of a Budget: Some of my Faves!

Hey Beauties! So today I'm going to share a few of my favorite products that are easy on the wallet. I am just a regular person like you and can't always spend crap loads of money whenever I want on products. I am a Certified Product Junkie and that gets expensive! So here are a few of my favorite products that I LOVE and are affordable. Also, I'm going to show ONE product that I did NOT like and will never buy again....just to warn you....

Let's start with Shampoos:

I am transitioning from relaxed to natural. I have about 3 inches of curly new growth and about 9 inches of permed hair. These products work for ME and I'm not guaranteeing they will work for you. Also, just because I despise a certain product doesn't mean it won't be the product of your dreams.

Shea Moisture Coconut & Hibiscus Curl & Shine Shampoo
Target or Walmart: $9.99

This product is awesome and I will buy it and buy it and buy it until they stop selling it and then I will curl up and wither away because nothing can replace it...........yeah. It's that good.

WHAT NOT TO BUY:
Once again this is just my opinion of the worst shampoo ever. It made my hair feel dry (underwater...how weird is that??) and stringy. It smelled good and the packaging was cute....that's about the only good thing I can say about it. I did not like anything else.

Surprised?
Organix Hydrating Macadamia Oil Shampoo
All Drugstores: $7.99/$5.99

After I had seen billions of awesome reviews about this product praising it and ranting about how awesome it was I was thoroughly disappointed by it. If you want my advice, don't waste your money on this shampoo like I did.

Now for Conditioners:

Pantene Pro-V Truly Natural Hair Deep Conditioner
Walmart: $3.49

This is a great moisturizing conditioner for my hair. I usually put it on my hair after shampooing it and I leave it on for between 30 minutes to 5 hours (big difference I know!) When I rinse this conditioner out, my hair feels soft, silky, and moisturized to perfection. There is nothing I dislike about this product.

Protectiv Mega Growth Anti-Breakage Strengthening Deep Conditioner
All Drugstores: $5.99

When I first used this conditioner, I put it on my hair for about 20-25 minutes. I rinsed it out and immediately decided that I hated it. It didn't do anything for my hair at all. It was pointless for me to put it on! HOWEVER, a few months later, I decided to try it again...and I fell in love! I left it in my hair for about 3 hours and I put a plastic shower cap and a night time bonnet over my head to hold in as much heat as possible. Apparently, heat is the key (although it doesn't say that it is necessary on the instructions). After washing my hair out, it felt smooth, soft and moisturized. This is a great product and I recommend everyone purchase it!
Sidenote: This brand also has a Daily Conditioning Moisturizer as well (it's purple) and I recommend purchasing that as well. I didn't want to feature it in this blog because it is not a "Fave" but it is an affordable daily conditioner for relaxed OR natural (or even transitioning) hair.


Leave In Conditioner/Moisturizers:

Cantu Shea Butter Leave In Conditioning Repair Cream
Walgreens: $4.99

This is a super lightweight leave in conditioner that is great for all hair textures. I apply this after my hair is dry when I'm doing bantu knot outs/twist outs/braid outs. This product works well with other products and doesn't leave any kind of sticky film or residue that some other products sometime leaves. I read many blogs about this product and was excited to try it and I was not disappointed! The product was thinner than I originally expected, not quite watery but not solid like all natural shea butter. If you're in the market for a great budget friendly leave in conditioner, I recommend this one for sure.

Africa's Best Organics Hair Mayonnaise
Walmart: $3.99

This product can be used as a protein treatment deep conditioner or a moisturizer. I used it as a conditioner once and hated it. I will never use it that way again. However, as a basic moisturizer this is a great product. Of course, since it is full of protein, it should not be used daily so I use it about once every week or every other week. It's very affordable and worth the money.

BEAUTY PRODUCTS!!!

This is my favorite part of  the blog! I am a make up lover and beauty guru. I don't have many beauty products that I am obsessed with but here's a few of the ones I do love.

First things first...we all need a clean and smooth skin on the face so...........

Up & Up Facial Scrub for blemishes and blackheads
Target: (I can't remember the actual price but I think it's around) $3.49

This product is supposed to be comparable to St. Ives Blemishes and Blackhead Control Apricot Scrub but I have never used that product so I cannot judge. However, I am very much in love with this scrub. I'm not sure how many times a week we are to scrub our faces but I use this product about 5 days a week (the days I put on make up) because I always scrub my face for a smoother face when applying make up. This product is also great just to clean away the day's dirt and grime. There isn't a lot to say about this product because it is NOT a miracle worker when it comes to blackheads but it does help. I haven't found anything better so this is still on my list of faves!

Maybelline New York Fit Me Foundation
Target: $5.99

I looooooove this foundation! It is awesome! I am an African American with yellow undertones. It is incredibly hard for me to find foundation, bronzers, concealers....anything that goes on my face (not my eyes) because of my undertones. Most foundations that match my actual skin color are not meant for women of color. They are meant for white people therefore they have sort of a white base when they oxidize on the skin. It gives me a pasty look and that is not attractive...at all. If I buy the foundations in my shade that are specifically meant for African Americans, they typically have red undertones. I get sort of a orangeish redish look and once again that is not attractive.
This foundation is perfect. In the one that is actually my shade, it actually FIT ME just like in the name. It is sheer-medium coverage (just like I like) and blends really well with other products which is always a plus. In the store next to the number (shade of foundation that matches YOU) there is another number that is for the concealer for you. I haven't tried it yet but I'm very eager to!

Eos lip balm (ANY FLAVOR!)
Target/Walmart: $2.99

I love these little lip balms! They are not good for women who don't carry purses. It is kind of awkward to put in a pocket. The application of the product is awesome because you can rub very hard on the lips (if you want to geez I'm not saying you have to!) and you don't have to worry about it breaking. It's comfortable to hold in your hand and all of them smell very good and don't taste half bad either! They are very moisturizing and it lasts for a long time ! I have NO complaints!


Ok you guys! I think that's about it! I hope you enjoyed my current faves and because I am a Certified Product Junkie, I'm pretty sure I will have some new products to introduce to you soon and hopefully you found this helpful!

Maybe next time I will take you on a tour of my make up and inform you of the "Steals" that I have found or the things I recommend that you don't buy....we will see!

Fitness...AGAIN!

So I blogged about fitness a couple months ago and about how I'm trying to get in shape. Yeah, I fell off that bandwagon. I keep trying to get in the habit of working out but that just doesn't happen. However, for the past few days I've really been training because I have a work out partner. Having a workout partner holds me accountable every time I want to skip a training day.

Today, me and my workout partner are not training together so I'm going to do a simple routine on my own. I'm really interested in fitness as well as yoga. I love the way those yoganatics can twist themselves up like pretzels and balance like CRAZY and they are all FIT! I follow quite a few yoga pros on Instagram and that's helping keep me motivated!

Note: I do not own this picture nor do I know this woman.

 



This picture is the greatest motivation for me. She is AWESOME! Look at the balance! Look at the poise! Look at the flexibility! Ahhhhh I want to get there! Hard work! Dedication! (In my Floyd Mayweather voice)

So for tonight's workout, this is what I'm going to do. It's just something light because I will be doing it indoors and I don't have much space.

10 burpees
10 crunches
10 squats
10 pushups
(3x)

For balance and flexibility:
Balance in a straight legged bridge for as long as possible
30 second plank (for core strength)
Head stand (start with feet straight out in front of face, then bend them to balance on my elbows, then try to slowly straighten them out above my head)
Come back down slowly (basically doing everything backwards)
After coming down go straight into a 30 second plank

Next I will collapse because I'm not in the best shape and will be extremely tired.

Happy exercising everyone!

Shea Moisture Product Review

Hello Beautiful People!

I know in my last post I said that I was going to take down my box braids then attempt to install Marley twists............HOWEVER, I took down my box braids. It took me literally 8 hours of nonstop work. I sat in front of the television for EIGHT hours unbraiding those braids! My shoulders were sore, my legs were stiff, my back HURT...it was actually really relaxing though. My only breaks were to go to the bathroom. I didn't even eat!
After I was done taking them down, I couldn't fathom standing on my feet in front of the mirror for 4-5 hours installing Marley twists so I decided to wash and deep condition my hair and just allow it to breathe for possibly a few weeks.

So, now to the point of this blog...I felt like my hair would be dry and damaged after being in braids for 6 weeks. I wanted to do the absolute best deep condition my hair has ever received. I love the Shea Moisture Coconut & Hibiscus Curl and Shine Shampoo (wow that's a mouthful!) and decided to try the Shea Moisture Raw Shea Butter Deep Conditioning Masque w/ Sea Kelp and Argan Oil for Dry Damaged Hair (another mouthful!)



Target:$9.99
When I opened the package, the product looked VERY thick and my first thought was, "YES! This is going to be the best deep conditioning treatment EVER!" Um.....not so much. So after separating my hair into sections, I scooped out a small amount and rubbed my hands together.........and was immediately disappointed. This product was SO thin and watery I couldn't even feel it when I put it on my hair! But since I paid $10 for this product I decided to give it a chance.
After coating this product over my hair thoroughly, I let it sit on my hair for 30 minutes and washed it out. Ok, you know how when you get a really good deep conditioner and when you rinse it out your hair feels all soft and luxuriously moisturized? Yeah. Not so much with this product. My hair felt dry and stringy even under the water! UGH! So I simply rinsed it out and blow dried my hair (I know I shouldn't have but oh well...). Now comes the strange part.......my hair was annoying and ugly feeling under the water but when I started blow drying my hair it was SOOOOO soft! I was in shock!

I honestly don't know if this is a good product or not....I honestly wouldn't buy it again but since I paid for it I will continue to use it and maybe mix a little coconut oil with it for more moisture.


Now THIS product on the other hand is GREAT! I absolutely love it!

 

Target:$9.99

I love this product so much. It's like a shampoo and conditioner all at once. When I wash my hair with this my hair feels like heaven on my scalp. Although it is very moisturizing, my hair doesn't feel heavy or caked up with product. I am a typical product junkie. When I get one product, I usually don't rebuy because I will buy another product to try because I JUST CAN'T STOP! However, I have purchased this product more than once and will continue to use it FOREVER!!!!!! (Well until I find something better)

I recommend everyone buy this product!!!

Natural Hair

So tomorrow (Oct.24, 2013) makes 6 months transitioning for me in my natural hair journey. I'm so excited! For the last month, I've been wearing my hair in box braids.

(NOTE: Ignore the mess and the bra hanging on the door knob, this pic wasn't originally intended for online viewers lol)

I have never been able to keep a hair style for long so next week, after keeping my braids for a month and a half, I'm taking my hair down and I'm going to attempt to do Havana/Marley twists. I will blog about that and also I will make a video showing you exactly how I do them.
Now putting Marley twists in my hair will be a bit of a challenge. This is how I want my twists to come out:

or

(NOTE: I do not own these pictures, I do not know these women, I got these pictures off of Pinterest.)
The reason doing my hair will be such a challenge is because, on a whim, I shaved the sides of my hair off 4 months ago. The hair is about 2-3 inches long on both sides and about 12 inches long everywhere else. Since I am not exactly comfortable doing this style on my hair (since I've never done it before) I think it would be better to have hair that is at least 4-5 inches so I can really grip it and work with it. But ah well...what's done is done! I will keep you guys updated on my progress and hope this style works out on me!

Mario Badescu Skin Care

Hello Beautiful People!

I want to start off by saying that I am a Certified Product Junkie. I love buying and trying new products for my hair and my face, including oils, cleansers, moisturizers, shampoos, conditioners, etc! I'm an addict!

For my first review on this blog, I want to tell you guys about Mario Badescu Skincare Enzyme Cleansing Gel.

Purchased From: Ulta
Cost: $12

 

Most days (5 days a week), I wear a full face of make up including foundation, concealer, bronzer, some sort of highlight, eye shadow, eye liner, and mascara. Wow that was a mouthful! I work in a jail which is not the cleanest place to be for 8 hours a day. And last but not last, I have oily acne prone skin.

When I take off my make up at night, I use a simple baby wipe for sensitive skin. Of course that's not enough for an effective nightly facial routine. After I wash my face with the wipes, it looks like all of my make up is off. HOWEVER, when I wash my face with this Enzyme Cleansing Gel, my towel looks like I just wiped off a complete face of make up. I would think my face was perfectly clean but this cleanser took the dirt, oil, and make up straight from my pores! AWESOME!

This product may have been $12 but a little bit goes a long way and this bottle is packed full. I have been using this product for nearly 3 months and I use it about 4 days a week and look how much I still have! A lot of bang for your buck if I do say so myself......and I do.

Also, I have found that when it comes to buying facial cleansers, it's such a confusing deal! How do you figure put what is made specifically for your skin type?? But when I found Mario Badescu's line in Ulta, although I didn't realize it at the time, this product has a small sign on the side of the label that says whether its for oily skin, combination, dry skin, or even for all skin types! What?! Yeah! Yeah I said it! It's plain and clear!

 

Needless to say, I would recommend this product to any and everyone! I give it 5 out of 5 stars as a cleanser.