Author Archives: Memphiz

Living On A Budget

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Being on a budget is no fun and this is coming from someone who was already frugal to begin with. Being a young adult I’ve been trying to be responsible and stay on the right path to make sure my finances stay straight. Although I have student loans, rent, car note, and credit cards I‘ve been able to keep it all straight.

In January when I turned 26 I got kicked off my parent’s health insurance and had to get my own insurance through my employer. A couple of months after that I had to sign up for a 401k which is mandatory through my employer. After seeing these cost affect my check I decided it was time to get on a budget and keep track of my expenses.

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stella&dot

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Hey Charcoal Ink readers spring is in the air and summer is right around the corner and what better way to celebrate it with some new jewelry and bags. My friend Lisa is a stylist for style&dot if your interested please read below for more information.

Calling all my fabulous fashionistas! Need some ME time? Do you share my fetish for fashion? Then meet, Lisa N. Cowan, your Personal Stylist!!! Check out her site and host a trunk show! This is a great excuse to gather your girlfriends, family, neighbors, and coworkers for sips, snacks, styling, and socializing! You can do an afternoon “Brunch, Bags & Bling,” an after work “Style Makes Me Happy Hour”, or an evening “Girl’s Night IN.” Which one works for you? She has the following dates available: May 2nd, May 16th, May 17th, and June 6th. Get your free jewelry and bags just in time for Mother’s Day and Graduation!!!

Want to support? Love to shop? Check out this site: http://www.stelladot.com/ts/subp5

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First Time Flexi Rod Set

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For some time now I’ve been wanting to try a Flexi Rod set, and this weekend I took a go at it. I watched a couple of YouTube videos to get an idea on products and techniques I should use. After watching numerous videos I decided to use Giovanni’s Direct Leave In Conditioner and Fantasia IC Hair Polisher Styling Gel. I used about all my flexi rods which were 35 in total and wouldn’t mind if I had more. When it comes to my curl pattern it is inconsistent, I have tightly coiled hair and wavy hair. I wanted to achieve a smooth curl look and wanted my roots to be smooth but I wasn’t able to achieve that look in the back.

I somewhat like the style but it’s definitely something I would have to get use to. When it was time for bed I put my hair up in a high ponytail and slept in a silk bonnet. I am going to try to attempt this look again and to get it smoother at the roots. What do you think? Have you tried a Flexi Rod Set?

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What I’ve Been Up To: A Look Through My Instagram

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I’ve been M.I.A for awhile now due to life and work as always but I wanted to share with you all what I’ve been up to. Here’s a look of what I’ve been up to through my Instagram photos …

1. Nail DIY – Decided to try my (hand) at doing a Leopard print on my nails. This was my second time trying this design and this time I think it came out looking a lot better.

Leopard Nail Art

2. Knitting – Decided I needed to learn something new and therapeutic to help with my anxiety so I learned how to knit. After watching numerous videos I was able to successfully learn how to knit. So far I’ve been knitting scarfs since it’s winter in the U.S. (and reading Arise!)

Knitting

First knitted scarf

3. Swap Party – Last week I was invited to a clothing swap party and it came at a good time since I had a lot to give away. If you don’t know what a swap party is, it’s when you and a bunch of friends bring all your clothes together that you don’t want and swap out for something else. I wasn’t really expecting to bring much home but I did come out with a couple of nice items. Whatever was left of the clothes was donated.

Going through shoes

Going through coats

4. Cyber Monday – I took advantage of Cyber Monday and was able to buy a pair of heels originally $50 and got them for $25 at Sole Society.

Sole Society Shoes

5. Wild Hair – I partially straighten my hair in preparation of it getting braided, it started off wild and I was able to get it somewhat tamed.

Wild hair!

6. Oprah – Inspirational words from Oprah (enough said).

Oprah Quotes

Using Free Resources to Reach Personal Finance Goals

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I’ve been on hiatus for a while unintentionally since work and life in general has taken over. So here’s a little update on what’s going on in life. I know a couple of post back I shared that one of my goals is to get financially stable now that I’m settled in. My first step to reaching this goal is trying to get more informative on finance and budgeting period. My first initiative to doing so is taking a free online course with Coursea in The Introduction of Finance. It’s a 10 week class that I started 1 week ago that’s been both informative and intense. I don’t know if it’s exactly what I expected and I don’t know if I can get down with taking an online class.

Don’t get me wrong I’ve been learning about new things such as the value of money, loans, bonds, stocks, and etc. but the amount of formulas and problems I’ve been doing can be such a drag. Also the whole watching video lessons and reading books online is not exactly kind to my eyes. I already spend 80% of my time at work on a computer, so coming home and looking at a computer for another additional 2 hours is killing me softly. I’m trying to stick to this class but I just don’t know if I can stick it out. I think if I had to physically get up and go to this class it would be so much better. I’m really trying to use different resources to reach my goals but I don’t know if I can get over the camels hump on this one. Any suggestions?

Make-Up Inspired Look: Erykah Badu

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Erykah Badu’s eyes can speak louder than words, but her make-up is definitely hitting the mark. I love how her make-up is simple and sultry at the same time. Last year I treated myself to a Sephora eye shadow pallet with about 36 different colors and I am hoping to achieve this look. What do you think of her make up? Below I’ve come up with a pallet colors that I think is similar to the eye shadow colors she has used. The three I have circled are the colors I think are most prominent in recreating this look.

When Does the Length Become Too Much?

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I came across this photo on Tumblr and when I seen it I wasn’t really awwed. When does hair become too much? Locs this long seem like they would be more of a hinder then a style statement. How are they cleaned, maintained and how does he even sleep at night with that amount of hair. I know the weight of his of locs have to be somewhat painful.

 

What do you think is this too much?

Closet Purge

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This weekend I decided it was time to do a closet purge, which consist of me going through my closet and deciding it was time to part with clothing, shoes and purses. Because I know it’s so hard for me to part with my clothing and other items I had to come up with a plan. I decided in the next 5 weeks I would pick 3 items from 5 different categories to sell on eBay. The 5 categories include:

  1. Dresses
  2. Shoes
  3. Skirts
  4. Jeans
  5. Purses

Whatever I don’t sell I will give to friends, family, thrift store depending on the item. This week I picked out three dresses to part with and this is what I considered:

  1. Can I fit the item?
  2. When’s the last time I wore it?
  3. Do I still like it?

 

Here are the three dresses I put up on eBay; these items will be on here for one week.

1. Old Prom Dress from 2005

2. Hot Pink Animal Print Party Dress

3. Black and White Shift Dress

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What do you purge your closet?

4 Conditioners I Use to Snap My Hair Back in Shape

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My hair was just taken out of the tree braids that I’ve been wearing for about a month and a half. I know a reader asked me in a previous post could they see a better picture of my braids. Well those pics are coming soon I decided to get my hair re-braided so the style is more fresh and clear to see in a picture.

I think one of the most important things to do after taking down your hair from a style is a good condition to snap the hair back in shape. As some of you may know or have experienced certain styles can wear and tear on the hair making it weak. I know most of the styles we wear are supposed to be “protective styles” but even those have their pros and cons.

Lately I’ve been using about 4 products to condition my hair and 1 brush to detangle. Continue reading →