Ladies, get your coins ready!!!

I scoured the internet and reached out to some of the hottest brands to bring you a Black Friday/Cyber Monday/Small Business Saturday Sale Guide!

I mean, who doesn't love a sale?!

This time of year is my absolute favorite time to shop for products - you get access to some of your holy grails at a discounted price, while also trying out new products at a cheaper price.

Don't see a brand you like?  No biggie! Let me know in the comments and I'll try my best to include them in next year's round up! I'm looking forward to seeing how this list grows over the years!

Now, on to the list.  Happy Shopping!

It's been six months since I've written a blog post. 

Six. Whole. Months. 

Crazy, I know, but there's a lot that's happened in this year.

There's a lot that's happened in both 2015 and 2016 alone that have been truly life changing.

The main things are being pregnant and having my daughter back in March. 

Yo, I’m somebody’s momma! Like, my body actually grew and housed a little person for 37 weeks, and then I pushed this little person out. 

I'm in charge of shaping and molding this gift!

I'm raising a woman of color. I'm raising a woman of faith. I'm raising a woman who will seek and stand for righteousness. That's a heavy load, especially in the hour that we're living in today. But I know God's grace is sufficient, and I know he has great plans for my daughter's life. 

Photo Credit: Curves and Confidence

Summer has arrived! Well, not quite yet, but with the 85 degree days we've had here in NYC, you'd think we were in the middle of July! Since warmer weather is now upon us, you may be wondering what to do with your natural hair for the summer. Here are five protective styles to try this summer:

Box Braids // Box Braids are pretty much the go to style when it comes to protective styling. It gives you lots of versatility when it comes to actually styling the braids. Whether you rock it up in a high bun, or half up half down, the style options are endless when it comes to box braids.

Being a mother is one of the most rewarding, yet demanding jobs ever! It can be pretty hard getting in some "me" time between all the feedings, diaper changes, and lets not forget the lack of sleep! When my husband is finally home from work and the baby is down for the night, I look forward to escaping by taking a warm shower, especially since I've been trying to get my skin together ever since suffering from dry skin during and even after pregnancy. 

It's hard enough keeping your skin hydrated as the seasons change, so you can only imagine my frustration suffering double time due to raging pregnancy hormones and the cold winter weather. That's why I’ve partnered with Dove to tell you all about their New Dove Dry Oil Collection featuring their Dove Dry Oil Beauty Bar and Dove Dry Oil Moisture Body Wash.

I haven't blogged throughout my entire pregnancy due to my blog hiatus. While I have been journaling my pregnancy week to week (or when I had the energy to remember) in my own time, I figured I'd share these last few weeks here on the blog. A "Countdown to Baby," of sorts, since I'm just a few short months away.

I am officially in my third trimester! 30 weeks pregnant.....gaaaaahhhhh!! I don't even know what to say about week 30. Time is going by so FAST! Every day I ask myself how did I make it this far along this quick? I feel like it was just last month where I was waiting anxiously for my monthly friend to come, only to confirm my suspicions of me being pregnant when she didn't come on time. From here on out, I feel like the rest of my pregnancy is going to just fly right before my eyes!

As I'm nearing the end of my pregnancy, I've had time to reflect on how far God has brought my husband and I and really just meditate on His goodness. I figured I'd get a little personal in today's post and share a bit of our journey.

I've mentioned briefly in a previous post that my current pregnancy is actually my second pregnancy.

My husband and I first found out we were pregnant with our first child in April of 2015. Shocked was an understatement when I took those two pregnancy tests and saw those two pink lines. Not that I didn't think I could get pregnant, but...I didn't think I could get pregnant! I knew it would happen one day, but in that moment it just didn't seem real to me. According to my LMP (last missed period), I was five weeks when I found out I was pregnant.

Let's face it: taking care of a head full of kinks, coils, and curls can be a lot of work....but it doesn't have to be! One of the main reasons why some women are opposed to going natural is because "it's too much work."

We've heard it all before: "I can't go natural because it's too much work," or, "Your hair is so beautiful, but my hair can never do that." 

Besides, between our already full daily schedules, who has time to spend hours upon hours on wash day maintaining those curls, right?

If you want beautiful curls, but don't want to spend all day trying to get it, then this post is for you! Lazy doesn't have to equate to an unhealthy head of curls. What it does mean is applying smart, practical, and consolidated techniques that are sure to leave you with moisturized and healthy curls without spending hours trying to get the look.

Four years ago, I took the plunge and decided to go natural. I was tired of relaxing my hair, only for it to break off severely just a few short months later. While I have several years of natural hair expertise under my belt, when it comes to my hair sometimes I make so many careless mistakes that I often find myself asking, "Why did I just do that?"

Caring for natural hair requires a bit of maintenance and lots of TLC to flourish - washing, detangling, conditioning, moisturizing, and styling. There's mistakes along the way, but that's part of any journey.

Happy New Year! Can you believe it? 2016 is officially here, and the new year just brings so much hope and promise. I plan to make 2016 a good year in every area, living a life that is fulfilling, enjoyable, and completely purpose driven.

So, I guess this is the part where I say, "I'm sorry," right? And then I explain why I've taken yet another blog hiatus and promise that I'm back for good. I'll save us both the headache. But, to be completely and 100% real - Life happens, no matter how much we plan and despite some of our best intentions.

What I will do is be completely open and honest about what's been going on lately.