Why Are We Contouring Our Noses?

I wanted to do a video on this and post to my YouTube channel but I have not been in the mood, so I decided to just write a blog post about it. Today I was watching a YouTube video of a lady doing her makeup. She forgot to contour her nose and she said something to the effect of “I had to go back and contour my nose because this makes your nose look thin and perfect.” Hmmmm….I do not equate a thin nose with being a perfect nose, nor do I equate a thick nose and being a perfect nose. In my mind, the nose you were born with should be your “perfect” nose.

 

Let me explain further. One of the identifying features of black people are thick facial features…i.e. thick noses & thick lips. That is not to say that some black people do not have thin noses or lips, we do, but a lot of black people have thicker noses and lips in comparison to our Caucasian brothers and sisters. The opposite is true for Caucasian people, their noses and lips tend to be thinner than black people. 

So who came up with the idea that a thin nose is a perfect nose? Was it Michael Jackson or someone else? Why are black women all over YouTube contouring their noses so that their nose appears thinner? Is a thin nose the standard of beauty? This is just another example of why we must be careful of the trends we are following. Yes, it is a huge make-up trend right now to contour your face including your nose. I have no problem with contouring your face to bring back the dimension that was lost after applying foundation, but I do have a problem with contouring your nose so that it appears thinner for the sake of having a thin and perfect nose. Personally, I will stick with the nose I have. 

Please share any thoughts you may have in the comments, I would love to hear them. Also, if you have not read my post regarding mindlessly following trends, it can be found here: Mindlessly Following Trends

Weekend Hair & Outfit of the Day

Spring/Summer Clothing Haul

Shoe Haul - Just Fab, Shoemint, Forever 21, etc.

Laser Tattoo Removal Update #3

It has been ten days since the first laser treatment. I can definitely see changes happening. These changes, unlike what I saw in the initial days after the treatment, are not ones that can only seen by me but actually other people would be able to notice, too. My skin is peeling in certain areas within the tattoo and once the skin peels, the new skin underneath is whitish in color. That could be a little scary but given the fact that normally if I get a scab and it peels off, the skin underneath is pinkish or whitish in color, so I am not worried. Also, the "what to expect" paperwork the laser clinic gave me said that this is a normal occurence and not to pick at the skin or apply any oitment to aid in healing --- just let it heal naturally.

Also, the whitish skin that is left once the top layer peels off does not have as much ink as the skin that has not peeled. This contradicts my understanding of how the laser tattoo removal works. I was my understanding that the laser will break up the tattoo ink and the body would naturally absorb and dispel the ink. More to come…

D.S. Hair Extensions Virgin Brazilian Petite Curly Loose Hair

Is This Not Beautiful?

Now only if I can think of a way to recreate this. It's so chic! 

 

They Won Second Place! #TalentShow

I was so proud of my little girl. She came to me a couple of weeks ago and told me about her talent show at school. She said that she and her friends had entered and I was really surprised. She said they were going to do a dance routine to Miley Cyrus’ song Party in the USA. Well, she and her friends practiced with her coach and music teacher after school and when I asked to see the routine at home she was too shy to do it. 

When I went to the talent show, I was surprised at how good the routine was. These are second graders but they performed like professionals and their choreography was quite complex. Needless to say I am a proud mama. They won second place. First place went this cute little boy dancing the “Gagnam Style.” 

My baby is on the far right.
 

Laser Tattoo Removal Update #2

Today marks a week since I had my first laser tattoo removal session. I notice very slight fading on the ink in certain areas. If I were to show them to someone else, they probably would not see a difference but I can. I have seen this tattoo for years (unfortunately) so I can definitely see some fading of the ink in certain areas, not a huge difference though. It is very minor, very slight, which is to be expected because this is the first treatment and I have at a minimum seven more sessions to go. 

The area that was lasered is still sensitive to the touch. Slightly uncomfortable if someone bumps into it or if I rub my hand across it.  I did not expect that. I thought the pain would only last 1-2 days at the most. I don’t know why I thought that but I did. I was also reading on the internet that for the first laser tattoo removal treatment that the laser in not turned up as high and subsequent treatments. That can explain why I did not feel much pain during the process the first time. I am expecting the laser to hurt more the second and third treatments. 

Right now, I am optimistic. I truly believe that I can get this tattoo removed. What a mistake, but I am human and mistakes I shall make. But I will not make the same ones twice :)

Maintaining My Hair in Between Relaxers

Hairstyling | Twists and Braids

Weight Loss Update #6 | Down 0.6 lbs (Practically No Loss)

Another Bee Mine Sale!

Laser Tattoo Removal Update #1

I had my laser tattoo removal consultation this morning and I also had my first treatment done! Yes, after the consultation the lady asked me if I wanted to get started today and I told her yes! So excited.

I already had a lot of my questions answered about the procedure based on my own personal research. I knew certain colors were harder to remove from skin than others.  Black is the easiest to remove and lighter colors are more difficult colors to remove. My tattoo is black, red and blue so I was informed that the blue would probably be the last color to go and the most difficult to treat. Also, tattoo ink is more challenging to remove from darker skin tones without having adverse or negative effects. Negative effects as in light patches where the laser removed the brown pigmentation in black skin. Scary right? The good thing for me is that my tattoo is always covered by clothing so if something does go wrong, I won’t have it showing to the world every day. Just to myself L

We started by putting a regular ice pack over the tattoo for about three minutes. That was followed by a dry ice pack which stung a bit. The dry ice pack was on there for only about a minute. Then she lasered the area. At first, I could barely feel anything but once she got towards the end I could feel the popping or snapping feeling of the laser. It was totally bearable in my opinion. She made sure I was comfortable and asked me every so often if I needed a break, which I did not because it was not that painful. Maybe that is because this was the first treatment and the laser was not turned up that high.

She told me that in about twenty minutes after we were finished that I would have a “sunburn” feeling in the area that was treated. I kind of laughed in my head because I (being a black woman) have never had a sunburn in my life so I do not know what a sunburn feels like. But I know now! LOL. I did get an uncomfortable sensation in the area which I assume is similar to that of a sunburn.

That is about all regarding my experience with my treatment. Oh, maybe I should mention cost which I must add will vary depending on the clinic, the size of your tattoo, and other factors. The lady measured my tattoo which I believe was about 2 X 3 inches. Based on that, she quoted me a price of $200 per session with an estimate of 6-8 sessions to remove the tattoo (maybe more if the blue color does not respond well). If I purchased all my sessions in advance, I could get a bulk discount which was up to $150 off. Overall, this turned out to be a lot less expensive that I thought it would be.  

I am to return every 8 weeks for the next treatment so my second treatment is scheduled for May 31. is More updates to come….

Laser Tattoo Removal | The Time Has Come

The 19 year old Ebonee is quite different from the 29 year old Ebonee, and understandably so. With the addition of years come life lessons that help you to mature and grow as a person (most of the time, lol). Some of the things I have done in my teenage years, I would not do now. One specific thing is this 10 year old tattoo that I am wearing. I have wanted to get rid of it for the longest time but never took the steps to do so. Tomorrow, I have my first laser tattoo removal consultation to see what it is going to take to free myself of this impulsive body art I had inked many years ago. 

I won’t go into details about what, where and why…..just yet. I am going to document the process from start to finish, however long that takes. Then I am going to weave the clips together for my own mini tattoo removal documentary that I will upload on my YouTube channel showing before, after and everything in between. 

If anything, this should be a learning tool I can show my children about why tattoos are not the best idea. I am not knocking anyone with tattoos either, I have a second one on my ankle which I still like and which will remain for now. But really how often is it that someone gets a tattoo that they like “now” and will still like years later? Very rare. You grow. Your tastes change. Your perception on the different things in life change.  

I am at a different place in my life and I have little people I am setting an example for now. Much different than my life 10 years ago. I pray this all goes well.

Sensationnel Bump Collection Wig - Fab Fringe

I made a video on this wig a while back and forgot to mention it on my blog for those of you who visit my blog but do not visit my YouTube channel. I am in love with this wig. I do not know if it is because of the short cut or if it is because of the auburn highlights in the front but I love, love, love this wig! The way it is cut and stacked in the back is so beautiful. Once on, it lays nicely against your neck in a tapered fashion.  

The auburn highlights on this unit are gorgeous but if they are not your style, they have other highlight colors and also solid colors like 1 and 1B all over. If you are looking for a wig to freshen up your look for the spring and summer, or if you have been wearing long hair for a long time (lol), this might be a good change that is not permanent because you can go short by slipping on this wig and then back long if you prefer.  

I am thinking about getting this wig in another color. The price was so reasonable. I purchased it for $24.99 but the price may fluctuate depending on where you purchase the wig. I got my from hairsisters.com.

 

 

Mindlessly Following Trends

I may ruffle a few feathers with this post but please know that anything I write it not meant to make someone feel convicted but rather just to express and different point of view in love and in the hopes that we are viewing the world with "open" eyes. This is not to say that I am right about everything but I know what I feel in my heart and I compelled to express that.

The first time I ever saw stilletto nails was in Rhianna's video Russian Roullette. The first thought that popped into my head was "Wow, she has claws." That thought has never changed. As the pointy tip, animalistic, witchlike nails have become more and more popular, I started to wonder am I just too old-fashioned or possibly not "hip" enough to embrace this new trend. It's not that. It is not that at all.

I noticed that Beyonce and Lady Gaga and lots of other celebrities were really into these stilletto nails. Fans and people who mindlessly follow everything celebrities do, say, wear, or think are quick to mimic the things that see on the internet and television. This is all I want to say with this post, PLEASE be careful with who you look up to, who you decide to mimic, who you decide to copy. If it does not feel good or right in your heart, that is because it is probably not. You know if a person is singing and promoting the things that speak goodness and truth. You also know if they are singing and promoting things that are opposite of Christian beliefs. I know everyone is not Christian, but I am, and I can only speak from that point of view.

When you say I want this celebrity's hairstyle, or my nails the way this celebrity wore it, or I want an outfit similar to what I saw this celebrity wearing, just know that it is not that simple. Do you really want to align yourself with that person and their agenda? It is more than just nails.

 

 

One more trend I must quickly mention is the scull trend. It is popular and trendy to wear scull scarves, jewelry, clothing, etc. But really, what are sculls associated with? I associate them with death. So how has death become a fashion statement?

 



God Bless You All,
Ebonee