@janine_j

Because I promised to do this and, even when one is lazy, one must fulfill promises.

By way of intro, allow me to talk to you about my hair situation.

It’s been nine months since I cut off the last bits of relaxed hair. I felt distinctly unattractive with super short hair, but I persevered. After all, hair grows, right? Now, my hair is at a fairly decent length so I won’t be mistaken for a dude.

Until I was around 10 or 11 years old, my hair was naturally thick and curly and long and beautiful. But, because I wanted to look grown up, I got my first relaxer and started heat styling my hair.

When I was around 19/20, I decided to grow the relaxer out and I loved my hair. But back then, I had no education on how to properly care for my hair. After two years, it was dry and breaking and I went back to relaxer. I became the queen of short, relaxed hair a la Rihanna. Short hair suited me and it was quick and easy to style.

But, I wanted to try something different and stop paying an exhorbitant amount (R1 200) for a relaxer/cut every 2 months. I decided to try natural again. This time, though, I’m armed with all kinds of knowledge thanks to the natural hair bloggers I follow.

One of the biggest favours you can do if you’re going natural for the first time is to love, accept and make peace with your texture and what your hair can and can’t do. My curls are tight, I’ll never have Corinne Bailey Rae or Tracee Ellis Ross’s hair, but that’s fine!

Here’s my current haircare routine for those of you who care:

Some of my products: Giovanni Direct leave in conditioner, SOiL Shea Butter, Kerastase Oleo-Curl Mask (use as conditioner) and a water bottle for spritzing.

Daily

If I’m not lazy, before bed, I:

Spritz a little water over my hair.

Apply about a 50 cent coin-sized dollop of pure shea butter through my tresses

Divide my hair into four sections and create about 5 twists per section.

Seal my ends with castor or sweet almond oil.

Weekly

Jump into the shower and saturate my hairand shampoo (I’m going to quit shampoo soon, promise!). Shampoo with sulfates in them are really damaging, unfortunately.

Condition and ‘comb’ the conditioner through using my fingers (I’ve quit combs entirely).

Rinse out conditioner and apply about 2 tablespoons of leave-in conditioner and about a tablespoon oil (extra virgin or coconut).

Allow my hair to air-dry about 60%, then do my twists, sometimes I’ll use a curl definer, sometimes not.

Seal ends with castor oil.

Every two weeks

Deep condition for between three hours to overnight, depending on how busy I am on that specific weekend.

My deep conditioning process is simple: mix some oil into a deep conditioner, apply, cover my hair in cling wrap and a beanie and chill, cook, watch tv, sleep, whatever.

Every few months

Blowdry after deep conditioning and flat iron (I prefer to do these things myself - I control how much heat I apply to my hair, I don’t trust just anybody)

Go for a trim at a salon to get rid of dry, split ends

I’m due for this now, but I’m terrified of applying heat to my hair. 

POINTY TOES are going to be the trend in winters to come, methinks. Why? I present to you a few of the best:

Celine. Even in usually dreadful white, these look beyond hot.

Jil Sander. Salivate.

Stella McCartney. Now this is what sports luxe is supposed to look like.

Anthony Vaccarello. This is a collaboration with Guiseppe Zanotti. Sexy.

GLITTER heels are a Miu Miu thing, right? Lanvin upped the ante with GLITTER SOLES:

BLOCK TOES are the antithesis to pointies. The updated versions are modern, with a classic twist:

Louis Vuitton. These are so special… So wrong, but so right.

Yves St Laurent. Metallic pumps + mirrored heels? The person who gifts me these deserves a hearty ‘yes’ to any marriage proposal.

Pics via.

I have some cool friends in the business of making you think, rap along & dance. They go by the name of Ill-Literate-Skill. You can download their latest EP - for free - over HERE.

Being a single girl is a lot like being pregnant: people feel this overwhelming urge to give you unsolicited advice. Except they’re not telling you how ‘ohmigod, you’re not planning on breastfeeding? Tsk tsk tsk’, rather, they think they can give you all these handy little pointers on how to bag Mr You and live happily ever after so that you can make some babies and *then* they can tell you how to deal with the growing foetus inside your uterus. Anyways, here are some of the handy suggestions I’ve been given:

1. Quit with the feminism. Act like a lady.

2. Straighten your hair. 

3. Dress more plainly.You’re a bit ‘much’.

4. Maybe you should lose a little weight?

5. Whoa! Easy on the make-up.

6. Your skin’s terrible, wear some make-up.

7. Close your legs (figuratively).

8. Don’t be such a prude.

9. Learn about sports. Talk about sports. Shut up about your interests. Listen.

10. Stop partying. No one wants to date a gig guide.

Frankly, I’d rather be myself and do the things I enjoy than ‘land’ someone who hasn’t gotten to know the real me with all my crap and kinky hair and disinterest in sport and love of heels and a good dance floor session… Blergh. This life ain’t easy, yo!

I was selected as a PUMA ambassador for the launch of their T7 jacket and, as part of the Creative Factory initiative, I was given the opportunity to design my own jacket. How amazing, right?

I’m quite happy with the way my first foray into design turned out… It’s quite simple, very ‘me’, people who know me know that I don’t like a lot of ‘fussiness’.

My jacket’s all black, with green and cobalt accents and a zebra print on the shoulders. Perfection.

Thanks to Team PUMA SA for making this happen!

My jacket! I named it ‘Jackie Collins’ because it’s a little eighties, a little trashy, but with longevity…

Absolute perfection. Naomi Campbell channels uber-diva Miss Tina Turner in a new V Magazine shoot. I can’t with this woman… Wow.

Pics via.