Thursday, May 22, 2008

Wait A Minute Mr. Postman!

I've been doing a lot of online shopping lately to satisfy my spending jones. I've been creeping into boutiques IR as well but I don't feel like taking pictures of that stuff. Check out my online scores:

The new Double Stitch - Designs For The Crochet Fashionista book by Erika & Monica Simmons. I preordered this one through Amazon back in April and have been patiently waiting for it up until yesterday. Below are a few items I will be queing up to make. Get yours in the sidebar -->



The book is full of colorful fun knits. Some for rocking around town and others for the sophisticates. I fall into the latter category and as such many are too bohemian for me. The sisters do no disappoint on inspiration though. I think that with a little creativity and a keen study of their designs on their MySpace page you can come up with all sorts of renditions on their already great designs. I really enjoy their stylish departure from the norm of cardigans, sweaters, socks, and pullovers. The stitch is simple but very detailed and decorative at the same time. I am happy to support the Queen's of Crochet Haute Fashion!

The Inaugural Issue of Verena Knitting by Burda (actually store bought). This magazine is really popular in Europe. On the cover it tauts itself as "Europe's top knit magazine." I'm really a sucker for good fashion styling. I try not to succumb to it but I don't think I'll ever change. Good styling is good styling. I guess that's why they do it that way. The magazine is sort of a mix between Rowan and Knit1 - classic designs mixed with the quirky. It's fun and for $6.99 you get 50+ patterns. Below are my faves.




On to hair!! Afrobella announced that Miss Jessie's was having their annual Mothers' Day Sale so I had to check it out. Normally I'm cool on all things Miss Jessies. I tried the Curly Pudding in the past and got a grape scented mess. Plus the price to me was prohibitive for a product I wasn't sure was going to be useful to me. I remember at the time it was $58 for 8oz. The devil is a liar! But, they were offering their Curly Buttercreme at $32 for 8oz AND you got a sampler pack of all of their other products (6 in total) thrown in for free. I figured I had to try it. I bought the Baby Buttercreme and got my order within the week.

I really like the Baby Buttercreme. It really helps with the knots and gives me a silky finish without feeling greasy. I didn't follow the instructions on the website or I would have had a hot greasy mess. You only need a little of this product for it to be effective not globs as the site instructs nor do you need to rake it through your hair with a baby doll size comb. My hair is so fluffy and full after applying just a little to each section and twisting.

Three days later I condish washed and twisted with the Curly Meringue. Meh! I'm not as sold on it. It did give me boingy springy curls but they were not as soft as when I used the Baby Buttercreme. I haven't gotten to the other products yet. All in all I'm very satisfied with the products. I'm happy that I didn't stop with just the Curly Pudding as I would have never tried the Baby Buttercreme. It's about trial and error. The only drawback I'm finding with the line is that there is an ingredient within these products that makes me slightly light-headed. I have to figure out what that is before I continue using. If any of you have experienced the same please do share your thoughts.

In my next few posts I'll post hair pics as well as pics of Oz which is 99% complete. Hopefully I'll have the pattern written up for you as well.

Love

Kamika

6 comments:

Still Patrice said...

Those leg warmers are too cute!!
I used the buttercreme before...i liked it!

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the Miss Jessie report...I have yet to try it only because while I don't mind spending the $$ on a good product, what if it doesn't work for me?? Then I'm out a ton of dough for something to crowd my under-sink area. I have so much stuff under my sink already. I still want to try the Buttercreme, though.

Memeeflye said...

I really like the Ms. Jessie's best darn deep conditioner (it made my hair super soft)& the baby buttercreme (which I used on my 3 yr. old son)...Not sure what to do with the meringue. I just gave away the curly pudding- didn't use it. Felt like I needed a tutorial on the products- LOL.

Harlem Purl said...

I tried both the buttercream and the curly pudding on my "tightly coiled" hair and I didn't like it all. I tried the instructions from the website and like you I ended up with a globby hot mess. Now I mainly use the curly pudding every once in a while and I'll put a bit on my damp hair for twists. I paid for it so I'm determined to use every drop worth.

Jada said...

I am liking that crochet vest and top!I might have to get that book.

Marty said...

I tried the Curling Pudding for the first time on Friday. A friend put in flat twists for me b/c I still don't know how to do them myself.

I loved how they turned out. And love the smell. My hair is thick so I needed something to help shape. Not to mention I still have some straight hair that doesn't curl for me. Lucky for me another friend gave me her leftover jar.