Prose

Customized hair care

Personalized hair care products, including a hair mask, shampoo and conditioner. Yes please!

Prose is a hair care company that works with YOU to create products suited to your hair. Prose assigns the customer to a professional stylist to collaborate on the hair products that suit your particular hair style, how amazing is this?!

Natural ingredients

I think the concept of this company is amazing. I love that they use natural ingredients that are either organic or eco certificated. All made from sustainable resources. Plus the products are made fresh in New York City.

Using natural ingredients is so important for numerous reasons. It benefits the environment and our own health. It is so important to be aware of what we using on our bodies.

How it works

Step one:

The consultation. This can be done either online or by booking in with a stylist located close to you. You will discuss your type of hair and determine the factors that may be harming your hair, such as the local climate, your diet, your exercise habits and styling habits.

Step two:

Preferences: Here you can discuss if you have a favorite fragrances or if you would rather no fragrance. You can also request particular ingredients, I opted to use all vegan ingredients for my products. Also, if you require more volume or shine ect

Step three:

Production: The lab will produce your hair products with fresh and natural ingredients accommodating your preferences.

Step four:

Your new customized hair products are delivered to your door. The box also contains a copy of your consultation. Listing what my hair needs, my hair goals, the routine and the ingredients in each product.

Results

I am really impressed. The consultation process was smooth and I learnt a lot about what my hair needs and I can’t wait to try and reach my hair goals. I love the use of natural ingredients. The products smell amazing, feel great to apply and my hair already feels smoother with more volume.

For more information click here

Amazonliss

DIY Smoothing hair kit

So from traveling, color treating my hair and living in various climates my hair is, well not that lush. It is a mix of wavy, dry and frizzy! The only time my hair feels soft and smooth is after a trip to the hairdresser, which I cannot afford to do all the time. So I was happy to receive the Amazonliss home hair smoothing kit from Nautree professional.

Keratin

The main ingredient in this kit is keratin. Keratin is a family of fibrous structural proteins, and the key material of making hair. Keratin can be used to restore broken and damaged hair. Other ingredients include, acai extract, cacao extract and hydrolyzed protein (Rice, soy, wheat and corn).

Additional benefits of Keratin

A great moisturizing method for hair
Straightening of hair
Can prevent grow outs
Keratin adds glow, leaving you hair feeling soft and smooth

Results of Amazonliss

So what are the claimed results of using the Amazonliss smoothing hair kit?

Smoother hair
Brighter hair
Deep moisture and nutrition
Thermal hair protection
Results that last up to four months

Kit contains

Anti residue shampoo, used to open up the cuticles in preparation for the absorption of the keratin.
Brazilian smoothing, Easy application keratin treatment
Intensive repair mask, this is the closing step, and provides intense hydration and softness

Step one

Use the anti residue shampoo to wash your hair, leave the shampoo on for five minutes
Dry your hair to 85% dryness
Section your hair into six equal parts

Step two

Apply the Brazilian smoothing treatments in one section, starting from the base of the head. Continue method for each section.
Using a hair dyer set to cool, and dry each section.
Use a straighter to straighten each section.

Step three

Rinse your hair
Apply the intensive repair mask
Leave the mask on for three to five minutes
Rinse hair
Last step, blow dry your hair

Results

Did it work? Yes, after the treatment my hair felt hydrated, was smooth, shiny and straighter. However, I do have to point out that step 2: The Brazilian treatment had a strong chemical smell, and I only completed about 80% of this step as I had to stop using it. Step one – the shampoo actually smells really nice! And, step three the intensive mask works a treat.

I did see results, and this is much more affordable option to a hair saloon. I continue to use the shampoo and the intensive mask, as these products make my hair feel and look shiny and smooth.

For more information and to purchase the kit click here

Wear Pact

Sustainable fashion

Having a minimal carbon footprint is so important to me. I try to limit my environmental impact where ever and when ever possible. I choose to favor “slow’ fashion over ‘fast fashion”. Fast fashion is the second biggest industry polluter, behind the oil industry! In recent years people are becoming more aware of the drastic impact fast fashion is having on the environment, and companies have been making the move to the eco friendly movement. A movement that is trying to limit fashions negative impact on our planet.

So what is ‘slow fashion’? Slow fashion represents our social responsibility and limits our carbon footprint. By choosing quality over quantity. By being clean, using organic and natural resources, and not using harmful toxins and dyes. By being fair, providing fair working conditions of employees and providing workers with decent pay.

So how do I include sustainable fashion into my lifestyle?

I reuse and recycle my clothing. I never put my clothing into landfill. If I no longer need a certain piece of clothing I will donate it to charity. If the clothing item is not in a decent condition I will recycle this piece.
Thrift stores. I will usually buy my clothes from a second hand/ thrift stores.And, as we have so many decent thrift stores in NYC it is so easy to stay “fashionable”.
For new items of clothing, I will source sustainable and ethical brands.

Pact

I was so happy to discover Pact, a sustainable clothing company. With their goal “to create the comfiest clothes in the world without destroying the earth, or harming people” I knew I had found a great company with similar values to my own. Pact use organic cotton, this is so important as organic cotton uses 95% less water than regular cotton to manufacture. Their clothes are made with sustainable ingredients/ fibers, so don’t contain any toxins of pesticides! Pact have sourced fair trade certified factories as they care for the well being of their employees.

I was sent three pieces of clothing to review.

Black relaxed fit tee
Black lightweight eco-blend wrap cardigan
Black wrap dress

I am so impressed with the quality of all of these items. The material feels so amazing. The clothing certainly does live up to the companies motto of “clothes that don’t just make you feel, you can feel good wearing them”. I wore the tee shirt and cardigan together for a weekend trip away. I can’t wait for the weather to warm up so I can start wearing the gorgeous wrap dress.

Pact is a clothing brand that I can get behind, their clothes are of great quality and I love their values, check out their online store here Pact

The Escential co.

Vitamin C facial serum review

I was so happy to receive the vitamin C facial serum from the escential co to review. I have been looking for an anti aging serum to help combat any dark spots that are arising. I love the use of vitamin C in this product, as it is an effective antioxidant. This serum is light weight, which I really appreciate, as it is smooth to apply and absorbs quickly into my skin. I like the packaging and the small bottle that the serum comes in, the perfect size to travel with.

I have been using this serum for a week now and I am already witnessing some great results! My skin feels a lot smoother and hydrated! I can see my youthful glow returning 🙂 This facial serum is a great anti-aging product as it acts as a light weight moisturizer that penetrates deep into the skin, keeping your skin hydrated and minimizing dark spots and wrinkles.

For best results, this serum can be used twice a day. Morning and night after cleansing and toning your face. You could also put a few drops and mix it into your moisturizer and apply this way. The scent is not strong, which is another great factor about this product.

I will continue to use this serum in my daily skin care routine, as I am loving the results that I seen so far. For more information, reviews and where you can buy this serum from please visit The Escential co. “Vitamin C Facial Serum”

Prive Revaux

Affordable designer sunglasses

Prive Revaux

“Feminist” in black and gold

Designer sunglasses at an affordable price? I have fallen in love with this gorgeous brand. Prive Revaux was developed by an elite team of entrepreneurs, creative designers and celebrity visionaries – Jamie Foxx, Hailee Steinfeld and Ashley Benson, very cool. They offer, over 100 handcrafted and polarized designer frames for only $29.95 and free shipping! This value is amazing. I adore the styles and the quality of the frames that I purchased.

Wearing the “feminist’ style. At the cutest coffee shop, Devocion in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

For years, I have struggled to find a pair of sunglasses that I loved and could wear everyday, now I have found four pairs that I adore. The main purpose for me is sun protection (which is has been excellent) but these glasses from Prive Revaux has also allowed me to be more stylish and confident in my outfit choices.

So, if you are searching for great quality and great value, I recommend this brand. They have so many choices for men and women, and cater towards all styles. Click the link here Shop – Prive Revaux to browse their frames. I am already thinking about my next purchase, which will probably be “the jetsetter’ in black.

Wearing “the artist” in black and gold, at the United States botanic garden, Washington D.C.

“The supermodel”

“The artist”

Wearing “the supermodel” in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

*affiliate link *brand ambassador

St. George Island

St. George Island State Park

After camping in the beautiful mountains and national forests along the Blue Ridge Park (Blue Ridge Parkway , Great Smoky Mountains National Park) we were in search of some heat and sun. We Looked at the map, in search of our new destination that wouldn’t take us too far off the direction towards New Orleans. We found St. George Island, located off Florida’s gulf coast, perfect! We headed to St. George Island State Park to set up camp, the busiest camping site we had encountered so far on our trip. While it was a little warmer, the sun remained behind the clouds for our trip,but we could still enjoy the beauty of this island, after all, it ranks as one of the top beaches in the US!

Blue Ridge Parkway

Heading South

Over the Christmas/New Year holiday period we decided to drive to New Orleans for New Years Eve. We left New York City, five days before Christmas heading south. The only ‘plans’ and accommodation we had wasn’t until the 30th, so we could enjoy the drive and see where we would end up! Looking at the map of the USA, I also decided that I would love to visit the Great Smoky Mountains National Park on the way down. So we headed for the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Scenic drive

The Blue Ridge Parkway is an absolute dream, the scenery is breathtaking. It is America’s longest linear park, stretching 469 miles, connecting the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the Shenandoah National Park. Located in the States of North Carolina and Virginia. Parts of the Appalachian mountains are also included in the parkway. The Blue Ridge Parkway is a nature lovers dream, rich in biodiversity. There is so much variance in the fauna, flora, climate and geological features.

Peaks of Otter

Before we left NYC, we had decided that we would rather camp in various National forest or State forest camping grounds, so the trip could remain relatively unplanned and be more cost effective. So the first area that we stayed at, was Peaks of Otter, now being that this was in the middle of December and we did not do any research, the visitor center and camping area is actually closed at this time of year! It was raining and getting late, and as our car is set up for sleeping in ect we still stayed near the visitors center. The next morning we woke up to a blanket of fog, I felt that the thick fog enhanced the beauty. Peaks of Otter surrounds the Jefferson National Forest, and provides breathtaking views. You can take multiple hiking trails near the visitor center. Due to the fog being so thick, we decided to hike the shortest route, the elk run loop. This hike offers a self guided ecology walk, with displays along the walk describing the forest community, very cool.

Overlooks

Next stop along the parkway, the Head Foremost Mountain overlook and the Arnold Valley Overlook.

The fog had still not cleared up by lunch time! I can only imagine how spectacular these views are on a clear spring or summers day.

Curtis Creek

For our second night, we camped at Curtis creek, a camping ground nestled in the mountains at the base of the Blue Ridge mountains. This campsite was open (Closes December 31st) and works on a first come, first serve system. Near the camp ground, there are multiple hiking trails on offer, plus the pretty creek.

Nantahala National Forest

After hiking during the morning at curtis creek, we drove to Asheville, N.C to spend the day there ( a separate blog post). After Asheville, we continued the journey towards the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. This time, camping in the Gorgeous Nantahala National Forest. Nantahala is Cherokee for “land of the noonday sun” a very fitting name for this beautiful forest. The forest is half a million acres of pristine woodlands. A true beauty to explore. Our campsite for the night was located at Lake Santeetlah, a mountain lake surrounded by the Nantahala National Forest. A really pretty and relaxing place to camp.

Next stop – The Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Smoky Mountains

One of my major loves of the USA is the National Parks system. As a nature lover, and with a background in Wildlife Biology and Conservation, I am in awe of all of the National Parks that I have had the chance to visit, and the system that protects them. On our drive to the south, I had to make sure that we did not miss the Great Smoky Mountains, the most visited US National Park. I do hold the National Parks pass, however the Smoky Mountains don’t require an entrance fee, one of the few parks that don’t! The Smoky Mountains is part of the Blue Ridge Mountains, a division of the larger Appalachian chain. These Mountains border between North Carolina and Tennessee and is one of the largest protected areas in eastern US. They are also acknowledged as an UNESCO world heritage site, very impressive. With its beauty and diverse range of plant and animal life, it is no wonder that the Great Smoky Mountains is a popular place to visit and explore.

As we visited during winter, parts of the park was closed, I would love to go back during the spring and/or summer to explore more of this gorgeous place.

Rocky Mountain National Park

Bryce Canyon National Park

Bryce Canyon

The natural beauty of Bryce Canyon National park is incredible. The views from above and from within are truly breathtaking. The major attraction is the spectacular crimson colored hoodoos, pillars of rock created by erosion. Bryce Canyon has the largest collection of hoodoos in the world, attracting nearly two million visitors annually. Bryce Canyon is located in southern Utah, in Utah’s canyon country. A four-hour drive from the famous Las Vegas, Nevada and two hours from the beautiful Zion National Park.

Hoodoos

The main attraction is of course, the gorgeous collection of hoodoos. The best place to view the hoodoos are from the Bryce amphitheater, which has the largest collection of viewpoints. With four main viewpoints (Bryce point, inspiration point, sunset point and sunrise point) and access to numerous hiking trails, this is the perfect area to start a journey exploring Bryce Canyon.

Hiking opportunities

Bryce Canyon has a range of hiking trails from easy to strenuous. As an introduction to Bryce canyon, I would recommend beginning with the Rim trail hike, here you will be hiking the rim of Bryce amphitheater, viewing the gorgeous hoodoos from above, walking between sunrise and sunset point. Rim trail is classified as easy. Please note that the rim trail is not a loop, so the hike can range from 1 to 8 hours, depending on when you turn back around!

A step up from the Rim trail hike, would be the Queens/Navajo combination loop, this is classified as moderate and is also regarded as the most popular hiking trail. Highlights will include viewing Thor’s hammer and the two bridges. If you are looking for more strenuous hikes, I would recommend the Peekaboo loop, here you will hike through the heart of the park, with stunning views of the hoodoos and also viewing the wall of windows. Fairytale loop is another great strenuous hike, providing you with a chance to see the Chinese wall, tower bridge and tall hoodoos. Away from the Bryce amphitheater at the northern end of the park is Mossy cave, an easy hike away from the crowds.

Highway 63

A breathtaking scenic drive through the park. Provides a great opportunity to view some of the major overlooks, with 13 viewpoints along this 38 mile round trip. Highlights include the natural bridge, Rainbow and Yovimpa points. If you only had one day to explore Bryce canyon, I would recommend completing this loop and stopping off at the major viewpoints.

Mossy Cave

If you have more than a day I would recommend a visit to Mossy cave. A hidden gem at the northern end of the park. provides an opportunity to get up close with the hoodoos without descending. It is an easy hike along a stream side to view this pretty cave. Depending on the time of year you may also see a waterfall or icicles in the cave! A peaceful hike without the crowds.

Bryce Canyon is a truly remarkable place. The scenery is stunning and the opportunities for hiking and photography are endless. A true nature lovers playground! Photos don’t do justice, you really need to explore Bryce Canyon in person to surround yourself in this natural beauty. A unique, and breathtaking landscape. One of my favorite national parks that I have visited so far.