Jumia Haul

Posted in product review, Product store, products, Spotlight by Jen

Hi guys!

I’m only using the word ‘haul’ because, you know, that’s what people do on other blogs. #BloggerLingo

So I was on my own jejely browsing through Jumia when I saw Aunt Jackie’s products.

I had read reviews of some of the products previously and planned that one day when I was feeling rich I would try them out.

I had seen them at Casa Bella and knew they generally retailed at around N2,500 upwards.

So imagine my surprise when I saw them on Jumia all below N2,000! I had to have them, whether or not I already had enough products! (Does someone need to sign up for Product Junkies Anonymous?)

I also bought some Aloe Vera gel because… ummm… product junkism.

DEETS:

Where to buy- Jumia

Prices-

1) Aunt Jackie’s Knot on my watch- N1,895 (Currently out of stock)

2) Aunt Jackie’s Oh So Clean– N1,795

3) Aunt Jackie’s In Control– N1,795

4) Fruit of the Earth Aloe Vera Gel– N1,475

Also available on Jumia is Aunt Jackie’s Curl La La for N1,895.

Jumia also sells some Cantu, Namaste Organics, Tropical Isle, Eco styler, Elasta Qp, Shea Moisture, Beautiful Textures and African Naturalistas products, essential and carrier oils, shea butter and even Hairfinity.

Note that not all of them are as cheap in comparison.

Delivery info-

-Nationwide delivery (note that you might have to prepay either through your master/visa/verve card or a bank deposit/transfer for some states as not all states qualify for cash on delivery).

-You can opt to have it delivered to you or pick it up at the closest pickup station to you(which attracts little or no shipping charge)

-Free shipping within Lagos for orders above N10,000

Aunt Jackie’s Product Reviews-

1) Knot On My Watch by Igbo Curls

2) Curl La La by The Kink and I

3) In Control by The Kink and I

4) Curl La La by Sizzelle

5) Oh So Clean and Knot On My Watch by 1 Blessed Natural

6) In Control and Oh So Clean by Nappy Headed Black Girl

Have you ever shopped on Jumia? How was your experience? Have you ever tried any of these products? How did you feel about them? What do you have planned for the weekend? You know I wanna hear!

28Feb2015

2015 thus far

Posted in events, Not hair, Weight loss by Jen

It's the last day of February already!

Remember my Pounds and Inches post? I talked about two areas I wanted to work on in 2015.

Seeing as we're entering the third month of the year already, I was thinking about my progress(or lack thereof)

One area I wanted to work on was that I wanted to post more on the blog this year.

In that aspect, I hope you will agree with me that there has been some improvement. This is the 9th week of the year(if I'm correct) and there's been 11 posts on the blog so far(including this one). That's about a post a week as opposed to 2 posts a month last year. I hope to still improve but so far, I think I can give myself a pat on the back.

The other area I wanted to work on was losing weight.

I wish I had worked on this but honestly I have so many excuses that I'd rather not share at the risk of sounding ridiculous.

I even started my day today with hot akara and sugary creamy pap while my mates were probably lifting weights and gulping down smoothies *sigh*.

I'm not going to even lie and say I've made any effort because I haven't in all honesty. I know how to lose weight, really I think I do. My problem is the lack of willpower aka laziness and the fact that I have a job now and less time for workouts and meal prep.

In other news, next week Saturday (7th of March) is NITC 10.

Venue: The Social Place, 33 Sinari Daranijo street, VI

Time: 1:30 to 5:30(Don't be late, I missed a lot the last time because I was late)

Gate fee: N500

As always, there will be hair talks, giveaways and stands where you can buy those hair products you have been lusting after. There will be a product swap also so bring those products you don't want(not more than halfway used) to swap for other stuff.

And as always, everyone is invited; natural, relaxed, texlaxed, on a healthy hair journey, curious etc

I will most probably be there so if you see me, do say hi! 😀

How are your 2015 goals coming along? Do you have any weightloss tips for me with my newly busy life? Please share; I love to read your comments.

Xoxo

21Feb2015

Review: The BoonBox

Posted in Not hair, Review by Jen

Hi guys,

Ever heard of the CurlBox? It’s a subscription where you get a box every month that contains hair products either full sized or sample sized. The products are a surprise and are different every month giving you the opportunity to explore and try a variety of products.

Imagine my joy when I found out that we have our own version of this American wonder and ours is called the BoonBox! The BoonBox is put together by a Nigerian online beauty store called The Beauty Boon.

Somehow I never got around to ordering one until I read a review about it on She Is Out Of Control.

HOW IT WORKS

Just like I explained with the CurlBox, the BoonBox is literally a box that contains hair, skin and beauty products. The products are different every time and can be either sample sized or full sized.

You fill a form about your likes and dislikes, preferred brands and products etc. This helps the team putting the boxes together know what to put in yours. E.g if you say your hair is natural on the form, they won’t go and send you Profectiv relaxer in your BoonBox.

There are two subscription options: monthly and quarterly.

THE BAD

I chose to go with the monthly/one-time subscription so I ordered and prepaid for my BoonBox on the 17th of December. I chose to prepay instead opting for cash on delivery just incase I wasn’t home when it was delivered. Guess when I received it guys. 18th of February!!!

2 months later!

Sometime in January, a month or so after I ordered it(in fact I don forget sey I order something by then), someone from The Beauty Boon called me to confirm that I had ordered one, had prepaid and was yet to receive it; she also informed me that I would be receiving it soon.

By February 4th I had still not seen the shadow of the BoonBox so I sent an email to them about it and they replied saying it would come that Friday(February 6th).

Alas, it came February 18th.

THE GOOD

I was pleased with the BoonBox (even though I grew old and wrinkled waiting for its arrival). I got 5 items in mine:

1. EOS lip balm in blueberry açaí (Been wanting to get one so I was happy about this)

2. Clearasil daily clear daily facial scrub (Been wanting to try the Clearasil moisturizer so let’s see how this one works. Hopefully it won’t be too drying/harsh seeing as it’s for acne and acne is currently not a problem for me)

3. Mac lipglass in famously fab (Even though I think I mentioned on my form that I don’t like lipgloss but then I could be wrong. It’s a nice pinkish lavender shade)

4. Shea Moisture curl enhancing smoothie (I already had this. Nooooo!)

5. A scented candle (The scent is called garden party and it smells divine even unlit)

6. ~~A handwritten apology note~~ (I wish! I was half expecting one but I got a hot ela as they didn’t send any)

FINAL THOUGHTS

I love the idea of being surprised with different products and I love the idea of stepping out of my comfort zone and my staple product bubble and trying new things. I love the idea of the BoonBox. It’s a winner if only it could be smoothly executed. I was really mellow about the delay in the delivery timeline even though it was pretty unacceptable but not every one will be. So what if it were the quarterly subscription? Would you be getting each one 2 months late?

WOULD I REPURCHASE?

Maybe. If and only if I am assured that it will arrive on time.

BOONBOX DETAILS:

Where to purchase– The Beauty Boon

Price– N5,000 monthly or N19,000 quarterly

Would you be willing to try the BoonBox? Ever tried it or ever tried something similar? Share please.

P.s anyone know any good WordPress blogging apps for iOS? I keep losing my posts because the official WordPress app keeps crashing on me 😥

By the way have you noticed?!?!

The blog is now a “dot com”!!! *confetti*

It is now http://www.nigerianandnatural.com

But don’t worry if you forget and type http://www.nigerianandnatural.wordpress.com (this one is so long to type though; I can say that now 😀 ) because it will automatically redirect you to the dot com website.

Also, the email address is now contact@nigerianandnatural.com but don’t worry if you send it to the old one (nigerianandnatural@gmail.com) because I will still get it.

We are moving on up! *shakes bottom*

Don’t forget to follow me on Instagram if you haven’t- @nigerianandnatural

Peace!

28Jan2015

What I wore: Stripes and Nude

Posted in events, Fashion, Not hair, Product store, products, What I Wore by Jen

This might come as a shocker to you but this is an outfit post! *jaws drop* LOL

Remember I’m dabbling and diversifying? It’s all in a bid to make me post more consistently.

I read a number of blogs: hair, makeup, fashion, food etc.
Of recent I think I have read one too many fashion posts so that might be the inspiration behind this post.

I am not a fashion blogger neither am I a fashionista but I think style is relative and maybe someone out there might find mine interesting.

If you ask me to describe my style in 1 word it would be ‘comfy’.
However, my sister and my good friend say I am boho/hippie(I do not agree though).

I wore this outfit to work sometime last week.

And because I see them do this on fashion blogs:

Top: Apt. 9 essential

Blazer: Dorothy Perkins (from Debra’s Grace, a cool store in Yaba)

Pants: Next (I’ve had them for years and have rocked the life out of them so much so that they are fading)

Shoes: I don’t know (long story)

Bag: Michael Kors (obtained from my mama)

Hair: Twists using Noble Gold (4 packs, uncut)

Oh and have you heard of Design Essentials? It’s a product brand that makes products for people who want healthy hair and has a line for natural hair. I first heard about them on Kemi Lewis’ blog.She uses their products in her natural hair salon.

Design essentials just launched a flagship store and training centre in Ikeja(yay for the mainland!) that stocks their products.

Their natural hair friendly products are silicone, paraben, paraffin, petrolatum, mineral oil and sulfate free and include the:

-Curl cleanser

-Moisturizing conditioner

-Almond and avocado detangling leave-in conditioner

-Honey curl forming custard

-Honey and Shea edge tamer

and more.

I love the packaging and I also sniffed some of the products(they smell great!) plus Kemi Lewis speaks well of them so I’m looking forward to trying them out!

Store details:

LOCATION: Angels Super Store, 88 Awolowo way, Ikeja by Fadeyi, beside Holy Trinity Hospital.

TEL: 08033029107 or 08033264570

OPENING HOURS: 9-7, Mon-Sat

What do you guys think of outfit posts on the blog every now and then? Yay or nay?

Have an awesome week!

15Jun2013

Big chop

Posted in big chop by Jen

Dear world, I’m glad to announce that I’ve done the big chop! *moonwalks across your screen*. I did it at home, by myself(no one wanted to help just in case I regretted it and blamed them or just because they didn’t support my cutting my hair). I sat in front of the mirror and cut in sections. I used my spray bottle filled with water,a bit of olive oil and a bit of Giovanni smooth as silk conditioner to spray my hair so I could tell the natural hair from the relaxed ends.

My spray bottle(I’m a cheapskate so I just used an old body splash bottle that I washed thoroughly but if u want to buy a spray bottle, you can get at Sizzelle,The Kinky Apothecary or The Hair City)

For the back parts I couldn’t see in the mirror, I just felt the hair with my fingers and cut where the relaxed hair started(didn’t spray since I couldn’t see the hair).

Before I started cutting

Almost done

My hair!

I found out that it’s advisable to use hair shears instead of regular scissors because regular scissors can cause damage and split ends but I threw caution to the wind and used regular scissors that I got for N60 at a shop that sells tailoring supplies in my neighborhood. If you don’t want to use plain scissors, you can get hair shears for around N1400 and above at Sizzelle, a Nigerian online store that sells natural hair stuff.
After I was done cutting, I rinsed my hair for about 2 minutes with just water then I put a mixture of about 2 tablespoons of my Giovanni conditioner,1 teaspoon of olive oil and 2 teaspoons of honey in my hair to deep condition it. I didn’t have a plastic/shower cap so I just put one of those small black nylon bags that most traders/shops put what you buy in for you, over my hair and tied 3 or 4 scarves over that to generate as much heat as possible. I went about my business(watching TV. Lol) and then rinsed it out about 3 hours later and put some more Giovanni conditioner in my hair,combed through with my wide-toothed comb and rinsed it out. I patted my hair with an old cotton T-shirt(it’s better to use this instead of a towel because a towel can cause breakage. It’s also better to pat and not rub). I didn’t totally dry it, I left it somewhat damp. I then put some more Giovanni in as a leave in, followed by a mix of castor oil and olive oil and then some Shea butter. By this time I’d noticed that my hair wasn’t very evenly cut so I had my aunt trim around a bit. And voila! My end result

I think I look pretty good. I love it. Still getting used to it but I think it’s not bad at all. I got loads and loads of compliments and a few natural haired girls “welcomed me to the club” lol. As you would expect, I also got some why’s and I-don’t-like-it’s.

This is how I usually wore my hair before- braids and weaves but I left it alone most of the time in just a ponytail.

In case you’re wondering why I decided to take the plunge and go natural, my reason is really not that deep. I didn’t want to “stop using the creamy crack” or have healthier hair(well, I kinda did but that wasn’t my main reason) or whatever deep reason there is out there to go natural. I simply wanted a different look and a fresh start(sound weird? Lol).
So, this is newly natural me signing out! Until my next post!