I purchased this conditioner to deep condition my hair maybe 2-3 weeks ago and I am really happy with my choice. I originally wanted the Honeysuckle Rose by the same company, but they were out and I knew that if I didn't get a deep conditioner that day, I would go even more time not DC'ing my hair. And my hair needed it real bad.

Pros:

Smell! I don't know how to describe it, but it kind of smells like a spicy pumpkin pie dessert to me. Trust me, it's good and it makes your hair smell really good too.

Conditioning properties! It really does what it says! My hair felt moisturized and softer. A lot better than when I started out because my hair was thirsty!

Cons:

Price - I think I paid ~$11.00 at Whole Foods. blech.

Protein - It made my hair very strong. In a good way. But for people who are maybe battling too much protein or are sensitive, this is certainly less moisturizing than the Honeysuckle Rose. However, my felt strong and moisturized, so, it's a week con.

Thoughts?

I will repurchase, along with the Honeysuckle Rose when I need to restock though I think I'll alternate the two.

I accidentally learned about these little gems while perusing the web.They are (taken from the House Foods company website) "a great pasta alternative made from blending the root of the Konnyaku - a member of the yam family and tofu."

• VARIETY OF SHAPES:
  
  1. Spaghetti
  2. Fettuccine
  3. Angel-Hair
• LOW CARB - only 3g of carbs per serving
• LOW CALORIE - 20 calories per 4 oz serving
• NO CHOLESTEROL
• NO SUGAR
• GLUTEN-FREE
• DAIRY-FREE
• CONTAINS 10% CALCIUM
• VEGAN
• GUILT-FREE

I found it at whole foods for $1.69/ pack at Whole Foods and ~2.00 at Fairway (in NYC). Also, here is a link to the company website: http://www.house-foods.com/tofu/tofu_shirataki.aspx

You can search and find a vendor that sells these magical noodles near you. You can also order them online.

Basically whatever recipe you would use pasta in, use these. The texture is different however, so don't go in expecting it to taste like pasta. In fact, it has no taste. It takes on the taste of whatever you're cooking.

I've made an asian stir fry with them, chicken masala, and plan to make baked mac and cheese with another pack in the near future. Try them! It's a great, low calorie, healthy food that leaves you full and satisfied. Didn't think that was possible, did you?

ps. Here is a link to some recipes: http://livinlavidalocarb.blogspot.com/2006/05/vote-for-who-you-want-to-be-livin-la.html

Hey Guys,

So remember how I joined a fitness challenge at the beginning of the year (HERE)? Well, I'd like to report that It has been successful!!!

BEGINNING STATS:

Weight: 141 lbs

CURRENT STATS:

Weight: 130 lbs

NOTES:

It took me about 5-6 months to get to this weight. So that's like 1/2 lb a month. At the beginning I was gung ho to lose like 1lb a week and that was too aggressive and I really had a lot of feelings of guilt and frustration. Slow and steady really helped me get in the right mindset.

I have gained a lot of knowledge about what works for me in terms of staying on track, learned a lot of new healthy, delicious recipes and have been mainting this weight for a month (with some fluctuations of course). I think I'll share a lot of this stuff with you on this blog because it truly is a challenge to lose weight and keep it off, but I think I've found a balance where I'm not starving and I don't feel like I'm depriving myself.

Stop by tomorrow and I'll let you in on where you can find pasta that is ONLY 40 calories for TWO servings. It's a hefty amount of food and is a a great substitute for pasta.

I was supposed to post a bunch this week, but life got in the way. I do have a bunch of pics of my hair though that were supposed to go along with said posts. I've been very neglectful of my hair, but despite my bad hair care, I'm retaining some length. Not much, but some. Baby steps...again.

Enjoy:

I rocked this look because I was in the middle of deep conditioning with my newest purchase Aubrey Organics Island Naturals (review coming soon) when I was called into the hopsital I volunteer for. I had ~20minutes to get there. I still have not mastered the head scarf look, despite watching a few tutorials.

I wore my hair out in a puff after washing it. I'm not a huge fan of the puff, I must say. Although it's incredibly easy, my hair was so tangled by the end of the day.

This was pre-wash. I didn't end up wearing it out (the back of my hair is so flat and funky, lol), but I liked how the front looked.

NapsForLife!!!

Congratulations, you are now the proud owner of 200grams of Cassia powder.

I sent you a PM via OnSugar!

Thanks to everyone for entering. I'm glad I could share something with you guys and stay tuned for future giveaways and tales of my life.

Best, A-Typical Girl

The winner of the cassia giveaway will be chosen and contacted tomorrow. I will also post their twitter name here in the blog! Your chances of winning are high based on the number of entries :D.

Good luck! And have a lovely day everyone!

Read this wedding announcement in the NYTimes. This newly married couple is sooo accomplished. It's so wonderful and inspiring to see such successful individuals, and they're black :). It's such a motivation to me to keep working hard to get to where I want to go:

Here's an excerpt from the New York Times announcement:

"Mrs. Sijuwade, 32, was until last month an associate at Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, the Los Angeles law firm. She worked in the Manhattan office, in the advertising and marketing group. Next month, she is to become an associate counsel at Estée Lauder in New York. She graduated with honors from the University of Texas at Austin and received a law degree from New York University."

Hey Everyone!

I have been so bad with keeping up with this blog, but my hair has been so unexciting these days. Last week I took my twists out and just wore my hair in a bun. A couple days ago, I put twists back in. I've found that my hair gets really tangly if I leave it in a bun too long, no matter how much I take care of it. So, yea that's it. The front of my hair kind of broke off. I have no idea why. It could be the baseball caps I've been wearing, the sweat band from the gym, the buns? Who know. It's a perpertual cycle though. The front will grow out, and then after a certain length start breaking off. I need to stop for a second and really figure out how to stop, but my hair has been kind of an afterthought.

Same old, same old:

Today I woke up at 7 on my own and was supposed to squeeze in a work out before the day began, but I was lazy and wasted that time watching tv and having an enormous breakfast. Now I have to drag my butt to the gym after work when I have ZERO energy. Gah. My fault.

Have a blessed, lovely day everyone!

Also, don't forget to check out my giveaway. At this rate, the two people that have entered (thanks guys :D), will probably get a package of cassia each.

xoxox

A few days ago I mentioned having a giveaway. Well, here it is! I needed a few days to think up the rules and take pictures...and not be lazy, lol.

This is a Fall 2009 crop. Excuse the water stains on the outside. The cassia powder inside is untouched/undamaged.

Entry Deadline: May 25th!

Here are the RULES:

1. Eligibility. Giveaways are open to readers with US shipping addresses only. Sorry to my international readers.

2. How to Enter. Entry is made by 1. Following me on twitter @A_TypicalGirl 2. Leaving a comment on this giveaway post confirming your tweet (with your twitter name somewhere in the message) AND 3. Following me either through On Sugar, Networked Blogs on facebook, Google Friend connect OR Blog Lovin - all of these can be found on the right side of this page. A limit of one entry is allowed per e-mail address. You may not enter more than once, whether or not you use a different e-mail address. Subsequent entries determined to be submitted with the same email address or from the same individual using multiple email addresses may be declared ineligible.

3. Entry Deadline Date. All entries for giveaways through this site must be received on or before the given “Entry Deadline Date”  to be eligible to win theprize.

4. Winner Selection. A prize number will be assigned to your entry upon receipt of your entry. A winning number will be generated using Random.org on or shortly after the Entry Deadline Date. If your Prize Number matches the Winning Number, and you meet the eligibility requirements and otherwise comply with these Official Giveaway Rules, you win the prize.

5. Winner Notification. You will be notified within three (3) days after the Entry Deadline Date if you win the prize. That means, when you leave a comment, make sure that you enter your email address in the appropriate window, otherwise you'll show up as Anonymous, or just a name that I can't click.

6. Claiming Your Prize. Winner must respond within three (3) days of notification or forfeit the prize, in which case an alternate winner will be selected.

7. General Release. By entering the giveaway through this website, you release A-Typical Girl from any liability whatsoever, and waive any and all causes of action, related to any claims, costs, injuries, losses or damages of any kind arising out of or in connection with the giveaway or delivery, misdelivery or acceptance of any prize (including, without limitation, claims, costs, injuries, losses and damages related to personal injuries, death, damage to or destruction of property, rights of publicity or privacy, defamation or portrayal in a false light, whether intentional or unintentional), whether under a theory of contract, tort (including negligence), warranty or other theory.

Finally, Good Luck!