Chartreuse

Cardigan :: Target
Lace pencil skirt :: River Island
Platforms :: Qupid

Hair :: Flat twist out

♡Koos

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Day 4 Curls

I haven't done my hair in 4 days (5 now...since I took these pics yesterday). Looking pretty good, huh? It's all due to the "pineapple." Each night I've been setting my hair into a loose, high ponytail (nicknamed the "pineapple"), and sleeping on my satin pillowcase. No bonnet! I used to swear by my bonnet, but the pineapple is much more consistent. I know my hair is going to look good every morning. Thanks so much to Ms. Harmony for putting me on! She mentioned it in her comment on my wash-n-go post.

Today I'm wearing my hair in a half up-do, and I may rock updos for a couple more days. I plan on henna'ing my hair before the week is over. I went to my old spot in Laurel and stocked up! I have 12 boxes--enough to last me through this entire year. Now I have no excuses not to henna my hair on a regular basis.

♡Koos

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The List :: Make 30 new meals

#2. Honey Mustard Glazed Tilapia with Sauteed Spinach 

Last week's barbeque ribs made me feel pretty confidant about trying new recipes, so I tried another one this past weekend. It was kinda my own concoction. I was inspired by a honey mustard chicken recipe I got from Q's mom. I used her glaze from that recipe on some tilapia, and it turned out pretty good. I paired the fish with garlic-sauteed spinach! To complement the flavors from the glaze and the spinach, I added lightly-seasoned white rice.


Honey Mustard Glaze
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup mustard
2 tbsps lime juice
1 tsp salt
Scotch bonnet peppers (to taste)




I mixed the glaze first and then put it to the side. I used salt, black pepper, scotch bonnet peppers, scallions and garlic to season the fish and put them into a glass baking pan with some vegetable oil. I baked the tilapia at 400 degrees for 20 min. I poured the glaze on top of the tilapia and then let it cook for an additional 20 minutes at a lower temperature (I think 300). I didn't want to overcook the fish--that's always such a deal-breaker on Top Chef.

In hindsight, I would have poured off the "juices" from the tilapia before adding the glaze. The glaze didn't get very sticky because all the juice in the pan diluted it. I also could have pan-seared the tilapia first, then put the pieces into a pan covered with the glaze, and broiled the fish at a high temperature until the glaze had set. I'll try one of those options next time.



I love sauteed spinach. This was my first time making it myself. First I made my own garlic-infused oil by sauteing some minced garlic in a pan with oil until the garlic was brown. Then I removed the garlic pieces and sauteed the spinach in the garlic oil until they just started to wilt. It doesn't take very long to do this at all. Just note that what seems like a lot of spinach at first isn't really that much once it's sauteed. I used about 1/2 a bag of spinach to make one serving, so plan accordingly. I seasoned the finished spinach with Adobe Salad & Vegetable Seasoning and some black pepper.



Everything turned out pretty good. Another edible meal! I congratulated myself with a glass of Gavi. Nice.

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Thanks a lot, Pinterest. Thanks.

Pinterest has made me length-obsessed AGAIN. There are some women out there with OUTRAGEOUSLY GORGEOUS heads of natural hair! Yes, it's possible that some of them may be wearing wigs/weaves, but I'm not very good with spotting that sort of thing so I just give them the benefit of the doubt. At the end of the day, it's just really nice to imagine that my hair could one day be this long:

 

 

 View all source information on my Pinterest

 Sigh...I just want some long hair that doesn't break every time I sneeze. Really...is that too much to ask?

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Feisty Fashion Feature :: Emijaa

Today's feature, Emijaa (pronounced E-MEE-SHA), is an Afro-Latina blogger (caliente!) from New York. She has AMAZING hair and style. She's also an entrepreneur. What more could you ask for?

Tell us a little bit about your blog and why you started blogging.

My blog is a lifestyle/fashion blog I started with the intentions of promoting my handcrafted jewelry line. I love all things fashion and I often get many comments on how I dress so I decided it would be nice to document my style.

What are 5 fashion items (clothes, shoes, accessories, etc.) that describe your personal style?

LEOPARD - I love all things leopard print and I love to mix and match the print with stripes.

Denim - I love wearing denim b/c its so versatile and comfy. I especially love to mix denim shirts with different colors and textures.

SKY HIGH HEELS - Everyone that knows me knows that I stay in heels no matter what I'm doing or where I'm going.

Emijaa Jaaemil Jewelry - I design pieces that are super versatile... I need functional jewelry that can be worn with jeans, dresses, sweats or whatever the day calls for.

Big Hair: My signature style is wearing my natural hair big and curly - it's my biggest accessory since I [can wear] it in so many styles...although I normally stick to big and curly.

Another natural Feisty! What's your go-to hairstyle?

My go-to hairstyle is a wash and go OR a flexi-rod set. I'm super lazy when it comes to doing my hair, so wash and go [styles] are easiest for me. Besides, I LOVE my hair so what better way to express that than to wear it all out?

What's your take on the presence of Black style bloggers (too many, not enough, etc.)?

Honestly, I don't think there are enough Black Fashion/Lifestyle bloggers that are mainstream, and I feel those that are out there still have a lot of work to do (in regards to the appearance of their blogs). I'm by no means perfect, and I'm still learning a lot about blogging and the dynamics behind it, but when I compare Black Fashion/Lifestyle Bloggers to White Fashion Bloggers, [White fashion bloggers] have much more structure and consistency. Clearly that is working; brands are reaching out to them and not so much [to] us. I think we as Black Fashion/Lifestyle bloggers have a huge voice and lots to express, but we need to appear much more stable in our appearance. First impressions are everything!!

I really enjoyed reading Emijaa's take on Black fashion and lifestyle bloggers. The Feisty House isn't perfect either, but I have been investing more time and energy into the look and feel of the blog. I can definitely attest to the fact that bloggers that are doing well have clean, well-organized blogs, use high-quality photos, and post consistently. Do you agree with Emijaa's sentiments that Black bloggers are lacking in this respect? Comment below!

Want more of Emijaa? Visit her blog, and check out her Etsy store.

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Wait...is it still February?

It was literally 68 degrees last Thursday. WHAT?!?!?! I didn't need a coat. I wore this amazing blazer I got from H&M. It's nice and thick, and such a bright shade of HOT PINK! I'm not gonna lie--I felt a little self-conscious walking around in this blazer while everyone else was in dark colors...some people were still bundled up in their coats and scarves! I definitely stood out.




Lately I've been wearing a lot more arm candy. It's amazing what accessories can do for an outfit. Even the best outfit isn't complete until you accessorize. That's just my opinion now that I've started accessorizing a little more. The ensemble just looks better.



Blazer :: H&M
Lace blouse :: Forever 21
Trousers :: H&M
Loafers :: Coach
Carry-all :: Coach
Bracelets :: H&M

Hair :: Flat twist out

♡Koos

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The List :: Make 30 new meals

#1. Barbeque Beef Ribs 

This recipe wasn't entirely a fail (like my first recipe), but it didn't come out the way I wanted it to. I bought some beef back ribs at Walmart, and they didn't really have a lot of meat on them, but i figured that's just how they were supposed to be. Of course I was wrong.




I coated the "ribs" with Worcestershire sauce to tenderize the meat and get the seasoning to stick. I seasoned with salt, pepper, minced garlic and scallions. I baked the ribs with barbeque sauce at about 300 and kept it in the oven for just under an hour to ensure the meat stayed tender.



It tasted really good. I enjoyed it a lot. There just wasn't enough of it! I made six pieces, but there was BARELY any meat on the bones! Q and I could only laugh. LOL we were definitely still hungry after eating dinner. Then I called my brother to tell him what happened, (he is a beef ribs junkie) and he told me that I should have gotten the ribs on the rack! Of course! All in all, it was a pretty entertaining experience. I'm excited about using the right cut of meat and actually feeling FULL the next time I use this recipe...

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I'm ready to dye my hair.

I've talked about it. Now I'm gonna be about it. I know EXACTLY how I want to dye my hair. 

Peep this:

Source

It looks like an ombre dye job: the color moves gradually from dark to light. This will keep me from stressing about my roots, but also give the dimension I want. And I like that the lighter tips are randomly placed throughout, making the look much less overwhelming than if it was uniform all over. Oh, I am so excited. This will be the first thing I do to my hair after my birthday...

...'cause God forbid I dye my hair for my b-day and it comes out a hot mess -____-

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These are my favorite pants.

These pants are SO comfortable, and they literally go with everything. And they fit GREAT! I've been wearing them so often. They were only $12 at H&M, and these days I really regret not getting them in some other colors!



Cropped sweater :: Forever 21
Trousers :: H&M
Loafers :: Coach

Hair :: Curly topknot

♡Koos

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So many layers

Coat :: Target
Camel blazer :: Forever21
Scarf and Flannel shirt :: Too old to remember...
Jeggings :: Target
Suede Wedge booties :: Urban Outfitters

Hair :: Curlformer set

♡Koos

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It was a complete fail.

So as long as I've been blogging at The Feisty House, I've had issues with breakage. I've wrestled with the idea of protective styling (as you can tell, protective styling has been on a mean losing streak), but my fine ends have always had an issue with breakage.

I straightened my hair last month and a light bulb went off in my head one day as I was taking down my pin curls. My hair doesn't break when it's straight. My hair only breaks when I'm styling it in its natural state. So I thought to myself...the way to keep my hair from breaking is to stop styling it when it's curly. What a novel concept!

I used to wear NOTHING but Curlformer sets, and my hair growth went through the roof! I was only styling my hair once every 4 or 5 days. Lately I've been wearing twist-outs, and I re-twist my hair every night. EVERY NIGHT! It's a wonder I still have any hair on my head. My fine strands cannot handle daily/nightly styling. They just can't.

To fix this and satisfy my lust for curly hair, I thought to myself, "Why not wash-n-go and then just rock 3-4 day hair! That's a great idea!" I found MahoganyCurls on YouTube after she was featured on Curly Nikki. I figured my hair should be able to do that. Well guess what? It can't.


I used Kinky Curly Knot Today as a leave-in after deep conditioning with Milennia Mud. Then I used Kinky Curly Curling Custard through my hair to set the "curls." My hair looks terrible. I look like Cree Summer. Worse, actually. There is zero definition at my roots and my crown looks a mess. Bleh. I didn't even wait to see what it would look like the next morning. I put six flat twists in my hair and went to sleep.


My coworker asked me if I'd cut my hair. Look at all the shrinkage! The Kinky Curly Curling Custard has ZERO hold. And the Knot Today isn't a moisturizing leave-in (although it's a GREAT cowash conditioner and may just replace my cheapie VO5/Suave Naturals). My hair felt so dry. I had to redo the flat twists when I got home. I used Elasta QP Mango Butter Moisturizer to set the twists; finally my hair felt soft and healthy.

So ladies, I've finally come to terms with the fact that I CANNOT wash-n-go. I'm still working on ways to keep from re-doing my hair every night. I really want to style only 2X a week if I can. I have some ideas--hopefully they work better than this wash-n-go did -_____-

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