Sponsored: In my Little Black Bag

I would like to preface this post with a note on how I notice I've matured. Not too long ago (when I was a freshman in college) I was highly embarrassed to go to the store and purchase my own pads and tampons, especially if there was a man anywhere in the store, now here I am, writing a blog post about tampons. :-P

Ladies, we all have our little black bag. Well, perhaps yours is green, or polka-dot, but mine is black faux leather. The little  bag where we keep all our essentials for when old Aunt Flo comes into town. Tampons, pads, perhaps extra underwear or baby wipes. 

Just recently I have added U by Kotex Sleek Tampons to my little black bag. This was my first time trying them and I was really impressed by the product. The packaging was one of the things that stuck out to me. The box I received had black based wrapping which I thought was genius, and much more inconspicuous than white or bright colored packaging. There was also a perforated top which made for easy opening and easy placement for the applicator for disposal. 

They pretty much fulfilled all the things I want in a tampon. Comfortable, absorbent and a really easy and "just right" application due to their no slip rubber grip on the applicator. I felt confident that I was adequately protected.

Want to try them out? You can get your FREE sample HERE. Also, follow U by Kotex on Facebook and Twitter.  

I wrote this review while participating in a content series through Clever Girls Collective on behalf of U by Kotex, and received products to facilitate my post and compensation for my time to participate.

Father's Day, Single Moms, and Absent Dads

::takes deep breath::
I believe Father's Day is for men who are good, great, awesome, etc. Men who are fathers or father figures to another human being. I don't think deadbeat and absent fathers should even be brought up on Father's Day. I don't think single moms should be brought up on Father's Day, they deserve and should receive their admiration on  Mother's Day. I don't believe good men should be overshadowed on this day. 
There is huge discussion on this topic happening on all my social media feeds today. What do you think? Who is Father's Day for?
To me it is for this man: 

My grandfather. The number one man in my life. Raised me. Supported me. Currently works harder than anyone I know every day taking care of my grandmother. He deserves Father's Day. Men like him, who've been exemplary men in other people's lives deserve all the recognition on Father's Day.  

Kicking My Future Self's Butt

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Because I'm always on a quest to make myself a better person I have enrolled in Rosetta Thurman's 31 Days to Reset Your Life program. I met Rosetta at a conference I attended in North Carolina last year and she really inspired me. Prior to meeting her I was already subscribed to her Happy Black Woman Blog. 
One of the assignments in the program is to write a love letter to your future self and then e-mail it yourself through FutureMe.org, which allows you to send an e-mail to your future self. After I completed the assignment I thought about using the website a lot more often. 
When life isn't ideal it is very easy to forget all our blessings. On days like today, where I am very happy and satisfied with life, I'm going to send an e-mail to myself from a week, or a month, in the future, listing all the reasons why I am happy, in hopes that I can remind myself in a time where I might not be so happy all the wonderful blessings I have.
As I go through this 31 day program, I'm sure there will be other blog posts to come about things I discover.  
What would you like to tell your future self?

What Do You Really Want?

I realized today that the majority of the time when I'm thinking about my goals I'm thinking about them in comparison to someone else. 
I want to have a nice body like... I would love to have the artistic reputation of... I want to have as much style as... I want my blog to be like... I want to travel as much as...
I suppose it's only natural to model our goals after things we see from others that we want, or think we would want. People's lives, or the positive doppelganger version of their lives, are on display for us to see and compare ourselves to 24/7 through social media. Because of this I think it's important to take time and really self-reflect on what you really want verses what you've seen someone else has and you think you want. 
Create the unique vision of your dreams and success unrelated to what others have.  Don't live in the confines of someone else's success.  Happy Thursday,

Summer Wardobe and Tree Hut Natural Beauty Products

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Tree Hut. All opinions are 100% mine.

It's not a secret that I love hair, skin, nail, and beauty products. It's also no secret that I like those products to have good ingredients in them. I was recently introduced to Tree Hut products, which I'd never heard of before. Their products aren't completely natural, but they contain certified organic shea butter and natural oils and extracts, and are paraben free. 

Summer is here, which means sandals are here. The Polyvore board below pretty much sums up what I anticipate to be my summer staple wardrobe, maxi dresses, cute wedge sandles, and small care-free purses. Dealing with the hot weather to come is all about being comfortable for me. I believe there is a maxi dress for every occasion and I intend to prove it!

I've been trying to get my feet right for extended sandal wear with DIY pedicures, and vinegar foot soaks. I definitely want to try the Tree Hut foot cream. It has Argan and Rose Hip oils, which have natural anti-aging properties and a non-greasy formula (because who doesn’t hate moisturizing your feet and slipping and sliding inside your sandals?!)

 

They also have a Tree Hut foot scrub with real sugar for a natural exfoliant  to smooth the skin. Their Tree Hut hand cream contains aloe vera, nature’s first moisturizer after water, and peppermint oil. 

A very accesible line of products, you can get Tree Hut on the ground at Walmart, Ulta and Target stores. You can like Tree Hut on Facebook or follow Tree Hut on Twitter to keep up with new products and deals. 

Why a Tablet is better than a Laptop

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The title should probably read: Why a Tablet is Better than a Laptop...sometimes. 
When smartphones came out, I couldn't fathom being on the internet on such a small screen. The iPhone certainly won me over. When tablets emerged, I couldn't see why I would want one. If I want a big screen, I have a laptop, if I want a small screen I have my phone, why would I need an in between? 
Currently, I have a Nexus 7 and Husband has an iPad. I've found that a tablet has a very specific niche in my life. 

Four instances when a tablet is better than a laptop or smartphone

1. When you want to really recline. If I'm not feeling well, or tired, or really want to stretch out on the couch or bed, the tablet is much more convenient than balancing a laptop and angling the screen perfectly to be able to see. 
2. When you're browsing under covers. Literally under the covers. At night if I or my husband is ready to hit the hay, but the other is not, we slip the tablet/ipad under the covers and the other is none the wise. You can do this with a smartphone too but...
3. When you're doing graphic heavy activities or precision gaming. The screen size of the tablet makes Pinterest, Instagram, etc. much more enjoyable than on the small smartphone screen, and much more portable and comfortable than a laptop. Also, games that require precision pressing or swiping, are easier to play on a larger screen. 
4. When you're on the go for an extended period of time. When you know you're going to be sitting somewhere for an extended period of time, too much time to look at a small screen, but not long enough to whip out a laptop, a tablet comes in handy. Tablet are good for occurrences like waiting in a hospital, where you're likely to moving from place to place often, but waiting for a while as well. 
Which do you prefer? Smartphone, tablet, or laptop?

Graying Natural Hair

I received the following question in my Ask Questions/Give Blog Topics form: 
I have been natural going on 3 years this August.  Although the transition was quite a process but one that was so worth it as I am so excited for the transition.  
My new dilema is I am greying mostly in the front of my hair around the edges and find it very annoying that in less than 2 weeks my greys are showing again.  I try to hold out as long as I can before coloring (permanent color) again by using touch up mascara and lipstick application touch up.  Can you recommend a brand or other alternative? Is Henna better than store brands.
I am getting to a point where I just want to cut off my hair and start fresh by embracing my greys but feel I am too young to be sporting greys now. I am torn as I have always had long hair and have no idea what I will look like with very short close to bald hair should I to a BC :(
HELP!!!  ---
Firstly, thanks so much for taking the time to ask me a question :-). Ok, here's the deal: 
The only store brand color I have used is Shea Moisture, which I used very recently and loved the results: 

It worked well, and didn't dry my hair out. I can't attest to the staying power yet because it's only been about a week. I would say Henna is better than store brands in that it is all natural. However, the only color you can get from true henna is red. Do not use any Henna that claims to offer a different color, because that means unnatural ingredients have been added to it, and it may not be safe. 
This is probably not the answer you want to hear, but I think you should embrace your grays! You don't have to necessarily big chop, you could just grow out your already existing color. You can transition out the same way you did with going natural. Don't feel pressured to big chop!