40+ Naturals!

Hey guys! So here are the interview questions for any naturally lovely lady 40+ who would like to be featured on Naturally Leslie. All you have to do is send me an email with your responses and some pictures that you would like to share. We already have a few prospects so I look forward to seeing what happens!

40+ Naturals Interview Questions

1. When did you decide to go natural and what went into that decision?

2. Did you transition over time or do a big chop?

3. What are some of your favorite products and styles?

4. Describe your expectations and feelings before you made the leap to natural. How did you feel post-transition?

5. What have been the reactions of family, friends, etc to the newly natural you?

6. Describe what it was like to return to work after going natural.

7. Overall, what has been your greatest discovery about being natural?

8. What advice would you give to another 40+ woman who is considering going natural?

Email responses to naturallyleslie@gmail.com

Looking for Mature Naturals!!!!!!!!

I love being natural. I love seeing other natural women when I am out and about. Most of all, I love that my mom is now natural again after 3 decades of perms!!!! She went natural about two and a half years ago and now I have the pleasure of styling her fabulous fro almost weekly. My mom's best friend is also natural and has been growing her hair for about 10 years. Her lovely locs hang to almost waist length!!!! Also, another one of her friends just did a bc and is sporting the cutest twa! It's got me so excited, I feel like a giddy two year old as one-by-one I see people embracing their natural curls.
So...it got me thinking. I am really interested in WHY these women have decided to leave the relaxers behind and move into their middle years with natural hair. I wonder what went into the decision making process, what the were motives, and how they feel about the change. I have decided to stop people anywhere I am if I notice any naturals over 40 to get the scoop. I must admit I am a bit nervous about talking to total strangers but everytime I have stopped someone about their hair before they seemed very eager and gracious to talk about it.

If YOU or someone you know is over 40 and wearing a beautiful head of natural hair, I would love to feature you on Naturally Leslie. All you have to do is send me an email and I will send you one back with a few questions for you to answer.

I think this will be a unique perspective and I look forward to seeing what kind of response I'll get. I will start with the people I already know (my mom, aunt, her friend), then move into any other lovely natural ladies I can find. As soon as I get them ready, I'll post. I'm so excited!!!!

Decorative Hair Things....

When my hair was short, I unfortunately did not take advantage of all the wonderful clips, barrettes, and headbands that are out there to adorn my tresses. Even now, I usually never add anything to my styles. What at shame!!! There are countless adornments for hair,whether it be short or long, and I am thinking about ways to incorporate them into my look.

So, where can you get amazing hair pieces?

On of my favorite websites is Etsy.com which I am sure many of you have heard of. You can buy or sell just about anything and there is a lot of creativity going on over there!

If you go to the site and click on"hair" a whole host of accessories pop up. I am interested in headbands right now as a way to dress up a twist out or a low bun. Here is a peek into what Etsy has to offer:

This cool black and tan leather one for $25


(And this one combines two of my absolute favorite things...red hair and BUTTERFLIES!!!!)
$28


Etsy has some unique items, not the stuff you're gonna find in the mall down the street. They may not all be your cup of tea but they are pretty original and definitely worth a look. And you could literally spend HOURS pouring over all the cool items for sale there. The prices range from as little as $5 bucks to a couple hundred, just depending on what you want.

Bridal hair sites can also be great sources of information. On Brides.com, there are countless beautiful pics of hairdos with flowers, jewels, clips, and bands. So why let the brides have all the fun?!?!

How cute are these ladies!




And Khamit Kinks has come great inspirational style pics as well:


Finally, you can always just make your own! In these economic times, it is smart and probably cheaper to use materials you already have to fashion your very own clips and barrettes. I know I have seen some amazing looking "silk" flowers at my local beauty supply store in a variety of colors. Nothing like a bright fuchsia bloom to enhance naturally curly locks! And if you really want to DIY, all you need is a glue gun, some dollar store flowers (I've heard, never actually done my own but planning on it), and a bag of clips or bobby pins from Wal-Mart or a BSS.

Once again, one of my fave You Tubers, Curly Chronicles, has a cool tutorial on DIY flower clips. Check it out!

glamour is fun

photos by mark shaw.
love this shot of nico.

BE A SUPERSTAR!

Advertorial

What's this?!




It's a close-up of a Chipster potato chip!



Not any Chipster potato chip...

It's the new Chipster flavour - TOMATO TORNADO!

AND... It's only one of the TWO new Chipster flavours!

The other one is Flaming BBQ, which I completely didn't manage to buy despite going to two different places to look for it. It's like sold out everywhere!


Anyway, I love new products!!

BECAUSE WITH NEW PRODUCTS
ARE ALWAYS CONTESTS!!!

Just open your new packet of Chipster and you will find a little red card inside that allows you to join the all new CHIPSTER SUPERSTAR contest!!


I'm excited about this contest because it actually gives you a chance to go on TV with a movie you create!!

The "movie" is actually already created by Chipster lah... All you have to do is to paste faces in and come up with some witty lines!!!

The movie I chose is called "James Blog" and it's like a spoof of James Bond.


So now it's time for me to cast my handsome lead... AND I CHOSE............

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PUMPKIN!!

Mad funny can!??!?! So ridiculous and fluffy!! And the body is like wearing a men's suit and holding a gun!!

My movie clip is supposed to be called "Pie. Pumpkin Pie."

YOU KNOW, like BOND, JAMES BOND!! Because Pumpkin Pie is Pumpkin's full name!! WAHAHAHA!


And as for the damsel in distress...

ME!!!!!!!!!!

And I put Godzilla as the nemesis!!

You can watch my creation here:

I AM GOING TO WIN BECAUSE
MY ENTRY IS MAD CUTE!!!

Think you can do better than me?! Then go buy a packet of Chipster and join the contest too!! The prizes are.........

Grand prize: MACBOOK AIR


1st prize: 2 X IPOD TOUCH


Consolation Prize: 8 X IPOD NANO!

Can't say I am a big fan of the Apple products but if I won the Macbook Air I might change my mind!!

Anyway just go join!!

Chipster.com.my!!

p/s: Wanted to put Plastizilla's face as the enemy but decided on Godzilla instead - look more pleasant.

A day before my quarter-life crisis!!

I am doomed lor I am starting to blog this picture post at 7am (haven't slept) and there are 156 pictures!

I'm gonna try not to put too many words in.




Eh.....................

As promised, red and yellow pic. Horribly sunburnt.




My arm's skin actually crackling before it could be peeled off.



Almost recovered from my third-degree burns.

Can still see my arm peeling!



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KK and her bf wanted a puppy so she took me to the Seletar puppy mill... The living conditions for both humans (humans there sleep in same room as dogs on thin mattresses - can you say stinky?!) and dogs there is really horrible! It's like not a part of Singapore man!

The stud is from the mill and it's mad dirty-looking lah. The old man works there and he isn't too clean either.

But overall, I'd say the mill is not as bad as people often describe lah. You can drive there and see if you want! Seletar farmway.

Anyway... The photo is of two malteses fucking, obviously. The bottom is someone's pet. As you can see it's much better groomed.

I'm becoming one of those annoying animal lover people because I'm quite irritated that the owner would want his dog to give birth.

Doesn't he know that birth could have serious consequences and could possibly even KILL his dog? Why would anyone who love their pets knowingly make their pets die younger?!

But well... His dog.

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Jon and KK's new puppy!!




It doesn't like you



2 months old only and it's yorkie/shih tzu mix!!

It's mad floppy and it's super weird coz it's apricot in colour...

Something both parents are not.

And that's why it's called Peaches!!!

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Last batch of Ixus shots

The irony. My old Canon Ixus taking a photo of my new Lumix.

And doing a shit job of it too.

Well goodbye! I'm never gonna have problems with macro shots again.

It's like poetic justice that the last batch of photos the Ixus takes will be that of the great Lumix.

Without flash - dark plus blur.

Before blinging, I apply white nail polish to the black leather strip to make the background colour even.

In between the big gems are tiny pink pearl gems.

=)



Base done













It's not completely done yet!!!

Side rims are gonna get blinged too!

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New camera's photos!!!




Test shot - PK as excited as I am



Pin-hole mode



No photoshop: Shot by Lumix



No photoshop: Shot by Ixus. Bleah.



More test shots in Pin-hole mode







Naughty Pk... Loves to bite my hair clips!

She loves breaking the claws. -_-













Somebody needs a hair-cut. Looks mad awful.

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Supper with Kaykay and Michelle!!




Michelle smiling for the cam



Kaykay wanting to buy a new dustbin in Mustafa.

I was bored so I took pics.

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Lazy day tanning with Sheng Rong




View from balcony



Bringing Pumpkin downstairs with us to the pool.





Blowing bubbles and seeing Pumpkin chase them!



Good sun and good fun!


Dinner afterwards!!





Wongsie, my favourite lawyer



Lewis doesn't like my spanking new cam

Yums steak with a tub of sauce that Eekean said is soy sauce mixed with wine. Nonetheless, it's great! Nicer than brown sauce anyway.

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Peaches and Pumpkin
go to the Vet






Peaches always has this "I am so poor thing" look!





Pumps looking jealous





The mysterious headless humans are KK and Jon btw.








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Thai Express with Mich and KK














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Random: My chio gel nails


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Blinged hairclip for PK!!












Pretty isn't it?!

I can't stand her ear's hairs being long though.

Look like imitation papillion.


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Random: Kitchen window


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My ear wax from ear candling!! HAHAHA!


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Pumpkin after Grooming!!







MUCH cuter!!

Random: KK and Shuyin in a spectacle shop
waiting for KK to get her eyesight tested.

(OK I couldn't take it and fell asleep at this point so I'm continuing this blog entry at 7.19pm, 27th April)

Mich's Mom's Shop's Opening!

They opened a dance clothing shop at Far East Plaza



Mich posing again!!



Us girls









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Had dinner with Shuyin and her relatives.

That's her little sister taking a pic of our food.

These pro photographers are always like taking photos of other photographers wielding SLRs lah!! Now I'm like a pro photographer too MUAHAHAHA!

Shuyin in ridiculous feather headband


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Random: Baby getting hair cut


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BFF'S Birthday!!




My crumply dress for the day



Make up done!



Alvin and Zheng Chang



Seafood risotto



Hamburger steak + bacon



Boys





Girls



Everybody!!

(In case you noticed, this is indeed the same place as the one I went to with Eekean a few days ago. Some economic Italian restaurant at Liang Court. It's Shuyin who wanted to eat there!!)

Proceed upstairs to KTV!!

Swanky and new!



Alyssa joins us



Horrible





I LOVE THIS PHOTO MY LEGS LOOK MAD SKINNY!!







Door says 19!
Which is her birthday's date.
So we had to make a big fuss out of this.



Juicy slippers



Bdae cake



Aly diligently lighting it

And we surprise Shuyin with it when she comes back from the toilet!! (She went for mad long... All the candles melted and we believe she must have lao-sai-ed. OK lah to be fair the toilet is damn far away. But still!)

Group pic!






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Random: Mike


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More Pumpkin pics





Weeeeeeeee! I'm flying!!



One of my favourite pictures of her...

So niapish... And best of all can see Nanolove in the background!!







Naughty girl keeps licking me when she's on my lap.

These are before her hair cut:










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Dinner with RV friends at Crystal Jade/
Huifen's bdae celebration


Mad can I got a lot of friends whose birthdays are in April!!



(From left) Xiaofeng, Ripple, Jason, Huifen

(on table) My new MAC lipstick




Wishing for world peace





I love this!

Spinach cooked with

salted eggs,

century eggs and

normal eggs!

Lao niang was delegated to cut the cake because Huifen said that superstition dictates whoever's birthday is next must cut the cake for luck.

Sheng Rong: Defier of the saying that no humans can lick their elbows.



I can too!



Almost, I swear!!



Eekean failing miserably.
Her tongue was like 1 inch away from the target.


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Dinner with KK and
Rykiel at Far East



Graffiti cafe allows graffti

And a picture of said "Chanel" bag in a bit





Rykiel and I






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Ming's Bdae




In car



New Juicy dog bag bought from Ebay!

And guess who's inside?





Estee with Pumpkin!

PK was an instant hit with all the girls there man. Now everyone wants a yorkie and they all think that all yorkies are this size and won't bark. Hahahaha!

Bdae boy with his family in front of swimming pool.

I hate people with their own pools!! I want one too!


Ming and Estee

For his birthday Ming's parents gave him a little model of a VW Golf GTI.

He looked quizzically at them until he saw the papers inside. That's just a tiny model of the real thing he is getting!!

Sigh... Why isn't anyone giving me the Copen I want??

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I bought a mad chio
Chanel-inspired bag!!

I don't even like Chanel's designs very much but this one is like purplish-pink and super shiny!!!

I love how it has so many compartments and matches my nails :D

(It is INSPIRED and not FAKE - there are no Chanel logos on the bag)


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My birthday started yesterday!!

(26th that is, 2 days before my actual birthday)


I woke up with this on the bed:



Awwwwwwwwwww!

A Bangawan Solo birthday cake may not seem very romantic to most but it feels extra special to me because the brand feels so Singaporean and it reminds me of how Mike gave up his life in USA to come live here with me.

That day I asked him if he knew what Prima Deli is and he said no, so I told him they make pies and pastries. Then he replied, "Oh, is it like Polar?"

Very cute right!!

Then dinner at our favourite restaurant:

I'm gonna be really annoying and not tell you where it is because I am terrified that the place would be flooded with customers and the standard will then drop. If you already know good for you!!

Parma ham covering sweet melon and salad







Baked Eggplant



Mike's chicken tomato-cream pasta



My crabmeat linguine. OMG I love this dish so much!

Everytime I order it, I do this:
















Extract the chunks of crab meat to the side
and very very slowly savour them.



They are mad generous with the crab!!


And then back home....




My baby sings the Happy Birthday song to me way too early





Doggie is happy to get some cake



And so am I!


Tomorrow is my birthday so

wish me happy birthday ya all!!!