Ever wondered how to tackle frizz and humidity to keep those curls looking fabulous? I've got your back! As your resident curly hair enthusiast, I've tested the waters for you, experimenting with two gels from ULTA Beauty that promise to keep those curls in check. I'll fill you in on my experiences with Curl Smith fragrance free hard-hold gel and Not Your Mother's hard-hold gel - and reveal which one nabbed the top spot in my hair care routine. And for all you foodies out there, I've got a delightful culinary adventure on deck. Let me transport you to my kitchen as I whip up an early birthday feast featuring fried chicken, baked mac and cheese, collard greens with smoked turkey, and a cornbread casserole.
Now, switching gears to a less tasty but just as important topic, let's talk about workplace etiquette. Prompted by a thought-provoking TikTok video I happened upon, we'll delve into why treating service industry workers with kindness and respect is non-negotiable. We'll also discuss my personal experiences navigating the minefield that is the general public. And for those in a job-searching mode, I'll sprinkle in some motivational tips that might just help your process. So, slide on those headphones and let's dive right into a mixed bag of hair care, mouthwatering recipes, and a dash of life chats. Here's to an hour of good vibes, laughter, and stimulating discussions. Remember, this is your one-stop-shop for all things hair, food, and lifestyle. Let's get started!
Hello, you guys and my name is Brooke and welcome to my podcast. Blogger with a twist, and I am your host and a creator. So what you guys can find on my podcast is topics about lifestyle, rant, story time or anything else I find interesting to talk about. So if that sounds interesting, then subscribe, tell your family, friends or whoever about my podcast and, last but not least, sit back, relax, get your snacks, munchies or whatever, and let's get this episode popping. Hey, you guys, and it's your girl, brooke, and I am back with a new episode, and I know that I did not come out with an episode last week, but I really like, i like I had an episode ready but I still had to edit it and unfortunately I did not give myself enough time to edit the episode and I waited longer in a week to record than I would have liked. So timing was really off last week. But, like I said, your girl is back and also happy 4th of July. So I know that there are some people that celebrated 4th of July this past weekend and you have some people that are actually celebrating on 4th of July, which is Tuesday of this week. As far as my plans, i'll probably just be relaxing, since I don't have to work, and it's kind of bittersweet because if I was scheduled to work I would be getting paid time and a half, but you know, it is what it is. Besides that today's episode, i'm going to be giving you guys an update about the hair gel that I got from Ata Beauty about two weeks ago, my latest foodie cooking venture that I did this past weekend and then, lastly, a video on TikTok that I saw months ago. That just made me realize why I do not like working with the general public. So, like I say in my intro, get your snacks and let's get this episode popping. Okay, so, starting off with the hair gels, if you guys listened to my last episode, which was the week before last, i told you guys that the two gels I got from ULTA Beauty were the curl Smith fragrance free hard-hold gel and the not your mother's hard-hold gel, and at the time that I recorded that episode, i was using the curl Smith gel.
Speaker 1:
So my thoughts on the curl Smith gel I actually did like it. It did give my hair some hold. It definitely left my hair feeling moisturized, because when I was reading the back of the product, i found out that the third or the fourth ingredient that's in the product is glycerin, and, if you guys don't know, glycerin is a type of humectant that draws in the moisture from the air into your hair. And, as good and as good as that does sound, unfortunately, if it's too much moisture in the air and your hair absorbs that because of the glycerin and the product that you're using, your hair may not only lose is definition, but it could become very frizzy. So if you have naturally textured hair, whether it's curly, wavy, coily, kinky, or even if your hair is straight, then you know that it is not a good thing, especially if you want your hairstyle to last for days. And so, yeah, though it's glycerin in the product, it gave me a decent hold, but I definitely feel like if it did not contain glycerin at all, i would have had a better hold. So, overall, i would give the curl Smith gel a seven out of 10 because it's not a super bad gel. I could probably use it in the fall season when it's not a lot of humidity and air, or maybe I can combine it with a product that is humid resistant. And then, as far as the not your mother's hard hole gel that I put on my hair last week.
Speaker 1:
In comparison with the curl Smith, i definitely feel like the not your mother's gave gave my hair a better hold versus the curl Smith. My hair did have a shine and it didn't feel as moisturized as the curl Smith, but it didn't feel like super dry, and so if I had to pick which gel I like the most, it would have to be the, not your mother's. I definitely feel like when it's really humid and the dew points are over 65, that's when it's better for me to use the not your mother's. But if the dew points are under 60 and humidity is not as high, then I could probably use the curl Smith. But on all, i do like these gels. So if you are looking to get a gel to help combat frizz and with humidity, then I would recommend these two gels. And if you are one of those people that do not like the smell of fragrances fragrances in your products then you would definitely like the curl Smith gel. But if you don't mind your products having a fragrance, then definitely check out the not your mother's hard hole gel, and I believe the gel is number nine, which tells you how strong the gel is, and I believe the curl Smith is also at a number nine as well. But, yes, you guys, protect your curls, your coils waves, your hair strands this summer.
Speaker 1:
Next thing that I'll be talking about is my latest food cooking venture that I did this past weekend. So this past weekend my boyfriend's guy son came over for the weekend, like he does like every other weekend, and so I decided to cook him a early birthday dinner because because his birthday is on July 4th, so your girl decided to make fried chicken, baked mac and cheese, collard greens with smoked turkey neck bone and a cornbread casserole. And when I tell you guys that food was hitting, it was hitting. I'm not going to sit up here and say I'm like Chef Borardy, because typically when I cook, i normally only like to cook when I'm in the mood for cooking, but if I'm not in the mood for cooking, i will not. And I've definitely gotten lazy over the past year or so No, probably longer than that, because when I was working out I would cook a lot more. But yes, i've gotten very lazy with cooking. But just know that if your girl needs to throw down in the kitchen, i can throw down in the kitchen. That's all I'm saying The ancestors have taught me with. But yeah, like I said, the food was hitting and it came out really good. Unfortunately, my boyfriend's guy son did not like the collard greens. I think that was his first time having them, so maybe he just doesn't like them. It is what it is, but you know me personally, i definitely feel like the greens came out really good.
Speaker 1:
As far as my baked mac and cheese, i did use a different type of cheese. I used Gouda, which I typically don't, but it definitely brought some character to my mac and cheese. If you guys want to know my personal tips for a creamy baked mac and cheese, then I'll leave the link to the blog post that I made about that. And then, as far as the cornbread casserole, i had never made that, but it's a very simple dish. The only thing I used was a jiffy cornbread, a can of cream corn and a can of regular whole kernel corn, a half a stick of butter and a little bit of honey. And another thing that I do when it comes to cornbread well, two things Okay. One is that I don't over mix the cornbread better. And then, number two, i make sure my cornbread is moist and not dry, because the last thing I want is a piece of some dried up cornbread. So yeah, the cornbread casserole really came out good And I cannot wait to try it again.
Speaker 1:
And as far as you know the collard greens, i like to slow cook my greens, you know. So I had them simmering and cooking for about three hours And then the fried chicken. Of course, you know you got to clean your chicken. Okay, and I'm not talking about using, like this, dish detergent or some bleach or some fabuloso. Okay, just use some vinegar.
Speaker 1:
Because I had seen I know I'm kind of getting off track, but I have seen this video on TikTok not too long ago where this woman cleaned and made chicken using her washer and her dryer. So basically, she took her chicken and she put it in her washing machine And I believe she used fabuloso to clean her chicken or some type of cleaner that's not really meant to clean your food. So after she cleaned the chicken, she dried it off, i think, with like a paper towel, and then put some seasoning on the chicken. And after she seasons the chicken, she threw it in the dryer to cook it. And I'm sitting here watching a video like girl, have you lost your damn mind? Why in the world. Would somebody want to eat your laundry mat chicken? Okay, tell me why. But then again, everybody has their own method to how they cook, but Personally for me, if I was her friend, i would not want to eat at her house. That's why it's very important that you be careful at whose house you're eating at, because you don't know what they do in the kitchen.
Speaker 1:
Okay, and then the last thing I'll be talking about in this episode is the TikTok video that, like I said, made me realize why I do not like working with the general public. So, basically, the video is about this man and his family. They decide to go to Coldstone to get some ice cream at like 8.27, 8.28 in the evening. Now, mind you, coldstone closes at like 8.30. So by the time this man and his family came to Coldstone, they were ready to close And I guess the workers, who were teenagers, was not trying to serve the guy and his family because they came super late.
Speaker 1:
The guy started cursing out the workers and in my head I'm thinking as I'm watching a video how inconsiderate can you be? Number one, if you've ever been to Coldstone to get ice cream, then you know that they customized the ice cream for you, like they add in the toppings and stuff, and you know it takes some time to clean it up. So why would you think that if you come into an establishment two to three minutes before they're about to close that you deserve top tier service? I feel like if his family wanted ice cream that bad number one they should have gotten to Coldstone earlier in the day. And then number two, if you walk in and clearly, i'm pretty sure on the front of the store it tells you what time they closed. Why did you just not leave and just go to the market and get some ice cream for the family until you get back to Coldstone at a proper time?
Speaker 1:
But the fact that this grown behind man was yelling and cursing at these workers who were teenagers I'm just like, wow, and that's what. And that is what gets me with some people that be so rude to people that work in the food service or in the retail service. Y'all act like y'all have never had to work a nine to five job or a job that may not be your passion or your dream, but it's money that pays the bills. Like, even working at Starbucks, i've seen some customers do the absolute most and it's kind of like, why are you acting this way over some coffee and some food that don't got no damn taste to it? Like, seriously, if you really want the food that bad, yet you have a better chance at going to the market and cooking the foods yourself and adding some flavor. But anyway, i digress, let me not go on a rampage about that, okay. But yeah, i like I said that video, i saw it months ago and I'm pretty sure it's probably still up on TikTok or the internet somewhere.
Speaker 1:
But I'm just saying this as an announcement for people that have never either worked a retail job or a minimum wage job. Please, do not be an a hole when you come into an establishment, okay, and treat people like they're a piece of trash or their job is not as valuable as what you do Like, have some common courtesy. But anyway, besides that, if you guys enjoyed this week's episode, definitely subscribe, tell your family and friends And, like I said, if you guys want to check out the blog post about the tips for a creamy baked mac and cheese, the link will be below in the description. And then also, if you are job searching and you need some motivational tips, then I'll leave the link to that blog post in the description as well, and without further ado. I hope you guys have a great week, a great 4th of July, and I will hopefully talk to you guys in my next episode. Peace.