All NEW Everythang! Apartment and Baby | Naptural85 Vlog

Length Check #4 Natural Hair Growth

Hey Guys!

This has been a requested video for a while now! Hope you enjoy!

XoXo Whit

My Week in Pictures!

Hey Guys!

Sitting at my local Panera Bread because the internet in my new apartment hasn't been set up yet! But I wanted to give you all a quick update in case you've been wondering where the heck I am! It's been a long, but eventful couple of weeks for Filipe and I, which we've been sharing on my Instagram page, but for all of you who may not be following there, I wanted to also share it with you!

As some of you know, my sister and I were pregnant at the same time! She was due a little over a month before me, and on September 27th she gave birth to my beautiful new nephew, Julien! ... whom some of you said looks a bit like a mini Buddha! Lol!

It was such a long night and we didn't get home until about 2am, but it was so worth it to see my new baby nephew! To be honest, I was a little scared of having to give birth myself (can you blame me!? I have to push a baby out of my v@g*na!!) but after seeing how precious and beautiful they are, it is so worth it!

My dad is so in love!

Later that weekend, it was time to take my birthing classes at the hospital! It was really informative and helped to calm my nerves about the whole process. On my break I, of course, snuck up to my sister's hospital room to hold baby Julien again and see how she was doing...

Yeah, I'm in love... and it's safe to say my "Baby Fever" is in full effect!

That weekend I also managed to edit and upload my Cranberry Banana Muffin Recipe video to Youtube on my second channel! If you haven't checked it out, click here to view! It's a quick, easy, and healthy recipe that only uses a bit of honey as a sweetener!

So then it was time to pack and move! Starting last Monday, earlier this week, Filipe and I have been packing up our teeny little one bedroom apartment to move into a slightly less-teeny two bedroom apartment! We need more space for our new arrival, which is due to arrive November 9th! 

So we've been going back and forth, moving boxes and trying to unpack as quickly as possible! I call it "Extreme Nesting!" Even though I'm exhausted, I have to admit, this is satisfying my urges to decorate and then some! I just can't wait to get to Bobble's room!

But then we had to stop halfway while packing because Filipe didn't feel well. He was vomiting after every load of boxes he brought down the stairs! He actually made my dad, who was kind enough to come over and help us, flee in fear!! Ahhh! Lol, literally, as soon as my dad heard Filipe vomiting in the bathroom, he was like "...uh, I gotta go... got a meeting at 3!" LMBO!! So yea, we had to stop.

So I brought poor shivering Filipe to the ER room at the hospital later that night after it was evident that there was something seriously wrong with him. At this point, he had vomited a total of 11 times!

We were at the ER until about 1:30am and left after the nurses gave him anti-nausea medicine and fluids to keep him hydrated. By the next day he was feeling better again and back to his goofy ol' self! And back to moving we went!

So I was happy to have Filipe healthy again and able to finish moving! But I did miss my new little munchkin, Julien! I wish I could be there with my sister right now holding Julien, but alas, I have other responsibilities...

So, so far so good on my end! The apartment is almost completed! I'm super excited but extremely exhausted from the move and from all of the events of the week!

If you noticed, the kitchen looks pretty similar to my old apartment, that's because we're in the same complex, just a new apartment!

So hang tight guys! I've got some videos up my sleeve for you, just gotta hurry and finish moving and I'll be back to my regularly scheduled program!

If you want to stay up-to-date with everything going on, you can follow me on Instagram for daily photos and updates, just search @Naptural85 

I'll talk to you guys soon!! Possibly a vlog update tomorrow!?! Hmmm... we'll see!

XoXo! Whit

Easy Cranberry Banana Bran Muffin Recipe

Hey Guys!

Here's a quick and easy recipe for baking Cranberry Banana Bran Muffins! This recipe is super simple, quick, and is perfect for a healthy breakfast for anyone on the go! I hope you give it a try!

XoXo!

Whit

Daily Mini Twist Maintenance | How to Keep Mini Twists Moisturized

Hey Guys!

I've had these mini twists in my hair for far too long! Lol, I'll be the first to admit that! But hey, I'm busy man! So I'm currently going on Week 7 with these twists, which I swore I would never do again since the last time my hair started to loc up on me! But I've been holding up pretty well this time! I'll definitely be taking these out soon though, I'm ready for a change and I'm missing my free hair!

I've made tons of videos on Youtube about taking care of my mini twists and maintaining them, but there is one thing that I haven't discussed in detail that's super important to the daily maintenance! Moisturization!!!

Like usual, I like to keep it simple! Every night before going to bed, I make sure to moisturize my hair, using my spray bottle, much like when I'm wearing twist outs! (p.s. I broke my pretty pink spray bottle.... so sad about that! I'll have to order a new one, but for now, this boring clear bottle works well enough!)

So in my spray bottle, I fill it up with water, aloe vera juice, and my DIY Hair and Body Oil Mixture! (If you don't have all of the oils for the mixture, no worries, you can just add jojoba oil or olive oil and that'll work fine.)

So I shake up all of the ingredients in the spray bottle, and spritz my mini twists until they are damp, not soaking wet, making sure to focus on the ends!

Then I squeeze the water/oils into my twist to make sure they've penetrated my hair...

... and proceed to either wrap my hair...

... or throw it in a low bun with a satin scrunchy, depending on my laziness levels, of course!

Then I throw on a satin scarf and head to bed! It's so simple, easy, and quick! I used to use my DIY Shea Butter Cream to seal my mini twists after spritzing with plain water, but I find that mixing the Hair and Body Oil in the bottle with the water, works much better. It's lighter and easier to squeeze into the strands because it's already liquid! And the oils work really well in sealing in the moisture from the water!

In the morning my twists have dried, and they're nicely moisturized and soft! And don't worry, the hair never feels oily. There's such a small amount of oil in the water that by the time morning comes, the hair has absorbed it all and is just left with a nice sheen and softness.

Just do this every night and your hair will stay moisturized throughout the duration of your style!

So I hope this helps guys! I'll post links to my other Mini Twist Tutorials below for anyone looking for them! See ya in my next video or post!

XoXo!

Whit

Other Helpful Mini Twist Links:

How To Mini Twist
How To Wash Mini Twists
How To Maintain Mini Twists
How To Deep Condition Mini Twists
How To Safely Remove Mini Twists

** Quick Mini Twist Tips and Techniques** : Avoiding Frizz, Making Them Last, Keeping Them Tight, ect...

+ Many other Mini Twist Styles on Youtube.com/Naptural85

Shopping The Markets | Naptural85 Vlog

Safe Nail Polish Options: Mineral Fusion Nail Polish

Hey Guys!

So a lot of you already know this but... I'm pregnant! Shocked!? Is this new information to you? Lol, no, I didn't think so... So, yeah I'm pregnant, which means I've got another little life form to look after now, and it's super important, even more than before, to make sure that what I put in and on my body is safe and non-toxic. 

I always make sure to eat healthy and feed my body natural foods, but one of my bigger tasks last year was to slowly overhaul my makeup collection to feature more safe, natural products. While I still don't consider that task completed (that's right Filipe, I've got more makeup to haul...) I was able to make a pretty nice dent in my collection to feature more mineral-based, natural brands such as Tarte, Korres, and Bare Escentuals, and can now proudly complete an entire face of makeup without fear of harmful chemical repercussion!

However, one area that I haven't had a chance to replace yet is my nail polish collection! I've been collecting nail polishes since forever, and while I knew there were toxic ingredients in my polish, I just couldn't let them go or throw them out! I would keep buying brands, like Essie and Sally Hanson, because they were easily accessible and the colors drew me in like a moth to a flame. I knew that at some point my love affair would have to end and I would have to bite the bullet and go find some toxic-free polishes, but I was willing to put it off for a little bit longer.

Then I found out I was pregnant and that stopped me right in my tracks. It's funny how you can love someone so much that it makes you do things for that person that you wouldn't even do for yourself... and Bobbles isn't even born yet. But I had to make the change and it had to start now, otherwise, I would have to go the entire summer with bare, boring nails! Pshhha!! So I picked up a couple of different non-toxic brands to try out, some from online and some from in-store, that had to be free of the carcinogenic ingredients: toluene, dibutyl phthalate (DHB) and formaldehyde. And of course, I wanted to share what I thought of each brand with you guys! So today it's all about the Mineral Fusion Nail Polish brand!

I found this polish on one of my weekly Whole Foods trips, tucked neatly away in their little makeup section...and I do mean little! So I picked up my first bottle in the middle of the summer, not expecting to think much of it, but I must say... I reeeally love these polishes! For this post, I went back and picked up a whole slew of Fall/Winter colors, and I noticed that there are so many color options! I was actually shocked, because you usually have to go online to find the toxic-free polishes in the really funky colors, but even when I went to the store in the summer time, there were bright oranges, yellows, pinks, mint greens! This company definitely makes sure to stay on trend with their color palettes, which is definitely much appreciated! Safe and Trendy, who doesn't love that!?

So like I said, I picked up a bunch of Fall/Winter colors just so you guys can see a little bit of what they currently have to offer! I also wanted to pick up a Base Coat and a Top Coat just to see how they stack up!

Okay, so the first color that I picked up might look familiar to some of you guys. It's the metallic silver color, called "Cascade," that I wore in my Florida Vlog and that I have pictures of on my Instagram page! Now I had this color for a while, but decided to finally try it on that vacation. I decided to paint my nails while waiting for our rental car at the airport, and immediately noticed how evenly the color went on, and how quickly it dried!

This color lasted all week, even through swimming in salt water, and without a base or top coat to protect it! It started to chip around the last day, which is pretty incredible! I also want to mention that to get a nice even coverage, I only needed to apply one coat of this polish.

Here are the other colors that I chose that are Fall/Winter perfection:

The Perfect Nude, "Canyon," also only required one coat for a nice even coverage!

A beautiful stone grey color called "Slate." This color required two coats in order to get a nice milky finish.

Ugh, my all-time favorite color, "Garnet." How perfect is this for the Fall!? It's like the most beautiful deep, blood red color... looks even better in person! This color requires two coats for a nice milky texture.

A rich, deep blue color called "Rockfall." This color only required one coat.

This deep green color, appropriately called "Mossy Bank," required two coats. This is the first time I've ever tried a deep green color on my nails and I really like how it looks!

And of course, I could not forget the Fall staple, a beautiful, pure, midnight black color called "Obsidian." This color, believe it or not, only required one coat to get that milky finish!

So as you can see, the color quality of these polishes are fantastic! They go on silky smooth and evenly, and you can even get away with only one coat of polish with some of the colors! The formula is not too thick, not too thin, and they have a beautiful shine to them when they dry, unlike some other toxic-free polishes I've tried. Also, they come in a variety of fashion-forward colors, appropriate for each season! When I went back to purchase more colors for this post, I wasn't expecting to find a whole line of new colors, I thought I would see the same colors that were there in the summer, but they are rotated out for each season appropriately and in a timely fashion! The handle is perfect for applying the nail polish, and the brush fits perfectly in the nail bed! (I know some people don't really care too much about that, but others do and it does make a big difference in how well you're able to apply the polish.)

I also picked up a base coat and a top coat, as well as the nail polish remover from the Mineral Fusion brand. The base coat and the top coat are amazing! Just like the polishes, they all dry incredibly fast! After 5 minutes, you're able to do light activity with your hands without the fear of ruining your nails! The top coat also leaves the nails super shiny! The acetone-free nail polish remover is also super quick in removing the polish off your nails.

All-in-all, I've tried a few brands of non-toxic nail polishes so far, and this is the by far the best brand I have ever used! In fact, in my humble opinion, it's the best brand I've ever used period, better than Essie and Sally Hansen! Understandably, the price point is right up there with the top brands in the market, at $7.99 per bottle.

But here's the thing. While the Mineral Fusion brand is primarily a makeup line, with the products sold online and in stores, the Mineral Fusion Nail Polishes are a Whole Foods Exclusive. This means that you can only purchase these polishes inside of a Whole Foods Store. Don't bother looking online, trust me, I've tried, it's not there. I spoke to a store clerk and he informed me that the brand only makes these polishes for Whole Foods, to be sold in stores. So while this is awesome because it's accessible any time we want it, and we don't have to wait for shipping, it can be a pain if they're out of a specific color, or if you're International or in an area where there are no Whole Foods Stores. So, keep that in mind with these polishes. But if you are in an area where there's a Whole Foods, rejoice! You've got a new line of great quality nail polishes that are toxic-free at your disposal! 

So I wanted to hurry and get this blog post out for you guys because this week, Whole Foods is having a sale on the Mineral Fusion Nail Polish Line: Buy One, Get One 50% Off!! So if you wanted to give it a try, this is a great time to do so! I'm not sure how long the sale will be going on, but it started last Monday, September 10th, so I'm assuming you have until Sunday to take advantage. Also, this sale is across all Whole Foods Chains, so go get 'em!

So I've got a couple more toxic-free nail polish brands to review for you guys, look out for those in separate blog posts! And as always, I hope this helps! I'll talk to you guys soon!

XoXo!

Whit

The Peach and The Perv | Naptural85 Vlog

NEW Giveaway Winners Announced!!

Hey Guys!!

Haha, double exclamation points today because I'm so stoked that I get to write a blog post to you all! I feel like it's been a super long time since I've had the time to actually sit down and write a post, so this is really exciting for me!

So my last giveaway was so much fun and I was so happy to be able to give away so many prizes! However, there were a handful of winners that never got back to me with their addresses! I promised you that if they didn't get back to me within a week, then I would pick new winners! Well, there were three (3) winners who never got back to me... and one was a Gift Basket Winner for the comments section! O_O!!!

So to make it fair, I went back into my list of Youtube commenters that guessed the correct number (46) to pick new winners! Of course, I used Random.org to generate my numbers... so the NEW Comments Section Gift Basket Winner is:

PUSSEKAT1964!! Congratulations! Please send me the address that you want me to send your gift basket to via the Youtube messaging system, with the subject line "GIVEAWAY WINNER" in all caps!

I also have two satin pillow cases to give away! One from the Youtube comments section and one video creator! So for the comments section, the NEW winner is:

ChatChickChat!! Congratulations! Again, please send me the address that you want me to send your satin pillow case to, via the Youtube messaging system, with the subject line "GIVEAWAY WINNER" in all caps!

So for the last winner of the satin pillow cases, I went back into my list of 30 videos that didn't win previously, but that I thought went the extra mile! So the New winner of the satin pillow case is DoozyBoody21!!

I could tell her video was a labor of love, with huge decorative signage, filming across multiple days, and getting her children involved, lol! It was a great video and I'm happy that I can acknowledge it and send this gift her way! So Congratulations!! Please send me the address that you want me to send your satin pillow case to, via the Youtube messaging system, with the subject line "GIVEAWAY WINNER" in all caps and I'll get it out to you right away!

Thanks again to everyone who entered! I'll talk to you later!!

XoXo!

Whit

Winning in the Sunshine State! | Naptural85 Vlog