Danielle's Thought Bubble

I recently had an assignment at school on animal cruelty, and it opened my eyes to the horrors of this practice and the ways our choices as consumers impact it.  Animal testing is typically conducted on bunnies, mice, rats, guinea pigs, cats, and dogs. Chemicals are applied to their eyes or injected into bare patches of skin to determine their safety for humans. Oftentimes, the animals are suffocated and killed after the tests are completed. This is beyond unacceptable.  According to the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, cruelty free means that "neither the ingredients nor the products have been tested on animals after a certification date and will not be tested on animals in the future." Basically, this means that a cruelty free product has not tested their ingredients or finished product on animals, and they did not have a third party do so for them. It's also important to note that the term "cruelty free" isn't regulated, mea...

While I love wearing my hair curly, sometimes it's fun to switch it up. Straightening my hair is typically a once a year ordeal, and I try to go about it in a way that will keep damage to a minimum. I gotta say, I think it is so cool being able to run your fingers through your hair! Like, when my hair is curly, that is just going to mess up my whole head, but not if my hair is smooth and straightened. 😆 If you know, you know. Before I even begin straightening, I make sure to consider my shower schedule. I like to shower the day of or day before I straighten my hair because I won't plan to wash my hair again for a few days to keep the straightened look for longer. Also, I may even put my hair in a tight bun because that tends to do some natural straightening of it's own. To start, I plug in my straightener and turn it up to the highest temperature, which I believe is 395 degrees. To be honest... my hair straightener isn't that great, but I make it do.  Then I part my ha...

My curly hair used to be something that was so frustrating -- like I couldn't quite figure it out. Was it wavy? Was it curly? What did it want and need? Why did it have to be so unpredictable? But over time, I began to figure out what works for me and what doesn't, and I was empowered by that knowledge. I consulted the Curly Girl Handbook by Lorraine Massey, watched countless YouTube tutorials, gabbed with other curly haired friends, and most of all, learned by trial and error.  Now, my curly hair is one of the things I love most about myself. When I wake up with a pile of zig-zagged curls and coils upon my head, I feel like a goddess. It makes me happy and feels like the true Danielle .  I've compiled a list of practical tips to achieve healthy, happy hair. Because while curly hair is a gift, it doesn't always come without a little work and TLC.  1. Use a Satin Pillowcase Treat your locks to a soft night sleep by using a satin pillowcase. The fibers in satin are much ...

It's fall, y'all, and you can leaf  it to me to serve up some fresh fall outfit ideas! Oh my gourd I'm excited for pumpkin spice and everything nice. Ok. I had a bit of fun with that one 😉. This post is designed to kickstart your fall fashion ideas and give you one week's worth of autumn inspired looks. Now, of course these items are not exclusively  for fall, but I chose colors, fabrics, and patterns that somehow remind me of this time of year. Temperatures are cooling, leaves are changing, and all things cozy are a must. Let's get started. MONDAY Start off the week with a simple sweater. Any color will do, but I went with this cranberry high-neck sweater from Target. I paired it with blue skinny jeans and a bronzed makeup look. This outfit will certainly beat the Monday blues.  TUESDAY We're going for layers today. I paired a plain white tee with light blue, high-waisted jeans, tucking the shirt at the waist. Then I added a brown knit sweater on top. I feel ...