Friday Shoe Craze

Happy Friday my beautiful people. You know I'm always eagerly anticipating the warm weather so I decided to do a post on my favorite Spring 2015 resort/summer shoes. Who doesn't love a nice shoe? Especially with the colors and patterns that are hitting the shelves this upcoming season. Ladies... even if you're not ready to break the bank, you can at least take a look at the seasons new designs and await a close replica or "like as" to hit your nearest store at a hefty discount. You know there's always a knock off or copy cat readily available of the top designers. They all eventually turn up on one of the discounted sites too so don't worry... you'll find these or one similar that you'll absolutely love.

This season is all about color! Bright neon and playful heels are what you can look forward to this upcoming Spring. I also see a ton of fringe and tassels even on bags which will be another post for you to look forward to but for now, lets lust over these flawlessly HOT shoes I found for you. (well US)

I'm sooo looking forward to some heat. Maybe I'll take a much needed trip to somewhere warm.

Brian Atwood fringe boots

 Christian Louboutin - Jennifer boot Spring 2015

Christian Louboutin Otrot Suede Fringe Sandal

Winter Hair Blues Tips

Winter is especially harsh on our hair ladies. Even so if you're African American, the winter months can be brutal with it's cold dry air and the extra layers such as hats and scarves can really damage your ends causing splitting.

I'm here to give you some solutions which can really bring life back to your hair and help prevent damage if you live in an area where it's cold during these Winter months. If you're lucky enough to be in a nice warm place, extend an invite ASAP! (hahaha)
Also if you have a great tip you would like to share let us know.

Tip 1: 
Use your spare time to steam hair with natural oils. I personally use Jojoba oil but the oil used is really up to personal preference because Jojoba oil can be used as an entire body moisturizer. You can even use Olive Oil which is found around the house. It's a great alternative and doesn't leave a heavy residue.  Extra bonus of steaming your hair in the house you can also simultaneously get a steam treatment for your face which is excellent and a must for beautiful skin. Get a pot of boiling water (covered with a lid), turn the heat off after it reaches a rolling boil to prevent accidents and cover your head with a towel (make sure you have the oil already applied to your hair), cover with a plastic cap, remove the lid and soak in all the steam for 2 - 5 minutes. Make sure that you rotate your head to get the sides and back.

If you prefer to sit under a dryer oil your hair paying close attention to the ends and cover with a plastic cap. Sit under the dryer for 15 minutes.

Tip 2: 
If you cannot steam your hair then make sure you're moisturizing daily. Use a heavier oil on the ends of your hair as this area tend to be the most dry. Ends split more easily during the winter months so moisturizing is your best friend.

Tip 3:
Add a silk liner to your hat if possible or use a silk scarf under your hat to prevent loss of moisture and friction. Also make sure that you're sleeping with a silk wrap or using a silk pillow case to prevent loss of moisture and friction. My bedroom gets especially dry at nights due to the fact that I turn up the heat so I use a humidifier which is also good for your skin. (side note: are you ladies seeing the pattern between the dry skin and hair?... good!)

Tip 4:
Give yourself a deep protein treatment. I personally like to use Mizani Fulfyl Treatment because it's easier to just get it out of a bottle but there are tons of natural protein treatments that you can use.

Tip 5: 
Use a protective hair style! I have box braids right now for this exact reason and I do them myself. It takes me a little longer than a stylist but I'm happy with the money I save. It's easy to do, cheap and a real time saver in the mornings. I've had mine for about 3 weeks now and the size usually determines how long they'll last and stay neat.  I know I don't have to sell you on protective styles right? Especially if you're natural which I am. Ohhhh... and it's great for the gym. As I said before I'm natural and going to the gym to sweat while natural... well these two do not get along. At all! You get the point.


This is me with my 3 week old box braids... still not bad but I'm redoing them this weekend after a protein treatment and oil steam session. Hope you beat the winter months with minimal breakage!

GOALS and our 30 day challenge of change

It was very important to me to post this message to you guys. It was purely by accident that I stumbled upon this but honestly I've tried to live my life by the same principles and I teach this to my children as well. The message which is a bit long in this recording has been conveyed in many different ways.The Law of Attraction, karma and for the most part destiny all have the same underlying principle in which you reap what you sow. If you put out good energy and have positive thoughts then good will come back to you but there is a catch (like all things in life). The catch is you must do or simply act to bring forth your change and your destiny. You must put it in motion with your actions and they must be whole-hearted and good.

The reason why I especially like this video and message is due to the 30 day challenge which gets you to act on what you've heard. So I ask of you to embark on the 30 day challenge with me as we're all a work in progress and we all have personal goals (well we should). So lets work towards them together.
Take a listen and let me know what you think. Most importantly... take the challenge.

More Balmain

Some of your favorite celebrities are like brand endorsers of the Balmain collection. Let's take a look at some of your favorites.

Recently at the BET Honors Awards both Kanye and Kim wore their favorite designer. But as I stated in the first post, the line tend to best fit a smaller framed woman and Kim does not fit that mold. I don't think this was the best choice for her figure and to top it off they both looked a bit vampire-ish to me. The dress should be more pleated and with her shape or perhaps mis-sizing by the stylist (which I doubt... I think this was intentional), the pleats are pulled out by her shape. What do you think?

On the contrary I do think that Janelle Monae slayed this look!!!  Always a great execution from Ms. Monae and right in line with her black and white theme. Perfectly polished!

Ok... not fair here because models get paid to slay but still killed it none the less. 

Let's take a look at Balmain

In the mood for more Spring 2015 collection? I thought so... so let's take a look at the 2015 Spring Balmain runway collection. I love the urban influence of the collection as well as the highly defined use of a woman's silhouette. I personally love the drama and use of lines in the collection. In my opinion the best 2015 show so far.

Take a look for yourself and let me know what you think?

This is what fashion should be in terms of couture woman's wear. Beautiful and perfectly polished and although I really love this collection I also think that one would need to be a very thin woman to wear these leaving out a large demographic of women who are above a size 6. YES... I know that most runway shows do the exact same thing but I still would have liked to see a few pieces which could be patterned up and still fabulous.  

Men's Wear

There's something special about a well dressed man that's undeniably hot! Especially when a man knows how to take commercialized fashion and tailor it to be his own. When men take fashion queues from the runway and style it to fit his individual masculinity, you have a true style king! So men believe me when I tell you that people notice because they do. Tailored fashion doesn't need to be a traditional suit as long as the piece fits your body well then it's a match made in heaven.

Another factor that plays a huge role in how well your dress is how you accessorize the outfit. This is true for both men and women. However with men's wear you don't have to option of accessorizing with much so layering adds a level of depth that really makes a statement. If you check out the pictures below you'll notice that all of them have a layered look while still remaining neutrally colored in majority black.

Here are a few style selections from men who owned their look. Hopefully you appreciate their appeal as much as we do.

Side note... I especially love the "all black everything"... GOODNESS!!!

Morning funnies!

Happy Friday beautiful people!

Your chuckles for today have arrived. Enjoy your weekend!

Poor kid... he was horrified! It

so easy to scare kids though. I do it all the time. LOL

This mother needs parenting classes. For real! And this kid sleeps through anything.

At least they are aware that they're trying to hard!

Another bad parent caught on camera... SMH

Etsy Finds

Every now and then I like to scout out Etsy for fashion finds. I love the eclecticism of some of the designs found on there. You can find some classic pieces on Etsy that will surely get certified as style icon in your circle. Check out a few from my latest Etsy binge.

ArrowsDesign Etsy Shop
I love these Bags! - This designer has a few bags that are really different and stylish.  I love the look of this tote which is large enough to be a weekend carry all if you're on the go. It can also be a uniquely stylish diaper bag for the hipster moms out there.

same designer caught my eye with this clutch. I honestly love anything with a tie dye feel to it.

With Valentine's Day quickly approaching I thought I show you a few sexy suggestive pieces that I found. Who doesn't love a nice sexy look?

Burlesque Corset

phoenix-burlesque-showgirl-corset

Work Life Balance

Life is stressful! With all that people juggle daily from work to family, it's amazing that we find time in the day for ourselves to just take a deep breathe and relax. Now that the holidays are over and normal life has resumed for most of us, I would like remind you of simple techniques that can help ease stress. These techniques have worked for me and there is a lot on my plate daily. I hope that some of these work for you as well. Make sure you share your success stories with me.

1.   Workout-
Because you know it's good for you. Exercise helps the brain and your health. It reduces stress and your waistline simultaneously so exercise away! Also some gym memberships offer incentives like hydrotherapy massage tables which is another stress reliever in itself. But if you're not feeling another bill, then get out and run. Its a beautiful thing how the body adapts once you start. 

2.  Keep a journal- 

It may bring you back to your younger days but it really does work! It also helps you keep track of things that you may need to do or what you ate. If you're like me then you may munch more than you realize. I eat at my desk while working and those little in between snacks can creep up on you. Which brings me back to working out and exercise. It really does make a difference. 

3.  Laugh- 

Nothing beats stress like a good hearty laugh. This is why I have periodic "morning funny" post. Laugh as much as you can because there is a constant over exposure of seriously depressing stories. Not that the news is bad but a chuckle is definitely needed to keep us all sane.  

     

Morning Funny!

So apparently I missed this skit but I caught it online. Too funny! Great comical depiction of how urban neighborhoods are changing! Enjoy your day!

More Fashion for U!

So I loved Burberry's collection for Fall 2014 and it seems like I wasn't the only one. Donna Karen's Spring 2015 collection reminds me of the Burberry Fall collection with it's bold prints but anything graffiti inspired is a win in my book. Check it out for yourself.

2015 Spring Shoe Preview

I'm so ready for some warm weather. Just because it's cold doesn't mean that the we can't look at all the new fashion forecast for Spring 2015. Here are a few shoes and how to wear them that will surely get the heart pumping.

I see gladiator sandals aren't going anywhere. I've never been a fan primarily because they can be difficult to pull off but here is a great way to wear them a look HOT while doing so.

Alexander McQueen changed up the game with a great heel.

You can pair a gladiator show with cut off shorts or a denim dress and look great! 

Healthy Eats

To keep our momentum going for 2015 and our healthy eating choices, I want to share two good recipes that are not only healthy but taste great too. Healthy eating is not only for dinner but needs to be considered when eating breakfast and lunch. For breakfast there are a few oatmeal smoothie recipes that are easy and filling.

Strawberry and Banana Oatmeal Smoothie
1 Cup of soy milk (I used Almond milk instead of soy milk)
1/2 cup of oats
1 banana cut into chunks
10 fresh or frozen strawberries
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 teaspoon of Agave (or sugar)
1 cup non-fat vanilla yogurt
1 teaspoon of Chia seeds
1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon

Put all ingredient into a blender and you have an instant filling breakfast or you can combine all the ingredient and let them sit over night but I prefer the blender.

TGIF....

Happy Friday beautiful people! I have so much I want to share with you today. In particular there were a few interviews which that I caught and I had totally opposite reactions to both. I'll share...

First I happen to catch Christina Milian on Wendy's show and I watched feeling conflicted. You know how you see someone and they're talking super fast like they're trying to con you or something so you listen with a scrunched up face? At that very moment you're instantly passing judgement and completely turned off by the conversation. Well that's how I felt watching the last part of her interview. Then she completely finished me with the whole Lil Wayne topic. No thx!

You catch it and judge for yourself...

Then there was the interview with Kevin Hart on The Breakfast Club here in NYC which I caught on my drive into the office which was a pleasant surprise. He was never my favorite comedian but I now have a new found respect for his business intelligence and his hustle. 

Healthy Eats

We're always trying new things in our house and the latest healthy lifestyle choice we've decided to try is a vegetarian dish 2 days per week. My first day wasn't that bad and as always I'm here to share my experiences and fill you all in.

For dinner, I made this healthy vegetarian chili. It wasn't half bad but in my opinion it takes some getting use to. I followed the recipe and added a few tweaks of my own.

                                     

Recipe and more...

Morning Funny!

Love this skit!!!! Have a good day!

HAHAHA

Rev up Your Denim

UrShadyBFF LOVES everything denim!  Especially when it's done with flare. I'm going to provide my special friends with a few tips to ramp up your basic denim. Turn heads and inspire others with these tips to enhance the denim you already have with very little effort.

Tip #1: Invest in a pair of neon or bright colored pumps! You can even opt for a pair of bright blue so that you can get more use of them but trust me... the investment will be worth it. Take a look at some celebrity looks that you can achieve.

Kim K. makes a powerful statement with these bold neon pumps with very little effort.

I'm also a huge fan of pairing a blazer with denim. This look slays even with minimal accessories. 

Here we have Ledisi with a pop of color added to her denim jumper.

A Different Approach to The Standard Bouquet

Typically with the holiday season being spent with family there comes a spike in recently engaged people. If you fall into that category, Congrats! If you're like me then you simply enjoy the beauty and elegance that a wedding embodies. The elegant dresses, the beautiful floral arrangements, as well as the transformation of the venue with all of the design preparation is nothing short of amazing.

Here are a few fresh ideas and new approaches for the bridal bouquet which I thought were beautiful and they can even be kept as memorabilia if you use all brooch. Even if you're not a blushing new bride these floral arrangements are breath-taken and can be used as centerpieces for a dinner party if you have the time to create one. You'll be happy you did because you'll be able to re-use this piece time and time again with tons of compliments.

  

Morning funny!

Hi guys. Happy Monday. Get your morning funnies here.


This isn't how my first time went but still hilarious.

More on the other side...

I do this all the time...

I really do love Chipotle,

Is Mike Huckabee trolling Beyonce?

Mike Huckabee will be releasing a book and trolled the Carters in the process using a mention of them to call Jay Z a pimp because Beyonce's choice of stage costume.

In reaction to the Carter's 2014 Gammy performance Mike Huckabee has been quoted saying "Beyonce is incredibly talented gifted in fact. She has an exceptional set of pipes and can actually sing. She is a terrific dancer without the explicit moves best left for the privacy of her bedroom. Jay Z is a very shrewd businessman, but I wonder: Does it occur to him that he is arguably crossing the line from husband to pimp by exploiting his wife as a sex object?"

OK... let's dissect this here for a moment....

The joys of girly stuff

Take things you already own and make them beautiful. I've had a glass dome cake stand for years and I occasionally turn it upside down to hold my fruit which turns out very pretty but there are tons of other things you can do with it This is soooo girlie but I Love it!

Good Eating for 2015

If you're like me part of your 2015 goals is to eat healthier and make a few subtle changes to your routine to get more in tune with your best body ever. Notice I didn't say diet at all because I'm not dieting because I've never been good at it. It's psychological... when you tell yourself that you're dieting, then subconsciously you crave what you shouldn't have.  To really pack in the nutrients I've actually integrated juicing into my lifestyle starting in 2014. I've noticed a difference in my skin and my overall health. Being that it's helped me and I've noticed changes, I've decided to pass it along and share some of my favorite recipes.

I've never been a fan of beets but I actually found a smoothie recipe that includes  beets as one of the ingredients and its actually very tasty. Who would have thought??? Damn sure fooled me but it's great. I haven't eaten beets since I was forced to as a child.  Give it a try and let me know what you think. Enjoy!

Apple and Beet Smoothie with Agave

Ingredients

• ½ cup orange juice
• 1 gala apple peeled and diced
• ½ cup frozen mixed berries
• ⅓ cup raw or roasted beets, diced
• 1- inch piece ginger
• juice of 1 lime
• 1 teaspoon agave
• ¼ cup coconut milk or soy milk
• 2-3 ice cubes

Vegan Detox Green Smoothie

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup frozen strawberries.
• 1/2 cup cucumber, peeled and sliced
• 1 large frozen banana, broken into pieces
• 1 1/2 cup vanilla almond milk (or alternate milk)
• 1 1/2 cups kale, loosely packed, stems removed (you can also use spinach)
• Large handful of spinach

Tech junkies

So if you're like me and completely dependent on your gadgets, then I have a few that's a total must for you busy lifestyle. I never leave home without my wireless ear buds which I use on the train, at my desk, at the gym and in my car to chat on the phone. I also always carry my tablet. I confess that I'm addicted to online shopping. If I'm not ordering something to try then I'm browsing the internet constantly on the look out for the next best thing. My go to online shop for gadgets at a super cheap price is GoSolarMobile.
I've listed a few of my must haves and a site to purchase that's priced well and reliable.
Start your year off fresh and tech savvy.


My bluetooth ear buds take me from my car to the gym. I admit that I cannot leave home without my wireless ear buds. I even have a back up pair in my glove compartment just in case. This LG version comes in Black or White and has very good sound. I love them because you can take the ear bud out and have the bar rest on your neck when running.

And I personally take my IPad mini everywhere and I LOVE color so these cases are great and attractive. My pop of color even crosses over to my tech accessories.  

Lastly... I keep a solar powered back up battery charger with me when traveling so that I never lose battery life on my cell. I even have a bigger version so that I can power my IPad. 

Lipstick junkies... get in here!

Happy New Year beautiful! So another year another lipstick lust story.

As always, you ladies know my daughter is my lipstick guru and she went on a hunt to physically find us a store which carried the Lime Crime Velvetines and I'm hooked on the colors. I purchased 3, one of which is Wicked and I love the color saturation. I must admit that it looks better worn with a lip liner. Surprisingly I also love the Suede Berry Color which is totally a Caribbean orange in my opinion. My husband said it looked like I was going on vacation. Wearing that color totally depends on the outfit and the statement you're trying to make. Plus it really does make you feel like the weather is heating up. I'm sure that will be my go to for the summer.  I also purchased Pink Velvet which dries very matte but has a similar look to Urban Decay's Anarchy.