Teen Vogue's Editor Elaine Welteroth Leading By Example

I must admit that I definitely LOVE to see women shatter ceilings and excelling in their careers but I definitely cheer on women of color who shatter glass ceilings. I know first hand how difficult it could be in corporate America for a woman of color. I especially love to see any woman standing up to the establishment and not conforming to what's expected of her so when I read in Page Six that Teen Vogue's editor Elaine Welteroth decided to skip the Met Gala and attended an event labeled "Not the Met" I was immediately interested in discovering more about Ms. Welteroth. The Met is definitely an event full of what should be considered her peers especially being that it's thrown by her colleague Anna Wintour of Vogue fame. I would definitely consider the two magazines sister brands with different demographics but sisters none the less.  One however is leading the way on highlighting social issues that will shape our tomorrow.

After doing a bit of digging online it became clear that Ms. Weltroth is indeed paving a path of her own which includes revamping the image of  Teen Vogue to include more socially conscious topics and stories that include more women of color. The magazine recently posted a piece on how to avoid Cultural Appropriation at Coachella which highlights the sensitivity that people feel when they see elements of their culture exploited and distorted in the form of a fashionable trend and then discarded. (You may read the article here: coachella-cultural-appropriation)

Teen Vogue is taking the lead in spearheading the change in mindset of teen girls. They are definitely doing their part in planting the activism seed within our youth so they are aware of how their actions and voice impacts our nation and social climate. Teen Vogue is definitely inspiring teens to be the change they want to see in life. Below is a clip from Teen Vogue's YouTube channel where they address a multitude of cultural topics as well as the traditional fashion and pop-culture, spreading awareness to issues that plague the nation currently. Personally I applaud their effort and I'm personally inspired by the evolution of Teen Vogue and Elaine Welteroth.

Naturi Naughton and Adrienne Houghton address their past issues

Naturi Naughton made an appearance on The Real and Adrienne Houghton apologized to her for their 3LW hostile past relationship. Being that the girls are from NJ it was definitely news worthy back then when the drama occurred during which Naturi claimed that she was constantly bullied to the point where she left the group because she felt they were hostile because she was the darker skinned member. She also claimed that she had a physical altercation with Kiely the other member of the group and that both Kiely and Adrienne would call her names and although she didn't go into details during her present day interview, there are definitely tapes of her addressing the accusations back then. You can hear the full Wendy Williams interview below.


Well the current version is all water under the bridge for them but it did ultimately lead to 3LW dismantling and the remaining 2 becoming the Cheetah Girls for Disney but we can all agree that Naturi definitely landed on her feet in recent years. All hard works pays off because her character Tasha on the hit show Power which airs on Starz will further her career. She is now happy, pregnant and she recently purchased a $1million dollar apartment in NYC which is a big deal.

Here's the original radio interview from Wendy's radio show on WBLS.

Confidence is the most attractive quality within a person

If you're not your own biggest fan then you're doing yourself a disservice. Self love is the absolute best thing you can ever do for yourself. When you love yourself it radiates outwards and people see it. Some describe it as vanity but don't get it twisted... self love and being self absorbed are two different things entirely. When one is self absorbed they find it impossible to be happy for others and requires limitless praise from others. Where as self love is all about how deeply you love yourself and it dictates what you'll accept from those who you share your time and there is a difference. When you have abundance of self-love you require those who you share your life with to treat you in a certain manner.  You respect yourself, you give respect and will expect nothing less. You have no problem celebrating others accomplishments because you know blessings are abundant. When you completely love yourself you don't allow others to degrade or belittle you because you know your self worth and at your core you won't be able to tolerate it. Have you ever heard someone say that the most attractive quality a person can have is CONFIDENCE? Well it's true and there are a lot of factors that go into building that confidence level within yourself. Also if you're not confident in your own skin and actions, no one else will be either which goes hand in hand with how people treat you.

What if I told you that your life was a creation of your own mind and that it was all an illusion that you controlled? If you knew that to be true you would immediately start down a new path and do things differently. Well to be honest, your life is completely up to you and all things in it are a part of your control and if you love yourself  you will treat yourself, your time and others with love and respect. It's entirely that simple! The trick is to have the confidence that radiates from within to accomplish all that you wish.

Speaking of wishes, we all have things we wish to improve upon. Growth is the core objective in this life we live and we should all be in a constant state of growth and loving yourself leads you to nurture your mind, body and spirit so that you're growing. I love myself! I've worked hard to nurture myself to live the life I live today with the people that I constantly surround myself with. I prune my own weeds so that my garden is healthy. What do I mean by that exactly? Let's explore simple ways to build your self-confidence so that you can love and be loved abundantly.

Billboard Award Hit or Miss

Happy Monday folks! Hope your weekend was well. Did you catch the Billboard Music Awards over the weekend? I did not but I did catch the fashion recap and I was not impressed. I know the Billboard Awards are laid back but the fashion to me looked beyond drab! Only a few outfits were cute but only two were costume worthy and they were worn by Dencia and Nicki. Dencia is a woman who is famous for face bleaching cream but I guess she's trying to work her way into the American market. Ummmm Okay! Also we have Nicki who always has an award show ready dress on stand by and her body is the business but this dress didn't really do much to accentuate the body to the fullest but still they're both mention worthy and looks like what you want to see at a music award show in my opinion.

As for looks that I did like there were a few but these were very bland and Saturday dinner soiree-ish. I liked Nicole and Kate's dresses the best and of the two Nicole would shut it down on any average day but the color didn't WOW on the pink carpet. However if the dress were red it would be a HIT. Anyway... the girls were out and the form was BOMB but the dress was not Billboard bomb but day party bomb with the flesh tone color but still none the less CUTE!!!
            Kate Beckinsale                                                                        Nicole Schwerzinger

Wendy had a segment on her show specifically to cover the fashion on the awards. Check it out below if you haven't already seen it. The kicker for me is when Robert Verdi mentioned Newark Halsey Street... I'm a NJ girl born and raised and I love it when NJ natives reference dirty Jerz!

Secrets of how to shop High/Low!

It's every girls dream to have a wardrobe that SLAYS but some things are easier said than done. Most people think the problem is lack of money but the real problem is that most people don't know how to shop strategically. A reoccurring theme plays out the same for many women who step into your closet, proceed to look around only to concluded that you have absolutely nothing to wear. Your wardrobe shouldn't be one dimensional and should make you feel empowered, sexy, business ready and slay worthy within 5 minutes max.  Your closet should tell many stories and should also be one of a kind built to mirror your multifaceted lifestyles and most importantly your outfits should make you feel fabulous but it's hard to accomplish that task if you don't know what to look for so I've compiled a few rules that wont break the bank. Most importantly if you follow these few rules you'll begin to build your own little style haven that will be sure to outlive any fly by night fashion trend and I'll show you how to accomplish this using what I call the high/low method.

Staple pieces are what you should spend the least amount of your money on while shopping. So what exactly are staple pieces you ask??? Well those are the items that you tend to have more than one of in your wardrobe such as jeans, tank tops, t-shirts and even business pants. Don't misunderstand what I'm saying when I say business pants because I'm not referring to suits because suites vary. I'm only referring to singular staples that can be interchangeable and can be paired with other pieces that can drastically change in appearance based on the pairing. Particularly denim is one that if you search enough, you'll be able to find a few great pair for less then $40 bucks. I do it all the time and I'm constantly looking to add more and more diverse styles of denim to add to my closet because I wear denim a lot. A major bonus for shoppers is that jean manufacturers are constantly trying to introduce subtle changes to their look to keep up with the seasonal trends so denim typically goes on sale rather quickly and that's a huge plus for you. NEVER buy denim at the full price point when shopping. If you find a great pair that you love, save it to your online cart or favorite and wait a few weeks for it to go on sale because it will. Only drawback is that you'll need to be proactive with keeping an eye out because denim sizes go quickly when they hit the sale racks.
Also being that denim styles change subtly and rapidly, if you purchase them while they're on sale you don't feel crazy for buying a pair of denim that is unique such as super wide legged, ripped or high-waist. Plan denim tends to not stand out but a great pair of high-waist wide legged flare jeans can spice up an outfit effortless.

To stand out from the crowd there are a few things you should splurge on and those are unique items such as shoes, textured tops, bags and definitely jackets/coats. A sexy top paired with a staple item can drastically change your look. Also knowing which accessories to pair with the outfit also adds additional appeal to your outfit but the trick is to know what to pair. I strongly believe that it's not needed to break the bank for accessories. Think of accessories as sides to your meal. They're important but the determining factor is the main dish... not the sides so spend wisely on accessories that pair easily with multiple looks. Ear crawlers, eclectic bangles and crystal necklace are a few that really pairs well with everything. One of my favorite sites right now for reasonably priced accessories is BaubleBar but in all honesty you find similar looks with the same quality at a street fair for cheaper. There are always jewelry booths at street fairs especially if you live in the city.  

Notice when I said tops that I specified textured tops when mentioning the splurge items. Basic tops in varying colors are just not splurge worthy. What makes anything splurge worthy is the fact that it's different and textures require more effort and therefore catch the eye more because it's not your norm. Also textured items tend to have a longer trend life and if you select the right one, can be a classic find. I have a studded suede jacket that I brought from Bebe's of all places over 17 years ago and I've passed the jacket down to my daughter after years of sitting in my closet and she's worn it to college and has received countless compliments on it. She said people always stop her when she's wearing that jacket to ask about it and it was a Bebe's find ON SALE many years ago. I contemplated giving it to Goodwill many times along with a few other pieces that I had that were ALL textured and of the ones that I've kept, they all look great and expensive but none were. When I mention textures this also includes certain lace styles. Again textures add versatility and are always a great investment.

The most indulgent worthy item you'll purchase will definitely be shoes and purses. Having shoes that are plain is always a bad decision. You can have on the most basic outfit (such as that striped shirt above with a pair of cut off shorts) but if you have the right pair of shoes on your feet with an awesome clutch, you'll look like the BOSS you are! Shoes need texture too. Have you ever seen these women who spend $500 plus on the most basic Christian Louboutin pumps and the outfit still looks bland? It definitely happens and it's because they are concentrating more on the red on the bottom of the shoe than the actual shoe itself. Now don't misunderstand what I'm saying. Louboutin definitely makes some lust worthy shoes but the basic patent leather ones are definitely NOT the wow factor worthy pair. When shopping for shoes make sure to look for intricacies in texture or the heels and you're golden. This doesn't mean that you'll have to spend a whole lot either but it will definitely be more than the $40 I mentioned for your sale denim but it's worth every cent and shoes (at least the right ones) have a longer trend life as well so you'll be able to get your money's worth if you keep them for years. Also a bonus is that you're feet are less likely to grow so you won't have to worry about no longer fitting into them like you do with clothing.


 

Regina Hall's Beauty Tips!

I absolutely love when people share their beauty tips and when Regina Hall revealed that she used Frownies on her face I was immediately amazed. I'm a firm believer in sticking with tried and true products. Frownies have been around for a long time and if you go to Amazon there are mixed reviews but for the most part the reviews which state that they've used the product consistently over years and are older have noticed a difference in their wrinkle lines. You really don't have to splurge and break the bank to preserve your sexy! Products that are simple to use and have been around for ages are the best products on the market. Take Vaseline which in my opinion is the best moisturizer for rough dry skin, which is why I slather a thin layer on at least 2 nights a week. Vaseline has also been the undisputed champ when it comes to moisturizing feet which is the driest skin on the entire body so it's no surprise that it's the cheapest most reliable anti aging serum you can find. Another product that falls into this category is Pond's Cold Cream Cleanser which is the earlier form of oil cleansing for those of who love a good oil cleanser. People tend to have a wide range of misconceptions regarding products that have stood the test of time and tend to gravitate towards the latest products released but we all must keep in mind that these companies make their money off of new launches. They advertise that they're trying to outdo their own or the competitions latest but in actuality the ingredients remain the same and are actually repackaged with a new media marketing campaign. Trust me... I've worked in the beauty industry for over 10 years and you would be amazed at the amount of products on the shelves currently with the same active ingredients under different names and brands. It's a very common practice. Do you honestly believe that new ingredients are discovered to create these products? No... it's all in the branding and new packaging that sells goods and turns profit.


As for Regina's crystal eggs I have to be honest I do own a set of Ben Wa balls which serve the same purpose for toning up your pelvic wall but I was intrigued when she said that she uses crystal. I completely get it because crystals are cleansing and having one cleanse your aura and tighten your pelvic muscles at the same time... GENIUS! I'm not willing to invest in it because I absolutely don't use the Ben Wa balls that I currently own enough for all that but it's still a nice little tip to have stored away. Work Regina Hall... WERK!