What to Wear to Work: Mixed Patterns

Some of us may be nervous to mix patterns but it is time to stop being scared. I am from the Garanimals era, where people seem to like for everything to match from head to toe but the more I see mixed patterns, the more I love them!

My girl, Jacki rocked the mix patterns to work this week and I had to feature her on the blog!

IMG_2704IMG_2695IMG_2693

The 2 patterns are similar, in the fact that they are both floral prints but still very different.

I would also like to welcome Miss Jacki to the natural hair club – She looks simply beautiful with the short cut she is rocking.

IMG_2706

 

Do you like to mix patterns? Or are you scared?

 

(What Jacki is wearing: Jaket: J. Crew, Skrit: Pint Apple, Shirt: WD NY)

Photo Credit: Yani

 

 

 

 

Yessss, Sports Illustrated!!!

Finally, history is made with Ashley Graham gracing the cover of Sports Illustrated magazine! She is not only plus size, but she is beautiful along with being a advocate of self love at any size. Many women in the world, including me, are plus size and we love seeing people that look like us in the spotlight! Congratulations, Ashley!

 

IMG_1360

Find out more about Ashley:

AshleyGraham.com

AshleyGrahamCollections.com

Facebook

To Ugg or not to Ugg

IMG_0644To wear Uggs or not – This has come up in conversation between myself and my girlfriends lately. Is it still fashionable to wear Uggs? Was it ever fashionable to wear Uggs? Is it more about the comfort than the style? How should you wear Uggs? We discussed all of these things and since I had never owned a pair of Uggs, I thought it would be a great time to try them out and give my 2 cents on the Australian boots.

IMG_0647

IMG_0648

First I want to know – Do you wear Uggs?

So I was told that I would fall in love as soon as I slid my feet into my Uggs – this did not happen. They were actually a bit uncomfortable at first, especially where the stitching went across my the top of my foot. But after wearing them for about 30 minutes it was like someone turned on the comfortable switch. I was also told that the Uggs would conform to my foot and indeed they did and it felt like heaven!  The Uggs I bought were, of course the most flashy Uggs I could find as I am turning into my Mom and love all things that shine and glitter!  My next pair will not be quite as flashy but more something that can be worn anytime.

So to answer my own questions:

Is it still fashionable to wear Uggs? I think so. Celebrities wear them all of the time!

UGG-CELEBS-1-1024x585 UGG-CELEBS-2-1024x585

 

Is it more about the comfort than the style – ABSOLUTELY! we all know that Uggs are not the most stylish-looking boots and can sometimes look like they have no shape at all – but it is all about the outfit you pair them with!

So, hince my last question – how should you wear Uggs? Here are some great examples:

Celebrities-with-their-UGG-boots

Click here to check out what Vogue has to say about Uggs

My conclusion: I definitely love the comfort of Uggs and will be purchasing another pair,

ONLY 3 Days Left!!! Support DuPont Brass by purchasing a t-shirt – Help them go on Tour!

If you read my blog post about DuPont Brass, you know that they are a band that we all need to support! They are local to the DC Area and they are selling t-shirts to raise money for their upcoming tour.

DuPont Brass

Here is how you can help;

  1. Click on the link, www.booster.com/dupontbrass
  2. Buy a t-shirt for just $25
  3. Tell all of your friends about the t-shirts
  4. Once you receive your t-shirt, wear it proudly knowing that you are helping young talent that needs to be heard on tour!

Thank you in advance for supporting one of my favorite bands!

Awesome Product Alert (APA) – Kay Vel Creme Press

It is very rare that I find products that I MUST blog about but low and behold I have found the ONE! Kay Vel Creme Press is one of the BEST products that I have ever purchased for my hair since I have been natural – Let me tell you all about it.

Disclaimer: My hair is 4C – I call it 4Z on the natural hair scale – so this product may be too heavy for a looser curl pattern.

Kay Vel Creme Press is for straightening hair using heated tools such as flat irons or curling irons. I recently had my hair dyed purple and when I was in the salon, I noticed a stylist in the salon using a light blue product to put amazing curls into a client’s hair using a flat iron – I mean, those curls were popping! The client also had natural hair – so I paid close attention but did not want to ask what she was using because she was not the person doing my hair. So you know what I did, right – GOOGLED it! Yes, I Googled “light blue product used for straightening natural hair” and BOOM – Kay Vel appeared on my screen – it was like an AHHHH HAAAA moment:

Kay Vel

So, as I read reviews and watched videos on Kay Vel it seemed almost too good to be true! I was thinking that maybe it was one of those products only sold to a licensed stylist. I decided to take a trip to my local beauty supply store and asked if they carried Kay Vel and was happily surpised when the store sales person pointed me in the direction of the Kay Vel nicely sitting on the shelf just waiting for me to come along to purchase it. So I did and for only $14!

Still skeptical about the results that I would personally have with Kay Vel, I took it home and thought about when I try it out. I opted for the next evening as I was excited but I was also ready to be disappointed if it did not work for me.

So now, my first use of Kay Vel was on my hair when it had already been straightened at the salon but needed to be freshened up since I had picked the most humid 2 weeks of the year in the DC area to get my hair straightened – really smart!  Anyway – Can I just tell you that I was amazed at how the Kay Vel made using my flat iron so much easier. I did not have to use them on such a high setting and I only had to do one pass of the flat iron on each section of hair. I was impressed but the real challenge would be the result on my freshly washed ultra natural state of hair – Would the Kay Vel still impress?

YES IT DID! I decided to bite the bullet and wash my hair over the past weekend. I did the normal wash, color treated replenish pack and conditioner and then blow dried my hair on medium heat (I did place a little bit of Kay Vel on my damp hair prior to blow drying)…. here are the blow out pics – And YES, I am a Redskins Fan #HTTR!:

Next comes the flat iron – I use a Babyliss Pro Titanium flat iron that I purchased from Bed Bath & Beyond last year for approximately $140.00 – great flat iron! So this begins the real test – could my hair really get as straight as it was when I left the salon? Yes, Yes, Yes it can and it DID! I only used  very small amount of Kay Vel on each section of hair that I was flat ironing.

I am AMZED at the results!

The Final Results:

Here is what Kay Vel looks like opened:

More of the final look:

I cannot say how much I love this product and how impressed I am that a $14 jar of creme that will last a very long time is the TRUTH when it comes to straightening natural hair! Thank you, Kay Vel for making my straight hair life easier!

What do y’all think of my results? Have you used Kay Vel before? Let me know what you thought of it.

What to Wear to Work: Floral

My friend and colleague, Laura looks AMAZING in her floral print dress. It is perfect for a hot summer day in the DMV!

Laura wore this dress to work on Wednesday and I had to feature her on this blog. The colors compliment her skin tone and the print and colors made me happy when I looked at this dress. Laura’s beautiful smile is just the icing on the cake of this amazing outfit.imageWhat Laura is wearing:

  • Ralph Lauren floral dress – Ross $18
  • Tan Sandals – Payless $17
  • Belt – repurposed from another dress

imageimageimageimage