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!

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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.

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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

 

 

 

 

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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.

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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!

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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:

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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,

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:

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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

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My absolute FAVORITE protective hairstyle: Crochet Braids

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I cannot tell you how in love I am with crochet braids as my go-to protective style for my natural hair! I used to get my hair braided but I can no longer sit for 8 hours or more to get individual braids. So, I met a young lady about a year ago that changed my life. We were at a shopping event and she had crochet braids that I thought was her real natural hair. When she told me that it was crochet braids I was AMAZED! .She has been doing my hair ever since and I will continue to go to her as long as she is doing hair!

What are crochet braids, you ask? It is when your entire head of hair is cornrowed and single strands of braiding hair are literally crocheted onto your cornrows. The single strands is what gives it such a natural appearance to make it look like hair that is growing from your scalp!

Crochet braids have been around for a long time and I remember that my mom got crochet braids years ago when she was going on a cruise.But I am here to tell you that the type of hair being used now and the way your natural hair is cornrowed underneath has changed the game! Now with the more natural look hair textures and the many ways you can get your hair cornrowed determines the many different ways you can rock your crochet braids.

How my hair was cornrowed – don’t say anything about all of my grey hair!

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The absolute best thing about the crochet braids is that it only takes 4, maybe 5 hours from start to finish! And you come out with a hairdo that you can not only style many ways but the type of hair that I use is also water-friendly for easy washing and going swimming.

The comment I always get when I wear crochet braids is “Your hair is so pretty!” And I always tell people that it is crochet braids and not my hair. They always think it is my very own hair – again a shout out to my stylist for always hooking me up!

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So, if you want a protective style that is easy to install, easy to maintain, looks like your hair and that you can wear for up to 3 months – I suggest crochet braids!

The hair I use:

Brand: Freetress, Style: Water wave

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What to wear to work: Black & White & Bright

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Nothing makes me feel better than bright colors. I am also a huge fan of black and white – so why not put the two together!

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What I am wearing:

Black & white polka dotted shirt (Dress Barn) – Thrifted for $2.00

Yellow knee length skirt (Golden Flava) – Thrifted for $3.00

Black strappy sandals (Cloudwalkers) – Thifted for $2.50

The entire outfit cost $7.50. I did have to get the zipper replaced on the skirt which was $10 at my local dry cleaners – so if you ad that on, the entire outfit was a whopping $12.50!!

Shopping on a dime (Thrifting) is one of my favorite things to do!

 

Photo Credits:  Jacki Manson (Photographer)

Steppin Out on New Year’s Eve

Steppin Out on New Year's Eve

Adrianna Papell see through dress
$110 – johnlewis.com

Belted dress
$3.13 – amazon.co.uk

Adrianna Papell evening dress
newyorkersapparel.com

Wide pumps
$26 – beyondtherack.com

ALDO heels & pumps
aldoshoes.com

High heel pumps
unique-vintage.com

High heel shoes
$41 – styletread.com.au

Platform shoes
payless.com

Teal pumps
$31 – newlook.com

What to wear on Christmas Day

What to wear on Christmas Day

Long sleeve top
rotita.com

H&M boot cut jeans
$47 – hm.com

Red jeans
$44 – bluebanana.com

H M circle skirt
$7.82 – hm.com

Mary jane
modcloth.com

Olivia Pope Inspired

Olivia Pope Inspired

Chesca cable knit coat
$305 – johnlewis.com

Chesca fitted coat
$275 – johnlewis.com

Plus size white coat
$36 – beyondtherack.com

Stemmed wine glasses
$18 – chapters.indigo.ca