Chic and Kinky's Natural's Night Out ReCap

567 Madison Avenue. I would have bet money that that was the address for Chic and Kinky's Naturals Night Out. Even after I came out the train station and found myself right in the middle of the Puerto Rican Day Parade I was pretty certain the blocked off street was my destination. It was not until about 45 minutes of battling people waving their PR flags, police blockades, camera people, and sweating off my makeup did I decided to check the flyer again." S#@*, 267 Madison Ave"(I may have said a bit more than that but you get the point). Thank God for Google maps and taxi cabs, who knows what the rest of this post would look like without them.


Let me cut to the chase. Chic and Kinky's Natural's Night Out was on a total different level from the event last year. It seems as if  they took the feedback from last years event and really worked on making the experience worth while. Some notable differences were:

• The Venue: Last year although the space was big, the layout of Natural's Night Out created a lot of awkward moments. For example, last year I can recall having no where to stand but in the middle of the venue after taking a tour of all of the vendors (placed along the walls).This time around the loft space that was used had a great space for the vendors, a separate room for each of the presentations offered, and a terrace area for you to chill, take a break from the crowd, take some great pics, and mingle.

The vendors area

The Terrace

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• The Goody Swag Bags: I have no clue what was in them because I did not get one, I guess because I attended the event as media (-_-). Although I was tempted to ask someone to let me see the contents of their bag I stopped myself simply because I did not want to be "that guy". ("Can you open your goody bag and let me take a picture of it?", ummm...stranger danger!) I can say that the bags looked considerably bigger than last years and it looks like there was a full size product or two in it, but thats about it.

• The Vendors: This year there was so much variety in the vendors in attendance. Yes, there were hair products for sale but there was also a make up company, a bakery, vintage clothing companies , jewelry designers, and even Socasize (you know I almost lost my mind when there was soca music pumping on the terrace).

• The presentations:  I didn't have a chance to attend any of the presentations at the event but despite that there were still a few differences that I noticed from last year. For example, upon entrance you received a list of  each presenter, the name of the workshop and the time it was scheduled. In addition to this there was someone who announced when worshops were starting just in case you lost your sheet.

Regrettably I could not stay until the end because of another event I was slated to attend  that evening. The ladies of Chic and Kinky should be proud of themselves for a job well done. The only thing I would request for next year is FOOD or a vendor that sells snacks and drinks.. People were leaving the event simply to get something to eat and return back to the festivities. When I left Naturals Night Out I was STARVING. So much so that they were giving out free samples of Nestle Quic a block from the train station and not only did I stop for one, I drank the whole bottle (ummm...I am pretty certain that I am lactose intolerant). Yes, desperate times call for desperate measures.

The people I met were all amazing and friendly. I loved their energy and positive vibes. I left Chic and Kinky's Naturals Night Out feeling great and feeling inspired by the other naturals and the vendors pursuing their dreams. Some highlights:




Jessica of Feathers, Leather, and Lace. I loved her earring selection; lightweight, unique,and afrocentric.
I bought a pair of earrings from her and I'm uire they won't be the last.





Eden Body Works. I bought a peppermint tea tree oil spray and pomade for a total of $12. Can't beat those prices...



Consuela Richard of Beju Beju Vintage Clothing and handmade Jewelry. Consuela is full of personality
which made shopping at her table a lot of fun. What I liked most about her was her candidness. I even shared
with her my secret goal of doing something similar and she encouraged me to do it when she could have easily
given me the side eye.




Rockie stayed at Beju Beju for at least 20 minutes, she loved everything Beju Beju had to offer.




Vanessa of  A Beautiful You. The only vendor I saw sellling shampoo bars. I overheard her sharing with someone else her daily routine. Vanessa works hard! I admire her drive. 



Rockie bought some cuff earrings from C is for Cultured and people were asking her about them
before she left the building. They also had "Wild and Kinky" and "Product Junkie" buttons on sale as well. Too cute.



Tameka Hornes-Mathews of Jewel Afrika Designs. I bought two of her earrings and had my eye on a few others.
She also offered on the spot custom jewelry.



Kumi (and friend), of I Love Being Black. I had so much fun  with these two.  I love his shirt slogan and already owned a few items before meeting him. We discussed travel and carnival. I am still working on getting them to Cropover or Trinidad's Carnival next year. ; )





I was totally impressed with Glamorous Chicks Cosmetics 7 in 1 eyeshadow.
Once she demonstrated how you could turn the eyeshadow into a nailpolish color I was convinced this stuff was the truth.

Suzette Reeves from Kids Gro Hair Care. There aren't much natural hair products for kids on the market which made her pressence impressive.


I also found some hairstyles I want to try this summer...



Click here to see this style from other angles.




Toia Barry of ToBNatural




Click here to see this style from other angles.



All in all I met some great people, had some great laughs, admired some natural hair styles, bought a few things, and had a good time. I wish I could have stayed longer because as I was leaving the momentum was definetly picking up. Shout out to the folks I stopped by but don't have pics of:

• Haus of Swagg, loved your shirt designs and buttons..
• Design Essentials Natural, your table was packed as I passed by. Thanks for always showing bloggers/media love and inviting them out to events...
• Curls, the curls team is always out at hair events. We practically know each other by name.
• Cali York Photography, thanks for entertaining my shenanigans and letting me sit on your chair ...
• Thanks Rockie for coming out with me... and letting me take a million pictures of you...

For more pics from the event check out my FB page... www.facebook.com/kinkychronicle

Did any of you attend the event? What did you think?