A small peak into my obsession--Fall Boots

Yes, it snowed on Saturday! Yes, I stood in the snow for about 2 1/2 hours and I am sick as a result. Yes, I despise the feeling "cold". Despite all of this I have a secret love for Fall and Winter. Why? One word, Boots! I can't get enough; tall, short, wedge, round toe, fur lined, it doesn't matter as long as they fit me well (and the price is right) I am happy. Here are some of my latest purchases:

Brand: Jessica Simpson  (Above the knee)
Color: Black
Material: Leather Upper, Man Made Sole
Store: Ebay
Price: 79.99 (plus shipping)
Verdict: I wore them once so far, and they are super comfy, super sexy, and well worth the price I paid!

Brand: Forever 21
Color: Cognac
Material: Pleather Vegan Leather : )
Price:29.99
Verdict: I love these boots. I have worn them a few times and they are super comfy. However as you can see, my small calves in combination with the wide boot opening makes me look like Puss in Boots! I will stick with wearing these boots with jeans and legwarmers.

Brand: Miss Sixty
Color: Brown
Material: Leather (very soft leather, it scuffs easily)
Store: TJ Maxx
Price: 79.99
Verdict: I went to TJ Maxx looking for pumps and I walked out with these boots. I love the fact that the heel is low but the boot still has sex appeal. It's the most unique boot that I own!

Brand: BCBGeneration
Color: Brown
Material: Leather
Store: Burlington Coat Factory
Price: 69.99
Verdict: I have not worn these outside yet but I picture this with jeans and a peacoat. There is a slight Puss in Boots aspect to these boots so I predict that I will be wearing these with legwarmers.

Brand: Lauren, Ralph Lauren
Color: Black
Material: Leather
Store:Marshall's
Price: 99.99
Verdict: These boots were love at first sight! I am not sure what to wear them with. Any thoughts?

Brand: Hunter
Color: Black
Material: Rubber
Store: Small boutique store in Boston
Price:I can't recall but they were on sale
Verdict: I wore these rain boots once and they were really comfortable. The wedge heel makes you feel dressed despite the fact that they are simply golashes.

Trinidad and Tobago takes over Project Runway!

CONGRATULATIONS ANYADE!!!

Project Runway never knew what hit them!!

Pesky Blemishes? Try this...

As Trinidad Carnival slowly creeps out of my peripheral vision and into my everyday thoughts I have been looking into make up ideas for Carnival Monday and Tuesday. I have considered the make-up artist route but I can't imagine waking up EXTRA early Carnival Tuesday to have someone do my make up. In my searches for the right carnival looks and make up brands I came across this scary but CONVINCING video.

Ummm...anyone know where I can purchase some Dermablend?

Looks like I will be starting over!

No rhyme or reason for this pic. She epitomizes natural beauty...imo.

Months? No, actually more than  a year! That is how long it has been since I have been to an ACTUAL hair dresser. Not a hair braider (there is a difference) but a licensed (or at least reputable) hair stylist. As a natural woman who possesses some talent  I find myself doing my own hair with ease a majority of the time. However lately I have been wondering why I have not maintained much length in the past year, especially since I follow most of the natural hair "rules". I do not use heat in my hair (except to deep condition), I wear protective hair styles the majority of the time, I deep condition weekly or bi-weekly, I use a thousand different "natural" hair products, and still I do not see much of a difference in the length of my hair. In addition to this I still find myself battling shed hair and breakage anytime I touch my hair. I figured it was time to call in the professionals and got a hair consultation. The good news? I have a hair appointment for next week Thursday. The bad news? I have SUPER POROUS and DRY hair. Hair porosity is a term that describes the condition of your hair cuticle. High porosity indicates that your hair cuticle is severely damaged leading to holes and spaces in the hair shaft. These gaps lead to hair that drinks up moisture which can lead to dry hair and breakage. My consultation included testing different  (Keracare) products on my strands, checking my scalp, and examining the ends of my hair. The hair stylist determined that I was in desperate need of a trim and would order some Keracare products that she thought I needed to add to my hair regimen.Although saddened I am prepared to sacrifice my hair length next week in exchange for healthy hair. I'll try not to cry. Ladies, learn from my mistake. You CAN NOT start a successful healthy hair regimen without first trimming off those damaged ends. Some damage is simply irreversible.

Hair Style of the Night --Rockie's Bday Celebration

Some pics from Rockies B-day celebration at Happy Endings in NYC! Good times!

Why the smoke... there was a fog machine!

Excuse the blur...

Rockie...

Me!

My sis, myself, and Rockie!

Rockie



Me and unknown symbol...

Black Girls Rock!!

As I was going through pictures for my next post I came across these pics of my sisters bad@*$ ring! I LOVED IT!!!!

Hairstyle of the week....PPP

I have taken to YouTube a lot lately for advice on starting a web business, hairstyles, cheer leading routines, and fashion advice. This weekend I stumbled on to Toni Daley's  YouTube series: Is Natural Hair Professional? I loved the majority of the stylesshe created but this by far was my favorite:

This morning when I woke up I decided to give it a try myself, and here are the results.





I love my Curls Passion Fruit Control Paste, instant sleekness!

Side...

The Back...

This style was definitely a triple P: Painless, Professional, and Protective. What do you all think?

Crop Over 2011 --Kadooment Day

I feel like I am at a place where I can be fairly honest with all of you. I can not recall much of Kadooment Day, it was a whirl wind. When I think back to that day, the rain, Rihanna, and taking shelter under a food cart are the moments that stand out for me. I played mas with Baje -International for no other reason than the fact that it was one of the more popular bands in Barbados and I wanted to be in the mix. Up until this day I wonder if I dhould have played mas with Power X 4 instead, but I digress My first indication of the mistake I was potentially making should have came when my first and second choice costumes for Baje sold out online in a matter of moments. I was shocked! This wasn't Trinidad carnival and I wasn't trying to get into Tribe however costumes were being sold out in seconds. Picking up my costume in Barbados was fairly easy however, when I went to the mas camp the Saturday before carnival I joined the fewother  people who were waiting for the camp to open. This was after asking many people in Barbados where Baje-International costume distribution was and getting lead in many different directions, oops I am digressing again. Once the doors opened I was given my costume quickly. I appreciated the quick service however I was not impressed by the inattentiveness or passiveness of the representatives who worked there. Mas camps in general seem to forget that I am still a costumer even if they took my money months prior. I felt as if I was being treated like I was receiving a donation rather than picking up a costume I paid my hard earned money for. Small things such as a smile and the word thank you were missing.  Despite my frustration with the lack of costumer service I took my box and happily went on my way.

Kadooment Day: I arrived at the designated area to meet the band, ON TIME. Mainly because I knew I wasn't in Trinidad and I could not afford to have the band leave me. However when I arrived Baje was no where to be seen. Other bands were having breakfast, playing music, and most of all present but not mine. Eventually I found a few other people who were a part of the band and most importantly the woman with the SHOPPING CART assigned to serving Cheese Cutters to band members. Mind you  I don't eat cheese, but at this point I was so hungry I snatched up a bag and tried my best to choke it down (hours later while on the road a man asked me why I was still holding on to the bag, talk about feeling embarrased).

She was TOO cute!

The Road: RAIN! I have never played mas in so much rain before in my life. Every time the rain would stop and you thought all was clear it would come down again and  heavier. 

Rain!

 Honestly, I was miserable. There was a point where no part of my body was dry, no relief. Rihanna being on the road with Baje was the highlight of the day for me.

I have a thousand pics of Ri-Ri...I was excited to say the least!

 I LOVE Rihanna and seeing her up close and personal enjoying the same tunes I was enjoying made me feel like the day was worth while. Sadly my day with Baje ended early and possibly because of her presence, how ironic. The band was ruled disorderly by Crop Over officials and was not allowed to finish the parade route. After our lunch stop the day was pretty much over and I hopped in a cab back to my guest house in St. Lawrence Gap. Moments after the taxi door closed and the driver drive off the sky opened up again.

The sun was still up and my Crop Over experience was done. : /

I can't wait for Barbados to have a two day carnival because after Kadooment Monday I was definitely left wanting more.

#Get Pretty--The Aftermath

You know the saying, when it rains it pours. Well for the better part of last Thursday that phrase was my life. After a hectic action packed day at work, and a few moments of celebrating an important moment with one of my closest friends, I attempted to make my way to the Polish Bar of Brooklyn in Prospect Heights for their Get Pretty event done with Claire from the blog, The Fashion Bomb Daily. Then the pouring started; first the parking attendants in the garage where my car was being held had to go to New Zealand (or somewhere equally as far) to find my car. I stood waiting as patiently as I could as the time on my Blackberry got closer and closer to 6:00pm which coincidentally was the same  time the event was scheduled to start. As soon as my car came out of the garage  I stepped on the gas and began making my way towards Brooklyn. I'll spare you all the harrowing details but just know that I drove in the wrong direction for a while, my phone navigation began acting up, I was stopped by a small "we are the 99% "demonstration march (yes, complete with placards and bullhorns) , and I could not find a parking spot when when I got there. I finally arrived at  The Polish Bar of Brooklyn's Prospect Heights location around 7pm and I am glad that I went. It was so empowering (and a tad intimidating) to be in a room filled with women of color who blog like myself.

Everyone was dressed to kill and I even caught a glimpse of a few women whose blogs I read (I was to shy to say hello -_-). The venue itself was small but comfortable and  was set up with a few different stations for guests to samplesome of the services the Polish Bar offered.

There were manicure stations, pedicure stations, an eyebrow station, an airbrushed make up station, an eyelash extension station, and I believe a massage station (don't quote me on that last one...lol). Guests were invited to sample as many services as they liked. I opted for a manicure but looking back I wish I tried a few othera , especially the lash extensions and airbrushed make-up. There were also mini cupcakes and cakepops from the Bake Shop (DELICIOUS) and sparkling wine for guests to dine on.

In exchange for the experience guests were simply asked to donate money for Breast Cancer research.  This event was one of the best free events I have been to in a while because of the array of services, the crowd, and the fact that it was done not only to promote The Polish Bar but to raise money for Breast Cancer Awareness. How was my manicure? It was nice however I didn't allow it to dry and had some major smudging so I took it off when I got home. I would definitely go to the Polish Bar of Brooklyn again not only because of their wide array of services but also because the owner (who did address the crowd at the end of the event) has a big heart. How many small business open their doors for a few hours and donate all of their profits to a cause or charity? Not many! Polish Bar of Brooklyn, you will see me again sometime soon.

Fashion Bomb Daily and Polish Bar of Brooklyn Present Get Pretty

I rsvp'd for this event the other day and can't wait to attend tomorrow and tell you all about it!

Rockies Hair Update!!

Hey Guys!! I wanted to share a mini  hair update from my friend Rockie! A few months a go I posted some pics and a review of  her big chop at Khamit Kinks. Months later she is still natural and LOVING IT!



Wedding Hair Style done by me...

A Powerful Message....

I know I am tardy for this party, but I just saw Marsha Ambrosius' video for her song Far Away and I must say I was truly moved. In this day and time when many musicians lack substance and typically lack an opinion about any subject viewed as controversial Marsha has made a video that is the total opposite. I also loved her message at the end. I know firsthand the effects of bullying and the like. Thanks Marsha for taking a stand.

Misadventures of an Akward Black Girl is back...

My favorite YouTube series is back...

Enjoy!!

Multi-Purpose Scarves

scarves by naturale featuring striped scarves

Pieces tube scarve, €17
Miss Selfridge viscose scarve, £16
Dorothy Perkins cream shawl, £9.60
Printed scarve, £25
Cheeky Budha striped scarve, £9.99
Miss Selfridge printed scarve, £14
ReLuxe vintage scarve, £14
ReLuxe vintage scarve, £14
ReLuxe vintage scarve, £18
Dorothy Perkins black scarve, £5.60
Scarve, $5
Striped scarve, $16
Fat Face square cotton scarve, £18
Skull scarve, €30
Juicy Couture square scarve, $35
Oasis scarve, £25