Guess Who's Back!

Yup, that would be me! Sun burnt with a hacking cough and five times happier than when I left. Trinidad Carnival never dissapoints, I had a blast from the time I arrived to the moment I left. I have many pics to share and experiences to review but for now I leave you with my message for the day...

Four days left....

Panic stricken! I think that is the appropriate terminology for what I am feeling right now. I can not believe I only have four days left until I leave for Trinidad and I am no where near ready. Although I know that once I arrive in Trinidad it won't matter if I have remembered to buy a cute tote bag for my trip Tobago or some other minor detail but the Capricorn in me is making a list and checking it twice, no three times. ; ) My Monday wear top is incomplete, I haven't had much time to exercise as of late, I am not sure if my head can hold up my headpiece :

That thing is MASSIVE!!!

As I was sitting thinking about all of the things I need to do before I leave I began thinking about the origin of Trinidad carnival. I have  always had an interest in learning about Caribbean History, Growing up in the United States to Caribbean parents I always longed to hear more about the "other" black history. So much so that I minored in Latin American and Caribbean Studies in undergrad. In my brief research  of Trinidad's carnival I found a few variances in the story of the origin but I wanted to share two informative videos with you all.

Does anyone know any other resources (books, videos) for information about the origin of Trinidad's carnival?

'Fro Fashion Week- Top 3 Looks

There were so many amazing hairstyles at 'Fro Fashion Week but there were three women who's hairstyles  stopped me in my tracks. I loved the fact that they stepped away from the norm (twist outs, twist outs, and more twist outs) and tried something different. I can't wait to try to (try) recreate these looks:

'Fro Fashion Week--Suites, Lounges, and Polynesian Dancers

I have soooo much that I want to say about my weekend in Atlanta and I am not sure where to start! I'll start with the basics, what set 'Fro Fashion Week apart from the other natural hair events I have attended was the diversity and the organization of the whole weekend.

Planning my day of events. There were so many interesting events on the schedule!

Yes, this was an event geared towards naturals but attendees were treated to discussions about more than just hair! In addition to this there was a variety of other choices if you did not want to attend one of the featured workshops. The companies Kynx, Shea Moisture, Beautiful Textures and Curls Unleashed  each had their own suite to treat and pamper guests during their downtime. Each suite had its own personality and unique vibe. The best part was that there was no pressure to buy products in these rooms, it was solely about product  promotion via samples and demonstrations

SHEA MOISTURE TOTAL BODY SUITE:

Dim lights, earthy smells, and mellow music were the basic elements of Shea Moisture's suite. Guest were either given a hand scrub and manicure or a 30 minute massage while they enjoyed the ambiance of the suite. The only disappointment in this room was that there were no Shea Moisture hair products which was quite surprising. They did have plenty of items from their body line:

CURLS UNLEASHED: THE LAVISH SUITE

Across the hall from Shea Moisture was Curls Unleashed by Organic Root Stimulator's suite. This was by far one of my favorite rooms because of the variety in the room. There were hairstylists giving willing naturals new looks, a mock-tini bar, a popcorn machine, a table set up for discussions on what it was like to be a natural in different areas of you life, and  (wait for it) a complimentary bag complete with one full size item from their line as well as two sample products. Curls Unleashed also was using this event to create a video, for what, I have no clue. I guess we will find out soon enough.

BEAUTIFUL TEXTURES: MY HEAD. MY HAIR. MY CHOICE. LOUNGE

The Beautiful Textures My Head, My Hair, My Choice. Lounge was one that you could hang out in all day and not notice the time pass. There was an OMG Photo booth where you could have your photo taken and sent to your twitter account, music, a message board where people were encouraged to write how their hair made them feel, a stage that was always full with hair dressers styling hair, natural hair guru Felicia Leatherwood giving hair tips, etc. If that wasn't enough for liking Beautiful Textures Face Book page you got a Beautifully Textures t-shirt (pictured above) complete with a product sample and a CD of R&B hits. All participants were also asked to take a picture of the event and tweet about it in exchange for the full line of Beautiful Texture products!

Two of the hair models. These girls were great and they put up with my antics! ; )

The ladies of Tres Talk sharing hair care tips...



What I took home! Everything from deep conditioner to hair oil.





KYNX:SECRET GARDEN

Kynx was a hair company I had not heard of before going to Atlanta. This hairline is made with Monoi de Tahiti oil which they stated "is clinically proven to significantly improve the condition of dry and damaged hair as well as improve the shine and overall luster of hair". Has anybody heard of the benefits of Monoi de Tahiti oil? This suite although a nice theme (guests were given a lei when they stepped in the room and at certain times there were Polynesian dancers) left much to be desired in comparison to the other hair companies. I did receive a sample of the I am Free Miracle Kink Cream which I plan on using soon.



The samples were in the basket.





Stay tuned for part 2!



Still trying to get it together...

Hey peeps! I am back in Brooklyn and I must admit struggling to focus on the norm. My mind keeps reminiscing on Fro Fashion Week and dreaming of carnival. Talk about confusion. Updates to come shortly, promise!

In the meantime check out these pics  of the Penthouse Party from Charles Dante Photography. I found one of myself in the mix! PENTHOUSE PARTY PICS!

Where they do that at?

Hey folks! This is just a quick update. 'Fro Fashion Week is so much more than I expected and to say that I was happy to be here would be an understatement. Details to come...but for now I wanted to leave you with ONE of the perks of attending. Full size Beautiful Textures products, not just one, the whole entire line! What!? I do have to say that the love and acceptance I have received all day from the naturalistas in attendance was worth so much more. Real talk!

In the A!

Yes, I have arrived! Honestly I am flooded with all types of emotions! For example, throughout the day today I wondered why I was here and wasn't there enough natural hair events in NYC for me to attend? But, I have since realized that this was an opportunity to push myself further than I ever have before. Stretch way beyond my comfort zone and hopefully leave Atlanta with a whole lot more than I came here with. When Kim Coles walked through the lobby a few hours ago it sealed the deal for me. How often do you push yourself beyond your comfort zone?

Unrelated: Where are the pics? Still getting used to my tablet. I will have pics in the next post, promise!

'Fro Fashion Week-- Here I Come

Where does the time go? It seemed like such a short time ago when on a whim I decided to fill out the application to become a Press Supporter for 'Fro Fashion Week. I honestly didn't think that much would become of it because my blog is small scale and I have put my name in the hat a time or two for different opportunities and have always came up empty handed. Now this evening I type these words to you surrounded by clothing, shoes, and my anxiousness regarding what is to come in the next few days. : 0

You know what they say...if at first you don't succeed try, try again!

For those of you who aren't in the Atlanta area 'Fro Fashion Week has a little surprise for you:

For 14.99 you can watch the fashion show yourself and catch all the latest trends in the world of kinky hair  and fashion. Interested? Click HERE for more info!

Well time to go dust twitter off and get this weekend started! I'll talk to you all in ATL!!!!

Tunes to Know Before You Land!

I'm not  sure if I raved about themixfeed.com in the past (I may have mentioned it on here but not  RAVE). So here is a quick recap: themixfeed.com is a website dedicated solely to providing a variety of dj mixes to the music loving world. Although many genre's are represented on the site I have stuck with Soca mixes, specifically 2012 tunes (I have 14 days left before I leave for Trini *stifles scream*). Below is my latest love an Airport Mixtape by Dj Jel entitled Tunes to Know Before You Land. Why do I love it? It includes a wide cross section of soca music including groovy soca, power soca, and a couple of older tunes as well. Despite the airplane noises that play every now and then in this mix (he took the airport theme a little to far in my opinion) I think this is a must own for anyone new to Trinidad carnival.

Take a listen for yourself!