Trendy Traveler

As I was in the airport today I noticed some stylish travelers. Airport travel attire can sometimes be tricky as it needs to be functional and comfortable, yet if you’re like me, you want it to be stylish. And believe me, there is a fine line between functional and frumpy when it comes to travel attire.

I think there are a few style options you can choose for travel:

• Leggy European: A relatively monochromatic (perhaps with a splash of color) look with leggings as the foundation.
• Trendy Globetrotter: Chic and savvy athletic wear that does not have the frumpiness of sweats. This look is very tricky and quite frankly, most people just do not get it right!
• Jeanious Jetsetter: Dark-rinse jeans as a foundation for a casually sophisticated look.
• Dressed to Deplane : Comfortable and fashionable dresses that allow you to deplane immediately have fun!

For my most recent business trip, I chose the “Leggy European.” For my departing trip, I wore

• Off-the-shoulder heather gray sweater from Old Navy
• Black tank
• Black leggings
• Black pashmina scarf
• Black, gray and white plaid ruffle trench
• Dark shades (yes even at 7 AM)
• Black patent leather flat loafers
• Chunky silver necklace from Forever 21

I was all set!

*~*TIP: When flying, pack your jewelry (belts too) in a zip lock bag and put it on once you pass through security checkpoints. This will save time and aggravation.*~*

I don’t wear makeup while travelling, so the shades are a good camouflage. I do throw on clear lip gloss, so my shades and lipgloss resemble a fully “made up” face. :)
If the Sartorialist would have been around, he definitely would have snapped my picture.
For my return trip home, I wore

• Black leggings (yes, the same ones…I shower—don’t judge me! LOL)
• A black tank (I brought two)
• My all-time favorite Victoria’s Secret wrap sweater in a beautiful raspberry shade
• Same black pashmina scarf
• My favorite multi-colored cross with matching earrings
• Dark purple patent leather mary-jane flats
• Dark shades

In the airport, I saw a couple of women who really did look effortlessly chic, yet comfy.
One petite traveler (she couldn’t have been more than 5’4) wore:

• Khaki jacket
• Black “babydoll” top
• Dark rinse jean capris
• Flip flops (the least favorite part of her outfit, but I gave her a pass)

More Forever 21...

Her hair was in a cute messy side ponytail and she looked absolutely adorable.
The other traveler that caught my eye wore:

• Khaki jacket
• Black crewneck t-shirt
• Dark rinse straight-leg jeans
• Black flats (with a bow)

More Forever 21...

The thing that I noticed about her outfit was the cutest pink sequined tote she was carrying. No way could anyone mistake that for their bag. It also matched her pink and brown luggage she carried.
With just a little effort and thought, you can set a style that is comfortable, yet attracts compliments and style watchers (such as myself).

Haute & Hair: It's Not an Illusion...Illusions Cosmetics Event in Durham, NC

I covered my first beauty event last night....let me tell you I could get used to this!

Illusions Cosmetics, under the artful conception of sisters Janice & Denise Tunnell, hosted an amazing "Meet & Beat" Saturday, March 13, 2010 in Durham, NC. Thanks to my ever connected bff, Stylish Living, I connected with Denise to cover the event.

Illusions Cosmetics, created in 1998, has received acclaim from celebs such as Taraji Henson, Niecy Nash, Megean Good, Kerry Washington and Vivica Fox. The line started with lip gloss and has since expanded to foundation, anti-shine serums, pressed & loose powders and facial cleansers for men.

In watching the twin make up artists work their magic one of their attributes that most impressed me was the personal attention they gave to each client. Selling their products were secondary to answering the client's questions and explaining to them techniques to help them achieve professional results at home. For me, that's what makes me a repeat customer is when you share tips not just try to push products.

I'm in the market for a new foundation, so I wanted to see what color matches my skin. Denise tested a foundation and it was light yet provided great coverage. I'm ordering the foundation tomorrow.

I also received a great swag bag with the following:

• Ecotools Cleansing Sponges


• Mocha Rose lip balm (smells sooooo yummy)


• Illusions Eye Dust in Soft Rose (pictured right)


• Hibisca Juice


• Orange Ginger Salt Glow

The swag bag alone was worth the hour and a half drive. I'm really excited about this line of cosmetics and more importantly for meeting two savvy, beautiful women.

See more here...

The Beauty Killer: Dehydration

That's a scary picture to the left, isn't it?!?!?! Well that could be the effects of dehydration. And quite frankly, that's how I've felt I've looked for the past few weeks.

Out of sheer laziness (too lazy to go get water from Wally world and bring them to my office), I have not had my usual daily intake of water (at least 60 oz.) in over 2 months.

Oh I've been drinking it up...soda, Shirley Temples (my fave), flavored lemonades, tea, coffee...everything BUT water.

I noticed two days ago how dark my under eye area looked. It looked like I hadn't slept in days or that someone was going 3 rounds with me in a boxing ring--and I was losing. My skin was looking flat, dull, lifeless...that's because I was literally killing it! All the new regimens I was using were of little to no effect because I was depriving my body and skin of the one thing it's almost 70% comprised of...water.

Yesterday, was my lowest point! I am not sure how I made it through the work day. My lower back was hurting, I was bloated, fatigued, eyes burning, etc. So on my way to church, I stopped by Starbucks and purchased my coffee and a bottle of water (hey, change doesn't always happen instantly LOL). That first bottle of water felt good down in my sanctified soul! Whoo hoo, I tell ya. You know how that wilted plant revives after getting some much needed water? That's how I felt.

So on my way to work this morning, I stopped by Wally world and purchased two cases of water (plus some other staples for my office). I'm on my 2nd bottle of water and plan to drink at least 2 more before the end of the day.

I am quite sure most of my readers are regular water drinkers...so this message is probably not needed. But I am now a believer in what water can do and the havoc the lack of water can have on your body.

How do you drink your water? Bottle? Tap? Flavored? Let me hear from you!

The Be-Attitudes of the Summer Style Series

In order to gain the most out of the Summer Style Series, there are some "Be-Attitudes" you should consider....

BE Open: Use this time to explore new ways of doing things and new ideas. It is important for your personal development and growth to have new experiences and to learn new things. While this series may seem to focus on outward beauty, the ultimate goal is to celebrate your inner beauty and enhance your outer beauty.

BE Yourself: This is definitely a time to become more comfortable in your own skin (and hopefully you will have a natural glow when we’re done). Determine your personal style and your signature self. Allow this time of growth & rejuvenation to put you closer with your authentic self. You will be glad you did…and so will those around you!

BE Reasonable: You may not see instant results as you institute the techniques and habits we discuss. But remember, “slow and steady wins the race.” Generally you can see visible result in 2-4 weeks (sometimes longer). So don’t give up!

BE Daring: Try new things! It’s as simple as that… :)

BE Safe: I’m NOT a medical or beauty professional. The techniques & products I discuss are ones that are part of my personal beauty & health regimen. When appropriate you should consult your doctor before starting exercise, vitamin or other health related regimens.

If you adopt these, you will have an INCREDIBLE, beautiful summer!

Stay beautiful!

S3: Summer Style Series!

I've been remiss in keeping my blog readers informed about the Summer Style Series, S3. Not because I don't love you, because I do! But mostly because I didn't want to be cheesy or lazy and just embed the videos here. I wanted to give you a bit more commentary at least about the videos. But that takes quite a bit of time...time I'm struggling to find right now. But I promise you, as I can post things, I definitely will. In the meantime, please feel free to check out the series here. It's some good stuff actually! And I would love to hear how some of the tips and products work for you!

Also, if there is something you would like to see discussed or featured in the series, let me know. If you are doing something similar on your blog, let me know. I'm especially interested in makeup looks (not my forte :)) Let's build a summer style series community!

Stay beautiful!

Haute and Hair: Protective Styling Until My One-Year Nappiversary

I'm still trucking along on my natural hair care journey. I've had some good days, bad days and some hills to climb...but as the song says, I won't complain :).

Well, my only complaint is that my hair isn't growing at the rate I feel it should or as it has grown in the past. So in preparation for my one-year "nappiversary" I plan to wear my hair in protective styles and basically "hide my hair" until June (hopefully). I will say, I already miss my curls, but hopefully they will be longer and poppin' when I reveal my hair for my nappiversary!

So to the left <--- is what I'm rocking right now...Kinky Twists. They are a little over a week old. The first week was a challenge because they itched so badly! But after consulting my trusty LHCF and YouTube, I decided to wash them. And my scalp is grateful! Before washing, I was not sure if I was going to make it even a month, especially not the two months I was hoping to keep them in. But now a month is going to be doable (I like to change styles so often, I can't commit to anything past a month right now :).

I'm working on a style tutorial on the style I'm rocking. It's so simple! Ten minutes and you're done!

Let me know if you are on a protective style challenge (personally or part of a group) or if you're hiding your hair and how you're rocking your hair while hiding.

Stay beautiful!