Look Recreated: Thanks Fashion Nette-Work

If you've followed my blog and Youtube channel recently, you know I feel some kinda way about Juanette over at Fashion Nette-Work blog. That sister is the truth! And she is my friend in my head... :)

She posted the pic below a couple of weeks ago. I love the simplicity of it and the edginess of the jewelry.

Pic from Fashion Nette-Work blog

I scanned my closet in my mind and remembered I had a pair of peach slacks. I wasn't sure if I had sold them at my last yard sale, but luckily I had not.

You can check my video below to see my interpretation of my inspiration outift...

Au Naturale: Back to My Natural Nails

In a recent post, I talked about going back to my natural nails. Well, that day came on Black Friday!

Here they are pre-soak off...

I cut them prior to soaking them off...

 About 90 minutes later....

I gave myself a manicure by soaking in water and olive oil, filed, shaped and buffed nails.

I am following a regimen of growing natural nails. It involves using a nail hardener/strengthener and Vitamin E oil. I decided to use Sally Hansen's Miracle Nail Thickener.

After the thickener, I applied one coat of Orly Bonder.

Now for the fun part. I chose China Glaze "Up All Night" as the first color for my natural nails. I love the deep blue color!

I added a coat of Orly bonder before applying 2 coats of Poshe' top coat. I love the shine!

Ta-da!!!!! I love my natural nails and I'm not going back!

TV Reporter Goes Natural

I really like this story!

Let the Shopping Begin....Miss Jessie's Two for One Sale!

For the past few years, my friend and I have gone out early in the morning on Black Friday to shop. Sometimes we have some things to buy (I vaguely remember running through Target at 5 AM to get my friend's daughter a Nintendo DS LOL). But generally we go to do some light shopping and to hang out and watch the people act crazy over a Barbie house or a Tonka Truck LOL.

Every year I say I'm going to shop totally online. But I actually enjoy being out in the hustle and bustle LOL.

For the next couple of days I will share some Black Friday deals with you...

There are a lot of naturals that want to try Miss Jessie's products but feel they are expensive. Well Miss Jessie's if offering their two for one sale. This is a good time to stock up on products you like or products you'd like to try.

Stay tuned for more deals...

Natural Hairstyle to Try

I love this style...flowers and all. Good protective style as well. Picture From Natural Belle.

Life is Precious...Live Like It!

This past weekend I had plans to rest and clean on Saturday. I told my soror that I hadn't planned on even getting dressed on Saturday. Little did I know that Saturday would be a day I won't soon forget.

Saturday morning I slept in and when I woke up, I checked my Blackberry. I had an email from my Chapter President. The title "Car Accident Involving..." caused my heart to drop. But then when I opened it and read these words

It is with a heavy heart that I send out this email. Early this morning, young women were in a car accident.  One of them died instantly and one is in critical condition and the other two are in stable condition.

My heart sank and I began to weep. All of a sudden I had this eery feeling that I knew the victim who died instantly. And a person's name even came to my mind. I brushed it off because I thought I was just being silly. As I was contemplating whether or not to go to the hospital, my line sister called. She told me what she knew and I asked her if she knew who died instantly....when she said her name, I sank down on the floor and cried.

One of the two young women who died in a tragic car accident this weekend was a young woman I had known for a couple of years through an organization I advise.

Victoria Carter (pictured above) had the most amazing slightly raspy voice. I admired her because she wore heels EVERYDAY, EVERY WHERE! She lead one of the most fierce modeling groups on campus, ICON (part of the Black Student Union). She was sweet, kind but clearly possessed a lot of inner strength and style.

There were three other women in the car. Another sweet young lady, Briana Gaither, was on life support and the other two, Taylor King and Camille Arrington, were in stable condition.

I got dressed and went to the hospital. I spent three hours talking with, consoling and just trying to show support during this difficult time. Later that night, I received another email that Briana Gaither (pictured below), also passed away.

In less than 24 hours, two sweet, young, remarkable women suddenly and tragically lost their lives. Words cannot express the amoung of sorrow and anguish I personally feel for these two families. Victoria and Briana were students at active, involved students at ECU and they were loved by hundreds. This has been a difficult time for students and families alike.

If you feel compelled, please go to their memorial page and read the comments or leave a note of encouragement of your own.

Life is so precious....we must live every day like it could be our last.

So live, love, laugh, and pursue your dreams!

Also, if you are not sure, where you will spend eternity, please do not close this blog post without reading about God's simple plan for salvation.

Please continue to pray for the families of the deceased as well as the recovery of Taylor and Camille.

What Real Women Do...

Have you ever felt lead to compliment someone but thought "Are they going to think I'm crazy for doing so?" In this world of cyber voyeurism, it is easy to follow people's lives, use their ideas and never interact with them. But every once in a while, you should reach out to someone, if for no other reason than to say "hi" and "I appreciate what your doing."

Well, I've never been the type to shy away from complimenting other people, women especially. Not just on their clothes or shoes, but on their looks. I'm also not afraid to give other women their props when they are clearly doing it big, doing something I admire, or making a clear impact on some aspect of society.

The one thing that I've noticed is when I feel lead to do something like this, the person inevitably comes back to me and says how much my compliment made their day. This happened yesterday. And for me, knowing I make someone else's day, makes my day.

We never know where someone is in life and what they are going through. Taking a few minutes to (as my grandmother said) "Give them their flowers while they're living" may be the one thing that turns someone's day (or life) around.

Even the most confident of us has moments (if not days, weeks, months or seasons) where we wonder if we matter. We question whether blogging about our outfits, makeup choices, hairstyles and shoes impacts anyone's life positively. Patting someone on the back doesn't diminish our place in the world and could propel another person toward even more greatness than they are already achieving.

We are never too busy or too important to give compliments and to tell other people (even strangers) the impact they have (or have had) on our lives.

This is what real women do....

My Friends (In My Mind At Least)

When I daydream about how my life would be if I lived in a fabulous city with outdoor cafes in walking distance of my job, swanky lounges where happy hour lasts for several hours and lofts where I attend intimate dinners and house parties...I imagine myself much like the ladies of Girlfriends and Sex and the City.

Diverse, intelligent women who respect each other's swagger (although I despise that word, it's appropriate) and who have a rare kind of intimacy. My circle would be a little larger than the two shows I mentioned, but would include

My BFF, Kim, from The Stylish Life

My friend, Erma

Those aren't really in my mind, because they are my BFFs in real life....

But I now would like to add two to that mix. Two ladies, I've been stalking, uh, I mean following for a little while now. In my blog reading adventures, I stumbled upon them and instantly connected with their blogs. But I knew their readership was so vast that they wouldn't recognize a country girl from North Carolina.

When Reiko, from God's Favorite Shoes (see picture above), commented on one of my blog posts, I nearly PASSED THE HECK OUT! This woman's shoe game is tight, but I actually admire her style more. She has well-earned the title of "Thrifting Beast" and I love the way she mixes prints, textures and fabrics. If you watched my YouTube video, I don't really take that many risks :). But there are several looks that I plan to duplicate...

So last night I receive notification that someone else commented on my blog. When I saw the name, I said to myself, "Self!" my self said, "huh?" LOL (I'm a little off center like that) "I know this ain't the Juanette I think it is..." So I looked and sure enough, Juanette from Fashion Nette-work commented not once, but 3 times on my blog posts.

You can pretty much stick a fork in me, because I am DONE! I feel like I'm on official baller status...*popping my collar*

If you do not follow either of these blogs, shame on you! If you want style inspiration and ways to mix purchases (designer and thrift), these are the two ladies to follow!

I imagine my girlfriends and I having a standing monthly Saturday thrifting excursion where we hagle and vow to borrow the latest find the other has just purchased. On Sundays, we meet for brunch after church and discuss love, family, friends and fashion (duh!). Then once a year, we have an exotic Girls Get-Away. Next year, it will be the Bahamas. Yeah, I've pretty much plotted this whole thing out....I daydream a lot :)

So now that you've met my crew (some in real life and some in my mind), back to regular programming.

Another Look to Duplicate: Thanks Fashion Nette-work

This is so in my style range...I love EV-ER-Y-THING about it. Hair, jewelry, accessories, clothes. I doubt you would be able to talk to me much on the day I rock this look (or something similar to it). I don't think I have a peach skirt, but I do have a peach pair of slacks (if I didn't give them away AAAHHH!!!). Never the less, this look will be duplicated. This is also a great way to transition pieces from spring/summer into fall/winter.

Thanks Juanette at Fashion Nette-work for this look. You are a style inspiration! If you agree, go leave her some love on her blog!

Look to Recreate!

I'm adoring this look courtesy of Natural Belle

When I saw this look, I thought of a skirt I bought this summer that I've been wanting to wear this fall/winter. I discuss it at the 6:43 mark in my "Soul Picnic Weekend Haul" video. I think that skirt would perfectly duplicate this look. Plus, in case you didn't know, I'm a sucker for a jean jacket with a popped collar!

This will be in rotation soon....stay on the look out for pics!

A Look to Recreate (Future OOTD) Thanks to God's Favorite Shoes!

My friend in my head (and now on my cell phone :)), Reiko from God's Favorite Shoes posted this Victoria Beckham look moments ago...

I really like this look. Mostly because I have a pair of cordoroy pants that exact color! I rock my pants with the same ol' black ribbed turtleneck sweater every time! BORING! I'm soooooo thankful for a way to remix them now (thanks!). Only problem is I will not be able to roll the cuffs like she did.

Check out how Reiko ended up rocking this look...

The Down East Holiday Show: Shop Outside of the Box!

For the second year, one of my besties and I attended the Down East Holiday Show which benefits our local community college's scholarship foundation. Whoever came up with this idea was a genius! It is one of the best events in our area (which is saying a lot).

It is "trade show" like with vendors from all over eastern NC. There were wineries, clothing stores, handmade items, tupperware, holiday decorations, etc. We go to sample, sip and shop!

I had not planned to blog about this event, but then I thought, "Wait! This is a perfect example of my theory of "shopping outside of the box." If you're not sure of what I'm talking about, check out my YouTube video on the subject.

During our time there, it was interesting how few "brown like me" people were there--as vendors or as shoppers. They had some good stuff! Things that you would not normally find in your typical department stores. And that's what sets the readers of my blog apart from the masses--they find style any and everywhere, even at a holiday show! :)

I also met a uber talented jewelry designer (yes, I think she's that talented to be called a jewelry designer) named Mackenzie Kern. Mackenzie was friendly, engaging and a great saleswoman. The best part about Mackenzie, she's 14 years old! To see such talent in someone that young--I was impressed. And what was even cuter was how her mom was GUSHING with pride!  Mackenzie is pictured below...

We told my bestie's 13-year-old daughter that she would be spending her Christmas vacay making jewelry! LOL

You may check out her jewelry up close and personal on Facebook, Etsy or via her website. You're never too young to start your side hustle and career paths. I suspect Mackenzie will have a long career ahead of her.

Here are some other pictures from the Holiday show. I suggest if you have one in your area to go check it out. You never know what treasures you may find.

 Hmmmmm cake! One of the few "brown like me" vendors there...

 One of the best wineries I've EVER had the pleasure of sampling. There food isn't half bad either!

We didn't sample all of the wines...we aren't lushes! LOL

A Change is Gonna Come: Going Back to Natural Nails

Call me quirky, but I flip back and forth when it comes to my nails. This fluctuation is seasonal. In the spring and summer, I prefer longer french manicured nails. In the winter, I prefer shorter, darker nails.

After having lunch with a friend recently she commented that I'd gone back to wearing artifical nails. I kinda laughed it off, but it made me think. And I just happened to surf my own blog one day LOL and saw these...

 

But my nails looked so bad and I didn't have any decent polishes at home, I broke down and had my nails done yesterday. But I've pretty much made the decision to go back to my natural nails at least for the fall and winter. I will force myself to go get manis as often as possible (hopefully weekly) and polish changes in between if necessary (since I loathe chipped polish).

So as soon as I get some polish in my possession, I'm soaking these jokers off!

Guess it's time again to actually read the nail polish blogs I follow. At first glance, here are some colors I want to try:

Definitely have to get with some dark green....

Above two Photos courtesy of Never Unpolished

Photo courtesy of A Beauty and Nail Art Blog

With the sometimes drab colors of the fall and winter, I love the option of being to experiment with various nail polish colors. I will feel like my hands are knubby but it's ok....if I hadn't just paid $28 for my nails, I'd soak them off this weekend. I've done stranger things...

For those that wear your natural nails, I need product recommendations. Base coats, nail polish colors you love, shiny top coats that make the polish last longer. I look forward to hearing from you!