Featured

5 Tank Dresses to Take You from Summer to Fall

August 4, 2015

Is it me or is the summer zooming by?

Since it’s already August, it’s time to stock up on transitional summer staples. The end of season is the perfect opportunity to score sales on pieces that can take you from balmy nights to brisk evenings in a flash. One of my favorite items to rock in the summer straight into the fall is a versatile tank dress.

Whether you want to go for a casual laid-back look or a dressy style for a fun night on the town, a tank dress is a good bet. It’s no secret that accessories can transform this wardrobe staple in an instant! During the summer, pair with sandals or sneakers for a cool, carefree getup. Once the days shorten and the temp starts to dip, opt for a oversize jean jacket and boots for a pulled-together fall ensemble.

American Apparel Ponte Tank Dress available here, $58

Topshop Ribbed Bodycon Midi Tank Dress available here, $38

Nasty Gal Ribbed Tank Dress available here, $24

Sundry Tank Dress available here, $108

Enza Costa Ribbed Tank Dress available here, $132

What are your favorite go-to transitional pieces?

Category: Fashion, Featured, Features | 2 Comments

Get Lifted: 5 Inspirational Books to Help Combat Winter Blues

January 13, 2015

After the holidays, cold and gloomy winters can get even the most optimistic people down. I’ve noticed that my typically upbeat attitude tends to take a slight dip during this time of year.

In fact, according to reports Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)—depression caused by seasonal changes, affects over half a million Americans. Far too often we’re beginning to hear about how devastating depression can be for us BGs. That’s why it’s important to keep our mental health in check in any way we can. Whether speaking to a professional therapist or spending time with a close friend, finding an outlet has to be a top priority during those depressing times.

For me, curling up with a good self-help book that inspires, motivates or encourages me helps combat those winter weather blues and boosts my mood.

Check out these five uplifting reads:

“100 Secrets of Happy People” by David Niven, Ph. D. available here, $14

“What I Know For Sure,” by Oprah Winfrey available here, $19

“A Real Life: Restoring What Matters; Family, Good Friends and a True Community,” by Ferenc Máté available here, $18

“10% Happier: How I Tamed The Voice In My Head, Reduced Stress Without Losing My Edge, And Found Self-Help That Actually Works—A True Story “by Dan Harris available here, $19

“Essence Presents Better Than Alright: Finding Peace, Love & Power” by Ledisi available here, $13

**If you are depressed, feeling suicidal or need to talk to someone, please click here or call 1-800-273-8255

What do you do to keep yourself in good spirits? What are some of your favorite inspiring reads?

Category: Featured, Features, Health, Travel & Lifestyle | Leave a Comment

Raw Coconut Oil: The Only Moisturizer You’ll Ever Need

December 3, 2014

I can’t believe it’s taken me so long to embrace the whole natural coconut craze.

My fellow naturalistas and bloggers have been buzzing about it for a while, but now I’m finally boarding the bandwagon—better late than never!

For the past week, I’ve been using Vita Coco Coconut Oil on my super dry, brittle hair and haven’t been this pleased with a product since…I can’t even remember! This 100% raw, pure organic, cold press coconut oil has been a savior to my moisture-starved hair. It coats my kinks and curls without making them feel overly greasy or sticky. Plus, it doesn’t seem to create that nasty build-up that other moisturizers produce.

Vita Coco Coconut Oil available here, $9.99

And if you’re wondering about the smell, you guessed it—it smells downright heavenly. The scent is so tantalizing that my 4-year-old daughter asked if she could taste some. To her complete and utter shock, I said, “yes,” because the chunky wonder oil can be used for cooking or as a dietary supplement. While she wasn’t exactly anxious to eat more than a smidgen, it was quite refreshing to use something on our hair that’s actually edible. Also, as if this oil couldn’t get any better, it even soothes my eczema and winter-ridden skin! There are plenty of products and lotions that I like, but can’t use frequently due to my sensitive skin.

If you’re looking for a rich, multi-purpose oil this is IT!

Are you a fan of coconut oil? What’s your swear-by moisturizer?

Category: Beauty, Featured, Features, Hair | 1 Comment

ACUVUE Introduces An Eye-Opening Trend in Beauty

November 19, 2014

There’s an eye-opening innovation about to sweep the beauty scene.

Forget liners, shadows, false lashes and mascaras—ACUVUE’s 1-Day Define Contact Lenses with Lacreon Technology is the latest way to enhance eyes. Creating a well-defined dark line around the iris (limbal ring), these lenses provide dimension and depth without compromising one’s natural eye color. The iris-inspired designs have light-effect patterns that make eyes look brighter and more defined.

They’re the first brand of contacts to provide this unique, beautifying quality to eyes in the U.S. In fact, they’ve been popular overseas for over a decade, but now it’s finally our turn to hop on the eye-catching trend.

1-Day ACUVUE Define Contact Lenses prices vary by doctor, but are approximately $75 per month. Click here for more information.

Last month, I had the opportunity to try them on during a press preview and was blown away by how much of a difference they made. Even though I wear glasses and aren’t familiar with contacts, they were a breeze to put on and surprisingly comfortable. They instantly gave my eyes a deeper appearance that I liked. Granted, it’s a subtle change, but definitely noticeable. It’s one of those beauty tricks that will have people guessing what you did differently (in a good way)!

If you’re looking to accentuate your eyes’ natural beauty, give these lenses a try. Don’t get them confused with those cheesy colored-contacts from back-in-the day because these aren’t colored lenses.

They’re available in three styles: Natural Sparkle, Natural Shimmer and Natural Shine (the ones I tried). Plus, they provide UV protection by blocking 81% of UV-A radiation and 97% UV-B radiation.

Me standing in front of the eye-inspired mood board at the Acuvue 1-Day Defined Contact Lenses press preview in New York City.

Me standing in front of the eye-inspired mood board at the ACUVUE 1-Day Define Contact Lenses press preview in New York City.

Would you try these eye-hancing lenses? Do you prefer contact lenses or glasses for better vision?

Category: Beauty, Featured, Features | 2 Comments

Lupita Nyong’o Graces Glamour Magazine

November 3, 2014

Lupita Nyong’o, one of our favorite BGs, is covering the December issue of Glamour magazine.

The actress and Lanôme beauty ambassador, 31, is not only the magazine’s cover girl, but is also named as the Woman of the Year by the popular glossy. The annual Women of the Year issue honors women who have made significant contributions to society throughout the year. In celebration of the issue, the magazine will host its 24th annual Women of the Year awards ceremony in New York City November on 10th.

Lupita talks to the Condé Nast title about her meteoric rise in Hollywood and how she uses her platform to help redefine success and beauty standards.

Photo by: Tom Munro Be sure to check out more pics here!

Here are a few quotes from the interview with the Oscar winner:

Nyong’o on winning an Academy Award earlier this year…
“I don’t think I will ever be able to really articulate how bizarre it was to hear my name at the Academy Awards. I’d watched in my pajamas the year before! I felt numb—dazed and confused. I remember feeling light—weightless. More like limbo than cloud nine.”

Nyong’o on how her life has changed after winning an Academy Award…
“This is actually a conversation I look forward to having in 10 years, when all of this is behind me and I have some real perspective on what happened—because right now I’m still adjusting. I guess I feel catapulted into a different place; I have a little whiplash…. I did have a dream to be an actress, but I didn’t think about being famous. And I haven’t yet figured out how to be a celebrity; that’s something I’m learning, and I wish there were a course on how to handle it. I have to be aware that my kinesphere may be larger than I want it to be.”

Nyong’o on the standards of beauty that she grew up with…
“European standards of beauty are something that plague the entire world—the idea that darker skin is not beautiful, that light skin is the key to success and love. Africa is no exception. When I was in the second grade, one of my teachers said, ‘Where are you going to find a husband? How are you going to find someone darker than you?’ I was mortified. I remember seeing a commercial where a woman goes for an interview and doesn’t get the job. Then she puts a cream on her face to lighten her skin, and she gets the job! This is the message: that dark skin is unacceptable. I definitely wasn’t hearing this from my immediate family—my mother never said anything to that effect—but the voices from the television are usually much louder than the voices of your parents.”

Nyong’o on her role models growing up…
“Oprah played a big role in my understanding of what it meant to be female and to really step into your own power. I wouldn’t even call her a role model; she was literally a reference point. You have the dictionary, you have the Bible, you have Oprah.”

Nyong’o on her mother’s influence…
“I come from a loving, supportive family, and my mother taught me that there are more valuable ways to achieve beauty than just through your external features. She was focused on compassion and respect, and those are the things that ended up translating to me as beauty. Beautiful people have many advantages, but so do friendly people.… I think beauty is an expression of love.”

Nyong’o on “The Lupita Effect”…
“I’ve heard people talk about images in popular culture changing, and that makes me feel great, because it means that the little girl I was, once upon a time, has an image to instill in her that she is beautiful, that she is worthy—that she can… Until I saw people who looked like me, doing the things I wanted to, I wasn’t so sure it was a possibility. Seeing Whoopi Goldberg and Oprah in The Color Purple, it dawned on me: ‘Oh—I could be an actress!’ We plant the seed of possibility.”

For the full interview visit Glamour.com or be sure to pick up the December issue which hits newsstands November 11th.

Want to see more Lupita? Check out this behind-the-scenes footage from her cover shoot.What are your thoughts on the cover?

Category: Beauty, Fashion, Featured, Features | 3 Comments

Event Recap: Dark & Lovely and Everyday People Brunch

October 7, 2014

A couple of weeks ago I was invited by Dark & Lovely to attend the Everyday People brunch here in New York City.

If you’re unfamiliar with the popular brunch series, it’s held monthly at trendy The DL on the lower east side and hosted by stylish girl-about-town, Saada Ahmed and Bravo TV’s Chef Roblé.

Prior to brunch, we bloggers/editors were seated in a comfy “style suite” area of the restaurant where we learned about the haircare brand’s Au Naturale Anti-Breakagé and Au Naturalé Anti-Shrinkage lines (I love the Anti-Breakage line, but still haven’t tried the latter) from Soft-Sheen Carson’s Artistic Director Mezel Jefferson.

Me taking a selfie at the Everyday People brunch held in conjunction with Dark & Lovely at The DL in New York City on Sunday, September 21, 2014.

After we received the rundown on the various products, we were encouraged to move into the main room for a lovely brunch buffet of eggs, french toast, fried chicken, biscuits, potatoes, bacon and other yummy offerings.

Soft-Sheen Carson’s Artistic Director Mezel Jefferson, guest, Saada Ahmed and Chef Roble. Photo By: Pete Monsanto of Fly Life Images/Dark and Lovely

Photo By: Pete Monsanto of Fly Life Images/Dark and Lovely

It was a fun afternoon of mingling with fellow bloggers, editors and trendsetters (aka “the cool kids”) with awesome hair and eye-catching fashions. The food, networking and people watching was good, but the music made the event! I’m a true ’80’s baby, so listening to the hits of the 90s was a treat. Hearing old school Usher and Mase songs made me feel nostalgic and provided such a cool vibe. There was also a performance by R&B duo and neo-soul pioneers, Les Nubians, but I left (mommy duties called) before their set started.

Les Nubians performing at the Dark & Lovely and Everyday People Brunch at DL in New York City on Saturday, September 21, 2014.

If you’re ever able to attend (not sure if it’s ticketed or invite-only since I was invited by Dark & Lovely), I highly recommend it because the mix of food, people and music makes for an unforgettable brunch!

Have you ever attended an Everyday People brunch? If not, do you get together for monthly brunch dates with your friends?

Category: Featured, Features, Gumbo Mix, Hair | Leave a Comment

GIVEAWAY: Take the Dove Body Wash #OneShowerChallenge

September 30, 2014

When I think of quality body washes for sensitive skin, Dove is the first to come to mind.

Its signature, creamy formula is now improved to provide an even more luxurious shower experience. The new body washes are infused with a milder cleanser (Glycinate) coupled with super moisturizing components making it a great choice for those with sensitive skin like me.

NEW Dove Body Washes are available at food, drug, mass, value, club and online retailers, $6.99.

Also, unlike most shower cleansers that boast a gentler formula, the lather I’ve come to love is pretty non-existent. Luckily, that’s not the case with these washes. I can suds up and still leave the shower feeling clean and moisturized all without compromising my easily irritated skin. Oh and did I mention, I felt an immediate difference after ONE shower! Usually, results aren’t noticed until after a few uses, but my skin was smoother and softer following my first use.

If you like milder body washes and looking for a new one, definitely give Dove a go! Plus, who doesn’t love how the brand uplifts and encourages women to just be our naturally beautiful selves?

Check out their latest video, “Legacy,” that speaks to how we mothers pass our beauty ideals and insecurities on to our daughters:

**GIVEAWAY: Simply tell me how you inspire the little girls or young women in your lives to embrace their natural beauty for your chance to win a Dove Body Wash along with a necklace. One lucky reader will be randomly selected and announced (and contacted) next week, Tuesday, Oct. 7th.

Category: Beauty, Featured, Features | 13 Comments