Marley/Havana Twist Review

I've had this hairstyle on my mind for months and I was finally able to install them all by myself!  no8thletter had a great tutorial and I followed her instructions completely.  If you do have any questions, feel free to contact me!

Direct Link to Havana Twist Tutorial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bil8j5qopqQ&list=PLFCqfDvT0Nzb2-m22UWKzfAfcyRdnaCKB&feature=mh_lolz

 Hair Used: Freetress Equal Marley Braid Hair

This review has not been sponsored and I purchased each product with my own money. 

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Hair Product Review: L'Oreal Paris Hyaluronic Power Moisture Moisture Rush Mask

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Look at That Bawdy - Solange Knowles for Complex Magazine

Solange showed out for the June/July 2013 Issue of Clutch Magazine.  The Houston-bred soul singer and fashionista revealed why she decided to become an independent artist.  She also showed off a lot more skin than we are used to seeing from her, but as the age old adage goes, "When you got, flaunt it".  Plus, that curly afro wig is giving me that Diana Ross realness!  Here are a few excerpts from the interview via Glamazons Blog:

On becoming fearless in fashion at an early age:
One day, she wore a “full-on Native American outfit” to Will Rogers Elementary School in Houston. “I had my own little quirks as a child,” Solange says. “I had a very vivid imagination, mostly through my style and fashion choices. The kids had a lot to say.” Her fourth-grade teacher, Miss Bethann, found Solange on the verge of tears in her Pocahontas costume outside of the classroom and gave her a lesson that stuck with her: “Don’t you ever, ever bend or break because of who you are.”

On loving Houston’s hip hop scene:
At 20, she moved back home after splitting with her husband and “wil’ed out for a little while,” she says, finally breaking free from the confines of her teenage years. “Houston’s hip-hop scene was in the forefront,” Solange recalls. “I remember going to all of these shows: Paul Wall, Bun B, Mike Jones, Slim Thug. I enjoyed the freedom and the newness of experiencing people and a world that I had not had much access to.”

On the challenges she faces as an indie artist:
Being indie has taken its toll, but Solange seems to embrace the challenge. She explains how she pooled her own frequent-flier miles with her mom’s to fly a crew to Cape Town, South Africa, to shoot the “Losing You” video. “It’s an independent label, so with that creative independence comes some financial independence,” she says, laughing. “I had to get very creative with how I was gonna pull it all together. Having an intimate team makes you much more resourceful. It comes out the way you want it to, and there’s not a committee of thinkers and observers.”

On her drive coming from her bloodline:
“I have a mother who never took no for an answer when it came to her creative pursuits,” Solange says. “She started a hair salon in her spare bedroom and four years later had 30 employees. I have a father who was the first black student at his junior high and high school and had to do a lot to get to that point. So it’s really in my bloodline when it comes to having an idea and making it happen.”

On an upcoming album and living life on her own terms:
“Someone asked me, ‘What quarter are you trying to come out?’ I was like, ‘Oh my God, I haven’t heard that in so long!’” Solange cracks up at the thought. She says she’s looking forward to working on her full-length album with Hynes, but isn’t pressed. “It’s just about putting the music out when it’s ready. When I wake up in the morning, I get dressed for myself, I listen to what I wanna listen to, I make decisions for me. It’s been interesting to navigate that from such a young age so publicly. But life is short and you have to live for you. I would never wanna look back on my life and feel like I missed out on any of that.”

 

Meatless Mondays: Veggie Tostada & Mock-A-Mole

As a former self-professed carnivore, giving up meat, even for one day a week, is still very difficult.  Today I fought the urge to dash to the Mexican restuarant by my office and order a big plate of Carne Asada.  Luckily, the my craving left as quickly as it came and I was able to stick with my meatless meal plan.  Since I was in the mood for Mexican, I whipped up a veggie tostada, complete with Bethenny Frankel's Skinny Girl Mock-A-Mole. 





Bethenny Frankel's Skinny Girl Mock-A-Mole Recipe

Ingredients
2 tbsp. cilantro (finely chopped)
1 tbsp. onion (finely chopped)
1 avocado
1 cup green peas
2 tsp. fresh lime juice
1 tsp. worcester sauce
Dash of tobasco sauce (more if you like it hotter)
1 tsp. garlic salt
pepper (to taste)
1 cup chopped tomato

Directions

1. Use an immersion blender to blend ingredients, leaving it "chunky"
2. Sprinkle with fresh cilantro and serve with veggies or chips.

Number of Servings: 6

 

Veggie Tostada Recipe source

For the torillas:6 small corn torillas
Cooking spray
Salt to taste

For the filling:
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 small red onion, diced
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1 bell pepper, seeds removed and diced
1 teaspoon jabenero pepper (optional)   
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
Salt and pepper to taste
Juice of 1 lime
1 can refried beans

 

Directions:

1. To make the tortilla shells, spray both sides of the tortillas with cooking spray and season lightly with salt. Bake in preheated oven at 400° for about 5 minutes on each side, until crisp. Watch them closely so they don't burn! Remove from oven and set aside.
2. For the filling: heat oil in skillet over medium. Add the onions and bell pepper and saute for 5-7 minutes, or until tender. Add garlic and cook 1 minute longer. Stir in chili pepper, cumin, salt, pepper, and lime juice. Stir until spice coat the vegetables. Add in the fresh cilantro and stir to combine. In a separate saucepan, heat the refried beans just until hot (or use the microwave!).
3. To assemble tostadas: Spread a layer of refried beans on top of the baked tortilla shells. Add a generous helping of the onion and pepper mixture. Top with tomatoes. 

 

Made in...Mozambique with Taibo Bacar



I'm really excited to introduce you to Taibo Bacar! As a winner of Mozambique's Fashion Week award for "Best Established Designer" in 2008, Mr. Bacar has yet to disappoint.  His newest A/W 2013 collection is said to be inspired by Rome, but with his use of "Capulana", a popular Mozambican fabric, he never strays too far from his African roots. 

Current Obsession: Red Sunnies

Shield your eyes!  Rather than sporting the same old black sunnies, why not shake things up by picking up a pair of red glasses instead? 

MICHAEL Michael Kors 'Bradshaw' 55mm

Valentino 57mm Retro Sunglasses

 

Kate Spade New York 'shawna' 56mm Sunglasses 

Cheap Monday Sway Sunglasses

The Vanishing Underground with Liya Kebede

I haven't seen an afro in a major fashion magazine in a while!  Liya Kebede posed marvelously for April's Vogue Japan.

Source

Meatless Monday: Girlled Portobello and Goat Cheese Sandwich Recipe

As you know, I don't eat meat on Monday's for health reason's.  One of the most difficult parts about not eating meat is feeling full after each meal, while still being healthy.  I've found that portobello mushrooms are a great substitute and one of very few ingredients that is truly filling.  I made a quick and very simple Grilled Portobello and Goat Cheese Sandwich yesterday and I've decided to share the recipe with you!

Ingredients: 

1 - large portobello mushroom

1/2 cup - goat cheese

1/4 cup - green peppers

1/4 cup - red peppers

1/4 cup - onions

2 teaspoons - olive oil

1 - Colombo French Onion Hamburger Bun

pinch of pepper

Directions: 

1. Cut portobello mushrooms, green peppers, red peppers & onions into 1/2 inch strips.

2.  Saute mushrooms and veggies on medium heat for 5-7 minutes. 

3. Toast the French Onion Hamburger Bun until golden brown. 

4.  Spread goat cheese on one side of the bun.  Then add the mushrooms and veggies. 

Met Gala 2013 - Punk: Chaos to Couture

"Punk: Chaos to Couture" was the theme of this year's Met Gala.  Some consider the Gala a glorified Halloween ball and others fondly refer to it as the fashion industry's prom, but if you look beyond the labels, this annual event is a place for designers, models, celebs and fashionista's to flex their creative muscle. 

Last night we got to see what happens when "Fashion" meets "Punk".  There were some hits and plenty of misses.  Some played it safe (i.e. boring), while others chose to take a walk on the wild side.  Pretty much, the theme of the night was "anything goes", with feathers, studs, and spikes gracing the red carpet.  

Here are a my favorite looks of the evening:

 

Sarah Jessica Parker - headpiece by Phillip Tracey and Dress by Giles Deacon 

Honestly, SJP can do no wrong in my eyes.  Event's like the Met Gala were made for people like her, true lovers of fashion. She fully embraced the theme and knocked it out of the park.  More than anything, her ensemble looked effortless. 

 

Miley Cyrus in Marc Jacobs

I loved the spiked hair.  She didn't take herself too seriously and looked fresh.  She's really becoming one of my favorite new fashionista's. 

 

Anne Hathaway in Valentino

Feathers. Sequins. Blonde hair.  Ample side boob.  Ms. Anne was giving me couture punk realness. 

 

Nicole Richie in Topshop

Nicole, Nicole, Nicole rocked my favorite look of the night.  She reminded me of a modern-day super hero. Her stormy white hair, clean face, and gorgeous vintage-inspired dress was other worldly.  I don't know if this was really a "punk" look, but who cares!   Plus, she shows you that you don't need $5,000 to truly shine on a red carpet.

 

Rooney Mara in Givenchy

Now plenty of stars wore Givenchy on the red carpet, but Rooney Mara was the only one that represented the designer well.  I think her look was a bit more on the glam goth side, but she looked stunning nonetheless.

 

Rose Huntington-Whitely in Gucci

You can't tell Rose nothing in this Gucci gown.  The appropriately placed feather details added a touch of drama and glamor to a sleek glam punk look.  I wish she would have played with her hair a bit more, but overall, she looked stunning. 

 

Solange Knowles in Kenzo

Solo decided to go for a modern tribal look, which I'll always love.  That afro wig was giving me life!  I appreciate that she truly knows her style and that's why she always looks amazingly put together on the red carpet. 

Blake Lively in Gucci Première 

I've said it once and I'll say it again, this is one of the most fabulously consistent celebs out there.  She just...always gets it. 

 

Naomi Harris in Donna Karen Atelier 

My girl Naomi looked simply fetching.  Feathers, when executed poorly, can look overwhelming, tacky and cheap.  Ms. Harris chose wisely in this Donna Karen dress, looking regal and sophisticated.  I'm glad she didn't overdo her hair and makeup!

Curly Hair Business Corner: The Sisterhood of Natural Hair Interview

"Our mission is to re-engineer the hair products that African American women use and revitalize cosmetics that highlight our beauty"

Recently, I had the opportunity to speak with Sarah Mukibi, Founder and CEO of the Sisterhood of Natural Hair, a great natural hair accessory company.  Like many entreprenuer's Sarah created her line of fun and stylish headbands out of necessity and she decided to share her natural hair and business story with us!

AKC: Tell us a little about your natural hair story and why you started the Sisterhood of Natural Hair.
Sisterhood of Natural Hair: Well, I first big chopped in 2009 and grew dread locs soon after.  I never really thought about creating a hair accessory line, the idea literally popped into my head one day.  I couldn't find anything to hold my hair back well and created headbands for myself.  Soon after, I started selling my hair bands at local hair shows and events as a vendor and it just took off.  My main mission for the Sisterhood of Natural Hair is to empower women and the natural hair community has fully embraced me, which is wonderful.  Everything has just fallen into place.

AKC: So, are your headbands for women with a specific hair type?
Sisterhood of Natural Hair: I mainly created this brand for women with natural hair, but it can be worn by women of every hair type.  Since the strap is adjustable, women with really thick hair or a girl with a short 'fro can rock it too.

AKC: Do you make custom headbands?
Sisterhood of Natural Hair:  I've actually never thought about making custom headbands, but I'm sure if someone asked for something specific (i.e. bows, flowers, etc.), I could/would create it.

AKC: What is your shipping policy?
Sisterhood of Natural Hiar:  I would love to ship my headbands all over the world.  I can't wait until the day that I get a PayPal order from the Carribean or somewhere overseas, but all my orders, so far, have been within the U.S.  Basically, I am willing to ship anywhere, but I mainly ship within the U.S.

AKC: Do you have any style tips for your headbands?

Sisterhood of Natural Hair: You can wear the headbands plenty of ways, they are really versatile.  If you buy a plain headband, it can also be used as a ponytail holder or you can wear your hair half up and half down.  The models on my website all have different hairstyles, so if you need any ideas, just visit the site and check out their pictures.  I also have a Youtube video where I show customers how to use the headbands.

AKC: I noticed that you only have headbands on your site right now, are you going to introduce any new products/accessories soon?

Sisterhood of Natural Hair: Actually, I will start selling different types of headbands made of organic products.  These new headbands will have flowers, bows, and other cool designs.  Also, I am creating a natural make-up line for African American women.  The make-up line will include lip glosses, lipsticks, and eye shadows made of natural products.  Hopefully, the make-up line will lunch in August or September.

Sarah was kind enough to share a headband with me and I will post a review of the headband later this week.

Check out the Sisterhood of Natural Hair's brand new website: http://sisterhoodofnaturalhair.com/