“Beauty is Inherent; it’s what we do” -Dr. Deb Willis
I didn’t make it to the box office just yet to see Marvel’s action packed Black Panther movie, but last week I enjoyed an enriching Blackety, Black, Black history month experience at the African American Museum in Philadelphia (AAMP)!
All images captured by @DavidFordProductions
It was a night to remember and a moment to relish in for the vegan, cruelty-free cosmetic brand Pound Cake. With their roots based right here in the City of Brotherly Love, Pound Cake is ready to disrupt the beauty industry with their matte lipsticks made for your lip tone and is a “pro-black, pro-fat, and pro-trans feminist company” thanks to CEO and Founder Camille Bell, and Co-Founder Jonathan Velazquez.
Featured Illustration by Cassie Manning of @NubianRockChickArt
It’s that time of year when September hits and many influencers, trendsetters, creatives, and style gurus are looking forward to what’s next in season during New York Fashion Week. Naturally Curly made its third appearance at NYFW, and took over Gotham Hall in New York’s Garment district to celebrate Real Women, Real Fashion, and Real Texture on Thursday September 7th and I was honored to be back on the scene again! The show was powered by international specialty retailer Sally Beauty and featured runway partners such as Cantu, Carol’s Daughter, Creme of Nature, Curlformers, Shea Moisture, and Mielle Organics while Michelle Breyer, Naturally Curly’s co-founder, and professional stylist, Mo Knows Hair, hosted the night. Each of the runway partners had a theme which spoke to their brand’s essence so take a dive into their hair trends and looks below.
Related Read: NYFW 2016 Texture on The Runway
All images captured by @Jamescxrbett
One thing about Philly is that it’s easy to find hidden gems in the form of restaurants, cafes, historic landmarks, and even alley ways for such a small city. This time I grabbed the homie Corb in search of a scenic view. Technically these images are B.C.– BEFORE COLOR– as you’ve probably noticed that my curls are currently an ash blonde. But hey! That doesn’t change the fact that these are dope photos so it still wouldn’t hurt to share them with you.
For a third time I was back at the Philadelphia Natural Hair Show! Not only was I able to team up with the plant and botanical based hair care brand Original Moxie, but I was able to serve up a Beyond Hair Typing workshop along with showing how the brand’s extra moisturizing products keep dry hair hydrated. I talked about understanding your hair with the Original Moxie unique 3-D assessment which looks at the hair’s dryness, density, and degree of curl to craft a solution for your hair. Take a look at a piece of the show’s experience below with Stylist Ve and I.
Life is forever moving in a forward motion and as people we are continuously evolving at different stages of our lives. A lifestyle blogger and friend who I grew up with in our hometown church, Natasha of BecomingNatasha.com, created a Grow To Know Yourself Manual that I enjoyed completing as an activity with a friend a few weeks ago and I thought it would be great to share with a few of you as well. I’ve begun to understand how important it is to take the time to reflect on moments in our lives BUT to also write donn my successes, obstacles, and visions and part one of GTKY manual helps you to do just that. In addition, Natasha also has a Grow To Know Yourself Podcast where episode one touches one making room for growth. She reminds us that change is inevitable and growth is intentional so how would you like to grow into the greatest version of yourself?
Check out these amazing resources on BecomingNatasha.com and share with a friend if you can. Happy Monday!
What a whirlwind of a week it’s been leading up until the 5th Annual Philadelphia Natural Hair Show. You never know what new opportunities or challenges life will present to you, but in this case, it was an opportunity that opened when I was asked by Celene McAfee, one of the co-founders of the Philly Natural Hair Show, to appear on Good Day Philadelphia for a live segment with Alex Holly.
I was LIVE with ALEX HOLLY ya’ll!
The timing could not have been more perfect and I was honored hop on the chance to talk about the natural hair show experience. The coolest, and most nerve racking, part was the live styling demo and showing how natural hair can be transitioned from a work look to going out for the evening because of the time crunch, but I made it happen any how! Showing how to adorn textured hair with cool accessories was a great transition from one style to the next because it’s so simple anyone could do it!
All images captured by @cathalyse
I have my final TOBI style look to share with everybody and I am so glad I had a chance to experience the West Coast clothing boutique as I showcased my East Coast vibes (if you missed my Fourth Day + Denim or The Shifted Sundress feel free to click on the links ;). This look was really fun but very different because I was able to team up with some pretty awesome people. I decided to go with a new hair style like braided extensions on the day of the shoot and I couldn’t have picked a better time to have everything come full circle! I honestly have been talking about getting my hair braided since last year but somehow never got around to doing so. Not to mention how I haven’t had cornrows since like elementary school so there was a lot of new stuff going on at once. However, this time I booked my appointment with Melissa Lane, “Da Braid Slayer,” and picked a braided style that I’ve never tried before: side braids which turned out nothing short of amazing!
Caring for natural hair takes patience and requires some kind of routine to maintain kinks and curls. Women who wear their hair naturally curly have also become more aware of what type of products are being applied to their hair and scalp because of the delicate nature of our hair. The tight coils may look strong and durable from appearance but it’s truly fragile, yet, strong at the same time. Now that the entire world wants to cater to the natural hair community by creating products for textured hair it seems to be a gift and a curse at the same time. Yes, our hair needs moisture all the time, way more than other textures, because of how quickly it leaves the hair and requires gentle detangling or manipulation, but there are also products out there to help us keep these minor issues in check. Sometimes there are to many products to choose from and naturalitstas can often become ‘product junkies’ trying to find that one miracle product in a jar that really may not exist. One of the major perceptions hair care brands, marketers, and industry influencers (bloggers, YouTubers, etc.) have made women in our community paranoid over would be the use of shampoos. You may think I sound absurd if your someone who only sticks to co-washing but here is why you should not fear shampoos:
All images captured by @TheOliveWave
Dresses come in a variety of styles that can easily complement and accentuate your favorite body features: short mini dresses highlight stunning legs and elongates the torso, long maxi styles are perfect for comfort and on-the go ease, body-con dresses define the curves of each individual while straight shift dresses create structure. I always thought my shoulders were kind of broad and boxy until I started trying off the shoulder styles which is this season’s biggest style trend. The Bianca Off Shoulder Shift Dress easily combines the two styles I like into one: a shift style, although it’s a straight shape there is plenty of movement, with a chance to show some shoulder action. The dress is made of great quality and has a lining underneath it. There’s no peek-a-boo sheerness to worry about and the fabric allows the dress to be worn all year round because it’s not a flimsy piece of cloth. I’m already thinking of a few ways I can switch this look up for the fall season that’s a head of us….hmmmm!