Hair Care, People, Style

Spring Trends + #LoveMyColor Chat with Claire Sulmers of Fashion Bomb Daily

Dark and Lovely is a brand known for being at the fore front of hair care for African American women for over 40 years. From keeping up with global trends while transforming the lives of others along the way, Dark and Lovely has done it again with the launch of their #LoveMyColor campaign to celebrate its Fade Resist Rich Conditioning Color while creating a platform for women to “not only embrace their beauty, but to highlight their colorful personalities, which make them who they are” (Dark and Lovely, 2016). Claire Sulmers, founder and Editor-In-Chief of Fashion Bomb Daily, is the #LoveMyColor ambassador and is the perfect person to get this interactive project on everyone’s radar. I’m ready to see what spring trends Claire has to share this year!

Continue Reading

April 25, 2016 by
Hair, Hair Care, People

NEW Fade Resist Hair Color + Tips from Dark and Lovely’s Style Squad Hairstylist Mandrill Hardge

Out with the old and in comes the new when spring flowers are in the clear to blossom (well not quite yet when looking at this yo-yo kind of weather but you know what I’m hinting at). What better way to try something new then by adding fresh new color to your hair because curly girls are always looking to live on the wild side too! Whether it’s a subtle warm red tone, an eye catching blonde, or a sophisticated pastel, naturally curly hair is a great canvas to showcase a variety of colors on despite what others may think.

Continue Reading

April 11, 2016 by
Hair

BTS of “The Politics of Black Women’s Hair” @ Rowan University

All images & video is captured by AJ James

Earlier this month I started to prepare for this big day with a styling session at Fason De Viv and last week that day was here! As the opening plenary for the “Politics of Black Women’s Hair” symposium at Rowan University, which was in honor of Women’s History Month, the event was an overall success; I can really see it growing into something even more amazing each time. There was full agenda of activities throughout the day like a hair care panel with two local New Jersey stylist, a panel moderated by myself that featured a variety of students along with their natural hair journey, and the closing keynote was given by Dr. Tiffany Gill who is an associate professor in the Department of Black American Studies and the Department of History at the University of Delaware. She is also the author of Beauty Shop Politics: African American Women’s Activism in the Beauty Industry (let’s make sure we all go support Dr. Gill via Amazon as well).   

Continue Reading

March 27, 2016 by
Shops & Boutiques, Style

Stylishly Comfort with Fason De Viv in Old City

All images are captured by AJ James of RuggedlyGroomed; Hair by Stylist Ve

In a few weeks I’m preparing to speak at Rowan University as the opening plenary for their “Politics of Black Women’s Hair Symposium” presented by the Women’s Center in collaboration with the Africana Studies and Women’s & Gender studies program. To pull my look together for my first university engagement, I teamed up with fashion designer, stylist, and boutique owner of Fason De Viv Hanifah Samad. I can always appreciate black women who are making their stamp as entrepreneurs in our economy. To be honest, I would rather shop at local boutiques instead of corporate fashion brands like Zara or a Banana Republic because the selections are more unique with great quality as well. I came to Hanifah with a pair of black loafers and she pieced together an outfit that was minimally chic with a dash of bohemian flare and that’s just the way I like my style. Take a look!

Continue Reading

March 10, 2016 by
Hair, Hair Care, News

A Historic Launch of Hair Care Products Inspired By The Legendary Madam C. J. Walker

To anyone who is a professional stylist, artist or beauty enthusiasts Madam C. J. Walker is someone we admire and I’m sure the average Black person also learned about her successful beauty empire during those times when black history reports in grade school was everything. Now as I’ve taken more pride in my craft as a cosmetologist who enjoys to educate others about hair care, Madam Walker stirs up even more inspiration and an entrepreneurial spirit within me as I’ve been learning more about her (if you haven’t read her autobiography, On Her Own Ground, written by Madam Walker’s great great granddaughter A’Lelia Bundles totally invest in a copy!) and how she overcame adversity while beating the odds during her era. Not only was she born of parents and siblings who were slaves, Madam Walker was a self made billionaire, a hair care and beauty pioneer, and philanthropist but her legacy continues to live on in an innovative and creative way today!

Continue Reading

March 1, 2016 by
Hair, Hair Care, Style

NYFW 2016 Texture On The Runway

This weekend my partner in crime, RuggedlyGroomed, and I headed up to the big apple during fashion week for an experience revolving around wavy, curly, and coily hair textures. Texture Media is the “dynamic social platform that empowers and engages a multicultural community of female Influencers” which include brands such as NaturallyCurly.com, CurlMart and Curly Nikki just to name a few (TextureMedia.com). Texture Media partnered with Target to bring their fall looks to life while trendy hair art was created by hair care pioneers such as Dark and Lovely’s Au Naturale, Design Essentials, Creme of Nature, Cantu and Garnier.

Continue Reading

February 15, 2016 by
Skin & Beauty, Women's Health

Drink Your Way to Healthier Skin with The Hydrate Challenge

Join my girl, health coach + success stylist Jennifer Dent, for the Hydrate Challenge that starts today! You can easily sign up to join the healthy cause here and I also dare you to tag team with a friend for some friendly competition. A well hydrated body is essential for glowing skin, aid in weight loss, and helps with constipation.

I have no idea what to expect at this point but I signed up for the challenge too. Especially since I have NOT been drinking enough water like I used to do. So I’ll see you at the finish line at the end of the week…

February 1, 2016 by