Naturally Glam

Fashionable Fridays – Runway Couture

Posted on May 24, 2013 | Leave a comment

FTC: I was given this item from Runway Couture at no cost to me. All other items mentioned in this post were purchased by me. I was not paid to write this post.

Today’s Fashionable Fridays feature is Runway Couture, an online boutique owned by Chrissy Crawford and based in Richmond, VA. Runway Couture features the latest trends in footwear, apparel, handbags and accessories, as well as custom pieces she designs herself. Chrissy had her designs recently featured in the Return of the Curls Curls Gone Wild fashion show, and she also hosted a shop & sip event that featured food, fashion, and fun – three of my faves.

Next up, Runway Couture is hosting the Naturally Haute Fashion and Trunk Show on June 22 at Brickstone Grill in Richmond, VA. Tickets are only $10 and will feature giveaways, drink special, live performances from national recording artist John Michael, a runway show and local vendors.

For the purpose of sharing with the Naturally Glam Fam, I was given the Color Block Crop Top available on the site for $21 to style for an upcoming event. I loved the vibrant colors in the top and how lightweight the material was. I selected a medium, and the fit was true to size. Since this top was the focus of my look, I didn’t want to clash too much with it. I paired it with a Aztec patterned clutch from ShoeDazzle.com with similar but different colors to continue with the color blocking theme. I kept my accessories simple with necklace, bracelet and ring from Forever 21. Then pulled the purple from the clutch out with these purple open toed, fringe booties from ShoeDazzle.com.

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Posted in Events, Fashion & Style, Food & Entertainment, Frugal Fashion

Tagged color block, design, fashion, look, outfit, runway couture, shirt, style, top

Final Results: Mr. Shut Up and Train Spring Cardio Challenge

Posted on May 22, 2013 | 1 Comment

Here is my comparison picture from Day 1 to today after completing the Mr. Shut Up and Train challenge. Strangely enough, the scale did not budge over these last 3 weeks, but as you can see some inches were lost.

Overall, what I did like about the challenge was that I received an email every day as a reminder and motivator to get up and be active. There were always alternatives for just about every exercise in the challenge for beginners, which ever thought I work out regularly I still consider myself a beginner as far as strength and endurance. The nutritional challenges also helped me get back in the habit of making clean and healthy food choices, and being prepared to do so.

What I think did not work for me with this challenge was the lack of cardio over a long period of time. The workouts were mostly high intensity interval training workouts, which are good for building strength and endurance, but for me don’t result in much weight loss. Why? Because its too hard! I finish the workout but find because it is hard I am often needing to stop and take breaks. I think I would need to incorporate some additional cardio that I can do for longer periods of time for optimal calorie burn. I’m not sure when the next challenge will start, but in the meantime I plan to go back to using the elliptical for cardio 5-6 days a week and strength training twice a week to help burn fat and prepare myself for the next challenge.

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Posted in Healthy Lifestyle Journey

Tagged cardio, challenge, exercise, fitness, health, mr shut up and train, Shutupandtrain, training, weight loss

Out & About: Hampton Roads International Natural Hair Meetup Day

Posted on May 20, 2013 | Leave a comment

On May 18, naturalistas in over 60 cities including Tokyo and the Netherlands gathered to celebrate natural hair for the International Natural Hair Meetup Day. Founded by Adeea Rogers, The Trendy Socialite, the purpose of this event is to set aside a day to gather together the Natural Hair Community to learn and embrace our hair, and each other. I was blessed to be able to co-host this year’s event with Michelle of Desired Beauty Supplies.

The event was held at Baxter’s Sports Lounge in downtown Norfolk, in their chic VIP Lounge. The event sold out a week before, so the room was packed with ladies ready to have fun, and be educated about natural hair. Each attendee received a swag bag filled with at least one full-sized product along with tons of sample size products from event sponsors. The event was presented by Natural Girls Rock, and other event sponsors included Lustrasilk CurlMax, EDEN BodyWorks, Karen’s Body Beautiful, Koils by Nature, SheaMoisture, Blue Magic, Isabelle’s Own, Curls, African Pride, Curls Unleashed, and the list goes on. For our Hampton Roads event, we also had NeNe’s Secret, Design Essentials, and PuraBody Naturals as sponsors. Visit http://www.inhmd.com for a complete list of sponsors and links to their websites!

The event kicked off with a Q&A session with local naturals Ashley of Curly Cubaminican, Sherry of Curly Brown Girl, Deanna of Naturally Creole, Samara of Styled Chic, Shawna of Shawna Locs & Braids, and hair stylist/hair artist Hadney Alexander. They answered questions about fashion and makeup trends, hair care and loc care. Then Wendy (Above & Beyond Salon in Hampton), Prenik (Fruit of the Spirit Salon in Virginia Beach) and the rest of the Design Essentials team took over and did an amazing education session about what products to use to achieve the desired style you want.

The night ended with several giveaways, and shopping with the vendors. The official event photos are coming soon, but to get a sneak peak of all the fun, check out the pictures I took during the event by clicking here!

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Posted in Out and About in the 757, Hair Care Tips, My Healthy Hair Journey, Hair Styles & Tutorials, My Style - My Look, Makeup/Beauty, Events, Fashion & Style, Food & Entertainment

Tagged style, nightlife, norfolk, out and about, natural hair, fashion, pictures, meetup, virginia, hair, beauty, event, naturally glam, hair care, inhmd, international natural hair meetup day

Video

My Favorite Things for February-April

I know I’m late with my monthly favorites due to some health issues and camera issues. But here are some of my favorite things during the months of February, March & April! No worries – May’s favorites will be on time

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Posted on May 20, 2013 in My Healthy Hair Journey

Tagged beauty, cosmetics, favorites, hair, hair care, natural hair, naturally glam

Maintaining My Wash & Go Style

Posted on May 16, 2013 | Leave a comment

The weather is finally warming up, at least this week in Hampton Roads, so I did my first wash & go style in a long time. I used OBIA Natural Hair products in order to style my hair. After washing and conditioning my hair, I worked in small sections to define my curls. In each section, I sprayed the Curl Hydration Spray, then applied the Curl Moisture Cream and detangled more using a modified Denman brush. Once the section was tangle-free, I applied the Curl Enhancing Custard and smoothed through the hair, and let my curls define. I used a pony tail holder to keep my hair stretched as I went from section to section. After I was all done, I sat under a hooded dryer for about 30 minutes to dry.

At night, I’ve been putting my hair in large, somewhat loose Bantu knots to keep the hair stretched. This has worked really well, and since they are not tight, my curl definition is not totally lost. Every other night, I apply Earth’s Nectar Monoi Hair Milk, which is more like a butter or pomade, to add some moisture and sheen to my hair. So far I’ve been able to maintain this look for 5 days, and I plan to keep it going until I restyle this weekend. I find that when I keep my curls and coils stretched, this prevents tangles and knots, and reduces breakage. This is why I keep was & go styles to a minimum. Normally I do twists to stretch my hair, but having this option to stretch my hair after doing a wash & go style is awesome. You will see this style a lot!