Keeping up with the Jones'

Don't keep up with the Jones', be the Jones'. Part of being a diva is creating your own style and following your own rules. The last thing you want to do is show up at an event, and see 3-4 others wearing the same thing. One way to ensure that your ensemble is one of a kind is to shop local up and coming designers. Think about it, which sounds better? I got this dress at Target or this dress is an original Jade design?
Don't have the funds for a new outfit. You'd be surprised what new accessories can do. Recently I attended an event and I had nothing to wear. I simply pulled out a black and white animal print dress, paired it with a bow belt, feather earrings and pearls and waala!

Fall Fashion

The beginner fashionista would be saying, "its only August, why are we discussing fall fashion?" But we professional shoppers know that retail stores start getting their fall merchendise in now! So start looking.
Personally every season I make a "look" book. Its basically a notebook filled with magazine cutouts of looks like like.
Making a fashion lookbook is a discover your fashion sense and create your signiture look. If you are anything like me, it will also help you to remember what exactly your looking for while youre shopping.

Items you'll need are:
Scissors
Glue or tape (glue works better)
A blank notebook or 3 ring binder
Fashion Magazines

1.
Gather your supplies together. You'll need a blank notebook or a three ring binder, hole punch, and blank paper, plus scissors, glue and a pen or pencil. Find or collect catalogs and magazines that appeal to you.

2.
Browse through the magazines or catalogs and clip out pictures that appeal you. Even if it's just the necklace the model is wearing or perhaps the way she has her hair styled, clip it out. Put your clippings to one side.

3.
Organize the clippings according to category. Categories may be: hairstyles, accessories, shoes, clothing.

4.
Now clip around the pictures in whatever way pleases you. Using glue or the glue stick, paste them into the notebook or onto the pages for your binder. Hole punch the pages and insert them into the three ring binder if using such a binder.

5.
Now take your pen or pencil and make notes on the pages. What appeals to you about the picture? Be as discerning as possible. Sometimes it's not so much the dress that catches your eye, but the whole composition of the fashion shoot - is it daring, modern, country style, or softly romantic? Make notes next to the photos about what appeals to you.


Continue to add to your look book whenever you have time. Think of it as personal scrapbooking or your own personal fashion stylist!
After you've collected several pages of photos, trends will emerge. Perhaps you will surprise yourself. You may notice that you like more dramatic pictures than you thought possible. Certain colors will dominate: neutrals, pastels, or perhaps bold prints and patterns. Create a list of the overarching themes that emerge. This is now your style guide!
If any of the styles seem too risky for you, take small steps. If you see in your style book that you seem to gravitate towards bold patterns, jewelry and looks, but in your personal life you are shy and tend to wear plain clothing, perhaps your heart is telling you that you need to be bolder. Begin by choosing simple yet bold accessories to jazz up your current outfits. You don't need to spend a fortune. Visit thrift shops, eBay, Goodwill Stores, or garage and yard sales to find simple accessories and clothing that follow your new style. Take one step at a time and begin to follow your heart as revealed in your own personal style book!

A great iPhone app!!!

I love iPhone apps. Since getting the iPhone I have become addicted to downloading apps. Out of four pages of apps, I only have one application that I actually paid for and it is well worth it! It's the closet app that has been featured on TV talk shows such as The View. At first i stuck to my "never pay for anything if you can get it for free" rule. But after downloading the free one I loved it so much I downloaded the full app which only cost $2.99.

The Closet app is wonderful and it makes life so much easier! Here's what you do.

First take a pictorial inventory of your clothes- shoes, clothes, purses, accessories, etc. Upload them to the app and place them in their appropriate categories. Now you're ready to start using the app! You can keep track of which days you wore which outfit, even see which shoes goes with which top.
Have you ever been shopping and bought a fabulous pair of jeans that you swore you had the perfect top to go with?But when you get home you find that the top doesn't go with your jeans, in infact the top doesn't go with anything you own? Well once again Closet to the rescue! Just take out you phone or iPod touch, pull up the app and locate those jeans. This is every fashionista's must have!

Shopping Part 1

Summer is almost here, and despite how much clothes we have left over from the previous summer, no matter how much clothes we may have bought during the off season sales, we shopaholics and budget divas have some need to shop for even more clothes. So here is when you make seasonal shopping a series. Instead of going on a HUGE shopping spree, blowing all your cash and maxing out your credit cards, span it out over a few weeks.

STEP ONE

First go through your closet. This is just to see what you have, what you need, and what you need. Remember wanting and needing are two different things. All the clothes you dont want anymore, set aside. You'll go through them later.

STEP TWO

Make a list of everything you just set aside. (ie. 2 pair of shoes, 1 pair of shoes, 5 shorts, etc) After you've made your list, figure how much it will cost to buy all the items on your list. If you're anything like me, you'll know the average amount you spend on jeans, shirts etc. (ie. 1 pair of jeans cost about $30-$35, if you need three pair average the price out to be about $90) If you can't come up with an average, try going online and checking out the average prices for items at your favorite stores. But DONT I repeat DONT buy anything yet! It'll be hard, but you can do it.

STEP THREE

So now you have your list compiled, and you know how much it'll cost to start your new wardrobe. What to do next? Take a look at the calendar. Lets say you get paid every two weeks. After paying all your bills etc. You have $100 left over to spend. You may be tempted to go out and spend all of it on your new clothes. But then you'll probably get shopper remorse. Instead set aside a couple bucks to but a few items on your list.

STEP FOUR- Shopping!!!!

So its shopping time, you've set aside $50 to buy a few items on your list. Do not take all of your money with you. You'll be tempted to spend it. And only buy the items on your list. If there is any money left over from your one day of shopping, dont spend it, you'll do something fun with it later.
Repeat until you've crossed off everything on your list.

Now that you got everything you need, take the clothes you set aside and take it to a consignment shop. You'll get money for it, if its in good condition. Add that from the left over change from your shopping trips. Now go out and treat yourself to something really nice!

A Hairy Situation

As most of my readers know I am in the process of transitioning my hair from relaxed (permed) to its natural state. I started the process in October 2009, so I've been transitioning for almost seven months. Since starting the process many people have asked me for tips on transitioning.
First let me start off by saying, if you are transitioning, be prepared to get emotional. Especially if you have been chemically altering your hair for a long time. Actually this advice isn't only for those who have chemically straightened hair, but for those who have curly perms and color treated hair.
First be sure of your reasons behind you wanting to transition. And once you make the decision, I do not recommend quitting, which I'll explain later in this post.
People transition their hair for a number of reasons. They have damaged hair and they want to get it healthy again. They decide to go natural as a culture or political statement. They like how natural hair looks. Whichever your reason, its your decision. Despite popular belief, there is no such thing as a healthy or natural relaxer. what relaxers do is basically relax your natural curl until its straight. Its a chemical. But that doesnt mean you can not maintain healthy hair when using a relaxer. I am not trying to promote relaxers or going natural. Just giving some tips Ive found helpful during my transition.

Ok, so youve made the decision to transition. I would definitly recommend searching out a new stylist who is experienced in dealing with transitioning and natural hair. Ask your stylist what products they recommend for transitioning. Usually it will be something with protein in it (I'll explain about that later).
Most likely you'll have to buy all new hair products. The reason for this is your hair is drastically changing. So the products you used on your hair when it was chemically treated may not work while it transitioning, just as the products you use on your hair while its transitioning may not work when you have a full head of virgin hair. Your stylist should tell you to stay away from products high in alcohol, such as many hair gels, holding prays, and mousse. Alcohol is very drying and damaging to hair, especially transitioning hair.
You may notice a few weeks into transitioning your hair/scalp is getting very dry. Its normal and should only last a few weeks if properly taken care of. Just be sure to wash and condition your hair with a shampoo designed specifically for dry hair/scalp. Usually Shampoos and conditioners with Olive does the trick. Also add a biweekly deep conditoning treatment to your hair routine.
Now, you may be tempted to straighten your roots with heat once your new growth starts. BIG NO NO!!!! Instead try to find a transition hair style such as a braid out. If you need to use heat, try to use a less as possible. What I suggest would be never using more then one type of heat styling tool in a week. So after you wash your hair and you HAVE to flat iron it, dont blow dry it. Let it air dry. You want curls later in the week? Try dry curling using rollers instead of an iron. It may take longer, but its better for your hair!
Now we're going to talk about cutting. Many people think just because your transitioning means you have to make the BIG C as in Big chop! You don't. But you will want to make sure you trim your ends every 6-8 weeks. You'll probably notice a lot more split ends, and you dont want them to make their way further up the hair shaft. Be sure to keep your ends moisturized, I recommend Morroccan Argan Oil.
Now halfway through the process, you'll want to go back to relaxing. Dont! Expecially if your 3 months or more into the process. You can do it. Once your done the process you can always relax then. If you NEED to relax, then go to a professional. Even if youve always done it yourself. Go to a professional.

Hair Today Gone Tomorrow

Like most of my readers, I love to save $. But there are times when you shouldn't try and cut the cost- you could end up spending more!
One of those times is when dealing with your hair, which as you can tell by the title of this post, is the topic.

As a hair stylist I see it all the time, women (& some men) trying to be cheap (yeah, I said it) and seeing a low budget stylist.
Let's say you found a stylist, and s/he did your hair right. A month later to find another stylist offering the same service for half the price, so you decide to try them out. Sometimes, that old saying is so true- you get what you pay for! You've tried out the least expensive stylist, and you hate your hair. I mean just HATE it. It might have looked ok when you left the salon, but after you've really had time to examine it, you realized it was cut uneven, breaking off in spots, or the color is just way off (or God forbid, all three) So now you have to go back to your original stylist for repair. You end up paying for the same service all over again- or even more if they have to do certain corrective treatments. This could have been avoided.
Once you find a stylist you like, try and stick with them. If you do want to try a cheaper or even just a new stylist. Be VERY careful. Make sure you are 100% happy with the services provided before leaving or paying. Ask for references or photos of their work (especially when using a homebased stylist) If you are going to a beauty school, make sure they are actually being supervised. It's your hair, its ok to be picky or in diva mode. After all, hair is a woman's glory. If you're trying out a new salon, talk to others in the waiting area. Ask them about their experiences there. Which services they are getting and which stylist they prefer. Once again, its your hair, its ok to ask questions.

Another problem I see too often is hair maintenance. Between salon visits, it is important to maintain your hair properly. That can be the difference between paying $50 and $25 for a salon service. If you get your hair permed/relaxed/dyed or any other chemical service, you def have to maintain it. There are products you can use at home to help.
For instance, if you get your hair relaxed (chemically straightened) make sure you either wrap or cover your hair with a silk scarf or bonnet when sleeping. What most people dont realize about relaxed hair is that there is no such thing as a healthy relaxer. Relaxers are damaging to your hair, especially if not cared for properly. Sleeping on cotten (even high quality cotten) can lead to hair breakage. To repair hair breakage, I would recommend protein treatments which can cost anywhere between $15 & $25 extra at a salon. And if the breakage is too bad, you'd have to cut-not trim, but cut your hair to stop the breakage.
Using the right shampoos & conditioners can also help. If you have color treated hair, make sure your shampoo is made to treat color treated hair. The same with relaxed hair.
Since we're on the topic of shampoos and conditioners, lets talk about
salon brand v. drugstore brand shampoos. There are some salon brand shampoos which I find work great when dealing with damaged hair versus their drugstore counterparts. Redkins and Paul Mitchell both have great leave in conditioners which work wonders on chemically damaged hair. Both are more expensive the drugstore brands.
A few drugstore brands I do not recommend are V05 and Suave. I find that both brands tend to leave the hair feeling dry and very brittle. You may be tempted to buy the 99 cent shampoo and conditioner versus the $8 one, but it could once again be a case of, you get what you pay for.

Recycle paper, plastic & clothes!

Paper, plastic & class are not the only things that can be recycled. You can also recycle clothes! Being a Diva isn't always about keeping up with the Jones', its also about BEING the Jones'! In otherwords, don't always follow mainstream fashion-create your own! When it comes to recycling clothes there is one kind of store that is a must! Craft Stores!

With some Swarovski Crystals, Rhinstones, and Iron On's, you can turn a pair of old jeans into a custome designed masterpiece!


Do you have a pair of sunglasses that you're just tired of? You never wear them anymore, but you can't bring yourself to get rid of them.


Kim Kardashion and other celebs have been seen rocking "bedazzled" footware! Turn those old out of style boots into something totally unrecognizable! Just be careful not to over do it! The last thing you want is to look like an eight year old who over did it with the bedazzler.