some people are born fashionistas, the rest of us just need a little help
This month’s advice is meant to encourage a stronger relationship between you and your stylist. Healthy hair is a team effort and therefore, the strength of the team is essential. Here are a few conversation pieces that I use with my clients to ensure that we are growing together and maintaining the healthiest hair.
* Ask your stylist what products they are using on your hair just in case you are not able to make your appointment or your stylist is booked up. This way your hair is staying in a consistent balance of moisture and conditioner.
* Also remember that your stylist’s assistant is essential to the healthiness of your hair. Develop a working relationship with him/her just in case you need them in the event that your stylist isn’t able to complete your visit. Keep in mind that the assistant is actually the one that is cleansing and conditioning your hair!
* Be sure to ask as many questions as you can think of to educate yourself on your hair. Gain a clear understanding of your hair structure and of future goals and desires with styling. Asking questions keeps you in the know about new products as well as new looks. Keep it fresh ladies!
The deepest secret that we as stylists have is that we LOVE it when our clients ask questions. With the proper education on your hair, you can achieve almost any look and over come any condition within your hair structure. I offer a brief consultation before ALL of my services, whether it’s a weekly client or a new client. This keeps me in the know about home maintenance and also your overall goals.
If you want more information about Mandrill Hardge or will be in the Atlanta area and want to have him style your hair (Side note from Clueless Fashionista: *Which is highly recommended, by the way. I’ve seen his work and it’s mahvelous!), visit his website at www.mandrillhardge.com.
Since it’s summer and people are wearing less, I wanted to address the belly exposure issue. This applies to wearing cropped tops, half shirts and shirts that don’t completely cover your stomach. Please make full use of your full length mirror!
I have never been a fan of wearing dresses. Aside from my general disdain at having to be careful when wearing something other than pants or shorts, I have the hardest time finding dresses that properly fit my shape. I have a large bust so finding dresses that fit my bust area and the rest of me can be a challenge.
With this in mind, I just decided not to wear dresses any more to solve the problem. However, last summer with the increased popularity of the maxi dress, I decided to give them a try and now I’m sold. I even wrote a post about it on the shopittome blog www.blog.shopittome.com/2009/07/23/take-a-maxi-dress-from-summer-to-fall While I don’t have as many dresses as I would like, I do have many more than I have since my mom was buying my clothes when I was a kid. The great thing about dresses is that they’re one piece. You put it on and viola, you’re dressed. All you need to worry about is shoes and possible accessories and you’re ready to roll.
There are some great dresses out there in wonderful patterns and colors and I wanted to share some with you along with a picture of me in one of my dresses. I want you all to go out and get an easy, breezy dress to wear for the summer. They’re not all expensive either. You can check out Walmart, Target or my favorite, Dots and find a dress for under $30.
http://thegloss.com/files/2009/02/smocked-waist-floral-dress.jpg
This is a great example of a floral print that’s not too overwhelming and will look great on almost anyone.
http://www.baltimorestyle.com/images/fashion/millertn.jpg
This is a cute maxi dress in a great print that will make you stand out in a good way.
http://theglamourouslife.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/dress4.jpg
Vertical stripes is very universally flattering.
This is me in one of my wonderfully flowing maxi dresses. it’s like wearing pajamas and the print is great but not too overwhelming.
Don’t be afraid of a great printed dress. I would love to get pictures of you wearing your great summer dresses. Share them with me and I will feature them on an upcoming blog post. I was inspired to write this post by a great blog that has more great dresses on it. Check it out www.sapphirewhispermagazine.blogspot.com/2010/05/spring-fever.html and enjoy!
On May 9, 2010 the world lost a legend. Lena Horne, jazz singer, actress, civil right activist and living legend passed away at the age of 92. She was an icon for so many reasons and I was inspired to do a small tribute to her. She inspired me by breaking barriers for people of color and women. She was a fashion icon but she also worked hard to stay true to herself and her beliefs. I think this is what contributed to her timeless beauty and amazing spirit that always shone through.
Enjoy!
Here’s her performance of the song Stormy Weather. It’s one of her most well known performances.
Rest in Peace Lena Horne, you will be missed but your inspiration and light carries on.
Enjoy the latest installment of the Ladies, let’s talk series in video format. I figured I could get my point across by looking you in the eye (so to speak) and addressing things. If you have any questions or suggested topics, leave a comment or send me a message via the contact form.
Many thanks to the Jet Set Girls for the lovely diamond earrings I’m wearing! I won them in a contest. They have a fabulous travel blog that you should check out here www.thejetsetgirls.blogspot.com.
This past weekend I had the pleasure of attending a fashion show featuring the summer line, Rachel by Rachel Roy. These clothes were very cute and prints was definitely the name of the game. Her models were dressed in the cutest summer dresses, shorts and skirts. I saw some great ways that we can work on incorporating more prints into our wardrobe without overdoing it.
I must admit, I’m not a fan of prints. I’m much more comfortable wearing brightly colored solids than prints, but I’m definitely open to making a change. A great print can really make an outfit pop. Check out these pictures of the models that were in the show.
This is a great way to participate in the legging trend in a way that is cute and comfortable.
I love this outfit because it combines two great prints and a lovely pop of color in a way that works. I also love it because I accidentally got a picture of a lady standing behind the model wearing the same dress with a solid cardigan and some neutral sandals and both ladies look wonderful. I also love that it inadvertently shows how this Rachel Roy dress can look great on different body types.
See how this purse pulls everything together? It goes wonderfully with both the dress and the jacket but it’s not too matchy matchy. Purses are a great way to pull an outfit together.
This look is a wonderful example in how adding accessories can really step things up, but you can be just as cute going more basic. For example, this cute dress and the sandals can stand completely on their own. If you want to wear it out to lunch or brunch, throw on the white sweater. If it’s a little chilly out, toss the scarf around your neck. If you are going out to dinner, take the sweater and scarf off and just go in the dress. Either way, you look great.
This is an easy outfit to copy.
I just love how easy, breezy this outfit is. You can easily throw on this great dress and these great sandals and walk out the door. No muss, no fuss, but you still look great.
I really enjoyed this line and the wonderful thing about it is that you can visit your local Macy’s and pick up one of the pieces. If you aren’t familiar with Rachel Roy but want to learn more about her, visit her website www.rachelroy.com. Another awesome thing is that if you don’t live near a Macy’s or her line hasn’t made it to your city yet, you can purchase pieces directly from her website. If you decide to pick up a Rachel by Rachel Roy piece send me a picture of you wearing it and I will feature it on here.
This month’s hair advice is in conjunction with fitness goals. It’s getting hotter and hotter and I am more than positive that you beautiful ladies are eagerly waiting to hit the treadmill or even take those brisk walks and jogging sessions in your local park. Oh yeah, I haven’t forgot about those of you that have already signed up for swimming 101!
* In order to maintain those straight tresses, be sure to keep hair brushed back into a loose ponytail that is positioned in the middle of the head.
* Go by your local Sally’s Beauty Supply and ask for the terry cloth head wrap for spas. Wearing this during your treadmill time or jogs will help to keep the scalp from becoming too wet and messing up your press or your style.
* For those that are swimming regularly, there is a shampoo and conditioner formulated to remove the chlorine from your hair and keep hair in healthy condition. You may also pick this up at your local Sally’s Beauty Supply.
* The most important advice for this time of year is to make sure that you are seeing your licensed hair care specialist on a regular basis. Regular means bi-weekly if not weekly.
These are tips and product suggestions that I make for my clientele and the results are outstanding.
To schedule an appointment with Mandrill Hardge, visit his website www.mandrillhardge.com
The sun is shining and although it’s a bit chilly, it is officially sandal time!
Pedicures become much more common place in the warmer months and so is wearing more color. The other day I took my first spring trip to the nail salon to enjoy a mani/pedi. When I was in the front choosing my colors, I decided to go with a neutral color for my hands and a bright green for my feet. In that time I was deciding what color I wanted on my toes, I figured that my nail polish would be a great place to add that pop of color to every outfit that I wear.
So I decided to share my sentiment with you. If you want to add some color to your wardrobe, a great way to do it is with your nail polish. Be daring and bold with your nail color the next time you head in for a mani/pedi or a pedicure!
Ok, I’m sure you’re looking at the title thinking that this is not a food blog by any means and you would be right. However, I do enjoy watching The Food Network and trying new recipes. Plus, one thing I’ve learned about looking good is that it includes taking care of your total body, inside and out. So as I work to improve my total well being, I’ve begun to pay more attention to the type of food I put in my body, hence my participation in this bake sale.
I learned about the National Food Bloggers Bake Sale on twitter. The Georgia coordinator of the event was this lovely lady named Tami Hardeman who is an Atlanta-based food stylist who runs the blog, www.runningwithtweezers.com. She posted about the bake sale and said they were looking for food bloggers or bloggers who like food. Since I fall in the second category, I volunteered to make some vanilla chocolate cherry cookies and help out day of the event.
It was a beautiful day in Atlanta for the sale and the goodies that had been donated were wonderful. This was definitely not your typical bake sale. There was fresh baked brioche, pumpkin bread, rosemary shortbread cookies, cocochip doodles, red velvet minis, chocolate sheet cake, chocolate candies, chocolate chip cookies, rice krispy treats and so many more goodies. It was all very beautifully packaged and all of the proceeds went to Share Our Strength, an organization dedicated to ending child hunger. I made a lovely slide show with some pictures from the event. Check them out!
I spent the morning with some lovely food bloggers with equally lovely blogs.
www.theteachercooks.com
www.melecotte.blogspot.com
www.anatomyofadinnerparty.com
www.atlantadish.blogspot.com
www.cakehag.com
www.wewhiskaway.blogspot.com
As we begin to transition from the cold winter months, our hair will definitely go through the weather transition. For those of you who, like me, have hair that is naturally curly, straightening becomes an issue in the warmer months.
A friend of mine who has a great youtube channel and blog for ladies with curly hair, particularly African American women, is doing a giveaway of a Misikko ceramic iron. Ceramic irons are great ways to straighten curly hair of all types. Below is her video about the giveaway as well as a link to her blog post with the instructions on how to enter (move fast, the deadline is Thursday, April 8 at 11:59pm EST).
Visit her blog here for entry rules and details. http://curlscoilsandkinks.com
And in case you’re not familiar with the Misikko brand of ceramic irons, here’s a short video that Lexi did showing how it worked in her hair.
I just entered the contest so you should definitely go check it out and Good luck!
I’m a writer and blogger that works in television and film production. I am a Clueless Fashionista dedicated to making fashion fun and easy to understand. If you’d like to learn more about me, visit my website www.ashiasims.com.
If you want to contact me with questions about Clueless Fashionista, visit the contact page. 
