My day job is in social media and I wanted to find a unique gift for the consultants that support me throughout the year. I was looking for something humorous, topical, and functional because I love a gift you'd actually want to use.
I'm not a Taylor Swift fan, but I am a fan of pop culture and the internet... so when I saw this sweatshirt on Etsy it was a must-have for me!
If you've spent any time on TikTok you've seen the viral "Roman Empire" trend.
TL:DR there's a theory that a lot of men (usually white) spend an incredible amount of time thinking about the Roman Empire. Why? I'm not sure, but if you ask one 9 times out of 10 they'll respond with a date that's within the past 2 weeks 😂 I promise you I'm not spending time or brain cells thinking about the real Roman Empire... but my "Roman Empire" is def celeb relationships.
I purchased this from The Divine Shoppe Co on Etsy for $46. It comes in 9 different colors and sizes S-5XL, so something to accommodate most sizes and preferences.
The perfect gift for any pop culture lover in your life.
Sound the alarm because Truth Be Told's Season 4 episode titled Numb with Danté Stewart was selected as one of Spotify's Best Podcast Episodes of 2022!!!! Danté's preached a powerful word in his episode, and left us feeling like our souls have been soothed. This is a huge honor for the team.
I sat down with my friend Cathy to discuss the recent wave of tech layoffs, realities of being a Black woman in Tech (both technical and non-technical), how Black folks will absolutely be disproportionately impacted by the layoffs, and how she's navigated a 20+ year career in Engineering. Grab a drink and tap into this conversation.
Brandon Blackwood dropped his Fall '22 collection and I had no restraint. Sharing an unboxing and first impression of 6 of the 7 bags I purchased. I'm still waiting on the acrylic clutch which had a longer lead time to ship, but will add that one once I have it. Also to come, a YouTube video of my full Brandon Blackwood collection.
It’s 2022 and Truth Be Told is taking on two of the most urgent questions of our time: What does liberation look like for Black Americans? And what does it mean to be free? Season 3, which premieres on February 17th, offers a compelling sonic exploration into what liberation looks, sounds, and feels like for Black Americans with some of the greatest thinkers of our time.
Host Tonya Mosley takes us on a deeply personal exploration — peeling back the layers of how Black Americans are liberating ourselves from the expectations of a colonized existence to help us live richer, fuller, more free lives. Meet our production team and take a sneak peek listen!
New episodes drop every Thursday beginning February 17, 2022
Sound the alarms... I just passed my first week in healing from breast reduction surgery! Prior to surgery I did a lot of research on items I'd need during my initial healing, but as with all things, it's a little different once you're in the thick of it. In this video, I share the top 10 items that have been crucial during my first week of recovery. If you're preparing for surgery, I'd highly reccommend getting these items.
After thinking about it for years, I finally made the decision to get a breast reduction! In this video, I share my experience during the first 24 hours of post-op recovery.
72 hours ago I had no clue how Derek Jaxn was... but I love relationship shenanigans and Derek Jaxn's latest cheating scandal was a hot mess. I hopped on IG Live with a few friends to discuss.
One thing that thrived in 2020 was my hair. I perfected my wash 'n go (nowhere), experimented with more blonde color, and tested new products. One product that blew me away and instantly became a holy grail was Melanin Haircare's Multi-Use Softening Leave In Conditioner.
It retails for $18.99 on their site (and Ulta) and currently has a purchase limit of 3 bottles... which may seem like a lot, but I swear once you try this product you'll be obsessed and wanna stockpile more. Also note that there are times they're sold out, so it's not the worst idea to stock up.
Recently Melanin Haircare featured me on their IG and while I would LOVE for this post to be sponsored lol, it's definitely not. I bought all products with my own money and genuinely love the way it works.
Y'all... I'm so happy to have real knotless box braids that are professional and NOT DIY #QuarantineBraids 😭😭😭
I'd been looking for someone in Seattle who could do #KnotlessBoxBraids similar to the ones I got in Chicago last year by @mibelle_beauty. When @impekablenails referred me to Ange (@purity_k_beauty), I was thrilled!
@purity_k_beauty braids in a private salon space in Lynnwood, wears a mask throughout the appt (it's still a pandemic), has beautiful and consistent work, clients who have edges (that matters lol), and is a sweetheart. These are the "Nelly Braids" and we used a custom blend of 1b/27, 1b/30, 27, 30, and 613.
Her bookings open on the 25th of each month and she books for the next month. I love referring people to quality stylists, so if you've been on the hunt for a #SeattleBraider to give you 🔥 knotless box braids (or other braided, loc or twist styles) head to her page on 10/25 and send her a DM to book. A $25 deposit is required when you book. Tell her I sent you!
We'll probably be in quarantine through 2021, but there's no need to look dusty lol... treat yourself to some real braids 😂 I'm recovering from emergency dental surgery and feel like a 💰 every time I look in the mirror.
Tee by Gracie J (IG: @theeditorialnail)
I love a bold matte lip and I’m lowkey embarrassed to admit I was late to the party with these 🔥 Sephora cream lip stains. I first learned about them from Holly (IG: @itsholly) and started off with shades 01 and 94, before diving off the deep end and adding a bunch more. These retail for $15 and have a wonderful formula (I always exfoliate before wearing matte shades and my lips never feel dry), pigmentation (colors are ☀️af), and don’t transfer.
Due to the pandemic I couldn’t see these irl at a store before buying, and had to look for online reviews, swatches, and pray they looked good in person. The shades are all amazing. Y’all know I love red... but I especially LOVED “Dark Forest” -- it’s like a vampy Mother Earth type of vibe.
Watch below to see swatches of my Sephora cream lip stains 💋 in colors:
Back in May 2020 I, like many other Black girls going through the pandemic and quarantine, realized I finally needed to learn how to do my own box braids. This was my first time doing DIY box braids and after rocking them for 2 weeks, I wanted to share my beginner tips to help (and encourage) other newbies who were curious about doing their own #QuarantineBraids.
I'm still lowkey shook that I actually did my own jumbo box braids and that they didn't look like trash!
Have you tried doing your own #QuarantineBraids? What tips have you learned?
When I originally searched for reviews and swatches of vegan beauty brand Tower 28 Beauty's products on darker skin, it was damn near non-existent. It was actually quite shocking because the brand's online presence seems to be rather inclusive (I particularly like the aesthetic of their IG), but it was *crickets* trying to find videos of melanated folks reviewing the products.
Pre-pandemic Sephora was my therapy. I could wander around the store for hours... getting lost in the aisles of products, ample samples, and testers. Due to COVID-19 and the pandemic changing everything about life we knew it, I've been been quarantined at home for over 300 days (and counting), and doing a TON of online shopping. I was rarely one to buy beauty products online without sampling them first in-store, so I've found myself relying on reviews more than ever.
Below is a quick video showing swatches of the Tower 28 Beauty ShineOn Lip Jelly and ShineOn Milky Lip Jelly. This video was originally made for Tik Tok, but I feel our shortened attention spans can appreciate gems dropped in under 60 seconds.
Last month when I was in Chicago, I got knotless box braids for the first time... and after only having them for 12 hours, I fell in love. HARD! Although I live in Seattle now, Chicago is still my hometown and I wanted to spread the word about where everyone should go to get the best #KnotlessBoxBraids in the city!
I got my braids done by a woman on the North Side named Mimi (IG:@mibelle_beauty). I was referred to her by a girlfriend whose knotless box braids looked amazing (I was obsessed with them) and she told me she'd gotten referred to Mimi after asking a random girl in the bathroom who did her braids. Do you follow all of that? I know it's a bit extra. All of this is to say, referrals are powerful when your work speaks for itself... and so many amazing things can happen in the women's bathroom!
I've had braids a million times over the years, so I considered myself a bit of a pro going into this experience. Still, my mind was blown wide open when I finally experienced knotless box braids for the first time. I filmed this video to capture the true essence of my joy because I knew typing out a blog post alone wouldn't do them any justice.
Leave it to an amazing braiding experience to really make me blow the dust off my blog... even if statistics show that people only read on average for 17 mins a day, vs 2.5 hours/day spent watching their content (read: why I originally posted this video to Instagram weeks ago lol).
I've already referred a few folks to Mimi via Instagram, but I love making hair content available online (plus for SEO) to make it more accessible to people outside of Instagram.
The best way to reach Mimi is via her IG account (you can DM her). Note that a deposit is required to book with her (deposit is applied towards your final cost). She's located on the North Side of Chicago and braids out of her home. I thought her service was super professional and I appreciated her patience working with me via IG to solidify details (size of braids, size of parts, hair color(s) to use). I also loved that her work was extremely consistent! If you end up booking with Mimi, tell her I sent you!
Tip: Whenever you're booking with a stylist, it's nice to show them inspo pics of work they've actually done when you're going to them for a particular style. It shows that you've done your research and are coming to this because they're strong in the area of your desired style.
On this week's episode... Mike and I worked from home (WFH) and discovered who the more annoying co-worker really is, I learned why I need to protect my identity on Reddit and what doxxing actually is (and how I kinda, sorta doxed someone 10+ years ago), the latest vegan propaganda film we watched on Netflix and how it sparked us to make more diet changes, and we're FINALLY PLANNING OUR WEDDING(*in my Oprah voice)!
We share the process of planning our wedding, why we waited nearly 1.5 years to start, why I won't be changing my last name, our decision to keep separate bank accounts and how we're approaching discussing finances!
On this week's episode... the winner of the Netflix hit show, Rhythm + Flow, was crowned and we have a lot of thoughts, we explain why we were in line for over an hour (for a club in Seattle) and how we'll never go to another nightclub again, how Mike made it to 30yo without knowing what bottle service was, and how he's using his FitBit data to learn Tableau PLUS our very first listener question!
We're back!!! Mike and I took the summer off to get new jobs and enjoy our lives... but Fall is here, the weather is already turning for the worst in Seattle, so we're back recording our little podcast and binge-watching TV! On this week's episode we catch you up on our recent career changes, the top 3 series we're binge-watching, predictions for Netflix's Rhythm + Flow (the finale is Wed) and how Succession on HBO really did heal Mike's motion sickness!
As always, be sure to like and subscribe... and thanks for listening!
Y'all this week has been a doozy! I came home to find my car had been stolenTOWED BY MY NEIGHBOR (down the street) because I parked within 5 feet of their driveway. Yes, that's a real thing! I just learned that in the city of Seattle you can't park within 5 feet of someone's driveway (or a curb). Like, this applies to ALL driveways and curbs even when there isn't any paint calling out any restrictions. In a city of mainly transplants, how the eff is anyone supposed to just know that!!
While the police don't normally ticket for this type of thing... especially in this crowded ass city... if a neighbor calls in a complaint then they will issue a violation. Basically, Petty with a capital P. So, yeah... $272 later, I have my car back, a court date, and advice from the Circuit Court of Seattle that I should "also call and get my neighbor's car towed" - which nearly makes my head spin!
What else - Game of Thrones is back, so we bit the bullet and added it back to Hulu. Anyone else feel pained adding HBO for an extra $14.99/mo? Just us? Oh, okay lol...
We also pose the question: How do you tell your upstairs neighbor that you don't appreciate being woken up at 3a by the loud sounds of them getting their back blown out... without sounding like a hater? Like, sis... I'm all for you catching an Orgasm, but like, 3am really? Oh - this is also the neighbor I thought died... so yeah, should I just continually catch this L? Should I wear ear plugs? Should I bang on the ceiling? I need your suggestions!
Do you know your workplace love language? Mike is reading a book for work and breaks down how to show your co-workers you appreciate them.
If you're a fan of Game of Thrones, checkout the sickening nail art set my bae Peka did by clicking here.
Hey Friends! Mike and I took a few weeks off to travel and live a bit of life, but we're back with a new episode. Mike is down 15 lbs and Ishea is now on the MyFitnessPal bandwagon, we talk about paying off debt and financial literacy, and Ishea's new project: Balanced Brown Girl!
Khaleesi is a large dog (80+ lbs) and I'd started noticing her groan every time she got off her previous dog bed. On top of that, her breed (German Shepherd) is prone to hip-related issues as they age, and I'd become concerned about how stiff she seemed to be after laying on her bed. We'd always used the typical dog bed you find at TJ Maxx or Petsmart, which can be cute, but are admittedly not that supportive for a large dog.
Wanting to test out how her bed felt, I sat on it and sunk to the floor. Obviously I weigh considerably more than my dog, so I tried just placing a hand on her old dog bed and was shocked I could feel the hard wood floors underneath us. In that moment it became obvious that despite having what seemed to be an okay dog bed, my little pup was basically laying directly on the hard floor... thus, it wasn't a surprise that I was noticing her groan and become more stiff.
I started doing some research on orthopedic dog beds for larger breeds I could invest in and kept seeing reviews for Big Barker. The price was expensive compared to what we'd paid for a bed in the past, but I couldn't deny the fact she needed something better and this would be a solid investment.
The below video is a look at unboxing plus first impressions of the bed. Something particularly impressive is that the XL bed held the weight of Khaleesi, Mike and myself without sinking in! That's a whole lot of lbs on there.
If you have a large or extra large breed dog, this is the perfect dog bed for your fur baby and the only one you'll ever need!
Perks:
1) Machine washable microfiber cover
2) 10 yr warranty
3) Calibrated for Large and Extra Large breed dogs! (FYI: This bed is too hard for small dogs)
