Rhinestone Vine Ear Cuff (via @Forever21)

Lately I've been loving the ear cuff trend and wanted to share an amazing pair I snagged earlier in the week from Forever21. The rhinestone vine ear cuff retails for $4.90 (a steal!) and is a great way to make an outfit pop. During the day I noticed a slight bit of discomfort at the top of my ear and realized I had attached the cuff too tight and in a sensitive spot. After a few tweaks I was fine, so it's not a real reason to not purchase.

Smack it in the air... #Beyonce

I love Beyonce... this video is absolutely EVERYTHING!!! I wish I could teleport myself to Chicago for a spontaneous girl's night dance party with my best friends! Y'all... this shit right here. It hits the spot and makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. I love her. I love this video. The song makes me smile... do some corporate foot work at my desk because it's nearly 6p on a Friday and I'm still at work lol. Like, can I throw on a pair of dope boy short panties and twerk around with my best friends nad sip (and spill) some drank!

Happy m'fing Friday!!

Prioritizing my Mental, Emotional and Physical Health

A few months ago I decided to make my mental, emotional and physical health a real priority in my life... and I mean actually doing something... In real life... Not just talking about it lol.

In the past I've had a tendency to get an idea, get excited about it... then fast forward a few weeks (or even days) later and I'm already failing big time. This time around I wanted to approach things from a more practical standpoint, identify goals, put together a plan for success, and set monthly benchmarks to measure my progress.

Now that I have a few months of success under my belt I feel comfortable sharing my experience thus far. I'm excited and hoping to encourage others to take the time and effort to prioritize all areas of their health: mental, physical and emotional.

It's not just about looking good in clothes or hitting the gym for endorphins, but truly taking stock of your life, any residual issues you may be carrying, and saying that you'll make the investment to be the healthiest version of yourself possible.

I'm excited to share my progress and continuing journey with everyone. Remember, you don't have to wait for January 1st to roll around to make change.

Rhinestone Floral Halter Dress (via @forever21)

 A few weeks ago I was in Chicago for a wedding and had a last minute wardrobe snafu. I had originally ordered 3 dresses from Rent the Runway, but it was just my luck that none of the dresses worked out. I didn't have enough time to send them back and get a replacement, so I headed over to F21 to see what I could find. I wanted to look nice and knew I could snag something decent last minute.

The floral top, rhinestone choker/collar, and body con skirt of the dress definitely caught my eye. I ended up going with a Large and thought the fit was pretty nice. The only downside to rocking this dress for an out of state wedding was being limited in my bra selection. It was definitely my own fault for not doing a test run around the house and seeing which bra worked best... but whatever... I tried my best to make it work.

Halfway through the wedding I had to find some safety pins and try doing cleavage damage control, along with fixing a few of the straps... dumb stuff that comes along with purchasing from F21.

All in all, the dress was $32.90 and got the job done. I liked it a lot and am going to take it to the cleaners and get the stitching fixed. I'll also take the time to figure out the right bra to wear with it for next time. If you're looking for a cute, affordable dress to rock to a wedding I'd definitely suggest it.

Lesson 15: "A back-up plan is if the first plan doesn't work."

"Well, first of all you're supposed to have a plan. Let's have a plan first. A back-up plan is if the first plan doesn't work. If you put your life and view yourself as somebody else's: I'm so-and-so's wife, I'm so-and-so's mother, I'm so-and-so's daughter... and you haven't created a "you" - - what happens when all those other things leave you? Your husband can leave you. Your children will hopefully grow up and fly away and do their own thing, as will your grandchildren, and your parents ... if they go before you, you'll have nothing left. So, you have to have a plan first. Then your plan is prepare yourself for life as a whole person." - Judge Judy

Fluffed out Afro on Natural Hair or Weave

So, I'm back in a sew-in using the same Indique Bounce Coil Curl hair I originally bought back in June. I remember clutching my pearls at the price ($189 and up per bundle), but it turned out to be one of my best hair investments to date. I'm currently about a week into this 2nd install and the hair is doing great.

After a night full of wine and Jimi Hendrix, I was in a 60s/70s mood and wanted to fluff out my hair. So many naturals are obsessed with getting perfectly sculpted ringlets, kinks, or curls... but I wanted an old school fro.

The night before I'd thrown my hair into a high ponytail and went to sleep, so I was already working with less defined hair.

To add more volume and further diminish curl definition, I used my Denman Brush to fluff out my leave-out and the Indique hair.

I'll admit that I initially felt a bit intimidated by having such big hair. I almost pulled it back up, but my bf helped ease my worries... he was like, "if you're gonna rock it, you need to really just rock it." Wearing a fro is dope, but it does feel like the spotlight is on you... and honestly it really is. You have this big ass, dope hair! It's big, fluffy... blowing in the wind. It's awesome, but not for the faint of heart.

Anyways, in person the hair was SUPER big, but my iPhone 4s didn't truly capture it.