Representin' For the Chocolate Sistas: Beauty By JJ

Happy rainy Hump-Day Wednesday to you! For someone who rarely watches the news, today I was prepared with my trusty umbrella unlike the last rainy day where I got caught up in a torrential down pour. I ran and ducked for cover in the nearest downtown lounge and waited out the storm while enjoying a greek salad and a glass of Merlot Ahh, gotta love those rainy days here in Philly! But anywho.... yesterday, I never usually do this but I was surfing the channels of Youtube. I was originally interested in purchasing the Instyler hair straightener so that I can wear my hair out for the spring. So I found myself searching Youtube for honest video feedback on the Instyler and I got side tracked. On the right side of the video that you are viewing are other still shots of other featured videos. Off to the side of my video was a still shot of this gorgeous, brown-skin young lady with this beautifully done hair and her video was titled:
 Good Hair' Virgin Brazilian & Peruvian Hair Review

Curiosity got to me, so I proceeded to click on it in total disregard to the video I was presently watching. Once I started watching her videos I noticed that she had great sophisticated style, a very cute accent (British I presume since she stated she lived in Manchester , UK), and some great hair reviews and makeup tips. But the best thing of was all she was Chocolate just like me! It was amazing and refreshing to see someone Across The Pond with a skin type similar to mine (I am NW47 in M.A.C), that could offer great info and has a sweet, inviting personality that makes you feel as if this could be one of your good friends that you hang out and go shopping with.
When I am buying and applying make up I tend to feel so limited to what products I can purchase or  restricted to certain colors or brands. There are not a whole lot of instructional videos that cater to brown, deep and darker toned women such as myself so finding 'Beautybyjj' was a God-sent to watch and learn from. In her videos she uses a lot of pretty lip and eye shadow colors that I originally would have not thought I could wear but she makes it look very easy and it is very nicely done.  Jenny (the girl in the video) really offered a ton of information that I will definitely be using and she is definitely Representin for the Chocolate Sistas!

Old School & New School

I've fallen in deep, passionate love with this soft, sea-foam green color. It gives a new school life to any ensemble and it definitely screams "Spring is finally here!" Recently, I think I've developed an obsession for those blouses with the ties that go around the neck. They have an old school-girlish, flirty and sophisticated all at the same time. What better way to incorporate all of my faves together but by going onto Polyvore.com and cooking up a cute mixer or soiree outfit? I would love to try and put this together for our upcoming spring weather here in Philly! What's your favorite Spring time color?

Old School & New School by mochabrownsugar featuring a body bag

Life

Photography by Khai

Balance is so important in our lives. In our busy world, we can give ourselves balance between thinking and feeling. ~ Yakov Smirnoff 

Life is like a Rosé....

Hope everyone's Valentines Day was a beautiful one and that you spent it with the one you truly love. Mine was great! In fact, I think this may have been one of the best Valentines Day ever. It was unsaturated with much of the commercial and media influence and hype. This Valentines Day actually focused on what was really special... Love. Speaking of love, I would like to introduce a blushing beauty that I have stumbled on roughly about two weeks ago that I've tried once and have grown to love. It was on sale for $10.99 at the local neighbor state store here in Philly. It's label alone made me curious about it as I passed by. I just couldn't pass up the offer. It is called Piccolo Tesoro Moscato Rosé. Piccolo "which means little treasure"is an Italian sparkling wine with a low alcohol content(as most Moscatos are). I personally think this could be a great party wine. If you are hosting something, or if you are having some friends over and you want your guest to really enjoy a nice, festive wine, this would be perfect for just about any celebration. Piccolo is carbonated and tickles your taste buds with a sweet surprise of a fruity variation. The color alone makes this wine bring life to any glass. I also found that it is a perfect pair if you enjoy making mimosas! After reading up a bit on this wine I have noticed that it was often paired with hardy dishes such as linguini, plain cheese cake or risotto which seems like a random but great pairing. Really, it seems hard to go wrong with a Rosé in life.  

Happy Valentines Day to You!

Take a deep breath and let it resonate that love is in the air! Let Valentines Day wisk you and your sweet heart away to a magical place where love is all you need! The days are short and the nights are long and full of passion..... Okay now get a freaking grip and get back to reality!! 

Valentines Day is pretty much another day with oversold "1 day is all its good for" goodies, endless commercials of who went to Jared's, much knee bending, bear buying, high priced dinner and one "interesting" night having day!

But if you really look past all of the hoopla and hype you realize that the most important thing is being with the one(s) you truly love. It definitely takes more than one day a year to show your appreciation for who matters most in your life. Remind your boyfriend, girlfriend, friends and family how much you love them every time you get a chance. Happy Valentines Day.

My doughnut from Dunkin Donuts (It didn't look like this on the commercial)

A Tearful Farewell to Another Great One

A tearful farewell goes to Whitney Houston. She was a household name and many of us grew up on her music. I can think back to the times when I would be in the mirror holding the hair brush, mimicking her dances and singing to I Want to Dance with Somebody, desperately wishing my voice could be as soulful and precise as hers. I used to want to be like her with a passion. In her earlier days she was beautiful, graceful, strong, stylish and best of all she was respectable. When you grow up on music that's so influential like Whitney's its hard to hear unfortunate news such as this, because you wish for the best for talented artist like her and hope that one day they will make a strong comeback that will blow you away. She may be gone, but her music will never be forgotten.

Birthday Inspired!

All Smiles

It is the age of Aquarius! .... Happy Birthday to Me!  Well, I guess now I can consider this a belated birthday wish now. Last night was a great time and it was such a blessing to be amongst family and friends that are just as wild, crazy, lovable, kool and hilarious as they are! The shenanigans were taken back to POD. I've become quite fond of them. They really have great food and good service, so it seemed like the perfect place to celebrate the last year in my 20's. 

A good time was also had with my grandma and dear aunt at Famous Dave's who could say no to their tender brisket and ribs? Here is my birthday inspired outfit that I geared up in for b-day night. It has been a while since I've partied in extremely sky high heels! Geez I know Im getting old and for all those who are in the same boat as I am, please remember: high heels and wetting your whistle with adult beverages.... is not always a winning combination Lol