Milking It

So I was minding my business, driving down the highway and I saw a cow, not too unusual...

 But then I noticed alot of people gathering around this cow's barn...

So I came to get a closer look at what the cow was serving up...

I got the Key Lime and it was worth the wait!

Moo Thru

real ice cream from real dairy farmers
11402 James Madison HWY
Remington, VA 22734
540-439-6455

*Summer Hours*

Sunday	12p -9p
Monday- Thursday	11a - 9p
Friday/Saturday	11a-10p

Chip on my shoulder

WHAT I WORE: tip to toe!

top- Ann Taylor

shorts- Ann Taylor LOFT

sandals- Old Navy

Got My Vans On

WHAT I WORE: tip to toe!

hat- Target (men's)

shirt- Target

necklace- ModernProps

belt- American Eagle

jeans- Madewell (rail straight)

shoes- Vans

Mini Cupro

WHAT I WORE: tip to toe!

top- Target
pant- J.Crew
shoes- Franco Sarto

Seriously everytime I wear these pants I get stares...blank stares...like "What are those? Please never wear those again...they hurt my eyes" I know I need to get rid of these pants because they don't look good on me, but they feel so amazing and I figured out why. 


They are 100% cupro. "Cupro fabric breathes like cotton, drapes beautifully, and feels like silk on your skin. Its slinky, curve-hugging drape makes it great for elegant dresses and blouses." Thanks wiki answers! 

Coral Sheath

WHAT I WORE: tip to toe!

scarf- Target

dress- Madewell

sandals- Via Spiga

Pop Beauty nail glam (Review)

Every two weeks I travel to the Eastern Market area of DC to get my nails done by Indigo whose salon, Nails by Indigo (inside of Tracy and Co. Salon), is by appointment only.

 I usually pick a color from the black (and female) owned laquer company Ginger+Liz, shown in this photo.  

On this visit, Indigo introduced me to Pop Beauty, a line from the UK, that includes the show stopping shade "twinkle" which I'm wearing on my ring finger.

Here is a review of the polish straight from Indigo herself, "it has a great brush and the polish is made from quality ingredients." For a glitter polish, "twinkle" had great coverage and texture. I found a few of the colors available at beauty 360 and at ASOS, but to get the great glitter color you'll have to make an appointment with Indigo! 

Nails By Indigo
428 8th St, SE
Washington , DC 20003 | Get Directions                          
phone: 202.758.5842                    
website: http://edennailsbyindigo.com/ 

Carol's Daughter Introduces the Macadamia Heat Styling Collection

WHAT I WORE: tip to toe!

top- Old Navy

pants- J.Crew

shoes- Franco Sarto

bag- Chico's

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Over the weekend I attended an event hosted by The Diva Lounge, to celebrate the launch of the new Macadamia Heat Styling collection by Carol's Daughter.

This launch couldn't have come at a better time considering the heat wave we've been experiencing this summer! And to further emphasise the importance of products that protect against frizz, the mall turned the A/C off about 30 minutes before the event began!



The ladies (and gentleman) at the Carol's Daughter in Pentagon City were knowledgeable and enthusiastic users of the products. I had a great time learning about the products and even ran into blogger Robrette Vaden of Weight A Minute who showed me her new camera. I also met a new blogger named Leslie from the blog Healthy Black Girl.

 



At the check out they had a full-size bottle of the new My Life perfume by Mary J Blige. Sadly, it is only sold on HSN because it smelled like heaven and I totally would have purchased a bottle!

Since I've recently gotten the Keratin Treatment I was weary of using any of the products, but I picked up some cuticle oil that works wonders and smells like lemon cake! My mom, who recently cut her locks and has a tiny "natural", tried the sample of the Monoi Repairing Hair Mask that the sales associates threw in my bag...she loved it, especially the smell! There was also a serious fight at my house over the hair sheen samples I received, apparently they were amazing!

Carol's Daughter

Pentagon City Mall

1100 South Hayes Street
Arlington, VA 22202

phone: (703) 415-0010

hours: Mon-Sat 10AM - 9:30PM

Sun 11AM - 6PM

Cheryl Lofton and Associates (Review)

Home Run is offering a great deal!

$20 for $40 worth of alterations and custom tailoring at Cheryl Lofton & Associates.

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This is the second time Home Run has offered this deal; I purchased it back in December after I took the "Shop Your Closet" challenge. I knew I needed to have a few things in my closet altered to fit me better and Kara Allan from Style For Hire, went through my clothes and pulled out my aunt's prom dress from the 70's, which is amazing, but too long for me.

. 

Last weekend, I went to drop off the prom dress at Cheryl Lofton & Associates and I was surprised to meet Cheryl herself. She was fitting a gentleman for dress shirts; He had broad shoulders and a narrow waist and needed a better fit for his work shirts. 

Cheryl was enthusiastic that I had found her through Home Run and had no problem letting me use my group coupon.  

I was excited to see HomeRun feature a black-owned business; It was the first thing I've ever purchased from HomeRun and I have no complaints! Check out how great my dress fits now!

BEFORE

(Dress was so long I had to hold it up and wear my highest heels!)

AFTER

(Look how perfect the length is now!)

Cheryl Lofton & Associates

721 T St NW, Washington DC (METRO: Shaw-Howard)

(202) 483-5929

Mon.-Sat. 10am-6pm

Endless Summer

WHAT I WORE: tip to toe!

dress (worn as top)- vintage

jeans- Joe's Jeans

shoes- Banana Republic

bag- Chico's

Challenging myself to wear at least one piece of vintage clothing each day this week has been so much fun! I

I love vintage clothing, but it can be difficult to incorporate pieces into a work wardrobe. I strugged today and almost gave up on my challenge...you know how I'm always trying to quit a clothing challenge...but then I remembered this cute shift dress and paired it with these white jeans. I thought for a second...is it too late in the season for white jeans, but with the heat and humidty set on HELL I figured I had a pass. Plus it's not even Labor Day yet!

And ladies please take note: I've been getting compliments from men all week about my outfits, although I'm fairly sure if I told them I was wearing vintage clothing it would blow their tiny minds!

Check out WHAT (vintage) I WORE: tip to toe! on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday! Happy Friday!!!

Eighties Baby

WHAT I WORE: tip to toe!

In my ongoing challenge to wear at least one vintage item every day this week, I pulled on this vintage shirtdress that I picked up last summer at Second Time Around in Philly; Then it occurred to me that this dress and I are probably the same age!

Vintage clothing is typically defined a garment created at least 30 years prior. I looked up the "definition" of vintage clothing on wikipedia and it said that "clothing from the 1920s to 1980s is considered vintage" and that "the word vintage is copied from its use in wine terminology, as a more elegant-seeming euphemism for "old" clothes." Ha! I love that...so since I was born in the 80s does that make me vintage or just plain old!?!

Check out WHAT (vintage) I WORE: tip to toe! on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday!

dress- Maggy London (vintage)

belt- Ann Taylor LOFT

shoes- Old Navy



Back to School

WHAT I WORE: tip to toe!

sweater& dress- J.Crew

shoes- Etienne Aigner

I went to private school from 6-8 grade and on Fridays we had to wear a simple uniform; any white button up shirt, any navy pant or skirt, or any navy jumper.

In  my early twenties I was a flight attendant and the uniform was almost identical. And now I work in an office where the dress code is something in between business casual and come as you are church attire.

Since it's almost back-to-school time I'm channelling my inner child with this classic navy dress from J.Crew. And because I'm taking the challenge to wear at least one vintage piece each day this week, I've paired my "uniform" with a vintage belt from Saks Fifth Avenue by way of MustardSeed. Check out the vintage pieces I wore on Monday and Tuesday and stop back all this week to find out What I Wore: tip to toe!

Pinky Promise

WHAT I WORE: tip to toe!

 

hat- Target (men's)

tank- J.Crew (similar here)

skirt- MustardSeed (vintage)

flip flops- J.Crew

I had so much fun yesterday wearing my vintage vanilla that when my sorority sister Gabs from Paperplanes and Maryjanes (she is also The Levis Girl, the official blogger for Levis) mentioned she was going to wear something vintage everyday this week I knew I wanted in on the fun! You know how much I love a blogger challenge! 

And speaking of Delta Zeta, the DC alumnae group is having a social event after work today and I'm really looking forward to attending. In fact I planned my entire outfit around our sorority colors, which are Pink&Green (so are AKA's but we were founded first...just sayin') what do you think of my outfit? I'm hoping it doesn't rain on my silk top!

 How are you liking my signature pose?

 Leave me a sweet comment.



Vintage Vanilla (How Was Your Weekend)

WHAT I WORE: tip to toe!

blouse- Ann Taylor

silk tank (worn underneath)- J.Crew

skirt- Target

shoes- Ferragamo*

earrings- Miriam Haskell*

bag- Rockport

I had an amazing weekend inside of the beltway.

Friday we celebrated my mom's semi-retirement with the new $20 crabfeast at Red Lobster. And yes I'm fully aware that living so close to Maryland there are tons of better places to have crabs, but what can I say...I love a good chain restaurant!

Saturday I used my HomeRun group coupon for $40 worth of tailoring for just $20 at Cheryl Lofton & Associates (7th&T St, NW). I cant wait to see how my items look after being fitting for me.

Afterwards had brunch in Arlington at the Carlyle with my cousins. Clearly you have to go to the tailor BEFORE you eat brunch right? And I found out it was a tax-free shopping weekend in Virginia so I went *vintage shopping in Alexandria, which is where I scored the Ferragamo flats and Miriam Haskell clip-on earrings shown above.

Later that night I live-tweeted from my second bookclub meeting, where we discussed Sag Harbor by Coleson Whitehead. Spoiler Alert: It was terrible.

Sunday I went swimming with my family...I love how we only swim during the summer, eventhough our pool is indoors! I did some laundry, at the new Tropicana Laundromat in Silver Spring, with my favorite Peony scented detergent from Method. Our dryer is on the fritz and the Maytag repairman has quite the busy schedule, but i'm glad I check the place out, because it was state-of-the-art and now I have a close place to go when I need to wash my humongeous comfortor. Sunday night I had a bunch of conference calls (3 in a row) for my volunteer position with my sorority. I'm so excited to be involved with greek life again!

This week I'm really looking forward to attending a mixer with other local Delta Zeta Sorority alumnae...gotta think of something Pink&Green to wear! Also cant wait for Jazz in the Garden and  Truckeroo on Friday.

How was your weekend?

Commander in Chic

WHAT I WORE: tip to toe!

 top- young, gifted and black

skirt- White House Black Market

shoes- Franco Sarto

bag- Longchamp

glasses- Warby Parker

Yesterday on President Barack Obama's 50th birthday, I tried to figure out two things:

1. What is work appropriate to pair with this Obama shirt?

2. Do I support the President because he's is black (like me!) or because I respect the office of the Presidency?

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I decided that a black pencil skirt goes with everything and that growing up in DC...i mean really inside of the beltway...teaches you that officials are elected by the people to respresent them; if you don't like the job they are doing once they take office you have the right to replace them when their term has ended. What I won't do, no matter who is in office, is disrespect an elected official.

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Can someone help me down off of my soapbox?

K thanks!

Remember in yesterday's post how I announced my signature style blogger pose? Here it is again!

How are we feeling about my new Signet-ure move?



Signet-ure move

WHAT I WORE: tip to toe!

top- Target tissue tee

dress (worn as skirt)- Ambiance SF

shoes- Calypso St. Barth for Target

     I was beyond excited to wear something other than my 30x30 outfits so last night before bed I took everything out of my closet that was summer weight and hung it all on the rolling rack i've been using for my 30x30 clothes. When I spotted this orange shirt with the tag still on it I knew it would be perfect for my first post-fashion famine outfit.

     Then I decided I wanted to try colorblocking so I searched for a colored bottom...a skirt, shorts or pair of slacks...NOTHING. Apparently the only colors I wear on the bottom are beige, black or navy. So this will be the first thing I add to my new shopping list...COLORED BOTTOMS.

     Oh yea and I finally figured out what to get myself for my 30th birthday...a signet ring! I love how delicate this one is.

     Any advice? Which finger should I wear it on? Should I get all 3 of my initials (BME) engraved? Where should I buy it from? PLEASE LEAVE YOUR SIGNET RING ADVICE IN THE COMMENTS SECTION BELOW. THANKS!

Photo credit goes to Kim and her dog Lola who spotted me taking my TIP TO TOE photos and offered to take one for me. Check my blog's Facebook fan page to see outtakes from this shoot where the two dogs are playing in the background!

After reading this post from the blog Haute Off the Press I've decided that to be a serious style blogger I too need a signature pose. I've stolen the one above from my very first blog post back in 2008 when I had a Tumblr called How Way Your Day. Please leave a comment and let me know what you think my signature pose should be.

The 30 for 30 Challenge (Summer)

30 pieces from my closet...30 outfits...30 days

scroll to the bottom to read my review and find out what I learned.

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WHAT I WORE: TIP TO TOE

This is the second time I've participated in the Kendi Everyday 30 for 30 challenge. Check out what I learned the first time around when you click here. So the first time I did 30x30 it was HARD...I even tried to quit half way through, but sweet comments from my readers helped encourage me to finish the task! I also had quite a serious meltdown over my inability to stop shopping the first time around. This time NO SWEAT! Although full disclosure the weeks right before I took the 30x30 challenge I shopped like the world was ending so I pretty much purchased a whole new wardrobe for the 30x30...clearly I hadn't fully grasped the point of the challenge. After my second stint in rehab I'm finally starting to GET IT. So here it is...

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WHAT I LEARNED

1. VINTAGE: If you're a fan of my blog's Facebook page you might recall that I attended the Butler+Claypool Brightest Young Things Vintage Pop-Up shop sponsored by Vitamin Water right before I started the 30x30 challenge. It was then that I realized of all the items in my closet, the only ones I can truly say I LOVE and would run in to a burning house to save are my vintage pieces. That said, once I start shopping again I'm going to try to incorporate more vintage into my everyday wear. Check out these adorable glasses I passed on at the Vintage Pop-Up...huge regret! These are the kind of unique pieces I want to spend my money on going forward.

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2. SHOPPING: Clearly based on my feast or famine method of shopping...I have a problem. I often go on shopping bans, not to clear my head and figure out what it is I NEED in my closet, but to atone for the shopping sins I've already committed. I spend the entire shopping ban starring guilty at the clothes I purchased before the ban started and counting down till my next purchase! Even making list of what I'm going to buy when this self-imposed punishment is all over. This is a vicious cycle and I'd like to break free from this behavior. I'm going to try making a different kind of list. I'm going to keep a sheet of paper tacked up next to my closet and every time I have trouble pulling together a look I'm going to write down what I would have needed to make that outfit work...a pair of flats, a belt, a tank, whatever! Hopefully by not shopping I can save up for a personal shopping trip with my favorite Style-For-Hire personal shopper who can help me learn to shop for those items that will complete my closet, not just fill it up.

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3. THE LOOK: Since I starting blogging in 2008 I have taken ALOT of photos of myself and my outfits. Looking back at my 30x30 photos made me realize that I haven't been living up to my New Years Resolution, which was to develop a beauty regimen. I have started going to a fabulous (and celeb approved) manicurist named Indigo. You can follow her on Twitter @indigonailstyle or visit her salon in Capitol Hill near Eastern Market, its by individual appointment only and the space is intimate and chic. However there is the business of my hair...that is another story, but my sister's great experience this summer getting the Keratin treatment at Flawless Hair by Derek, (Derek has been doing our family's hair since the 80s) has convinced me to get it together on all fronts. When people ask me how I'd describe my style I say PULLED TOGETHER and you can't achieve a tip to toe look if your hair and nails aren't pulled together too! I have an appointment to get the Keratin treatment so I can stop sweating out my natural hair (my hair is perm-free and I don't use a pressing comb) and I've booked my mani/pedis every 2 weeks for the next few months. I'm looking forward to getting it together! Stay tuned to WHAT I WORE: tip to toe to follow along on my journey!

This won't be the last of the 30 for 30; I look forward to participating in the future (and remembering to select more tops than bottoms next time) and thanks to Kendi for allowing me to reflect on myself and my closet!

30x30 (Day 30)

My last outfit of the 30 for 30 challenge!

I'm wearing my favorite shirt...and getting a few more wears out of my white jeans before summer ends!

OUTFIT 30 of 30

WHAT I WORE: tip to toe!

shirt- Old Navy (boy's)

belt- Ann Taylor LOFT

pant- Joe's Jeans



30x30 (Day 29)

OUTFIT 29 of 30

:::Just 1 outfit left!:::

Please leave a comment and let me know what to wear for the last day of the 30x30 wardrobe challenge!

Can't remember the 30 items I'm choosing from? Click here!

 WHAT I WORE: tip to toe!

shirt- Old Navy* (boys)

*Save $15 off your $50 purchase (valid 8/5/11-8/18/11) at Old Navy code: K4J1VLGJRT7X

skirt- Ann Taylor LOFT

shoes- (not pictured) Via Spiga (seen here)

can you spot the hidden puppy in this pic?