Black Shine

A little sparkle in the daytime won't hurt nobody.

Wind - 1, Vivi - 0
White Tee: H&M+, Black Sequin Skirt/Two Tone Pumps: Lane Bryant, Necklace: gifted

I'm still in my black x white fix. Can't stop, won't stop. *Diddy bop* Wearing a H&M Plus white tee (So effin' comfy, I swear!), Lane Bryant black sequin pencil skirt (Copped it off their clearance rack for...wait for it...$9.99!) and Pointed black/white Cap Toe Pumps (Currently on sale!), I stopped by the preview party and Q&A session for Tyler Perry x Oprah Winfrey for OWN Network brand new shows: The Haves and Have Nots and Love Thy Neighbor. It was held at B. Smith's. I'm not really a Tyler Perry fan but I decided to give both shows a chance. We were shown just a brief snippet.

Wind -1, Vivi - 1

Bag: vintage Dooney & Bourke (gifted), Ring: Charming Charlie, Bracelets: Lane Bryant, Avenue, Watch: Michael Kors

Wind - 2, Me - 1

Love Thy Neighbor is a situation comedy...about a middle class family and their daily joys, struggles, triumphs and fumbles. The Haves and Have Nots is a television drama...that follows the complicated dynamic between the rich and powerful Cryer Family and the hired help who work in their opulent Savannah, Georgia mansion. I may be leaning a bit towards the The Haves and Have Nots because it has a soap opera feel to it and, just a heads up, I have a special place in my heart for soap operas. The first soap opera I really became invested in was All My Children. I tried Sunset Beach but it was mad wack. Later down the line I stanned the eff out for some Passions. Even bought Tabitha The Witch's book, Hidden Passions: Secrets from the Diaries of Tabitha Lennox. Not. A. Game. (And, yes, I still have the book.)

After the preview, there was a Q&A session featuring Tika Sumpter (The Haves and Have Nots) and Patrice Lovely (Love Thy Neighbor). Even after the marathon session, Tika stayed behind to take pictures with some of the attendees and sign autographs. So nice of her.

Jennifer (Comme-Coco) with Ms. Tika Sumpter

 Check out more photos of the event here and here.

Event Looks

Event: An Evening of Fashionable Fun
Where: Neiman Marcus in Mazza Gallerie
What I Wore: Nic's Picks Vintage Black Sequin Jacket, Old Navy Vintage Style Tee, New Look Inspire via ASOS Curve Jeans, Lane Bryant Two Tone Heels, Thrifted Bag, Michael Kors Watch
Event Summary: Makeda of The Glamazon Diaries hooked up with Neiman Marcus to showcase the hottest Spring/Summer shoe trends in flats, heels and wedges. There was also a raffle draw and my blogging buddy, Brea, won herself a brand new pair of sequin Toms. Afterwards, Brea and I hit up Pete's New Haven Style Pizza within the area. We didn't eat pizza, though. Had ourselves some pasta and it was oh so good.

(l-r) me, Brea, Makeda and Kate

To view more of this event click here.

Event: Swap in the City
Where: 1776
What I Wore: ASOS Curve Dress, Avenue Wedges, Thrifted Bag, Gifted Necklace, Avenue Bracelets, ASOS Curve Belt, Michael Kors Watch
Event Summary: I left my house on time but still managed to get to this event late cause of DC's insane traffic. Amazing. Anywho, I had a good time at the DewDrop DC x Snopswap event. This time around the swap focused on designer wears. There was also a fashion presentation, fashion show and numerous pop-up shops. And, of course, food and drinks. This event benefited the work of Becky's Fund, a non-profit organization who's mission is to bring awareness to domestic violence and establish prevention-based educational programs to counter domestic violence.

(l-r) Kristine of DewDropLLC, Julie Donaldson of Comcast Sports and Becky of Becky's Fund

To view more of this event, including the fashion show, click here.

Yours/Mine Secondhand Shopping Soiree '13

I had the opportunity to be a vendor at the Yours/Mine Secondhand Shopping Soiree (YMSSS) held at the Courtyard Marriott here in DC. It was my first time holding such a title and I was a little bit nervous. But seeing familiar faces all around me including Stania (the event's stylist), Nic and Kizzy (who was vending right next to me), helped calm the nerves. But then it got heighten again when the Paypal reader decided not to work. Luckily, my sister was there to calm me down and gently tell me that I can punch in the card number instead. Whew (It was an extra fee whew but still, whew). I did pretty good in terms of sales. And a lot of folks asked me if I had an online store. I mean, I am thinking of adding a page on my blog to sell off the remaining items. We shall see.

My table.
The clothing rack I bought gave me such a headache. (Hence why it's leaning up against the corner like that.)
Need to search for a more durable kind for next time. 

Standing with the lady of the hour and the creator of YMSSS, Patrice.
I wanted to be comfortable for the 6+ hours I was there so I went with my trusty maxi dress from ASOS Curve.

A customer trying on one of my blazers.
She wasn't quick enough to purchase because someone else copped it!

I just liked this attendee's look.

To view more from this event click here.

Something Old to Something New

Thank goodness for the weather the DC area had last week cause I don't what the hell has been going on this week. I really want my Spring season. I really do. I'm fearful that Mother Nature is gonna play a cruel joke on me which will turn me into an unhappy camper and forgo Spring to jump straight ahead into Summer. That will murk my soul. Truly. I'm on team #EffSummerTho. It may be only ten of us on that team but we stand strong, yo. I can't stand Summer weather. The heat and the humidity and the HEAT and the HUMIDITY. Just naaah all around. *le sigh*

Anywho, like I was saying. The weather we experienced last week (specifically last Thursday when I took these photos) was just beautiful. I wanted to step outside my comfort zone a wee bit and rock something sleeveless to go along with one of my favorite thrifted skirt (Which has been seen on this blog before. Click here for proof). At first I was gonna rock the Old Navy vest as a...well, as a vest (The tan version has appeared a couple of times on the blog. Click here and here.). So that meant wearing a sleeveless top inside. Then I decided, no, let me try something different with this vest. So I zipped it all the way up, donned a statement necklace underneath the 'collar' and tucked in the vest into the skirt. Voila. The vest has now become a top.

I wanna take this opportunity to thank you for stopping by my blog. It's been a while since I've done that so...there it is. I am truly grateful and appreciative and just thankful. It means the world to me.

Vest (worn as a top): Old Navy, Skirt/Bag/Belt: thrift, Wedges: Torrid
Necklace: Aldo, Watch: Michael Kors, Bangles: Avenue, Shades: Target

photography c/o Bisi

*waves*

UncommonGoods

Usually around this time of the year we get invited to a bunch of parties to celebrate a high school graduate, college graduate, grad school...graduate, etc achievement(s). Don't forget the pre-wedding parties and the wedding receptions and the baby showers. I mean, that's what Spring/Summer is for, no? For a lot of folks, myself included, thinking about the upcoming events that will eventually turn into you deciding on what to buy and where to buy and how much to spend on said gift can become quite the drag. It comes to a point that we default to the easiest gift choice out there - gift cards. I know I do. You feel slightly guilty but, hey, you know the celebrant could never pass up on a gift card to their favorite store/restaurant. It is what it is.

For those that do enjoy giving a gift that can be personal, thoughtful and meaningful to that special celebrant, can I kindly suggest to you UncommonGoods? "What is a UncommonGoods?", you ask. Well, let me tell you. UncommonGoods is an online marketplace that offers creative and high-quality merchandise at affordable prices. The cool thing about this site is that it promotes artists and designers by not only selling their products but highlighting their stories throughout the website and their print catalog. Also, UncommonGoods stock a lot of handmade items.

When I tell you that I damn near spent 2 hours browsing through UncommonGoods...not a game. This site is amazing. So many cute and unique and different items that will have you smiling throughout the day. I mean great gift ideas for the ladies (Mother's Day is coming up so check out gift options here), men (...And Father's Day. Check out gift options here) and the little ones (Baby showers, remember? Check out gift options here). Plus those looking for great deals at great prices. It's all here.

I got a chance to do a review for a couple of products. My sight was set on the Skyline Wooden Routing. Even though I adore the cities of Chicago and San Fran, my heart really wanted a DC frame. Unfortunately, it's not available. Bummer. BUT I did find two other items that warmed me heart:

(pic of Gummy Bear Lights in Purple here)
#SqueezeMyTummy
At first I planned to keep this for myself because I'm a big kid at heart I love the color purple.
Then I was like, nah, let me dash it to my friend's kid.

(pic of Sushi Slippers in L/XL here)
I'm pretty sure my onesie from ASOS and these super plush  slippers are just an awesome combo.
You can't convince me otherwise.

UncommonGoods is a site that appeals to all. Go and get you some.