2013 BET Awards: The Big Day

Ford Motor Company sent me to the #FordHotSpot to cover the activities in their social media lounge at the 2013 BET Awards. All opinions expressed herein are solely my own and not those of the company.

9:00AM - Preparing For The Awards

So early in the morning, it dawned on me that the ASOS dresses I told you guys about in my prep day post alas were not going to make it to me in time for the BET Awards. They were to be sent overnight and sadly didn't make it to LA in time. Thankfully, I ALWAYS have a plan B, C and D and I had a few different options with me to choose from for the red carpet.

I opted for this Bar III dress (on sale for $40.99) from Macy's which was a beautiful shade of yellow, complimented my skin well and also was a great fit for my body type.

Hair: Pin Curls

So, for the sweet & sexy look I opted for a head full of bouncy curls. I tamed my natural curls with a John Frieda by Conair flat iron and a RED by Kiss curling wand. I then proceeded to use the curling wand on my extensions as well.

My super simple product arsenal! I never put heat on my hair without first using a heat-protecting oil. I really love the Ouidad Salon Series Mongogo Oil spray. It's really light, smells amazing and protects my hair from intense heat. I also used hair pins to hold the curls in place and let them set. And I used a cheapie firm holding spray from Suave that I snagged at the pharmacy last-minute.

I just used the flat iron to straighten out my natural curls on top and so they would blend seamlessly with my extensions. Then, I used the curl wand all around my head for perfect rounded wave/ringlets.

All curled and pinned up! Next up was DIY stiletto nails.

Nails: DIY Stiletto Nails

So I found this super simple YouTube tutorial on DIY stiletto nails. Instead of spending a ton of money at the salon, I opted for the DIY route with KISS press-on nails in 'Active Oval".

All I did was apply the nails, and then shape them into the pointed stiletto shape I desired. I then opted for simple black polish (Maybelline Color Show in Onyx) with a white cross design.

1:00PM - Arrival at the Red Carpet

Voila! The final product: Dress courtesy Bar III. Shoes by Zara. Vintage clutch. Necklace by H&M. Ring courtesy Glitterrings.

3:00PM Ford Gives Back

As part of Ford's initiatives to give back, they gave one lucky viewer the opportunity to win a VIP Experience at the 2013 BET Awards as part of Ford’s “Rolling With Ford AND The BET Awards Contest.” Byron (on the right), the winner of the contest, took part in a VIP Experience during this year’s awards show and also appeared live during the “106 & Park” BET Awards Pre-Show in which Shawn Thompson (head of Multicultural Marketing at Ford) gifted him with a brand new Ford car! So amazing.

Congrats to Byron! Nothing like a taking home a brand new car to make you warm & fuzzy inside.

4:00PM - Red Carpet Arrivals

We ran into quite a few celebs on the red carpet. Everyone looked fab (some more chic than others) and everyone seemed to be in a pleasant mood in anticipation of the the show starting.

Over at the Ford Hotspot, Toccara interviewed celebs like Jamie Foxx, Angela Bassett, Gabrielle Douglas and more.

Check out a few of my Instagram pics from the weekend:

I had an absolutely fab time out in LA for the BET Awards. Special thanks to Ford for hosting me for the weekend, and for always inspiring me to "Go Further". This time last year I was in awe that the very awards show that I started my blog around back in 2009 was hosting me nearly 3 years later. I'm still in awe at how much I've accomplished, and companies like Ford make it possible for little ole bloggers like me to see our dreams come true. So I have to thank them for that.

And thank YOU guys for following my journey. None of this would ever be possible without your support! Love ya!

2013 BET Awards: The Ford Hotspot

Ford Motor Company sent me to the #FordHotSpot to cover the activities in their social media lounge at the 2013 BET Awards. All opinions expressed herein are solely my own and not those of the company.

After a whirlwind last-minute packing spree and a 6 hour flight from NYC to LA, on Saturday I finally touched down in LA. After being picked up by a super-cure pastel colored 2013 Ford Fusion from LAX, it was straight to the J.W. Marriott L.A. Live to prep for the Ford Hotspot.

My chic ride from the airport - the 2013 Ford Fusion

After arriving at the hotel, it was straight to the Ford Hotspot to chat it up with celebs stopping through. I picked up my press credentials and went straight to the lounge.

Upon arriving, I spotted hostess Toccara interviewing different celebrities test driving the brand new 2013 Ford Fusion on display. She looks great, right? Go girl!

Ford Hotspot hostess Toccara

So many celebs stopped in to check us out at the Ford Hotspot. Everyone from Elle Varner to Tamar Braxton, Adrienne Bailon, Letoya Luckett, Michelle Williams, Janelle Monae and more!

I was beyond excited to be a mainstay at the lounge for the second year in a row. Each blogger had their own special table for conducting interviews and lounging with the hotspot guests.

I managed to grab a pic with former 3LW member and reality star Adrienne Bailon.

Also, BET Award nominee Elle Varner's curls gave me so much life. Love her!

I had a blast at the Ford Hotspot on Saturday. Promptly after leaving the hotspot, we headed off for dinner with the Ford team and then to get some rest in preparation for the 2013 BET Awards day.

Stay tuned for a recap of all that I got into at the 2013 BET Awards!

2013 BET Awards: Prep Day

Happy Friday guys! I'm back from a week-long hiatus. Things have been super crazy as I'm prepping for a slew of travel this upcoming month. So hectic that I almost forgot to check in and share my BIG NEWS!

I'm pleased to announce that for the second year, I will be heading out to LA for the 2013 BET Awards courtesy of Ford Motor Company. I will be live-tweeting, blogging and socializing as a correspondent in their #FordHotspot backstage at the BET Awards yet again. I cannot wait to get in on the live action. As I did last year with my Road to BET series, I'll be keeping you guys up to date with live celebrity pics, red carpet updates and more from LA. If you follow me @LoveBrownSugar with the hashtags #FordHotspot and #fordand you'll be able to see everything surrounding and leading up to Sunday's awards.

Last year, I met everyone from Elle Varner to Common to Boris Kodjo and more! I'm beyond excited. Part of me hopes I catch a Beyonce sighting. Cross your fingers for me y'all. Blue Ivy here I come.

With less than 24 hours until I touch down in LA, I'm on a mad dash to find an amazing dress (ASOS has a few options for me, pick out a glam nail look (headed to the salon to find something chic now), lay this head of hair and PACK!

Here are some dresses I'm choosing between for the weekend:

ASOS Curve Mini Dress | ASOS Skater Dress | ASOS Asymmetrical Ruffle Dress

I'm in love with all three, but I need to see them on me before deciding. Thoughts?

And I think I'm going to try out Stiletto nails for the first time:

Which of these styles do you think I should try - Graphic Print, Solid Color Neon or Half Moon?

Thoughts on these options? Leave a comment below or holler at me in social @LoveBrownSugar and tell me your picks!

Missed me at the Ford Hotspot last year? Check out my video debut with everything you need to know about the #FordHotspot (look for me at the 1:30 mark):

Celeb-Spotting at the BET Awards Ford Hotspot

So I told you guys all about my red carpet run-ins yesterday, but the real celeb spotting took place at the Ford Hotspot backstage, complete with the 2013 Ford Fusion as a centerpiece. Take a peek at all the amazing people I met and a few I interviewed:

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Kickin' It: 2012 BET Awards

Yesterday I had the plesure of attending the 2012 BET Awards as an exclusive media guest of Ford. From conducting interviews on the red carpet, to snapping shots inside the Ford Hotspot backstage, I had an amazing time covering the event. Here's a recap:
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Tamar Braxton at the 2012 BET Awards

Looking fab in a local Atlanta design and Louboutin heels.

Road To BET Awards: The Big Day

 If you guys are following along on Twitter or Instagram, you probably saw me updating all the BET Awards - Ford Hotspot action live yesterday. I'm having so much fun! Between meeting celebrities at the Ford Hotspot, to shuttling around LA in the 2013 Ford Escape to meeting Usher (I nearly fainted), it's been an amazing time so far. I finally figured out how to live-blog directly to the site so today on the red carpet I'll be updating the site every hour so you guys can see the action straight from the source. In the mean time, here's a brief recap of what I got into yesterday:

I arrived at the Ford Hotspot around 2PM yesterday. Immediately I was greeted by the lovely ANTM finalist and model/correspondent Toccara.

Can I say how PROUD I am of Toccara? From being the first plus-sized finalist on ANTM to now being a reality show star and TV host, she's definitely proving that big girls do it better. Love her!

She showed me her faboosh nails. So gorge!

I have my own little VIP table at the Ford Hotspot. Felt so special!

The 2013 Ford Fusion is the main attraction at the Ford Hotspot. Isn't this chic? I would not mind giving this baby a test drive. Ford will be giving one of these cars AWAY during the BET Awards Pre-Show with 106 & Park. You can register to win at www.bet.com/brandnewescape - it could be you! Don't say I didn't tell you...

Toccara chatted it up with all the stars. Above she's with Nadine Ellis of BET's series "Let's Stay Together"

With Tank, who I randomly ran into at LAX earlier that morning. 

Here I am with cutesy boy band Mindless Behavior. They are so adorable!

 And with Elle Varner, who has an awesome head of curls and a killer voice. Can't wait to see what her stylist Wouri Vice will have her clad in tonight.

We got to meet R&B crooner and producer Usher! Omg I nearly fainted!

And here's a group picture of Toccara with the Ford Hotspot bloggers once we were off duty - EURWeb and TalkingWithTami.com.

 That's my quickie update for now! I'm in the midst of choosing a dress and getting my makeup done so I'll catch you guys later. Don't forget to follow me on Twitter and right HERE on the blog for my live-blog of the red carpet at 1PM PST/4PM EST!

Who are you looking forward to seeing on the carpet??

Live From The Ford Hotspot

Guess who just figured out how to blog live from the BET Awards?? Yay! Keep it locked for updates LIVE from the Ford Hotspot.

Road to BET Awards: Day 4

I'm in LA yall! It's officially the day before the BET Awards and I've finally landed in the Sunshine State. Right now I'm getting ready to head over to the Shrine Auditorium but not without a quick update about my crazy day yesterday. So, despite being incredibly annoyed with ASOS for not shipping my other dress options (major fail), I focused on getting my hair and nails done in preparation for the big day. Here's a brief recap:

So yesterday I finally went to the Dana's Loft salon in the Lower East Side and got my hair "laid" by celebrity stylist and salon owner Dana Gibbs. I showed her my inspiration pictures from this post and told her that I wanted big beautiful curls with ombre hair.

She started out by washing and blow-drying my hair. She blew out my hair in twists then started to braid it up for the extensions install. To achieve the color, Dana lifted the hair with bleach and kept it just light enough for my liking.

 Here's me with Dana after she was complete. 

 Stay tuned for a full video of the whole process - coming soon!

Next I went uptown to celebrity manicurist Lisa Logan's salon for a minx session. Yes, guys. The same manicurist who does Beyonce's nails! And who put Minx nails on the map. I was BEYOND excited, and she did an amazing job. We picked a tribal print pattern from her newest exclusive collection with Minx. More details on that coming in a follow up post!

 I know this post is short & sweet but I promise to post a follow up with more detail, pics, etc! Running short on time so keep up with my 2012 BET Awards x Ford Hotspot shenanigans on Twitter @LoveBrownSugar and on Instagram!

I'll be tweeting live from the #FordHotSpot - feel free to send me questions for your fave celebs if you see me snap pics of them!

Road to BET Awards: Day 1

It's official guys! I've been granted the opportunity to fly out to LA and cover the 2012 BET Awards!! I am BEYOND excited. One, because this will be my first time in LA and two, because my very first post EVER on LoveBrownSugar.com was about the BET Awards! That was end of June 2009. Now, on the eve of my site's 3 Year Anniversary, I'll be soaking up the action in real time. Crazy how in 3 years time things have come full circle! Instead of yapping about the red carpet fashions from my computer screen, I'll be tweeting them live from LA!

I'm partnering up with motor company Ford  to live-tweet straight from their Ford Hot Spot at the BET Awards. Make sure you follow along on Twitter with the hashtag #FordHotSpot as myself and other  folks will be snapping red carpet pics, doing interviews with the stars, and soacking up all the action from the Ford suite. In addition to all that amazingness, Ford is giving one BET viewer the opportunity to win a brand new 2013 Ford Escape and $1,000 in cash. Yes, y'all. Someone is winning a car!

Ok now for the dilemma...what am I going to wear???!

So I've narrowed down a few options for hair, nails and for red carpet looks. Here's what I'm planning...

The Hair: Big Honey-Dipped Curls

Ok so don't freak out! I'm not dying my hair blond or anything, but I am FINALLY experimenting with color. I've been yearning to play around with the ombre hair trend, so I figured my "trip to Hollywood" would be the best time to try it. Instead of dying my own strands (I'm terrified of color damage!), Dana Gibbs of the Dana's Loft Salon is installing extensions for me that will allow me to play around with color and texture. I'm getting my hair "laid" on Friday - can't wait! I'll be using the Kinky-Curly textured hair from True Indian Hair. Remember when I did the Milkmaid Braid tutorial? It's the same hair - super luxe. This time I may get a bang in the front. We'll see!

The Nails: Glitter, Tribal or Animal?

Pics courtesy Pinterest

So I'm still undecided about which nail look I'm going for. I'm leaning more towards the "graphic glitter" look on the left but I'm open. Thoughts? Suggestions? Hit me in the comments.

The Shoe: Neutral-Neon Combo

I'm still undecided about what shoe I'd like, but I know I want it to be a neutral, platform with some amazing pop of color or intricate design. Nothing like a statement shoe! Which of these is your fave?

The Dress: Floral, Neon or Little Black Dress?

So I'm still completely undecided about the type of dress I want to rock. For me, it's between a bold tribal or floral print, a bright neon A-line look, or a little black dress. What's a girl to do? All the above dresses are from ASOS.

I need your help! Give me some suggestions in the comments section. I only have 3 days to decide! Feel free to tweet me @LoveBrownSugar with your suggestions too!