LoveBrownSugar Chic: Mellow Yellow

And suddenly it feels like Spring. Yesterday I was piling on two layers and a knit scarf. Today I'm rocking open-toe shoes. Whatever this is, I'm rolling with it...

Bright colors put a personal stamp on beautiful days like this. I wouldn't exactly call this color-blocking but it's definitely bursting with Skittles potential. Taste the rainbow.

This powder blue bag I snagged c/o Handbag Heaven is back in the rotation now that the weather has peaked. I've also added some new arm candy to the mix.

These are my red Zara beauties that I purchased back in February. I first wore them in this LBS in LA post. They're the perfect color and surprisingly very comfy.

Juliet & Company sent me this beautiful Reine de la Nuit necklace ($80.00) - such an amazing statement piece. I fell in love with all their pieces - you guys should definitely check them out for affordable statement jewels.

The cropped jeans are c/o Silver Jeans Co - remember the Style Wars challenge I did back in February? They are SO comfortable and they're available in the Extended size section, so available for straight and plus size fashionistas.

I went for turquoise & gold-glazed eyes via Urban Decay Ammo Palette and my favorite red lip - Mac Ruby Woo.

So ecstatic Spring is finally here. Enjoying it while I can!

Top: Forever 21 | Jeans c/o Silver Jeans Co ($67.99) | Shoes: Zara | Bag c/o Handbag Heaven | Necklace c/o Juliet & Company | Bangles: Forever 21 + Street Vendor | Watch c/o Caravelle by Bulova

Get The Look:

Instaweek 4.8.13

Happy Monday guys! I don't know about you, but I'm in a damn good mood because finally the weather has peaked here in NYC and it is above 60 degrees! Let the church say Amen. Anyway, here's my weekly Instagram recap:

My girls Janelle and Jill

Two of my absolute favorite music artists have both found themselves on the covers of my fave magazines - Jill Scott in Ebony and Janelle Monae in Essence this month. It is a rare occasion that I'm clamoring to the newsstand to pick up two must-have issues. For me, these ladies are the epitome of class and artistic talent combined. They have both made a conscious decision not to sacrifice themselves or their art for this business. They make women like myself embrace our differences with pride. And they also have a thirst for life that really shines through their music.

Spring Is In The Fingertips

It's officially spring! Not only am I excited that the weather is finally above 50 degrees but I'm ecstatic about the fun nail art ideas I can now experiment with. I attended a nail art and fashion event at the French Connection store in SoHo, sponsored by nail lacquer brand Ginger & Liz. They did really fun floral designs for all the guests. Not to mention, the French Connection SS13 collection is amaze. Such a great night!

Coachella

It's official guys! I'm headed to the Coachella Music Festival in partnership with Indique Hair. I'll be out there in my cutoffs and crop top snapping street style pics, Instagramming my life away and doing interviews while vibing to indie tunes - I can't wait! I've been trying to get out to Coachella for two years now. So happy to finally be attending and experiencing it for the first time. Started from the bottom now we here! *hits my dougie*

Growth

This weekend I stumbled on some old pics of Solange back in 2009 when she first made a natural hair statement by chopping off her long locks and opting for a TWA. Back then there were so many critics - myself included. I'll admit it, I was totally shocked by her new look. I thought it was a cry for attention! But little by little as I started to report on her red carpet appearances and I witnessed how confident she was with her bold new look, I fell in love with it. Just a few weeks before I started my tenure at Honey Magazine, they were the first publication to shoot Solange's new look. I started there, super proud to be part of a staff that was on the cusp of trendsetters and statement-makers like Solo. And similar to her TWA, I've grown so much since then! It's almost like I started my journey to true self-discovery at the same time she cut her hair. So this shoot will always remind me of that pivotal time in my life.

What about you? Is there a pop culture event or celebrity news story of the past that reminds you of a pivotal time in your life? Share your experience below!

(oh and follow the kid on Instagram @LoveBrownSugar)

LBS Giveaway: Anu Essentials

Happy Friday guys! Product junkies, get your purses ready - there's a new natural hair care line that's a must-buy. Anu Essentials, founded by natural hairstylist and salon owner of Khamit Kinks, Anu Prestonia. We blogged about the launch event back in January when Gracie J attended and had a blast celebrating the new collection.

Now that I've had some time to actually try the products out - in love! Not only are they all-natural but they have a fresh clean scent, they're multi-purpose (like the oil being great for hair & skin) and they're gentle on hair. 

Related: Kickin' It: Anu Essentials Launch Event 

The three products from the collection that I tried out recently were the Nourishing Cleansing Gel Shampoo, the Moisture Rich Conditioner and the Golden Blossom Hair Oil.

The Nourishing Cleansing Gel shampoo was great as a gentle, yet clarifying cleaning agent for my hair. I normally just co-wash with conditioner, but every few weeks I do a full shampoo to get rid of product build-up. I thought this one was great.

I also really loved the Moisture Rich conditioner as a detangling product. It has great slip! I'm a huge fan of natural oils so I really enjoyed the Golden Blossom Oil. It smells amazing and can be used to deep condition your strands, to moisturize your scalp, or just to seal in moisture after applying a leave-in.

Though I haven't tried the stylers in the collection yet, the hair care products were spot on. After washing and conditioning my hair with the products, I did a braidout and it turned out glorious. Having fresh clean hair and sealing it in moisture with an oil makes such a difference in the luster of my curls. Great product line! 

Because I love it so much, I'm giving one of you lucky readers a collection of Anu Essentials products. Just follow the rules below!

Rules

1. You must be following LoveBrownSugar on Facebook and/or Twitter to be eligible.
2. You must be a fan of Anu Essentials on Facebook to be eligible.
3. For bonus entry, tweet @LoveBrownSugar @AnuEssentials with a link to this post OR Leave a comment in the section below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck!

Style Play Polish: Mondrian-Inspired Nail Art

We can all derive some pretty cool nail inspirations from all over, but what better inspiration than traditional art itself? Spring is already here and just as we switch up our wardrobe to coincide with the warmer seasons, our nails need the same love. With this Style Play Polish segment, we were inspired by Piet Mondrian's Composition pieces, with a LoveBrownSugar twist of course:

What you will need:

• A white polish (Essie in Blanc)
• 3-4 spring colors of your choice (Pure Ice Home Run, After Hours, Butter London Cheeky Chops)
• Black liner (Sally Hansen Nail Art Pen)
• Base Coat (Butter London Nail Foundation)
• Top Coat (Butter London Quickdry Topcoat)

Step 1: Always apply a base coat first. Applying a base coat not only makes your polish last longer, but it also protects your nails from discoloration and keeps them healthy.

Step 2: You're going to start out by painting all your nails white. The white nail polish will help the colors stand out by revealing their true color.

We used Essie in Blanc ($8.00). It gives a great opaque finish.

Step 3: Using your selected colors, create box like designs of different sizes. We started with Pure Ice in Home Run ($1.99)

For the second box, we used Butter London Cheeky Chops. Don't worry about mistakes or overlapping, the black polish in the next step will cancel out any errors.

Here we are at 3 colors. We're adding one more in for good measure.

We finished up the look with Pure Ice in After Hours.

Step 4: After you have created your boxes, use the black detail polish brush to separate or "box out" the colors where they meet.

It should look something like this. The lines don't have to be perfect but they should line the outsides of each box completely.

Step 5: After you have done lining the boxes and the paint is slightly dried, apply a top coat to seal in your design.

These 5 simple steps literally take less than 15 minutes altogether.

Try this cute spring look and don't forget to share it with us @LoveBrownSugar on Instagram or on the LoveBrownSugar Facebook page.

- Gracie J

Cover Girls: Janelle Monae for Essence Magazine

My favorite ATLien songbird Janelle Monae graces the cover of Essence Magazine's May 2013 issue. In her feature, the flawless beauty discusses her decision to be unique, why she refuses to flaunt too much skin, and her definition of true beauty.

About her unique style:

“I made a decision to be unique [...] I like skirts and dresses just like everyone else, but I had a message I needed to put out there. It was up to me to show people and young girls there was another way.”

[I wanted to] “…redefine what it means to be sexy and what it means to be a woman. Showing my skin is not what makes me sexy [...] People don’t ask Jay-Z to take his shirt off when he rhymes.”

Related: NEWS: Janelle Monae is the New COVERGIRL

About what she considers beautiful:

“I love givers. I love when I find out that someone's given. I think people who give and give their time are some of the most beautiful people that I know.”


Take a look at the behind-the-scenes video over at Essence.com for more quotes and a sneak peek at her glam outfits.

What do you think about Janelle Monae's stance on not showing skin? Do you agree?

Source: Essence.com

LoveBrownSugar Chic: Easy Being Green

I'm the type of girl who rolls out of bed on a Saturday and throws on a pair of leggings and a sweater with no regrets. Weekends are my "me" time, so when heading out for weekend brunch or grocery strolls, I like to be comfortable. So it's imperative for me to find statement pieces that are both stylish and comfortable. *thanks the fashion gods for sneaker wedges*

This collarless tweed coat was sent to me by the lovely folks of Simply Be (now $139.00 on sale!). I've been proudly wearing it all season. 

I'm obsessed with leather-sleeved jackets and this one has a great classic shape. It adds instant glam to any outfit. The H&M sneaker-wedges from this post are still going heavy in the rotation. They're so comfortable. I can tell I'll be living in sneaker-wedges this spring.

A peek of neon adds a dimension of color-blocking to the mix.

I topped off the look with my vintage leather shoulder bag. I think I paid something like $7 for this purse. I love thrifting. Once upon a time, I posted a Guide To Thrifting Trends and dished on some of my thrift store secrets. I've been at this thrifting game since Junior High. Practically a pro now!

The makeup this day was minimal. Just a brush of gold on the eyelids, and a nude lippie.

Coat c/o Simply Be ($139.00 on sale!) | Sweater: H&M (similar here) | Leggings: Old Navy | Sneakers: H&M (similar here) | Bag: Vintage | Necklace & Ring: Street Vendor

What are some of your "effortless chic" go-to pieces? Dish in the comments section!

Cover Girls: Jill Scott Covers EBONY Magazine

Jill Scott (also know as my twin) covers the May issue of EBONY Magazine with her adorable son Jett in their motherhood-themed issue. BlogHer has the exclusive scoop on the cover story. Apparently Jill opens up about life as a single mother, finding personal time and her love for her 3-year old boy.

Here are a few snippets from the interview:

Jill on motherhood: 

"Motherhood is getting your hands and your feet in the soil…When Jett puts my face in his hands and tells me, 'Mommy you're so pretty' or smells me, it's so wonderful."

Jill on being a single-mom:

"That I-can-do-it-by-myself mentality is a lie. I'm sorry if I hurt anybody's feelings, but you cannot do it all by yourself. You need a village: some aunties, grandmoms, friends. I couldn't do this by myself and would be a fool to think I could."

Love how candid Jill is about her role as a mother - can't wait to uncover the new issue! For more quotes from the article, head to BlogHer for a sneak peek.

The May issue of EBONY Magazine will be available on newsstands April 16th.

Instaweek 4.1.13

Happy April everyone! The beginning of the month always feels like a fresh new start for me. A chance to take on new challenges and push myself further. We're now in the second quarter of the year. Is this real? 2013 is breezing by! Here's some of the fun I got into last week:

Mondrian Inspired

I've never been a huge art buff, but there are a few historic pieces that I can call my faves. Last week, myself and the LBS resident nail aficianado Gracie were inspired by artist Piet Mondrian. My absolute favorite ring from Yumnah Najah is inspired by his work. Tomorrow's Style Play Polish will be the Mondrian nails you see on the left above. Looks difficult, but I promise it's easier than it looks!

Now imagine my delight when 3 days after shooting the tutorial, I went to the MoMA for a date and ran into Piet Mondrian's pieces up close. Clearly, it was meant to be.

Raving for Rachel Roy

You guys know how obsessed I am with Rachel Roy. This season, Rachel didn't have a traditional presentation but instead showcased her collection with a digital runway show that broadcast on Facebook during NYFW. So this season, the Rachel Roy team invited me to their showroom for a nice preview of her fall collections and boy was I in heaven. A review of the entire collection - including Rachel Roy, RACHEL Rachel Roy and accessories coming later this week!

Travel & Leisure

I have big travel news coming soon! I can't go into detail yet, but your girl will be vibing to indie tunes and snapping festival street style this month at the Coachella Music Festival! I'm beyond excited. More deets to come!

The Curl Update

Cece's Curls are doing well. They were starting to get on my nerves last week, so I had to calm them down with a little TLC. I've been experimenting with puffs & twistouts and using different products. I've announced the winner of the Karen's Body Beautiful giveaway so take a look and see if you won! This Friday, stay tuned for a giveaway with new natural haircare brand Anu Essentials.

Have an awesome week!