Brooklyn Avenue Journal

Video Tutorial: Get Ready With Me!

Christina — Sun, 12 May 2013 08:41:05 +0000

Dress: Forever21.com
Purse: Louis Vuitton Speedy 35 (Forum Shops Las Vegas Caesars Palace ) for prices check out louisvuitton.com
Earrings: Aldo
Necklace: AldoHair: Princess Hair Shop
Malaysian Curly 4 bundles 18,20,22,24
Products used:
Two Sided Brush: Ulta.com
Flat Iron: Jilbere Paris Titanium Tools (Sally’s Beauty Supply Store)
Curling Iron 1 Inch: Power IQ ( Sally’s beauty supply store)
Makeup Products:
Face Primer: IMAN Time Control
Foundation: Maybelline Dream Nude Airfoam (Target)
Blush: MAC Raizin
Eyebrow pencil: MAC Stud
Concealer: MAC Mineralize Concealer NW45 (under eye and eyebrows)
Lipstick: Endless Raisin Maybelline 14 hr stay
Lipgloss: IMAN Copper Tone
Eyeshadow Pallete: MILANI ABSTRACT
SIGMA BRUSHES USED ON THE EYES

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Street Style: 5 Fashion Bloggers You Should Know About

Christina — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 22:40:52 +0000

#1. Nusophisticate

Name: Jillian

Style: Sexy Conservative

Why You’ll Love Her Blog:

Jillian is an attorney, so one would expect that she spends long nights at the office, but she has an impeccable ability to turn her conservative day wear into a sexy night look just by changing a few elements.

Check her out at Nusophisticate.

5 Inspiring Life Lessons From Designer Melody Ehsani

Christina — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 00:53:42 +0000

Her name is Melody Ehsani.

The world knows her as the woman who’s eccentric designs took the fashion world by storm in 2006 with a stiletto and sneaker collection that would later expand into the accessory line that solidified her name in the world of fashionistas.

Six years have passed and the Melody Ehsani reign just won’t stop.

As much as women love to rock an Ehsani design, few people realize that Melody took a huge risk and abruptly changed the course of her life to bring us the designs that made her a staple in the fashion world.

Before creating her first collection, Melody was well on her way to a career as a lawyer. Against the advice of her family and with no experience in product design, she dropped out of law school to follow her dream. Needless to say -it worked…and we’ve gathered 5 lessons we can all learn from life in her own words.

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Triumphant Through Tragedy: A Story of Living, Love & Loss

Sheila — Sat, 09 Feb 2013 21:07:51 +0000

Imagine your worst day ever. One of your children gets hurt, or maybe your husband calmly says after dinner one evening he wants a divorce. Both of these scenarios are awful to think about, but what is even worse is watching all of your possessions you and your husband worked so hard for go up in flames. Sometimes I would have a list of things I wanted to purchase for the house and I would review it every week. My mother says that is a trait I inherited from my father. He was a teacher with a very busy schedule who would make lists for EVERYTHING. His big yellow legal pad was never far from his side. Countless hours spent on the job seemed tolerable, with anticipation of that final reward: the paycheck. The household bills always came first on the list and then I got to “play” with whatever was left. Then one day it all goes up in smoke.

As the old saying goes “No one ever promised you a rose garden.” That was foremost in my thoughts as I watched our home, our possessions, our LIFE go up in flames.

My husband and I were a typical middle class couple. We married young right out of high school, and started our family soon after. In the years that followed, we worked hard at our respective jobs, he as a machinist, and I as a retail salesperson and early childhood education teacher. We were in pursuit of “The American Dream.”

We did okay for a couple of kids a few years out of high school. We managed to purchase our own home before we were thirty, and in between work and the children’s various activities we were very happy. As a child, I dreamed of being a juvenile detention office, a lawyer, and especially an interior designer. I found that becoming a wife allowed me to express the latter without reservation. I loved it!!! Even though we had achieved our dreams of owning a home, our inexperience about financial matters coupled with our immaturity proved to be too much. Fights became a daily occurrence. Shouting matches and eventually physical altercations became normal. Our marital troubles eventually caused us to separate, and our home was the casualty of our “domestic war.”

Living apart from my marriage was a new experience for me. Having married just a month after receiving my diploma, living independently was not something I had ever done. Five years passed. As fate would have it, we reconciled.We embarked upon a brand new start. While we were apart he had regressed into “bachelor mode.” His furnishings consisted of a mattress on the floor with no bed-frame, and clothes scattered everywhere.

My being a typical woman, I saw this as an opportunity to shop. Things were bland and uninspiring, and my goal was to bring life back to our dwelling. I spent hours trying to find the perfect rug, just the right recliner for that special corner, and LOTS and LOTS of plants for warmth. No one really cared about the décor (I thought) as long as the television and the phone worked…..and then came the fire. My shopping was not limited to just home furnishings. I also loved to shop for myself. Scarves of various colors and textures along with shoes were my favorite items.

The night before I was ill from having eaten too many raw vegetables. Ironically, I had eaten what I called my “health food salad.” No one else in my family would eat it. Maybe they knew something I didn’t. I awoke the next day to the worst headache of my life, and nausea became a constant for the next few hours.

I never dreamed I’d awaken to flames shooting from my son’s bedroom. One of our daughters was the first to arise and she was out of the house before the flames became visible. That day is still a blur. It seemed as if I was having the worst nightmare ever, but reality soon set in. My husband and I, and our youngest daughter managed to get out uninjured. Being a teenager, she was adamant about saving her favorite clothes and shoes, and somehow she managed to find a box and proceeded to pack up her things as if it were moving day and not the worst day ever of her young life. Though she was able to save all of her clothing, her most prized possession, her high school diploma was claimed by the inferno.

My possessions were the last thing on my mind. My husband wore uniforms as a city bus driver, and I had my youngest daughter retrieve his clothes from the laundry room. I knew replacing them would take a while since they had to be special ordered, and I didn’t want his job to be in jeopardy. “Tomorrow,” I thought. “I’ll come back tomorrow and gather our clothing and other essentials.” I was grateful for a lot of things, but especially for one of the firemen who kindly retrieved my wedding ring and other jewelry from my bedroom nightstand. I had removed them the night before as I sometimes did, so I could apply my nightly dose of hand cream.

Tomorrow came as it always does, but my plan for the day had changed. I refer to it as the 1st fire and the 2nd fire. During the first fire there was extensive damage to the second floor. There really was no room in my son’s bedroom. The firemen later told us it started in the basement and traveled up to the roof where the flames finally appeared. Due to the time of the year, the weather did not allow us to stay in our home. My husband and I proceeded to a local motel while our daughters stayed with relatives. I remember I had a turkey in the freezer so I grabbed it on the way out. “Our house is ruined,” I thought, but we still have Thanksgiving dinner to look forward to. We were all shaken but glad that no one was hurt. We laid down for the night with the idea of starting early the next day to pick up the pieces of this crisis.

By morning, our worst fears slapped us in the face just like the cold November wind. The fire had rekindled sometime during the night as we slept on the other side of town. The house and most of our possessions were a total loss.

In the days that followed, I was wallowing in my grief, grateful to be alive but agonizing over all the things I had lost. My clothes, some of which were never worn, my shoes, and the bathroom I had just finished redecorating and never got to enjoy. Time passed and as the grief was lifting, I began to realize my life does not depend upon what I owned, rather on how I lived. I still have a penchant for home furnishings, and of course, Macy’s is one of my favorite places. One big difference is things have their proper place now. Strangely enough, one of my greatest life lessons I learned from this tragedy. The greatest treasures are family and the memories we make every day. Those things will always remain.

This story was contributed by Sheila Clark

If you’d like to contribute to Brooklyn Avenue Journal, send your story to contribute@BrooklynAvenueJournal.com

5 Must Follow Pinterest Boards for Hair & Fashion Lovers

Christina — Sun, 20 Jan 2013 12:07:28 +0000

For those of you who aren’t on the Pinterest bandwagon just yet, Pinterest is the place to be for inspiration for all the things women love- Home decor, hair, makeup, fashion- You name it, there’s a pinboard for it. We scoured the Pinterest world for the pinboards we knew every black girl would love, and it was not an easy task….Anyway, they say “a picture is worth a thousand words”, so we’ll let the pictures do the talking. Take a look. (Titles are clickable)

1. Black Girl Style

2. Hair-Makeup-Headwraps-Buns

3. Rihanna Style Pinboard

4.All Natural Everything

5. Black Girls Are Beautiful

Check out our pick of the Top 5 YouTube Hair Tutorials for Sexy Summer Hair. Click HERE.

How She Did It: Cinnamon Bowser on How She Created Mobile Nail Salon, ‘Nail Taxi’

Christina — Sun, 13 Jan 2013 08:20:57 +0000

What’s Her Name?

Cinnamon Bowser

What’s Her Company?

Nail Taxi- A traveling nail salon that makes house calls and provides manicures and pedicures at public & private parties, as well as women’s conferences.

How Much Money She Started With:

$2,000

How She Got The Idea:

“I was at home with my daughter, who was a toddler, and I had a girlfriend who lived about 30 minutes away and I called her one day to check on her and see how she was doing. She told me she really wanted a pedicure before she delivered her third child. I thought about it, and the idea of us loading all of our kids up to go get the service just wasn’t feasible….so I called around, searched the internet, and I couldn’t find anybody who would go to her and perform the service. That’s when the wheels really got going.”

How She Got Started:

“Up until that point, the only thing I knew about nail care was doing my own nails or going to the salon to have them done. The only money I needed to start Nail Taxi was money for the website, which I did myself through Sam’s Club. Sam’s Club had a small business center on their website and one of them was for starting websites. I bought a template for $4.95/month and that’s what I used for the first four-and-a half years of the business.

Of course, as the business grew we had to update the website, but I think people have a tendency to get stuck on things that don’t matter. Of course you need a web presence and it needs to be professional, but build up to the $25,000 website. You don’t have to start there. Don’t let that be an excuse not to launch the business. ”

How She Got Her First Customer:

“There was a woman’s conference that I saw an ad for in a magazine. The conference was coming to town in a couple of weeks and I said to my husband, “That would be really great for Nail Taxi next year.” I sent an email to the conference director right then and there and maybe within 15 minutes she replied and said, “I’m so glad to hear from you. We would love to have you this year.” The conference was three weeks away. I went on a Saturday in May in 2005. I collected names, addresses and emails from the people that came by our suite, and that’s when it took off from there. I was working full time at another job in May, and from that one event, I ended up leaving my job in September to do Nail Taxi full-time.”

How She Grew The Company:

After laying the groundwork, companies were calling me! Eventually I began doing in-store retail events, corporate promotions and even New York Fashion Week. After our initial success, women began calling me to ask how they could open their own Nail Taxi business, so I decided to license the brand. Since then, I’ve overseen grand openings in seven U.S. cities, Canada and the Bahamas.

“In this day in age where people get laid off all the time, there’s no sense of stability. There’s no sense of family at work. I think it’s definitely worth pursuing whatever your passion is and we all have gifts and passions, it’s just a matter of pursuing whatever your ideas are, whatever your dreams are. It’s having the courage to go after them.”

-Cinnamon Bowser

[Source]

How She Did It: Miasha Tells How She “Wrote Her Way Out The Hood” With a Six-Figure Publishing Book Deal On Her First Novel

Christina — Sun, 09 Dec 2012 18:10:08 +0000

What’s Her Name?

Miasha Coleman, 32

What’s Her Occupation?

Jay-Z’s lyrics, “I wrote my way out the hood and I pray that I stay out for good” best describes Miasha. She used her pen as a way out of an environment that incuded a broken home and two crack-addicted parents.

Unlike many first time authors, particularly those of urban literature, Miasha did not have to self-publish her work before getting a deal. Instead, she managed to gain the attention of several major publishing houses, causing a bidding war to ensue. Publishing powerhouse Simon and Schuster was the highest bidder, granting Miasha a six-figure deal.

After she penned her first novel, ‘Secret Society’, Miasha went on to become an Essence Best Selling Author, as well as the first urban-literature author to be featured in Elle Magazine. She’s also been featured across the nation through outlets such as BET, CBS, and The Wendy Williams Experience. She is the author of 7 novels, 6 of which she authored during her first three years in the business, and one of which she adapted into a stage play that sold out on every one it’s tour dates. Miasha is now living her dreams as a best-selling author, wife, and mother of two. Continue reading to find out how she did it.

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How She Did It: Kimberly Tells How She Left Her Corporate Job To Turn Her Side Hustle Into A Full-Time Dream

Christina — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 16:46:01 +0000

What’s Her Name? Kimberly Boyd

What’s Her Company? Luxe Couture Extensions- A luxury hair brand aiming to provide fabulous woman with gorgeous yet economically-friendly priced hair. We specialize in the retail of 100% virgin Remy human hairs imported from India, Eurasia, and Peru. Bringing you the worlds’ most highly sought after hair types; worn by top models and celebrities, at a price you’ll love without sacrificing quality. Get top of the line hair extensions for less. It’s a little something we refer to as affordable luxury.

How Much She Started With: $1,200

How She Got Started: I have always been a business minded person. I started in the corporate world, working my way up the corporate ladder when I was 19 years old. Although I learned so much, what I learned most was, I wanted to be my own boss! But unfortunately, times were hard for my mother, two sisters, and me. Financially we went through a very hard time, and although I was working for one of the nations largest mortgage companies, I along with my older sister were trying to keep our family afloat. I watched my mom, struggle at a miserable job everyday. It added to the frustration that I felt within my own job.

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