Sunday

Rub-a-Dub-Dub!

Lame title, I know, but here's the 2nd part of my adventures at the TN Natural Hair & Wellness Expo!

It's no secret that I'm a huge fan of bath and body products, even more so if they are all natural. The expo was packed to the brim with ladies proving that we can "cook" in the bathroom, too!

First up is Andrea of The Bubble Bistro! I heard many great things about her before I could even find her shop nestled inconspicuously in Midtown. I was ecstatic to see she was on the list of vendors for the event. She's always a pleasure to talk to & her work in unbelievable. She carries products for men & women including bath bombs, body oils and shampoo bars. If you live in Memphis, you've definitely heard the buzz of her products by now. I couldn't resist leaving without a few goodies for my stash!


I snatched up 2 soaps, a scrub & a body butter!! SCORE!

Peeking my curiosity was table featuring Divine Clementines's Dope Soap on a Rope. How could you not love these adorable little soaps! The line is made of four scents: Lavender Goats Milk, Teatree Goats Milk Oatmeal Cookie, Peppermint Goats Milk and Coconut Ylang Ylang. The creator of this line is based out of Atlanta with roots here in Memphis. With true Southern charm, she juggled her line of customers while giving me the back story of how she got started. I scooped up a couple of her heart-shaped soaps for the road & let her get back to business. Her table was selling out fast!


Another Atlanta-based line getting quite a bit of attention at the expo was Miss She Body Cocktails! No doubt that we ladies need a cocktail here & there and here's one you can enjoy without feeling bad. Of course, I was digging for info on how the line of bath teas, body washes, salt scrubs and signature Beurre Mousse came about. Turns out the founder, Shelia Driver, has a background in the Legal field. This former Legal eagle has definitely found her niche here in the world of bath and body products.


Looking back at my goodie bag that I amassed at the show, I'm surprised that I didn't go broke at the expo. I have enough products to last me until the end of the year. The best thing is that everything has a long enough shelf life (when kept out of water) to sustain until I can get around to it. Definitely, a great investment if you keep the schedule I do and love to pamper yourself every once in a while.

I felt this was totally appropriate!

See you later!

Friday

Gimme that!

The other day, I had a tad bit of free time after work and I decided to swing my Anthropologie. This place normally gets me in so much trouble. (Not so) surprisingly, it's not the clothes that I have a hard time resisting. It's the random knick-knacks they sell that I must have. Only in Anthropologie would I feel completely justified in purchasing a $25 notebook. Despite my weakness, I ducked in and quickly fell back into bad habit. I resisted as much as I could by leaving with just a belt. I wore it out on a date last night. (I'll spare you the sad details of that monstrosity!) I can't wait to wear it more!

Here's what caught my eye! Maybe I'll get something with the 15% off birthday card they sent last week.

Don't act like you're surprised that I'd be drooling over a book!

Love this cute dish for keeping up with my rings!

Despite my coffee addiction, I thought this would also work as a cute alternative flower pot!

I have such a weakness for skirts & dresses!
The kangaroo pouch pocket on this Dolce Vita number is a plus!

Though I have been keeping shopping to a minimum for essentials, I did "splurge" a bit on a recent trip to Starbucks. Overall, Beyonce did pretty good with 4. It's taken me a while to like most of the songs. My favorites are Party, Countdown, Rather Die Young & Run the World. Bey rarely does wrong in my eyes & she delivered for me on this album. It's worth checking out!

Sunday

Naturally Awesome!

Last weekend I had the pleasure of attending the Tennessee Natural Hair and Wellness Expo. It was nothing short of exciting and amazing to see so many people come out to support the event. The vendors and workshops were great! Though I was only there a few hours, I met quite a few wonderful people that I can't wait to stay in touch with. I thought I would be able to cover the entire event in just one post but I'm going to have to break this down into a few parts. Bear with me as I get it all together. And special thanks to Alycia of All Day Natural and Elle of Beale Street Chic for asking me to cover the event. If you haven't checked out their blogs, GO NOW!!!

The first table I spotted was shared by Leah of Etniq Cosmetics and Nakia of Nakia Amour. These ladies are seriously holding it down in Little Rock. They are keeping all the ladies in their area rocking fab hair & flawless makeup. Surprise, surprise...the products are ALL NATURAL!

Leah's line of makeup includes all a girl could want! She carries an array of foundations, shadows, glosses, and blushes with colors for ladies of all complexions. As we chatted, she revealed her curiosity about makeup started because of her time as a dancer & having to wear it for performances. Couple that curiosity with her education in chemical engineering & training as an esthetician and VOILA! I absolutely love her story & gracious personality!




Nakia is the creator of a natural hair care products. Her line includes a pre-conditioning oil, leave-in conditioner, moisturizer and gel. She even has a black soap shampoo that also doubles as a facial wash! I loved that her product line is free of all the icky stuff like silicones and synthetics. A walking billboard for her own product line, her hair was gorgeous & healthy!



Make sure that you venture over to the ladies' websites and check out their products!

Don't we kinda look like long lost sisters!?!?

Stay tuned for part 2 of the happenings from the TN Natural Hair and Wellness Expo...


Friday

Teaser...

No time for a real post but I've got some great things in the works...
  • I'm blogging & live tweeting from the TN Natural Hair Care & Wellness Expo tomorrow! Stay tuned for a detailed post on the festivities.
  • I made it to the 2nd round of interviews for a new position! (Because of this, I have to complete a project by Monday. Eeek! I haven't finished but I have a solid start to it. I'm going to give it my all in some major power sessions this weekend.)
  • I'll be featured on fellow curly girl's blog!
  • I'm putting together the framework of my own Mastermind group which will start at the end of this month!
Now do you see why I haven't been updating this week? Catch you later!

Wednesday

Cheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeese!

I had a real post that I planned to publish today but it'll have to wait because...

I got my braces removed yesterday meaning no more being confused for a teenager or one of the summer interns! I'm now free to eat all the apples, almonds, sushi and popcorn my heart desires!

***And yep, that's a toilet in the background! Courtesy of my work bathroom!