Philly 2012 Global Fusion Music Festival.

A friend and I attended a music festival in July, in Philadelphia. I was going to blog about it that same day, but I was extremely tired. So late. I know and  I'm sorry!. I must say it was nice though. It was our first time going to music festival. I never really been to a music festival and I am so unfamiliar with the atmosphere.

There was lots of food, jewelry, clothing and tons of music.Musical guest included Elle Varner, Luke James, Kenny Latimore, Brandy just to name a few. I honestly wanted to see Brandy in person and hear her perform live and so did so many others who were standing behind me.

Unfortunately, when I arrived I didn't get a pic of Luke James up close. But, I did get to hear him perform "I Want You" way in the back ! Oh my, that man has such a beautiful gift. The tonality and range! His voice was so crisp and the real deal. None of that lip synch auto tune stuff.

It was scorching hot that day! I don't know how we managed to make it to the front in that heat. Surprisingly, we did not have any issues making it near the stage. We got there late and still managed to be that close before a crowd started growing. 

There were some folks I was unfamiliar with. Kendrick Lamar was one of them. Mind you I don't listen to rap. I have my reasons. I remember asking people " Who is that?" and they just looked at me and said " You don't know who that is?" I'm like "No, why you think I asked?" It was awkward, because everyone knew the words but me and my friend. The crowd was really feeling him.

  There were other guest appearances such as Kyla Pratt, Kenny Latimore, Tisha Campbell-Martin, AJ, Sheree from Housewives of Atlanta and the Crews family.

There were more celebrity guest, but I don't remember their names. Everyone was having a good time on stage. 

Finally, we got to see and hear Brandy on stage. Philadelphia showed her lots of love. She was so humble and such a sweetheart to her fans. She sung some of her popular classic tunes like  "I Wanna Be Down", "Full Moon", "Long Distance (a dedication to Whitney Houston)". Lastly, singing her latest single "Put It Down" which was the crowds favorite. 

She did an impeccable job and sounds just like her recordings. REAL! I was glad I stayed and attended. This was actually one of my "Dream and Goals to Be Fulfilled" listed in my journal. It really did end up happening.  I should have wrote down to personally meet Brandy, do an interview and hang with her for a day. Hey, it never hurts to dream. lol!

 

I really think this is Brandy's season and if she keeps it up she'll do fine. Overall, I believe this event turned out really nice. I will admit I had a good time. Everything worked out smoothly. I hope next time I can go backstage and be granted access to meet, take pics and interview. That sounds really cool! 

Hope you all enjoyed viewing the pics I took.

Feel free to comment!

Naturelle Fashionista Of The Month!

Hi yall!
Hope you are enjoying your day off today. You all deserve it!
Today Naturelle Me... has a new feature that I would love for you to meet, it is this years FASHIONISTA OF THE MONTH!
I had chance to meet up with this gorgeous natural to ask her a few questions.
As always,  I had to do a little photo shoot and capture a fashionable moment in NYC. 

Here's what we talked about. Enjoy!

Where are you from?
Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York

Describe your style.
My sense of style varies, I will wear a preppy look one day and the next day I will choose to go with either a classic or rock look. I love clothes and whatever, grabs my attention. That's the look i will go for!

What is your favorite style for Fall 2012?
The thing I love about the Fall is that sometimes you can still dress like its Summer with the option to mix your look with a sweater or jacket. I love wearing button downs and perfect fitting jeans.

What trend or color do you believe most folks will be rocking this Fall?

I believe this fall we will see a lot of cool and warm colors like burgundy, blue and mustard yellow

What trend are you sick of seeing this summer?
"Ill" fitted leggings or tights.

Bag: H and M, Shoes: LL Bean boat shoes, Watch: Armani Exchange

What are your favorite stores or brands?

My fave stores to shop now are H and M, Zara, Necessary Clothing, Banana Republic and the Gap.

Sunglasses: Armani Exchange Collection

Fedora: Don't remember

Are you more of a shoe, bag, jewelry, or clothing type of girl?

My shoe preference goes hand and hand with my clothing options, sometimes I will base my outfits on the shoes. So if the shoes don't work the whole outfit has to change

What do you think a Fashionista should always have in her closet and in her bag?

Every fashionista should always have Febreeze in their closet to maintain the clean linen scent of your clothes and "she" must also have a Tide pen in her bag for those unforeseen accidents that always seems to happen.

I love your hair and noticed that you are a fellow natural. How long have you been natural? Did you transition? Big chopped or have always had your hair in its natural state?
Thank you! I have been natural for about 6 years now. It was a simple transition, I just stop relaxing it! I did not have to do the mayo and eggs treatment that most claim to work and most importantly I did not have to cut my hair.

What is your hair regimen like? Do you have a schedule for when to treat, style or take care of your hair?
I don't really have a hair regimen, but I will try to do a deep conditioner treatment once month or every two months.

What is your go to hair product that you just can't do without?
AVEDA, AVEDA!!!  During the summer months when I cannot wear my hair straight I use Mixed Chicks. 

How do you style your hair for work, out with friends or church etc? Do you like one particular style for your hair?
I love wearing my hair up in a nice full bun. I prefer to have my hair pulled back in a simple but very casual French roll or small bun for work. For church, I like to have it down in either curls or just straight.

What tips can you offer to a Nouvo Naturelle who wants to retain length or just wants to grow their tresses?
The trick to growing your hair is to "ignore it". When you over process your hair, I think it blocks the hair shaft from forming on the scalp. I really think if you want your hair to grow rapidly and healthy you need to let your scalp breathe by limiting the chemicals you put in it. I would recommend washing your hair every two to three months and moisturizing your ends not scalp with coconut oil. Our hair produces its own natural oils and all we need to focus on is preventing those split ends.

What are your thoughts about young Christian women who are into fashion, do you think there are boundaries, limits on what they wear?

I like how fashion has evolved in the church. I see more women embracing more looks that are different from the traditional church attire, which is fine, but I think we must be careful not to stray completely from what the Bible tells us. After all, we are set apart and we must not conform to this world. We must maintain the difference. If we take the time to wear beach appropriate attire to go to the beach then we must do the same for church. I really think red lips is too much for the church and fish net stocking are inappropriate.

* Photos captured by Lyn of NaturelleMe...*

Black -N- White Sunday Outfit!

It is yet another glorious Sunday despite the little drizzles. I had a feeling it was going to rain! It was a tad gloomy looking outside. But anyhow, that didn't stop me from going to church.
I kept the outfit really simple, even though I was in the mood for some color. I just fell back into BLACK and WHITE.

Some folks might think wearing black and white is boring or just too safe for a fashionista. I beg to differ and quite frankly, I really don't care what others think. Black and white will always reappear and make its come back. Also, color is just color. If you want to make it less boring why not go for print and add a touch of color.

Dress: Thrift Store ($4.99) 

Shoes: Steven by Steve Madden from Good Will ( $7.99) 

Purse: De Luigi by Luis. (Thrifted yrs. ago)

Necklace: Claires

Now I don't wear a ton of red in my wardrobe. But since the dress called for some color, I figured let me pull out these hot tamales. I have a feeling RED will be making a scene this fall. Do you agree?

 These are satin Steve Madden peep toes with a corked heel and has velvet insoles. Isn't that something! 

No need for a bold statement neck piece. I chose to let the dress speak louder than my accessory and vouched for a simple pendant.

If you ever find yourself trying to figure out what to wear. Go for a wrap dress and don't be afraid to try print. Whether you are fabulously curved or petite, wrap dresses would look good on you even if its BLACK or WHITE.