What's a Wishi?

Happy Monday (and Libra Season) my little fashionistas!

Goodness, it's been QUITE a while, but if you knew what I've been up to, you'd forgive me! Since the last time I posted, the fashion industry has taken me under it's little wing, and it's been such a pleasure. And while on my adventure to Wardrobe Stylist riches, I came across a nifty start-up that I had to share!

I sat down with Glorelys Mora, Publicist and Social Media Manager for Wishi, and chopped it up about what the hype surrounding Wishi was all about. Wishi serves as a social styling room where you can get advice on what to wear on your big date, or a regular night on the town with your girls. The site allows you to upload photos of your own items, or choose similar items from their database. Then other Wishi members have the chance to use your personal items to help you glam up!

Of course I tried it out and fell in LOVE! As a wardrobe stylist, I find that it's so easy for me to creatively style someone else, but when it comes to me, i'm stuck! So I can log into Wishi, request styling from my fellow fashion lovers and i'm good to go!

What I love most is the use of my own items. It saves me money and time from having to head out and buy a million new things (because we all know i'd jump at the chance ;) ) and gives me insight from someone that may have a completely different style from me.

The start-up is taking off super fast, and will soon become a staple in the online-fashion industry. Log onto Wishi, connect via Facebook so your own friends can help you out, and get to looking fabulous! See what the hype is about and let me know how you like it.

Stay tuned for a new look and some goodies :*

xo

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Natural Hair Summer Series!

Happy Friday my little fashionistas!!!

It's been a little while but don't think I came back empty handed, i brought treats! So over the past month, our beauty writer/Hair Stylist Ashley Lee and AL Styling have been working hard to bring New York City the biggest and most fabulous Natural Hair mixer it's ever seen!

And personally, I think it's going to be one for the books ;)

Next Friday, June 21st, we will be hosting the FIRST installment (yep, that means more are to come this summer) of the AL Styling Natural Hair Summer Series! This will be a happy hour where we'll be celebrating all things DOPE. Don't miss the chance to mix, mingle, share hair  and fashion secrets with some of the city's most beautiful naturalistas!

So mark  your calendars, get those twist-outs ready, and kick off your summer with kinks, coils, curls, and cocktails! We hope to see you there! And don't forget to hashtag all the pictures you take with #NHSS so we can feature them on the blog!


June 21st at Copia NYC from 6pm-8pm - 307 East 53rd Street, New York, NY (b/w 1st & 3rd Ave)
Cover is $10, with reduced drinks

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Makeup during the summer?! Don't sweat it!

Summer time is rapidly approaching and as the temperature rises, our makeup stands less of a chance. Who says you need a full face to be fabulous?! Here's a few tips to beat your face while beating the heat!

1. Define your brow! A great brow goes a long way and is a minimal step toward opening up your face and brightening your entire look. Use shadow (black or brown depending on your complexion) and fill in your brows. For extra definition, outline your brows with a liner first. This step is cool, but not necessary. Use concealer or foundation to outline the perimeter of your filled brow and get them extra sharp. Lastly, use a highlighting eyeshadow to make your brows pop and your face shine!

2. Don't neglect your cheeks. His is the perfect time of year for bronzer, but even a blush will do. Apply rouge to the apples of your cheeks. For a sun kissed look, use bronzer as your contour, applying it directly under your cheekbones. This will give your face structure and your complexion some shimmer. 

3. Lip color never hurt anybody! Summer is all about color and he perfect place to play with it is on your face!  Use different shades of lipstick to express the mood you're in. Add some sick shades to pump up the ferocity - pairing the two will make even a plain Jane look dope!

4. Minimize foundation. Caking on makeup in he summer can get messy. Try liquid to powder foundations to get the smoothness that most are looking for with a lightweight feel. If you can skip foundation altogether, go for it! If not, try mixing some foundation in with your moisturizing face lotion to replenish your skin and get a little even coverage. 

All of these steps are simple and easy ways to beat the heat and still be beauty-full! <3 Ashley Lee

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Natural Hair Photoshoot

Happy Monday Fashionistas! 

It's been a little while but I came back with some goodies! A few weeks ago, Ashley Lee and I collaborated to do a natural hair shoot, and let me tell you it came out FAB! Make Up Artist Jaleesa Jaikaran dolled up naturalista's Sz-annlee, Shyan Lovell, and Annie Bee and created some art! Photos were taken by the amazing Samantha Goh, and the models were styled by yours truly! Take a peek and catch all contact info below!

xo

Sz-Annlee

Annie Bee

Shyan Lovell

Left To Right: Ashley Lee, Annie Bee, Ieasha R, Shyan Lovell, Sz-Annlee, Jaleesa Jaikaran

Wardrobe Stylist: Ieasha R - MM #2984275, IG - @NotSoAverageJ

Hair Stylist:  Ashley Lee - froznfashionweek@gmail.com, AshleyLeeStyling.com, IG:fashionweek9

Make Up Artist: Jaleesa Jaikaran - makeup@Jaleesa.Jaikaran.com, JaleesaJaikaran.com

Photographer: Samantha Goh - Sammy.Goh@gmail.com, SamanthaGoh.com

Model: Annie Bee - MM #2748998, IG - @HautebornStar

Model: Sz-annlee - IG/Twitter - @Lovelyyzee

Model: Shyan Lovell - MM #1757782, IG - ShyanLovell

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Chronicles of a Naturalista Submission; Jazzy

Hello readers! I go by the name of Jazzy & I am inviting you all to come along on my natural & fabulous journey! I reside in upstate NY (with the deer & the bears), but I was originally a city girl. I am eclectic old soul that loves the arts whether it be fashion & hair or anything that has to do with expressing ones self creatively! To know me is to love me!

Love Peace & Happiness is what I'm all about! 

Being natural & fabulous coincide with one another! (Do not get me wrong, there are some amazing relaxed women out there!) My hair in its natural state provides me with so much confidence and flexibility! While being a naturalista, I have the option and ability to change up my style and my hair as often as I want. Many of my friends and coworkers call me the master of disguise because I switch up my hair so often. One day box braids down to my waist, next day, twist out, then a blow out, mini twists, or pressing it out...OH THE ENDLESS POSSIBILITIES!! My hair makes me feel invincible! I am no longer a woman who cringes at the first hint of humidity or runs for shelter at the slightest drop of rain (I can go swimming without much worries now as well). For me, being natural is being free, being myself in my natural born state. To me, the choice to GO BACK to being natural was more than a hair thing. It meant much more to me, it was a complete journey to finding out who I really was, despite what the media and other girls thought I should be. I came to the realization that I am a queen and my hair is my crown. I wear my crown boldly, proudly, and fabulously! YOU SHOULD TOO!

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DIY - Ombre Bleached Cutoffs

Hey Hey! It's been a while since I did a clothing DIY tutorial so I figured i'd share how I created my favorite pair of shorts! This was my first time bleaching anythinggggg and I actually used Likin&Loving It as a guide, but here are my steps!


Materials Needed:
Bleach - Clorox is what I used, it was strong and fast!
Jean Shorts - I thrifted a pair of vintage levi pants and cut them to the length I wanted.
Rubber Gloves - Super important since bleach is so yucky!
Bucket - Make sure It's big enough to contain your shorts!
Seam Ripper - If you want your shorts to be distressed, a seam ripper/knife is the best way to get frayed edges!
Painters Tape - Not required, but it was helpful to me to indicate where I wanted the bleach to begin

Step 1: Before you begin, make sure you cut/rip/distress your shorts to your liking! I put the shorts on and marked exactly where I wanted all the rips, and frays, as well as the perfect place for the ombre to begin. Once I took them off, I used a seam ripper to make all my rips (it's better than scissors because the rip won't be so clean). I used Painters tape to indicate where I wanted my bleach to start!

TIP! If you're starting out with jeans, and turning them into shorts, Use scissors to begin cutting the leg, but rip them by hand after the initial snip! It'll help your ends fray and look more naturally distressed than cutting them all the way through.


 Step 2: Fill your bucket with hot water. Mine wasn't boiling, though I hear that yields better results. Slap on your rubber gloves and pour about one cup of bleach into the water. The amount of bleach varies on how bleached you actually want your garment. As you can see, I wanted mine very contrasted, so I used a bit more bleach and let them sit for a bit longer than usual.

Step 3: Insert your shorts all the way up to your designated line. Let them sit in the bleach for until you get the desired bleach wash of the less intense part of the ombre. This part is very important, because you will be leaving the lower portion in for a longer amount of time to get the ombre effect so don't let them sit too long. Mine took about 10 minutes.

Step 4: Pull the shorts out of the bleach/water mixture so approximately half of your designated area is still left in the bleach (pictured above). Let that sit until you have the desired bleach on the bottom half. This should be the most intensely bleached part of your garment. I left this portion for about 10 minutes.

TIP! Do NOTTTT let the garmet sit in the mixture for more than approximately 30 minutes in total. Letting the garment sit in the bleach too long will result in the fabric falling apart once you put them in the washing machine, ruining your shorts!

Step 5: Remove your garment from the mixture and hand-wash WELL approximately 2 times. This stops the bleaching process completely.

Step 6: Run your garment through the washing machine 1 or 2 times, to get excess bleach out, remove the smell, and allow the shorts to fray properly. Dry.


And Voila! Here's my result! And they were absolutely perfect. I'm not sure what that little triangle thing is, but it looks snazzy ;)

Comment with questions and results, we want to see what you guys can come up with!
xo

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Bahama Mama!

So a lot of our recent posts have been more for the general public, and a little commercial. But what's a fashion blog without my own fashion?! So below are few random pictures from my recent trip to the Grand Bahamas. I even got to do a little styling in the midst of my vaca ;) Enjoy!

xo

Ps: Follow me on IG to stay up to date with my shenanigans! @NotSoAverageJ

Body Chain - DIY. Cargo Shorts - MENS American Eagle

Tye-Dye Levi Cutoffs - DIY

Maxi Dress - Old Navy

Burgundy Skater Skirt - H&M

Studded Levis - DIY

Firetruck Dress - American Apparel

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