From Facebook to Fox News, we’re being inundated with information about COVID-19  and as we prepare to forage on in uncharted territory, I want to give you a message of encouragement during this time of containment. I encourage you not to panic but to refocus your energy…because stress can do a number on the body …and no doubt this is a very stressful situation.  Maintain true style and grace with a few tips…

• Stay Healthy! Junk food is so tempting but focus on eating  vitamin rich foods especially vitamin C and D, which helps build immunity. Exercise, oxygen rich blood fuels the body. Drink plenty of water and rest. Oh, as you’ve heard…wash your hands!
• Education. If you have children that will be home from school, I encourage you to teach them things that you as a parent want your children to know. Focus on life skills such as money management, organization, time management, cooking, basic car maintence. Take this time to really talk to your children, get to know them and what’s important in their lives.
  • Study: If you’ve been preparing for exams take this extra time to study and focus. Learn that material forwards and backwards.
• Read! That book or magazine that has been sitting on your night stand for the past couple of months, now’s the time to read it.  There are so many adventures to be had in the pages of books.
• Culinary Skills: Improve your cooking skills and  get in the kitchen and start experimenting with recipes or finally try that one dish you’ve been want to cook. Try to replicate your favourite dish from your favourite restaurant.
• Be Creative.Allow those creative juices to flow. You have an idea for a blog, book, fashion design that has been swirling around in your head..now is the time to start breathing life into those ideas.
• Prayer:Take this time to reconnect with God and  focus on what He wants you to learn through all of this and improve  your connection with Him through prayer. As crazy as everything looks; He is still in control.

The most stylish thing that we can do during all of this is be mindful, respectful and helpful to others. This too shall pass.

Much Love,

 

 

 

Colour can have a profound affect on our moods and even give us a peek into our individual personalities and elevate our looks. My signature colour is pink and of course my favourite things in life are you guessed it ….pink. I love peonies, pink flamingos, pink accessories and of course pink outfits.

Pink can represent hope, empowerment, romance and femininity. It also is such a beautiful colour on women, however, I have met some women who feel like that pink is not a good colour for them and I’m writing this post to prove those women wrong. I believe any woman can wear pink and look incredible! As many beautiful women there are in this world, there are as many shades of pink. Pink can give an instant glow to your complexion and an aura of confidence as seen on the following beautiful women who gave me permission to present them in this pretty palatte of pinks!

Just look at my good friend Jaimie who has a gorgeous glow and is a complete head tuner in her hot pink dress.

I can’t mention pinks and not talk about how beautiful Jillian is dressed in monochromatic tones of blush pinks.

Let’s continue with the fabulous looks of Narisa

in her Fuchsia jumpsuit and how it just gives her an instant glow. Shall we proceed with my love of pink? Just look at how candescent my sister Michelle looks in neon coral and she is just beaming with confidence.

I love that pink on women looks soft and delicate yet powerful and confidant. Here are some more examples of what I mean. Look at Samantha, we go way back, 10 plus years: she looks strong and magnificent in mauve while taking on the hardest role there is… being a mom.

I can’t talk about pretty in pinks and not mention my Whole 30 partner Julie who looks fantastic in in flamingo pink. So we see how amazing my favourite colour is?! But how awesome is pink on a red head just look at Brooke looking simply sublime in her salmon pink. Who ever said red heads can’t wear pink lied!

We continue with Jessica and fellow UMD alumnus looking fetching in fairy tale pink. Now this post wouldn’t be complete without an appearance from yours truly looking smashing in shocking pink.

So raven haired, red, blonde or brunette, from the palest ivory skin to the richest decadent chocolate, our range in colours are truly accented by the various hues of pink. So step outside your black and white world and Think Pink!

Another year is coming to a close and another decade (wow, when did that happen!) filled with personal growth, adventures, opportunity and of course style!

Personal Growth in the form of classes, books and dynamic conversation, in my opinion, is the most stylish thing one can do. And I must admit I’ve added  a lot of style to my life throughout 2019 that has given me greater prespective on my journey of life

Speaking of style, my must have accessory of 2019 has been the “top knot ” headband. I became obsessed when me and my hair lost our battle with the summer humidity and I was looking for ways to make my natural curls have that extra pop…then I acquired the “top knot” headband and now it my necessary accessory in array of colours and of course my signature pink.

My collection includes headbands from Target (pronounced tar-jay in my French accent), J.Crew, Ann Taylor and now Francesca’s. I love that the “top knot” adds that je ne sais quoi to my looks. I can’t talk about trends without talking about my favourite colour…pink and my additions to the wardrobe.

My J.Crew satin flats and my Banana Republic pink coat have been my must haves of this year which I will carry into the next. Another trend that I’ve embraced in 2019 in leather (faux) pants and skirts, I just love  how it brings an edge to my ensembles.

I must confess…the idea of shopping for make-up overwhelms me. That is why I’m so happy that my friend introduced me to

Ipsy, where they send me beauty samples from the classic and popular brands of makeup. I get to try so many beauty products without the stress of endless options and cost.

Live music has always been one of my favourite experiences. This year I heard the sounds of  Boyz II Men, Maurette Brown Clark and mi cantante favorito Alejandro Sanz. Music has a way of transporting you to those great memories of your past and it can be very therapeutic. Laughter is good for the soul received the remedies with the comedic styles of Anjelah Johnson, Trevor Noah and Gary Owen

2019 has been filled with some so much growth, many blessing, opportunities. I’m looking forward to what 2020 has instore.

 

 

It is officially the holiday season, stores are having their black Friday deals and Cyber Monday will bring even more deals.  And yes, I love a good deal as much as the next person but before you click “confirm” for 60% off. Take a moment to consider the gift you will give. Use the following guide to pick a gift that is special and not just a last minute “grab”.

Genuine: I believe that a gift should be genuine. What I mean by this is the gift you give should be unique like the person that is receiving it. For this to happen you need to know the person; learn their favourites: hobbies, foods, and what they’re passionate about. Watching some one receive a gift that is a true reflection of them brings me pure joy.

Intentional :  Be intentional about your gift. If you’re unsure, do some investigation. Learn their likes, what they’ve been looking at online. Do they like to travel? Maybe plan a trip instead of more “stuff.” If you’re really in doubt, just ask! I, personally, am not for surprises because I’m usually left disappointed and I have a gift that I can’t use. Being intentional about a gift could focus on what the recipient needs instead of what “you” want them to have. Take this holiday season to listen and be intentional.

Volunteer:  As much I want to believe the holidays are filled with magical Hallmark moments, the reality is this time of year  is a very difficult time for so many people for various reasons.  Volunteering your time and focusing on the needs of others can really put life into perspective.

 

Experience: Some of the best gifts I’ve been given is the gift of Experiences. I remember when my dad received orders from California to Ohio and we made a surprised  stop to Disneyland. It was so exciting unexpected and fun; my sister and I couldn’t stop talking about it for years. Fulfilling a promise of a trip France with my best friend and sister was an amazing experience. Everyday in the streets of Paris was a day for creating memories. Gifting experiences will always mean so much more than a pile of more stuff. It will bring amazing people in your life and experiences will teach so much more about life.

This Holiday really GIVE.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New!

 

 

 

Daily I express my gratitude but this Thanksgiving I’m truly thankful for love. I’m referring to the love that is patience as we find our own way through our many adventures in this thing called life. The type of love that will tell you about yourself when you’re acting out of character yet encourage you to do better through love. A love that will pray you through a difficult situation. I’m thankful for that love that will celebrate you in your greatest victories. I am thankful for a love that forgives but doesn’t say ” I told you so”

To have such a love, I’m so thankful.

Happy Thanksgiving with LOVE.

You can’t watch live television without being bombarded with commercials for medication where the adverse affects are worse than the actual illness. We’ve become a society where we reach for a pill for every aliment of headaches to complete exhaustion where we masque only the symptoms and not getting to the root of our real health problem. Unfortunately, we’ve become a society of quick fixes with harsh long term affects. We can’t run to our doctors to slap a band-aid on our heath issues, we need to be acutely aware of our bodies and prepare a plan with You and your healthcare provider

To get the most out of your doctor’s visit YOU must be your own health care advocate! We as individuals need to have an honest conversation with our Primary Care Providers (PCP) especially women. To get the most out of your visits I suggest the following (and yes this is what I did and it has been very eye opening):

Listen to your body: Our bodies will send us signals when it is not operating correctly with headaches, swelling, different degrees of pain, interruptions of natural cycles or extreme exhaustion is our bodies sounding off “something is not right!”. Headaches for example can cause of dehydration, hypertension or a tumor; extreme exhaustion could be a sign of anemia or other aliments. What ever your alarm is screaming, we need to listen our vehicles of life. Unfortunately, many of us will ignore these signals until we can’t anymore and this is usually when some damage has been done. Pay attention to you body, list and monitor your symptoms for a period of time …. if you feel something is “off” then trust your instinct and talk to your PCP. And if you feel like your doctor isn’t listening to you, you look until you find a doctor that does.

Food is Fuel: God has provided everything we need to make sure that we receive all of the vitamins and minerals needed to maintain our temples. Humans have also created some “fuel” that they find essential for our bodies as well. However, not all Fuel is created equal. Just like the wrong fuel in your car can stall your engine so can the wrong foods slow down our bodies. If you take the time to research the essential vitamins we need, you will find that many fruits and vegetable already have what we need. Companies have “added” to what is considered nutritional foods with some good and bad supplements. A good over the counter supplement can aid in the absorption of vitamins and minerals, especially if you’re extremely deficient. However there are foods and drinks that can interfere with the interfere with the absorption of essential elements
Such as milk and coffee. Milk doesn’t “do a body good”; for me personally it causes inflammation and for my sister it causes cold like symptoms. It also also leaches calcium from your bones leading to bone diseases like osteoporosis. Yet, it has been sold as the body building liquid for children by dairy industry and many still believe the hype. Coffee is another culprit ( I know, I love a good cup of coffee too) but can interfere with the asportation of Iron. Sea Food has been linked to high cholesterol (it is also hereditary).

Know your numbers: Before you lay out a plan for your health, you need to know your numbers and this is where that “heart to heart” with your doctor will need to happen. A blood test is a blue print of your health and reveals your levels for your hormones (which could be a cause for some weight gain) vitamin and iron deficiencies, cholesterol, diabetes and so much more. If you know these numbers soon rather than later you can start treatments or even ,in some cases, reverse your diagnoses. Treatments could be a lifestyle change or medications, My personal opinion, opt for lifestyle change before medications (if that is an option)

Family History: In recent months, I’m learning the importance of family history. The genealogy of your family can give you a preview of what may lie ahead in regards to your health. However, this may not always be the option in cases of adoption or just well kept family secrets. Families need to know what is in the gene pool and what is being passed on to the next generation so there aren’t any surprises. DNA kits are making this a reality and we’re getting our unique genetic blue prints that are telling of so much!

Your health like a Boss: The most fashionable thing that we can do ladies (and gentlemen) is to take care of our health. Start with knowing where stand with health risks, know your numbers, eat as much natural and fresh foods as possible (pay closer attention to the labels). If possible, learn your family history. Also, if you have to take you meds…do your research of adverse affects, food and drug interactions of the medication(s) you’re taking.

If you feel good, you will have more energy to participle in this adventure called life.