Wow! I can't believe I now have five Style Cards under my belt. How crazy is this?! Speaking of crazy, it was insane how the look for the pictures came about. When I eyed the green poncho in New York and Company, I knew I had to where it for the next Style Card look. It would look perfect in front of trees that were in full autumn bloom; beautiful red green and brown leaves. But then I realized I was going to be in sunny, non-fall-looking-all-all Ft. Lauderdale, Florida during the time the Style Card pictures were to be taken. Forget autumn colored anything. No trees filled with red, green or brown leaves, just rows and rows of palm trees. Everything screamed tropical!
What the heck was I going to do?
Luckily, at my hotel, they had a nice selection of trees that I took the pictures in front of and I was able to get all the pictures taken before I started to burn the hell up in my poncho and boots lol.
Huge thanks to Amber aka FloridaNatural83 for taking these pics for me. She was also my "spot model" so I'd know where to stand to get the shot just right. They came out great and so did yours!
And if you watched my two videos of the girl talk session I had in my hotel room after the Naturals in the Sun One Year Anniversary event (which is why I was in Florida in the first place. I was the co-host), then you my recognize the girls below. They stood by and watched Amber work her magic.
After several weeks of answering question after question of "where do you get that blazer from?" and "where do you shop for your accessories?," the "Get the Look" post is finally here!
I'm always excited to bring another new and innovative hairstyle for the Personalized Style Cards, but getting dressed for them has become just as exciting as well! I had no idea that starting this venture would get me so interested in fashion, but it has! Please stay tuned to the blog for more posts on outfits, fashion, trends and more. I've got some new and exciting things in store for ol' Chary-Jay.com and I can't wait to share with you all!
For the premiere style card, I wanted to showcase a hairstyle that would be sure to turn heads so I thought it would be perfect to prepare this look for a date night.
Derek and I got dinner at Angelina's Italian Bistro, a fairly new restaurant in downtown Detroit.
I've been hinting here and there that I've been working on something behind the scenes and now it's about that time that I spill the beans! Personalized Style Cards by CharyJay is my new venture that is going to help you get NEW styles that I create with your own personalized "style recipe" to help you achieve the look. Let's be real for a second. While styling tutorials are great, all of my viewers do not have the same texture and or length that I have, so I completely understand why people inbox me asking me to give them specific instructions on how to get the same look. These personalized style cards will allow you to get the instructions you need to re-create the styles and will also allow me to get to know you better. The information I get from you will also be helpful when creating future styling tutorials on my YouTube channel as well!
"That all sounds great CharyJay, but how does this Personalized Style Card work?"
Each month I will release two style cards (one on the first of the month and another on the 15th) and allow you the opportunity to purchase one for $5. The front side of the style card will show you the style while the back of the card will give you a description of the style and a step by step process on how to create it according to the length of your hair and texture as it pertains to your hair's thickness.
"How will you know what my hair length and texture is?"
When you go to purchase a style card, you'll provide three to five sentences explaining your length and hair texture as it pertains to your hair's thickness. Please do not write me any four page letters lol. I would like to provide everyone with a style card in a timely fashion.
"When will Personalized Style Cards by CharyJay become available for purchase?"
The premiere style card will be available for purchase on August 1, 2012. The second style card will be available August 15, 2012. Each month thereafter a new style card will be available for purchase on those dates (1st and 15th of the month).
"How do I purchase a Personalized Style Card by CharyJay?"
On the right side of this blog there is a side bar. The first thing you will see is a title that says "Personalized Style Cards by CharyJay." Below that is a Paypal "Buy Now" button. In the box above the button you'll select the date of the Style Card you're purchasing. This button will be shown once style cards are available for purchase.
"How will I receive my style card?"
Upon purchasing your style card, I will email it to the email address you used to purchase the style card with Paypal.
"How long will it take for me to receive a style card after I purchase it?"
Please allow up to four days to receive your style card. Since these are personalized, I have to read each email carefully to make sure I give the best instructions to each buyer so they can achieve the style with ease. The style cards will be answered according to the order they were received. For example, if you order your style card shortly after it's released, you'll get yours quicker than someone who orders a style card three days after its release.
"If I try to recreate the style and it does not come out the way I expected it, will I get a refund?"
Unfortunately, there will be no refunds for the style cards. If you are not happy with the outcome of the style, you are more than welcome to contact CustomerService@Chary-Jay.com to get secondary instructions and tips on how to achieve the style.
To make things even better, I'll also have "Get the Look" posts on my blog once each style card is released. These posts will give you details on what make-up was used and where I got 'fit that I'm sporting in the style card photos. It will also give you tips on how to
If you happen to recreate any of the Style Card looks, be sure to post them on my FaceBook fan page with you holding your style card. I'll have a photo album dedicated to "CharyJay Style Card Members" and from time to time I'll have giveaways of beauty and hair related products for those members to take part of!
I'm really excited about this new venture and I hope you are too. While this is my first style card, I already have big things planned for the future! I hope you're ready to get styled!
-CharyJay
If you haven't seen the video explaining Personalized Style Cards by CharyJay, watch it here:
While most people are changing their fashion and beauty cosmetics to reflect the warmer weather and sunny days, I'm still having a love affair with fall's favorite color: purple!
While purple has been my favorite color for years (blue and I broke up right after middle school), I've never been interested in wearing it on my face. I would even go so far as to say I was afraid of wearing something so bold, but now I can't get enough of it!
To ease my way into the purple craze, I started off wearing a berry lipstick by Wet 'N Wild and wore a purple eye liner by NYX. Then I graduated to Rebel by MAC and started playing with Plum and Fuchsia lip liners by NYX. At the peak of my purple obsession, I finally found Milani's baked eye shadow in Fantastico Mauve (the only want I initially wanted). That color sent my purple fixation into overdrive. It's gorgeous! To avoid the look of being seasonally confused, I wear these make-up products with warm colors and or with prints that will compliment the other colors.
Next up on my lippie list is to buy Cyber by MAC. This color is definitely bold, but I think I can pull it off, at least I hope I can. I'll try it in store first and then report back if I buy it! Wish me luck, ladies!!
From right to left: NYX lip pencil in Fuchsia and Plum, Sally Hansen nail polish in Posh Plum, MAC lipstick in Rebel, Milani Baked Blush in Fantastico Mauve
From left to right: Luxe eye shadow by Brown Beauty Bar (review and giveaway coming soon), Wet'n Wild lipstick in 508A, and NYX eyeliner in Purple Blaze.
That's exactly how I feel lol. These drinks (they way I make them anyway) are not tasty at all, but they make me feel amazing! Because they are packed with so many amazing nutrients, I get a burst of energy within seconds of drinking a couple gulps of this stuff down. I imagine this is what Popeye felt like when he ate his can of spinach!
Since I'm always tweeting and instagraming photos of my green smoothies, I felt it would only be right if I make my return to the Blogosphere by making a post about what exactly goes in each one. So yes friends, this post will become the first in my "It must be the health, cuz it aint yo' taste..." series that I hope you will enjoy! BTW, Don't you love my title? lol.
Before I get to the ingredients, I must explain how I choose what will be in each smoothie.
Last November I had the pleasure of receiving Eden Body Works' full line of products and I absolutely loved it! This line is all natural and affordable!! In this post I'm going to give you a run down of how I feel about each product in this line and also tell you guys about a very cool joint giveaway I'm doing with Jor-El of ManeMan.Blog.com! One guy and one girl will have the opportunity to win Eden Body Works' Hair Milk Leave-In Conditioner, which was featured in my "How to Choose a Leave-In Conditioner "video and I stated it was one of my faves! To enter the contest, read the directions below, but first let's get started on my review of each of these products in the line!
Peppermint Tea Tree Shampoo
$8.50 8 oz.
Claim:
This invigorating shampoo increases scalp circulation for a refreshed, renewed feeling. It removes all traces of dirt and oil build up. Formulated to help alleviate dry scalp with the use of pure peppermint botanicals. Your hair will love the tingle! Nourishes and cleanses, Increases hair strength & Decreases itching and flakes.
Ingredients:
I really loved this product!! So much that I no longer have any left! This shampoo did not strip my hair at all and actually left it feeling soft. I loved the tingle that it gave my scalp and it left it feeling clean without that squeaky feeling that I absolutely hate!
Hey all! Thanks so much for all the participation on my giveaways! I am so honored that you all have taken great interest in these wonderful opportunities I am blessed to offer you chicas here on my new site!
Here are the following winners of the giveaways that ended on Sunday.
Winners of the 1MeNaturallyEarring Giveaway are as follows:
Winner of pair #1:
DJones (Donna)
Winner of pair #2:
Sarah Eliza
Winner of pair #3
BeauTIFFul Curls
Thanks so much To Meosha Tall for sponsoring this wonderful giveaway! I will email you ladies tonight!
(Gwen, owner of Natrilicious.net)
The winner for the $20 gift card and free shipping at Natricilous.net is:
Naturaltrini
Thanks so much to Gwen for sponsoring this giveaway. For those of you who entered that giveaway and did not win, Gwen has decided to allow my blog readers to get 25% off their total order by using discount code "CHARYJAY". Offer ends ends of March 15 so you have plenty of time to get your hands on your staples from your favorite hair brands, but don't miss out!
Again, I want to thank everyone for participating in these giveaways and I assure you there are plenty more to come!
As I mentioned in the video, I had a great opportunity to try a product from Naturalicious.net. Although my experience with the product wasn't pleasant, my experience ordering from the site and working with the site's creator, Gwen was amazing! If you would like to enter the giveaway, find the details below the interview!
Please
tell us a little bit about yourself! Where are you from? Do you have another
occupation besides your businesses?
I'm a
married mother of a little boy who just turned one year old earlier
this month. I hail from Cleveland, OH, but now live in metro-Detroit. I
love it here! By day, I am an advertising executive. Im a foodie, a
traveler and I love all things creative, artistic, and positive.
How long
have you been natural?
My
last relaxer was in April 2010 - right before I found out I was pregnant. My
son is the reason I went natural. Women are advised to stay relaxer-free while
pregnant; and I actually didn't plan to keep it going after he was born.
But my hair was sooo much healthier, prettier and fuller that I decided this was
a road worth traveling. I love my hair! Best decision ever!
What was
your reasoning for starting the boutique?
I'm not sure when I discovered 1MeNaturally's earrings, but as soon as I did I was mesmerized. I LOVED THEM! It took me forever to buy them, so until then I lusted over them from afar. Once I found the owner, I fell in love all over again...this time over her hair. "Her hair...that way...THAT HAIR!" That is all I thought at first glance. When I met her last year at the BGLH meet-up, she was kind enough to step to the side and answer a few questions for a mini-interview. And now she's kind enough to do a giveaway of her FAB earrings that I purchased this fall.
Peep the interview and afterwards, see how you can enter this fab giveaway.
Please tell us a little bit about yourself! Where
are you from? Do you have another occupation besides your business?
My name is Meosha, not to be confused with the show
starring the lovely and talented Brandy Norwood called “Moesha”. -_-
I was born and raised in Gary, Indiana, but spent
the majority of my life in Lansing, Illinois.
I’m formerly a corporate girl actually. I hold an
Associate degree in Graphic Design and a Bachelor degree in Management. I’ve
been a college Career Advisor and more recently a Corporate Recruiter for a
well know oil company. In another life I aspired to climb the corporate ladder
and be the man. Now I’m the wo-man and I own my own business, 1MeNaturally and
write for Black Girl with
Long Hair among other things.
Startingnext week I’ll be revisiting some of my favorite products I’ve reviewed in the past and seeing if they still have the same ingredients as before. I’ll also style my hair in the same style I did previously to see if I still love them as much as I did the first time around.
To get things started I wanted to revisit Denman Brushes.
Before I tried them out, I hadn't tried any other tools in
my hair besides a basic brush (for my puffs), rattail comb (for parting my
hair), regular comb (for smoothing products through/having an even distribution
amongst my strands) and wide tooth comb (for detangling). Once I reviewed all the brushes in June of last year, I knew
I liked them a lot, but of course I had my favorite. And that brush happened to
be the D83, the paddle brush.
Thanks to everyone who participated in my first joint giveaway with Holly of CurlRehab.com! It was definitely a pleasure teaming up with one of my favorite bloggers and Twitter Followers (they should seriously look into making a friendlier word for "followers").
Anyhoo, without further ado, here are the winners of both shirts:
KrisLuv8
is winner of the "Love Who You Are" T-Shirt, which was given away on my website.
Deana
is the winner of the "Boss" T-shirt, which was given away on CurlRehab.com.
You have 48 hours to claim your prize. If you do not respond within that time period, another winner will be chosen.
A huge thanks goes out to Nicole Updegraff for sponsoring this giveaway. I LOVE my shirt and I'm sure you ladies will love yours as well!
Stay tuned for more giveaways...they are coming your way really, really soon!
I want to thank everyone for entering this contest! I had over 200 entries (CRAZY, right?)! The following winners have already been contacted via email:
Natural Fashionista
CurlyChellez
You two lucky ladies have 48 hours to claim your prize. After that time period another winner will be chosen via email.
If you didn't win, don't worry! There will be plenty of chances to win more of these awesome products very soon! Stay tuned!
As a natural hair vlogger that reviews a handful of new products on a regular basis, it is expected that I am bombarded with questions related to my favorite or staple products. Unfortunately, I don't like to play favorites when it comes to my products. It's just so hard to pick "that over this" when it comes to certain brands. So instead, I decided to start a "Battle of the Butters" post that will showcase my favorite butters and my results when wearing 'dos styled with these products. Since I get a ton (literally) of questions related to Original Moxie and Entwine Couture, I'm going to feature them in this post along with my newbie favorite brand for butters, Afroveda. I hope you enjoy and if you like these type of posts let me know in the comment section and I'll be sure to do more!
First up: Butters by themselves.
Original Moxie's Lux Locs VS Entwine Couture's Jelle Styler
As you can see, the Original Moxie's Lux Locks gives me a BOMB twist-out the first and second day of wearing the style, but if I don't re-twist (which I did not do on the third and fourth day, which is normal for me), my twist-outs turn into a big and undefined fro. This is pretty much expected if you don't re-twist with virtually any product, but since I'm a busy gal, I refrain from using products that makes it mandatory to re-twist to still obtain a nice looking twist-out throughout the week.
Now look at Entwine's twist-out using their Jelle Styler. I can get away with getting a nice twist-out without having to re-twist it at all! I even picked out my hair after wearing the style for three days and my fro looked light and fluffy (I definitely got a load of compliments when wearing this oldie but goodie style (for-hawk). However, my hair is not as soft as Original Moxie's Lux Locs makes it, but to be completely honest, when I'm on the go, that's the last thing I'm thinking about.
Now let's take a look at butters with their "sister" product.
I don't usually smile in my pictures, but I am so excited about this new series that will soon debut on my channel, I couldn't help but expose my rarely seen big-cheeky grin.
As you can see my hair is down in these pictures, which is another rare seen, so just imagine my excitement! I don't want to give away too much, but just know that I'm going back to the beginning (well, my beginning).
This doesn't mean I'm going to stop creating protective style up-dos! After all, I'm still showcasing simple 'dos for the styling challenged over at CurlyNikki.com (If you missed the last one, click here). I'm just going to offer more lovely styles that can appeal to more of you lovely ladies! I wouldn't want you to get sick of me or ever feel as though you know what's going to happen next. I have to keep you guessing and keep the content fresh. Why else would you watch?
One more thing before this post comes to a close. With this new series will come even more giveaways and a chance to communicate with me and see me like never before. Stay tuned. I'm pretty sure you won't want to miss this!
Sometimes when we are presented with an amazing opportunity,
we jump at it instead of taking a step back and looking at the bigger picture
before making a decision. I know I used to always do that. For some strange
reason, I always felt like the underdog in everything I did. I was always
totally surprised when people said great things about me, recommended me for certain
opportunities or wanted me to be in charge/take control of a project because
they “believed in me.”
As I mentioned in my latest video, I didn’t start off making YouTube videos for no other reason other than to improve my editing skills for videos
that would go along with my articles I wrote for a local newspaper. So when I
was approached to make videos for a company, I was thrilled! I had no idea how
much to charge them for my work so when they came up with a figure, I happily
accepted; still shocked that I would get paid to do something that I already
enjoyed doing.
Once more companies approached me to do their videos, I
stuck with that same figure since I had no other information to go off of. But
this year after I was presented with another job offer, I knew I had to take a
step back and look to someone for advice. I then remembered this guy I met at a
photography studio last summer. He was a very successful videographer and
filmed episodes for various popular TV shows on the Travel channel and Food
Network. I had no idea if he’d remember me, but it was worth a shot.
Back in October, I had the fabulous opportunity to attend the “Natural is… Beautiful” event tin New York City and represent Original
Moxie. While I was there I met the amazingly gorgeous and talented Nicole Updegraff.
At the event she was selling these FAB tees that sold out soon after the event
started. I didn’t get a chance to cop one, but luckily for you and me, Nicole
mentioned she wanted to do a giveaway of her shirt with me in the future and
now is the time!
To make this giveaway even more special, I’m
teaming up with one of my new found bloggers, Curl Rehab! This chica is
hilarious! Her tweets on Twitter constantly cracks me up and her weekly “Side eye
of the Week” posts are simply hysterical (especially that picture of Mrs. Huxtable!!!
This girl is just too much). We’re both going to be offering a t-shirt of
Updegraff’s, but in different designs so check the end of this post to find out
how you can enter!
Updegraff is not only a designer, but also an author. The
married mother of three (soon to be four as she is now preggers), created “I
love my Cotton Candy Hair,” written for children ages three to eight and
focuses on confidence and self-acceptance. Take a peek at the interview below
and find out how you can score TWO of Updegraff’s tee shirts!!
Not only are the “Natural Hair Nazis” attacking those
naturals who straighten their hair or those who refuse to abide by the
unwritten rule of only using natural products. No. Now they’re taking on new
prey; the natural women who choose to wear make-up.
Here are a few quotes I’ve heard around some blogs and video
comments: “I choose to wear a fresh face.” “Wearing make-up covers up your
natural beauty.” And my personal favorite: “If you’re natural, you shouldn’t even
wear make-up anyway.”
While I was not always the biggest fan of make-up, my
curiosity has peaked to new heights. This has lead to me wearing make-up in a
few of my videos and pictures. Then that spilled over into pleads for make-up tutorials.
As someone who always tried to keep it “chill” on my channel, I always shed away
from talking about make-up because I didn’t feel like dealing with the backlash
that I knew would soon come.
(SN: I now know people will complain about anything so all
of that has blown out the window lol*)
But I’m not the only woman who wears their hair natural who’s
gotten attacked by the new Nazis. One friend of mine got into a heated
confrontation with someone who kept saying she was no longer natural because
she chose to wear that “unnatural mess on her face,” and I’ve seen countless
FaceBook statuses (what would the world be like if we didn’t have this great
thing to tell the world when someone was piss us off?) of people going off on
that “chick who needed to take several seats” when talking about what natural women
put on their face.
While I think women, natural or not, should do whatever
makes them happy, I do see one of the new Nazis’ point. Some of those women who
complain about paraben this, or silicone that, are not concerned with those
same ingredients that’s in their cosmetic bag.
This discussion will be continued. But until then, what do
you think about the new Nazi? Have they come after you?
l-r Interviewing Ms. Vaughn and Meechy Monroe with Tisha (Feb.), Getting my make-up done for the Huetiful Hair Idol Shoot by Celebrity Make-Up artist, Parra Thomas in Atlanta (Aug.), Hosting a show in Chicago (Dec.), After my interview with Rachel of Original Moxie (Nov.), After my interview Karen of Karen's Body Beautiful in New York (Dec.), Getting my faced beat for the first time with Tisha in Atlanta (April), Meeting Chescaleigh for the first time in New York (Oct.), Meeting Alex and Natural Chica for the first time in Atlanta (April), After the BGLH Meet-up in Chicago (Feb.), Last day in Atlanta for the Huetiful Hair Idol Rockstar Experience in Atlanta (Aug.)
This is what someone said about me around five years ago when I disclosed I wanted to become a journalist. I was discussing all of my dreams and aspirations during an already uncomfortable dinner and later, I heard, “this is basically what they thought of you.”
I was crushed. Let it be known that I wasn’t at all closed to these people, but their opinion of me (unfortunately) mattered. Looking back though, I can’t say that I blamed them for thinking that. I was painfully shy back then and sometimes as a journalist, you have to get all up in people’s faces (literally) to get the story.
Fast forward one year later and I got an amazing opportunity to do a piece for my university’s alumni magazine, where I worked closely with the editor along with two other students. Apparently unlike me, the students didn’t think so highly of this arrangement because they skipped out on most of the meetings with the editor. For me, this was a blessing because I got to hang out one-on-one with him and pick his brain. There he told me the one thing I will never forget. “If you want to be a journalist, you have to get over your fear of talking to people you don’t know. How else will you get the story?” That along with a few other two to three hour conversations with him did it for me.
I am so very happy to finally have this website up and running! Every since I got rid of my old website, I’ve missed speaking to you all about things that matter outside of the hair world.
I know since my YouTube channel is geared towards natural hair care and styling, many may feel like that’s all that I do and care about. Contrary to popular belief, hair is not the only thing I’ve been focused on.
For starters, late last year, I embarked on my weight loss journey for the second, err, third, errr,..the umpteenth time (but who’s counting anyway lol) and actually seen results. Since so many of you’ve asked for updates on my journey, I’m going to discuss that here. I also liked to talk to you chicas about what’s goes on behind the camera when making YouTube videos and how I feel about being a vlogger in general.
Lastly, but certainly not least, I want to discuss how you all feel about certain topics that I’d bring to the table. Some of them might be hot button issues, while others are light-hearted.
Whatever the case, I want this website to be a place where you can come and get tips on hair, beauty, weight loss, discuss issues that matter, and leave with a peace of mind.
