Beautiful N Our Own Time

The Webster’s New World Dictionary describes spa as a commercial establishment with exercise rooms and sauna baths. A spa day is the perfect way to treat yourself on a paid day off. Mark your calendar and plan your personal day.

Start a crock pot dinner so at the end of the day, everyone is happy. Exercise 1 hour on a treadmill, stationary bike, or elliptical machine for cardio. Do 30 minutes of abdominal exercises. Treat yourself to a long bath, wash your hair and let it air dry. Find the long lost facial kit or do a home facial (look on internet for ideas). Moisturize your skin with a good body lotion. Then remove hand and toenail polish while having your coffee. Brush and floss your teeth and use the 'water pic' for a good once over. Watch a favorite DVD while completing a fresh pedicure and manicure.

Drink 8 glasses of water throughout the day. Have a light lunch and take a good nap. GOD has made us all beautiful in our own time. Use a spa day to enhance your natural beauty.

Time 2 Quit Trippin'

What time is it? Morris Day of the Time yelled, and Jerome ran out, wiped his face and gave him the time. America is at war in the middle east and one of the biggest imports from India is human hair. I say it's time to quit...trippin.

Weaves and wigs are wonderful. If your hair doesn't grow you ought to have options. Beyounce ought to have the privilege of using big unbelievable hair as a prop in her concert. Chaka Khan and Diana Ross did it, so why limit her?

Either local beauticians are not really skilled in weave installation or it isn't worth the money. It seems by the time I see a Sista wearing it in the grocery store it looks like a couple of rags attached to a mop head. Between the money she spent and political implications it seems like Sista been bamboozled.

Natural beauty may be played out. But hair weave and those sky scraping eyelashes make a Sista look like she need a watch. Where is Jerome? Maybe he can run from behind a bush, cut them lashes down and give Sista a fedora.

Humps, Bumps, and Dimples Beware

There used to be laws that prohibited women from wearing pants. I am by no means wishing to be restricted from wearing pants. But there is a power, strength and truth that illuminates from a woman wearing a good-looking dress. It is perfect advertising that does not reveal the product. Soulfulness is revealed in a woman wearing a good dress.

Power dressing is wearing an outfit or an item of clothing that would make you stand out as a leader. In the 90's men wore a business suit worn with a red tie. According to John T. Molloy author of “Dress for Success” the suit was a must have.

I would like to give a shout out to the…dress. It is the go-to piece for most occasions. A woman can wear a dress to a funeral, dinner party, business meeting, formal or informal. It makes a good impression on folks you know and those you don’t. The “little black dress” is a superstar in it’s own rite. Coco Chanel is credited with it's original design but it was worn before then.

A good dress has a focal point and structure. Simply chose a single feature you want to highlight. Look for dress in a quality fabric with or without a lining. If you see humps, bumps or dimples size-up or move on. The goal is a smooth presentation. You don’t have to wait until you loose or gain weight. A good dress represents you wherever you are. I think God blessed the….dress.

The latest edition of The Ugly Brown Shoe Chronicles

Swoosh Swoosh

Five or 6 years ago I fell in love with a warm-up suit, soft and stretchable “Juicy Couture” look-a-like. I felt “bootylicious” even if it the words weren’t written across the rear. I’ll tell the truth and shame the devil. It was at least 2 sizes too small. I was in a fashion trance. The soft warm fabric hugging me and keeping me warm I loved my “dream-clothes”.

When you’re in love something always happens. A bleach stain, food stain, or oil stain comes along and you’re never the same. A replacement may be found but it’s not the same. The love affair with the little gray warm-up suit ended. I gave away the jacket but I couldn’t part with the pants, “I still got ‘em Yall”. They have become my stay in the house weekend pants.

Fashionista’s like Rachel Zoe, Charla Krupp and Brenda Kinsel all recommend that you constantly edit, upgrade and purge your closet. I say, don’t be selfish. Last weekend I saw 2 Grandma’s walking. One was wearing a hot-pink soft juicy look-a-like warm-up the other obviously her mother was wearing a 1990, nylon, parachute warm-up. When she walked it sounded like…Swoosh, Swoosh.

If your Grandmother or Great Grandmother is walking around making all that noise bless her with a new and improve warm- up. They say, “You’re never to old to fall in love”.

Mr. Crackadocious

Do you remember “Blaxploitation Cinema” the stars were people like Fred Williamson, Jim Brown and Richard "Shaft" Roundtree? They had tight afros with side-burns governed by a natural comb with a fist. They wore thick collared shirts and neckties with big ample knots. Their pants were fitted in the thigh and flaired at the bottom. The silhouette is still fierce.

Then came…the time before Jordans, Nike and Adidas roamed the streets. Young men could be described as “Jheri Curl Juicy”. They would fall asleep on the bus and leave grease stains as evidence. Blue jeans ruled urban fashion Calvin Klein, Sergio, Levis and Wrangler. Fit the body and young men had an annoying habit of grabbing their crouch area. Even Michael Jackson was guilty of that.

Today we have “Mr. Crackadocious”. He has dread locks and escaping pants. He doesn’t grab his crouch as much because he busy holding up his pants. People around him always seem to be reminding him to pull up his pants. Some people are inspired to write songs, remember, “Pants on the Ground”.

We have become impatient with Mr. Crackadocious. It seems as if this trend should have run its course. It all comes down to supply and demand; young people are buying and stores are making it available. Truth is this segment of the population spends more money on clothing than any other group. Ask Sean John, Ecko Unlimited, Apple Bottom and Baby Phat.

Crackadocious

Time changes things…thank God for that. Have you ever lost patience waiting for a change? Remember when low-rise jeans first appeared on the fashion scene. “Booty-crack” was everywhere women were battling with gravity. He [Gravity] was dropping waistbands and showing booty. My church lady self was already overwhelmed by exposed back and too much booty in the pants. Low and behold…then came crack.

Personally, it is a low day when I expose my crack. Truth is the words low-rise are a curse to me; I was born at least a medium-rise. I can charm my way out of many things, being clumsy, a run in my stocking, bad manicure, and even being late. But I can’t fix my face if I know that I revealed a holy secret…my “crack”.

The trade off for looking good in your clothes is you try on a lot of stuff. The size on the label my say it is intended for juniors 5, 7, 9, 11 etc. or intended to fit women 4, 6, 8, 10. Fit and proportion is very important. A pair of perfect jeans can sometimes be helped by a perfect belt. The cold truth is sometimes the the jeans are saying, “Lady…slowly…move away from the rack…move…away from the rack.”

Bag Lady

Back in the day, we used expressions like; clean, sharp, and together, to express how nicely an individual looked. We were complimenting the perfect combination of outfit, hair, shoes and accessories. Many of us know how to look good. We know how to groom and have attained a signature style. Although many around us subscribe to the fashion of covering up the vitals, “no shirt, no shoes no service,” we have fun with our clothing and reap the benefits of looking good.

But do you ever wonder what's missing? You wear a modern or classic silhouette.You keep track of your wardrobe recycling faded and worn out pieces adding new ones when necessary. You show your creativity by mixing vintage with modern to express your individuality. You even carry a designer bag as a signature piece. But instead of looking good you look complicated and overdone. The culprit is that good ole… clutter.

Are you carrying too many bags, a couple of grocery bags, baby bag, book bag and your purse? Hold up. These things are distracting and take away from your final look. Get light. Don’t carry unnecessary stuff. After you put on your coat or jacket evaluate what you have in your hands and downsize to a single bag. If you need to carry a lot buy a big bag in a quality fabric that holds its shape. Don’t be walking around with something that looks like a garage bag. Remember cleanliness is next to…