Who's Not Following Me on Chictopia?

I have a few new outfit pics up if you haven't checked me out in a while. I'm nbr5 (number 5... get it?) let's be friends on Chictopia so check me otu and follow me! I'll follow back ;)

New Hair for the New Year!!

Watch the Part 1 of the Hair Trailer HERE.

Featured On Stylelist: Wearing Maternity When You're Not Pregnant

I'm no stranger to wearing oversized tent dresses and clothes that "appear to be maternity" Part of it is because I tend to gravitate anything that is the opposite of "body con" and the other is because bigger clothes are just more comfy, duh. lol. Anyhoo check out my photo over at Stylelist's "Why We Wear Maternity Clothes Even Though We're Not Pregnant". What do you think about wearing maternity even if you're not pregnant?

*UPDATE* 

I've recently had a pretty significant amount of weight loss, so rethinking the whole "body con" thing. Stay tuned...

My European Looks... What Do You Think?

My outfits on our recent trip to Spain, Italy and France Oct/Nov 2011 - Click to see the pic larger.

We had a great time on our first ever trip to Europe! And I must say, I had fun getting dressed for each city. I tried to look like the city we were visiting or dress for what we would be doing. So here's the rundown left to right. Let me know what you think:

Zigzag knit H&M Dress worn in Naples and Capri, Italy: I purchased this dress four years ago at the H&M on Michigan Avenue in Chicago. We were there to see the Roberto Cavalli for H&M collection the day after it launched only to see SOLD OUT signs when we got there. I purchased this dress from the clearance rack for just $12 bucks. The dress was a cute knit sheath dress when I bought it, but I recently put in an elastic waist for it to fit me a little better (recent weight loss). Sightseeing in Naples and the island of Capri Italy, I felt comfortable all day walking around in this H&M dress and Go Jane boots..

Green Soccer Jacket and Yoga Pants worn in Majorca, Spain: We were riding bikes through Spain this day so I wanted to make sure I was comfortable and appropriately dressed. Majorca, Spain was a beautiful city and the weather was really pretty that day. I can't remember exactly where I purchased the soccer jacket I wore, fitted black yoga pants you can get just about anywhere, the only items I remember where I got them are the green and yellow tank tops. They're from Old Navy.

Tan and Red Ensemble worn in Marseille, France: I hadn't even planned on packing my tan Gap Hat or my tan long sleeved tee (the red Old Navy "Rockstar" jeans (their name, not mine) were always coming along), but I'm glad I did! This has to be my favorite outfit from the trip and it kinda got put together by accident. I'd always planned on wearing the red jeans on this day, I just didn't know what I was wearing with them. I guess you can say the weather that day dictated that look and it just kinda fell into place nicely. The scarf that matched my tee, hat and shoes almost perfectly was $4 bucks from Forever 21. Marseille, France felt authentically French :)

Brown H&M Poncho and denim-look leggings worn in Monte Carlo, Monaco: Monaco was really posh and high-end. With it's jewelry stores (Cartier, Bvlgari, Fred) and luxury goods shops (CHANEL, Louis Vuitton, Lanvin) more Porches and Bentleys than you could count on the streets so I tried to look the part that day. I think I got it right, no? My black scarf was a gift from my cousin Ronda, she bought it in Egypt! Anyhoo, Monaco was really pretty, really historical (we got to see where Grace Kelly (Princess Grace) was buried) and really, really expensive.

Leather look Forever 21 Jacket and Levi's worn in Rome, Italy: This was the last day of our trip and we were TIRED. I think it kinda shows in my demeanor, lol. It took real effort not to throw on the sweats I packed to go out and look at centuries old ruins, but we ended up having a nice day that day that ended in Nutella Gelato. And OMG, yum.

See pics from our trip HERE.

Are You Following Me? Let's Connect!

I just have one question for you. Well, I have a few questions...

Are you following me? No? Well let's connect!

Are you following me on Twitter?

Are you following my Tumblr?

Have you *liked* my Hip Couture page? Or visited Hip Couture on US Trendy? 

Or followed Hip Couture on Twitter?

Have you visited my Michelle Obama page?

How about my travel page, Hip Trip Advisor?

Have you followed or favorited me on Chictopia?

Have you seen my food on Foodspotting?

Or subscribed to me on Youtube?

At Home Hair: I Love My Oils...

These oils are all the oils in my hair arsenal right now. When I first decided definitively to go natural (March 2011) I went full steam ahead trying to learn what people used on their transitioning/natural hair. I visited hair forums, websites, Youtube channels, I bought books, got scared into staying away from using products with sulfates and parabens which I still largely do. But what immediately got me excited were all the oils. OILS. I know. It's like, why oils? I don't know really, but using natural oils had an immediate impact on my decision to go natural for whatever reason. I still to this day can't fully put my finger on why. I dropped a good amount of cash on all these oils 5 months ago, and the only one I've had to replace to date is my Sweet Almond Oil (it's light and velvety which I like so I use a good bit of it).

My essential oils are another whole breed of oils. My Sweet Basil Oil is front and center because it is my hands down favorite EO. I use it in my water/glycerin moisturizing hair spritz. I don't know why the smell of basil makes me so happy, but it does. When I first got all these oils, I turned into this mad scientist mixing different oils, conditioners and lotions. All I was missing was a white lab coat, lol. It still excites me to mix my own hair oils and conditioners. I think I have more oils than brand name hair products right now. So below are a few links to what I've learned about these oils and some of what I've experienced with them so far:

Vegetable Glycerin

How to make a Quick Vegetable Glycerin Spritz

Aloe Vera Juice

Apple Cider Vinegar Hair Rinse 

this leaves my hair feeling really smooth after I use it

Carrier Oils

Coconut Oil

Avocado Oil

WATCH: My Avocado and Mayonnaise Hair Treatment How To

Sweet Almond Oil

Safflower Oil

Grapeseed Oil

Castor Oil

Vitamin E Oil

WATCH: My DIY All Natural Sugar Skin Scrub How To

Scalp Massage with Oils How To

Taren916 (above link) uses Tea Tree Oil for her scalp massages, 

I mix almost every oil I have for my scalp massages, lol (olive, almond, safflower, avocado, scented with rosemary and peppermint) #fanatic

Essential Oils

More Essential Oils

Do you use any of these products or something different? I'd love to know your thoughts, I like learning about new hair/skin at home remedies!

August 13th is Alfred Hitchcock's Birthday...

Alfred Hitchcock was born on August 13th 1899 according to Wikipedia, because everybody knows Wikipedia is the way you verify things in 2011. Duh. Anyhoo, I had to do this post to specifically shout out my husband.

I love vintage thriller movies. LOVE. And I've seen just about all of Alfred Hitchcock's films. "Rope, To Catch a Thief, The Birds, Vertigo, Dial M for Murder - watch the theatrical murder sequence from "Dial M", North by Northwest, Psycho" and more. The reason that I'm giving my husband a shout out is this. I've been married for 15 years going on 16 this year, and it wasn't until our 15th Christmas as a couple that he got me a gift without actually asking me what he should get me and then just telling me to get it. We're talking about LAST YEAR. Dude surprised me with not one, but TWO Alfred Hitchcock movie box sets with no repeating movies. He knew to buy me these box sets entirely from PAYING ATTENTION. I cannot tell you how significant this was. My absolute shock at opening this gift was immeasurable. And he knew it too, lol. I have to say, he was pretty pleased with himself.

So shout out to my husband Ron today on Alfred Hitchcock's 112th birthday for shocking and delighting me last Christmas (I didn't think it was possible) with my Alfred Hitchcock box sets. 

I love them :)

Homemade Hair: Avocado Oil & Mayo Deep Treatment

I recently did an Avocado Oil and Mayonnaise deep protein treatment on my transitioning hair and I was quite pleased with the results. Check out the video below on exactly what I did:

Show Your Style on Chictopia.com...

Chictopia is the largest online community that gives everyone a voice in fashion. Join for free and get connected with other style seekers. And ME! I'm on Chictopia too. Check me out HERE. And watch the video below for a few tips on how to show off your best looks: