XXX Olympiad and Nike HTM FLYKNIT

HTM Flyknit image c/o Nike

I'm an Olympics fanatic. I'm DVR'ing everything and glued to gymnastics, swim & dive, track & field, cycling and some kayaking. I know, you probably didn't imagine I'm into sports. Heavy into sports at that. Not just as a spectator (enter a crazy Redskins fan), but an amateur athlete of sorts. Truthfully, I don't have the strongest history or relationship with the industry or any particular sport. But, I did run track until my minor asthma  depleted my energy to finish hurdles, which was my favorite event. I did cheerlead for all 4 years of high school and swam in college -- not on the official team -- but an intense club that swam 2 hours straight every morning at 7 am. I was awful at the butterfly and hated practicing the  turns.

My only real association to sports activity on any mentionable level is long distance cycling and golf, two sports I absolutely love, have mad respect for and have been playing for 12 and 14 years, respectively. I'll tell you about that down the road. There really is a lot to it. Sports for the heck of it would be softball (my legal days), rowing (a certain boyfriend days) and snowboarding (a family affair).

I think I've consciously stayed away from inviting conversations about my love for these two sports. It's not like I compete, play for $ or even aspire to be a pro (though when I swam in college and had a private golf coach, I was convinced I could take it all the way). I simply love to push my body, because I've become lazier as I get older, and challenge myself to do something I'm probably not naturally born to do. It's all so exhilarating. The feeling of finishing a 400 mile ride for a cause is life-altering. It messes with your emotions and deflates your ego. But it's powerful. And in golf, well, there's little to say other than its competition at its finest. It's hard-core mental and mathematical strategy. Oh, and requires an absorbent amount of I patience I'm low in.

So you see, there's more to my fashion than fabulous and absolutely sexy high heels. I do wear sneaks! You just might not see me in them unless I'm exercising. For me it's all about practicality.

In looking for some fly shoes I could rock during my dedicated week to running 2-3 miles at my HS track, I came across Nike's latest installment of the HTM Flyknit collection. Pure lush. I've not tried them on but I love the look: sleek, clean lines, light and attractive colors and patterns. I'm lusting the one pictured above, so the hunt begins.

Running at my HS track. Should have thrown mine, too! http://instagr.am/p/Nr4ZrxMxtm/

According to Nike:

 "HTM, the ongoing collaboration between Fragment Design Founder Hiroshi Fujiwara, Nike design legend Tinker Hatfield and Nike Inc. CEO and designer Mark Parker, celebrates the groundbreaking performance attributes of a new technology that changes the way footwear is constructed....Made complete with Nike’s signature Lunarlon cushioning system, the HTM Trainer+ is finished with a sleek white Lunarlon sole that ties the collection together." 

Works for me. They seem to be the perfect sneaker to run in, lounge around, paired with some cute short shorts and leggings for a more sporty look. If I get my hands on these, I'll let you know how fresh they are -- because that's the feeling I'm getting. They're just gorgeous. If a girl like me has to wear sneakers, she'd better rock some fly ones, don't you think?! 

Here's to the U.S. Olmypic Team and all our inner athlete!

Would you rock these sneakers? I love this green above, but they come in black, red, blue neon yellow and speckled yellow. Black for sure if I could have two! 

* I did not receive any compensation or Nike products for this review. I was simply looking for a fly new pair of sneaks and came across these. Mine are about to retire on the wire at my HS!

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Clinique Chubby Sticks & Mascara for Fresh Summer Looks

4th hour of working up against the wall, wearing a mix of "oversized orange" and "voluptuous violet."

I wear makeup just about every day. If nothing else, the two must-haves are lip gloss and mascara. Don't leave home without it. What a genius coin. And one so fitting. My philosophy is, you just never know who you're going to meet. I've found myself ducking under my baseball cap or turning around faster than a salsa dancer and making a beeline in the other direction.

True story. 

I recently got my hands on 8 new lip balms, which are all the rave right now, by Clinique, hailing luscious on the lips. These chubby sticks are not shiny glosses that stick or long-stay lip colors for all day use. They are simply moisturizing balms that enhance bare lips or your existing color. The different colors appeal to every chica, especially those needing options and loving flirty, sexy chic makeup in her bag. I found that mixing the oversized orange with the voluptuous violet works well for my complexion. Having them at hands access just make sense, mostly when I'm lounging around, working from home and having an energetic day of calls, errands, designing and cooking. 

The mascara is the one I'll be clenching my hands around all summer. I love wearing falsies, but only when I'm on camera, so finding a mascara that offers me a close enough effect is my friend. Clinique's upcoming High Impact Extreme Volume mascara has all the elements I look for when selecting one. I swear by L'oreal's Volumous for everyday, every hour kinda deal, but this one is the one for that last minute, "I don't have time to buy or apply lashes" mascara that will elongate, thicken and cover every angle of my lashes! Boom! Can not ask for a better solution. This one is oversized so it should last longer than your standard tube. Love that. 

Chubby sticks are available now at any Clinique counter for a mere $16/each. The mascara debuts in August for $19.50. 

What are your two "Don't Leave Home Without It" makeup prods?? 

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* Chubby sticks and mascara were c/o Clinique. However, I was not compensated for this post. Products were provided for in order to write this review. Every opinion is my own, honest and authentic. 

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A Bench

The bench.

View of street corner from the bench.

View of flower cluster on a tree from the bench.

I woke up this morning, a bit earlier than usual, quickly peeked outside my temporary window, and saw the amazing sunrise. The highlights and shadows glistening upon our front yard had a surreal effect. I instantly wanted to run outside, sans shoes, still in pjs to capture the dewey air and hard contrasts.

We have a bench at the hairline edge of our yard. Initially, it was placed there to prettify our property. It's since become the sitting place for waiting mother's as their children board and anxiously jump off the school bus. We don't mind. In fact, every time someone sits there, it absorbs a bit of their story which we see. It adds character.

So, I got to thinking. Life is so hectic, so fast, so about the now and what I can get done or acquire today, leaving little if any time to ever sit down and have a quiet moment to reflect.We have that bench. An old, weathered bench that's anchored hundreds of families over the last 15 years. My family has also sat there as a unit. But, to sit on my own, taking in the fresh air, listening to the owls hoot and detailing the spider webs that are spun just about every day, could give new meaning to my day.

As such, I will commit to taking a time to breath. To reflect.  To pause and think about my own story. What reverb will someone else feel when I sit there? I'll use it as my chance to embrace every day as a new opportunity to challenge myself to make it the best it can be. To see everything there is to see, even the sticky lace that acts as home to little creatures,  to fragile leaves burnt by the sun and to the story of others and they come and go. The colorful range of flowers my father's planted for us to enjoy are an added bonus to focus my eye on as I think about the sphere I live in and how everything I do impacts the next day.

I like benches. I never thought of them as an enigma. I'm glad the sunlight brought its force to my attention.

Who knows what other thoughts and ideas will be born from sitting still 20 minutes a day. Whatever they may be, I look forward to the juxtaposition of a sloth-paced beginning and anxiety of what's to come. It's so exciting!

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Old D.C., New D.C. & Irony

Intro.

Waiting for resto guests to move out of my frame.

Waiting game.

3rd, 4th or 5th take for location intro. Friendly audience watched for a bit.

Camera girl rocks; Chef and I talk & cook.

Pulling teeth with a shy chef on camera is not easy.

I was raised in D.C.-- well, the super close subs -- 6 miles from downtown. I used to work in corporate America, a typical, but intense 9-7 career, making great money and living a pretty fabulous life.  My world was replete with lawyers, politicians, lobbyists, bankers, Federali, court papers and business suits. Every day for 10 years. Leaving wasn't necessarily my decision but it was one of the biggest blessings in my life. 

6 months later, I made my way to Atlanta in artistic pursuit of my life on stage. It happened. It's happening. I grew a lot, learned a lot but realized I had overstayed my welcome in the South. 

I moved back to D.C. a few weeks ago in pursuit of happiness while on that stage. Shortly after I situated myself in my childhood bedroom, I had a huge project placed on my lap: a TV network project and I jumped on it. So, here I am, on my 1st of 5 days of filming, with a lot of irony in the realm.

My first location was at Ceiba, a restaurant directly across the street from my 2nd to last corporate employer. I used to lunch there quite a bit; in suits. But now, I'm there, dressed in boho chic appeal. The crazy part? How in the world would I end up wearing the very colors of their rebranded logo without even knowing. No,  really? I knew the resto was Latin with a lot of sexy, fusion plates, but to be clad in the same colors to the T, was a bit eery. Even the necklace, designed and made my mom the night before, is turq from Latin America. 

I have to modestly admit that having a standing audience at the 2nd location on the 1st day, was just kinda sweet... 5 takes later, after curbing onlookers, we got that scene right! 

I filmed 4 more days, each being 11 hours long, with various outfit changes each day and cruising the city from location to location. I still have a few more weeks to go and have so much more to share! For now, I'm excited to have my own show on a new, fabulous and uber chic network for women! My gig: hopping around DC, NY and Atlanta, eating my way throughout those cities in my best pumps and all the arm candy I adore! I'll share more updates on Twitter and Facebook with more looks as I move along the process.  I can't wait to tell you everything! There's so much more to it all and this is just the beginning!! I'm kind of cheating by chatting here, but I was itching to say something! 

My move back to D.C. has been alright. Just the kind of welcome back I love! 

Wearing: Paisley palazzo's by OlsenBoye c/o JCPenny; ON tank; Sleveless studded vest via TJ Maxx; Fedora via Target; Wedges from Aldo; Necklace by C.B. Herrera; Assortment of vintage and new jewelry.

* all pics taken on various crew iPhones

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Sexy Shoe Sunday: L.A.M.B

Am considering buying these fabulous high platform wedges by L.A.M.B. I used to collect a lot of her shoes until she significantly changed their packaging and sole quality and detail. But, there's something especially sweet about the starchiness of black and white in this design. They have all the design elements I look for in wearable summer shoes: high, good leather, strappy & open toe!

What do you think? I'll love them with dresses, jeans and some short shorts! Just lovely for all summer.

*Midori by L.A.M.B.

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Get a Sexy Glistening Look With Clinique Powder Bronzer

I took a fantastic nap today on our lovely handmade hammock from Mexico because I wasn't feeling well. My goal was to kill off some of the germs I think I got while hanging some with friends with a cold. My 90 minutes of pleasure were suddenly interrupted when my father pulled up in his cruiser. Grrr. I stumbled off the hammock and dragged myself inside to shower. 

I grunted for all of 5 minutes for having been woken when I remembered I had to shoot a super quick video for a huge network (more on that later)! That meant hair and makeup application during daylight hours and I was on a time crunch. I picked out my outfit, fitting for the background I had set up and scoured through my makeup collection to see what colors would go best. The camera always waters down everything (except for weight), but I decided to go with an all natural look. 

And, because the natural look for me during summer involves a glistening tan which I've not been able to enjoy just yet (not even the hammock nap fancied my interest) I needed to appear as if I had bathed in 100 degree weather. I grabbed my newest loose powder by Clinique which happens to be a bronzer -- exactly what I needed! The new powder is perfect in that its for full face application and instead of just offering a great even look, you get a fascinating glow as if you'd been at the beach and applied a light layer of translucent polvo. 

A gal like me likes to stay natural as much as possible, avoiding tanning salons at all costs and slathering myself with high levels of SPF's, but I do enjoy the look of a shiny caramel complexion during the stifling summer months. The beauty affects of the sun, if done properly can only be enhanced by fab prods like the Powder Bronzer. Its super balanced chemistry also provides a 3D contouring system which lets you shine from any angle! That's the kind of glowing I love to do, especially when I'm in front of the camera. 

After we shot the demo, I entertained myself by taking some shots through my vanity mirror in hopes of giving you a closer look at how fabulous the evenness and color are! 

Kinda crazy, cool, right!?! 

Check out your Clinique counter for the right shade for you. I'm wearing No. 1. 

How do you get your summer perfect bronze look?

* Bronzer c/o Clinique in order to write this review.  However I was not compensated.  All opinions are my own, always sexy and chic. 

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Isabel Toledo Spring 2012 Collection Reigns Colorful, Breezy & Caribbean Chic

Designer Isabel Toledo

I was excited to see 1st Lady designer and Cuban-born iconic fashionista Isabel Toledo launch her Spring 2012 collection. Her avant-garde mentality, touting tremendous vibrancy, cocktail of patterns and textures, and flowy lines, lend her pieces ready-made for any woman that is uber confident and unafraid of making a statement. There is a clear Grecian aesthetic used in the floor length dresses that can be dressed up for red carpets or down for yacht soirees. In a live interview on The View, the well-posed designer said she was particularly fond of her kimono style pieces that pull from the classic dress of the Japanese. Juxtaposed with very South Florida strapless and floppy hat ensembles, the entire look seamlessly works.

My favorite: I can't say! I can find an occasion for every piece, including the bouffant shorts and peplum top. It's oh so sexy.

This is the exact kind of designer I appreciate and dream of affording, soon! Check out the rest of the collection in the slideshow below.





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