B! Inspired: My Holiday Luxe Gift Guide eMag, 2013

Christmas is a few weeks away and I'm totally beside myself! Why? I'm done with all my shopping. Seriously. For my entire family, my boyfriend (the hardest to shop for,) and even a little something for myself. I was inspired by the late Thanksgiving weekend and considered the onslaught of shopping being crammed in just 4 weeks. I was determined to not get caught up in the mall madness... Even online could have turned into a potential jam of broken links and used up bandwidth.

So I got my shopping done early. I started perusing magazines, press releases, and some recommendations on Twitter and Facebook. I ultimately decided on a few special things and added some more to the mix. My search and excitement continued to grow into elements I really wasn't contemplating so I though it'd be super fun to curate those fabulous goodies into a luxe holiday gift guide! After much reviewing, testing, and editing down, I finally settled on the items in the guide (above).

I stayed true to the lovely things I'd gift and actually use, with a dose of super luxe which I'll keep on my wish list for when I really grow up. Tho I'm thinking I can manipulate a way to convince myself I need and deserve some of those things now.

While I think you'll get the gist of my gift taste and what I know would fare super well with anyone you wrap any of these for, there a a few that moved me into my dancing shoes. I particularly love them for their uniqueness, added sass, and affordability.

My Jam Jewels stack via my Instagram.

Jam Jewels. My new favorite arm candy designer. I saw this young designer's pieces while on a work trip earlier this year. Someone was rocking about 8 of them on one arm and my jaw dropped in arm swag crush. I checked her collection out and fell in love. The pictures looks great on her site and even the way I've stacked mine, but don't be fooled. Her bead selection is top notch. They have a superb weight to them. Much nicer and higher end that I can really tell you. You have to have them for yourself.

My arm swag last weekend. Nike and jewels work! via my Instagram.

Nike Fuelband in rose gold. Watch out now. Seriously. This energy band is everything. Did you ever think you could have athletic bracelets double as sexy arm swag? Yep. Pretty much. I mean, I get to workout, keep track of my fuel usage and calories burned,  how many steps I've taken, and even be digitally reminded "Move, Bren!" when I'm idle... and then keep it on to rock with my regular clothes and jewelry. You wouldn't even know it's workout gear. It's that fancy.

Elemis Art of Traveling for Men. My dear love travels a lot for work and is always stashing up the goodies from  hotels. I love Bliss from the W and even the white tea aloe variety at the Westin, don't get me wrong, but nothing like a fancied up travel bag with essentials for him. I recently got him the Elemis set full of luxurious moisturizers, shower gel, facial wash, and shave gel to keep him refreshed and feeling like he's still applying his normal at-home ritual. I love the smell of it but he loved the feel and affect, and that's what counts!

There are more than 50+ gifts in my luxe guide but these three are my sweet spots this week! Who knows what next week could be filled with. I'm leaning towards showing off some of the practical gifts anyone in your world will enjoy. I hope the guide helps you pin point some high-end gifts for the discriminating person in your world.

Hope you had a lovely and delicious Thanksgiving. Happy shopping and stay tuned for more goodie share.

XO.

Wearing: 

Top pic: Jam Jewels bracelets

Bottom pic: Marc by Marc Jacobs via Nordstrom; Swarovski bracelets by my mom's line, C.B. Herrera; SS Ring c/o IB Designs in St. Croix; Nike fuelband c/o Nike.

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Chanel or Not: The Iconic Suit Jackie Kennedy Wore 50 Years Ago Today

I couldn't help but indulge my curiosity this week by watching everything surrounding the 50th anniversary of John F. Kenndy's assassination, 50 years ago today. From CNN's flick to The History Channel's documentary, I've been glued to recounts and vintage footage of the eerie moments leading up to Oswald's life-chaning shot.  

There are so many enigmatic elements about Nov. 22, 1963, the Kennedy family, the Camelot era, and Jackie Kennedy herself. So many fascinating facts, pieces of memorabilia, sound bites, etc… that I wonder about. But most mysterious is the pink suit Mrs. Kennedy wore with such grace on the day she delicately waved her hand to hundreds of thousands of fans in Dallas, as the car strolled along the route. 

Fashion history would suggest the pink bouclé wool suit was by Chanel. And we'd all love to believe that. I mean, it's so Jackie O. So classy. So chic. So fabulous. So timeless. It's the one suit that's popularized the word "Chanel-esque" and trends like the bracelet cuffs on blazers. 

But in the frenzy I've been in, I also did some back-end research and learned some fantastic anecdotes about the famed, blooded-soaked suit. Not only did Mrs. Kennedy carry on and keep the suit on during Lyndon B. Johnson's swearing in just hours after her husband was shot so that "they can see what they did to him," but she had previously worn that suit at least 6 other times. For a multimillionaire 1st Lady of her class and stature to mindlessly wear the same suit in front of the world to see, is pretty "gangster" as Michaela Angela Davis, CNN contributor noted on Anderson Cooper earlier this week. Repeating such a visibly iconic suit with such nonchalance only speaks to the obvious power, though subtle and so coyfully displayed, and demure confidence innate to her spirit.

The most important fact about this suit is the one that'll change the way fashion looks at fashion. Until this week, I (and millions other) was convinced the suit was an authentic Chanel ensemble. The pink suit is not. It was a "knock-off, made in America" per Mrs. Kennedy herself.  Historian Nicole Kelby writes in her upcoming novel  The Pink Suit, confirms it's a replica made in 1961 by Chez Ninon, a NY Couture House. 

I was equally fascinated that she wore it twice in the week she was forced into assuming over-seerer of JFK's diplomatic responsibilities during the Cuban Missile Crises;  more because I extensively studied those dog days in college. 

¡¿Que, que?! I think my own style stock went up when I heard that. I don't do knock-offs, and surely would never pretend to have something I can't afford, but if Jackie Kennedy, fashion icons of fashion icons, rocked a fake suit under the guise of caviar taste, surely, there's room for Steve Madden making his version of Charlotte Olympia's or Louboutin's. But then again, there aren't any other Jackie Kennedy's. I'm not certain even Michelle Obama  would be pardoned if she wore a knock-off J. Crew pencil skirt and sweater. 

What's most interesting about the suit is that it's never been seen since that horrible day  in 1963. After her death, Mrs. Kennedy's mother donated the suit to The People of the United States, for 100 years, or 2113, with the condition that it never be pedestaled. And even after 100 years, the Kennedy family must approve. Her reason for keeping a piece of history so isolated: so that it wouldn't turn into a public spectacle. 

The suit is currently archived in a windowless vault, with air valves which changes the temperate every 20 minutes or so in order to protect and preserve the wool. The chamber temperature hovers around 63-64F, a safe environment for that kind of material. 

No one knows what happened to the matching pillbox hat. 

Who are those two people? Will we ever see the suit in exhibit? Is the blood still on the suit? 

Who knows! And that point alone makes Jackie Kennedy an even more respected and beloved American sweetheart. Her mother seemingly raised her properly. She handled a international tragedy, instantly, with grace and dignity. 

And what it means for Chanel suits. I'm not sure about that either or than I'm know fixated on discerning the authenticity of any pink, bouclé jackets. I know a few people that have one. 

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eBay Collections Curator. I Am.

I've always had this small dream of curating life in the realms I'm most attracted to. You know, kind of like what Rachel Zoe does for Piperlime? Shoes! And bags. And art. And kitchen geekery. Whatever. Anything that brings me to break out into uncontrollable happy dances a la Elaine.

Well, a slither of that little dream is happening this season. I'm curating collections on eBay where I get to share with the world some of my absolute must-haves in some of  my most favorite sectors of life. Can you imagine this? In one space, I get to curate more than shoes! I got to it, and so far have come up with 5 Collections, all representing areas I'm focusing on this season.

No girl can avoid searing hi and low for fall fashion, so that was the first colletcion I started designing -- my Chic Fall 2013 Looks. I'm really into grays, olive greens, navy blues, rugged boots, puffy parkas, and crossover bags. That's where I started, browsing their massive inventory of sellers, looking for goodies I can rock this fall.  Of the pieces I've curated so far, I'm dying over this Burberry coat. Isn't it stunning?

I quickly moved on to a board for the men in our lives…all the things that make them hot, classy, attractive. In my case, I was looking for gadgets and pieces that would make my main man look even yummier than he already does. I'm very in tune to his impeccable style and have a solid idea of the things he likes, but I wanted to find other things I think he'd be into. Like this Eames (modeled after) lounge chair I've secretly been lusting over. If it's at his place, at least I can enjoy it. Plus, nothing sexier than sitting across from your man after a long day at work… observing him laid out, relaxing, catching up on the day's haps.

My travel collection is looking pretty neat, too, with goodies to make my jaunts more stylish and efficient. I'm all over the canvas and leather duffel, which is amazing for overnight trysts. Totally utilitarian. So me.

Vintage Chanel Brooch in my Baubles Collection.

I'm working on a few other collections that are jazzy enough to take up time as I fill it up with fabulous pieces. I'm really eager to see how my kitchen geekery one is going to look since so much of my time is spent whipping up recipes (my food blog). The only foreseeable problem with all this fabulousness in one spot, is that it makes it way easier to take the plung and go for a whole board. My closet would be so happy!

And for you, for being such fun readers, share your collections and you'll have a chance to win $25k from eBay! So yeah! Show me what you got and my friends at eBay will see what you've created. Have fun with it. Really. Nothing like virtual shopping.  Especially when it can clutch us $25 grand, cash!($$$$$$)

Follow my collections for inspiration while you create you own! Plus, by the end, you'll have a super close behind-the-scenes look at my life looks like. I try to live a fabulous one! Stay tuned on eBay for more. Stay sexy. Stay chic.

B-

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Going Au Natural, Part II: Hair Products To the Rescue

Avail at Costco. Take daily.

Avail online

Found this trio (conditioner not shown) at TJ Maxx for $20/each. Online, about $40/ea.

Avail at Whole Foods for $10. Worth it. 

I finally opened up with you a couple of weeks ago about my journey with hair loss and going natural after (and still) some serious battling with figuring out what was (is) wrong. Medically, nothing. Physically, probably the immense stress of various events in my life. I'm still not in the clear 100%, but on a healthy -- I think -- road to recovery. And a head full of thick, curly, natural hair.

After the blood results came back negative, twice, I had to start looking into reconstruction. My aunt convinced to let go of all the fabulous Dominican hair products I've been swearing by most of my life. I won't lie, they've worked magic in the past, but my Tia encouraged me to consider the damage paraffins, perfumes, alcohol, colors, etc... cause and could hinder the restrengthening process. Those smell good products all have a solid dose of those ingredients. Hair killer? No se.

VITAMINS & NATURAL SHAMPOO/CONDITIONER

So I went digging and first started taking Biotin; about 1000 mg a day. That wasn't doing much of anything, so I bumped it up to 5000mg. Stand alone, I'm not sure if they were really effective. I didn't see anything to rave about so I expanded my therapy. I'm convinced biotin is very far from being a magic pill.

My aunt also suggested DermOrganic products which are organic and free of all those agents. My plan was to try it out for just 3 months... It's now been 6 and while I've seen a noticeable difference, especially in the curls (huuuray for curls!), it's not doing the job alone. At least not at the rate I'd like to see it. But that's just me. I do love this, though. DermOrganic also has a Leave-In Spray Therapy which I bought, but have not tried. Shampoo and condition twice a week and throw in the masque just once a week.

COCONUT OIL

I'm sure most of you embracing natural hair, know all too well the success with coconut oil. A few of my friends swear by it so I thought I'd give it a shot. Though, the idea of an oily scalp and treases is not my idea of sexy. At all. But, if it's going to help this situation, then bring it on. I apply the cooking oil variety (because I saw no difference at all in the option displayed in the hair care section of WholeFoods) three times a week. I massage my scalp with it and then pull my hair up in a super loose ponytail. I definitely see and feel a difference. It's fuller, thicker, and not as dull.

NIOXIN SCALP TREATMENT 

This was my sister's idea, who's also going through the same thing. She's done her bit of research and found this Level One Scalp Treatment system to have great reviews. I've been using on and off with the DermOrganic, so again, stand alone, I can't say if it's effective as a single product I'd like to think that for the money, it's working. She uses it twice a week and has noticed some thickness. The only thing with the threesome here is that it does have a nominal amount of alcohol and paraffin. And it seems to only address thinning, not loss or breakage.

Other factors.... Diet.

What you eat can play a significant role in hair thinning. A high consumption of animal fats, rapid weight loss and liquid protein diets can result in a lack of amino acids, biotin, iron, protein and zinc — all of which are essential for healthy-looking hair. --Nioxin website

I've not really checked my diet for proper levels of iron, biotin, and protein. I eat as I've been for the past 3-4 years with a slight increase in simple carb (rice, desserts). I've invited eggs back in my regular diet but not concentrated enough to know if it's helping out at all.

Ultimately, hair loss has so much to do with diet/nutrition, stress/trauma, genetics, and health issues, all of which I've addressed. All of my personal roads point to stress.  My next goal is to eliminate every single bit of stressors. I've nixed most of them, but a few pestering ones remain.

They say patience is a virtue, but when it comes to my hair, I've been attacking it like it's the end of the world. And so the journey continues. We'll see where I am 6 months from now! Stay tuned.

What hair products or regiment to stick to? What's been effective for you? Let's chat! 

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B! Inspired. My Dosage of Words This Week

I love words. I write. I read a lot. There's so much life in words.

And I love inspiring friends and strangers to go beyond their thinking and ponder greatness. I take to my Facebook Page every morning with a quote or an image depicting my mood, thoughts, energy or goal. I decided to share here with you, once a week, what motivated me to get through the week.

Hope you find some strength, love, and joy in all of these!

Happy Friday and....

B! Inspired.

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* I do not own any of these images, though I created a collage to mash some up. I attribute them to Pinterest or other Pages on Facebook. 

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Sexy Shoe Sunday: Casadei

I had to have these. Just had to. Plus, it was my birthday gift to self. An annual tradition of treating myself to something totally unnecessary. Just because. And these were it. The color. The texture. The heel. The design. The price.

Dope deal.

And they're mine. Perfect for fall. Forever.

Happy Sunday!

SHOW ME YOUR FAVORITE FALL SHOE LUST!

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* of note: my camera, a Nikon D5000, is seeing its last days. At least the lens. It's acting super quirky and my all my pictures of late are coming out quite off. So pardon the less than perfect picture as I work this out! 

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{Beauty Bloom} Traveling Requires Fancy Facials a la Shiseido

With the amount of traveling I do, coupled with the wildly imbalanced diet I subscribe to, mostly because so much of my cooking is for other people (see here, here, here, and here!), and the poor exercise routine I've adopted, my body is screaming for some serious TLC. Sometimes I just don't know what to do, so I ignore it all and just keep chuggin'. But then my skin gets annoyed and reminds me to sit still for second and get it together. At least think about getting it together. 

But yeah, that does't happen too much these days. The travels continue (as I sit at the Westin in Detroit and write this) and the sleep deprivation is in full affect (bi-coastal and international dating is not fun.at.all). If you're equally busy in a different realm, how do you treat your body and skin right? With all the amazing beauty lines and products the major celebrities push on us (I'd love, love to see paid models pushing these messages in their nondescript lives), who do you pick what works for you? 

I've figured that for me, it's not about settling on one magical brand as much as it's identifying what I've got going on and what products are most effective in tackling those things. These days, I'm all about rejuving my skin so I don't look like zombie or stressed out soul. I'm aiming for more glow-y, plump, more even toned skin (monthly stressors love making their home on my skin :/) 

I've been mostly attached to Estée Lauder's new night serum which makes my skin feel like a baby's butt... and my go-t0 Artistry Beauty for their effectiveness in hydrating my skin. But, for the current state of affairs I'm in, Shiseido created a line just for Bren, I swear! The IBUKI collection is specially crafted for millennials (24-34) who are running the rat race and not approaching life the right way --- you know -- late nights at the office,  all-nighters on the phone with the new guy, dinner with friends, ordering at 11 all to get up and have breakfast with the guy at 8, etc...). That would have my name all over it!  It's the perfect solution to the beautiful mess called my life. The 6 piece collection embodies "patent-pending Shape Memorizing Cell Technology, ensuring skin's cell memorize their optimal shape, size, and alignment. " Of the gorgeously clean designed collection, the Softening Concentrate ($24) and the Refining Moisturizer Enriched ($45) are the doing the best trick ever for me. The moisturizer enriched keeps my face super moist all day while the temps are dropping and I sit on dry airplanes... you know how that goes... sniff, sniff, sneeze, sneeze... The only thing I'm missing is a sexy eye pack to sleep on my flights the collection's eye cream which I know will nip the dark circles from mediocre sleep. Working on that!

Since my travel schedule is about to get really intense for fall and holiday work around the country and hopefully a few more hops across the ocean, I'm packing up my beauty closet with obsessions that'll treat me right... Plus, when I see my man again, I need him to kiss the softest face. It'll make him make our visits more frequent ;) 

What's your fall regimen to maintain moisturized and vibrant skin?! 

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