Earth Day Concert

On Saturday, I attended the free Earth Day Concert on the National Mall.  The concert started at 11am, I wanted to get there by 10:30 to get a spot close to the stage.  I didn't get there until a little before 12pm.  Luckily, it wasn't that crowded when we arrived.

The only issue was on their site, they listed you could not bring in "structures" However, they did not list exactly what structures were.  Well once we got there we realized that folding chairs was considered a "structure" They were very strict about not letting people bring their chairs in. One of the guys who was searching bags told us that chairs would be thrown away by 5pm (this is supposed to be a celebration for EARTH  DAY yet they are throwing away chairs :\ ) I put my two chairs in the pile and said I would leave at 4pm to make sure I retrieved my chairs.

Once we got through security, we found a spot not too far from the stage.  Train came on to perform not long after.  It was a great performance!  Once Train finished, we decided to head out to the food trucks.  I am glad we left out when we did because they were collecting the large pile of chairs and tossing them.  I snatched up my two and asked the wonderful ladies at the free bike parking "lot" if I could leave them there.

Anyway, after standing in the long food lines we headed back in to watch the reminder of the performances.  Overall, it was a great day and all of the artist put on a great show. I like how they had the speeches on the environment & global poverty between each artist set instead of all in the beginning.

The artist line up was:
Train
Fall Out Boy (they rocked!)
Mary J. Blige
Usher
Common (I totally fangirled over him)
My Morning Jacket
No Doubt (LOVED, LOVED and LOVED their performance)

I didn't get a lot of pictures as I was too busy dancing and having fun.

First let me take a selfie

The one and only Gwen Stefani

Now lets take an usie

My oldest photobombing Tay

My allergies were starting to act up at this point of the day

Easter Weekend Activities

Easter weekend was busy!  I am glad I took time to rest up on Friday instead of hanging out.

On Saturday, one of my good girlfriends (old BFF) had her babyshower.  This is her first child and she is carrying her baby so well.  I wished I looked as good as her when I was pregnant :)  The baby shower was cute and fun.  I got to catch up with some folks I have not seen in forever.  I didn't get a lot of pics as I was actually enjoying the time with my friends.

Saturday night some more friends and I headed to the Fillmore for the 80s vs 90s dance party.  I loved that just about everyone participated in the theme.  I wore an all white Guess jean outfit, a pair of Reebok pumps and a pink crop top.  I of course had to rock a pair of bamboo earrings.

When we got to the venue, the house DJ was playing.  I thought he probably should have stuck to the theme of the night and played songs from the 80s and/or 90s instead of songs we hear everyday on the radio today.  Biz Markie came out to DJ not too long after our arrival.  He mostly played rock songs with a few rap songs sprinkled in. He played for about 30 minutes then a rock cover band came out.   Biz Markie came back out to close the show with hip hop, R&B and a couple of reggae/dancehall tunes.  I danced so hard Saturday night, I was sweating.  I may have even lost a pound or two LOL

Sunday was all about family.  My mother hosted her annual Easter Sunday dinner.  We had family from NC come up and 2 of my fab 5 came to celebrate with us.  The food was great, the drinks were strong and the company was even better.

My 1st cousin - our serious look

Overall, this was a great weekend.  As summer approaches, I look forward to more like it.

My outfit for the 80s vs 90s dance party deets: jacket and jeans from Guess.  Top from Forever 21 ($4.00!), bangles (already had), earrings from Ebay, rope chain and herringbone necklace from Frugal Finds NYC

Friday Night with the Black Alley Band

On Friday, my good girlfriend and I went to the Fillmore to see Black Alley. This was my first time seeing them live and I can tell you I was NOT disappointed. My homie from high school DJ Alizay was their set DJ. If you don't know about DJ Alizay look him up! One of the best to do it at a young age.

Now back to Black Alley...they put on a great show! I love how they rock out on stage.  The energy they have with each other is felt throughout the crowd.  I can't wait to see them again.

For ore information on Black Alley go to their site.  You can also follow them on Twitter and IG @weareblackalley

Check out their video for Artist Player:

Welcome 2015!!!

I have to start with saying, 2014 was a pretty great year for me!  I got out more, step outside my box and just enjoyed life.  I had the pleasure of meeting some wonderful women that I hope to get to know better in 2015.  It is a pleasure to be around professional, smart, beautiful and fun women with NO drama.

2015 has started out on a great note.  If the first 5 days of this new year are an indication of what I have to look forward to, then I can tell you I am ready!

For this year, there are a few things I want to change/improve (I'll keep those to myself) and I hope I can finally get this healthy living down pack.  I swear sugar is crack! Anyway, I am committing to having myself and family live a healthier lifestyle. I'm going to also continue to step outside my comfort zone and do things I would not normally do, meet new people (forget the no new friends saying), learn how to twerk and just continue to enjoy this one life I have to live.

My NYE outfit:

Dressy white tee - $9.95 from H&M
Sequin shorts - $8.00 from Papaya (score!)
Blazer - $34.95 from H&M
Shoes - FREE!!! Steven by Steve Madden from Off 5th Broadway (they had a BOGO free sale over the summer)
Accessories - $10 from Icing (they had a sale all jewelry was $5 and they had a $1 sale on certain items)
Purse - $20 from Nine West
Lipstick - Viva Glam Rihanna 1 by MAC $16

Flannel and Leather

This season I am feeling sweaters, plaid and leather.   I thought this would be a really cute chill outfit for a weekend out. 

S/N:  My friend told me I need more color in my wardrobe.  I'm sure she meant something brighter than this dark purple sweater :)

Flannel and Leather by mahogany817 featuring a j crew shirt

J Crew j crew shirt
jcrew.com

Jumper top
ustrendy.com

H&M faux leather pants
$40 - hm.com

GUESS leather wedge booties
heels.com

Drusy jewelry
baublebar.com

Mac cosmetics lipstick
maccosmetics.com

Clear Proof Acne System

I received the Clear Proof Acne System by Mary Kay free for testing and review purposes from Influenster. 

I received the following products in the box:

• Clear Proof Clarifying Cleansing Gel - apply this first to remove dirt, oil and complexion-dulling impurities.  

•  Clear Proof Blemish Control Toner - apply this next, this will help to tone the skin.

• Clear Proof Acne Treatment Gel - apply this after the toner.  This will help to prevent new pimples from forming.

•  Clear Proof Oil-Free Moisturizer for Acne-Prone Skin - the last step in the process.  Use this to complete the regimen, this lightweight moisturizer does not clog pores and feels soothing to irritated skin and helps improve the appearance of skin tone.

This was intended for my daughter but after talking to her dermatologist, I decided not to switch up the products she already use. Since I suffer from breakouts more now than when I was a teenager and no matter what I do I keep getting these nasty white heads on my nose, I decide to try it on myself.  I buy a lot of products to try to eliminate these issues.  The only thing that has really help has been the Aztec Clay mask, I try to do weekly.

I was a little hesitant about trying this at first because I didn't know how my skin would react.  My intentions were to try it on a Sunday so if I did have a bad reaction I would have a few days for it to clear up before having to go out.  However, my plans never turn out the way I want so I tried the system on a Wednesday afternoon.  I was pleasantly surprised by how gentle it was on my skin.  The next day, I decided that I would make this part of my nightly routine.  That way I know I am getting rid of all the environmentally impurities.

On the third day, the toner started to burn my skin.  When I woke up on the fourth day, my chin and nose looked like I had a chemical peel.  I was going to toss the system but decided to keep trying it out.  When I used it on the fourth night, the toner still burned.  After I applied the moisturizer, I decided to use my almond oil too.  On the sixth day my skin got used to the toner and only sightly burned.  Last night when I used it, I didn't have any problems.

I have only used the Clear Proof Acne System for a week yet I have notice a change in my skin.  The whitehead issue on my nose is slowly going away.  I don't have to use my blackhead/whitehead extractor everyday.  My chin area has not cleared up completely and you can see my eczema a little but it is starting to clear back up.

I will continue to use this system for the next few weeks (it says it takes at least 4 weeks to notice a change).  After the four weeks are up, I will post an update.

Halloween 2k14

This year Halloween fell on the weekend, me and ghetto boys were trick or treating...

This year my kids wanted to go down to their Grandmother's house on Halloween. My oldest thinks she is too old to trick or treat so she stayed at the house to give out candy. My middle child, decided to ditch us and hang with her uncle's girlfriend and her little cousins. The boy was excited to go trick or treating with his cousins (we usually just go to the mall). I didn't have a costume so I threw on one of my plaid shirts, skinny jeans, Chucks and a blue bandana to rep for the Cali Crips.  I forgot to draw on my tear drop but I still c-walked lol

For Saturday night (Nov 1st) I made plans with some friends to participate in the Night of the Undead Bar Crawl. Two of them flaked out on me but I won't hold that against them. We hit up U street in our last minute costumes and had a ball. I was a 30s Flapper, my GGF Pepper was a 70s Disco Dancer, Tay represented for the 80s fitness fanatics and Kay got her groove on as a 60s Babe.  I was happy to see so many people participating. We saw so many dope costumes on Saturday.  

After the bar crawl, Kay invited me to her BFF's costume party. These ladies know how to party. The music, food and drinks were on point!  And there were some nice costumes at the party too. 

I had so much fun this weekend that I am already planning for next Halloween. My costume is going to be super dope!