A Day In The Life of a Charity/Fashion/Lifestyle Writer

I get asked a lot of questions or better yet told of how cool my job is and honestly, I couldn't feel more blessed to be able to do what I do everyday and to meet such an amazing and diverse group of people in the city of Dallas. So since inquiring minds want to know...I figured I would do a post about a typical Saturday OR a day where I'm slotted to cover several events at one time.  And since Dallas is SO huge...it ends up being 3-4 events in one day.

Saturday, November 23, 2013

• 6:30AM - wake up...fix my early morning cup of joe which normally rounds out to about 5 cups of coffee (I know...horrible habit)  Start to think about the events I have to cover, the people I'm going to meet and the questions I will ask.  At this point in time, I actually consider writing 1-2 articles/posts before heading out the door for the day.
• 9:00AM - hit the shower but not before skimming through social media to get a good laugh or to see what I can do to increase readership for the events that I will be covering for the day (What hashtags will I use, who I will tag and what are they already posting about their events)
• In between all of this, I have to carefully select a comfortable yet trendy outfit. Nothing is worse than being photographed as a "fashion writer" and you look everything less than fashionable.
• 10:00AM - bolt out the door to head to the grocery store to get canned goods for the first charity event.  Yes...most people will get things like this the day before...but with my life...I don't have time for that!
• 11:25AM - DETOUR!  Remembers that today is Nordstrom Rack's holiday sale and Kate Spade handbag/tote is on sale for $90!  Heads over to Nordstrom Rack...already knows where the purse is...scoops it up, gives troubling husband advice on what handbag to buy for his wife for Christmas, and is out in less than 10 minutes.

"Isn't she a beaut???" In my Cher from Clueless voice. haha Kate Spade tote for $90 from Nordstrom Rack..what a steal and worth making a detour for.

• 11:35AM - Starts to think....there was a clutch I left at Express and didn't buy last week that will look REALLY cute with my outfit for tonight's charity event...makes another DETOUR across the street to North Park Mall and picks up clutch. SCORE!

Express clutch for FREE 99!  After applying my Express coupon and remaining funds on my Express giftcard. SCORE!  I love the gold detailing on this clutch and its versatility.  It can be dressed up or down. If I didn't have the gift card it would have only cost me $22.

• Noon - arrives at Chili-anthropy charity event in Deep Ellum.  Scopes the scene, finds the organizer to make introductions, finds photographer for arrangements on post-event photos and then makes the room (with a cocktail of course) to get short interviews and gather info for a write-up. After I feel like I have enough content then I par-tay! Chili, Tequila and Fritos...FUNNERS!

Great friends...freezing our butts off for charity...thank God Jarrod's chili could warm us up! From left to right: Larry, Amber, Me and Jarrod at Chili-Anthropy charity event benefiting North Texas Food Bank

• 1:10PM - hauls butt from Deep Ellum to Frisco through traffic to make the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Holiday fashion show for Miss Me Jeans. Looks at gas light...nope, can't make it to Frisco...will have to pull over and get gas!  Darn...especially when my GPS shows that I'm gonna get to the event at 2:03PM -  Anyone who knows me knows that I HATE being late...plus the event organizer made it VERY clear that the show was going to start on time promptly at 2:00PM. So....I'm not going to say what I did or how fast I went but....I made it to the event on time. LOL Was also excited to get a V.I.P. swag bag that included a pair of my very own Miss Me blinged out Jeans!

Me and the lovely ladies of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders

• 3:30PM - head home for a quick nap before getting ready for the Trend Next charity fashion show benefiting Baylor Health Care Systems. Watched crap reality TV to unwind and tried to get in a quick hour and 15 minute nap before getting glammed up for Trend Next.
• 5:00PM - started getting ready for Trend Next...mulled over whether to go "natural girl", "vampy vixen" or "smokey-eye Kim K-ish". Decided to go with a smokey eye with vampire red lips...it was a hit! Finished up getting ready but couldn't head out the door without taking my journal with me to take notes on the event.  Have to mix business with pleasure!!!

My new ECO-FRIENDLY journal courtesy of one of my newest partners, Grapevine Mills Mall.  Small enough to throw into my clutch and go!  PERFECT FOR THE JOURNALIST ON THE GO!

• 6:45PM - arrive at the event...ready to see some awesome fashion, eat some gourmet food and support founder, Shamequia Cason, as she educates about organ donations and Baylor Health Care Systems. This event was fantastic!  Elegantly done and I am SO proud of all of the hard work that Shamequia did to have Trend Next (in my opinion) as one of the top fashion events in Dallas for the year.

Me posing at Trend Next.  Outfit Details from Head to Toe.  Earrings by Purple Aura Jewels, Necklace by Lia Sophia, Dress by Express, Clutch by Express, Textured tights and Booties by Steve Madden Girl from DSW
Photo Credit: Eden Russom (Love her!)

• 10:35PM - post updates to social media...eat my cookie from my swag bag from the event, fix a glass of Dr. Pepper 10 and CRASH!!!!!

JUST ANOTHER DAY IN THE LIFE OF A DALLAS FASHIONISTA JOURNALIST!  WAKE UP, REPEAT AND DO IT ALL OVER AGAIN.

Get the Defibrillator---Urban Decay Is Coming Out With Naked 3

So...by now you guys should be at a point where when I tell you something is going to be a hit, or that you should mark your calendars for something, then you should do it, right?  Well...my favorite make-up brand Urban Decay is posting all over the web and on Instagram about the release of Naked 3...the third (well technically 4th) eye shadow pallet from the Naked series. (See related blog post: Get Naked!) 

Urbandecay.com / The moment I thought I was gonna pass out from excitement.

Anyone who is everyone will be rushing out to get this new pallet so PLEASE take it from that it will behoove you (I just love that word..behoove)...it will "behoove" you to go to Urban Decay's website and sign up to be on the list to get the EXACT release date for this newest pallet. It will sell like hotcakes as soon as it hits the stores so I wouldn't even risk it.  Both Naked 1 and 2 were $50...so start saving your funds now and get ready to own a piece of greatness.

Naked 1, 2 & 3 side by side...SWOON!!!!! This is a snapshot of the evil trolls at Urban Decay teasing the lowly beauty obsessed peasants about the newest release of Naked 3.  HOW EVIL!

I have both Naked 1 and 2 and have yet to be disappointed. I've received the most compliments I have ever received makeup wise when I use these eyeshadow pallets and it's just all around a must have. Whether you are new to the use of eye shadows or a pro who uses 6 brushes when doing your eyes, you MUST have these pallets.

Recap: Janelle Monae Does Dallas, Does It Big and Renews My Faith In Music

It's only once every blue moon that you can truly say that you experienced true artistry at its finest and for me...that was the Janelle Monae "Electric Lady" show that she did on November 9, 2013 at the House of Blues.  I was already pretty pumped up to go...but I was NOT ready for what the Electric Lady herself had in store for us.

First off...her opening act... *no words*.  Roman Gian Arthur...completely tore the roof down and shocked the entire house! He was like Prince, Donnell Jones and all of the great R&B acts all mixed together.  The entire time he was on the stage I think everyone's mouths were on the floor.  Janelle could not have picked a more perfect opening act...and to make it all come together...he was from Denton, Texas...so BOOM! #Texasisthegreatest  As soon as he left the stage, we were all on our Smart phones trying to Google him and download his music, he was just THAT GOOD!

So after Roman Gian Arthur left the stage, it was like being at an old school house party.  The House of Blues started playing everything from Stevie Wonder to Lauryn Hill...*sigh Lauryn Hill*.  It's just one of those names in music you hear and you automatically get mad...just thinking about "what could have been."  Anyways, I digress.

So the electric lady herself takes the stage and she's all in a straight jacket. The whole show was not just a performance but a production with themes and everything. When I say I got my entire life out of this concert, I mean exactly that.  And I know I may come up missing after I type this but....I enjoyed this concert so much more than the Beyonce concert. (Grips pearls...)  I can't believe I just typed that.

So if Janelle has not yet made it to your town...PLEASE catch this show..it's only between $25-$35 AND she comes out into the crowd AND she crowd surfed AND get there super early because they hand out backstage passes to meet Janelle Monae herself to people who are in the front row before the show even begins.  The darn early birds caught the worm...and I wasn't one of them because I was trying to be cute in my heels and didn't want my feet to be hurting by the end of the night so arrived at the venue after the doors opened.  Again...can't change the past...so I digress.

Oh last word of advice...if you don't have a boo, find one for the show...because once she performs "Primetime", it puts you in the mood to slow dance...and you don't wanna be like me, wrapping your arms around yourself singing all the words to the song.  NOT HOT!

Janelle Monae arriving on stage in a straight jacket

The Electric Lady Tour - Janelle Monae / House of Blues Dallas 11.9.2013

Blaine's Tamed My Mane....and I Liked It (Giveaway Included)

Blaine's Salon is one of the top salons in Dallas and is located in the trendy and posh area of Uptown off of McKinney Ave. I personally know the owners, Blaine and Sharon Schlaudt and wanted to see if their salon had what it took to tame my "natural" mane. Blaine, a guru of ALL hair types, gladly invited me in and wanted to show me why his salon knows no bounds and can tame even the toughest of manes...MINE! haha

My hair type is super coarse and after a 4 day old twist-out, I really wondered whether or not Blaine and his crew could fulfill the task.  But just as any professional stylists would, the Blaine's Dallas crew welcomed me like family, poured me MANY glasses of the champs (fancy word for champagne....I was in Uptown so you know...gotta get a little fancy) and had me feeling like a million bucks in a couple of hours.

I came into Blaine's after work after sporting a 4-day old twist-out that I had smooshed up into a bun with a double-wound headband.  Let's face it, I was a "natural" disaster.  I guess this is what you get when you're a full-time attorney, writing for 6 publications, with clients that I'm styling and attending social events several times a week. Pic 1 is after we took my bun down, pic 2 was after Manny finger-combed my twist-out.  Pic 3 and 4 is after straightening. 

Hair done by Manny at Blaine's Salon in Dallas. God Bless Him! I have a lot of hair and it is thicker than a snicker too!

While Manny was testing his skills out on my hair, I had a chance to talk to Blaine about the products that he was using...because as you know, us naturalistas are VERY particular about what products we put in our hair.  We steer clear of heavy concentrated alcohol hair products and if the first named ingredients aren't water or some form of organic oil (i.e. coconut oil, argan oil, etc.), then it's pretty much a no go. 

However Blaine's Salon uses their specially made products that Blaine personally created and tested in the labs to ensure that they have the highest level of concentration of organic oils and ingredients. And...you know me...not that I didn't believe Blaine and all...but I had to look on the back of the products and sure enough the first ingredient was water so major points for Blaine on that one!

And did I mention the smell???  The products smell amazing! I was practically in spa-mode when I was getting my hair massaged and shampooed at the bowl. *Sigh*  Pure Bliss.  *Future boo--take notes!*

I must say that after all was said and done and my hair was straightened, this was THE softest that my hair has felt in YEARS!

Manny trimming my ends.  2 years and 8 months natural.  Look at the length!!!

2 years and 8 months natural.  I'm going for bra-strap length.  Hopefully the next time I go to Blaine's I'll be 2 inches closer to my goal!  Look at the healthy sheen!

The finished product! I felt amazing!!! *fingers crossed that it wasn't humid outside...we all know what that means...*

All that to receive one of the best straightening experiences that I have received in awhile. If you're a naturalista like me and you're looking for a salon in Uptown to straighten or tame your mane, then Manny at Blaine's is the guy for you. Get your hair straightened, sip some champs, and then walk across the street and grub out at Del Frisco's Grille which has some amazing flatbreads and a fantastic wine list.  Now if only Blaine's can tame both my hair AND these obnoxious guys in Dallas, then we would be on to something here!

For more questions on Blaine's and to see what all his salon has in store, then click here.

Now for the giveaway....one lucky reader will receive full-sized bottles of Blaine's Salon products to try out and tell all of their friends about. The contest will run until November 8, 2013 so good luck!  Products will ship between November 9, 2013 and November 10, 2013. 

Leave a comment on this blog with your email address to be entered to win. Earn extra entries by following me on twitter @diamondicon, following me on instagram @beautyforeashes and/or by liking my styling companies' Facebook page "Diamond Icon Image and Styling Consultants."  Good luck!

(If you're having troubling entering a comment, choose "Anonymous" from the dropdown and enter your email that way.)