BLOW OUT THOSE NATURAL HAIR CURLS

Soo, today I decided to blow out my hair. I didn't fully blow it out because my hair is so thick it was giving me a headache but I kinda did and I love it. This hairstyle that I am wearing right now came about on accident. I was playing around with my hair trying to figure out how to wear it today and I finally had figured something out. So, I did one side and after that I went to do the other side and i thought hmmm I think I'm gonna leave it that way. I like it! Others may say I just got lazy, well that's my story and I'm sticking to it (haha).

Anyway, so my outfit is pretty simple today. Nothing dramatic other than my lips! But, we all know how i feel about lipstick! I LOVE IT! #SEPHORAGIRL 

Also, As much as I LOVE my heels and wedges, I am totally all about flats. You should definitely have a pair of flats in as many colors as you need. Sometimes, I just can't be bothered with heels but that doesn't mean I want my outfit to look like blah blah blah! So, invest in some cute flats and stay cute even when you wanna keep it simple! 

Hope you enjoyed this post! Feel free to comment and ask questions. If you have other inquiries you may also leave those in the "Talk To JO" box on the right hand side.

Jo

"When I first moved to New York and I was totally broke, sometimes I would buy Vogue instead of dinner. I felt it fed me more" - Carrie Bradshaw

Late post: What I Wore

Hey everyone!

I hope you all had a wonderful hump day. So, this post is definitely a late post! I wore this outfit a little under two weeks ago. I loved this outfit so much that I still have to post it. I am soo into the military inspired look. This ankle pants I got from H&M are one of my fave pair of pants (I feel like I say that about all my clothes lol). What can I say, I buy clothes that I love.

So, one of the things I loved the most about this outfit is the color coordination. Nothing in this outfit matches perfectly but everything worked together in some type of way. This is the beauty of fashion - artistically bringing pieces together that woudn't be assumed as going together. Even though I absolutely love the pants, I think the color block top makes this outfit! It really give it that extra umph that it needed. 

For this outfit, I decided  not to go with flats. I felt that a pair of flats wouldn't do the cute top justice, but at the same time I didn't feel like wearing super high heels. So, I keep it chic yet simple with a pair of ankle boots that complimented the entire outfit well. Let me tell you, I am kind of obsessed with the army green and brown combo. For some reason its so hot to me. I love it.

Hope you enjoyed this post! Feel free to comment and ask questions. If you have other inquiries you may also leave those in the "Talk To JO" box on the right hand side.

Jo

"When I first moved to New York and I was totally broke, sometimes I would buy Vogue instead of dinner. I felt it fed me more" - Carrie Bradshaw

HAPPY 21ST BIRTHDAY EMMANUEL!

So, let me tell you what it is like to have a little brother! By the way, I have TWO!

1) He takes pictures of himself on your phone when you blatantly told him you were in a hurry to head out and asked him to help you take pics for your blog.

2) You have to quickly smile for a pic with him when mom says so even though he just said something ridiculous and you want to punch him in the stomach 

3) He ALWAYS thinks your friends are HOT and wants you to "Hook Him Up"

4) He can be a little ratchet face at times....

5) He freestyles out of nowhere sometimes and then feels super accomplished when he is done 

6) He does these kinds of poses in family pictures while everyone else in the picture is looking extra normal

7) You get to make fun of him because of how much he friggin looks like dad!!!! Which one is manny and which one is dad??? 

8) But at the end of the day you love him with all your heart. Flaws and All. You have have some huge fights but you have even huger laughs. As the big sister you worry. You worry about his safety, his happiness, and his future. You have been my best friend since you were in diapers and that is one of the reasons why you understand me the most. 

You, Joy, and DJ are my world. I love you guys so much! I joke around about wishing I was an only child but I wouldn't trade having you all in my life for anything. So again HAPPY 21ST BIRTHDAY TO MY LITTLE BROTHER! No matter how much taller you get you will ALWAYS be my little brother that I used to give baths to! THE LITTLE BONEHEAD THAT USED TO GET ME IN TROUBLE!!! Love you a million times over EMMANUEL!

HAPPY 21ST BIRTHDAY EMMANUEL. I am tearing up writing this right now because I love you so much. I want to see you successful. I want to see you achieve all your goals and aspirations. You are such a bright young man. Reach for the stars and don't stop reaching. The world is yours! But you have to play your cards right. LOVE YOU TO PIECES!

Hope you enjoyed this post! Feel free to comment and ask questions. If you have other inquiries you may also leave those in the "Talk To JO" box on the right hand side.

Jo

"When I first moved to New York and I was totally broke, sometimes I would buy Vogue instead of dinner. I felt it fed me more" - Carrie Bradshaw

The Cheesecake and Wine Tasting Event

Yesterday, I had the privilege of attending a mixer celebrating some of the most amazing Cheesecake I have tasted in a while from the company CheeseCaked! Follow them on twitter @GetCheeseCaked. The event was called "The Cheesecake and Wine Tasting Event." I got all dolled up and headed out with my co-worker and new friend Rochelle Ham (@TheReauxShow on twitter). Our friendship instantly bloomed once we realized that we had a lot of the same goals and aspirations! We are both aspiring Public Relations Professionals. So, here we were yesterday, invited to a private event in a gorgeous rooftop club room in midtown Atlanta. Were we feeling pretty important? Yes..yes we were haha!

Anyway, so back to the cheesecake! Look, when I tell you this cheesecake was phenomenal, I am not even joking. Everything from the presentation, the texture, and most definitely the taste made me fall in love. They were served in little cubes as hors d'oeuvres. I had to keep reminding myself that I was in a professional setting because the real Joanna wanted to come out and take about 9 or 10 slices of cheesecake of those trays! Lets be real for a second! Haha Not only was the cheesecake amazing but the face of the company Ms. Shawn Brown was also a pleasure to meet. She was funny, beautiful, and
just so pleasant! And how cute was her outfit!

Rochelle and I had a lot of fun at this event. We mixed and mingled, enjoyed cheesecake, enjoyed some really good wine, and had some great conversations with some great people! All in all, last night rocked! 

Me with the lovely Anje Collins of Women In  PR.

She is hilarious and full of life!

Me with Adrain Harrow of Unique Syrups. He is so nice and he had a lot of helpful career advice. 

He is #TheSyrupMan. Follow him on Instagram @UniqueSyrups

Ro's outfit was pretty much killing the game wasn't it! Her shoes were so fly Anje posted them on her Instagram. @Anjemiami

Hope you enjoyed this post! Feel free to comment and ask questions. If you have other inquiries you may also leave those in the "Talk To JO" box on the right hand side.

Jo

"When I first moved to New York and I was totally broke, sometimes I would buy Vogue instead of dinner. I felt it fed me more" - Carrie Bradshaw

White Jeans and Velvet Blazer

This is the outfit I wore the other day to work. I love this outfit.  Even though it is a very simple outfit it definitely took me a while to pick it out. The hard part was my velvet blazer. I LOVE THIS BLAZER! I have it in black too! If you don't already have one, you should add at least one velvet blazer to your closet. The thing about velvet blazer is that you really need to be picky when choosing the bottoms you want to pair it with. Personally, I have found that velvet blazers look best with a pair of denim and even with a dress. I don't really like the velvet blazer with any other type of casual pant or pant material.

Sooo, on to the white jeans I am wearing. These jeans were gifted to me. They are cropped and distressed jeans from Express. I also love these jeans. They are extremely comfortable. When I shop for jeans, aside from wanting them to look good, I shop for comfort. Who else has those jeans that make them feel like someone is constantly hugging your thighs and when you take them off you have a sigh of relief? That is not what a pair of jeans should feel like. It doesn't matter if they are skinny jeans or not they shouldn't make your legs feel heavy all day. For style AND comfort, I recommend jeans from Express.

Also, you will notice in all of my outfit posts that I ALWAYS accessorize. However, I am not big on doing too much when it comes to my accessories. I do just enough to compliment the outfit. To be honest, sometimes I put an outfit together and I like it so much that I feel like it wouldn't even need any jewelry. But, of course I use some anyway. It is important to always wear some accessories even if it is just a watch.

Hope you enjoyed this post! Feel free to comment and ask questions. If you have other inquiries you may also leave those in the "Talk To JO" box on the right hand side.

Jo

"When I first moved to New York and I was totally broke, sometimes I would buy Vogue instead of dinner. I felt it fed me more" - Carrie Bradshaw

Braids Out!!

After about six weeks with my box braids, I took them out today. My hair has definitely grown significantly and I am loving it. I am so excited about this! I am truly enjoying my natural hair journey and all I have to say is...WHAT TOOK ME SO LONG? Well, that doesn't matter because I am hair now. Thanks to that awesome Cantu mist and hold spray that I use (featured it a couple hair posts back) my hair was soft and felt like clouds upon taking down my braids. I think a huge misconception that people have is that once you put in a protective style you can neglect your hair...WRONG! You still need to keep it moisturized. The hair underneath that protective style still needs some TLC!
Anyway, I washed, deep-conditioned, and moisturized my hair after I took the braids out. I plan to leave my hair out for a little bit and put some braids back in asap.

Hope you all enjoyed this post. Feel free to comment below! And if you have other inquiries feel free to shoot me a message in the "Talk To Jo" message box!

xoxo

Jo

"When I first moved to New York and I was totally broke, sometimes I would buy Vogue instead of dinner. I felt it fed me more" - Carrie Bradshaw

N.Y.C Nail Polish

My new favorite nail polish brand is officially N.Y.C! I used to be all about O.P.I then I stopped using it because for some reason I just didn't like the consistency. I think I felt it was too thick or something along those lines. I can't really remember why I stopped using it because it was so long ago. Anyway! I started using Essie. I fell in love with Essie because of its collection of colors. The colors are bold and beautiful. There are colors for EVERY woman's skin tone. I loved Essie. However, I started to feel like my Essie's nail polish was expensive for no reason because they tended to start chipping very fast. And on top of all this the nail polish itself would start to clump in the bottle after only about two uses. The worst experience was w hen one of my polishes that I owned for literally about two and half weeks had become all clumpy the next time I wanted to use it.
So anyway, I ended up winning a competition at my old job and the price was this cute little blue bottle of N.Y.C nail polish! I used it once and I liked it. The color is gorgeous! So, today would be my second time using it and I was worried that when I open the bottle it would be all clumped but NOPE, it is perfect. And the most awesome part is I remember that last time I used it the polish remained on my nails and didn't chip for about two weeks and the reason it even chipped is because I was doing some handy-work. A bottle of N.Y.C polish will literally cost you less than two dollars at your local Walgreens, CVS or wherever you like to go!

I love Essie but i'm moving on to N.Y.C plus they also have some beautiful colors!

Hope you all enjoyed this post. Feel free to comment below! And if you have other inquiries feel free to shoot me a message in the "Talk To Jo" message box!

xoxo

Jo

"When I first moved to New York and I was totally broke, sometimes I would buy Vogue instead of dinner. I felt it fed me more" - Carrie Bradshaw

Fall '13 The Season of Bags

So, in case you didn't know, Fall 2013 is about to be a season of bags galore. In the past, I used to be really huge on purses but my attention kind of moved towards shoes more. However, with the amazing collections and styles of bags that will be surfacing for the Fall, I think it is time to focus on bags bags and more bags again.
So, in case you didn't know the 2013 Independent Handbag Designer Awards just took place. Some awesome bag designs, styles, and colors were presented. I most definitely loved the bags I saw, however, they pretty much were ALL out of my price range. So, in this post I will show you a couple of the bags and some more affordable replicas. These are just side-by-sides of a bag that won an award and a bag that is somewhat similar to it but yet more affordable.

So...

On the left side is a bag by designer Maria Lamanna for Maria Lamanna Handbags - Italy, won Best OVERALL style and design. This bag is absolutely gorgeous. The design is very unique and I can definitely see why she won best OVERALL style and design. I love the rectangular shape, and the color, but most of all I love the root of the handle. Gorgeous! On the right is the Orange Front Lock Shoulder Bag by Chic+ which can be found here http://www.chicwish.com/orange-front-lock-shoulder-bag-by-chic.html. This bag is a lot more on the affordable side of things. It currently is priced at 55.90.

Next, we have the bag that won Best STUDENT-MADE. This award was sponsored by Charming Charlie! The winning by is a Carmen Ortize for Linóza bag. Carmen Ortiz is a graduate of The New School for Design, U.S.A. I love this satchel. It is a simple yet chic satchel. It looks so easy to throw over your shoulder for a busy day or even a night out. I love the shape, the handle, and I love the deep black. On the right hand side is a bag from Olive + Joy. It is the Olivia + Joy Knick Knack Satchel. I am kind of obsessed with everything about this bag. First of all I looove the shape but also how gorgeous is the gold chain. It just makes the bag look so sexy and I love the texture! It can be found here http://www.6pm.com/olivia-joy-knick-knack-satchel-black

Finally, is the bag that won the Most Socially Responsible award. This cute little clutch was designed by Maria Teresa Aristeguieta for MTA BAGS, Venezuela. I love this clutch. Profits from Maria's sales go directly to her community! How amazing is that? I think that is pretty much AMAZING! This clutch is unique and beautiful. I love the wooden look. She created this bag with inspiration from the woods of her native country Venezuela! And on the right hand side is a clutch by Rachana Reddy Krishna. I also love the wooden look of this clutch but I am also all about the cute little design on it. It is simple yet chic and that is what I love. You can purchase that clutch here http://boticca.com/rachanareddy/krishna/

Happy Sunday All! :)

Hope you all enjoyed this post. Feel free to comment below! And if you have other inquiries feel free to shoot me a message in the "Talk To Jo" message box!

xoxo

Jo

"When I first moved to New York and I was totally broke, sometimes I would buy Vogue instead of dinner. I felt it fed me more" - Carrie Bradshaw

I Love My Friends

This is just a random shoutout post to all my friends!
What is life without some good friends?
And I mean real good friends! The kind of friends that tell you the truth, have your back, laugh with you and cry with you. The kind of friends who you don't see for months and NOTHING changes. It's almost like you were never ever apart when you get together again!!! Those are the kind of friends I have and they all know who they are. I love every single one of them and I wouldn't trade them for the world.

To all of you Thank you for being a friend xoxoxoxoxo

Love, Joanna :)

All about Mama!

So let me tell ya'll bout my mommy! How many people can actually sit back comfortably and let their mom go shopping for them because she is just THAT FLY! *RAISES HANDS* I can! Ahh I have the most fabulous, divalicious, stylish and amazing mother a girl could ever ask for. She is my best friend and my everything and I get all this flyness from here duh! This is both an outfit post and a life post because if you ask me I would say that outfit she is wearing in the picture below is soooo worth an outfit post. Peep out her gladiator heels. I am obsessed obsessed obsessed with gladiator heels. I love to wear them how my mom has them with a pair of ankle jeans. But I also love to throw them on pencil skirts with a casual tee. Try it and trust me its a cute lil combo!
So anyway back to mommy. She has on this cute sequin tank (she also got me one btw haha) I love this tank. I wear it a lot. My mother is also the QUEEN of accessorizing. If you don't know what accessories to throw on your outfit take a pic and send it to her and she will help you haha

P.S. This is also a hair post. Don't you just love her blonde haircut! Love!!

HOTNESS

Hope you all enjoyed this post. Feel free to comment below! And if you have other inquiries feel free to shoot me a message in the "Talk To Jo" message box!

xoxo

Jo

"When I first moved to New York and I was totally broke, sometimes I would buy Vogue instead of dinner. I felt it fed me more" - Carrie Bradshaw

Beyonce's New Haircut

I know this post is so late but it still deserved a post! Can I get a shoutout for the Queen Bey who made such a bold move with her new hairdo! #TeamNaturalsStandUp. Hate her music or love her music and hate her or love her but you would be a fool if you tried to deny that this isn't a bold and significant move for Bey. Beyonce is constantly under public scrutiny so I believe making a move like this and doing what makes HER feel beautiful and not what the public/fans/critics define as beautiful is a bold move. For all of you out there who were hating and criticizing her decision to have this haircut you actually may learn something from her. How about you learn to be YOURSELF and not what others expect you to be. How about you form YOUR OWN opinions instead of trying so hard to follow the crowd. And how about you learn to realize that criticizing someone JUST for the purpose of being "different" isn't being "different" rather it is being ignorant because the basis of your criticism has no sense. If this is how Beyonce feels comfortable then shoutout to her for doing just that! Even if this is a temporary hair-do it doesn't matter. She did it and she loves it and that is all that matters. The moral of my story is don't be too busy criticizing someone who is doing something that makes them happy while you are sitting somewhere miserable in your shoes :) #FoodForThought

Hope you all enjoyed this post. Feel free to comment below! And if you have other inquiries feel free to shoot me a message in the "Talk To Jo" message box!

xoxo

Jo

"When I first moved to New York and I was totally broke, sometimes I would buy Vogue instead of dinner. I felt it fed me more" - Carrie Bradshaw

Black 'n White

As promised, I am doing an outfit post today.
So let me tell you about this vest I am wearing. I literally have had this vest since I was a teenager. And I am talking like 13/14 years old. I always liked this vest but now I love it. Does anyone else have those pieces of clothing from their childhood that they wish they kept because they somehow came back in style? or those pieces of clothing from their childhood that they wish they kept because they would actually fit them correctly now? That's how I feel about this vest. I've always been really tiny but believe it or not I was even tinier at one point. This vest used to be huuuuuge on me but now it fits perfectly. I love it.
Then my skirt, I actually JUST got this skirt. It was on sale at express and I immediately was obsessed with the black and white color block. Next time I wear it though I won't be wearing it with black and white. I like to be daring with my outfits :)

The Shoe Personality Test

So, recently during an interview, I was asked what type shoe I would be if I was a shoe. I thought it was a funny question and I wasn't sure but I definitely said a pair of stylish Oxford Loafers. So, how funny is it that I ran across this test called "The Shoe Personality Test." When I took the test, my results said that I would be a pair of Loafers. Below is a link to the test. Take it. It is fun. Feel free to comment and share your results.

http://www.blogthings.com/theshoepersonalitytest/

Oh, and here are my results and I believe they are SPOT ON! So me!

You Are Loafers

You are confident, powerful, and successful.

Hard working and business like, you always dress and act appropriately.
You are consistent and a bit conservative.
You aren't really susceptible to trends, although you always dress well.
While you tend to be formal, you know how to adapt to your surroundings.
So are professional at work... but more laid back when your with your friends.
You should live: In a huge city
You should work: In a competitive field where you can rise to the top

Below are a pair of oxfords that I own and as you can see I wear them A LOT. Time for a new pair? I think so! These aren't loafers but they are a pair of comfortable yet trendy shoes I wear/own that I feel relate to my personality!

***random P.S. I will be doing an outfit post either tonight or tomorrow on either my daytime outfit today or my going out outfit tonight. Which would you all prefer to see?? :)

Hope you all enjoyed this post. Feel free to comment below! And if you have other inquiries feel free to shoot me a message in the "Talk To Jo" message box!

xoxo

Jo

"When I first moved to New York and I was totally broke, sometimes I would buy Vogue instead of dinner. I felt it fed me more" - Carrie Bradshaw

My Nephews Ezekiel and Elijah

Soooo, you may ask yourself, "Who are Ezekiel and Elijah?" Well, the answer is, they are two little boys who stole my heart! Ezekiel and Elijah are my nephews. I was blessed with two amazing little men as my nephews. Two brilliant, happy, playful, intelligent, exciting, blessed little boys.
They are both amazing and unique in very different ways. Ezekiel is just like his TT JoJo he is an inherent leader. He is just like me. He is bossy and full of life. I love it. Elijah, on the other hand, is very easy going. He has a smile that will light up any room and make your day.
There is no love out there like the love I have for my nephews. No matter what I am going through, if I catch a glimpse of their smiles, my day has immediately been made. They are my light in a dark day.
I love these little men.
Ezekiel is starting to talk and one of my favorite things to do is to call my baby boy and listen to him sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. He sings it theee best!
I love them and how joyful and full of life they are. I am so thankful to my sister and my brother-in-law for bringing two lovely little boys in the world.
I am one proud TT and I am enjoying watching my boys grow up :)

Love you "Zeke Man" and "Baby Eli" :)

Hope you all enjoyed this post. Feel free to comment below! And if you have other inquiries feel free to shoot me a message in the "Talk To Jo" message box!

xoxo

Jo

"When I first moved to New York and I was totally broke, sometimes I would buy Vogue instead of dinner. I felt it fed me more" - Carrie Bradshaw