 Sharing the Shade...Lipsticks! I always find out about the National “internet appointed” holidays on the day of and sometimes after. (Usually through a hashtag on IG). Luckily, I caught this one in time to participate and share my favorite lipstick shades on the gram. Although National Lipstick Day is now over, there’s never a wrong day to talk about lipstick! History of the Day According to NationalDayCalendar.com, National Lipstick Day started before a day was declared in its honor. However, in 2016, Huda Kattan (Beauty Blogger/Entrepreneur/International Businesswoman), founded National Lipstick Day and its now registered as a National Day. Beauty lovers aren't the only ones who partake in the day. Cosmetic brands from NYX, Mac, Colourpop, and Bite Beauty (just to name a few); offered specials and even free "lippies" on lipstick's special day. Yea...I missed out on that too.  Matte or Glossy? Matte is my favorite style. It gives me a fuller lip look and displays my color just right. However, depending on the brand I have to add a little gloss to keep from getting the “cracked-dry lip”. My favorite brand of Mattes is Nicka K New York.  Photo Credit: Joe Miles (NYC) The Shade I like variety on my lips. All colors ranging from a light nude/pink to a deep gray. Many times, my mood determines the shade of choice. In the fall, I lean towards darker colors. In the daytime, I paint my lips in a deep burgundy shade and at night, I tend to go darker with a grey/black. My “go-to” shade for work or a run to the store, is Maroon by Nicka K New York. Lipstick Collection Starters With any lipstick collection, every girl must have these in their make up kit:
Lipstick Selfies  Mixed Color: Latte (Absolute New York) & Violet Red (Nicka K New York) Mix ‘til You Find “the One” If I don’t see the color I want at the store, I like to mix colors to create a new and fun look for my lips. Mixing Latte (Absolute New York) & Violet Red (Nicka K New York) gives me the perfect shade of “Rose” for the days I’m out exploring NYC or even bar hopping. I also mix my hot pinks with a nude color to tone the volume down while keeping a vibrant shade. Playing with lipsticks is something I love to do when I'm hanging around the house or getting ready to go out. I even schedule days to visit my favorite Beauty Supply store to go Lipstick shopping to restock and discover a new shade to add to the collection! Be sure to mark your calendar for next year’s National Lipstick Day to take advantage of the sales and giveaways.  Nicka K New York Collection In the meantime, share your lipstick secrets below! I want to know your favorite brands, shades, and what’s currently in your collection!  The Blakk Dahlia (E. Alexcina Brown) is a New York City author/blogger from Macon, GA. Recently, she released the book series, the Heartbreak Diaries outlining different perspectives of heartbreak. The Dahlia Diaries is a lifestyle blog penned by The Blakk Dahlia, sharing her story in NYC along with life lessons and tips she's learned in her journey.
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 May is here and of course New York didn’t get the memo that the season has changed. I still have to pull out my big coat on some days, but I’ve enjoyed about a week of warm weather. Nothing wrong with a little tease for what’s to come. As I organize this apartment to put up these big sweaters…hoping one day for good, I’m finding more favs that are a must have for me to get into the Spring Season, while we wait for the weather to catch up. So, here’s my list to continue the #mood of Spring! Perfume Paint (Tease). You can’t pass up on beauty products. Especially the ones that make you feel…SEXXY! That’s where my first item comes in. Strolling through Victoria’s Secret, I run across this brush on perfume. I’ve never seen a product like this before so I HAD to get it (AND it was on sale!). Getting it home and giving it a try, I was immediately impressed with the soft brush painting on this smooth, sensual fragrance by the name of Tease. A few pumps, then painting on those sacred areas, and I’m ready to own the night!
A Memorable Vacation. Spring season means its time to cash in on those flyer miles or collect a stamp or two on the passport. A good vacay can ease you into a new season by purging the woes of winter. To kick of spring, me and my girls took a trip to Cuba! YES, Cuba! We spent three days in Havana enjoying back to back sight-seeing and activities like horseback riding, salsa lesson, a tour through a tobacco and coffee farm. Even got a history lesson by visiting a coffee plantation. The restaurants had great menu choices with free fish and tasty pleasures that can only be found in Cuba.
The last leg of the trip was spent at Varadero Beach, soaking up the sun, and taking in views of gorgeous blue water. So many good memories and a great disconnect from the daily routine of work, train commutes, and social media. I returned with new inspiration and a relaxed mind. Thank you Cuba!
Chocolate Beer. In the bar scene, I love trying new things. Venturing in midtown, I ran into a bar (The Ginger Man) and found a unique treat on the menu. Chocolate Beer! Otherwise known as Boulevard Chocolate Ale. Two of my favorite things mixed into one. Who knew chocolate could serve many purposes?  Boulevard Chocolate Ale from The Ginger Man Spring is still in full effect and I’m ready to take on the new adventures of this season. Be sure to share YOUR favorite things to get you through Springtime!  The Blakk Dahlia (E. Alexcina Brown) is a New York City author/blogger from Macon, GA. Recently, she released the book series, the Heartbreak Diaries outlining different perspectives of heartbreak. The Dahlia Diaries is a lifestyle blog penned by The Blakk Dahlia, sharing her story in NYC along with life lessons and tips she's learned in her journey.  I want to share a few gifts. Sharing is caring right? Everyone has their own list of “must haves”, new discoveries, and trinkets for sentimental reasons. I’d like to expose a few of mine :). Hopefully these will give you new ideas, inspos, or even a confirmation that there’s another addict in your section ;). Ready? Here goes…  Photo Credit: Chris Bowdrie (STAR45) Anything That Sparkles. I LOVE to shimmer! Who doesn’t. Whether it’s glitter or sequins, I NEED IT!. Clothes, shoes, and accessories with sparkle is automatically on my list (usually ending up in my shopping cart). Any and every occasion requires a hint of shine. A regular day strolling through the city or a night out in Manhattan, looking for Sex and the City vibes. I have my fav pair of sparkle boots. Found them on sale at Forever 21. They were the last pair, just my size and when I took them to the register, they were half off of the sale price! I knew it was meant to be! More sparkles in my collection includes an iridescent sparkle purse I mix with a cute outfit along with my go to black sequin purse I throw on with casual wear OR date night. For New Years 2019 Celebration, I found another gem at Forever 21, these gold sequin pants. (I like to call them my disco pants). Bringing in the New Year with a sassy shine, hitting the town in ATL. Give me sparkle; give me a shine and I know I’m in for a great time!
Faux Fur. Something cute that goes great with my sparkle-fits or a warm greeting to my feet in the mornings as I get out of bed...Faux fur makes the list. I look forward to cold weather as I get to pull out my coats to strut around in the low temperatures of NYC. Cozying up to my stylish faux fur, while hitting the town only adds to the excitement of taking on the night. At home, my faux fur serves me well. Decorating my floors with an accent rug to keep my feet warm, along with adding a little spice to the New York living.
Body Suits. Got body?...Suits I mean. Leaving my legs to put on a show, body suits are a sensual given when wanting to look cute around the house, or add to your fav pants or skirt. Photo shoot time and can’t figure out what to wear, my first “go-to” is a body suit and a pair of thigh high socks, then the “fit” comes together around that. I like a variety of body suits that includes lace, sheer material, patterns, or just a plain cotton solid color to give a pop to a pair of fitted jeans. This gem is a good alternative to wearing shirts that you’d like to tuck in. No worries of it coming un-tucked of spending time in the mirror, tucking and un-tucking for that perfect look. Just put on the go! Being lazy around the house and I wanna feel cute? I go to my stash of body suits to have a Friday night chill time with wine and catching up on my shows. Who says you have to look “bummy” for a solo evening at home!?!
 Chrome Book (Beasley). My old laptop houses all of my creative works, books, other writing work, pictures, and everything else that I need to save for business and personal. With the years of wear and tear, my poor laptop decided to show its age and slowly fall apart. In addition, it's a bit big and too much to carry around with me. As a birthday day gift to myself, I bought an HP Chrome Book. All white, touch screen, with the capabilities to turn into a tablet should I choose to use it that way. This Chrome Book was such a life saver, I decided to name him “Beasely”. (And he’s also my temp boyfriend since we spend a lot of time together). It’s small, convenient and I can do everything on this contraption as I did with my laptop. Now I can grab my “boo” and spend time at a coffee shop, laundry mat, plane ride, or anywhere to create and stay up to date with my projects.  Manhattan Martini. We all have our “regular” drinks when we can’t think of anything else on the menu. Mine is the usual Rum and Coke. However, some nights I want to sip sexy. That’s when the Manhattan Martini comes into play. One of my fav martinis 🍸 the “Manhattan”. Made with whiskey, sweet vermouth, and bitters. Rye whiskey is my fav with this drink. This special one is from STK Midtown in NYC, “Not Your Daddy’s Manhattan” (George sickle rye, zinfandel port, carpano antics sweet vermouth and bitters.) very tasty and a nice complement to a Sex and the City style dinner with your girl! You’re welcome! 😉.  Lemon Water. To detox the libations, and to cool down, I LOVE making lemon water. It helps me to cut back on sodas and sugary drinks. This refreshing beverage also helps with clearing up your skin, acts as a good source of Vitamin C to protect your immune system, AND it’s a great digestive agent. Quick and easy to make so it is always available to go with a good meal or a parched moment. ;) So there you go, a few of my favorite things. Of course there's more to the list but I won't bore you with my long list of "can't go withouts". Tell me, what are YOUR favorite things and why? Let me know in the comments below!  Updated: December 10, 2020 The Blakk Dahlia (E. Alexcina Brown) is a New York City author/blogger from Macon, GA. Recently, she released the book series, the Heartbreak Diaries outlining different perspectives of heartbreak. The Dahlia Diaries is a lifestyle blog penned by The Blakk Dahlia, sharing her story in NYC along with life lessons and tips she's learned in her journey.  Accomplishment: My first New York Stage Play. I set many goals in moving here. I didn’t want to move to a new place and fall into doing the same things I did back in GA. In moments of trying to elevate yourself, you have to take the opportunities as they come. One opportunity I had my eyes on was hitting the stage in the NYC theater scene. To conquer a stage in the city known for performing arts, Broadway, and theater galore, I needed to challenge myself in this arena to see if I had the chops to do the work and execute successfully.  Submission after submission, audition after audition; I landed a role in the stage play Precious Metals: Beauty in Brokenness. This play centers on women and their stories of overcoming hardships, addiction, and finding the beauty within. All the while creating a sisterhood of support showing that no matter what we go through in life, there’s always someone out there who can relate, understand, and help you heal. The play was written by C.E. Harrison and directed by Tabitha Matthews. The play did its run for the NY Summer Theater Festival at the Hudson Guild Theater.  THE AUDITION. In the beginning, I almost didn’t make it in the cast. Life happened, dealing with my obstacles of the constant adjustment to New York as well as other areas that weren’t going right. I felt down and defeated. But luckily when God has a plan for you, there’s no way to venture away from that plan and purpose. I thought I’d missed the audition deadline and one day an email came in saying that I was able to still submit my video. I took that second chance and worked tirelessly to create the best audition tape to submit. Hours of setting up the camera phone, doing different takes, and trying to remember what I need to say. After packaging up the finished product, I submitted and let it be. That’s one thing I’ve learned in the audition process. Once it’s done, you have to let it go and let it be. About a week or so later, I receive the news that I was cast as the character Winsome in the play. Winsome is a young woman, feeling abandoned and abused by her mother Loretta. But after growing and learning, she realized that she missed out on so much love, fun, and the beauty of life with her mother who died at a very young age.  REHEARSAL TIME! Working full-time, finishing a book, studying lines, rehearsing the lines can be a lot! But I felt that as long as I stayed committed to the process, it would pay off. I needed this exposure to the NYC market. Being that this was something I’ve always wanted to break into, I couldn’t let myself or anybody involved with the production down. Throughout rehearsing, I was able to challenge myself with learning various monologues while placing different emotions, pulling from other emotions, and taking lessons I’ve learned from different acting classes. It was a great process as my cast mates and team were very supportive and fun to “play” with. I was able to build relationships that I feel will last a very long time. Along with building my acting brand with this new credit and the overall acting experience which can/will take me to higher levels.   SHOW TIME! With three shows, I was very nervous about how this was going to play out. Will people understand my character? Will they even like me? Will I remember my lines? EVERYTHING was racing through my mind. For opening night, the crowd really came out to support the show which added to the nerves, along with judges from the festival. There was a time when I had a mini-meltdown backstage as I was the last one to come out. The wait got to me, stepping into the unknown. However, once I stepped out on stage, feeling the energy I knew I was READY! My preparation paid off! After the show, I received so many compliments from strangers giving me kudos on my performance. This was really helpful as my family and friends weren’t able to be there that night. Second show was a breeze, I was able to just let go and have fun. The crowd loved it and it set us up for closing show. For the closing show, I had friends from GA and my NYC friends in the crowd. This was their first time seeing me in this element and I wanted them to be proud of me.
Afterwards, I felt such a relief however it was bittersweet because the journey was complete. We ended on a high note, and I was able to share it with my loved ones.
Being part of Precious Metals only amped me up to do more. Although I’ll miss the dynamics of my first NYC stage fam, I’ll always take the lessons and the joy with me. Now I KNOW I was born to do this. I can officially change the title from “Aspiring Actress” to “Actress”.  The Blakk Dahlia (E. Alexcina Brown) is a New York City author/blogger from Macon, GA. Recently, she released the book series, the Heartbreak Diaries outlining different perspectives of heartbreak. The Dahlia Diaries is a lifestyle blog penned by The Blakk Dahlia, sharing her story in NYC along with life lessons and tips she's learned in her journey.  The Blakk Dahlia’s Weekend at NYFW Anyone who knows me, knows that I LOVE NYFW. Living in GA I tried to make it up here but since I’m a resident, EVEN BETTER. Using my pull as a media rep for my magazine BRASH! Magazine, I was able to gain access to this season’s hottest shows put on by grand production companies and notable designers. Although I couldn’t make it out to a few shows as planned, I was able to spend the weekend traveling all the way from Canarsie to Manhattan to be in the building for some good fashions! Style Fashion Week, never disappoints as they line up show, after show, after show of great designers topping themselves with new/one-of-a-kind designs. Just when you think it couldn’t get any better, IT DOES! This year, the venue was PACKED with fashion lovers, media, and celebrities. All to see Draya Michelle’s Mint Swimwear line. The show was amazing and worth the wait in the long line getting pushed and dealing with the club-like atmosphere of “oh yes you can come in”, “wait a minute”, “oh no the line for you is over here!” But, hey it happens. But once inside, all of that went away as I stood stage side getting the first peek of the beautiful models sashaying down the runway in sexy, classy, and unique swimwear! Now let’s talk about Saturday. Woke up early to preparing to be in #modelmode to participate in a Love Yourself Campaign Shoot, and then another shoot on the streets of Manhattan, I had to jump into media mode for Stevie Boi’s show.
 This fashion show was very chic and exclusive giving me the reason why NYFW is worth running around New York making it from show to show. From eyeballing legends like Whoopi Goldberg and my fav VH1 stars to witnessing PINK fashions in stylish variations coming down the runway. And these models WERKED IT!         I’m so looking forward to next season of NYFW. It won’t be as cold and I know these designers are getting busy at wowing the crowds in their shows. Now let me get on this networking, so I can get more invites!  HAPPY FASHION! The Blakk Dahlia (E. Alexcina Brown) is a New York City author/blogger from Macon, GA. Recently, she released the book series, the Heartbreak Diaries outlining different perspectives of heartbreak. The Dahlia Diaries is a lifestyle blog penned by The Blakk Dahlia, sharing her story in NYC along with life lessons and tips she's learned in her journey. |
"I LOVE to write and create. These are the diaries of how I work and deal in my world of writing and adventures!"
- The Blakk Dahlia Latest book from the Heartbreak Diaries Book Series
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