Photobucket
Photobucket

Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Cinema Couture: Death Proof (2007)



Here's a little peek into my mind and how it works, as it relates to recreating looks for this blog: I saw a terrific photo of Rosario Dawson in the June issue of People: Style Watch and thought that it would be a great outfit to remake for plus size fashionistas. I love Rosario Dawson and since I've never done a fashion post inspired by her, I figured now was the perfect time. Unfortunately, I hit a dead end in putting together that particular look.

I decided to switch gears and look for other photos of Rosario Dawson that I maybe could use and I stumbled across this photo of Rosario from the movie "Death Proof":



I LOVE "Death Proof"... No disrespect to Robert Rodriguez, but it's my favorite of The Grindhouse movies (And I own them both!). What's more, I've always loved what Rosario was wearing in her portrayal of Abernathy. It's a super-fun, unique look that's perfect for a day chillin' with your homegirls.



Lunch, movie, shopping, spa day, maybe!?!? Why not be cute AND ready to kick ass?



And really... how much of a pick-me-up is a Pink Unicorn Tee? It just makes my Grew-up-in-the-80s-and-played-with-My-Little-Ponys spirit go "Whoooooo!".I can't imagine anyone being bummed rocking this shirt... except maybe the Grim Reaper, I guess. LOL



So inspired (And excited to bring back the Cinema Couture series!), I set off to put together the outfit. It was... remarkably easy!!!! Here's what I came up with:



Necklace: Colorful Rainbow Necklace ($19.50, Etsy Shop sillychic)
Tee: Grindhouse Tee ($22.98, Spreadshirt)
Skirt: Joe Browns Sacred Spirit Flirt Flippy Skirt ($65.00, SimplyBe)
Boots: Steve Madden Troopa Boots ($99.95, Zappos)
Bag: Metallic Chain Strap Hobo ($41.99, Gap)
Belt: Black Basic Belt ($20.00, Torrid)

I have to say, when watching "Death Proof", I always thought that Rosario was rocking combat boots, not cowboy boots. I have a preference for combat boots (Plus, have you SEEN how expensive cowboy boots are?!?!), so I opted to choose those instead. LOL

Best of Brooklyn: B.A.M.'s DanceAfrica 2011 Bazaar

Today was Chris' birthday and I couldn't think of a better way to celebrate than by heading over to B.A.M.'s annual DanceAfrica Bazaar, which happens every Memorial Day Weekend in Brooklyn!! We had a beautiful time!!



Each year the streets surrounding the Brooklyn Academy of Music are transformed into an African Bazaar, where people from all over come listen to amazing music, eat delicious foods, and shop 'til they drop!!!





I was walking around, enamored with the fashionable women walking around, not to mention the abundance of natural hair. Speaking of natural hair, I was staring at a woman's shirt, imagining myself doing a run-by like Smokey in "Friday", "Break yo'self, fool!!!", when she approached me, recognizing me from the blog.


See what I mean about that top?!? Sooo CUTE!!! It was the beautiful Deitra of Bohemian Soul.. we've been Bloggy Buddies for years and have never met before, despite living really close to each other! You GOTTA love the Bazaar for making friends. :)

I couldn't wait to check out her accessories. I ended up purchasing a gorgeous flower headband, which I rocked for the rest of the day and when Chris and I met up with my BFF Natasha, her honey Rob and his beautiful Mother -



Natasha was looking absolutely stunning in a beautiful African Print Dress.


Such a lovely, lovely lady!!!

We all had a blast walking around in that intense heat, and I know I went home tired, but insanely happy with some definitely drool worthy goodies!!



Some bangles, a couple of pairs of earrings and the beautiful floral headband from Bohemian Soul!!




I got me a African Print bag!! Whoo Hooo! I am so excited about wearing this bag. If I wasn't exhausted, I'd been swapping out purses, STAT!! LOL

All in all, we had a beautiful time at the DanceAfrica Bazaar... it's definitely one of Brooklyn's Best!!!

Monday, May 30, 2011

Music Therapy with Miss Moon



Anyone who's been in and has left a bad relationship can remember the moment of clarity that made you decide to end it. The (as Oprah would say) "Aha!" moment in which you realize that the relationship is no longer nurturing your heart and your spirit. I wish that today's song choice for Music Therapy was around when I had my moment of clarity... but it's likely that Esperanza Spalding was coloring in grade school at the time! LOL

I hope that her beautiful and empowering song, "Precious" will touch the hearts of those who need these words today, I hope that it awakens the epiphany that you MOST DEFINITELY do not have to waste your precious divine energy on anyone and anything that doesn't deserve the attention.



Love me or leave me
But please
Don't deceive me
And say you
Love me how I am
You love the way
I fit some ideal
Not the real woman
You've yet to understand
See love ain't all heaven
And I am no angel
But I do the best I can

You always wanted
Something more from my body
And said you needed
Something more from my loving
But all you got was me
And that's all that I can be
I'm sorry if it let you down

Now it's no nice excuse
But all the magic was used
Up on trying to uphold
Some kind of tame
Flattering persona
That soon enough
Was getting real old
It takes more than pressure
To change rock to diamond
Now all you have is sand
Slipping through your fingers

You always wanted
Something more from my body
And said you needed
Something more from my loving
But all you got was me
And that's all that I can be
I'm sorry if it let you down

But I'm not gonna sit around
And waste
My precious divine energy
Trying to explain
And being ashamed of things
You think are wrong with me
I'm not gonna sit around
And waste
My precious divine energy
Trying to explain
And being ashamed
Of what you think
Is wrong with me

Set you up
You say I set you up
Like I was different
Than what I am
Offering you now
Let you down
And drug your heart around
Did you forget about
All of the love
And the acceptance
That you promised me too?

You always wanted
Something more from my body
And said you needed
Something more from my loving
But all you got was me
And that's all that I can be
I'm sorry if it let you down
You always wanted
Something more from my body
And said you needed
Something more from my loving
But all you got was me
And that's all that I can be
I'm sorry if it let you down
But I'm not gonna sit around

And waste
My precious divine energy
Trying to explain
And being ashamed of things
You think are wrong with me
Me, I'm not gonna sit around
And waste
My precious divine energy
Trying to explain
And being ashamed
Of what you think is wrong with me

Sunday, May 29, 2011

Be Blessed: (Semi) Silent Sunday - Part Five



Plants are the young of the world, vessels of health and vigor; but they grope ever upward towards consciousness; the trees are imperfect men, and seem to bemoan their imprisonment, rooted in the ground.

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

D-I-Y Nappturaliciously: Anita Grant's Rhassoul Deep Condish Review



I have to admit that when it came to Anita Grant's products, I am a bit of a curly-come-lately... but encouraged by Chai from the wonderful blog, Back to Curly, I decided to try the Rhassoul Deep Condish to see if my hair would love it.

I've had my two condish hearts for about a month now, and was waiting for a really good time to use them. I am currently enjoying a three day weekend (Yay!) and since experimenting with flat-ironing no doubt caused some stress to my hair, I figured my curls needed a treat and could definitely benefit from a little TLC.

Mixing the condish was actually pretty easy! I have a lot of hair, so I knew that I would need to use both hearts. Instead of mixing them with water, I decided to use Coconut Milk -


I used a bit too much of the Coconut Milk (I used about 1 and a half cans), so when the hearts melted and combined with the milk the consistency was a bit more watery than I wanted it to be.



I thought as it cooled it might thicken a bit, so I went to the shower to shampoo my hair with my usual Mixed Chicks Gentle Clarifying Shampoo. Once my hair was thoroughly washed, I covered my bathroom floor with some old towels and went to town adding the mixture to my hair...


Yay!!! My curls are back.... Whoo Hoooooo!


When I was one, my parents through me a birthday party and my older sister baked me a little mini cake that was all mine. I had a blast eating that cake, and it got all over me: my shirt, my face and definitely in my hair.


Adding the clay mixture to my hair made me think back to that moment in time. My one-year-old self must have had as much fun as I had "playing in mud" and nourishing my hair! LOL

I wrapped my hair in a conditioner cap and kept it in for about an hour. I wanted to keep it in longer, but the mixture was melting and starting to drip all over my bed, plus I was anxious to see the results, so I rushed back to my bathroom to rinse it all out.



Rinsing was (surprisingly!) a breeze... after a few moments the water was completely clear. I had anticipated finishing the rinse with a little conditioner, but the moment the water hit my hair, it felt like BUTTAH!!!


I was amazed at how wonderful my hair felt... it felt heavenly and the curl definition was crazy!!!



Since today was all about trying new products, I decided to use Shea Moisture's Raw Shea Butter Restorative Conditioning Milk as my leave-in before twisting my hair with a little Healthy Hair Butter.



I haven't twisted my hair in about a month, so I was happy to see the end results after sealing the ends with a little Vatika Oil.







I am going to leave the twists for about a week, just to give my hair a much-needed break after flat-ironing. I am definitely going to be investing in the big block of Anita Grant's Rhassoul Deep Condish... it's expensive, but I am definitely diggin' the results.

For any of you who have been curious about trying this, I would wholeheartedly recommend buying a couple of the hearts first to see if your hair will like it as much as mine did! To purchase the Rhassoul Deep Condish and check out everything Anita Grant has to offer, please feel free to visit https://anitagrant.com/ .

Be sure to check out the Miss Moon's Musings YouTube Channel for a Video Extra: My thoughts after just rinsing out the condish in my hair!!

Saturday, May 28, 2011

A Little [NIKKI JEAN] for a Saturday Night



Songs like this are made for a Saturday Night. Since first hearing this song earlier this week, I've listened to it at least a couple of dozen times. I just makes me want to day dream about wonderful, wonderful things and sigh wistfully....

I hope that each of you will enjoy "Pennies in a Jar" by Nikki Jean this Saturday Night.



Friday, May 27, 2011

Yummm! Sinfully Sweet Sorbets!!!

I could never explain within the confines of this little blog of mine the pure unending love I have of a good, cool, soothing, sorbet. Ice Cream loaded with chocolate and candy and all that good stuff is great... but honestly, 9 times out of 10, I will be rocking a pint of Haagen Daaz Lowfat Raspberry Sorbet.

I have never attempted to make my own sorbet, and I wondered if it would be something easy to do, so I scoured the internet and found a collection of delicious and unique sorbet flavors that will not require a Master's Degree in Chemistry (Just an ice cream maker!) to accomplish and enjoy!!

Mango Sorbet

Recipe Courtesy of Epicurious

Yield: Makes 6 cups

Ingredients:

4 ripe mangoes (about 3 1/2 pounds total)
1 cup Simple Syrup
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice, or to taste

Directions:

Line a baking sheet with plastic wrap.

Wash and dry mangoes. Using a sharp knife, remove the 2 flat sides of each mango, cutting lengthwise alongside pit and cutting as close to pit as possible so that mango flesh is in 2 large pieces. With a spoon carefully scoop flesh from mango sides into a blender, leaving shells intact. With a knife cut remaining flesh from pit and add to blender. Add syrup and lime juice to blender and purée until smooth. Put mango shells on baking sheet and freeze while making sorbet.

Freeze mango purée in an ice-cream maker. Scoop sorbet into frozen shells, mounding slightly, and smooth surfaces. Freeze filled mango shells at least 6 hours, or until frozen hard. Frozen sorbets in shells may be wrapped individually in plastic wrap and kept in freezer 1 week.

Honeydew Sorbet

Recipe Courtesy of Epicurean

Ingredients:

4 1/2 cups honeydew melon -- diced
- melon should weigh about 3 1/2 lbs
1/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons lime zest -- grated
1/2 cup lime juice

Directions:

Mash the sugar and lime peel with a spoon to release the oils. Let stand for 5-10 minutes. Add the lime juice. Pour mixture through a fine strainer into a blender or food processor; discard lime peel.

Add melon, a portion at a time, and whirl until smooth. Add more sugar or lime juice if desired. Transfer to bowl.

Nest bowl in ice water; stir often until cold, 5-10 minutes. Pour chilled puree into an ice cream maker. Freeze as directed by the maker until the sorbet is firm enough to scoop. Serve or place in freezer until frozen harder

Key Lime Sorbet with Ginger Snaps
Recipe Courtesy of Cooking Light

Ingredients:

5 cups water
1 cup sugar
3 (1/8-inch-thick) slices peeled fresh ginger
2 teaspoons grated Key lime rind or lime rind
1/2 cup fresh Key lime juice or lime juice (about 10 Key limes)
Gingersnaps (Make them fresh or buy a box)

Directions:

Combine first 3 ingredients in a large nonaluminum saucepan; bring to a boil. Add lime rind, and cook over low heat 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Strain mixture through a sieve into a bowl, reserving the sugar mixture. Discard solids. Cool sugar mixture completely. Stir in lime juice.

Pour the juice mixture into the freezer can of an ice-cream freezer, and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions. Spoon sorbet into a freezer-safe container; cover and freeze for 2 hours or until firm. Serve with Gingersnaps.

Matcha Green Tea Sorbet
Recipe Courtesy of Japanese Food About.com

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp matcha (green tea powder)
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 cups water

Directions:

Combine granulated sugar and green tea powder in a bowl. Put 2 cups of water and the sugar mixture in a sauce pan. Heat until sugar dissolves. Soak the pan in a bowl of cold water to cool the liquid to room temperature. Pour the liquid in a freezer-safe container and put it in a freezer. Stir the sorbet every 30 minutes or one hour. Freeze until sorbet is alomost frozen. Serve into glasses.

Pomegranate and Mint Sorbet

Recipe Courtesy of Giada De Laurentiis, Food Network

Ingredients:

1 cup Mint Simple Syrup, recipe follows
2 cups 100 percent pomegranate juice (recommended: Pom Wonderful)
1 cup orange juice
1/2 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips
Fresh mint sprigs, for garnish

Directions:

Special equipment: an ice cream maker

In a glass pitcher, combine the Mint Simple Syrup, pomegranate juice, and orange juice. Pour the pomegranate mixture in an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions. During the last 10 minutes of freezing time, add the mini chocolate chips.

Scoop the sorbet into dessert bowls and garnish with fresh mint sprigs.

Mint Simple Syrup

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1 packed cup packed fresh mint leaves

In a small saucepan, combine the sugar, water, and mint leaves over medium heat. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has dissolved. Remove the pan from the heat and allow the syrup to cool for 20 minutes. Strain before using.


Peach-Jasmine Sorbet

Recipe Courtesy of Gourmet.com

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lb ripe white peaches, peeled, pitted, and sliced
1 1/2 cups jasmine syrup
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, or to taste
Sugar to taste (optional)

Directions:

Purée peaches, syrup, and lemon juice in 2 batches in a blender until smooth. Add lemon juice and/or sugar to taste if necessary (keep in mind that sorbet will taste a little less sweet when frozen). Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl, pressing on and then discarding solids.

Chill, covered, until cold, at least 4 hours.

Freeze in ice cream maker, then transfer to an airtight container and put in freezer to harden, at least 1 hour.

Thursday, May 26, 2011

:::drools::: Colorful Summer Shoes!!!

The weather is getting warmer... my wool coat is in storage, and the nail salons are full of women getting their toes brightly painted, so that they can be adorned in a fabulous open toe shoe...

This year, I have decided to take a break from my usual black sandals and add a spice and color to my feet. Luckily, I have a lot of options... some affordable, and some... not so much!!!! Of course I share my favorites with you... you know how I do! LOL


UGG Khloe Turquoise Multi Sandal ($90.00, Zappos)



Facinate Blue Multi Fabric Shoes ($59.00, Nine West)


Red Wyatta Gladiator Sandal ($60.00 Aldo Shoes)


Rebels Rascal Espadrille Flat Multi ($34.50, Delia*s)



CALYPSO St. Barth Tie Dye Stripe Epadrille Wedge Sandals - Turquoise ($29.99, Target)


Leopard Bloom Sandal ($32.90, Alloy)

Which of these are your faves? What colors will YOU be rockin' on your feet this summer? Do tell!

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

D-I-Y Nappturaliciously: My First Rollerset!!!

Spring is here in NYC, and I have been in a bit of a rut when it comes to my hair. I was super duper tired of my usual braid outs and sucked up a bit of courage to tackle my very first rollerset.

Going into this, I was very very nervous about using heat on my hair again (I haven't done that in ages, which I attribute to my hairs improving health.) so I decided to do some research on technique, product suggestions, the whole nine... which meant a lot of YouTube time! One of the best videos I discovered is from Trenellm's You Tube Channel and her great 40s inspired rollerset!

The genius part of my plan was that I did it Friday night, after working all day, and after first putting away a mountain of clean laundry.... I am so smart, s-m-r-t, I mean s-m-a-r-t!! LOL Suffice to say I was tired as holy hell when I was done!


From Top Left: Diane Magnetic Hair Rollers, Diane Magnetic Snap-On Rollers (Get the snap-on, they work better!), Creme of Nature Argan Oil Foaming Wrap Lotion, Dabur Vatika Hair Oil, Remington Wet2Straight Flat Iron, Gold N Hot Ionic Soft Jumbo Bonnet Dryer, CD's Healthy Hair Butter, Got2B Guardian Angel 425F Heat Protect Flat Iron Balm... all of which is available at the *NEW* Miss Moon's Musings Shop (Powered by Amazon.com), which you can visit by clicking here - All of the items (and more) can be found in the D-I-Y Nappturaliciously Tab.

After doing my usual wash, condition, deep conditioning and detangling, I separate my hair into four sections and first applied a liberal amount of Vatika Oil and HHB to my hair. I then added the Foaming Wrap Lotion and applied the curler, taking my time to make sure that my hair was wrapped in the curler as best I could with spaghetti arms from hanging up clothes! LOL

I discovered that the Snap-on Rollers work a lot better, and regret buying less of those. Around 1:30 AM (!!!) I was done...




You can see the difference between the snap-on rollers and the ones I clipped to my head. You have to have arms of steel to get them tight. LOL


I think I have the "Jilly from Philly" seal of approval, don't you think?!?

I joyously returned to my bed, where my Gold N Hot Ionic Soft Jumbo Bonnet Dryer was prepped and waiting for me.


I was amazed that I was able to fit all of the rollers under the bonnet without any strain...
My intention was to leave the dryer on my head for about an hour and a half, but fatigue took hold of me and I promptly fell asleep!

I woke up around 4:30 in the morning, burning up from the dryer. I turned it off, and too tired to look for my satin cap, I opted to keep the bonnet on and went right back to sleep (No shame in my game, y'all.. Mama was tiyaaaaaad!!!! lol).

About an hour later, I woke up again, because the rollers were super uncomfortable, and I couldn't take much of it anymore. So I stumbled into the bathroom to take them out. I didn't get a chance to snap a photo of the de-curling.... well, because it was around 5:30 A.M.!!! LOL

I pinned my hair up as best as I could, covered it with my satin cap and I took myself right back to bed.

When I woke up later that morning (Okay, it was 1 in the afternoon)after showering I decided to finish my hair. I am so afraid of heat damage, so I was not looking forward to flat ironing at all.

I first made sure to apply a bit more Vatika oil to my hair, just because I know my hair loves it, and separated my hair in 8-10 sections. I then sprayed each section of hair with Got2B Guardian Angel 425F Heat Protect Flat Iron Balm and applied the flat iron (I decided to use one of the lowest settings, which actually did a great job!). I didn't experience too much of that "frying bacon" sound, which was my fear, and when I finished here were the results:


For the most part my hair seems to be cool with the change, though a few sections were totally "No she didn't!!!!" on me! LOL


The initial responses from my family were varied. I got a "Well, I'll be damned..." (From Mizz Lennid aka Mum), A Shocked Open Mouth Stare (From Big Sis), and a couple of dirty propositions from my honey. He said he liked seeing my hair different, but he did express a preference for my curls!! I told him, "Good.. because the curls are my preference, too!")

What's my response?


I like it... not crazy over the moon about it (It's still too new), but I think I did a fairly decent job for a first try. I plan on pampering my hair when the week is up by deep conditioning with a couple of Anita Grant's Rhassoul Deep Condish Hearts, and then two-strand twisting my hair, which I will leave in for a week.

Have you experimented with rollersets and/or flat-ironing? What are your favorite tips and techniques?