February Newsletter

Candalada Wrote A Book!

To register for the Virtual Book Launch Party March 6th at 1pm click here.

Photo: Kevin Marable

I am excited to share that I have completed my first book. I started writing it in 2016 vowing to finish it every year since. It wasn’t until December of 2020 I made the conscious decision that 2021 would be the year it leaves word document format or I would scrap the idea completely.

Please enjoy this video of the top questions about, “Beautiful Reject”.

I was holding the paper back in my hand a few days ago and I said to myself, “Girl, I am so proud of you.” I turned my trauma and relationship failures into a body of work that I am proud of. In my opinion, there is nothing better than telling your own story. While there many that keep their “business” to themselves. I have always found healing and closure in being honest about my experiences and what I have learned from them.

The video marketing was conceptualized and edited by myself and can be viewed primarily on Instagram @Candalada. Pre-publication the promo videos depict the sexiest available version of myself with a variety of background music. Promo videos post publication are informative with a classic commercial tone and no background music.

The cover was shot by my trusted partner in creativity Kevin Marable.

My book is available on Amazon.

The Michael B. Jordan Take Over

Micheal B. Jordon’s new relationship and new Alexa commercial have taken over the internet, reaping in 78 million views on YouTube.

After a month of wearing the extra thick mustache, he has been making appearances, topless on boats with his new heart throb credited as the picture taker and burning down timelines with his new Alexa commercial. If that wasn’t enough Michael’s new coach commercial to the Shaft theme song is comical.

TV Show News

Bridgerton has the people walking around saying, “Your Grace” as a greeting. I didn’t read the books so I didn’t know what to expect. The things I enjoyed seeing were the outfits, visualization of Black royalty and the complex relationship between the Duke of Hastings and the Daphne Bridgerton, the princess.

I loved hearing the modern songs played as instrumentals in the background. There is an escalation of passionate sex scenes as you get deeper into the season. I enjoyed that also.

I struggled a bit through the first episode but I had faith in Shonda. Six episodes later, the sun was rising and my eye balls were cracking from sleep deprivation. Mentally, I assumed the roll of the Daphne and needed to know my fate.

Watching the show excited some anger because in these times to have sex before marriage deemed you worthless. Many of the conflicts derived from trying to uphold that expectation which men did not have to worry about.

Black History Months Affect on Movies

There seems be to a hard split between showcasing Black love and Black History this year. Movies that received major chatter in the Black community are Malcom and Marie, Sylvie’s Love, One Night in Miami and American Skin.

I didn’t feel the inclination to rate them. Mainly because I do not want to deter anyone from watching them.They all have different take aways. The only one I would watch again is Sylvie’s Love.

In my opinion:

Malcom and Marie was made to make us think about why we do and say things to the person we love. Why we omit certain speech, get fed up and try again. It challenges the audience to question what makes us feel strong, weak and happy in a relationship. Question will we stay or leave the one we “love”.

Sylvie’s love was made to tug on our heart. To encourage us to be patient for love and break the rules for love.

One Night in Miami was created to make you want to go do some research. The film has many characters based on real people that lived lives with a long list of accomplishments outside of what is discussed in the film.

American Skin was made to remind Black people we are not crazy and show White people that even without hard evidence we know when their actions are egregious because of our skin color.

CANDALADA MOVIE REVIEW CONTINUED

Malcom and Marie has the longest on-screen relationship argument I have ever seen as the centerpiece of the movie. I thought Malcom (John David Washington) was overly animated at times. His dancing, some mannerisms and screaming were over the top. Marie (Zendaya) was perfect. Perfect! I was especially fond of her verbiage. The way she cursed the phrases she used sounded like things I would say. This made her character feel more relatable to me.

Loved the vintage style in Sylvie’s Love. There was much attention given to the Chanel dress in the cover photo. My favorite outfit was the black fit she wore in a pivotal break up scene. This was a beautiful love story. Something I would watch again and again.

I enjoyed the temperament of Robert Halloway through out the film. His character was relaxed, smooth, talented and believable. Sylvie dealt with pressures of being “high society” amongst other things. Their love remind me that the journey to happiness can be long but worth it.

One Night in Miami directed by Regina King was given all the glory by reviewers. It took me some time to adjust to Kingsley Ben-Adir who played Malcom X. I have seen Macolm X portrayed so many times, the previous actors that played the role kept coming to mind. Eli Goree as Mahammed was entertaining. Aldis Hodge (Jim Brown) and Leslie Odom (Sam Cooke) were good supporting characters.

The scene that was the most important was probably the scene I had the hardest time being fully vested in. A large portion of the movie took place in a hotel room. I have a hard time watching movies in the same setting for a long time. There were times when the characters were so frustrated it was hard to believe they would all really stay a room, angry with each other for that long.

Wow.Wow.Wow. This movie hits directly on the nerve of racial issues. I really liked this movie. Despite most of the movie taking place in a police precent, the intensity of story helped me forget about my same setting phobia. This movie needs to be mandatory watch for all races.

IN HONOR OF BLACK HISTORY MONTH

I wanted share this article that dives into the specifics of how Black History Week turned into Black History month. I hear jokes every year about it being the shortest month in the year and I never find the jokes to be funny.

PRINCE ISSA PLAYS AMAZING GRACE

Food News

Valentines’s weekend had many looking for exotic food options. Dining out is still potentially risky and local chef options are on the rise. There are the three local chefs that we tried on Valentine’s weekend.

IG: @Sassychefkitchen delivers in the Woodbridge, Virginia area

IG: @touches_yasoul pick up meet up in Lorton

IG @gfksoulcuisine23 pick up meet up is Stonebridge Town Center

Crab Cakes on Friday, Salmon Alfredo with a side of Garlic Shrimp on Saturday, Steak, Rose and Bailey Cream cup cakes on Sunday.

I was able to try the Vegan Cauliflower by GFK. I enjoyed them. Really well seasoned and not too salty.

IG: @Sassychefkitchen delivers in the Woodbridge, Virginia area

IG: @touches_yasoul pick up meet up in Lorton

IG @gfksoulcuisine23 pick up meet up is Stonebridge Town Center

IG @gfksoulcuisine23 pick up meet up is Stonebridge Town Center

Vegan Cauliflower Mambo Wings

IG @gfksoulcuisine23 pick up meet up is Stonebridge Town Center

VISITINg Spice Suite : DC’s SPICE SHOP

Spice Suite is a Black Owned business with lots of Instagram buzz. The owner Angel tells her story often. She encourages new business owners to stop telling the story of struggle and focus on the processes they need to put in place become successful. I had my first visit to the intimate space last week.

Her spices can not be purchased individually online and can be purchased individually at the store. As of a few days ago (Feb 23rd, 20201). Her customers decided to create a personal shopping system. DC natives that live nearby are going to the store on behalf of you and shipping to you direct. The Spice Suite is not responsible for mishaps directly connected to this personal shopping, shipping system. However, Angel did somewhat endorse this movement by following the new page and publicly saying thank you for the visible increase of in-store shoppers.

The instagram for the personal shopping system is @weshopthespicesuite

The Facebook community for the personal shopping system is www.facebook.com/groups/weshopthespicesuite

I was curious about the electric grinder she just released. It was in the top of my purchase list. I also purchased, Thai Vibes, a berry lime bourbon lollipop, and strawberry basil syrup. The grinder is 25 dollars. Once the spice runs out you can refill it with any spice.

Senbeb Cafe -Vegan Soul Food

Senbeb in located in NW D.C. Walking in and seeing such a comprehensive menu was refreshing. Cakes, soups, crab cakes, teriyaki salmon all within my dietary restrictions. I tried so many things.

Vegan Steak and Cheese: Yummy, so well seasoned, sooo good. I do not even like green peppers and I ate them all. This was my favorite lunch dish and the crab cakes were my favorite dinner item.

Cajun Chicken: My sandwich had mayo. I just couldn’t get over it. I don’t like mayo, even in the vegan version. I will have to try this again without the sauce.

Vegan Teriyaki Salmon and Rice, Plantains and Macaroni: The macaroni alone was bland. I put some sauce from the main dish on it. The seasoning and sauce from the main course was delicious. Smells exactly like salmon.

Vegan Crab Cakes, Yams and Plantains: These crab cakes look underwhelming and taste excellent. They are by far the best vegan seafood like dish I ever had. The yams and plantains are average. Eaten all together the flavors are tasty and satisfying.

Sweet Potato Cake: This cake is wonderful because it is moist and it smells good. It is a great breakfast cake. Goes well with tea and coffee. Good for all pallets. A new family favorite.

Peaches in DC

Peaches is located doors down from Senbeb. This is great if you have friends and family with different dietary needs.

Oxtail, Rice and Peas : My cousin said the oxtail and rice was good. The macaroni was terrible. The main concern was the type of cheese used. The banana pudding (not pictured) was good.

Thanks for Reading

January Newsletter

Kamala Harris is Officially the First Female Vice President of the United States

Today brought tears to many peoples eyes for different reasons. The series of events over the past four years, compounded by the visible rage expressed during the passed few weeks makes a moment like this even sweeter. Time stood still today. During the wake of destruction, hatred and difference of opinion, a significant number of Black women organized the way in which they wanted to be seen and heard through what has become known as the fight for “democracy”.

Madam Vice President stepped in to her new role wearing Black designers Christopher John Rogers and Sergio Hudson.

Former President Barack Obama was reportedly heard saying the words, “ I am so proud of you” before this picture was taken.

Amanda Gorman stole the show with her poem, “The Hill We Climb”. Asking Americans "Where can we find light in this never-ending shade?" Undoubtably, there was much to take away from her message and the poem will be quoted for years to come.

Former First Lady, Michelle Obama’s presence drew instant obsession with her plum outfit also designed by Sergio Hudson and bouncing hair by stylist Yene Damtew who has been receiving lots of praise via Instagram for the look.

Quarantine Cooking

Yellow rice made with vegan butter, turmeric and himalayan salt. Fried chicken using spices, oat milk and almond flour.

Annie’s Sweet and Spicy BBQ sauce is giving Sweet Baby Ray’s Sauce a run for the money. Try this sauce the next time you bake some wings.

I combined Tessamae’s lemon garlic dressing with a bit of chopped cilantro as a marinade. Once baked I added a dash of garlic salt with parsley dry seasoning. My cousin said they were delicious.

Tried the new Nasoya vegan wraps for making your own spring rolls. I did not drain the cabbage enough. Oil was flying everywhere. I almost killed myself cooking these. They tasted very good. I seasoned the veggies using Badia Complete Seasoning. First, I pan fried them. Then, I cooked them in the oven until brown. Served with Wegan’s brand sweet chili sauce.

WHATS NEW IN HAIR CARE?

Babyliss Pro Prima 3000. I have upgraded my Babyliss flatiron to the newest model. The Prima 3000, straightens and curls. I enjoyed using the new tool, however, pre-fixed heat settings take some getting used to.

Soft Curls made with the Prima3000

Mielle Product Overload

Mielle is my favorite hair care line. I mainly use some of the Pomegranate Honey line (shampoo, conditioner, leave-in). Over the past few months I have been exploring the brand and these are my findings.

Voted the worst product Mielle ever made.

This butter is heavily perfumed. Leaves the hair feeling hard and dry no matter what you try to combine it with. I hated it.

One Out of Three

Of the three products I tried in the rice collection I would purchase the hair milk again. The clay mask is heavily perfumed and doesn’t leave the hair soft. The shine mist is wet and left my hair sticky and dry.

Cute Combo Discovery

I was in the beauty store and I saw that they bundled the rosemary oil with the horrid hair butter for Christmas and they didn’t see well. Mielle should have paired these two together. The milk detangles and oil adds much needed shine with a scalp tingle. Great combo for styling children’s hair and natural wash and go hair.

NEW NEW!!!!

I tested the curl defining mousse and the edge gel. I am still exploring the almond oil blend.

The edge gel does not spread much. After taking this pic I had to get a bigger brush and distribute the gel some more. Overall I like it. It did not turn my hair white and my two braids looked decent for a few days.

The curl defining mousse is a yes for me. It is a little firm but not too crunchy, It held my curls until I washed them out. The curls also looked good when I separated them.

Thanks For Reading

December Newsletter

TV Shows

I have been excited to use this winter break to catch up on shows. The show that blew me away was RAMY. I am a bit late to the party seeing that season one of this show aired April 19th, 2019. I eased into the show with no expectations.

I identify most with Ramy’s struggle to be a true to his faith and still wanting to indulge in everything! Low key Ramy is a POS (piece of shit) because he repeatedly makes terrible decisions and hurts others. The language in the show is wild.

Several groups are represented in this series, first generation Egyptians, African-American Muslims, disabled persons, White males and veterans. Pressures represented in the series include societal, religious, martial, and sexual. Issues represented; double standards, porn, incest, racism.

Left: Sheikh Malik || Right: Ramy

My favorite character in the show is Sheikh Malik played by Mahershala Ali. The first time I heard him pray I had to investigate why the prayer rolled so eloquently off his tongue. The results include an article I found. The article is of the interview by Ramy Youssef (show creator) of Mr.Ali. Click the picture to learn more. Now it all makes sense. The power of authenticity!

TV Movie Reviews

The ratings below reflect how good the movie is for the genre it’s in. I am using a scale of 1-5. Five (5) representing excellence, three (3) okay and one (1) trash.  The category legend is as follows:

(S) Superhero 

(L) Love or Comedy 

(ST) Story/Biopic

(A) Action/Thriller or Mystery 

Soul (ST) : Rating 4 - Soul reminded me of Onward specifically because it was a movie that address aspects of death that was marketed to children. On a broader spectrum one could say Coco was made with Latino children in mind; Onward targeted Caucasian children and Soul targeted African American children.

The best things about Soul are the visual explanation for how personality is created, how the living become lost, who is accountable for all souls and the duality of life and the spiritual world.

The design of the characters and the music was enjoyable. The conversation and verbiage of the African American female characters were believable. The supporting character being a soul forced me to think about my own soul and the quality of my life. The title of the movie “Soul” is a clever pun from a marketing aspect.

For me the great debate/ controversy in the film revolve around the opportunities and chances we have in life. My son said aloud during the movie that he wanted to cry. In my opinion the movie should have ended right there to make the message more impactful. One could argue that is not the Disney way. I say, we already jumped out the window so let’s go all the way.

Jingle Jangle (ST) : Rating 4.7 - Jingle Jangle was magical and fun. I’m never tired of seeing Phylicia Rashad on screen. She feels like a relative at this point. I loved Journey’s (main character) hair style and clothing. Forest Witaker delivered as expected for the role of Jeronicas. The real entertainment came from Ms.Johnston played by Lisa Phillip. Boy did she have the hots for Jeronicas.

The musical numbers were well coordinated; this movie gave me Broadway’s 1998 Ragtime vibes. A movie I would watch with kids annually.

Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (ST) : Rating 4.2 - The acting in the movie is good. That fat suit and bad make up Viola Davis had to wear was something else. The goal was to depict that Ma was hot and uncomfortable and they did that.

My least favorite thing about the movie were the portions where the setting didn’t change. I have a hard time watching movies where the setting doesn’t change. I know it was based off the 1984 play and I could feel that. I didn’t like that. There is also a lot of messaging in the movie. Directly towards the black community. One must be prepared for that.

I most enjoyed Ma Rainey’s fuck you attitude and her total understanding of how to yield music producers to her will. I also had affinity for Levee’s (Chadwick Boseman) confidence in himself and his talent. Lastly, if there is a standing record for the most times the N word is used, they may have a broken it in this film.

Gifting Food: Tips and Tricks

I give baskets and well packaged gifts but this year was my first time sharing a dish as a gift. I just love presentation I think it makes gifts more exciting.

Transparent containers are more intising

Colored foil can be used to show different types of food. Silver foil for chocolate chip almond cookies. Gold foil for peanut butter chocolate chip walnut cookies.

Mini pies fit in cookie containers

Bake and share pie dishes are handy

Swap Out Tissue Paper for Cloth

BEST HAIR OF 2020

Crochet : Virtual Class Reunion

Two braids: Interstate Snake Branding Shoot

Twist Out: Graduation Photo Shoot

HAPPY NEW YEAR

November Newsletter

Pancakes and Sweet Potato Pies

Tasting the vegan pistachio, blueberry pancakes at Silver Diner inspired me to create my own.

Candalada Pancakes

Walnut Banana Pancakes

Left: Walnut Banana Right: Chocolate Chip

Chocolate Chip Banana

Walnut Banana

Chocolate Chip Pancakes with Grilled Banana

Chocolate Chip Banana Pancakes and Coconut Whip Cream

Candalada Sweet Potato Pies

Fall Vegan Meals

16 Bean Soup

10 hour simmered bean soup, crisped kale with almond and cranberries, twice baked sweet potatoes brown sugar and vegan marshmallow, Abes cornbread.

Pizza

Pan fried/ baked Beyond meatballs, Agave sweet and savory biscuits with Kelly’s smokey parm seasoning.

VEGAN DESSERT

S’MORES

When I say these smack lol. They are so good. Everyone that likes s’mores will like these. Thinking about making a distributing kits next month.

I had a few options to choose from. I chose the chocolate made with oat milk because I figured it would cut some of the bitter flavor of dark chocolate.

I was excited to learn more about this chocolate when I opened the wrapper.

Nikk Rich Photographs V.P. Elect Kamala Harris

The following photos were taken by my sister NikkRich during the VP election campaign. To see Nikky’s recent work please visit her website.

Nikky currently overseas a team of retouchers in LA, California and is the lead photographer of a budding black owned LA boutique.

Photo by NikkRich

Photo by NikkRich

Photo by NikkRich

Photo by NikkRich

Thanks for reading!

October Newsletter

Breast Cancer Awareness

Photo by IG: @kmarablephoto

This month my friend (a year younger than I) told me she had stage 3 breast cancer in the middle of a conversation about sunflowers on a Sunday. I guess there is no easy way to deliver such shocking information. My friend was 7 months pregnant with her first baby. I had no words. For the remainder of the day I had a somber feeling and I was unsure of how to process the information for several reasons.

I wondered what happened to the days when cancer was something you heard about in the news. What happened to the days when causes were represented by ribbon colors on the internet and I didn’t know anyone that actually had the disease? How and when did cancer awareness go from pink socks on football games, to instagram influencers, to a friends mom, to my mom, my aunt, my grandmother and now my good friend? How long will it be until it’s me?

Each time that I hear about a new case of cancer from a loved one it incites fear and sadness simultaneously.

1. How can I be supportive and positive when I am scared shitless about the journey to recovery or the possibility of losing them?

2. How do I fight through the trauma of my moms loss to be present for the people that need me now?

The response is simpler than I imagined. Just do it. Thinking about it is paralyzing. I missed out on a few opportunities to be supportive lamenting on the “what ifs” and the “how to”.

Currently, we FaceTime and we text but most importantly I listen. I listen to her feelings and thoughts. I learned it is okay to not speak and be present. I am grateful that her baby has made it to earth and she is healthy and beautiful. I am inspired by the strength of my friend. Watching her rise above the disease to and step into motherhood really melts my heart. I know it is difficult and she does it with such grace.

After the arrival of baby Halo my friend asked me to take some photos so she can share her story. I saw her vision and felt it was beyond me and I called on my creative professional kindred spirit, Kevin. In a very intimate session we curated a series to capture this moment in time.

Here she is ……..Wife, mother, daughter, sister, friend, warrior!

Please conduct self examinations and ask your doctor about any masses that you discover.

The Uncaged CheF

BRAND New Location and Vegan Monday’s

The new home of Uncaged Chefs: 6027 Marlboro Pike, District Heights Maryland

This is my third write up on The Uncaged Chefs. My last update was in the September 2019 Newsletter. I wrote about my first exposure to the Uncaged experience was when it was a pop up being held inside of another restaurant on Sundays. Since then the following has grown and the location has changed twice.

The Uncaged Chefs moved from a pop-up to a space within a food hall in Brentwood before the pandemic. They had endless lines from open to close. During the pandemic after a short period of closure to respect the safety of staff and the community they transitioned to a stand alone corner location in District Heights! My son Issa describes the decor as “black paradise”.

6027 Marlboro Pike, District Heights, Maryland

The owner, Damian Brown is a young African American man. He attributes his success with the brand to culinary training, bootstrapping, non-stop hustling and instagram marketing.

Three weeks ago The Uncaged Chefs rolled out Vegan Monday’s at the new location. Monday’s have become the highlight of my week. I am most excited because the lines are manageable on vegan Monday’s.

The items I have tried this far include, the vegan jerk burger, vegan nachos, vegan nuggets, peach tea and vegan cauliflower nuggets. The vegan nachos are my favorite. For unfiltered reviews please visit the food review tab on my Candalada instagram page. Tip: Eat the food right away.

Vegan Jerk Burger

Vegan Nachos

Vegan Chicken Nuggets w/Henny Mambo Sauce

What about the rest of the week?

The other days of the week are for meat lovers. They host Trap Tacos on Tuesday’s. Wed- Saturday they serve chicken waffles, shrimp grits, various new items and an eclectic collection of mouth watering desserts.

The menu changes by the minute the best way to stay updated on changes is to follow them IG: @TheUncagedChefs

Thanks For Reading :)

September Newsletter : Fall Edition

Black Men That Will Change Your Life

Abu the contractor, Yorker Handyman services

Abu is gifted in mathematics making all of his cuts precise and his work exceptional. Abu does not paint. Work completed: reframed front door, replaced back door, tiled the kitchen (571) 991-0687 Facebook @yorhms

Dom the gardener, Augie’s Aeration Services

Dom learned about landscaping from his father. Dom is easy going and tactical. He devised the plan to work on the yard a half at a time. This gave me time to adjust to the increased watering requirements of sod and gave him time to analyze if the sod would take to my once dehydrated and rocky terrain. The worst yard on the block is now a contender for the best yard on the block.

TJ the handy man, TJ Jackson Services

TJ offers handy man and personal training services. Work completed:emptied and organized a shed, removing multiple insect nest in 100 degree wheather. Replaced 2, 20 year old exhaust plans. Hauled /removed bricks and debris, delivered /hauled rocks for back yard landscaping.

TJ the trainer, SWOP (Slight Work Open Hips)

Hair Therapy member Alicia has worked with TJ training three times a week for the past few months. He hosts a private out of gym experience. Alicia’s review boasts of boosted self confidence and a sculpted refined shape. 571-316-9509 IG:SWOPTraining

Chef Christian, DownSetEat

Chef Christian provided such a lovely spread for my birthday his chicken was well seasoned and the rice was the most creative compilation.

I reached out after the festivities to learn more about meal plan options. I opted for getting a pan for the week since I do not have the need to stick to small portion meals.

I have a standing order with him every Sunday. The weekdays run smoother knowing what I am having for lunch/dinner from Monday -Wednesday.

Specialties: meal plans, weekly orders, catering, private dining (703) 398-2377 IG @DownSetEat

Chef Ricky

Chef Ricky prepared a private dinner for three on my birthday and a private dinner for approximately 13 people for my cousins birthday. Chef Ricky is quiet when he is working and personable when he speaks. He is enthusiastic about creating customized experiences. He provided a sangria that was handmade and received rave reviews. Specialties: catering private dining special occasions (301) 542-5035 IG @Chef_DMV

How Virtual Brunch Turned into a Book Club with Dr.Miles Davis

Feeling a bit blue about the impossibility of a face to face 2020 Brunch Tour I took a shot at having a virtual brunch on May 31st. It was great, we spoke about the current state of the world, race relations, safety, stress and the importance of therapy. Guest appearances were made by Dr.Groff (reverend and educator) and Ms.Jackson (licensed therapist). We set a date to meet up again on Juneteenth 19th.

During the Juneteenth meet up my sister NikkRich (professional photographer) was on the call. She spoke about the artificial urgency to work with Black people that has been created in the Hollywood photography industry and how it has affected her choices on who to work with.

Following the trend of meeting on holidays the July 4th call was more of a welfare check in. Discussion was centered around questions such as: Did anyone give into celebrating July 4th? If yes why? How do we feel about White people asking us if we are okay? How do we effectively respond to what is going on?

After much private deliberation with my peers Dr.Miles Davis joined the call to offer a few words of perspective and instantly we all be came enrolled in an unofficial class of history and critical thinking.

Currently the sitting president of Linfield University in Oregon, Dr.Davis challenged us to start with ourselves, protect our family, check on our neighbors which strengthens the community, join causes that support our beliefs and lastly, vote. He also recommended that we read the book “ The Mis-Educated Negro” by Cater G. Woodson and promised to join to the next call if the group completed the book.

Screen shot from July 4th

I am not much of a reader and I pushed through the assignment by listening to the audio version on Kindle in order to complete the book by the due date Sept 9th.

Wednesday Sept 9th, 2020 was my first time using a book as a reference to address my modern day concerns with my peers. It was an engaging and positive experience. Dr. Davis’s next suggested read is “The Souls of Black Folk by W.E. Dubois”. The recommendation was warmly received by the group. The next discussion is October 23rd at 8:15 P.M.

Screen Shot from Sept 9th Book Review Discussion

Read with me and join the next discussion if you can.I use Facebook meeting room. I promise it is more refreshing that going back and forth on Facebook or feeling hopeless and concerned alone. It is the temporary reset that we all need.

Thanks for Reading :)

September Newsletter: Summer Recap

Candalada’s Waterfall Tour

In 2019 I was dreaming of a wonderful vacation and hoping to see some of the world’s most popular waterfalls. Covid-19 crushed those dreams and challenged me to think local. While searching online I found an article titled “The Ultimate Virginia Waterfall Road Trip That Will Take You 8 hours.” I was excited at the thought yet discouraged by the energy and time needed to get both Issa and I prepared for such a voyage. This is the map from the original article.

Observations

1. The Natural Bridge is 3 hours from my house. This automatically added 6 hours to the trip. Three hours to get the starting point and the three hours needed to get home after closing the loop.

2. Some falls looked more appealing than others. There were 8 stops listed in the article. I narrowed the tour down to 3 stops. The Lace Falls at the Natural Bridge, Roaring Run, and Cascade Falls.

3. The waterfall addresses listed at the bottom of the article were not accurate. Below are the addresses provided by the article. Lace Falls is in Natural Bridge, VA, 24578 not Bristow, VA (2 hours difference). Cascade Falls in Pembroke,VA 24136, not Bristow, VA (4 hours difference) !

The Plan (Inaccurate Addresses)

Address: Lace Falls Loop, Bristow, VA 20136, USA (stop 1)

Address: Roaring Run, Virginia 24426, USA (stop 2)

Address: Cascade Falls Dr, Bristow, VA 20136, USA (stop 3)

The Actual

1. I planned to wake up early and arrive to the Natural Bridge by 8 am. I didn’t leave the house until 9 am! Arrived at 11:30 am left at 1:30pm. I typed in Natural Bridge and was there without incident.

2. Finding Roaring Run was a nightmare listed as Roaring Run, VA 24426 the waterfall is actually located in Eagle Rock, VA 24085.

3. First we were 38 min out of the way in 24426 due to following the article address. This was my highest point of frustration on the voyage. Driving through the zig zag hills was nauseating. Then we were led to a closed gate trail by GPS (15 min out of the way). I went to google to secure an address from Trip Advisor and was able navigate to Roaring Run road but unable to find the address 450.

4. Finally a local told us the trail can be easily found searching for the Roaring Run Furnace. Arrived at 3:30pm and left at 5:00pm

5. Sunset was upon us, I decided that Cascades Falls was too far and revised the plan. Learning lesson from the last major detour. I took to trip advisor to find an address for Falling Spring Falls. It was located on Hot Springs Rd, Covington, VA 24426 which of course was not the address listed on the article. It was 39 minutes away from Roaring Run and a great way to end the trip. Arrived at 6:30pm and left at 7pm.

6. Starvation was upon us, we visited the Omni Hotel and Resort in Hot Springs, VA. Arrived at 7:40 PM left at 9 PM

Without the massive detours this is what my tour would look like. The map says 8 hours however it took 15-16 hrs total. Getting out to walk, hike, take pictures, film, eat and get lost takes time. Please stay tuned to enjoy my picture story and informal documentation of this journey. I live for videos all this writing is for the readers and detail oriented.

This Candalada’s Ultimate Waterfall Tour took place in mid July. Other falls visited include Great Falls (our first fall viewing) in early July and Cascade Falls in September.

PICTURE STORY

Great Falls

Lace Falls

Roadside Attraction

Roaring Run Furnace

Roaring Run Falls

Falling Springs Waterfall

Cascade Falls

Cascade Falls

Waterfall tour video footage with Prince Issa

Summary

Great Falls was beautiful and local easy to see with no major hiking required. Lace Falls was small, the Natural Bridge was more interesting. The trail was peaceful and well paved. Roaring run was like a local swimming pool not worth the drive from Woodbridge. Falling Springs was breath taking and required no hike at all. It was my favorite.

Cascade Falls hike is rough and not for kids or rookie hikers. The feeling of getting to it is rewarding. Getting back to the car felt like it took hours, I wanted to shoot a flare gun and get rescued by a helicopter. According to CNN’s list 1o of the best waterfalls across the U.S. only one is in Virginia. The Cascades Falls listed at number 7. I am happy to have made it there.

Blackwater Falls in Davis, West Virginia is listed as number 4. Hopefully I can get there before it gets cold. I have found these voyages to the water helpful in creating a bond with Issa and distracting my mind from sadness. As a girl from Brooklyn the last place I thought I would be is deep in the woods. The nats are annoying. Viewing natures miracles with my own eyes makes the temporary discomfort dissipate. The sound of the water and the mist in the air feels renewing and awakens hope in my heart.

Thanks for Reading

August Newsletter

Candalada’s Birthday Recap

THANK YOU for making me feel so special and loved!!!!!!!!!!

July Newsletter

Photo by @kmarablephoto

THE HAIR EDITION

I share everything I learn about hair to save you the trouble of trying things with no idea what may happen.This newsletter is dedicated to hair care, hair lessons and hair history.

During the beginning of the quarantine I had blue hair. I loved the look however, I found the hair to be very itchy despite washing it first. I had plans to keep the look going because I love having a big colorful bun for people to stare at in the grocery store.

After 60 days of quarantine I started receiving many inquiries from people that wanted to dye their hair themselves or inquire if I knew how to do braids.

I have two statements for the people that may not take time to watch the video. However, I strongly suggest you watch the video. The first video is from May, the second is from June.

1. Refrain from dying your hair at home and completely avoid using box dye from drug stores.

2. Braiding hair is not safe. The chemicals they are using to process the hair are dangerous for the skin and scalp. To read in depth article click here

   *Vinyl chloride exposure is associated with an increased risk of a rare form of liver cancer (hepatic angiosarcoma), as well as brain and lung cancers, lymphoma, and leukemia.

WARNING EPISODE 4 VIDEO IS GRAPHIC

Mielle Ricewater review

Black Hair History : Did you know?

Cornrows were used to smuggle rice from Africa to the Caribbean and the U.S?

Read the full article by clicking here. Below is a book recommended in the article. The book tells the entire story of how hair played a major apart in the cultivation of agriculture in America.

Tigon Laws were created for Black women to cover their hair so white men wouldn’t be attracted to women of color?

To read about these laws and how Black women turned punishment into a fashion statement click here.

NEW HAIR SHOW: TO CATCH A BEAUTICIAN

I have been enjoying this show with Tamar Braxton and Johnny Wright (stylist to Michelle Obama). Each episode is about a stylist that messed up a clients hair.. The stylist is brought in thinking they have an interview with Johnny. When they arrive the client gets a chance to confront the stylist about their bad experience.

Johnny offers the stylist some training through a one day boot camp. If the stylist accepts they have a chance to redeem themselves by doing the clients hair over. I watch the show for the great styling hacks, instruction and tips that Johnny gives during his boot camp. I look forward to the crazy hair styles they put on Tamar. The final reveals are always amazing.

They broke my heart a few episodes in. One of the guest stylist recently passed away from a zip line accident while on vacation. At the end of the show they posted in memory of Brittany Spivey and I was in shambles.

Thanks for Reading!!

June Newsletter

Join me on Facebook lets talk and catch up. Think of it as a happy hour without leaving the house. Just click the link at 5 pm on Friday to join.

Black Lives Matter

The past few weeks every time I wake up I am instantly disappointed that life is not a dream. I really do live in the U.S. where someones who’s dad was in the KKK is the president. Where since slavery has ended Black men have been criminalized to exploit the portion of the revised 13th amendment that makes prisoners slaves. I actually live in a time when there are more people in jail than there ever was in “slavery”. The land of 5% of the worlds population and the home of 25% of the world prisoners!

These issues are not new and have been compounding my entire life. I have never felt stress to the point of sleep deprivation until I realized that my son that will grow up to be a target and viewed as a walking threat if things in the U.S. do not change for the better.

My therapist concluded my worries for Issa’s future coupled with hysteria caused by the Corona virus; Black men being killed and converted to hashtags every month; mistreatment of protesters streaming non-stop on Facebook; the recent murder of George Floyd and mounting lynching cases to be the complete cause of acute stress. Now, I think I can diagnose all Black moms in America with the same case of “WTF” that I have.

Issa learned of slavery in-depth when I took him to the African American Museum last year. I told him the entire building was dedicated to Black History and he responded “I’m Black?!” and everyone looked at me. This was truly and example that children are born a blank slate. Issa was angry to see and learn more of this history. The only thing that calmed his spirit was seeing Federick Douglas and Lincoln who he learned “freed” the slaves in school. He also coped by thinking of slavery and racism as a thing of the past. He spoke of the injustice and referenced the chains that he saw for weeks.

I deliberated for days before I told him about what is currently going on in the world. Remembering how the discussion of slavery surprised and saddened him. I used news reports and some of my own words to tell Issa what happened to George Floyd. He was angry his first response was, “I want to beat the police with a stick”. On that particular night D.C. was on fire, when I showed Issa the picture he said, “We are getting our payback mom.” I said, “We are going to sleep and we will figure out what we can do to help the cause when we wake up.”

Below are the pictures of our trip to Black Lives Matter Plaza and my interview with Issa about police brutality.

My Pan African Flag Story

In 2015, I assisted my sister on a family photoshoot for my mentor. After the shoot my mentors father saw me in a floor length black pea coat. His facial expression reflected deep thought, as if I reminded him of something or someone. He gave me a little pin with a flag on it and told me to place it on my lapel. He said, “Red is for the blood of your ancestors, black is for the people and green is for the land. When you see the sea remember there are millions of bodies in the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean and sometimes death is the price of freedom.” I was shocked, honored and sad.

I wouldn’t be until much later that I would learn more about the flag. I felt chills when I read about the origins and the creator because what they were fighting for in 1920 we are still fighting for now. To learn more about the history of the Pan American Flag also known as the UNITY flag click here.

Photo courtesy of NPR website.

FOOD

Abe’s has found great success in making amazing vegan muffins. The crumb cakes an brownies were OK. The muffins are a ten! Thus far blueberry, chocolate chip and the cornbread have been the highlight of my life! All of the following items and be found at Mom’s grocery store in Woodbridge, Virginia.

Indulgent!

Very good!

Lots of veggies just add a little salt

Quorn Vegan Patties

The only green juice I can tolerate. Can’t get with the ginger, celery green drinks.

Thanks for reading!!

Mielle Rice Water collection review coming soon.

May Newsletter

WATCH A THON : Candalada’s Mega Review

Everything on this list is too good to rate. This is not like my movie reviews. I’m going to explain what the shows are like using my own words verses copying and pasting the descriptions provided on the networks website. My hope is that you are persuaded to watch the show, series, or documentary if you have missed them. No two are alike. At minimal click all the links and watch the trailers. These shows are your relaxation assignment. Thank me later.

The Last Dance (ESPN)

The element that I enjoyed the most about this documentary was the old footage. It seemed like they filmed every single second of Michael’s life. They had receipts. In my opinion there is nothing better than watching a person tell their own story. The second best element of The Last Dance was how they divided the time and dived into the other players lives.

I was just a kid during these times living in Brooklyn. I watched all of these games on a big clunk back TV with my dad. I remember thinking Jordan’s ability to play like that was magic.

After watching this documentary I’m pretty sure work ethic, great coaching, supportive team members and family support has to be the new definition of magic. I had a friend tell me she didn't watch it because she doesn’t like basketball that much. I responded, “Girl, this is about so much more than basketball.”

The line that I felt in my heart was when he said, "Winning has a price. And leadership has a price. So I pulled people along when they didn't want to be pulled; I challenged people when they didn't want to be challenged. And I earned that right because my teammates who came after me didn't endure all the things that I endured.”

For Life (ABC)

I had no prior knowledge of Isaac Wright Jr. before the release of For Life. I am watching the show without knowing the outcome of the real life story. I thought to myself how good can it be? What are they even going to talk about in this his show?

My first impression of the lead actor Nicholas Pinnock was that Denzel Washington must be his idol. It appears he stole some of Denzel’s characteristics; his mouth mannerisms and even his voice in some scenes.

The shows transitioning music seemed above average, which made perfect sense once I saw an appearance by Curtis Lee Jackson (50 Cent). Altogether, the onscreen depiction is unfolding nicely.

Little Fires Everywhere (HULU)

Little Fires Everywhere is a book. I have not read the book but I have learned through social media that the series ended differently than the book did.

The series puts a big magnifying glass on racial differences, racism both spoken and unspoken. Between Reese Witherspoon’s (Mrs.Richardson) “perfectionism parenting” and Kerry Washington’s (Mia Warren) nomad lifestyle. The series serves mystery, backstabbing and erupts into pure chaos.

Ozark (Netflix)

Ozark makes you wonder what other crazy things are going on in so called low-key and rural areas. The main Marty is calm in the most ridiculous situations. Marty is an accountant that ends up working for the Mexican cartel and drags his whole family into the mess. His once normal wife becomes his partner in crime. Together they strive to maintain a normal life which is no longer possible. As the problems pile up, the difference in their childrens’ ability to cope with new dynamics becomes another issue to add the list.

Ruth, a character outside of the family unit is a firecracker who will keep you entertained. Darlene Snell an older crude drug dealer is sure to make you cringe. Season 3 really had me enthralled.

Becoming (Netflix)

Becoming gives a crisp outlook of Michelle Obama’s life story, her journey to the White House and beyond. The documentary is much needed for women around the world.

I really don’t know how else to say this but Michelle Obama is an OG. I love seeing how her brain propelled her through every obstacle in life. She literally took the educational route to success. In my opinion she was successful long before the White House. Serving as the First Lady was the icing on the top.

During the documentary former President Obama said he felt like Jay-Z making an appearance at a Beyonce concert when he comes to make an appearance on the “Becoming” book tour. Mrs.Obama encouraged him to end the analogy with a smile. The on-screen love and respect the Obama’s have for each other is heart warming.

CANDALADA TV

Quarantine Beauty Episode 2

Hope you have been keeping up? I have created several Quarantine Beauty episodes and they build on top of each other. The first was is in May’s Newsletter. Don’t fret if you missed it, you can easily navigate to it on YouTube. Click video below to view episode 2.

2020 Product Reviews

For more focused beauty information I have also created product reviews. The latest product reviews include the Pro Wax 100 (video contains explicit language) and THP (Taraji P. Hensen) hair products.

2020 Make Up Tutorials

The following make up tutorials are for the everyday woman that is not a professional MUA but seeking simple ways to improve their make up skills. Although, I have mastered eyebrows I am still learning in other areas. I’m currently exploring Juvia’s Place palettes. New tutorials include:

1. How to Do Your Eyebrows

2. Basic Eye Make-Up: Exploring “The Nubian” palette by Juvia’s Place

3. Foundation Tutorial

Want to catch me in action or see some informal lives that didn’t make the YouTube cut? Tune into to my Facebook or Hair Therapy’s IG on Saturday’s for the interactive “Get Ready with Me live streams” or open discussions.

Since it is not possible to complete a brunch tour this year. I am going to host a virtual Brunch and Chat on Facebook’s new room feature. Sunday May 31st at 1:25 PM. All you have to do is hit this link to join my room on FB. Cook some food grab some wine and lets chat.

Thanks For Reading

April Newsletter

Corona Virus Steals The Month of March

Actual text message from Prince William County Public Schools

Anyone that tried ignoring the news and hoping for the best was slapped in the face during the month of March. In addition to circulating images of coffins and videos of infected celebrities during the month of March toilet paper went flying off the shelves. The phrase “social distancing” was coined and popularized. Work from home tests were rolled out by various companies, mall workers were laid off and the announcement that Virginia public schools would be closed for the rest of the year was made.

School

On the day of the school closure announcement a single tear rolled down my face. My first thoughts where: OMG How bad is this shit?! If they don’t care about education anymore we are probably all about to die! Then I thought to myself, my son finally has a teacher that I love and developed a great communication system with. How am I supposed to be a provider and a homeschool teacher! My shoulder hurt and my back felt like I was carrying something heavy.

Notifying my son that he would not return to school was the hardest thing I had to do. He cried immediately. He was dissapointed that he did not have a chance to say good bye to his friends. Luckily with the help of FaceTime I was able to help him connect with his teacher the next day. She currently, holds 2 weekly zoom meetings, one on Monday and one on Friday. Now he is able to interact with classmates. During the weekends he is able to Face-time with his favorite class mate. Although nothing compares to in person interactions. I have seen a significant rise in my sons spirit.

Afterschool

After some deliberation I decided that it was important for him to continue music lessons. Initially we skipped one week due to the acute stress the sudden change had on both of us. The next week we made up the session. Meeting on Monday and Thursday. The biggest benefit on online music lesson has been the reduction in price. Guitar lessons cost 30 dollars less a month.

Work

I stopped seeing clients in the month of March about two weeks before babershops and salons officially closed. It has been difficult to turn down my clients request and give them no definitive answer of when I will become available again. Although I work at home and do not see nearly as many people as I used to. I have developed a great bond with the clients I do have. They are like my family, it feels like I am saying no to my brothers, sisters, aunties and grandma. The phrase better safe than sorry is what I have been holding onto.

Candalada’s Quarantine Beauty Chat Series

I’m truly a visual person. Initially I was going to do an official review on Taraji P. Henson’s new line. Since I did an informal on Instagram and many of you follow me there I decided to share this video instead. I have been working on this series for the past 2 weeks. Hopefully something in it is helpful or inspiring. The THP official review will be in the May Newsletter.

In this episode I covered:

• Hair - Wash Theory

• Skin - Care Routine Journey

• Nail -Nail Removal

SNACK TIME

MOVIE REVIEWS

The ratings below reflect how good the movie is for the genre it’s in. I am using a scale of 1-5. Five (5) representing excellence, three (3) okay and one (1) trash.  The category legend is as follows:

(S) Superhero 

(L) Love or Comedy 

(ST) Story/Biopic

(A) Action/Thriller or Mystery 

Onward (ST) : Rating 4.5 - Officially the last movie that I saw in the theater. This movie is deep and funny. Topic touched on included the after life, trusting yourself and trusting other people. I think that any movie that attempts to make sense of death for children has level of maturity to it. For example: CoCo I enjoyed watching it. I think that someone who recently lost someone or has a sibling that is very different from them would relate more to the film than someone who is an only child or hasn’t had to deal with the loss of a parent. Something else that stood out to me where the female characters in the movie showed strength and intelligence at very given opportunity.

The Banker (ST) : Rating 5 - It was crazy seeing Nia long really looking like someones mother, similar to what it was like watching Will Smith be heavier to play the role of Muhammad Ali. This film gives some insight on how racism can prevent economic progress and how math is the foundation of the world. Based on a true story this is a must watch film. The trickery, the humor and the truth of it all blend together nicely. I love that I can count on Samuel Jackson to curse everyone out and teach them a lesson at the same time. He was a great supporting actor. The main character did well delivering an even tempered, genius. I watched this movie for free on Apple TV. Download the app and receive a free year of Apple TV.

Sonic (S) : Rating 4 - As a person that played Sega Genesis in my youth and watch the original Sonic cartoon it was my civic duty to see this film. Jim Carey is certified crazy. Absolutely no one could have been the villain quite like him. It has a level of cheesy ness to it. My son loved the film. There is a hint that there will be a part two. There were some awesome cameos in the film.

Prince Issa Turns 8!!!!

Issa is not a stranger to intimate birthdays. After his first birthday party I was so stressed out I vowed there would be no more. Every year I take him to get gourmet cupcakes send a little video to the family by the end of the day. This year I planned to surprise him with a trip to Leggo Land for a change of scenery and they surprised me with a closure.

I got creative and we were still able to have a very good day. I dedicated the day and all of my time to him. I pre planned all of the surprises and agenda. We started with a hair wash he hated that lol.

We made cinnamon rolls, learned the Toosie slide, he had the Mickey hoodie surprise, we took pictures together, opening of golden presents and cards (family group FaceTime singing of happy Birthday), baked cookies, watched Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles the movie and for the finale had a LED ballon dance party in the dark (music by Bruno Mars). We really were exhausted and had a ton of fun!

THANKS FOR READING!! STAY SAFE :)

February Newsletter

Make-Up Class Sat Feb. 15th @ 1:30PM

Rappers and Entrepreneurs 2020 : An Event Honoring Black Men

It is a vibe, a celebration and an experience. JOIN ME Feb 29th, 2020 in Washington D.C. to honor Black men who used music or entrepreneurship to improve or change the course of their life. Dinner prepared by a Chef Robbie and music by DJ Boothe.

My Experience @ iPic Bethesda, MD

Follow my picture story! I went to iPic. The chairs were comfy. The food was delicious especially the biscuits. The dine in seats are limited and cost 10 dollars more to sit in. Purchase your tickets early if having a server is a deal breaker for you.The bathrooms are very clean. The restaurant Pike and Rose is basically attached to the theater if you need more dining options.

MOVIE RECOMMENDATION

The rating below reflect how good the movie is for the genre it’s in. I am using a scale of 1-5. Five (5) representing excellence, three (3) okay and one (1) trash.  The category legend is as follows:

(S) Superhero 

(L) Love or Comedy 

(ST) Story/Biopic

(A) Action/Thriller or Mystery 

Bad Boys for Life (A) : Rating 5 - I expect this movie to be corny as hell. I thought Martin’s face looked so fat in the previews. They snatched several emotional strings and used an abundance of shocking scenes. I was very pleased and entertained. This movie should not be seen in the house. It deserves cinema sound.

Natural Stylist by Choice

When I was teen my aunt relaxed my hair while I was on summer vacation without my moms permission. Prior to that experience I had no idea what a relaxer was. In 2009, I decided I missed my natural hair. I cut the relaxer off and never looked back.

When I took the cosmetology board each section was graded separately. The only section I scored 100 in was relaxers. Probably because I was doing them for grown ups all through high-school and had 10 unlicensed years of experience!

Out of 300 clients only one Hair Therapy member ever requested a relaxer and it was a man, with wavy hair from Saudi Arabia.

Last week, the client pictured below requested a relaxer. It had been 4 years since her last one. She had brain surgery and had to take a break. It was a bitter sweet experience. I loved giving her what she wanted, however, I knew I could accomplish the same results or better without chemicals.

January Newsletter

The Event of the Year Is Coming: RAE2020

Hair Therapy Club I promise this is an event that you will love. Dress to impress and enjoy an evening of good vibes and great music. This year I am hosting a private catered dinner before the event. Pre-sale tickets are only $50 and include dessert. Do not wait until the last minute, prices will increase on Valentine’s Day. If you can’t make it you can still support by being a sponsor or purchasing a “sorry I can’t make it” ticket.

Click here to view the dinner menu and purchase a ticket.

They call her the Skin Queen. Featured on the Local news for her talent Akua Robinson will be coming to Woodbridge to teach the PM Make-Up class. Register here.

Akua Robinson

Work By Akua Robinson

Convert Your Tracks Into a Custom Wig

I had quite the ordeal during the holidays with my hair. My experience reminded that reading is fundamental. I suffered from severe itchy skin because I didn’t wash the tracks before installing them as per the instructions on the tag. To see how I recovered from the itchy weave and converted the tracks into a wig watch the video.

Instead of Going Shopping Go To The Dry Cleaners

My mom would always say, “Instead of going shopping go to the cleaners!” There was a delay in my understanding of this quote. Now I think I understand it. Everyone has a bag in the trunk or the laundry that has been abandoned instead of being taken to the cleaners as planned.

I had the urge to shop last week and instead I went to the cleaners. Even at the $2.25 cleaners I still managed to rack up a 50 dollar bill.

When I retrieved my clean clothes and placed them in the closet I was excited as though it was my first time seeing these pieces. I haven’t seen some of these outfits since last summer. I was able to evaluate what was missing from my entire wardrobe. The spot in my closet that has been blank for months was finally filled in. I concluded I needed more blouses and sweaters to go under my suits.

I still ended up shopping, however, instead of an impulsive shopping excursion it was a frugal and strategic haul. Filling in the gaps, instead of making duplicate and unecessary purchases was something to be proud of.

Go Thrifting and Save Thousands Annually

MOVIE REVIEWS

The ratings below reflect how good the movie is for the genre it’s in. I am using a scale of 1-5. Five (5) representing excellence, three (3) okay and one (1) trash.  The category legend is as follows:

(S) Superhero 

(L) Love or Comedy 

(ST) Story/Biopic

(A) Action/Thriller or Mystery 

Uncut Gems (A) : Rating 4 - It was cool to see Adam Sandler not being silly at all. The transition music in the film was horrible, it really made me want to rip my ears out. It started to get louder an worse throughout the film. His girlfriend was EXTREMELY sexy OMG. Heart attack sexy. There so many cameo appearances. Reminds me of how rich Adam Sandler really is. The film was creative in showing our connection to material things. It was realistic in depicting how hard it is to get out of the hole once your in. It took the phrase “Robbing Peter to pay Paul” to another level.

Spies In Disguise (L) : Rating 4.3 - The movie was funny and had very adult references. There was a metrosexual vibe to both main characters, the SPY (voice Will Smith) and the kid. I didn’t want to see this movie. It was selected by Issa. He insists that I let you know that he thinks it was epic.

Jumanji The Next Level (L) : Rating 4.5- The main actors in this movie showed their range. The were several trapped in the wrong body scenes. Kevin Hart playing an old man. A Black man playing a White man, the list goes on. Although, this happened in the first one this time it stood out how complex it must have been to stay in character. Im sure it was difficult to not become confused and not laugh during every scene. The movie was entertaining and full of fight scenes.

HAIR FLEX

December Newsletter

New Year New Activities

ALERT: New events page!!! Click here to check it out. Finally, all the Candalada events, pics and recaps are easy to find. Each event tab is filled with recap visuals from previous years. Information for the first event of the year honoring Black men “RAE2020” has been posted and will be updated again mid January. Purchase tickets now to secure your VIP experience.

PARIS BLUES Harlem's Oldest and Only Live Jazz Dive Since 1968

I celebrated my dad’s 61st Birthday by surprising him with an evening of Live Jazz. I learned of Paris Blues from watching, “Paris Blues in Harlem” short film on Comcast on-demand.

The bar is tiny. The owner is pleasant and extremely text savvy. He bought my dad a beautiful cake and we enjoyed various songs throughout the evening.

I missed the 4PM Megabus from D.C. to NY by one minute! The 5 PM bus driver ironically got lost and a customary 4 hour trip took 6hrs! My brother kept by dad entertained during this excursion. I would do it again to see the look on my dads face when I walked in the door at midnight!

I WORKED ON MY FIRST MOVIE (SHORT FILM)!!!

About Preparatory

Preparatory is a semi autobiographical film about growing up as a teenager in Washington DC. More specifically growing up as a teenager stuck in between two worlds. The film is about the main character Joseph who is black and attends an all white, all male Catholic Prep school. Joseph leads a dual life where very few people understand him at his school and  his own neighborhood. This story examines what it means to grow up Black in America while trying to avoid caricatures and stereotypes. 

I was the MUA for the film working mainly with males and delivering flawless natural faces, covering scares, acne and red spots.

Movie Reviews

The ratings below reflect how good the movie is for the genre it’s in. I am using a scale of 1-5. Five (5) representing excellence, three (3) okay and one (1) trash.  The category legend is as follows:

(S) Superhero 

(L) Love or Comedy 

(ST) Story/Biopic

(A) Action/Thriller or Mystery 

I only saw one movie this month and I saw it twice! I went to Alamo to enjoy 8 dollar Tuesdays. To my disappointment, the lights were on the entire movie. The Alamo recently began “Alamo for All” on Tuesdays for all movies before 3pm. To my understanding having light on helps children with sensory complications. Mom with kids usually bring their children to sensory accommodating films. Why would they have the lights on during a rated R movie? Perhaps they are catering to adults that are sensory sensitive.

The website or front desk had no signs notifying customers thats it was a sensory film. I complained and was issued a refund. The second time I saw Queen and Slim in complete darkness.

Queen & Slim (L) : Rating 4.8 - Many males expressed to me that they were unsatisfied with how the male is portrayed in the film. One man even argued with me the movie should be called Queen and King, the term slim is disrespectful, lol. Sigh. It is art. Art has no boundaries. I liked the language in the film. Some characters said things exactly the way I would say it. I liked the moments in the film where no ones lips are moving and you can still hear the character voices. I was fond of the arial shots during the road trip and the music selection was great, the scenes reminded me of when I drove cross country to California. I paid attention to every frame so I felt all intentional emotional shifts during the film. People will be arguing about whether this film is greatness or trash for years to come.

END OF YEAR HAIR FLEX

HAIR THERAPY Hosts FIRST HAIR PRODUCT GIVE AWAY ON IG!

To follow Hair Therapy on IG click here.

FOOD & SNACKS

Vegan Veggie Tacos and Chips

Oven cook veggies at 350 degrees for 20 min with light tasting olive oil and Badia complete seasoning

Pan cook tortillas, add Sabra classic hummus to tortillas after cooking and fill with veggies, serve with Vicky’s Kettle jalapeño chips

1. Fresh Cut Wegman’s Green Beans

2. Fresh Sliced Wegman’s Carrots

3. Wegman’s Bakery made Tortillas (flour pictured and southwest orange colored tortillas is a spicy option).

Rice and Veggies with Sliced Pears

1. Pan cook frozen veggies, using extra light tasting olive oil, McCormick hot shot, Trader Joes seasoning salt & Badia complete seasoning

2. Cook batsmati rice, salt water with a pinch of Himalayan salt

3. Serve with cold organic thinly sliced pear

Candalada Approved Snacks: Moms Grocery Woodbridge, vA

PrinCE ISSA’s GetS Advice From AN ICon The day before his First ReCITAL

November 15th marks the year anniversary of Issa’s guitar lessons. It took months get into the swing of things for both of us. With the support of Hair Therapy members both of Issa’s guitars, and a month of lessons was covered in 2019.

To donate to Prince Issa’s 2020 music scholarship click the button below.

To help Issa with gitters and inspiration I took him to see Erykah Badu play live stage side at George Mason University. He said, “Mom this is epic.” He has only heard his favorite song “Hello” in the car until that night. He was completely mesmerized by the loud sound and the crowd. Band members encouraged him to practice everyday and shared their musical stories with him.

The best part of his night was the night cap. Issa received hugs and words of wisdom from the queen directly.

Recap of 2019 Newsletters

As of January 2019, I really stepped the newsletters. I used the newsletter as an outlet for sharing my experiences and information I think is of interest to the Hair Therapy Club base. The main stories include, places to eat, movie reviews , current events, hair styles and product recommendations with occasional expose pieces or deep rooted community articles spanning from sexual assault to depression.

If you missed one all of the 2019 newsletters are located here as well as on the official Hair Therapy website. Love You.Happy New Year

November Newsletter

HAIR NEWS: NEW PRODUCT REVIEW

Hair Therapy club member Jennifer blessed me with the chance to try the new hair line “Pattern” by Tracy Ellis Ross. I used all of her products during the wash process.

I shampooed, conditioned, steamed in the leave-in (used it more like a deep conditioner), applied the oil and blow dried Jennifer’s hair.

The products smelled good. The blow dry came out silky. I would try this product-line again.

In my opinion these products are not juicier than the Mielle Pomegranate Honey line I currently use.I am willing to explore the rest of the line if she has something more moisturizing.

Super clean braid down using “Pattern Products” by Tracey Ellis Ross

NOVEMBER MOVIE REVIEWS

The ratings below reflect how good the movie is for the genre it’s in. I am using a scale of 1-5. Five (5) representing excellence, three (3) okay and one (1) trash.  The category legend is as follows:

(S) Superhero 

(L) Love or Comedy 

(ST) Story/Biopic

(A) Action/Thriller or Mystery 

Spoiler Alert: You need to see all of these movies lol

HARRIET (ST) : Rating 4.6 - I am always nervous to see these types of films in fear that I will leave hating white people. Surprisingly I didn’t leave with hate. I left feeling informed and inspired. I know the surface story of Harriet. Watching the film made me feel like I was there. Just imagine I am the same kid that when I heard the story for the first time thought the Underground Railroad was a secret train. I felt her pain, I felt her triumphs and I left with hope in my heart.

21 Bridges (A) : Rating 4.7 - I just wanted too know why was Black Panthers suite so ill fitting. Let me be serious, the character Andre Davis played by Chadwick Boseman whom I will forever call “Black Panther” suits were just terrible but maybe that how they want to depict that cops dress. I loved seeing him onscreen with Stephen James who played Micheal. Although some part were predictable what wasn’t predictable was the on onscreen execution of murders in this film.

Terminator (A) : Rating 4.5 - This review may be unfair. I watched the original terminator the night before. I am aware there are 2 maybe even three other Terminators since then. My instincts and my gut told me to watch the original and I am glad that I did. There was so much homage paid to the original. I picked up on every remake and foreshadowing moment presented in the film and I loved it. I’m not sure that a person disconnected from the original will appreciate it as much as I did. I also appreciate the character development of the Terminator aka Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Charlies Angels (A) : Rating 4.7 - The character Jane is painfully beautiful if for nothing else look at this movie the see her face and shoe collection. Sabina was androgynous and sexy giving us cheeks through the entire flick. They spared no expense on flashy cars and explosions. These women were really beating peoples asses as well as getting their asses beat. The best thing about the movie is that it is not “girly” like I expected. A man can enjoy the film.

A Good Time In The City : Smithsonian Museums

National Museum of Natural History

Issa has always loved dinosaurs and has been asking to see this exhibit for a while. He was so excited to see the replicas. He was very upset when I told them they were replicas.

I took him to see the actual fossils of a stegosaurus and reminded him that it has been a REALLY long time since dinosaurs have been here. We are lucky that there is anything of them left to see.

Other cool exhibits

Museum of American History

Michelle Obama and superheroes! They covered a lot of ground for such a small space. I must admit we skipped what we had no interest in. We looked at music history, automobile history, superhero history and the First Lady exhibit. We neglected everything else.

Transformations

Change your hair as often as you like just PLEASE get a trim after a silk press!!!

in picture 4 of the following pic collage you can see the difference between a trim and no trim.

Thanks For Reading

October Newsletter

HAIR NEWS

Genesis Barber Shop celebrated their 10 Year Anniversary. The night was full of food fun and great speeches. Genesis shirts with the original logo was gifted to everyone in attendance. I wore mine on my visit to my home town, Brownsville in Brooklyn, New York.

Fun fact: Genesis is named after a shop in Long Island.

Transformations

FINDING YOUR DIY LIMIT 

ALMOST MESSED THINGS UP

My limit is installing light fixtures. Holding the light fixture was awkward and required help. Stuffing the wires back into place took some patience. I had concerns about the green grounding wire and if I secured it properly. The nerves that I felt about turning back on the electricity to see if my hard work paid off had me on the edge of my imaginary seat. Seeing the fixture light up was the single most exciting reveal. I am still most likely never going to install a light fixture by myself again.

SOMEWHAT FIXED IT

I attempted to lay new stick tiles. Doing around the toilet was difficult but I managed. When I was done there was a few spaces in the tiles. It looks better than before but this floor probably isn’t a long term solution.

FIXED IT

I painted a beige room white and installed a curtain rod. I am proudest of this improvement. It didn’t cost much and made a major difference.

FIXED IT

My tire was flat for months. I used an air compressor for the first time and had it road ready in 5 mins! It was surprisingly easy to use and worth the investment.

MOVIE TUESDAY DEALS

1. The Alamo, Woodbridge offers $8 movies on Tuesdays branded as TACO Tuesday. They serve Tacos and Margaritas which is not usually on the menu. 

2. AMC Potomac Mills 18 offers $6 basic chair movies on Tuesday, $11 for soft reclining chairs like the Alamo

3. Nobody wants to drive to Manassas to a Regal for Value Tuesdays.

4. The new Regal at Springfield Town Center doesn’t participate in any discounts

OCTOBER MOVIE REVIEWS

The ratings below reflect how good the movie is for the genre it’s in. I am using a scale of 1-5. Five (5) representing excellence, three (3) okay and one (1) trash.  The category legend is as follows:

(S) Superhero 

(L) Love or Comedy 

(ST) Story/Biopic

(A) Action/Thriller or Mystery 

TOY STORY 4 (ST) : Rating 5 - The animation an comedic approach makes it great. Fitting in, aging out, deciding when to be safe or take a risk, being a follower being a leader are some of the topics touched on. Forkie was a hilarious character but at the root of it is Toy Story 4 was a love story and everybody understands love.

THE SECRET LIFE OF PETS 2 (ST) : Rating 3 - The opening song set a good tone for me. The movie was funny. I liked the original more than the sequel.

THE LION KING (ST) : Rating  3.7 -  I couldn’t adjust to the graphics. I really wanted it to be more cartoon like. Scar wasn’t as scary to me as he was in the original, he seemed depressed and abnormally skinny. Young samba had the sweetest voice. He was the only character that really felt the same. It was comforting to have the same voice for Mufasa.

SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME (S) : Rating 4.5  - A good next step from, Spiderman: Homecoming. I am always annoyed when they change a character I already like. I liked Toby Maguire as SpiderMan. I don’t even remember the man that was after him. Now we have Tim Holland. When he was introduced he was a clumsy and excited kid. This movie allowed us to see Hollands character grow without boring us to death. He dealt with the loss of a mentor, he tried to be humble, he had regular teenage troubles. The graphics and costume development was so fire. To be clear. You can not compare this to Avengers that is not even fair.

HELLS KITCHEN (A) : Rating 4.4 - It was cool to see all these ladies in a serious role. I love that it took place in the 70’s. There was a lot of murder in this movie. It was almost gory. Please do not misjudge and try to watch it with children. Story line is similar to WIDOWS (released last November) which was a very good movie. I know its unorthodox to mention another movie in a review but it had to be done.

DORA AND THE LOST CITY OF GOLD (ST) : Rating 4 - Wow they really kept this Dora in character. The film was an adventurous and fun.The coolest thing was the brief cartoon conversion that was creative. Also I applaud creators for making sure Dora’s ethics and education dominated in this film. This is a win for all hispanic children. To see a strong, smart, amazing little GIRL on the big screen who was comfortable being herself, solving her own problems that loved and respected parents. 

HOWARD HOMECOMING

EXPERINCIAL MARKETING

This year I worked for Chase Bank experiential marketing team. Preparing for Howard Homecoming step show from start to finish. Every inch of the arena was dripping in Chase branding, from the wrapped doors to promotional T-shirts on every chair.

I greeted Chase representatives in preferential seating, and welcomed alumni chapters. It was great watching the main event. I was drawn to the art piece “The Divine Presence Creates a Divine Future” which was created throughout the day in my presence and completed just moment before guest arrived.

September Newsletter

Class Is N Session is a innovative community initiative designed to provide school age students ages 5-18 with exposure and access to educational and social resources, while addressing pressing and fundamental needs, to prepare them for their best possible future. 

Class Is N Session believes that all children should have access and exposure to the educational and social resources that will help them cultivate their future.  To achieve this, since 2014, Class Is N Session has produced a series of classroom sessions that focus on three pillars : financial literacy, health & wellness, and STEM education.  Classroom sessions include lessons on coding, programming, structural engineering, agricultural engineering, stocks & trade, budgeting, business ownership, culinary arts, physical fitness and more! 

Beatrice Mann and Prince Issa

Class Is N Session was founded by Beatrice Mann. This year on Sunday, August 25th Issa and I were participants of thier 5th annual back to school drive held at Dunbar Alexandria-Olympic Boys & Girls Club. Issa was a registered student and I was a registered volunteer. While Issa participated in the bouncy house, math and fitness classes, I donated my time to styling hair. Another stylist and I serviced children from 11 am - 3pm. Children that participated received a free #PerfectHeadTie.

If you would like to donate, or participate in the next Class Is N Session event please visit the official website by clicking here.

Depression in the African American Community

Depression is a neglected topic of discussion. I had personal conversations with a few people about therapy. These were the types of responses I heard.

• The therapist isn’t going to tell me anything I don’t already know.

• I have too much shit to do. I don’t have time to drive out of the way to see a therapist.

• I think that you are smart and you can figure it out yourself.

• I can’t go another day holding all these things inside. I need to go to therapy.

• I went to therapy my therapist made me admit to myself that I was depressed.

All that were opposed to therapy were male. What does this mean? Does my small sample represent the perspective of many African American people? I took to a reputable site recommended by a therapist to find out.

Click here to read the article, “Why African Americans Avoid Psychotherapy”.

What therapy means to me

My first experience with therapy took place in 2012 while I was having my son. I was very sad. I couldn’t get over being a single mother. My brain was flooded with negative thoughts. I harbored resentment towards myself and my sons father.

I was unsure of what to expect during my first session of therapy. At the beginning of the session I was allowed to tell my story uninterrupted. I cried in every session during the first months. Eventually, I was encouraged to take a look at all of my relationships not just the one I was currently having trouble with.

We searched for the things that triggered my negative reactions. My homework was to track mood swings through a journal, recording both the cause and the affect of each swing and how often they occurred.

Lastly, I took a series of psychological tests. These tests determined my personality traits. They also determined what I was dispositioned to and how my brain processes information.

The best discovery from testing was learning that the speed at which I process information is advanced. The worst discovery was learning that I have a narcissistic trait. My ability to focus so deeply on my progress works well at school and in business but can be damaging in personal relationships.

Pivotal discoveries in therapy:

1. Non-communication is my greatest trigger and yields the worst outcomes in my thoughts, actions and behavior.

2. My inability to control reocurring negative thoughts kept me sad for long durations of time.

3. My drive to create multiple projects such as videos and blogs are my distraction and public diary for my pain. Personal accomplishments and education is something that I can control. I sometimes bury myself in these personal missions to avoid repairing or confronting external toxic relationships.

Armed with this information my therapist recommended multiple exercises to help with cognitive remapping. Recommendations included:

1. Knowing the outcome of a conversation before entering it, verses talking with no clear objective.

2. Refrain from entering friendships and relationships with poor communicators. For example, a person that says, “When I get angry I shut down.” isn’t compatible with me.

Dr. Salazar gave me exercises that helped me eliminate reoccurring negative thoughts. She encouraged me to think about what prompts me to create new projects. She urged me to consider not turning every idea into a reality, instead, develop what is already important and currently in progress.

After much thought and many smaller attempts. I created a place called, Hair Therapy. The layout, feeling and concept of Hair Therapy started in early 2012 at my apartment. The name for the space was, The Underground. I found it difficult to get new clients to come to my apartment.

The Underground aka my apartment || 2012

In 2013, for a more professional appeal I moved to a small studio. I named it, Candalada’s Salon. The studio was too small plus it didn't have the apartment look I envisioned. It had no windows! Six months in I came up with a strategy to upgrade and decided not to renew my lease.

Candalada’s Salon Studio aka Salon Plaza || 2013

After 12 months in the tiny studio on May 3rd, 2014, I opened, Hair Therapy. The name Hair Therapy itself is significant to me. The logo with one chair in the middle of the head shows hair on the mind yet also symbolizes how the commercializing of this hobby started with one chair. The vintage mahogany Koken chair.

Hair Therapy || 2015

The Hair Therapy logo exemplifies how focus can develop a thought into reality. The teal colors represent ovarian cancer awareness; which my mother was in remission from when I opened. I wanted people to get back into treating their hair before styling it. I figured placing Therapy in the company name would make my potential customers feel that rehab of hair was the priority.

Hair Therapy was my first business. By creating it I created the first work environment that allowed me to use all of my skills at one time. The gift I picked up naturally and the knowledge I retained from college. The type of clients that I attracted with the launch of Hair Therapy were seasoned professionals and CEO’s of tech companies and staffing agencies.

Although, I eventually became burned out and overwhelmed as a first time business owner with a team of one. I believe that behavioral therapy and the birth of my son enabled me to create the mental foundation Hair Therapy was built on.

The valuable exchanges of information and conversations with members of Hair Therapy inspired me to do things I never knew I was capable of. Despite the commercial space being gone the memories and the relationships continue to grow.

Unfortunately, sometimes new occurrences can bring anyone back to therapy. For me the loss of my mother a year to the date has forced me to revisit counseling. I had to be honest with myself, recovery from this life altering event will require additional support.

I would like to share some of the African American and multicultural therapist that I know of and heard of. Starting first and foremast with Dr. Salazar the therapist that saved my mind in 2012! Ms.Crosby my current therapist, Mrs.Jackson a fellow Hair Therapy member, Mrs Mixon (recommendation from Hair Therapy member) and the Mecca Group LLC (recommendation from Hair Therapy member).

If you have insurance please don’t be afraid to use it. These recommendations range from Medicaid to PPO providers. If you are suffering from pre or postpartum, family issues, dysfunctional relationships, career stress or loss a loved one. There is therapist with the correct specialty that can help.

Referals:

VA: Woodbridge Phycological Associates || Dr. Yorvska Salazar, PsyD, LPC, RPT-S

VA: Greater Prince William Healthcare Center || Patricia Crosby, LPC

VA: Mind Body Spirit || April Williams Jackson, LCSW (T) 703-568-1314

MD: A Mix Of Emotions LLC || Miranda Mixon, LCPC (T) 240-318-7464

DC: The Mecca Group LLC

African American Documentaries That Touched My Heart

Keifer Sykes : I didn’t know anything about Keifer or his journey before watching Chi-Town. The simplest words to describe this young man is strong and resilient.

I watched some of Chi-Town with Issa. Kids are impressionable, he was pretending to play basketball the rest of the day. The main take away I hope Issa grasped is the amount of practice and focus it takes to not only be good but competitive. Issa was so excited to hear to Keifer sent him blessings on Instagram.

Meek Mills: If you don’t know who Meek Mills is I am shocked. Especially since the Eagles entered the Super Bowl AND partied in the locker room after winning to his song Dreams and Nightmares ! I always wondered why Meek has a scream octave in most of his songs. After watching his story, which is broken into 5 episodes, I understand why he is always screaming all the time.

Free Meek is for anyone that wants to take a deeper look at how the judicial system is currently maintaining a leash on African American men if they get in trouble at any time in their life. You do not have to be a fan of rap music to appreciate this. If you are a parent or an African American you are a part of the target audience this documentary was created for.

Travis Scott: Travis Scott’s song Butterfly Effect had to play a minimum of a billion times last summer which was okay with me because I love Drake and the composition of the song. I never had a major interest in his story. After watching Free Meek my mind was on musical stories. This documentary isn’t much of a tear jerker, it is insightful.

I learned that Travis is a family man. His closeness with his family was depicted on screen. Producers showed endless home video comparing how similar Travis is to the younger version of himself. Mr.Scott’s current level of excitement for creation of music appears contagious, his attention to detail behind the scenes displays his role in the delivery of optics to his fans.

A Moving Independent Film

I viewed, “The Last Black Man in San Francisco” at the E Street Cinema. This is a popular destination for viewing independent films.

Food: Local and Exclusive Experiences

The Uncaged Chef’s : Capital Heights, MD

I thought The Uncaged Chefs pop-up carry out was for a limited time when I wrote about it back in the March Newsletter. The Uncaged Chefs pop-up has picked up in popularity and received local news coverage.

Left: Damian Brown

You still have chance to experience the food and unique recipes every Sunday form 11am-7pm in Capital Heights, Maryland at Rosebuds until further notice. The best way to keep up with this Sunday brunch carry-out is by following Chef Damian or The Uncaged Chefs on Instagram.

On some weeks they offer vegan options and even created a chicken sandwich to rival the viral Popeye’s chicken sandwich.

They offer meal prep and private chef services. For more information about those services visit their official website here.

Los Toltecos : Woodbridge, Virginia

If you need a break from Chiptole and crave food with more authentic Mexican spices Los Toltecos is a good local option. They also have four other locations, Chantilly, Fairfax, Sterling and Frederick.

Park Lane Tavern : Fredericksburg, VA

Park Lane Tavern had fried pickles on the menu, I was told the sauce served with the pickles was unique and amazing. I ordered vegetables. This was my first time receiving a plated whole carrot.

Crab & Balsamic portabellas. Marinated portabella mushrooms with fresh crabmeat, mozzarella and balsamic reduction. Served with char grilled asparagus and field greens.

Earls Kitchen + Bar : Tysons Corner, Virginia

Damn! This food is seriously delicious!!!!! The vegan sushi Is the best sushi I have ever had. The seasoning and the flavor was remarkable. They have a great late night menu. This means even if you can’t make it until 10 pm there will still be some diverse and filling options available.

Green Dragon : Vegan roll with avocado, yam, mango, cucumber, sriracha

Salmon and Jasmine Rice

Impossible Burger

Susheria : Georgetown, Washington D.C.

Located right next to the AMC in Georgetown. I had vegan sushi with asparagus, avocado and cucumbers. Issa ate vegan dish with tofu. He said it taste good. My friend said her red wine was great.

Harriman’s Piedmont Grill at The Salamander Resort : Middleburg, Virginia

I had lunch in the formal dining area, beverages on the outside patio and dessert in the living room style lounge. The place is an experience, carve out some extra time when visiting to see the horses and life size chess board outside.

Lounge Area

Fat Tomato : Berlin, New Jersey

Located around the corner from Diggerland USA. The Fat Tomato is the perfect place to grab a bite before hitting the highway. The place is clean, the service is good and the food is great. Stop by if you are ever in the area.

Store Front

Clean Bathroom

Fried Mozzarella

Pesto Pizza

Buffalo Shrimp

Tuesday Is The Absolute Best Day To Go Out

Tuesday is my Saturday. Why? Because it is the most economical day of the week. Originally, I started enjoying Tuesdays by going to the $5 movies at AMC last summer. This summer I expanded my activities list.

SWIMMING

Pirates Cove in Lorton, Virginia offered Two-For-Tuesdays (buy one admission, get one free), making the entry fee $5.75 dollars for Issa and I..

Two-For-Tuesdays

GOLF

Issa and I had a great time playing Top Golf for the first time at near the National Harbor. We went on a Saturday. The wait was long and the cost was premium. Next time we visit will definitely be on a Tuesday.

Kid Friendly Activities

NoVa Maker Faire

This year marks our second year in attendance to the Maker Faire hosted at George Mason University. If you have kids or know kids that love science or art this event is all about showing children how things work and how to create. Attendees receive hands on experience with robots, an introduction to programming and 3D printing.

Art made of cardboard.

Issa’s handmade square globe.

Learning about robots.

Cirque du Soleil Volta - Tysons Corner, VA

This touring show will be here until the end of September. It was my first time attending one of these shows. I absolutely loved it. The stunts were literally unbelievable. The musical talent was prevalent showcasing, vocals, violins and guitar. Volta incorporates, BMX, gymnastics ring routines, trampoline acts, unicycles and roller-skates!

Buy tickets here.

Buy tickets here.

Diggerland USA - BErlin, NJ

This small construction themed park is a blast. Experiences include joy rides or operating machinery hands on. I also saw outdoor rock climbing. We went on a day where there happened to also be a BMX bike show. What a treat!

Diggerland USA Playground

HAIR CARE AND HAIR STYLES

LOCS

The number one question I hear is:

How do you get you sons hair to look so good? What are you doing?

I started Issa’s locs on May 3rd 2016. The Hair Therapy anniversary. I two strand twisted whatever hair was on his head. Every week I palm rolled it with Barry Fletcher loc-set -serum. His hair was short. Before I knew it, hair was always in his face. I created the Mickey Mouse hair style to keep hair out of his eyes.

May 2106 || Photo @NikkRichPhoto

May 2017 || Mickey Mouse Hairstyle

April 2019

I’ve always been diligent about keeping his hair clean. He has never sat under the dryer in his life. He would melt under there. Since his hair is air dried I need hours for it to set. I do it early in the morning on the same day of any special event.

Kids are crazy, in just one night of sleep they can manage to make it look like no one ever tried to do their hair in their life. I never take the risk of doing it the night before for special occasions.

Pictured below 2016,2017,2018.

A few months ago Issa had an unreasonable amount of sand thrown in his hair by another child while playing at the National Harbor. After several washes I couldn’t get the sand out. Determined to get it out I washed it everyday for a week. All that washing brought out a lot of lint.

After viewing various Youtube videos I came across the hack of using velcro to remove lint. I removed as much as I could. I decided to cut his locs in the front because they looked really uneven and weak at some spots. I also cut his locs straight across in the back. I didn’t measure, looked like around an inch.

Although initially I was divested. I am sure his hair will continue to grow and looks fine. I like to keep it styled in an updo because it doesn’t show that the front is shorter than the back when it is pulled up. He likes to wear it down because he says styles take too long!

This year was also was Issa’s first time getting a steam treatment and laser treatment. Steam to keeps his scalp healthy. Laser treatment stimulates his follicles.

Loc Maintenance Tips

• Wash your hair often (do not exceed three weeks at a time)

• Try not to use pony tail holders if you don’t have to. I believe they weakened my sons hair.

• Air dry when possible

• Use watery or liquid conditioner. Conditioner gets stuck in locs.

• Use Barry Fletcher Loc-Set- Serum it is literally the best gel in the world

• Don’t be pressed to color your locs

• Don’t style your hair too tight or in the beginning stages

• Enjoy letting your hair down the when you are at home

• Tie your locs with a silk scarf at night

• Oil seals moisture it doesn’t create it, adding oil to dry hair creates more dryness (use water)

June 2019
Post Sand Debacle , Velcro Lint Removal, Hair Cut, Steam treatment, Laser Treatment

Hair with no product in it

Ponytail with no product in it

igrow laser treatment

2019 || Air Dried Re-Twist with Barry Fletcher Loc Set Serum

NATURAL HAIR

I can’t stress the importance of trimming enough. It is the single most powerful thing you can do. Trims and haircuts keep hair looking fresh and sharp. It also reduces the tangles and knots that occur after split ends really get out of control.

• If you wear your hair curly it is tough to determine how to trim your hair. Use your best judgement.

• If you do occasionally straighten your hair that is the best time to request a precision cut. Do not exceed more than 3 months without trimming your hair or your childs hair.

• Skipped trims may lead to needing a serious haircut by the time you make it back to your stylist.

Natural Blow Out

Formal Styling

WIGS

I never considered one until my former partner made one for me. It reduced so much hassle, I loved that it was removable. I haven’t made it into to the 360 wigs or the hair that cost 500 plus. I’m going to leave that to Tamar Braxton and the ladies that make upwards of 100k a year. This wig article is for the average girl on a budget trying to not look a mess.

The bang look has always worked for me. It is a great way to completely avoid having a cheesy part. This is a Bobby Boss wig and it belonged to my mother. If you have a wig with a bad part it just screams look at me and my fake hair.

Going blue. I love colored hair. I am not about to glue ANYTHING to my forehead. I have not found, made or purchased any wig that I like that much. I made this wig two years ago for a photoshoot. It is actually a little bit too tight. I threw a black scarf on and went to the movies. The part is one of those non flexible parts with no option to move it around but the real reason I covered it is the hair is blue to the roots. That look was way to much for me on chill day. The black scarf visually toned the look down.

In need of a new look I wanted to try hair I never purchased before. I decided on Bloom Bundle the mannequins deep side part looked promising.

I was really in a bind, I made this wig on a stocking cap! I thought I had a wig cap at home but I didn't. I was leaving early in the morning. My options were to make the wig with what I have or to wear my own hair. I am currently growing out my undercut so I am not comfortable showing my hair during this in-between stage. I sewed the closure on the cap first, sew a few tracks around the perimeter and glued the rest. I left the wig to dry overnight.

After wearing this hair I can say it looked ok and it was inexpensive but it was itchy on my skin.

Hitting the sale rack in the back of Beauty 4 U is my go to move for wigs and discount hair. I skip all the new arrivals and head to the back to see what is on clearance. I bought this wig for 25 dollars. The plan was to brush it a little and put some mousse on it. OMG I don’t know what I was thinking. Brushing it made the hair big as ever. I wore it with confidence. I figured if Chaka Khan could do it so could I.

This wig didn’t have a deep part. I had about two inches of lace from ear to ear. I would not get a wig like this in the future. I really like having a part. Without one I feel like I look like a lion.

Clip-Ins

I am all about making my own clip-ins but sometimes I just don’t have the time. Once again I was cutting it close. 5 hours until the event start time. Leaving me 3 hrs to get supplies and do my hair from start to finish, one hour for make-up and the rest of time to get dressed and travel to the event.

The hair is fine but one pack just isn’t enough to cover the whole head. I styled my hair half up and barely had enough to make the bun in the front but made it work. A few days later I tried to wear it all down but my real hair and cornrows were visible :(. I would recommend two packs if you desire to cover your entire head.

Crochet

I received a tremendous amount of compliments on this hair. The style, the look and the install technique. I took my time. My objective was a flawless part and for the hair to look real. I installed this hair twice. I liked it so much I wore it for two weeks, took it out and did it again the same exact way.

FENTY BEAUTY NEW HYDRATING MAKE-UP

If you tried Fenty make-up and didn’t like it because it was too matte or you couldn’t find your color please go back and try again. I personally loved the shade 420. I had to use really moisturizing primer and sometimes mix the foundation with Kat Von D for more coverage.

She has answered my prayers with this foundation. It is thicker covers better and doesn’t have my face looking dry.I am so excited that she released this line. Her make up is the only make up that doesn’t cause me to get additional acne.

My favorite look was using all of Rihanna’s products and not trying to combine it with any other foundation. I used the hydrating foundation in 420 and for concealer I used hydrating foundation 385. I used her Morocco eye palette. It was a simple look but I looked like myself and I felt pretty.

Fenty on Fenty || Issa and Mommy

Thank You For Reading !!!!!

May Newsletter

The Story of Daria Finley The Most Inspiring Client I Ever Met

I hope you enjoyed getting to learn more about Daria. To add some context to the story during our off air discussion Daria shared that she currently holds a leadership role at a government agency. She was able to attend The School of the Blind in Richmond because employees donated over 600 hours of their time. Some of which she didn’t even know. Allowing her to have six months to learn and adapt to her new lifestyle.

Daria bought the house that we interviewed in after she became unsighted and brought a trusted friend to help describe the house to her. The sounds that you hear in the background are her mother and her mother’s nurse. Her mom has been diagnosed with dementia and Daria employs a full-time nurse to assist her. She also assists in being a caretaker for her mom who has recently lost her leg and is recovering from such a drastic life change.

Daria is calm and positive. Issa was the producer of this interview, warning that if I sit too close he couldn’t see the top go my hair. He said the most valuable thing he learned is how a blind person counts money.

After the interview Daria went to Home Depot to buy a birdhouse for her garden so she can enjoy the sounds of birds outside of the window. She reminded me that healing is a process that takes far longer than acceptance.

To keep informed of her upcoming projects and the next show date for her one-woman show, “Lights Out” or to follow her on social media visit her website.

Movie Reviews and Recommendations

The ratings below reflect how good the movie is for the genre it’s in. I am using a scale of 1-5. Five (5) representing excellence, three (3) okay and one (1) trash. The category legend is as follows:

(S) Superhero

(L) Love or Comedy

(ST) Story/Biopic

(A) Action/Thriller or Mystery

Clicking the title of the movie will redirect you to the trailer for the movie.

JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 3 - PARABELLUM (A) : Rating 4.5 - The movie was full of action. The directors used the most creative ways to kill people on screen since the movie “Final Destination”. Some of the fighting scenes dragged on and seemed to be going in slow motion towards the middle and the end. I was a fan of the dry humor used throughout the movie. I was not a fan of some of the corny lines in really important parts of the movie as well as obvious green screen work in the desert scenes. The high table they reference in the movie reminds me of our current government. Just seeing Halle Berry’s cute face honestly makes everything worth it. How can one person be beautiful for 30 plus years? The bonus is she isn’t in a prissy role and she was dressed to kill.

THE HUSTLE (C) : Rating 4 - Pure comedic relief. I am talking pure nonsense to fullest but not over the top. The sets in the movies are phenomenal: the house overlooking the ocean, vaulted ceilings, marble floors; the fashion was truly luxurious. Anne Hathaway was giving us an extension of her wardrobe from her “Devil Wears Prada” days. The deepest part of the movie was the moment they took to show that stereotypical beauty just sometimes isn’t enough. It doesn’t capture every person’s heart.

THE INTRUDER (A) : Rating 4.2 - I know! How many times can they make a movie like this?! The answer is infinity, but they did a good job. It was nice to see some familiar faces from TV on screen. I loved the music in the transitional scenes and the scary music throughout the movie. I don’t know who dressed Megan however, they made sure she was extra sexy in every scene, even when she was just supposed to be home chilling in oversized clothes they managed to show some bra straps or something. Just hearing Tank in the background of the first love scene…I wanted to scream. Let me focus — it was a thriller — Denis Quaid (Charlie) was crazy and there was proper illustration of plot development. Everyone can relate to the real life issues around text versus calling.

AVENGERS: ENDGAME (S) : Rating 5 - The rating for this should be the surprised face emoji. They covered EVERYTHING; there is NOTHING else left to say. THE END. I will be so annoyed if they try to find another way to go any further with this storyline. I had so many emotions, similar to how I felt in the war scene during “Aqua Man” and the war scenes in Season,8 Episode 3 of “Game of Thrones”. You can’t help but be on the edge of your seat wondering what is going to happen and how it applies to whatever demands you currently are battling in life. It’s long as shit but it doesn’t feel long when you are watching it. So just catch an early show (like 6pm or 7pm) and eat a full meal before you go so you are not distracted. You will miss out if you go to the concession stand in the middle of this movie.

SHAZAM! (S) : Rating 4 - Admittedly I didn't want to go and see this. This was a Prince Issa selection. The movie had more layers than I expected. The deepest moments explored the relationships that children have with their parents and parental figures. Underlying questions: What shapes the acceptance of a failed relationship with a parent and how does one make room for new relationships? What makes a good sibling and why is team work necessary? What are there challenges of having a physical disability? How to deal with bullies in school? Seeing these issues addressed in conjunction with humor and some real violence leads me to the conclusion that it is a good pre-teen movie. Also, look out for surprise cameos. I can’t believe I liked this movie.

LITTLE (C) : Rating 4.3 - This movie was undeniably funny. Anyone with a job will enjoy it because so many people have bosses that can not manage their expectations. My favorite aspect of the movie were the kid actors because they reminded me of being young. Since I watch so many shows and listen to music non-stop, I liked seeing the guy from “This Is Us” and Luke James. Regina Hall was a great tyrant lol. However, I didn’t care for her fashion in the movie. Her car though! I’ll take the car.

ASBURY PARK RIOT REDEMPTION AND ROCK AND ROLL (ST) : Rating 4 - This limited release documentary had an exclusive one day viewing, Wednesday May 22, 2019, at 7pm . For reasons unknown the volume in some parts of the movie were very loud. In the documentary they used the word Asbury Park a minimum of a million times. Those were the only two things that bothered me. The story about the history of Asbury Park and the division of the neighborhoods, basically the East and the West. They reflected on how musicians of both races bonded through practicing and later birthed a new style of music. Bruce Springsteen and various other legendary musicians narrated the story. Bruce told the story of how the original band members of the E Band came to be. They showed the impact of the riots which was devastating. The most hurtful fact I learned was about the history of Chicken Beach, a beach for colored families where sewage let out. The most inspiring thing I learned about was the Lakehouse Academy Music Academy and its students, currently located in Asbury Park.

The Water Experiment: Purified Water vs. Spring Water

How much do you really know about water? Do you just buy what is on sale? I learned some things. Let me show you what I found.

Exploring The St. James: An Elaborate All Inclusive Facility in Springfield, Virginia

Have you been to the St. James ? If not make your way there. They have something for everyone. This brand new huge facility is only 15 minutes away from Woodbridge. In addition to a spa, basketball, swimming pool and soccer field it houses Super Awesome and Amazing , a space where children can play by the hour, host birthdays or enjoy an indoor waterpark.

Basketball Court

Swimming Pool

Spa Lobby

Super Awesome and Amazing

Indoor Play Area

Super Awesome and Amazing

Obstacle Course

Dining at the St. James: Vim& Victor

Vim and Victor is at the front of the St. James. You do not have to be a member to dine there. The space has the cafe to the right and the restautrant to the left. You can immediately place orders for pre-made food, pastries and Grab & Go options, you can request to be seated and dine-in on the restaurant side. The windows are ceiling to floor, offering lots of light.

Vim & Victor

Veggie Burger

Very flavorful and filling.

Small Cheese Pizza

Issa said it was ok.ay.

Private Chef Carol

Excited to announce that my cousin, has moved here from Brooklyn, New York and brought her culinary talents with her. She is a Guyanese native and can cook South American and Caribbean food, as well as American cuisine. She is available for hosting private dinner parties and special events. We are a blessed family since we get to taste her prototype recipes. These are some items she whipped up to celebrate my little cousin’s birthday early May. Follow her new chef page on IG @yumcaterer.

Wait, there is more! Look at these mouth-watering custom milkshake glasses Chef Carol made for a kid party this past Memorial Day.

New Founding Farmers at Reston Station

You may have been to Founding Farmers in DC. The food is good, however, there is a lot of traffic heading that way and parking is terrible. The newest location in Reston validates parking if your stay doesn’t exceed three hours and offers valet parking for under five dollars! It also has beautiful displays of unique art installations all around the restaurant. My favorite was the wall of flowers. Special thank you to Hair Therapy Member Mrs. Jackson for this lunch date invite.

Skillet Cornbread and Honey Butter

Seven Cheese Macaroni

Bacon

Cheesecake with Chocolate and Strawberries

Candalada and Mrs. Jackson

Dr. Bronner’s Castile Soap Full Review & Update

In January 2018 Newsletter I wrote an article about how Dr. Bronner soap saved my face that experience included a select few Dr. Bronner soaps. Since then, I have been using the castile soap for my body wash. I have had a chance to try them ALL and this is what I think.

Peppermint: It is tingly and refreshing until it hits your private parts. Your butt and crotch will literally be on fire. A little too much for me.

Unscented: Just feels like nothing is happening. Somehow the lack of scent bothers me. This is one is probably is perfect for babies but I used it on myself and I felt so blah. Am I clean? I’m not sure …NEXT!

Lavender: Lavender is my sister’s favorite. It smells amazing but I found its moisturizing properties to be lacking.

Almond: The only soap of all of them that also works on my face and body. It is just the perfect balance for me. It doesn’t leave me extremely dry and the scent is mild.

Citrus: Citrus comes in travel size at Target. I found myself mixing it with the Tea Tree sugar soap as my secret ingredient for bad break outs or sometimes just using a drop of it after my everyday almond wash. I feel like it is not strong enough alone.

Tea Tree: I thought it was cool until I discovered almond. It was the second one I ever tried. It was much milder than Eucalyptus. I was content with it not making my skin feel dry until I found almond which offered me more moisture.

Rose: Smells good but it is thin as water. Just flies out the bottle! The big bottle was down within the week because I could not get it together.

Eucalyptus: So powerful all I can say is DILUTE or you will be dry as a chip. Probably a good one for boys that play in mud and if you sweat a lot in the gym.

One day at The Natural Grocery store next to Paul Mitchell in Woodbridge, I saw the Sal Suds Biodegradable Cleaner on the shelf. Not sure how great it is but until that day I only saw it on the Dr. Bronner website.

Candalada’s Most Simply Amazing Best Purchases

I know I’m not Oprah, but I still went ahead and compiled a list of Simply Amazing Best Purchases. The list is eclectic.

1. Baby Brush

I bought this brush years ago, it is old and worn out but you can get a brand new one at Beauty 4 U. I am aware they have the toothbrush method and other styles new mini brushes. This particular brush has just been a lifesaver for me. It Is great for when I need brush my undercut and the front of my hair. I love it.

2. Timberlands: Femmes

I was not sure about this sneaker Timberland combo. I feel like they did their research and questioned, “How do we appeal to all the ladies that are 30 and up and get them to wear Timberlands again?” and this is what they came up with. The “Femmes”. On first sight I thought it was cute. When I tried them on the soft sole on the inside felt so nice on my feet. Growing up I owned one pair of the original Timberlands also known as the “Butters”. They were so heavy and clunky for my skinny little legs. In high school I was a fan of the field boot. I had several colors. I liked the round front and they were much lighter but the sole was still hard. The soft sole retained the plush feeling all winter. I didn’t slip and fall and my foot was protected. I will be getting another pair next winter. I ended up doing construction work in these they look good considering what I put them through.

3. Tech21 Drop Protection iPhone Max case

The Tech 21 cast was a gift from a friend. I had an Otter Box, it was so big and clunky. I had a Lifeproof and no one could hear anything I was saying. This Tech21 case looks super simple, like it could possibly be a five dollar holla case. This case saved my life when I ever so recklessly left my phone on my lap and got out of the car. I watched my phone do the slow motion fall to the ground and of course land face first. I was positive that I would pick it up and see a cracked screen but my phone was undamaged thank to my case.

4. Seventh Generation free and clear Dish Soap

I have used other natural soaps and with them it seemed like I had to use the entire bottle just to clean one dish. This soap cuts through grease and food with ease. I consider it a great natural replacement for Dawn lovers.

Hair Therapy Kids Model The Perfect Head Tie

PrinceIssa and Little Miss Kennedie

Preserving kid styles all summer long. To see more new images visit www.theperfectheadtie.com.

Child Care for Children in Woodbridge and Maryland

Patrice Young

April Newsletter

Exploring Lip Bar

I received two sticks of Lip Bar lipstick as gift on Valentine’s Day, shades, “Boy Trouble” and “Prom Queen”. I was not aware of the story behind brand before receiving the gift. To learn more about how the creator of Lip Bar went from working on Wall Street, to making a name for herself in the beauty industry click here.

Lip Bar: Boy Trouble

Lip Bar: Prom Queen

Canadalada takes a trip to Hollywood

Nails

2735 Metro Plaza, Woodbridge, Virginia

Getting ready for the trip started with nails. I met with nail tech Mimi at Victory Nails in Woodbridge, Virginia. This place is not were you go for cheese and wine. It is a functional space and far from a spa. These powder ombre nails came to a total of $55 dollars. Easily $65-$75 dollars anywhere else.

Nail Tech: Mimi

Ombre Powdered Nails

HairCut

2890 Garber Way, Woodbridge Virginia 22192

I went to visit my favorite barber Omar Lavender owner of Genesis Barber Shop. I love the vibe in the main shop across from Wawa. Omar has magical hands. My skin is very sensitive and dry. I get cut easily. He was the first to cut my hair and not burn my temples when I had a number one all around a few years ago.

I recently tried to cut my hair at home a few times. This caused a slight disaster on the left side of my head where I went too high :( He was able to make it look much better than the botch job I created.

Cut by Omar Lavender at Genesis Barbers in Woodbridge, Virginia

Tailoring

Tysons Corner Center, Mr.Lee 703-448-6767

Do your clothes look like bags? Do you have the perfect outfit that ALMOST fits? Visit Mr.Lee at Tyson’s Corner Galleria. He is located in the back of the store called “The Shoe Shoppe” next to Auntie Anne’s Pretzels. The name of his place is called, Tailor Craft. It is like a secret because it is not listed in the mall directory. Allow a few days for alterations they don’t do same day turn arounds.

A few years ago I took a dress that I bought for maybe $6 to Mr.Lee. He charged me $20 to take in the sides. I posted the picture on Instagram and I received such positive feedback. I received so many compliments every time I wore it. This was the beginning of my interest in tailored or custom clothing.

For the LA trip I purchased two dress options with the intent to alter, one silk and one velvet (velvet shown in video). The velvet dress had a faulty zipper and needed straps to fit best. Mr.Lee informed me that velvet is more expensive to alter because of its thickness and quoted me $160. The satin dress was quoted at $50 to take in the sides. I decided to go with he simpler less expensive option.

Satin Dress: Before Alterations

Behind the Scenes with celebrity MUA @TheMakeUpActivist

I was invited to LA through the Student Graduate Assembly at Shenandoah University. I serve on the board as a media advisor. Select graduate student Matthew Murray attended the 50th Annual NAACP Awards. The event was held at the Dolby Theater and the post celebrations at the Roosevelt Hotel. I am excited to share how I created the look of the evening. Beginning with make up.

Mel Hunter known as the MakeUpActivist and the “Queen of Clean” is known for her ability to enhance beauty for women of color without an ashy or chalky finished look. Her clients include a range of people from Erykah Badu to Snoop. Her beauty mentor is Kim Kimble. She humbly works with a team of her equally talented peers. She travels the world in her spare time wearing bright colors and taking images that make you want to jump into her Instagram page. Mel is charming and kind. She isn’t flashy and far from a diva. She dresses comfy when she is working, has amazing skin and the coolest hair styles. Aspiring MUA’s could benifit from tapping into her vibe.

The Final Look

Places to Eat in LA

Lunch: Whole Foods

Burbank on W and Olive (The one Downtown on 7th Street has the same amenities)

I had the best grocery store experience ever. It was a nice day, I listened to the music, sat on the patio and enjoyed food. They have TV’s at the bar to watch the games and other events. They offer a variety of drafts, wines and spirits.

Vegan Glory

Cashew and Veggies Lunch Special

Luna Grill Mediterranean Restaurant

4550 Van Nuys Blvd., Suite A3 Sherman Oaks,CA91403 (They have multiple locations)

Veggie Kabob

Late Night: Norms

Not many vegan options but I made a way by ordering wheat toast and avocado with chamomile tea. The most fun item on the menu included exotic lemonade flavors. Norms allows you to try a different favor with every refill. Pictured below habanero-lime and cotton candy which was arguably the best flavor.

Snacks: Besitie’s Vegan Paradise

Home of the best vegan cookie I have ever eaten.

Dessert: Little Damage

I call it the Hair Therapy cone :)

Manhattan Creamery

I had the Beach Bum with banana foster filling recommended by the sales rep. They offer 28 filling flavors.

Brunch: Square One

Fountain Avenue location (walking distance from Bestie’s Paradise)

I had the 333 tea (chamomile, mint & rose hips ) to start.The veggie burger, which is made in house and had walnuts in it, with a glass of lemonade. Everything was perfection.

My friend had an omelette with spinach and mushrooms, he added salmon and opted for the fruit bowl verses a salad for a side. We were so occupied by the passion fruit and the kumquat which we never ate before. The kumquat was very sour.

Evening Date: LP

You can see the entire city. Such a chill place. Perfect place for a long conversation because the music is not too loud.

Local Eats

GUMAX CAFE and GRILL

I had the veggie pies which I enjoyed. My friend had the lobster pies. He said the lobster was over powering and the veggie ones tasted better.

Matchbox

The tomato sauce was a cool change. This burger has no spicyness to it but it was still good.

Match Box Woodbridge, Virginia Veggie Burger

Chipotle Secret Menu

The lady in front of me asked the man to put additional cilantro in her bowl. I thought about it and decided to try it. I asked them to add cilantro and squeezed lemon on my bowl, it turned it into an entirely different dish. I may be late with this discovery but I felt like I went a brief vacation when I ate this bowl.

Exploring Non -Dairy Ice Cream

From Wegman’s

Review

Sandwiches Vanilla Bean: The sandwiches are small and taste like coconut. Nothing like vanilla. Not bad but they should be called coconut sandwiches.

Cookies N’ Cream: This is flavorless I wouldn’t buy it again.

Dipped Double Chocolate Delight: These were the best of the bunch. It really taste chocolaty.

Bananas Foster from Moms’s Organic

Review

After going to Cali and being turned on to banana foster I decided to give this a try. It was good. The chocolate taste somewhat dark it was on the verge of a slight coffee taste. I hate coffee but I still like this. I even went on to make a smoothie with it. Look forward to the smoothie recipe in next months newsletter.

WHY IS THERE BEAVER ANAL GLANDS IN ALMOND MILK??????????!!!!!!!!!!!! What “natural flavors’ Really Means

I was really disturbed to learn that there is any connection between alternative milk and a beavers ass. It was truly upsetting. This is very good article that I have found to help you get through the process of finding a good alternative milk, as well as develop and understanding of what “natural flavors” is code for. Be sure to read the labels of everything that you ingest and make sure that you are comfortable with what you are consuming.

Local Trainers and Health Specialist

This was a beautiful moment to watch. The person that works out the hardest with the most flexible person I know.

Have you been meaning to try yoga or wanting to get a trainer? There are still several weeks until beach time. Yoga can help with health issues, aches and pains. Working out can make you strong and sexy. OneWithebony offers private yoga sessions and public yoga classes. Vello offers personal training in gym and in home depending on your needs. Contact them today.

Remixing your hair style to fit your head and face shape

Loc Up-Do

The Problem: This was the first attempt at an updo. Notice the middle row is too high. In the back a roll was created using string to hold it together. Once finished I thought it had somewhat of a heavy look.

The remedy: Taking the style down, slanting each row a little more and reducing the distance of each row to the middle of the head verses the back. This changes took away that hill in the middle of her head. Switching the bun style to a simple bun made the style easy to follow and more elegant.

Long Bob to Short Bob

The problem: After Getting a hair cut the client didn’t feel much of a change. Even though her hair was three inches shorter.

The remedy: Going into a deeper angle and exposing the neck made the change more noticeable.

Also, this client was using Shea Moisture styling products which had too much emollients in it. I advised her to stop using those products and try something lighter.

How Serenity Jones Creates Candalada’s Signature Bob

Candalada hosts Hair Club at George Hampton Middle School

I was thrilled to donate my time to Hampton Middle School formerly known as Godwin. The school has several clubs to keep students engaged and occupied after school hours. They serve dinner to the students at 3:3pm then students break into specialized clubs. This club run buy Angela Jackson and contains 16 students. Their skills ranged from beginner to advanced.

During this session I learned why each student was interested in hair styling and what they planned to do once mastering the skill. I spoke about the value of customer service and patience. Why I think education is important and how I created a flexible lifestyle with no barriers which includes both creativity and education.

Street Art In LA

PRINCE ISSA TURNS 7!!!!!!!!!

THANKS FOR READING