Belle of the Week: Denise Best

Meet our Belle of the Week, Denise Best of Blissful Elegance Events.

Blissful Elegance Events has been dedicated to increasing self love, self acceptance and self assurance within the plus size community since 2005.

With Denise Best as Chief Operating Officer, Blissful Elegance Events has played an integral part in educating and entertaining the plus sized community. Denise Best has focused her energy on emphasizing the beauty and confidence of plus sized women all over New York City with the intentions of revolutionizing negative media images and placing positive reinforcements on a much publicly discussed topic: acceptance of plus sized women! With events like Diva for a Day and Victim to Victorious, she has focused on educating & inspiring plus sized women in the New York City region.

For more information on Ms. Best and her upcoming events, please visit:
Website: http://www.blissfulelegance.net/
Meeting In The Ladies Room Series: http://www.mitlr.info/
Health, Wealth & Self Expo: http://www.behwsexpo.info/
Twitter: @blissfuleleganc
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Blissful-Elegance-Events/113521429127

Do you know a woman who should be our next Belle of the Week? Is that woman you? Email us at belle [at] belle-noir [dot] com for more information.

Weekly Motivation 02.27.11

"Know, first, who you are; and then adorn yourself accordingly."

~Epictetus

Photo: Plus Model & Fashion Photographer Velvet D'Amour

Boutique Buzz: Kurvacious (Nanuet, NY)

On Saturday, February 19, 2011, I was invited to the Kurvacious Boutique as they filmed their TV commercial. I love hearing about new boutiques, and I know you, our readers, do too! So, I hopped in my car on a windy Saturday and headed up I-87 to Nanuet, NY to check out Kurvacious Boutique.

About the boutique (from the website):

"For the woman who has more to offer."

Kurvacious is a boutique that specializes in clothing for the Kurvy Diva. We carry top designers in the full figure fashion arena such as IGIGI, Kiyonna, Jibri, Dereon, & La Dan's Closet just to name a few.

We have both an online presence as well as a retail location 20 minutes from NYC in the heart of Nanuet, NY.

We specialize in sizes 14-28 however upon requests we can honor the wishes of our larger divas for sizes 30-32.

Check out more of our behind the scenes footage in our first Belle-Noir TV clip below and be sure to let us know what you think!



For those of you who live outside of New York and the regions where the commercial will air, you can view it here on YouTube. You will be hearing more about Kurvacious from us in the coming weeks, so stay tuned!

Kurvacious
344 West Route 59
Nanuet, NY 10954
http://www.kurvacious.com/

Belle of the Week: Theresa “Sparkle” Randolph

Meet our Belle of the Week, Ms. Theresa "Sparkle" Randolph

A trailblazer and trendsetter, Ms. Theresa “Sparkle” Randolph has carved a unique career niche since she began. The New Jersey native created and has produced the wildly popular Ms. Full-Figured USA, Ms. Full-Figured and Ms. Full-Figured New York pageants and has been going strong with them for the past 19 years. Her January 2009 pageant will represent her 20th year as a successful pageant promoter.


A full-figured model and beauty contest winner herself, Sparkle does sparkle! The unforgettable young lady energetically crafts the pageants into the most spectacular extravaganzas to be seen. Her highly anticipated sold-out events are a must-see!

Sparkle's pageant winners have gone on to successful careers in the full-figured modeling industry. Both inspirational and educational, her pageant experiences enhance the beautiful plus-sized lady's life in numerous ways. Featured on tv shows such as Good Day New York, Your Morning On CN8, MY9 News and the CW11 Morning News, as well as in the NJ Star-Ledger newspaper, the NY Amsterdam News and NY Beacon, she and her contestants are a glamorous addition to the scene, wherever they go. They are often special guests at various events, owing to their grace, poise and beauty, that definitely light up the room!

Over the years, Sparkle's pageants have been graced by appearances from various celebrities, including r&b superstar Freddie Jackson, “Last Comic Standing” finalist Roz G, r&b songbird Mikki Howard, r&b group Full Force member Bowlegged Lou, r&b crooner Kieran and “Mo'Nique's F.A.T. Chance” reality tv personality Sharon Quinn.

Ms. Randolph began her career as an Ebony Fashion Fair model. She has also been a fashion show commentator and tv show host, having hosted the cable favorite “Image TV” for many years.

“Fabulous” is Theresa “Sparkle” Randolph's middle name. Her full-figured pageants are glittering expressions of diversity in beauty. Her motto is “Size is no barrier to beauty” and she certainly lives by that!


Ms. Randolph will be producing her next "Ms. Full-Figured USA Pageant" on Sunday, March 6 at the Robert Treat Hotel in  Newark, New Jersey. For more information, please contact: Mary Moore, So Much Moore Communications at MryLinda@aol.com.

Weekly Motivation 02.20.11

"Beauty - in projection and perceiving - is 99.9% attitude."

~Grey Livingston

Kiss The Curves Hollywood UPDATE: Health & Wellness Added to Event Line-Up

Size acceptance is on the rise with the plethora of events dedicated to the plus-size community. Tracie Collins, Founder/Executive Producer of Kiss the Curves, LLC, a plus-size fashion event organization that features realistic models of all body types on the runway, has teamed up with The American Diabetes Association this year to not only continue to promote size acceptance in her runway shows but also health and wellness within minority communities.

Scheduled for March 18-20, 2011 at the Los Angeles Convention Center, Kiss the Curves – Hollywood Kiss has successfully secured several noteworthy professional panelists to spearhead a discussion for March 18th on the growing epidemic of high blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes cases that are crippling the lifespan of women. The panel will discuss solutions that include remaining confident at any weight or size but understanding the importance of proper diet and exercise to live a healthier lifestyle and decrease the chances of being diagnosed with such illnesses. The panel will be hosted by Shay Moore from Atlanta’s People Station V-103 and include panelists such as Celebrity Chef and Flavor Caterer owner, Nikki Shaw, as seen on VH1’s show Basketball Wives and Valerie Lodeum from The American Diabetes Association’s subdivision Live Empowered, which is an initiative that provides outreach and educational efforts to African-Americans about diabetes.

The eclectic showcase of designers on the runway this year includes Levi Strauss & Co., who will feature their new Curve ID denim line for the curvaceous woman, as well as Torrid, Sean John, Pinup Girl Couture, and Ashley Stewart, to name a few. Professional makeup artistry will be provided by Just Glam Cosmetics along with hair styling products from Nu Expressions, courtesy of Leroy Thomas owner of Salon Manaz in Richmond, CA.

Additional information on Kiss the Curves – Hollywood Kiss 2011 can be found on the Kiss the Curves website: http://www.kissthecurves.com/. Tickets to the show can be purchased by logging on to:
http://kissthecurves.eventbrite.com/.

For all media inquiries on Kiss the Curves, LLC, please contact Renee Jennings at: reneejennings@rmediagroup.com.

Boutique Buzz: Fashion To Figure

On Saturday March 5th, 2011 from 12:00 to 4:00 PM, Fashion To Figure (FTF) will hold a ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the opening of its newest store at the Cross County Shopping Center in Yonkers, New York. FTF is pleased to be joined by special guests Shanda Freeman, co-host of MTV’s hit show Man and Wife and of her own show Shanda Says; City Council Woman Patricia McDow; and Audrey Smaltz, fashion icon and founder of the fashion show production company, The Ground Crew. Also in attendance will be various industry figures including full-fashion models and bloggers.


“FTF is thrilled to be joined by special guests and members of the community to help cut the ribbon of our newest location in the Cross County Shopping Center” said FTF Co-Founder and CEO Michael Kaplan. FTF will once again team up with VH1 Save The Music Foundation and donate 10% of all sales from the day to the foundation, whose mission is to “ensure that every child has access to a complete education that includes the benefits of music instruction,” and has provided access to instrumental music education in dozens of schools across New York. Kaplan went on to say: “FTF is committed to the local communities in which our stores operate, and to fulfilling the FTF mission of making people’s lives better by providing them with the ultimate full-fashion shopping experience. We are pleased to begin serving and supporting the Yonkers community.”

Guests are invited to shop, enjoy complimentary light refreshments and enter a raffle give-away to win FTF gift cards every half hour. There will also be an opportunity to make direct donations to the VH1 Save The Music Foundation at the event.

Details: Saturday March 5th, 2011 from 12:00 to 4:00pm
Fashion To Figure
5160 Xavier Drive
Yonkers, NY 10704

Belle of the Week: Nanthale Collins

Meet our Belle of the Week, Nanthale Collins!

Nanthale E. Collins fashion carrier started with her own wardrobe. She always had a flair for great fashion and was complemented on her clothing selections wherever she went. Like most consultants she started her carrier by giving advice and styling tips to her friends and family. She grew her styling and people skills while working in a retail store. She perfected her skills in color selection, fitting and customer confidence. Her manager noticed her ability to teach customers and that knowledge made them come to their store more often. She started completing wardrobes & preparing outfit for her retail clients and gave workshops on fashion and dressing for success.


Nanthale's experience led her to work with a number of designers backstage at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week NYC, Full Figured Fashion Week in NYC, Bridal Fashion Week and other fashion show production companies.

Even though she graduated from Syracuse University with a degree in management and marketing she wanted to further her knowledge of fashion and enrolled into The Fashion Institute of Technology Certification Program. After completing her Certification in Image Consulting she took her knowledge of fashion, communication & shopping and started NEC Fashion and Image consulting in 2007.

The goal of NEC Fashion & Image Consulting is to improve a persons way of life through showing their best image. We help people and business do this in three ways.

1. Teaching individuals and group about fashion through personal styling, workshops and fashion articles

2. Consulting fashion professional in having a better image to increase their business

3. Working with designers to present the best fashion shows possible

N.E.C. image and styling clients included lawyers, actors, fashion designers and local politicians. But, the labor of love is the young adult groups in the inner city. Teaching them to dress for success and interviewing skills is our way of giving back to the community.

N.E.C. fashion workshops are done for retail stores, private companies and even in clients homes. We have styled photo shoots, assist on editorials for Glamour magazine and conceptualize fashion shows for designers all over NYC.

Our motto: “When a person looks their best they do their best. I see how fashion builds confidence and with confidents anything becomes possible.”

Food: Eating Smart for Your Heart

You are probably very busy, and balancing your life and your health is a huge challenge. This is one challenge you need to face head on — your life, and your family, depend on it. Whether it's your spouse, kids or colleagues, people are depending on you and need you to be healthy. Set an example by making food and exercise choices that will lead to a long, healthy life.

Follow these guidelines to keep your diet heart-healthy:

• Choose foods low in saturated and trans fats, cholesterol, sodium, and added sugars.
• Eat plenty and a variety of fruits or vegetables (aim for at least 2 ½ Cups of each, every day)
• Choose lean meat, fish* or skinless chicken. Oily Fish is a recommended choice because it is high in Omega 3 fatty acids (salmon, trout, herring). Aim to eat a 3.5 ounce serving of fish twice a week.
• Choose fiber-rich, whole grains (at least 3 1oz. servings a day)
• Stay away from added sugars (No more than 36 oz.(450 calories) of sugar-sweetened beverages a week). The calories from sweetened drinks add up fast!
• Cut down on the amount of sodium you eat (No more than 1500 mg a day).
• Make sure you are getting enough calcium. It's good for your bones and cuts your risk for developing osteoporosis later in life.

 Try out some of these recipes to keep you heart healthy breakfast, lunch & dinner (snack time too)!

BreakfastWhole Wheat Cranberry Muffins

Individual Cheese & Vegetable Quiches

Lunch
Salmon & Corn Chowder

Chipotle Chicken Salad

Dinner

Lemony Tilapia and Asparagus Grill

Sunday Pork Roast with Vegetables

SnacksAlmond Snack Mix
Red & Green Bell Pepper Boats

This post contains information from the American Heart Association's Go Red For Women Website. For more recipes and more information on the Go Red For Women Campaign, please visit www.goredforwomen.org.

Belle of the Week: Delali Haligah

Meet our Belle of the Week, Delali Haligah!

Delali Haligah is the creator of Osun Designs, which creates one of kind Art-to-wear that draws heavily on the Afrikan experience, (both inAfrika and in the Diaspora.)

The designs are a combination of contemporary style with a distinctly Ancient flavour. This fusion of hand painted, indigenous graphic images, striking fabrics, and Osun’s signatory “simple yet elegant” shaping—makes each creation feast for the eyes!!!!!

Delali Haligah was born of Jamaican parentage in London. She spent her formative years in New York, returning to the lush island of Jamaica for her summers. Later in life, she lived and/or worked as a Designer in several countries including Ghana, Portugal, Nigeria, England, Kenya, France and Tanzania.

Delali is an actor, singer and accomplished dancer who has performed on Broadway, in television, and in movies. She is a former member of the Screen Actors Guild (S.A.G) and the Actor’s Equity Association (A.E.A). She it is her exposure to different experiences, along with the Blessing of her talents, which makes her style appeal to several types of people.

OSUN Designs have previously been featured in publications such as: The Guardian Weekend , Pride, Black Hair, Woman 2 Woman magazines (London).

More recently, OSUN could be seen as a featured Artist in The New York Times, the NY Daily News and also on NY1 for her newest project-Queens Fashion Week. This year's Queens Fashion Week is taking place February 10-13, 2011 in New York City.

She feels her greatest accomplishment to date is the raising of her 12 year old son of whom she is extremely proud.

For more information, please visit:
Osun Designs: http://www.osundesigns.com/
Queens Fashion Week: http://www.queensfashionweek.com/



Do you know a woman who should be our next Belle of the Week? Is that woman you? Email us at belle [at] belle-noir [dot] com for more information.

Weekly Motivation 02.06.11

“Coretta, Betty and I had a very special relationship. We were known as 'the widows of.' And we often talked among ourselves about how difficult it was to be 'the widows' - the public expectations of us, our expectations of ourselves and, first and foremost, how to be the best parents to our children without their fathers.”

~ Myrlie Evers-Williams

(Pictured L-R: Dr. Betty Shabazz; Mrs. Coretta Scott King, Mrs. Myrlie Evers-Williams)



Toast to the Weekend:Big Game Edition (Sponsored by Alize)

Super Bowl Sunday is just two days away and if you are anything like me, you already have your menu all planned: some wings, maybe some chili, plenty of finger foods, the standard staples of chips, dip, pretzels, etc. However, the biggest question, especially if you are expecting a mixed crowd, can be what drinks to serve up?

Okay--I know what you're thinking--like me, when you think of football, beer is usually the first thing that comes to mind, Well, while I make no qualms about loving a good adult beverage, beer has never been a favorite. So when I was presented an opportunity to try out Alize, I wondered if it could make the perfect game time beverage?

Would you believe that until just a few days ago, I'd never tried Alize? While this liqueur has been around for several years, I'd always placed it in the category of one of those ultra girly, super sweet & fruity beverages (I'm admittedly more of a "brown liquor" type of girl). So, I checked out the website:

"Intensely unique and inviting, Alizé Passion liqueurs infuse premium French Vodka with luscious, all natural flavors from the world’s most exotic regions. Our Master Blenders travel from the jungles of Brazil, the lush hillsides of Chile, the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa, the flourishing Mediterranean Coast, and to the tropical shores of South America and the pacific islands to bring you the nectars of our exotic fruits.



Alizé is delicious mixed with vodka, tequila, rum or a splash of Champagne. Alizé is also refreshing on the rocks or in mimosas, martinis and margaritas." - from the Alize website

Ummm...they had me at "mixed with vodka, tequila, rum or a splash of Champagne".

So, I road tested the "Party Crasher" recipe (see below). The recipe name is perfect for this weekend! Just enough kick, while not being overly strong and a great taste. This beverage is going to be perfect with my Hot & Sweet wings and Bronx-style Chili. While others may bring their own six pack, be sure to let some Alize Red Passion crash your Super Bowl party this weekend!

Party Crasher

Ingredients

• 2 parts Alizé Red Passion
• 1 part premium vodka

Serve in a rocks glass. Garnish with a lime wedge.



 
Be sure to check out "Toast to the Weekend"  every Friday in February for other Alize inspired beverages!



Disclaimer: This post consists of my (and/or fellow tester) opinions only. No compensation was given for this review. I did receive free bottles of Alize liqueur from the manufacturer or the representing PR agency to use and test for the purposes of this review. This did not affect the outcome of this review.

Keep it Moving: Heart Healthy At Any Age

February is National Heart Health Month, and all month long Belle-Noir Magazine will be bringing you information on how you can keep your heart healthy! It is never too early or too late to start!

Staying Heart Healthy In Your 20sIn your twenties, it can be easy to overlook the importance of living a heart-healthy lifestyle, and hard to stick to it even if you do make an effort to eat well and exercise. It's difficult to hit the gym or think about the right number of fruits and veggies after class or work. But the truth is, as you get older it usually gets harder to stay healthy.
So today is the day to start making small, daily choices that will help you live a long and healthy life. To make these choices easier, we've compiled your top heart health priorities and what you need to know now. It's never too early to start taking care of your health. [read more]

Staying Heart Healthy In Your 30s
In their 30s, many women get so involved in careers and/or family, they neglect to pay attention to their own health. Don't let that happen to you! Remember: You're young, but you're not a kid anymore. Life is a balancing act between your friends, family and yourself, but your health should be your top priority. Now is the time to build heart healthy habits. Studies have shown that if you can avoid the conditions that put you at risk for heart disease until you turn 50, chances are good that you may never develop heart disease. The payoff is well worth your investment. [read more]

Living Heart Healthy in Your 40s
In your 40s, you may feel like you are too set in your ways to make a change, but it's never too late. Even small choices can improve your health and lead to heart-healthy habits. No matter what life brings in your 40s – a new career, family changes, or life milestones - it's important to stay happy and healthy so you can enjoy the years to come. Listen to your body and make healthy lifestyle choices now that will benefit you in the long run. [read more]

Staying Heart Healthy In Your 50s
Life in your 50s can include starting a new career, sending kids to college or even retiring, but one thing is sure -- your body is changing, and those changes can affect your heart. Unfortunately, the number of women who have heart attacks increases dramatically once you turn 55 – especially after menopause. But the good news is that you have the power to reduce your risk, and if you do have a heart condition, there is plenty that you can do to manage it. [read more]





This post contains information from the American Heart Association's Go Red For Women Website. For more information on the Go Red For Women Campaign, please visit www.goredforwomen.org.