Category Archives: WEAR + STYLE

Celebrity Trainer Kollins Ezekh On Why It Wearable Tech

June 7, 2022

Wearable technology, particularly within the fitness industry, is resilient to fads. Despite the rise of demand for wearable technology to improve health, skeptics question the benefits. Celebrity trainer Kollins Ezekh sees wearable tech as an essential component of workouts and health plans. Kollins highlights the two benefits of aligning tech with your physical activity.

Today’s future is all about data. Getting an annual physical is essential to maintaining personal health, but staying unaware of your health status for the remainder of the year is not beneficial. Nowadays, instant gratification is part of everyday life, including tracking our fitness. Wearable health devices, such as those that follow heart rate, calories burned, distance, sleep patterns, and blood pressure, provide vital health data in real-time. Health information alone is useless if it cannot be interpreted correctly, so wearable technology is connected to apps. Individuals can use the apps to stay on track and provide information to health professionals. 

Kollins has over 15 years of experience working in the fitness industry and considers wearable technology the best tool available for anyone looking to improve their health and fitness. 

Engaging in one’s health is the most immediate benefit of infusing a digital fitness tracker into a daily routine. Wearing a smart health watch or ring daily encourages you to maintain a balanced lifestyle by keeping active and eating healthy. By allowing people to track their health trends and progress, coupled with the support of professionals, fitness professionals can provide a new dimension to their businesses.

The 80’s Inspired Spring Workout Line From L’Couture Is Everything

April 13, 2022

Ok nothing gets me more jazzed to workout than 80’s influenced workout gear.

I’ve been in deep love with anything L’Couture for a while now. Nothing fits my booty better and the bra tops are amazing.

I just received this new collection in turquoise and I am in love. Also, the feel, the fabric, the way it wears and washes – it’s everything for me, as a trainer and teacher. I wear, wash, sweat and repeat and my gear needs to stand up to the test of time (and laundry!)

Revive is super fun – but also do check out everything else on the site-  ALL AMAZING!

Engineered with super-soft, breathable material, Revive will guarantee comfort without sacrificing style.The asymmetric top accentuates the female form while the back-strap detailing enhances femininity while offering the utmost support.

The cross-front leggings gently sculpt and smooth for a flattering shape line, yet are squat-proof and made for the most rigorous of workouts.

Also check out their cozy sweats and shorts (personally love to chill in!)

The Only Scent Worth Wearing: The Harmonist’s New Yang Collection

October 21, 2021

Currently coveting the new Reconsidered Yang Collection, which is available to you lucky peeps on Oct. 22. Hey, if there is a scent lover in your world – this is for them. Or in my case – me, me, me!

The Harmonist is about to relaunch its Yang Collection and I could not be more excited: five radiant aromas, reconsidered in a new parfum concentration.

The five elements – wood, fire, earth, water and metal – are regarded as the building blocks of all natural phenomena. Interconnected yet opposing, they enhance and diminish each other. Wood feeds fire, but it also parts Earth.

“Golden Wood, Desired Earth, Velvet Fire, Matrix Metal, and Sacred Water are vibrant, assured aromas,” says founder Lola Tillyaeva of the Yang Collection. “Warm and radiant, they are designed to energize and nourish the wearer, much like the sun’s light. While we are immensely proud of the collection, which was conceived in collaboration with my dear friend and nose Guillaume Flavigny, The Harmonist is an ongoing conversation. Fragrances must be allowed to grow and evolve, like people.”

Using the original formulations as a starting point, the collection’s scents were reconsidered as parfums, a concentration that allows ingredients to better reveal their depth and character. The result, as always at The Harmonist, is a refined balance between the fragrance’s harmony and the individuality of each ingredient.

Fragrance Descriptions

Golden Wood

Woody · Citrus · Oriental

Golden wood is a noble aroma that comforts and consoles. Its gourmet and woody notes nourish the wearer, like the strength and vitality of a centuries-old tree.

Notes: Bergamot, Mandarin, Bitter Orange, Bees Wax, Pear Granita, Guaiac Wood, Oak Wood, Tonka Bean, Cabreuva

Desired Earth

Oriental · Spicy · Woody

Desired Earth is a majestic aroma that intrigues and inspires. Its powerful notes of spice and wood elevate the wearer, like the summit of the highest peaks.

Notes: Elemi, Cade, Immortal Flower, Red Cedar, Myrrh, Tolu Balsam, Vetiver, Iris, Vanilla

Velvet Fire

Aromatic · Woody · Oriental

Velvet Fire is a charismatic aroma that arouses and ignites. Its sensual combination of woody notes impassions and illuminates the wearer, like the sun’s caress.

Notes: Clary Sage, Cypress, Myrtle, Neroli, Saffron, Tobacco, Cistus, Tonka Bean, Oud

Matrix Metal

Woody · Metal · Musk

Matrix Metal is a powerful aroma that emboldens and strengthens. Its hot-cold accord is contrasted by metallic notes and creamy freshness, bringing clarity to the wearer, like the burnished surface of a blade. Notes: Metallic Notes, Cardamom, Nutmeg, White Tea, Cyclamen, Vetiver, Sequoia, Sandalwood, White Musk

Sacred Water

Citrus · Marine · Floral

Sacred Water is a fluid aroma that stimulates and settles. Its notes of citrus fruit, fresh spice and minerality both invigorate and soothe the wearer, like the unfolding expanse of a tranquil sea.

Notes: Citron, Mandarin, Fresh Ginger, Magnolia, Orange Blossom, Laminaria Seaweed, Amyris, Grey Amber, Cedar

Known as the Wuxing, they have been used to interpret everything from the cosmos to our internal bodies for millennia. They were also the inspiration behind our initial collection of ten signatures scents.

“Each of us possesses all five elements within us. But we are guided by a particular element, which is informed by the date, time and location of our birth, as well as our gender.”

To find your element or to better understand the energies operating within you, click the link here: Find Your Element. (This is the fun part)

Meet the creator:

Lola Tillyaeva: Merging the art of haute perfumerie with the tradition and philosophy of Feng Shui, Lola Tillyaeva (Till) launched The Harmonist in 2016 as an expression of a desire to render balance and harmony through the power of scent. Committed to a life-long quest to understand the mysteries and wonders animating life’s fundamental questions, Lola envisioned a unique fragrance house founded on the wisdom of Feng Shui, translating its principles into perfumery. Articulating a recognition that each individual possesses his/her own distinct birth element, Lola imagined The Harmonist as a vehicle to offer clients an enhanced and personalized experience in finding balance and well-being through our unique collection. With a mission of empowering clients to strengthen their self-knowledge and well-being, Lola has emerged as a singular voice within the wellness and beauty space, continually lending new purpose and possibility to the art of perfume.

To find out more about Dr. Tillyaeva,
visit www.lolakarimova.com
www.lolatill.com

A Phone Upgrade Hack You Can’t Resist

March 31, 2021

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Pick-me-ups come in all shapes and sizes, in this case – the size of a phone case. I must admit, a new phone case perks me up more than a new phone. When my case is cute as heck, my mood boosts right up. As it should, I am looking at it all day (and through the night, cuz I’m a mess and don’t sleep).

www.zgla.com. They are super cute, high quality, embroidered cases. So many fun styles. Let me know what you think ?

GROOMEDLA and is for 20% off all products through 5/31!

Forever 21 Celebrates Black History Month

February 5, 2021

This is Forever21’s first-ever collection celebrating BHM!

Designer and photographer, Ashley Sky Walker (of Leimert Park Threads) and illustrator and designer, Stormy Nesbit whose work was featured in an op-ed written by our VP, Kamala Harris – who are both launching limited edition capsule collections this Thursday, February 4th with Forever 21 in celebration of Black History Month.

“This partnership and Forever21 created a space for black creatives like myself to really have a hands on approach from start-to-finish. F21 allowed me to be fully immersed, and to create from my heart, and present my most authentic self without any reservations – so my excitement is an understatement, I’m ecstatic to have my work in a Black History Month capsule. This has shown me that there really is no limit to my art,” says Stormy.

Forever21’s first-ever partnership collection celebrating Black History Month, is a collaboration with three up-and-coming artists and creators, Ashley Sky Walker, Stormy Nesbit and Henry Jones.

Each collection showcases the range of beauty and power of artistic expression. A portion of proceeds from the collections will be shared with the artists, as well as donations made to charity partners including Sole Folks, Tec Leimert and Project Level.

Celebrating artistry and community, the capsule collections will launch online at www.forever21.com and select retail locations!

Stormy Nesbit’s Collection

Stormy draws inspiration from the people she’s surrounded with, her environment and God. She’s able to source feelings and emotions that she picks up on when she is surrounded by the people she loves and translates that in each of her pieces. Every single piece was secretly inspired by someone she personally knows and loves – Stormy says, “they might recognize it, they might not.”

Her art collections represent people of color, specifically women in the highest form. Representation matters and Stormy wants to be able to reach her community in the largest scale possible and remind them that they are seen. Stormy has learned her best work comes from her heart, and not what people expect; her best work is created at night while she plays Maverick City music and designs that she feels.

Ashley Sky Walker’s Collection

Much of Ashley’s inspiration for his F21 capsule came from within; he looked into archives of his photography and paintings over the years and was able to spot consistencies reflecting Black life. By showcasing moments of joy, rebellion and magic through his work, he realized that was the collection he needed to design – celebrating Black History through the lens of his camera and paintbrush.

“When F21 reached out and asked me to be a part of their Black History Month campaign, it felt amazing and honestly validating. I had a quick stint with the company back in 2016 to shoot their e-comm and was let go after a few months, which ultimately led me to launch Leimert Park Threads. The studio where we photographed the campaign shoot was the same studio where I was told would be my last day…I could not have planned this journey any more than the universe did. It was an unreal full circle moment!” says Ashley.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Stormy Nesbit is a Phoenix-based illustrator and designer with roots in the Midwest whose works primarily expresses the beauty and strength of America’s Black communities, with a focus on the women within them. Her brown-skinned characters echo the pride she has for her community, and the modern aesthetic provides a new take on the elegance in melanin. Stormy’s work has been featured in campaigns by national brands and in several publications, including an illustration created to run with an article written by Vice President Kamala Harris (linked in the intro paragraph).

Ashley Sky Walker started his career as a photographer the second he got his first camera, beginning to see work in a different light and experience. Being raised in South Central Los Angeles, Walker learned the importance of respect and patience when dealing with the ebb and flow of life. After studying at Howard University, Walker lived in New York City for over a decade which allowed him to work with brands like DVF, NIKE and VIBE Magazine and show off his raw but elegant photography style.

Walker eventually returned to Los Angeles with a new venture in mind and Leimert Park Threads was born in 2017 – a unisex clothing brand motivated by the struggle to bring awareness to black, brown, and colored life. Designed by Walker himself, he aims to create original streetwear pieces that are empowering and a tribute to cultural movements of the past. The brand first launched with the COLORED Collection, a line meant for every race, gender and creed standing for unity and equal rights for all and has been worn by celebrities like Issa Rae, Beyonce, and Chadwick Boseman.