Irie Diva Stylee

OOTD: Pumps and Polka dots

IrieDiva — Fri, 17 May 2013 20:11:23 +0000

I don’t like putting up outfit posts when I’m not really going anywhere cause I’m not one of those fashion bloggers with a big shopping budget. I need to wear my clothes again and again! So If you see me out in this cute little polka-dot top, forget you saw it online

It’s a simple little t-shirt from Forever 21, cost me no more than $7 but I love anything polka-dots and I have a million ways I want to wear it. This is one of those such ways. Except, I will probably be in flats. High heels for a causal look? Ain’t nobody got time for all that.

Before my weightloss, you’d never catch me in this simple t-shirt and jeans outfit. I made dresses my staple when I gained weight because jeans cut into my waist and were uncomfortable and I didn’t want to have to deal with love handles. I’m nowhere near my goal but I’m down enough to be able to wear the simplest of outfits again and this is one way to make the staple casual Friday outfit cute. Don’t you think? This top is also a size small. I’d hit my dougie in celebration but Forever 21 tees tend to run big…

I’d like to point out though that these jeans are a size 27. NOW I’m hitting my dougie oh yeah, oh yeah! They’re also from Forever 21 and only cost 10 bucks. I bought them to try and do a DIY distressed jeans look since they were so cheap. Distressed jeans run at least $40 bucks online, why when you can do it yourself right? Let’s see if I actually get around to this project anytime soon. I remember when I used to rock a size 33. No ma’am. *sips green smoothie* As you can see, they are a little short for me so I just cuffed them and threw them on with my favourite pumps.

And there you have it. My Casual Friday look for today. Are you feeling it? How else would you style this top? As with any shoot I do, my little munchkin was ready for her close up <3

Have a great weekend y’all!

Edit: Inspired by this outfit, I wore this to Famous Night Club’s grand opening that night:

Houndstooth and red skater skirt. (Skirt from Forever 21, 8 bucks)

Jamaican Hip Hop Band Acmatic and Jillionaire of Major Lazer in Negril for Memorial Weekend

IrieDiva — Wed, 15 May 2013 19:06:11 +0000

It tickles me to write that headline because one of my friends was just ranting on twitter how we celebrate all these foreign holidays in Jamaica without even knowing the significance of them, and also without knowing the significance behind some of our very own holidays. Very valid point aside, we surely do have a weekend of parties happening in Negril for Memorial Weekend (we celebrate Labour Day that weekend actually and the two holidays are totally not related) and I chose to write about this event because I was recently introduced to the band Acmatic and I like them. I think being on a concert with Jillionaire is the perfect pairing for them because that is the vibe I got from their concert.

The band consists of 7 males who have been doing music for years and recently released an EP online which is their first called Almost. Take a listen here, it’s free. I went to both their listening party and their launch party and I find their brand of rocking hip-hop a very upbeat and “white boy wasted” kind of fun. Can I sneak a pic of me here at their listening party? My pink fro rocks hard lol

Moving right along, Major Lazer was also in Jamaica recently and while I have heard their music on the radio, I’ve really never paid much attention and had no intention of making the concert but went because of my day job. Listen. Rock out! I had no idea it would get that crazy. I felt like I had slipped a molly or something and I wasn’t even drinking…much. The energy, the vibe, the music. That man went inside a gigantic bubble and floated above the crowd. White people shit.

I understand that this is a regular part of the routine but I was trippin’ LOL! That concert was so much fun that I would surely attend anything with the Mojor Lazer brand included, for sure.

Guess what, Hedonism II in Negril has chosen to get in on the action and has special rates if you and your crew want to go down and make it a weekend of all-inclusive fun! There’s even an opportunity to get your package pimped out if you mention that you heard about this all on IrieDiva.com!!!

Do you know the band? What do you think of their music? Will you be making it down to Negril for the weekend? Remember, mention IrieDiva when booking and you may get an upgrade!

Cooking with coconut oil vs cooking with olive oil: which one is best?

IrieDiva — Tue, 14 May 2013 12:41:40 +0000

I shared this article on my social media pages and it got so much traction that I wanted to share it one more time for all the folks in the back. It’s an article called 8 Foods People Think Are Healthy (But Aren’t) and while all 8 points are definitely valid and worth committing to, one point stuck out more for me than the others because I’ve been tryna tell y’all to cook with coconut oil!

Do y’all see what that said? Listen. Read it again. Oh, you don’t believe? Read it again on Men’s Health here and Living Strong here! Now, they’re not saying you can’t cook with olive oil any at all. The problem is when it begins to smoke, like when we’re cooking fish or if you’re frying. If you’re simply quickly sauteing some veggies, you get a pass. I don’t cook with olive oil any at all because I had long found out about the goodness of cooking with coconut oil instead, but I do use it in my homemade salad dressing and of course in my hair.

Read through the rest of the article, it’s got some good points! Now, for my ladies working on their summer body and worried about being able to fit in their bikinis, this one’s for you. How to fit in a bikini body:

Saw it floating around on the interwebs and had to share. Get with it.

Karen from MBB’s Monday Morning Poll

IrieDiva — Mon, 13 May 2013 18:11:34 +0000

Well, it’s Monday afternoon now but since the post I had planned for today is nowhere near begun as yet, I thought I’d do this fun little post. I follow a blog simply called Makeup and Beauty Blog, by a delightful woman named Karen, more for her spirit than makeup cause I’m not much of a makeup girl and she has a poll she does every Monday on her blog. In the spirit of Ask.fm and all these inquisitive things that are currently on trend I though this was a cuter way to get to know each other so, here goes!

Random awesome pic from my awesome Mothers Day weekend

1. How do you feel about music festivals?

I’ve never been to any of the big name ones here in Jamaica but I can’t wait for my turn. I love live music and events. I’m dreaming of one overseas soon, my head will explode if it actually happens.

2. Something you used to wear that now makes you cringe whenever you see yourself wearing it in old pictures?

My weight? In terms of fashion, I don’t have much that I cringe about yet, sure I wore black lined lips and go-go boot but hey. Those were fun! But my weight is one thing that does make me cringe in a few pics, I honestly didn’t even know at the time that I was so huge!

3. What’s more fun for you — doing your hair, nails or makeup?

Definitely my nails. My hair is short and boring now. When the curls are popping it’s great but I can’t wait for some length to play around with. When it was relaxed it was always just straight and long, nothing fun there and the process surely wasn’t fun. Makeup is fun until I snap a picture with flash and I look like a duppy and I have to do it all over again. Still in search of a foundation that doesn’t do that…

4. Have you ever gone on vacation by yourself?

I’ve done a short weekend here on the North Coast which while I was with other guests of our hosts for planned activities, the time spent on the beach and in the spa or just roaming around the hotel alone made me take note of what it would be like if I was all alone. I’m looking forward to an opportunity to do that again, but maybe in another decade or so when munchkin is a teenager and I can be as free as I really am on the inside.

5. How did you meet your closest friend(s)?

A few from school, whether high or college but most online. Story of my life.

6. Three things you’re grateful for right now?

Do overs. Senna Tea. Pink Nail polish.

7. What time did you wake up this morning?

6:37am thanks to my alarm clock known as Grandpa. I hate early mornings.

8. Three things on your desk right now?

An almost empty tub of hummus. A 500 year old wonky blackberry (RIP Samsung S3 ) A notepad with a to-do list that I’ve not yet tackled. When my to-do list is too damn long, I blog instead.

9. Something you’d like to do this summer?

Start school.

10. Did you pick up any new makeup or beauty products last weekend?

I didn’t but I made homemade whipped shea butter mixes with love that also had raw cocoa butter in it for my friend who’s pregnant and another who has skin issues. Hope it helps!

On the fashion tip, I picked up $10 skinnies from Forever 21! I hope they fit!

Got anything to share with me? Repost on your own blog or answer in the comments below! I love these kinda things. Cept when it’s taking over my twitter timeline, death to Ask.fm!

Eve ft Miss Kitty – EVE

IrieDiva — Wed, 01 May 2013 17:35:28 +0000

I don’t post much music here but I must admit I’m a huge Eve fan ever since her Ruff Riders days and I’ve been one of those awaiting her return. The She Bad Bad single that she released earlier was ok, but this right here? This is it

It’s even more fun with our own Miss Kitty doing her bit at the end there isn’t it? Rae gwaan Miss Kitty wid di tight and bright lalalalalalalalala (I hate it when she does this) lalalalalalala

Mission Catwalk Episode 2: the Menswear Edition

IrieDiva — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 12:30:53 +0000

The plan was to do a weekly review of this season of Misison Catwalk but catching it on a Saturday Night at 8:30pm is not always possible and Mission Catwalk adds the episodes online whenever they feel like it so you just gotta wait till…well…they feel like it. I guess it takes time to edit it with ads and stuff that we’re just gonna skip right through. Any how even though episode 3 has already aired, which I surely didn’t catch and will try to watch the repeat on Tuesday, here’s the recap of episode 2. They were to design menswear, something new for Mission Catwalk, and it would be a piece for Grammy winning artist Shaggy. Now, in my opinion, Shaggy isn’t hard to design for. Stick to layers, neutrals, not too polished, rugged, sexy and you’ll be fine. Some of these designers missed that memo and decided that Shaggy should switch up his look. So they chucked the look-book that was given to them to familiarize themselves with Shaggy’s comfort zone and came up with pieces like this:

DAVID ROLLE

Now I know why this particular designer was so interested in hearing my review of episode 2! Now, while it is a fabulous look in and of itself and I agree with the judges that it has star appeal, can you see our easy-going, roots-rocking, laugh-loving Mr. Boombastic in this? There’s a laugh! David, you completely ignored your subject and went for your own design. Good luck with that…

Many of the designers admitted that they had never designed menswear before and Jamaican Katherine McDermott was one such designer who found herself in the bottom two with this design:

KATHERINE MCDERMOTT

She even admitted that the design was totally different from what she envisioned and I can identify with that. When I used to dabble around a machine, I would always tell my friends to be open minded cause they may want X but when I finish they might get Y. LOL! She was very disappointed when explaining her piece and I think that may have helped her to actually stay on because she was thrown into deep waters and gave it her best shot. I love the colours but it wasn’t sewn properly at all. Check out the grey band at the bottom of the blouse…shirt…top…. It’s a very wrinkly seam and just all bad. But her attitude saved her, where as….

ARGENT ROBERTS

This guy’s stitching was bad and the outfit was bad and I think the attitude was bad too, cause he thought this was actually a good piece but again I ask, can you see our Shaggy in this get up? Is that a suede jacket with a cowl neck blouse? Oh girl….

And that bag….

Yeah…he was sent home.

This was one of my favourite looks for maybe a red carpet…I liked it and thought with a more professional hand it would come across very sleek and clean.

SHERNICIA MAYERS

He’s hot, the look is hot and I can definitely see Shaggy in something like this. The pop of colour is as far as Shaggy goes when it comes to edgy at a formal event. This one below was everybody’s favourite look and the commentators on Facebook think this should have won:

WATSON ST LOUIS

Sure, the shirt has some greeat detailing and yes even the pants but Shaggy himself said he’s not so sure he would be brave enough to wear it. Great style, nicely done but again, not very Shaggy. The winning look was also my favourite and was all Shaggy everything.

ALEXIS CAMPBELL

Well, except for that damned scarf. It’s a ridiculous size but the jacket was fire! This look was safe. It was layered and relaxed and already looks like Shaggy. It was the best of the lot but nothing that pushes the envelope because you just can’t go wrong with this colour palette but with slim pickings to choose from, the definite winner.

Did you watch this episode? Catch it here if you haven’t yet and see more pictures here. What did you think of the pieces? Let’s discuss.

Irie Recipe: Chicken Pesto Meatballs with Pumpkin Brown Rice

IrieDiva — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 00:42:20 +0000

Yum yum! My dinner was so good that I had to share. I’ve been purchasing chicken mince in the supermarket for a couple of months now because sometimes it’s much more convenient to pan-fry quickly for a mid-week meal and sometimes it works even better than chicken breast cubes, like for my pasta dishes. I also started to buy farm fresh pesto from Food Basket recently and decided that since I was also buying some of the same herbs they’re putting in the pesto, maybe I should just make my own! So I made a basil pesto over the weekend. Really simple, it was just basil, olive oil, salt, pepper and walnuts in my food processor. But pesto is something new to me, I only ever knew it used as a pasta sauce so I started to wonder what else I could use it to do, especially since I’m trying to give pasta a rest to work on this tummy. Enter, tonight’s dinner.

Chicken Pesto Meatballs:

1 package chicken mince
1 egg
1/2 cup breadcrumbs (I used panko)
2 tablespoons pesto
1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated
season to taste. (I used salt, black pepper, chilli powder, coriander, Mrs. dash)

Feel free to play with the measurements. I eyeballed everything, a dash here, a couple shakes there. Mix all together, roll into balls and bake for 30 mins in a 375 degree oven. The brown rice is pretty easy, I simply cooked as usual adding frozen veggies and pumpkin to the broth. Your pumpkin should be in small cubes ( mine were frozen raw from the last time I randomly found a pumpkin growing in my yard. We diced up some to use at a later date) so that it will mix right out into your broth and make a yummy, flavourful brown rice. This makes up for there being no gravy. You know we Jamaicans love our gravy.

It was delicious! I actually overate. There goes healthy eating for dinner -__- but it was just SO good! Well, in hindsight the addition of parm cheese and panko breadcrumbs weren’t the least caloric options but hey. Now I know why meal preppers always use some type of meatball in their meal prep. I can surely see me making up a big batch of this and freezing some for lazy…err….busy days. The addition of the pesto in the meatballs kept them moist and juicy during the baking process I believe. They were divine! Try this recipe and let me know what you think!

What else can I do with pesto? I’m in love with it and want to know all the options! Do you love pesto too?

Jamaican Fashion News: The 2013 Season has opened!

IrieDiva — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 12:54:44 +0000

Normally around this time I’d be uber excited because it meant Caribbean Fashion Week and Style Week were around the corner. But…I haven’t heard anything about StyleWeek from Saints, see nothing on their Facebook page!

Well since writing this post, I asked them when Style Week will be and they responded May 22-26. That’s less than a month away and no promo yet. What’s going on Saints? Waiting with baited breath! Meanwhile, Caribbean fashion Week had their launch over the weekend which teased lines from four designers that will show. Caribbean Fashion Week is the biggest and most coveted fashion event in all the Caribbean with designers from over a dozen countries showing. I look forward to this spectacle every year and you can see past posts on the fabulousness here and here. I’m not sure how much coverage I will be able to provide this year however as I was denied accreditation last year.

Sean Lyn and Kibwe McGann, Team Intuit

Moving on, Miss Universe Jamaica is now managed by Intuit Concepts, the team that brings you Wedding Spectacular and Kingston Bridal Week and their vision for the show is indeed all pomp and pageantry! It is amazing to me that it takes two guys to bring us such fabulous events geared towards a mainly-female audience. They want to do away with having the pageant held at a hotel with a ticket price and bring it instead to Emancipation Park as a free, weekend-long event! I absolutely love Emancipation Park and some events work fabulously there, outdoor movie night? YES! Miss Jamaica Universe in my high fashion dress and stiletto heels? Make it work guys! Make it work! If anyone can pull this off, the Intuit team can and I’m excited for all the details to emerge. The prizes sound amazing, I hope all the ladies are working on their MUJ bodies!

Fun Fact: Ever turn on BET’s Centric early on a Saturday morning and see a program called Splash? Set in the Caribbean? Intuit Concepts produces that show! I really am looking forward to their take on MUJ. Here’s a Splash clip if you’ve never seen the program before. This is a clip from the Jamaican Fashion’s Night Out with Novia McDonald and Vivica Fox.

Finally, I went to the Tami Chynn show over the weekend and she was so cute with her little 6 month belly! I am a huge fan of hers as she has the sweetest personality and she kept her audience laughing between beautiful songs last night sharing song inspirations and a peek into her family life. She well jokify fi tru!

Here she is wearing Lubica for her show. She killed it all night in them wedges, go Tami!

Pictures from her Facebook page. Speaking of pregnant bellies, congrats are in order for Romae Gordon, former Pulse Supermodel and now general manager who was seen toting around a little lovebump of her own! Move over Halle Berry, Romae is our own mature hot mamma!

Are you excited for fashion season? Looking forward to Style Week and CFW? Let me hear your thoughts! Oh, before I go, have you seen this article??? “Jamaicans To Vie For Live Beyoncé Experience – A Part Of Pepsi’s Live For Now Campaign” Details, Pepsi, details!!! NOW!!!!! I’m so excited OMG!

Swimwear Trends 2013

IrieDiva — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 17:24:48 +0000

Summer is coming up! We need new swimsuits! Jamaica doesn’t have any seasons per se but we do have many pool/beach parties all summer long so we need to refresh our selection as often as anybody else. Here’s a quick run down of current swimwear trends and swimsuits I’m loving.

Let me start with something for my body type. Right now I’m about 20lbs over my ideal weight and still battling the tummy bulge, so this swimsuit is perfect for me. It covers up areas that I want covered but puts my boobs on blast (hubba hubba) and cinches in at the waist to help accentuate that seductive hourglass figure. I also love how low the back is cut, if you’ve got a sexy back (and I’m loving mine right now) this one is for you as it’s cut lower than most one-piece swimsuits. This Calvin Klein Women’s Halter One Piece comes in black and I love that for a sophisticated beach party look, you know the type where you’re not actually going in the water? It’s a perfect blank canvas for big jewelry, funky sunglasses and wild purple hair.

Here’s another option, cause you know, prints help to hide the bulges even better. And polka dots are all the rage right now too. Not that I would care, I am ALWAYS here for polka dots! This is the La Blanca French Dot One Piece Plunge Halter

Here’s a more budget-friendly option by American Apparel that comes in four colours. I’d only go with this one if you have smaller boobs and a killer backside. Wowza! American Apparel Halter One-Piece:

Another look I love for my body type, as you can see here in this Winnifred Beach post, is a high-waist bikini bottom which is so hot right now and SO perfect for me. I’d go with this basic black bottom so you can switch up the top a million different times. With a little rouching in there plus extra seams, it’s perfect for me and my ladies with a pooch and it goes up to larger sizes as Torrid is a plus size brand. Black High-Waist Bikini Swim Bottoms

Did I go polka-dot again? I did… but it’s just so cute! Switch out the top for a mint piece and you’re totally on fire. Love this High Waisted Bikini

Fringe is totally in right now, so is ombre! Enter Bikini Lab Women’s Fringe Bralette Swim Top that combines the two and would be perfect with the black high-waisted bikini bottom above with some big gold accessories!

Loooove it! And it’s only $30 bucks! You should totally cop this one! Here’s another option for my small chested ladies

The bandeau top helps to create that bustline you crave and the fringe is so cute. This suit is mad cheap too, perfect for a summer trend. Click here to cop the Zicac Fashion Women’s Sexy Tassel Padded Bandeau Fringe Bikini Set

If you have a boyish figure then this peplum swimsuit is perfect for you. It’ll accentuate your waist and round you out nicely. It comes in 5 colours and has a removable halter strap. Jantzen Women’s Casablanca Peplum Bandeau One Piece

I love this Roxy Women’s Surf Essentials Ruffle Monokini for my boxy ladies too, it’s so girly and fun.

For my barely there ladies, it’s really all about the prints. African prints, batiks, chevron stripes, dip dyes and ombres are so hot right now as well as pastels or neons with some fab hardware. I’m loving this Vitamin A 2013 Niko Cielo Bottom

Here’s a barely there bottom with a scallop pattern. It’s all in the details. Match it up or colour-block and accessorize! Roxy Sun Dancer Scalloped Brazilian String

So that was my quick run-down of a few summer swimsuit trends! Did you see anything you liked? What direction are you going for swimwear this summer? Lemme know!

Mission Catwalk Season Three Premieres

IrieDiva — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 15:01:43 +0000

I’m not very good at keeping up with TV shows unless of curse it’s #Scandal but I decided to tune in to Mission Catwalk and will be trying to follow it this season. If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you know that I’ve always wanted to do fashion design on some level so having a Jamaican television show about exactly that always allows me to play out my dreams in my head. This time around, the show goes further into the Caribbean, welcoming 15 designers from 9 different Caribbean countries.

If you’ve ever watched Project Runway then you’ll get a serious case of the deja vus here but we’re gonna skip right over that and get into the show. On the first episode, designers were asked to create a piece that reflected the Caribbean. These were my favourites:

I actually think this last one looks more African, than Caribbean, but it was the winner of this week’s challenge so I brought it to you. What do you think?

The judges were brutal with the two pieces in the bottom two. It’s tough to get such an amazing opportunity, only to be booted out on the first show. I feel like there’s so much to learn from a show like this with mentors in the business offering critique and advice, getting to use top of the line equipment and truly having to think on your feet. But, if you can’t keep up, you just can’t.

The bottom two:

The first one was from a Jamaican designer who was a little older than the other designers. Her work was very good, I love the cuts and the belt that she created but it was very costumey, indicative of Jamaica, not so much Caribbean. Her choice of fabric, our national plaid, shows that she may not be as creative in her designs and while her workmanship may be excellent, staying up with trends may not be her strong point. I would go to her to make me some classic pieces, trousers, shift dresses etc. but maybe not for anything trendy.

The second piece was not constructed well at all. The ruffles in the back didn’t line up and the top was definitely not made to hold any boobage. Keneea (the host who is one of my favourite Jamaican designers herself) didn’t like the many colours which I didn’t mind so much, I just had a problem with the sewing.

This was in the bottom pick for me as well. It’s trying to be a little too futuristic, a little too trendy, not very Caribbean. I enjoyed the episode and will try to tune in again. If you missed the premiere, it repeats today (and every Tuesday) at 5:30pm on TVJ. You can keep up with the show on their Facebook page as well. The prizes are pretty awesome I think, cash to start your line and sewing equipment from Singer, a spread in a magazine and a chance to show at a FashionWeek somewhere. What I love is the focus on retail, each week, the challenge winner’s piece will be available for purchase at Lee’s Department Store. Nice. Will you be tuning in? What was your favourite piece from the show?