I gave digital copies of the book to over 3000 people. Why? Well, because I wanted as many people to read it as possible. If you read the book and want to earn some good karma, please go to the Amazon page for How To Transition To Natural Hair: Secrets of a Long-Term Transitioner and write a review. This year, I am going through a different kind of transition: one where I am transitioning from dip-dyed/ombre/bleached ends to healthy waist length hair (fingers crossed). I plan to use the same techniques I used in How To Transition To Natural Hair as I conquer this leg of my hair journey.

*The book is now $2.99 on Amazon or free to borrow if you have a Kindle.

Leggings
Leggings are a vacation essential as you can dress them up with a jewel toned dress and stilettos or pair them with an over sized t-shirt and boots for an effortlessly chic look. As you know, everything is bigger and better in Vegas so leave your plain black leggings at home and opt for a bold printed pair or take a leaf out of your favorite celebrities’ style books and try a pair of glamorous faux leather leggings.

Ankle Length Boots
If you visit Vegas, you’ll end up doing your fair share of walking, so it’s wise to pack a pair of stylish yet comfortable shoes. Don’t be surprised if you end up walking several miles within a single Casino. Black ankle length boots are a great choice as they’re comfortable to dance in all night and are edgy enough to wear to a concert. If you don’t mind standing out, perhaps opt for a pair with rose gold studs, for a look that’s right on trend.

Sparkly Sequin Dresses
Nothing screams Vegas more than a sparkly dress. If you’re looking to turn heads opt for a dress covered in gold sequins. Just make sure not to overdo it on accessories as a gold dress is a show stopper on its own. If you’re dining at a five star restaurant or are looking for something a little more sophisticated, opt for a dress with black sequins instead.

Cutout Dresses
If you’re not a fan of sparkly dresses you may want to try one of fashion’s hottest trends, cut out dresses. Cutout dresses come in all styles e.g bandage and skater and have strategic cuts to showcase a bit of skin. As an example, some cut out dresses expose your mid section or your back. Celebrities who have rocked cut out dresses on the red carpet include Jennifer Lawrence, Kim Kardashian, Rhianna and Gwyneth Paltrow.

Crossbody Bag
Leave your hand held bags at home and opt for a practical mini cross body bag. Mini cross body bags are the perfect choice to take to a concert. Not only do they hold your essentials, like your wallet, keys and make up but they also offer extra security as you can stand up and dance without having to worry about leaving your bag on your seat unattended. If you want a cross body that transitions well from day time to night time make sure to choose a bag that has a chain strap as they’re a little more glamorous than leather straps.

Dressy Blazers
Believe it or not blazers can work as casual wear as well as office attire. For a night at the casino try pairing a bright colored blazer or a sequined blazer with a little black dress and heels. Or alternatively, try wearing crisp tailored white pants and a white blazer like Taylor Swift, Charlize Theron and Milas Kunis.

Leather Jacket
If you’re not the kind of girl who wants to wear a dress to a concert or club, you can always opt for a pair of black skinny jeans paired with an edgy leather jacket and black studded ankle length boots. The options are endless, you can even pair one with a lace dress or shirt for an edgy yet feminine look.

Cat Eye Sunglasses
If you plan to spend a few hours relaxing on a sun lounger by the pool, you can easily add a bit of vintage chic to your outfit by donning a pair of retro cat eye sunglasses. Celebrities who have been spotted wearing stylish cat eye sunglasses include Olivia Palermo, Nicole Richie, Katy Perry and Beyonce.

So what are you waiting for? Grab your suitcase and your plane ticket and set off on the vacation of a lifetime. With these seven items packed safely in your bag you’ll be ready to give Vegas’ celebrities a run for their money. Just remember, what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.

I have a name for this hair style. I call it the Beyonce Bradshaw. It’s a blend of 3 hairstyles including Beyonce and Sarah Jessica Parker, or as we know her better, Carrie Bradshaw. Anyway, there are 3 basic elements to the Beyonce Bradshaw: center part, big curls and blonde highlights.

Restoration of moisture
Say goodbye to your dry hair. The use of a hair steamer will help to increase the moisture of your hair that’s lost through over processing, chemicals, the heat of a blow dryer and other damaging components.

Breakage prevention
As the moisture in your hair is increased, the steamer will help to reduce breakage. The moisture will allow different deep conditioning treatments to effectively penetrate the scalp resulting in a much healthier and stronger hair shaft, thus reducing or even eliminating breakage. Jump for joy, this is great news!

Makes products work better
A steamer is a great tool to help get moisture into hair that has a hard time “drinking, ” as some people like to call it. Steam helps open the cuticle allowing your products to really get into your hair strands and do their work. The steamer is a much more effective tool to ensure your hair gets the hydration it needs to create and sustain a lustrous look. Your curls will love you for the added moisture!

Increased blood circulation
The steamer will allow the circulation of your scalp to occur in a gentle way. This is very necessary if you are looking to achieve increased hair growth. Your blood needs to flow in order for your hair to grow.

Decrease or elimination of dandruff
The hair steamer is a dream come true if you are battling the flake. If you desire to keep your dandruff long gone, you must indulge in routine steamer treatments to increase the moisture in your scalp with the ultimate goal of having balanced moisture. Your dandruff can’t exist in a moisturized, healthy scalp. You will be able to officially say goodbye to a year-round winter.

The hair steamer is a modern solution for women seeking moisture rich, beautiful hair. Consider the Hair Steamer Beauty Salon Equipment Color Processing and Q-Redew Hand-held Hair Steamer to meet your hair steamer needs. You will appreciate the hydration your scalp and hair will have when staring a regular hair steaming routine.

First things first, what are you in to. Are you planning to do a lot of walking or being active when the ship is docked? Are you going to be sunbathing most of the time. Are you going to be boo’d up with your hubby? Think about all the things you might want to do and plan your looks accordingly.

You might be going out for dinner, relaxing by the pool, dancing, bar hopping and maybe even gambling a bit. You will need at least one pair of dressy shoes or shoes that can be dressed up for going to dinner or dancing or whatever. Next, you’ll need at least one pair of shoes that you don’t mind walking in. These are the bare minimums. This will be a wonderful excuse to buy a shoe bag.

Depending on how long you will be on your cruise, you will need at least a couple of bathing suits. They have laundry services on the ship but, why not bring several. If you have five favorite bathing suits, bring them all. There is no shame in showing them off. Besides, this is not something you get to do all the time. Remember to bring suits you have tried on though and are comfortable wearing. It’s never a good idea to buy a bathing suit and expect it to fit perfect only to be left with something that is obscenely uncomfortable. You want to make sure in every way possible that you are going to enjoy yourself so, make sure your suit fits. If you’ll be spending most of your time lounging in the sun, it would be a good idea to bring a few cover ups or one at the very least.

If you have great legs or you are confident enough to wear shorts and mini skirts, bring a few of those too. You can layer these picks very easily. You can rock your bathing suit under shorts and a top or a mini skirt and a light sweater. If it’s cool, you can throw on a light hoodie. Embrace pattern mixing and working with bold colors and prints.

You should bring a couple of nice dinner outfits or going-out outfits. If you will be dancing and having drinks in a bar while on your cruise, be sure to bring your hottest, most comfortable dancing clothes. Think about getting something with a fabric that doesn’t wrinkle easily. Who wants to be ironing or steaming clothes when you’re supposed to be relaxing? Not me and I imagine that you’ll second that emotion.

Dresses are great for cruises. You can slip them on in a flash and be ready for whatever. That’s exactly what you need on your cruise. A suitcase full of cute, comfy dresses. Go for whatever color you love and make it your neutral. Let’s say you like pink, well have a pink moment throughout your whole trip, it will make packing easier. You don’t have to do that, but it’s an option. If you’re not typically a dress-wearer, maxi dresses can be a compromise.

If not into dresses, skirts, or shorts, airy wide leg pants can be a good option for you. They are easy to wear and you can just slip into them. If you find ones with a drawstring waist, you won’t have to worry about eating too much at the buffet. Well, you will eventually probably have to worry about it, but not during your cruise vacation.

Dresses with spaghetti straps and bright flower prints are always on trend and make sweet party dresses for cruising. You could even opt for the sandals instead of the heels for maximum comfort. Go with what feels authentic and most comfortable for you.

Don’t forget your accessories. It’d be a good idea to bring hats and sunglasses to protect yourself from the sun. Also, it’d be a good idea to bring a cute crossbody bag. Ain’t nobody got time to worry about having their purse swiped while they are having a good time. It’s sad that we have to think about that, but we just have to be conscious of the world we live in.

You don’t have to splurge on a cruise wardrobe. One of those favorites you have hiding in the closet may just be coming on your cruise with you. Short, flirty, and frilly is definitely back in this season so, break out those short dresses that you love and give them another shot in the spotlight. Find what you have that works and just add a few pieces to make in 2013 spring cruise worthy.

In summary, here are just a few things that you should pack when you’re going on a cruise: cute tops, shorts, sunglasses, hats, maxi dresses, bathing suits, cover ups, loose pants, night out dresses, sandals, sexy heels, cute flats, skirts, crossbody bags, cute travel totes, clutches for your nighttime looks, light sweaters and hoodies, shorts, your favorite bracelets, rings, watches and earrings.

All of the items featured in this post can be purchased at Net-A-Porter.

Do you have any fashion puzzles that you’d like to see solved on Mane and Chic, please leave a comment or shoot an e-mail. Also, be sure to pin your favorite Mane and Chic posts and follow on Pinterest.

It is easy and possible to achieve any look simply by knowing what to pair up your leggings with. It all depends on the type of look you’re going for in the first place and the occasion at hand. The following are some tips on how to wear leggings.

Cover you bottom. If you’re sporting a Kim K rear, you want to cover that thang up. If your butt is too big, wearing leggings can come off as vulgar. You also want to make sure that you’re wearing leggings and not tights. Some people seem to be confused on this matter. Tights are like stockings. Typically, you’ll wear these under skirts, dresses and shorts. They can be footless or not and I think this is wear the confusion occurs. How many times have you seen a woman in see-through tights. Yeah, she might have thought those were leggings when she left her dark house, but when she stepped into the daylight, all hell broke loose on her legs and everyone could see everything. There are some leggings that are thick enough where you might not need a long top, but err on the side of coverage if you’re uncomfortable or unsure.

Rock the right shoes. When it comes to leggings, not all shoes are created equal. Big bulky shoes look odd for the most part. The wedge sneaker trend is a great pairing with leggings. Loafers, pumps, d’orsay flats, ballet flats, thongs, sandals, ankle boots, and peep-toe anythings also work well with leggings. Shoes can really set the tone for your legging look. If you had a plain white top with black leather leggings, your shoe choice can make the look dressy chic or bummy casual. Choose wisely depending on where you’re going.

Top it off. Usually, the best tops to wear with leggings first must be long enough to cover your rear. This is not always the case, but for the most part it is. Oversized sweaters, oversized cardigans, oversized blouses and oversized tshirts are perfect with leggings. High-low tops also make a good match with leggings. Layers are also a match made in heaven for a legging-lover. You can layers with blazers, cardigans, vests, sweaters, jackets and you get the picture.

Get out of your comfort zone. We were eased into the trend with mostly black leggings and then other neutral colors began to pop up in stores, but now many stores that are considered big-box and safe and beginning to carry edgier patterned leggings. Lots of celebs have been seen in them. Who cares? It’s just something to experiment with, but if it’s not for you, don’t force it. It costs nothing to go to a store and try it on. If it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work.

All of the items featured here can be purchased on Net-A-Porter.

If you’re an avid reader, you’ll remember my length check from December 2012. My longest ends were grazing that 13″ mark on my tape measure, but by January 2013, I’d chopped off the ends back to roughly 12″ because I wasn’t happy about the condition of my ends due to the ombre highlights. I’m actually still not satisfied, but I’m hoping to reach my goal length before I do a big chop. My measurement from the other day showed that my longest ends were barely grazing 14″. That means there are roughly 2″ to go and about 4 months before I reach my goal of 16″.

You can see from the photo, that ‘Line 2′ is where the longest parts of my hair landed in December of 2012. That’s somewhere between 12.5 and 13″ on my tape measure. That is mid-back length on me and I have a long back. What’s back length on me is probably waist length or hip length on someone who is short-waisted. ‘Line 3′ represents my goal: waist length on me and that’s somewhere between 15.5 and 16″.

I know that these thin ends will eventually need to go and in January I got quite a bit of them off with that 1″ chop. I have to say that I’ve noticed in the past that a big trim has helped me achieve longer lengths much quicker than I expected, but I’m really reaching for that 16″ mark in 2013 — by any means necessary. Ha!

Once my hair reaches the 16″(waist length) mark, I’d just keep trimming probably once a month or to maintain that length forever or until I get bored. I really don’t have plans to grow my hair any longer than that. Long hair is a bit of a hassle. My hair gets caught in doors and car windows. I have to put it up whenever I drink or eat. It takes forever to dry. Detangling is a chore. I go through product like crazy. Windy days, forget it! People accuse me of having a weave. All that to say, I really love it but I’ll be satisfied at waist length.

I am focusing on gentle cleansing, deep conditioning, protein treatments, baggying, scalp massages and more. I used my favorite hair book: The Science of Black Hair to help develop a more proactive regimen because what I did to get past shoulder length has to advance if I ever want to reach waist length. I’ll say that the point between bra strap length and waist length has probably been the most challenging for me. My issue is that my hair breaks off at the ends and I really need to pay attention to them especially if I’m not trimming them regularly.

All of the items in my current regimen can be found in Mane and Chic’s Amazon store.

Don’t forget to follow Mane and Chic on Pinterest!

If you’ve been to concerts before, you might have skipped out on the whole “planning what to wear” portion because after all, can you really show off in a crowd of screaming, sometimes shoving, sweaty and avid concert-goers? Keep in mind that a concert, especially if you proclaimed yourself the number 1 fan of that band, is a momentous event. Just like all momentous events, you have to look the part.

Still unsure of where to start? Try taking a look at the following tips. Use it as a guide on what to wear to a concert.

Golden Rule 1 – Not all outfits are meant for all types of concerts. Lace and floral prints to a rock concert? Really?

We will start with the basics which are outlined in the following list:

Let’s talk about shoes. Unless you’re going to a concert where seats are provided and standing on the chairs is prohibited, you want to wear comfortable shoes. This is convenient especially for outdoor concerts (think Coachella) where you’ll find your heels getting stuck to the ground. Skip the stiletto and wedge; instead, opt for flats or ankle boots. Your Doc Martens might come in handy especially if you’re headed to a rock concert. But for music festivals and pop concerts, your favorite pair of flats or frayed boots will look great. If you want to look more bohemian, try pairing your frayed boots with denim or vintage shorts.

If you’re going to an indoor concert and you’re a pro with your heels, go on and rock them. Keep in mind that you may have to trek long distances and perhaps up stairs or ramps to get to your seat. Some women can handle a heel, some women don’t mind the pain and others will not tolerate the pain and just want to have a good time. You know what type of woman you are. Choose heels that you’re comfortable dancing in. Those 5-inch heels might need to take a rain check for this concert. It might be easier for you to balance in wedges that aren’t too high, although boots are the safer choice. Ankle boots look great with your favorite pair of shorts.

Sport a handy bag. A bag that can carry all your essentials (wallet, bottle of water, camera, mobile phone) can mean the difference between a great time and dehydration. The easier it is to open, the better. But, make sure it’s not too easy to open (or too filled with zippers and outer pockets) or else you might end up with missing things. If you’re bringing a clutch, make sure you keep it in your hands at all times or that you have a designated bag watcher especially if you want to get up, dance and throw your hands in the air and wave ‘em like you just don’t care. A lot of clutches have straps on the inside that we never use, but this is a case when you might want to wrap it across you like a crossbody bag.

Going to a Maxwell or Justin Timberlake concert and want to look mature and sophisticated. A sexy dress might be the looks for you. This is the perfect opportunity to show off your legs if that’s your favorite asset. This might not work if you’re up in the nosebleeds, but if you’re on the first level and you want to rock a dress, do it.

Believe it or not, a plain white top (when used in the right way) can look very chic. Tucked-in white shirt, skinny jeans and comfy red heels make a killer combination, don’t they? To keep up with the latest trends, stick to crop tops and patterns. Aztec patterns are rather popular, so pick a tank top that features that kind of pattern. You can also pick a breezy, floral print top and pair it with skinny jeans for a more feminine look. Again, if you want something more Bohemian (for Coachella, maybe), try playing around with patterns. How about patterned black and white and a zip-up tube top? Or, you can choose to skip out on the tops and bottoms, and settle with an Aztec-inspired dress.

When it comes to accessories, be practical. Outdoor concerts and music festivals are perfect for sunglasses, straw hats or even headdresses. Just make sure you don’t overdo it, preferably not one with too many feathers. A great statement necklace can really dress up a blah outfit and make it concert-ready. Wearing lots of bracelets can also be really fun and add some interest to a concert outfit. Don’t forget the rings either.

Although planning your outfit for you next concert is important, remember not to over-think. It pays to look great, but not at the expense of you not enjoying the concert. Have fun. Do you. Think out of the box.

All of the looks here can be purchased from Net A Porter.