The Gender Reveal Craze

This past weekend we had family over for a Gender Reveal party. I got a lot of questions and curiosity about this event so I wanted to write a little something about the new phenomenon that is the grand 'gender reveal'. I also wanted to share my personal experience.

Prior to my news of expecting a new child I had not heard of a Gender Reveal Party, but yes, it is a thing! From what I can tell this practice is very new, the popularity seems to be growing now amongst young, twenty-something year old parents, I am sure this is not something anyone was doing back in the day. A lot of the guests at my party who were older or very young had no idea what they were in for but by the end everyone got it and I think they were happy to have given it a shot.

The Basic Idea

The Gender Reveal is a party, separate from the baby shower, with

the sole purpose of gathering friends and family to reveal the gender of your baby. These parties take place early in the pregnancy compared to the baby shower. Usually around 18-22 weeks. Most of the time one or both of the parents are oblivious to the baby's sex until the big moment at the party, which adds to the excitement.
This is accomplished by having the doctor/ ultrasound tech tell one parent secretly, or writing down the gender and putting this in a sealed envelope. From here you have your choice of ways to unveil. I have seen many people have a box filled with either blue or pink balloons. Some parents order cupcakes that have been filled with blue or pink filling. But don't limit yourself. Do your research or come up with a new way to make the big announcement even more fun for you and your guests.

Are you caught up!?

I have been missing in action here on the Little Things B Loves blog but there are some videos on my YouTube Channel. Check them out! And don't forget to Like, subscribe!

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Pregnancy Update: 15 weeks

Hi everyone! I am now 15 weeks pregnant. Watch my pregnancy update video to see what the past few weeks has been like for me. The second Trimester is much better so far! 

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Cocotique September Subscription box

I am a new subscriber of Cocotique, one of the many beauty subscription box  companies. I first heard of this company from a Facebook promotion that advertised their first month's box for only $10 for new subscribers. After doing some research on the company I found that they are a company that caters to women of color. You sign up and each month you receive a box with 5-8 deluxe sample size and full size products, ranging from skin cars, hair care and lifestyle products.

Ice the Kicker

What a lovely day to be a Fighting Illini! Make sure you check out my most recent vlog, now live on my YouTube channel. My family and I went to an illini football game this weekend and had a blast. Oskee Wow wow! 
 Click below to watch the video 

The Low Down on Pregnancy Apps

Pregnancy Apps: What you should know 

I wouldn't be a true millennial if I didn't find a way to incorporate my love for technology into my pregnancy journey. When my mom was pregnant with me mothers read books, asked their family for advice and kept track of their pregnancy in journals and baby books. Those books have not gone anywhere, but they have been supplemented with the ample free information on the internet and pregnancy apps! I downloaded a few when I found out I was expecting (yes I went a little crazy) and I quickly noticed that not all pregnancy apps are created equally. 


The purpose of these apps are to track your pregnancy, give you information on your baby's health and provide a community for expectant mothers. Some apps offer more features and information than others, which can make or break the app for you depending on your expected usage and needs. Below are quick reviews of the 4 pregnancy apps I've downloaded.

Glow Nurture, Pregnancy Tracker- This is my favorite app. I use it with the most regularity and it also happens to be the first app I downloaded after I found out I was pregnant. This app asks you to complete a daily log of your symptoms, water in take, if you took your prenatal vitamin and much more. If you're someone who would like something to help you stay on top of things daily this is the app for you. Along with the daily log you can add baby bump pictures to a time lapse feature. I've been taking one each week and I cannot wait to see the finished product. With the Glow Nurture app you also get daily insights to your pregnancy. Every day there are two- three interesting posts about your baby's growth, the changes to your body and things to prepare for.

12 Weeks Pregnant

This week I didn't do a full Youtube video update so I decided to go into more detail on my blog. To see my Vlog video click here. 

So the past week I've has a recurrence of some of my earlier symptoms. My morning sickness and Nausea have come and gone in the past week. Week 13 is following suit. I find that in the morning I'm very selective about what I eat. Not much outside of grits is appetizing to me on most days, but even grits seem gross at times. Usually, as the morning progresses I can eat more foods, this is a change from when I could eat an entire breakfast after only being awake for 10-15 minutes.

I have had the same fatigue, it's not major, but there is certainly a tiredness that follows me all the time. It has gotten better since week 7-9 but it's still there. Along with the excessive saliva, which is gross and annoying. I read that because of nausea, we tend to swallow less which creates the excessive saliva.

September Adore Me Box

Hey Ya'll! I have a new video up on YouTube so make sure you go check it out! In it I talk about the cute pajama set I ordered from Adore Me. Her name is Natalia and she is simple, comfy and a little sexy. Adore Me is the perfect site to use if you love lounging and sleeping in cute & comfy PJ sets like I do. Just because it's bed time doesn't mean you can't still be fabulous!

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Wig Review: Model Model 'Joy'

Meet my new wig, Joy! If this wig looks familiar to you it's because it is a dupe of the Freetress 'Heaven' wig I bought a month or so ago in the color 99J. I purposely bought this similar wig because I was ready to retire my 'Shelly' wig and rock a straight wig to work for a while. I fully intended on purchasing 'Heaven' again, this time in the color 1B, but it is sold out. Every site I checked only had this wig in it's blonde or red variations. Elevate Styles, Diva Wigs, Sista Wigs, Wig Types and all the other sites I searched were out of stock for the colors 1, 1B and 2. 

I was about to give up until I remembered a video I saw by fellow YouTuber theHeartsCake90. She purchased the Model-Model 'Joy' wig in the color 99J after finding that she couldn't find  'Heaven' in this color anywhere. I'm so happy that I watched that video. Because of it I was able to get the same look I wanted, in the color I wanted without waiting until the wig I initially wanted was back in stock! 

Pregnancy Vlog: Week 10!

Check out my latest YouTube video! At the start of week 11 of my pregnancy, I tell you all the important details about week 10! 

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Pregnancy in the First Trimester

How I'm handling being pregnant so far:

At 10 weeks  pregnant, I finally started to feel like a normal human being again. I've read and been told that pregnancy is such a beautiful thing, but that was hard to believe during weeks 7-8 which were the peak weeks of my morning sickness.

Now it is much easier to get up and ready for work. I am able to eat more, my appetite is almost back to what it was before my pregnancy. I also have more energy. I still find myself exhausted by 9 pm, but this is a big improvement from clocking out at 7 pm.

Lifestyle changes

Since finding out about my pregnancy I have made a few gradual changes. Prior to this point, I

was on a mostly fish diet. Mainly salmon, tilapia and shrimp, along with occasional baked chicken. So I have had to make some changes to my diet to include less fish, to protect my child from too much mercury, and more red meat & chicken. This change wasn't too hard since I have not always been on the mostly fish diet, but adding more calcium and certain foods has been a bit harder. I hate the taste of milk outside of a bowl of cereal, so getting more milk and calcium has been a challenge. I'm sure I will make more changes as we move along this journey but for now not much has changed. I've never been a heavy drinker and I don't smoke so that makes things pretty easy.

Look Who's Expecting.

Our Announcement

My boyfriend and I are excited to announce that we are expecting our first child together! I am extremely excited to embark on this journey with him and I am eager to document it here on this blog. 
We told very close family members first, mostly in person or over the phone around week 7 of my pregnancy. 

The big reveal came during week 9 in a post on Facebook. I could have just made a status stating that I was pregnant but why do that when you have access to Pintrest? My favorite photo-pregnancy announcement shows the father passed out on the floor holding a positive pregnancy test. For some reason, I felt this was hilarious and really captured my boyfriend and my sense of humor. We recreated this picture and posted it for our friends and family to see. If you are thinking of doing something like this you can always search unique or cool pregnancy announcements online or on Pintrest and you will find ample examples. 

Wig Transformation: Outre First Lady

I went to New Orleans last week and while I was there I wore wigs and head wraps to protect my hair and to cut down on the time spent getting ready. The last thing I wanted to do on vacation was worry about retwisting my hair at night or stressing about whether or not my Fro would live up to my expectation for those 4 days. 

The wigs & head wraps proved to be a hit! Even in the 97-degree weather I was able to stay cute and cool (We mostly stayed in during the peak heat of the day). While I was there I wore my Beshe 'Drew' wig, my Tigris head wrap from The

New Content!

Don't forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel! A lot of the blogs I post here are also on YouTube but not always! To make sure you don't miss out please subscribe to Little Things B Loves on YouTube and catch up on all my videos.

Here are my latest ones! 

I love your feedback! Please leave me a comment, like or share my video :)

NOLA Vacation Haul & Try on Video

Drew Wig Review 

Marley Hair Faux Bun Tutorial

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Protective Style: Jumbo Marley Hair Bun

Hi Ladies! I just uploaded a new bun tutorial on my YouTube Channel. The last time I was able to do a bun was when I was transitioning to the natural life! About 2 years later my fully natural hair is finally able to make a small bun so I decided to try an old style with a new twist! Instead of the straight Kanekalon braiding hair I opted for Marley hair! Check out the video and let me know if you like it! 

Tales From The Roots: Natural Hair Update

As you know I've been protective Styling my hair for a few weeks now. The wigs are gone and here is my lovely Fro! Check out the video on my YouTube page to see my growth and hear about my wig experience! 

Ways to Wear it: Pearls

Since, well forever, pearls have been a must have piece in every woman's jewelry box. Pearls were worn by the royals of places like Ancient Persia, Rome, Greece and Egypt. So they have been around quite a while. Back then they represented romance, purity and wealth, which was a very important factor in owning a strand. To this day these gems are difficult to attain and were considerably more so back then, so of course only a few had the privilege of wearing them. In fact, in England only the royal and nobility were legally allowed to wear them.

Because of their history and rarity culturally their association with wealth, class, and sophistication as well femininity and glamour has stuck. This is one of the main reasons women choose to wear them to special occasions such as weddings, formal dinners and job interviews. Nothing gives the impression of professional and respectable woman like wearing pearls on a job interview. 

But luckily attaining this look is not restricted to the wealthy anymore. Adding a single strand of real white or pink pearls to your jewelry box can cost you between $5,000- $10,000 but average girls such as myself can find knock off pearls in basically any retail store. So pick your price!

Ways to Wear It: Barbie Tshirt

Video Review at the bottom of this post!!

Barbie Girl

Everyone knows that Barbie is a cultural icon. For most girls my age she was the definition of playtime. Period. Ever girl I knew had boxes of Barbie clothes, shoes we could never keep up with, a million of those little plastic combs and not to mention the accessories. My Barbies had a dream house, an apartment, a VW Beetle, an air plane, a drop top Porsche and a horse, High Stepper. I don't know what girls play with nowadays but Barbie was the Bomb.com! My child will most definitely have Barbies but we will be sure to girl them all cute Afros ;)

Adore Me 1st Month

Video Review at the bottom of this post!

Adore Me is a monthly subscription company, much like JustFab or ShoeDazzel, that sells lingerie, swim wear and pajamas. I first heard about them from YouTube. The Bronzegoddess01 did a few reviews for them so I decided to give them a shot.

It's actually pretty nice. You pay $39.95 per month and can pick anything you like or you can skip by the 5th of the month without being charged. They will remind you via email & text to skip or order before you are charged.

Tales From the Roots: Heaven Wig Review

Trying something new!!!!
Video review at the bottom of this post!

I saw this wig on YouTuber DeeDee a few days ago and I had to pick it up! I fell in love with both the color & cut of the wig. This deep burgundy is unlike anything I have ever tried in a wig or my natural hair so I decided to be bold! I am going on vacation in a month and I wanted to wear the Beshe 'Drew' wig in the color 'wine' which is a shade of burgundy so this is a nice warm up for that.


So without further ado meet the Freetress Equal Synthetic Deep Invisible L Part Lace Front Wig "Heaven" in the color 99J. I picked her up from Elevatestyles.com of course and she is very reasonably priced. This is a lace front with about 4 inces of natural parting space. You can tweeze the part and add some of your

Tales from the Roots: First Lady Wig Review

Here is the Outre 'First Lady' wig. I picked her up from my local beauty supply store for $39.99. Not a bad price but you can definitely find this wig online for under $30. After buying this wig on an impulse smh) and seeing the online price I have vowed to always shop online or at least shop around for a better deal! You live and you learn. 

When trying it on in the store and even in my first video I was fond of the wig but since then I've worn it out a few times and my opinion has changed somewhat. Although it is a nice wig in my personal opinion it's not worth more than $20, maybe $24.

Summer Protective Styling

Beshe Shelly Wig update

The Beshe 'Shelly' Wig has truly changed by life for the better. It is so easy to log onto YouTube, see a Youtuber raving about something, covet it until you buy it and then forget about it. At least this is generally how things go with me *cough* Crochet Wig *cough*. That's exactly how I ended up with Shelly but instead of only wearing her two times on the weekend I ended up wearing her every day... for four weeks.

I know,  I'm just as shocked as you are!

DIY Movie Ticket stub Shadow Box

Here is my latest craft endeavor which is 
Pintrest inspired!

I was looking for a way to display and store my saved movie ticket stubs. I have been collecting the ticket stub from every movie I have attended for the past 2 years. Most I have seen with my boyfriend, which makes these very sentimental, but I also saved the stubs of movies I saw with others. I am a big movie goer so saving these paper mementos was important to me. I am also an AMC Stubs card holder, which is a loyalty program offered by AMC theaters. One of the perks of

Tales From The Roots: Beshe 'Shelly' Wig Review

Hey Girl! 

I recently ordered this wig from Elevatestyles.com and I'm very pleased to tell you that I absolutely LOVE this wig. Her name is Shelly and she is a Beshe synthetic wig. 

Before I buy any wigs I do research on Youtube to get a sense of what it will look like and how other women feel about the wig. While I was in search of a natural looking afro/curly textured wig I came across a review of Shelly done by ColouredBeautiful. That's pretty much when I fell in love with it but before buying it I did watch several other reviews of this wig. In each of the videos I watched the wig received rave reviews so it was a no brainer at that point.

E.L.F Makeup Haul

Hey Girl! 

New content up on my YouTube page! 

I recently did a little shopping on http://www.eyeslipsface.com/ Make sure you check it out 

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OOTW: Graduation Edition

I recently attended the graduation ceremony of my Aunt, She received her masters degree in Social Work. Here is the outfit I wore.

The weather was a little cloudy & cool that day but I wanted to wear a skirt and spring colors despite the 66 degree high. So I opted for a pencil skirt & a simple shirt. I wore a slip under the skirt to add a little warmth and to help everything lay smoothly. You might recognize the yellow top from my recent haul video. I really love the construction of this shirt. The fitted tank and flowy chiffon pleated front make it perfect for wearing with a skirt or suit pant.

Spring Look Book Video!

Hi Ladies!

 I just uploaded a look book video to correspond with the last 4 outfits I uploaded. Check it out on my YouTube page and make sure you like and subscribe if you'd like to see more!

I'm Onnat: Spring & Summer looks for 2015!

For more info on these looks check out the following links:

Wrap Dress ~ Floral Romper 

Chiffon Shirt Dress ~ Ivory Dress like Romper

If you like the song Featured in the video make sure you check out Drew Fridge on iTunes and Soundcloud!

Twitter/Instagram Info is @drewfridge

www.DrewFridgeMusic.com

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Spring Look book: Ivory Romper

Pleated Dresslike Ivory Romper

Despite their restroom restrictions I love, love, LOVE rompers in the summer. But I love dress-like rompers even more. By dress-like I mean that it either looks like a dress but actually has shorts on the bottom or there are actually shorts underneath a skirt. The Floral Print Romper I picked up from Charlotte Russe isn't quite as dress like as this one but the bottom is very flowy and loose, making it feel like a mini dress when you are wearing it. This romper has a skirt on top of a pair of thin white shorts (which aren't meant to be seen).

Spring Look Book:Chiffon Shirt Dress

Drawstring Chiffon Shirt Dress

The thing I love about summer/ spring is the ease of picking out a dress and sandals in the morning and walking out the door. No need to fool with picking the right shirt & pants combo (so many things can go wrong in that scenario at 6 AM in the morning). This is probably why 90% of my summer wardrobe consists of dresses in various styles and colors. When I bought this dress I knew it would definitely be one of my go-to looks for work and weekend errands this season. 

Spring Look book: NY&C Wrap Dress

The Wrap Dress 

I think it is common knowledge that the Wrap Dress is one of the most flattering dresses you can put on your body. No matter your shape or weight, a wrap dress can give you curves and amazing cleavage.

These dresses have been popular since the 60's & 70's with Diane Von Furstenberg's name being at the forefront of the wrap dress movement. She is actually still selling amazing wrap dresses which can often be seen worn on the Wendy William's show. 

I found this dress at New York & Company, and although it isn't a Furstenberg it is still gorgeous and most importantly affordable. 

Spring Lookbook: Floral Romper

Floral Print Chiffon  Romper

I'm so happy that rompers are still in style this year. Especially because there are so many more styles and colors available. Last year I got a few from Target and H&M, which I still like but the downside to these were that they weren't work appropriate. 

Generally if you buy a shorts romper they are short or tight and show a lot of skin. But I think this romper is a step in the right direction. The top is fitted but not too tight. I love the position of the waist line. It's placement above the hips & belly button is very slimming. I added a slim belt to compliment my waist but this isn't needed since the waist is already tailored to fit. I also love the loose, pleated shorts bottom. Even though the bottom is short, the flaring loose quality balances this out.

Spring and Summer Shopping Haul

If you haven't already, please check out my YouTube page. I just uploaded a shopping haul video featuring some of the things I picked up from Charming Charlie, New York & Company and Akira. The season is just getting started so there will be many more hauls but be sure to check this one out for sales, great deals and cute spring looks!

Check back soon for style blogs and videos featuring these items!

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Tales from the Roots: Natural Hair Rules

The best thing a girl can do is learn how to love and appreciate herself just the way she is. I think a big part of that is loving your natural hair, no matter what race or ethnicity you are, and being able to take care of it. From my own experiences and from those of my friends I have learned a lot about this natural world and I just want to share with you the basics.

The Basics 

There can be a lot of confusion if you are searching for answers on how to take care of your hair, especially if you are newly natural or trying to go natural. What is the LOC method? What is Co-washing? Am I a 4B or a 4C and what does that mean exactly? What is a Cocoon twist? Should I get Biotin or Hairfinity? and many more questions. Honestly, time is the only thing you will need because eventually you will learn how to navigate the natural lingo, techniques & products but I find that a lack of knowledge of the basics can hinder healthy hair growth and make your hair journey a lot harder than it needs to be.

Tales from the Roots: Havana Twist

Havana Twists Protective Style 

As summer approaches all of the Naturals are searching for the next protective style. Protective styling in the summer is very important. It help us deal with the heat, gives our hair a break and allows it to grow. I like many naturals chose to get twists/braids, instead of weaves or wigs. Last year I got Senegalese twists for my vacation but this year I decided to try the Havana twists. The main difference here is the size but the method of twisting is pretty much the same.

Still Chevron Dreamin'

Last year around this time I did a complete over haul of my bedroom. Check out my post Chevron Dreamin for pictures of how my room looked before and after. This year I decided to change things up for spring.


My reasoning for painting my walls gray and white was to give myself room for a lot of change. My walls and carpet are a blank palette, allowing me to change up my look by simply changing out my room accessories (Comforter, paintings, rug etc). This is exactly what I did a few weeks ago.

Tales from the Roots: Crochet Wig!

      The latest video on my YouTube page is about how I created my own Crochet Wig. I included the step by step process of how it was created and a show & tell. It's very easy to do and I learned how to do this right from YouTube...

How I maintain my Straight Natural Hair

Hey girl! There is a new video up on my YouTube Page! In it I show you how I maintain my straight natural hair. So far I've had my hair straightened going on 3 weeks. I don't do this often but when I do my goal is to keep it cute with as little heat used as possible. 

Healthy hair is the #1 priority!! 

Check out my vid below :)

More Pictures of my Straight hair...

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Look HOT on Date Night

Valentines Day isn't the only reason you can get all dolled up for your Boo or Bae! Dates should be a regular part of any healthy relationship, no matter how long you've been together. I love dressing up for dates, even if we aren't going anywhere extra special. Below are two different date looks that can give you some inspiration for your next night out.

OOTW: Date Night

Here is my Valentines day look! (better late than never!)

Sometimes you just have a moment in the dressing room. You pick up a dress that looks like it has potential but could easily be a miss just as easily as it could be a hit. Then you try it on and the magic happens! This doesn't happen often. Even for someone who loves to shop like I do. So obviously I had to buy this dress when I had that magical moment and I'm glad I did. I was a knock out on valentines day and I did it all on a budget.