The V List

There is no force equal to a Woman determined to rise - W.E.B Dubois

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Sephora Savings Event Shopping Guide

As a personal stylist/shopper, the biggest issue I hear from my clients is that they feel overwhelmed by shopping, whether online or in-store. They never know where to start or what to buy.

Well here is a solution I think you’ll appreciate. Welcome to The V List Collective Shopping Guides. This first guide is dedicated to the Sephora Savings Event. If you’re following me on Instagram, you may have already seen this.

These guides are based on my personal recommendations and/or products or items I think most people would like. These are affiliate links, so I’ll get a small commission if you decide to purchase.

With Black Friday & Cyber Monday right around the corner, I will be releasing several more Shopping Guides just in time for the holidays. You can find my guides here on my blog, Instagram, or straight in your inbox.

Tobacco Vanille • Tom Ford • $70–425 MYSLF Eau de Parfum • Saint Laurent • $44–192 Libre Eau de Parfum Perfume Set - Yves Saint Laurent | Sephora • Saint Laurent • $99 KAYALI OUDGASM VANILLA OUD | 36 Eau de Parfum Intense Travel Spray • KAYALI OUDGASM VANILLA OUD | 36 Eau de Parfum Intense Travel Spray • $51 KAYALI OUDGASM TOBACCO OUD | 04 Eau de Parfum Intense Travel Spray • KAYALI OUDGASM TOBACCO OUD | 04 Eau de Parfum Intense Travel Spray • $38 Danessa Myricks Beauty Yummy Skin Blurring Balm Powder • Danessa Myricks Beauty Yummy Skin Blurring Balm Powder • $36 Must Have Minis Kit - belif | Sephora • belif • $19 DIVE IN! Hydration Set - belif | Sephora • belif • $38 Water Sleeping Mask with Squalane • LaNeige • $43.50 Lil Butta Dropz Mini Whipped Oil Body Cream Trio • Lil Butta Dropz Mini Whipped Oil Body Cream Trio • $59 Cuffing Season Candle - FORVR Mood | Sephora • Cuffing Season Candle - FORVR Mood | Sephora • $19 Mini Candle Gift Set- Your Sign To Shine - FORVR Mood | Sephora • Mini Candle Gift Set- Your Sign To Shine - FORVR Mood | Sephora • $25

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Vicki in Paris

"A walk about Paris will provide lessons in history, beauty, and in the point of Life." "  -- Thomas Jefferson

I know, I know it’s been a while since my last post, but let’s not dwell on the past. It’s 2019 and I’ve dubbed this year as Travel’19. My first stop was Paris, France where, I spent eight glorious wintery days. Even in the cold chill of the January air, Paris was warm and welcoming to me. I am completely and totally in love with that city. It has a certain je ne sais quoi that just draws me in. It feels as if I’ve lived there in a previous lifetime (although I still struggle with the French language).  

This was my third time visiting the “City of Lights”. Each time I discover something new and different. I visited the Sacré-Coeur Basilica and the Montmartre neighborhood, where I had some of the BEST macrons I’ve ever tasted. I stayed with my friend Audrey in Fontenay-sous-Bois, which is outside of the city, but a quick and convenient train ride away. One neighborhood over is Vincennes, which is Hollywood picturesque. It literally looks like you’ve walked onto the set of a Disney movie, with alabaster sidewalks and a Castle to boot. Both of these towns are on the RER A train which takes you straight to Disney Land Paris! I didn’t go to Disney Land this time, but I did go the outlet mall, La Vallée Village, which is one stop before Disney Land. They had every designer store except Chanel.

One of my favorite points of this trip was a photo shoot I did with photographer Matthieu Waddell. During the photoshoot some really cute tourist from Brazil, asked to take pictures with me! Of course I had to oblige them, one told me I was gorgeous!

I could go on and on and on, but I’ll just leave you with more visual evidence. Here are some photo highlights from my trip. Make sure you follow me on Instagram @_thevlist, to check out my Travel’19 highlights. Paris pictures are up now. Don’t forget to subscribe, for details on how you can join me in Paris for the spring!

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Welcome to the Collective

"Let yourself be drawn by the stronger pull of that which you truly love..."  -- Rumi

Hey Fam!

You’re here! You came! I'm so glad you decided to stop by! First, let me say welcome to my new home. As you can see, The V List has evolved to The V List Collective.  I have my own domain name and everything!  The V List Collective encapsulates all of my great loves: fashion, event planning, and travel. More importantly it gives me the opportunity to share my loves with others.

 I made a very deliberate decision to take a break from social media, earlier this year.  I logged-off, Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter AND Instagram! I needed a mental reset from the daily barrage of Trump antics, internet trolls, and just the utter BS to put it quite frankly. I took that to time reflect, assess, and basically do life inventory. I realized I was devoting time and energy to things that weren’t beneficial to me. I was quickly approaching my 30s and I didn’t feel fulfilled. I realized that I wasn’t fulfilled because I wasn’t doing what I loved! I was watching everyone else find success doing what they’re passionate about and I felt like I was stuck in the mundane of things.

During my social media hiatus, I decided to focus my energy and really start using the talents God gave me. I love fashion; I have a talent for styling people. I thoroughly enjoy helping people look and feel good with a great outfit.  I love creating memorable events that people talk about years later. I have a talent for organizing, functions, parties, programs, and more. I had to really ask myself why I wasn’t capitalizing off my talents and passions? Especially when I saw soooo many blueprints from people who do it every day. I couldn’t find any reason other than fear. Me,? The girl who tries to live her life without any fear, was letting fear get in her way?! How could that be??  I had been sleeping on my gifts, not letting them make room for me.

So, while I was away from the social stratosphere, I came up with The V List Collective, the next step in The V List’s evolution. I'm bringing everything that I'm passionate about to you, the world, the universe! I'm bombarding my way past the fear, and really chasing after the life I want. 

I want to hear from you…what have you been holding out on doing because of fear? Comment below and let me know.

Until Next Time…

-V

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Spring into Fashion by thevlist featuring a shopping bag

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DC Street Style by thevlist featuring crystal stud earrings

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Dior Assassin by thevlist featuring circle sunglasses

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Romantic Reds by thevlist featuring suede shoes

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Untitled #16 by thevlist featuring Lime Crime

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Crazy Sexy Cool by thevlist featuring Gucci

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Spring into Action by thevlist featuring a long chain necklace

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The V List: Beauty Edit

I recorded a video for National Lipstick Day (which was a about a week ago). Check it out below! 

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Mermaid Season ‘17

Big girls are making a comeback...well  we never really went anywhere. But in the spirit of body positivity, I am dubbing summer’17  Mermaid Season!! This is for all the girls who have thick thighs, with no gap. This is also for the girls with stretch marks, love handles and jelly rolls.  I’m sharing with you some of my favorite swimsuits, and bikinis moments from this year and past summers.  I hope you get some inspiration to show some skin and celebrate the body you’re in. Don’t be afraid to rock the body you got! Check out the pics below of some of my favorite looks! 

Until Next Time...

-TVL

[thevlist]

#TheVListTravels: Where are you headed next?

I’ve been asked this question a lot lately. I guess the people around me know that I don’t tend to stay put for very long these days. Well the jury’s in and we have a verdict (I just had jury duty lol)! I’m headed to....

Las Palmas de Gran Canaria! Las Palmas is the capital city of Gran Canaria, which one of the seven Canary Islands off the coast of north-west Africa. These islands are technically Spanish islands and are a popular European vacation destination. One of my former co-workers told me about the Canary Islands. She would vacation there frequently when she lived in Paris. So naturally, I had to go and see for myself. 

I’m traveling with little sister; this will be our second girls trip (we are trying to make this a tradition)! I’m sooo excited (I say this every time lol).  We are actually leaving this Thursday and we will be gone for 14 days! While we’re there we are gonna island hop and check out Tenerife another one of the bigger islands that has a black sand beach!! I’m not gonna give all the plans away so, make sure you follow me on Instagram (@_thevlist) and watch my insta- story, so you can follow along on my travels! 

Until Next Time...

-TVL

[thevlist]

#TheVListTravels : A Boozy Weekend in Harlem.

This past weekend, I went to New York, to visit with my friends. I usually stay in Brooklyn, but this time I stayed in Harlem with my best friend, Rashaun. Her place is super cute and just steps away from Saint Nicholas Park. It’s been years since I really spent any time in Harlem ( I would usually only go to Harlem to eat). So this was almost a totally new experience for me... the landscape was much different from what I remember. Some of the establishments I would frequent were still there, but a lot things were new or at least new to me. Nonetheless, I had a marvelous time because, I spent most of the weekend drinking. Let me just say, drinking in your late twenties is totally different than your early twenties. I knew this before but now I KNOW this without a shadow of a doubt. It is a confirmed FACT. My body was like "Bitch?! Who do you think you are?? We aren't about that life anymore! You tried it!” Needless to say, I may have over indulged. If you follow me on Instagram, than you’ve already seen some my Harlem experience on my IG story.  At any rate, below is a quick recap of my New York weekend. Make sure you check TheVListTV for video highlights.

I started off  my NY weekend, walking around Chelsea then Greenwich Village. I stumbled upon this awesome little tapas spot, called Barraca. They had an awesome lunch special for $18 and $6 sangrias. Rashaun and I definitely got a bit tipsy. The food was really good too! I didn’t expect to get such a large serving but I was pleasantly surprised. I needed my friend to help me finish everything.

Friday night I was able to meet up for drinks with one my really good friends, Brian. We went to Harlem Nights but after spotting one of the biggest cockroaches ever at the bar we left. We ended up at Harlem Tavern, which was a complete BLAST! The food, the drinks, the music, everything was on point. I had some Hennessy cocktail, that set my night off. It was sooooo good! I was definitely dancing in my seat after that drink lol. My only complaint about Harlem Tavern is, it was super loud. We had to basically yell to hear each other. Next time I’m in Harlem...I’m definitely going back to Harlem Tavern.

Saturday we spent most of the day at brunch. We first went to Lido Harlem, BUT the wait was too long for me. So we ended up at Streetbird Rotisserie, just to be disappointed by the menu. I ordered red velvet chicken and waffles and it was NOTHING like what I expected or wanted. I had to send it back. I felt a little bad, but it wasn’t what I expected. My friends had the same issue with their food. Since none of us were satisfied with our food...the manager comped our bill and gave us complimentary mimosas (and that was start). We decided to go BACK to Lido, which had the BEST berry french toast and peach bellinis. If I had exercised some patience, we would’ve had been there in time for the unlimited mimosas brunch. Lesson learned. If you plan on visiting Harlem, make sure you check out Lido for brunch on Saturday or Sunday. After brunch we went to Polished for mani/pedis. Polished is such a calm and relaxing salon, and shop manager has the R&B playlist. 

Sunday was chill day. Mainly because I spent most recovering from Saturday. I was suppose to meet up with my other friends, Deandra and Audrey, but that just didn’t happen. I don’t think we got out the house until 8 or 9 o’clock at night. We went to Harlem Public, a super cool and cheap dive bar. They have two different sides...one side is like a dive bar and the other has more of a restaurant vibe. The food was delicious and cheap.  I don’t typically drink beer, but whatever ale I ordered was really good. You can order drinks in two different sizes. I got the smaller size, but it felt like a huge drink for me.

Make sure you follow me on Instagram and subscribe to my YouTube channel, TheVListTV. 

Until Next Time...

-TVL

[thevlist]

#TheVListTravels: Fave Five Travel Apps

I have been booking a lot of trips lately for myself and for my family (we all have the travel bug). So this week I wanted to share with you, another one of my fave five travel essentials. This time I’m focusing on apps and websites that I use to book my travel. These are sites I use to find deals, excursions, and places to stay at an affordable price. I get the most bang for my buck, when I use these sites!  Keep reading for more…

Skyscanner - I was put on to Skyscanner late in the game, but it has QUICKLY become my goto app for plane tickets. Skyscanner is amazing because it basically searches all the travel websites to find the lowest fare for your route. For example, I just booked a trip to LA for my dad using Skyscanner. I found round trip tickets, non-stop on United airlines for $298. When I searched for that SAME EXACT flight on United’s website, the price was about $400 roundtrip. Granted there were some cheaper flights offered through Spirit Airlines and even American, but my dad preferred to fly on United. Skyscanner is a great website and app to keep in your travel arsenal. ( NOTE: I booked this flight BEFORE United started dragging customers off their planes.)

Airbnb- Most people know about Airbnb but haven’t used it themselves. I’ve stayed in some amazing homes and met some of the nicest people, all while paying half of what I would pay for a hotel. For instance, when I went to Rio, I was able to find a wonderful 1bedroom apartment, literally steps away from Copacabana beach, for a little over $500 for 10 nights! A hotels in the same area were averaging $150 a night, on top of that they were all booked up because of the 2016 Olympics. We were able to stay in Copacabana for a fraction of the price. If you don’t have an Airbnb account yet, click my referral link here to sign-up and get $40 off your first stay!

TripAdvisor - TripAdvisor is one of my favorite website for travel inspiration and the 411 on my travel destinations. Each year TripAdvisor releases its “Best of Travel” lists and my favorite is the Top 10 Destinations on the Rise. I also like to use them as a research tool. I look up travelers reviews and photos for hotels and excursions. Usually if I find an amazing travel deal somewhere, I will check the TripAdvisor reviews first. Sometimes those deals are too good to be true for a reason.  Also as an addendum, Viator is a TripAdvisor company and I book a lot of day trips, activities and tours through Viator. The pricing is always competitive in my opinion. I use both the website and the mobile app for both sites.

Airfare Watchdog - This is another great resource for finding cheap flight deals. With Airfare Watchdog, you sign-up via email to receive fare deals from the airport of your choice. For example, I live in the DMV area so I receive fare alerts from Reagan National(DCA), Dulles International(IAD), and Baltimore Washington International(BWI) airports. You can also sign-up to receive alerts for a specific route. For instance, when I was looking for cheap flights to Vegas, I signed-up to receive alerts for the best and cheapest flights for my travel days. 

Shermans Travel - Instead of using, Groupon or Living Social, I like Shermans Travel for all-inclusive travel packages. I haven’t personally booked any trips through Shermans; HOWEVER, I have found trips for some of my co-workers and friends. I helped one of my former co-workers book a 10-day girls trip to Ireland through Shermans Travel and she saved quite a lot of money. A lot of the deals offered through this site include airfare and some even include tours or excursions.  

I hope you found this all helpful! Remember to follow me on Twitter and Instagram @_thevlist and subscribe to my YouTube channel: The V List TV (links are in the header). 

Until Next Time...

-TVL

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#TheVListTravels: Los Angeles

“In Los Angeles, everyone is a star”- Denzel Washington.  

Los Angeles, California...the City of Angels... was nothing at all what I expected. I was expecting this cosmopolitan city of pretentious, plastic people and over priced everything. That’s the misconceived perception I had. Honestly...truly.  I was pleasantly surprised that I was totally wrong. I had an absolute BLAST in LA, and the people were some of the nicest I’ve ever encountered while traveling.  My friends and I got to do pretty much everything on our bucket list. Here are some of my trip highlights and pictures below.

DTLA-  We were in LA for about 5 days/ 4 nights. We had an Airbnb in Downtown LA (DTLA), but I think next time, I will stay in Santa Monica or Hollywood. Downtown LA  was cool, but it felt like every other metropolitan area in the U.S. Also I don’t what the problem was, but EVERY SINGLE Lyft and Uber driver had a hard time finding our place. It was always a task ordering a ride, which quickly became a pet peeve.  Other than the exhausting ride-shares, DTLA was nice. I really enjoyed The Last Bookstore. It’s such a quirky and whimsical used book paradise. I bought three books for less than $15, which is about the cost of one new book. We also made it to Santee Alley in the Fashion District. You can find a lot of trendy clothes and shoes for affordable prices. I purchased a few things for the summer. For all my ladies, Lola Shoetique has two locations in Santee Alley as well. We also hit up The Grove (because you have to) although technically, it isn’t in DTLA. I didn’t really do any shopping there, but The Grove is a cute move for a date night situation. You have the Cheesecake Factory, a cool movie theatre, and nice water fountains. Plus there’s a trolley/train you can ride. But I digress... finally DTLA had a lot of cool street art! Actually there were amazing murals and street art all over the city, but some of my favorite were downtown. 

Santa Monica - I LOVED Santa Monica. The vibe was so relaxing and laid back. Everything from walking the Santa Monica Pier, strolling through Tongva Park, and shopping at the 3rd Street Promenade was everything I expected from LA. Even though it was unseasonably cold while I was in California, the sun was bright and shining in Santa Monica which made me so happy. We ended up going to Bubba Gump Shrimp for lunch, but there were soooo many other food options. We just wanted a good plate of seafood and big cocktail (we enjoyed a midday cocktail the entire trip). I think if  was ever to move to California I would definitely want to live in Santa Monica. I can’t quite explain it beyond I felt so at peace. Maybe it was the ocean air, or maybe it was the care free vibe. It could also be that I was slightly tipsy from my midday cocktail (I have no shame). Whatever it was, I was there for all of it.

Street Art and Instafamous Walls-  As I mentioned earlier, there are so many amazing murals and street art all around LA.  A lot of those walls are a fashion blogger’s paradise. Just about every girl on Instagram has taken pictures at these locales, so I decided hop on the bandwagon lol! Although I was still in my workout clothes (we did this the same day as Runyon Canyon), I got some pics in front of the famous Paul Smith pink wall and Colette Miller’s Global Angel Wings. The next set of pictures were all taken while I was walking down Melrose Ave.

Runyon Canyon and Griffith Oberservatory- I’m not going to lie, I thought I was going to have a heart attack by time I finished hiking up this damn mountain. I know “mountain” is an exaggeration but, hey that’s how it felt. I was so excited to do some hiking at Runyon Canyon, but lawdhavemercyJesus! It took ALLL of my cells, muscles fibers, and the will of me, my friends, and GOD to get me up that hill. I’m glad I did it though, and I felt accomplished afterwards. I also realized that we we took the hard and rugged way up. I felt like that old gospel song: “I’m coming up (double clap) on the rough side...of the mountain! I’m doin’ my best to make it in...” Thank God for my friends, they didn’t let me quit, even when I wanted to. Not only did I feel accomplished afterwards, I saw some of the most breathtaking views of the city.  After we accomplished Runyon Canyon we headed to Griffith Observatory. This was one of my favorite parts of the whole trip! I love going to planetariums and the one at Griffith is amazing! There are some pretty awesome exhibits as well. The other great thing is the Griffith is F-R-E-E; however, you do have to pay a small entrance fee (like $5-$7) for the planetarium shows.  I highly recommend the Griffith to anyone visiting LA for the first time. They even have free stargazing parties on certain days. I will definitely go back, the next time I’m in LA LA Land. 

Until Next Time...

-TVL

[thevlist]

Shoedazzle Spring Haul

Happy Spring Equinox! Spring has finally sprung; although, weather wise it feels like winter (global warming). In any case I’m excited for all the springtime fashions especially in the shoe department! If you been following me for awhile you know shoes are my weakness! So I thought I share with you a Shoedazzle Spring Haul! Get into these styles below…

The first shoe I purchased is the Anna- Kora. (Side note I have big feet therefore, all of the shoes featured today are size 11) This uber comfortable loafer is available on Shoedazzle.com in three different colors. As you can see I choose this super trendy metallic silver. I love the white soles and the tassel detailing. I also love that I can dress these up or down. Anna-Kora is great styled with bright colors or patterns. You can achieve a very chic-menswear casual look with these loafers. They have a luxe appeal without the luxury price.

This next shoe is simple, effortlessly chic and super on trend. The Akita heel is like 4 trends in one. The lucite or perspex heel (which is literally every), the stacked or chunky heel and the single sole / single strap details, OH AND the ombre color effect is just amaze balls! It’s trend on trend on trends with-out doing the most! These heels are just enough! I saw them and I was like “ooo I just gotta have iitt!” Unfortunately these are already sold out on Shoedazzle. However I’m sure you can find similar heels else where. These are probably my favorite out of this haul!

Next up is Anka. Even though this bootie may be more fall appropriate, you can most definitely get away with it for the spring (again global warming). They are reminiscent of the YEEZYS with the sock-like and knit detailing. I love this olive color and these stiletto heels are surprisingly comfortable. Again they have a luxe appeal without the luxury price. I like to wear these with black or distressed denim, but you can style these in a number of ways. They are available is different colors but they are almost sold out so if you want them hurry on over to Shoedazzle .

And Finally! The lovely Acacia. These dress sandals are adorable. They have a vintage vibe but are still modern. I love that they lace up the leg and have a chunky heel. The suede-like material is sooooo soft. Plus this blush pink or dusty rose color is still in season. This is a very feminine and flirty shoe…they make me so happy lol! These are available at justfab.com but shoedazzle does have similar styles.

Well I hope you’ve enjoyed this featured presentation! You can find these styles and so many more at Shoedazzle.com. Click my referral link below and get 75% off your first order. Check out The V List TV to see all these shoes in action!

Until Next Time…

-TVL