What to Wear

It’s a no brainer that you should ALWAYS follow the dress code when one is provided. The hostess of the bridal shower I attended made it simple by requesting floral dress. But what happens when one isn’t provided? First, consider the setting. Will the event be inside or outside? Was the invitation semi-formal or informal? In any situation, a casual dress in a pastel color is a great choice. If ever in doubt just simply ask the hostess!

What to Gift

Now here is where things got tricky for me. Originally, I decided to gift the bride an item from the wedding registry as it was listed on the bridal shower invitation. But after talking to my mom and a few other women, I was told the bridal shower gift should specifically be for the bride. Makes sense right? Well pulling something together at the last minute is a headache. I ended up getting a personalized set of Mr. & Mrs. stemless wine glasses from Things Remembered. Then I threw in a few spa time items like lavender castile soap, body scrub, body butter, and a candle. My tip here is to think about the bride. Is her style extravagant or more minimal? Does she have a separate bridal registry? In the end, other people still gifted items from the registry so my first plan would have worked out. But now I know to prepare in advance.

What to Wish

Most events have a guestbook or frame for you to sign. At a bridal shower or wedding, you may get the opportunity to leave more than a simple “congratulations.” Prepare your words! You never want to be caught off-guard if you’re asked to make a statement for a video or to sign a book. The last thing you want to do is hold up the line thinking of what to say. Depending on how well you know the couple will determine what you should wish. Something as simple as “Wishing you a lifetime of love and happiness” is quick, simple and sweet!

Remember, a wedding is the start of a new journey for the couple. Whether you go simple or more thoughtful being apart of the moment is what matters most! Have any bridal shower tips? Leave them in a comment below.

The post Attending a Bridal Shower: What You Should Know appeared first on Running Erins.

Last last week, Tarte and Sephora both released collections that left people of color asking “Where is my shade?” Tarte’s Shape Tape Foundation was highly anticipated within the beauty community. Then they went and released 15 shade. FIFTEEN! 12 shades of beige with 3 “deep” shades thrown at the end. The colors are so fair that some people can’t even mix colors to find a match. Really Tarte? Shortly after, Sephora released a photo on their Instagram of their new Bright Future Skin Tint. AND once again….where is my shade sis?!

In a world where Rihanna released FORTY shades on her first launch I don’t understand how a brand can release 15 and consider themselves “inclusive.” Fenty Beauty’s foundation sold out within the first week! So clearly when brands include us in the beginning we show up and show out! Not to mention, POC are the trendsetters in the beauty and fashion industry. We’re human. We don’t want to be and shouldn’t be an afterthought! And to make matters worse, in a statement after the release, Tarte stated that they focused on lighter tones as warmer colors tend to be “seasonal” and 10 more shades were coming soon. Really? Being a woman of color is NOT seasonal. I’m black in the winter, spring, summer, and fall. Even MakeupShayla, a very popular beauty influencer who worked with Tarte plenty of times, couldn’t find a match that was a fit.

Related: Small Black Owned Businesses

And beauty isn’t the only industry that is leaving us out. Denisse of thugnanny & Jessica of thecatchmeifyoucan both exposed brands for excluding people of color in the travel industry. In her blog post, Denisse talks about how popular clothing brand Revolve didn’t include any influencers of color in their most recent press trip. Jessica takes it a step further and shares an email she received from The Four Seasons location in Nevis which states her “demographic is not in line with [their] brand.” I guess people of coloring traveling is just as seasonal as our skin tones huh?

Picture from PopSugar Beauty

If you don’t understand what influencer marketing is, it may seem like not such a big deal to you but it is. But let’s not get it twisted. These influencers aren’t “complaining” about free product or “begging” for free trips. They simply want to be held at the same standard of their fair skinned counterparts. In a society where less people are listening to radio and more people are listening to podcasts, influencer marketing is very important! You can make 6 figures on YouTube when it takes most people a lifetime to achieve that. But just like anything else, influencers of color get the short end of the stick. And it’s time to say enough is enough in all aspects.

We have to start deciding which brands we want to shop with and support brands that support (and value) us! When you look at Revolve’s Instagram account you see the same thin, blonde hair, blue eyed models. It’s as if they have just ctrl+C ctrl+P repeatedly! The same thing happens when you look at Tarte’s Instagram. You have to scroll a few times before you see someone with darker skin. This should be a sign! We don’t quite fall “in line” with their brands so we definitely shouldn’t spend our money with them. It does not hurt to be inclusive but I also don’t think we need to beg these companies to put some RESPECK on our complexion.

It’s time to start holding these brands accountable. Whether it’s in beauty and fashion or travel. Two of my favorite YouTubers teamed up to talk about their Tarte PR packages. At the end of her video, Alissa Ashley gave suggestions for more inclusive brands and this is the example we should be following! I’m making it my mission to start seeking out more inclusive brands and you should to!

Have an inclusive brand you think I should check out? Leave it in the comments below!

The post Where is My Shade? appeared first on Running Erins.

I was sitting down with my blogger sister, Bri, a few months ago when she asked me who is my current style inspo. Without hesitation I answered, “Cardi B.” She had the most confused look on her face which was hilarious because if you know me, you know my style is definitely more of a comfy/cute. But I also love fashion (Rihanna is also an all time fave). I love seeing the way celebrities, or even other bloggers, put together an outfit. She continued by asking me “Well how would you describe your style?” And of course I said “Comfy/cute” at first but I followed it by saying “I also like to be a little Sophisti-Ratchet which is why I like Cardi B.”

Whether she is wearing Fashion Nova or Alexander Wang, you have to admit that Cardi B has been KILLING the fashion scene all 2017! From award shows to New York Fashion Week to her performance outfits. She displays her style in a way that is completely unique to her. She knows what works for her figure and she is not embarrassed by wearing inexpensive clothing. She can dress up in a ball gown or dress all the way down to something with little material. And I think it’s so dope!

Check out a few of my favorite looks from Cardi B in the gallery above!

*all pictures have been pulled from Cardi B’s Instagram*

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“Have you ever heard of ThredUp? Why don’t you try that instead?”

I had heard of ThredUp before this but never used it. In fact, the only time I ever used a consignment shop was when I was a broke college student and needed a few extra bucks. Other than that, I always donated old clothes or gave them away. But since I am on this new path, trying to find financial freedom (aka I’m broke at the adult level) I figured I would give ThredUp a shot. Plus it made for a great story to share.

It took me about 3-4 days to receive the clean out bag in the mail. I had already cleaned out everything that I was getting rid of but I went through the bag again to separate the sell-able from the reusable. Once I filled up the bag I took it to the FedEx drop off down the street from work (they send you a prepaid label that is good for USPS and FedEx, which was easier for me). They offer return assurance so that you can receive the items back that they do not sell, however, I chose not to opt for return assurance because I would have given the items away anyway. There was really nothing for me to lose. I mailed the bag out on November 7th. I received an email on November 11 saying that it was received and would be processed by December 12th.

Once my bag was processed I saw that the company decided to sell 4 items out of my bag full. I wasn’t too upset about this because as I said earlier, the plan was to give them away. The most upsetting part was that the company was selling my items for a total of about $45 but I was only slated to get $1.75 back (that’s just enough for the vending machine). In fact, I didn’t even get my vending machine change back. The company charges a fee of $9.99 for shipping and handling (which is unclear in the beginning because they only mention the return assurance).

My items that were accepted/sold.

All in all, do I think this was worth it? Yes to have the experience. Would I do it again? No. I would much rather drop my clothes off at the Goodwill where I can get a tax deduction and know they will be donated than to have $1.75 that’s stuck in limbo.

But if you’re feeling lucky and would like to try ThredUp for yourself, use my link and you can earn $10 to spend on their website http://www.thredup.com/r/SCBEJP.

The post Experience with ThredUp appeared first on Running Erins.

To help you out, I’ve included a list of my top 5 small, BLACK-owned businesses that have gifts for the Millennial Queen in your life.

1. Pinkmoon Loungewear: Those sexy velvet shorts that you’ve seen all over the internet (Warning: they sell out fast! Turn on their Twitter/IG notifications to catch the pre-order). I’ve ordered 3 pieces from them and they are all amazing quality! The next release is scheduled for December 5th!
2. Legendary Rootz: Truly a brand that helps celebrate black culture. Legendary Rootz is known for their t-shirts with phrases that remind you to stay to true to who you are. (They have shirts for men too!)
   
3. Juvia’s Place: Great eyeshadow palettes for beginner to pro makeup artist/enthusiast. I had the privilege of seeing their booth at the IMATS NYC this Spring and was absolutely amazed at the product! (P.S. They started their Black Friday Sale early!)
   
4. Beauty Bakerie: Another great line of makeup products which have been featured on BuzzFeed, Nylon, and Teen Vogue. They offer cruelty-free products including lipsticks that barely move (aka smudge proof and kiss proof!).
   
5. Tees in the Trap: Does she luuhhh God & Trap Music? Is she sophistiratchet? These tees have fun and catchy sayings that anyone would love.
   

*Pictures do not belong to me. Images came directly from company websites.*

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