Aruba 2021 🇦🇼

My husband booked us a trip to Aruba for our 7th wedding anniversary. A few people in my network asked for the rundown of the trip with my recommendations.

We booked through our travel agent. I have her tagged at the end of this blog. She is excellent. We needed covid results to fly out and we had to download them in order to get a “boarding pass into Aruba.” The lines just to drop off bags were very long so I recommend having TSA precheck especially during this pandemic. The lines were long for customs in Aruba as well. I loved the Renaissance Marina hotel.  The all inclusive package is worth it. You have access to more than 5 restaurants with unlimited drinks. There are two other Renaissance properties with pools and amenities. The Renaissance hotel has its own flamingo beach which is another great amenity to have along with a Starbucks in the lobby, a gym and luxury shopping connected to it. There is a water taxi that will come to the hotel lobby to take you to the beach. That runs every 15 minutes. 

We took a tour of the island with Fantasy tours. The tour was 8 hours but we saw the entire island with a history lesson on its development. I recommend this if you love history or just want to see the whole island. There is a two hour lunch break at Baby Beach. This beach is a must see. The water is known for its 7 shades of blue. Ladies this and Flamingo beach is where you will get your IG pics! 

We took a submarine to the bottom of the ocean. This is for my daredevils. It was scary but fun! 2 hours of seeing the deep blue sea.

Let’s talk food. Gotta give you the best places to eat. You have to have dinner at L.G. Smith’s Steak and Chophouse. It’s rated the #1 restaurant in Aruba. Make sure to make reservations in the lobby for this restaurant preferably the day before. Aquarius inside the Renaissance Marina is great for breakfast. It has a big selection of food. Papagaya is also good for breakfast and you have an ocean view. Lunch I recommend at the Renaissance Marina lobby/pool. The burger and rum punch is where it’s at! Off resort I recommend Little Italy. It has fresh Italian and we even got serenaded. Make a reservation there too. 

You will need to book a covid test the day before leaving. The guests of the Renaissance have access to this but there is a fee. The results come same day and you can print it at the business center.

Make sure to pack your patience for the Aruba airport. You have todrop your bags off go through security and customs, pick up your bags up, drop them off again, go through security again and then you can go to your gate. Anything you purchase over $800 is taxed. Just a heads up. 

Our travel agent Natalie is wonderful you can find her instagram @getawaytoremember.

To see more picture check out my story highlight @curlmuva.

Lobster ravioli at L. G. Smith’s Steak and Chophouse

Flamingo beach

Flamingo beach

Flamingo beach

My Trip to the DC Black Hair Experience

Almost one year ago I went to The Black Hair Experience here in Atlanta. Once I heard that DMV opened one it was on my list to visit. Here are the details on my trip.

The DC Black Hair Experience was a fun way to spend my Saturday. The Black Hair Experience is a selfie museum dedicated to black hair and culture. I recommend if this is the major event for the weekend that you stay in the national harbor area. This area is very cute. It’s a waterfront area with plenty of food options and great views. We stayed at the AC Hotel by Marriot which was a very clean and safe hotel. It is across the street from a Starbucks (yay) and in walking distance to The Black Hair Experience (TBHE). I recommend pre-purchasing your tickets. They do time slots to help with social distancing. When you first get into the experience you get a wrist band to keep, scan your tickets and sign a waiver. Everything in DC requires a waiver (lol). The hair roller pit is the first stop. It’s similar to the childhood ball pit. You must have on socks to enter that area. They have an HBCU wall which was a great touch. I took a picture with my alma mater. Next to the HBCU wall is the hair oil lab. You can take pictures that give haircare chemist vibes. They have a photo area with the letters TBHE. This area is great for a boomerang or photo. The main floor has the selfie backdrops. They range from an aisle in a beauty supply, beauty supply store front, a hair salon, a kitchen with hot combs and more. My favorite area was a tunnel of mirrors that read “I am the magic.” I would allot 2 hours to get good photos and be able to get your money’s worth. They have a gift shop that features all black woman entrepreneurs. 

The food in the area around the experience is delicious. There’s a Crab Cake Cafe we went to for lunch. The cheesecake at Furlough Cheesecake was so good. It’s black woman owned. If you haven’t heard their story it’s inspiring. We took a Lyft to Ivy City Smokehouse which is a DC staple and in walking distance from that is Throw Social. The vibe in there is perfect. Games, drinks, good music and plenty of photo op areas.

Follow TBHE on instagram at @TheBlackHairExperience.

For more of my adventures follow me at @curlfriendsforever.

My day at the Selfie Xperience- 1st Selfie Studio in Henry County-

Hey! This blog is short and sweet. I decided to go check out the Selfie Xperience today to take some pictures for my products. I want to share the details with you.

I recommend this space to anyone who loves pictures and any content creators/business owners. You can also have friend dates there too. Tickets are $30 and definitely worth the price for the experience. The staff was so great and friendly. The studio features 30 plus walls for taking pictures. It’s perfect for small business owners that need an affordable way to create content to promote their business. Parking is easy because it’s in a plaza and check-in is simple. There are ring lights in every room and the staff is willing to help with pictures. They have an area for princess parties for little girls and you can rent areas as well. For more pictures of their walls take a look at their instagram.

Follow my blog and my instagram for more of my adventures. Take a look at my Etsy shop for any of the products in these pictures.

Black Owned Business Shoutout: Semeria’s Crochet Atelier

Semeria’s Crochet Atelier is owned by Dr. Devin Cooper and mother Somulra Ball. I met Dr. Cooper 15 years ago in college and it’s been great to see her achieve her professional dreams and pursue her passion on the side.

Dr. Cooper started crocheting at 10 years old. She would make scarves and hats to help with college expenses. During the pandemic Dr. Cooper and her mom used their downtime to start their business. It was dream of her mother’s to sell her crochet designs. Semeria’s Crochet Atelier, LLC was born in November 2020. Semeria was chosen due to it being Devin’s middle name and it’s a derivative of her mom’s name Somulra. Since her mother taught her to sew and is her business partner the name is perfect.

Semeria’s crochet atelier’s homemade products include pillows, bucket hats, headbands, cup cozies, dresses, cowls and more. I recently bought some crocheted plant baskets and they exceeded my expectations. Check out this black owned business for your crochet needs! I am so excited to see this business continue to grow.

Connect with them on facebook and instagram or go directly to their website!

To connect with me follow me on my personal instagram , curl page, and facebook page.

How I turned my Louis Vuitton shopping bag into a bag to carry

I first saw a Louis Vuitton shopping bag turned into a carrying bag on Tiktok! I saw it again on TheShadeRoom. By no means did I come up with this idea but I do want to share how easy it is. Don’t throw away your bags you can buy a $50 kit from thetotery.com and make an additional bag. Here are 3 easy steps. If you click the underlined text I’ve linked everything here to make it easy for you.

1. Measure your shopping bag with a tape measure. This step is the most important. Accurate measurements will make this project go smoothly. I could not find the accurate size for my bag so I had to improvise. You’ll measure length, width and height. Order your kit!
2. The directions are very easy. You cut the blue straps, put the bag in the clear bag and start adding the new straps per the step by step instructions.
3. You can buy scarves to add a little razzle dazzle to your bag.

For more of my adventures follow me on instagram and on TikTok.

Black Owned Business Shoutout: Sneaker Asylum

I recently went to Sneaker Asylum for their block party. I had a great time and wanted to share my experience. The store is located in Conyers, GA. Here are 3 things that made my experience great.

Great customer service. I want to start with the fact that the customer service was beyond amazing. I was greeted at the door. I went by myself so this greeting was extra special to me. Once I entered everyone said hello and an employee came to ask what I needed. He gave me the shoes I asked for and even showed me some special features about them. Checking out was easy and all my questions were answered. I will definitely be going back sooner than later. At the block party they were even cleaning customer’s shoes on their feet. How much better can it get?

Great products. I’ve been on the store website for months and even got my husband to get me a shirt from his recent visit. I knew exactly what I wanted when I got there. The apparel and shoes are so cute and there’s something for everyone. I saw backpacks, bags, shirts, hoodies, jackets, socks, compression socks, hats, and more. My favorite items are the Icon shirts. One of the shirts is pictured below. I will probably have them all soon.

Great vibe. The motto is “more than a sneaker” and it’s so spot on. The artwork on the walls is so detailed. It’s so Alanta. The paintings include the Atlanta skyline, the pink traphouse, 285, the Fox theatre and more. There are so black owned business represented within the store. My husband, friends and I love the store and I know you will tool.

For more of my adventures follow me!

My Review of the African Pride CURLBOX

The African Pride CURLBOX was a great box. It included 6 full size products for $25 shipping included. Overall I would give this product line a 3/5. The prices of the products range from $3-$5 at local pharmacy type stores. I’ve attached amazon links just so you can see the products but I recommend buying from a store for a better price or buying the CURLBOX for a better deal.

The box included African Pride pre-shampoo. I usually use coconut oil as my pre-poo so I was excited to see a pre-made pre-poo. I tried to think about what the pre-poo felt like before I looked at the ingredients. The texture of the pre-poo felt like aloe. One of the ingredients main ingredients is aloe and coconut water. Pre-shampoos help decrease breakage by helping to get the tangles out and helps keep the hair from being stripped of its natural oils.

The honey and coconut oil African pride shampoo cleanses without stripping the hair. The smell is great and the product has great slip. The coconut oil conditions, hydrates and repairs while the honey helps retain moisture and adds shine.

The honey, chocolate, and coconut oil African Pride Moisture Miracle conditioner has a great smell as well. I like the addition of the chocolate. It’s intent is to stimulate hair growth.

The Aloe and Coconut water Curl Defining gel gave me good definition but it also left my hair feeling a little hard. I used too much of the product. A little of the product goes a long way.

The box also came with maximum hold edge styling wax. There was flaking but it was minimal.

I always like to ask myself which product I would buy again to judge what I really liked. If I ran out of any of these I would buy the pre-poo. It is exactly how I would make a pre-poo if it was my product line.

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Day 2 hair using products mentioned above

My Trip to the #AtlantaSelfieMuseum

On Saturday afternoon I randomly decided to go to the Atlanta Selfie museum. I saw it on TikTok and saved it as a place that I wanted to visit. One of my favorite things was that after you buy your ticket you have flexibility to change the time. I was unsure of what time I’d be able to make it and they let me make 3 switches. I give them MAJOR kudos for that.

The address listed takes you to the Mercedes Benz stadium so put Snob Life Studio in your GPS and it will take you straight to the museum. There is parking on the street. I did not have to pay for parking.

I will also give them kudos because when I got there and they saw I was alone they handed me a selfie stick. If they had not done that I’m not sure how I would have been able to capture any good pictures. The greeter even helped me pair the selfie stick with my phone. I think he could see I was flustered from finding parking (lol).

There are 25 “instagrammable” backgrounds for you to take pictures in. Your time slot is an hour so my suggestion is that you make sure to get there the minute your time slot starts and look at their page before you go so you have an idea of what pictures you want to take.

Here are a few of my favorite pictures. You can see a video of more of the installations on my instagram page.

P.S. The shirt I’m wearing can be customized to your liking if you’re interested.

My Review of the Flawless by Gabrielle Union CURLBOX

The Flawless by Gabrielle Union CURLBOX came with 3 minute restoring conditioner, detangling leave-in conditioner, scalp soothing tonic, hydrating curl refresher spray, and defining curl creme. When they announced this box I knew I had to get it! My stylist Chelsea used these products on me and styled my hair in two strand twists.

The 3 minute restoring conditioner is infused with brazilian bacuri butter and castor oil seed. The smell is divine. It reminds me of a body spray that if I smelled it on someone I would want to buy. The instructions are simple. Apply for 3 minutes and wash out. My hair felt soft and hydrated. It was the bacuri butter that drew our attention. Bacuri butter is taken from seeds of a bacuri tree. Bacuri butter reaches deep into the hair cortex helping with hair shine, helps prevent split ends, helps reduce frizz, stimulates scalp for growth, and helps decrease dandruff. Needless to say I would buy and recommend this conditioner.

The leave-in also contains bacuri butter and other oils with the same great scent. These are a great pair because you can use the leave-in when you can’t deep condition. I recommend using leave-in daily. It comes in a spray bottle which makes it easy to spray and go.

The soothing scalp tonic was designed for protective styles. It has a nozzle so you can literally just squirt it in between your parts. We all know how itchy some styles can be. This tonic has aloe and peppermint which are both cooling ingredients.

The hydrating curl refresher spray is good for waking your curls up. It has moringa oil, lilac and bacuri oil. Moringa oil was another ingredient I was unfamiliar with. This oil nourishes the scalp to decrease dryness from the source.

The defining curl cream is infused with with shea butter, rice oil, and lilac. My stylist used the curl creme to twist my hair and my twists came out perfectly

Overall I really enjoyed using this line. I feel that it is innovative and the price point is good. All of the products are $10 or less. These products are sold at sally’s, amazon, etc. My favorite thing is the smell and how hydrated my hair felt after using it. I also feel the creators researched the ingredients to give a product that will help nourish our hair. I have a reel of my stylist doing these twists on my instagram. For more of my product reviews follow this blog and for curly instagram content follow my page!

My trip to The Black Hair Experience

The Black Hair Experience (TBHE) is a pop up experience celebrating black hair. I recently watched a live with the founders of THBE and they were asked to describe their creation in 3 words. After going to the exhibit the three words I would pick to describe it is “black girl joy.” Currently it’s in Atlanta located at 1540 avenue place ste C-180 Atlanta, GA 30329 with plans on heading to DC next year.

Walking up to the experience the windows had beautiful window signs with black women in different hairstyles. Due to covid there is a limit on the amount of people allowed in with masks required and other precautions. I was lucky enough to be the only person in the experience. I bought a $16 tripod/selfie stick from Best Buy on the way because I went by myself. The room was filled with picture worthy props/backgrounds. I know everyone will not have a chance to go so I wanted to describe my experience as best as I can.

The first exhibit was a swing and the chains of the swing were braids. It was so creative. Braids are a staple for every black girl so this swing was on point. I felt like I was in an adult playground specifically tailored for me.

“I am the artwork” was next. It was a mirror with these words written on it. This exhibit was all about self love. On the wall adjacent to this mirror were the words “My hair is not a trend.”

Then came my favorite display. The aesthetic was perfect and I have not seen a bad picture of anyone in front of this display. It had different types of combs and brushes perfectly placed.

The next display was a beauty supply and it was very nostalgic. It had all of the greases and gels, spritz and everything in between. Right beside that was a cute see-saw feating huge hair bows.

Right across the room was a kitchen with a hot comb and crimping iron sitting on the stove. It reminded me of being a child and getting ready for Easter.

Everything was interactive. The opportunities for creating content and creating memories were endless. They had a “my hair is professional” desk set up featuring Former First Lady Michelle Obama’s book.

The magazine cover display reminded me of being in the beauty salon reading magazines under the dryer. There was also natural bingo and a gift shop with the cutest afro picks, merch, and other accessories. I had so much fun being in my own world and going down memory lane.

If you’d like to see a video footage one of my favorite YouTuber’s itsfrostrated did a vlog about her trip to TBHE. To buy tickets check out their website https://www.showclix.com/event/theblackhairexperience. To see more pictures from my experience check out my instagram.

Thanks for reading and I hope you get a chance to go.

Love, Curl Muva