Fantasy Fashion

Hey guys!  I had to share with you this amazing collection of jewelry and fashion that I found on HSN (Home Shopping Network).  In conjunction with the release of Disney's "The Great and Powerful Oz", several designers on HSN have created pieces one of a kind pieces in the spirit of the movie.  I don't know about you, but I love the idea of translating what would be fantasy fashion into reality. All of the pieces are grouped in 3 different collections centered around the witches in the movie and are absolutely breathtaking.  

The Evanora Collection is dark with accents of rich emerald green. As the protector of the Emerald City, Evanora is strong and exudes powerful elegance. My favorite fashion pieces in this collection are by Naheem Khan. The full feather cape and sequin tulle mermaid skirt are total show stoppers. I am also totally in love with the Heidi Daus "Emerald City" jewelry collection. If you are an over the top diva then this is the collection for you!

Theodora on the hand, is Evanora's younger sister. While she is portrayed in the movie as naive an innocent, her HSN collection is anything but. The Theodora Collection boasts bold ruby hues mixed with a little bit of darkness.  The jewelry collection that caught my eye is  called "Feather" by Jean Dousset. I also love the "A" by Adrienne Landau Sheer Cape Dress and Steve by Steve Madden beaded sandals.

Last but not least, every girls favorite witch, Glinda. Glinda embodies everything thing beautiful and whimsical. She is a brilliant source of light and all things glimmering and good. Therefore, from her namesake collection, I have chosen the American Glamour by Badgley Mischka Sequin Hi-Lo Skirt and the over the top Rareities Moonstone and Diamond Chandelier Earrings. 

Happy Shopping!

xoxo-

Parker S. :)

Where's Parker????

Hey guys! I know I have been MIA for a while, but this year has been busy already. As you know, I started my year off at church. My life has been a little unbalanced and I needed to take a little time to get back on track. With that being said, I'm going to catch you up with what I've been up to and get back to keeping you "in the know" of hot new trends and my favorite brands. Sit back, relax and enjoy my year thus far. Stay tuned to see where I show up next!

xoxo-

Parker S.

Black Bride Showcase

Started the event season off with my @blogfabofficial buddies at the 2013 Black Bride Showcase. From dresses to tablescapes to cakes and more, I had a great time viewing the latest trends for the upcoming season. I also had the pleasure of meeting and co-interviewing Sunday's Best finalist and budding reality TV star Jeff Spain.

Gorgeous tablescape by fab event designer @MsKimmyD of @imageeventsteam

me, @iamjeffspain & @virtuousstyls

@kiwithebeauty, @ohnikka, @soosootasty, @allymcglam & moi!



Gorgeous bridal fashions @blackbride 

Girl Talk Villa Rica

I played assistant at this event for my friend Sophia Starnes of @soosootasty! As most of you know I live in Villa Rica. I couldn't believe there was actually an event in my area so of course I had to attend. Girl Talk was just that, a bunch of ladies getting together to ask questions to a panel of experts. It was very informative and also very fun. I also jumped in to help SoSo serve her delicious treats and did a little shopping with the various vendors.

Trumpet Awards Luncheon

Thanks to the FABULOUS Quinnie Rice of Southwest Airlines, I was able to attend the High Heels & High Tea Luncheon benefiting the Trumpet Awards Foundation. This event was full of fun and fashion, but also honored  a group of very distinguished and influential women.

Quinnie Rice of Southwest Airlines

@talbots skirt & blouse  @woledesigns caplet @shoemint shoes @prada shades @henribendel ponytail holder

 An Evening of Hope 

The Atlanta chapter of The American Diabetes Association hosted an amazing fundraiser and awards ceremony at the W Midtown. Board Member Kedrick Williams invited me to this event and I had such a great time participating in the silent auction and meeting celebrity award recipients, Anthony Anderson & Ryan Cameron. Supporting diabetes awareness is near and dear to my heart because both my mother and grandmother are insulin dependent diabetics.

 Mixing Business & Pleasure in LA

Rounding out the month of January I took a quick trip to LA. I can't go into specifics with the deets, but I had fun making new business connections, scouting some great #LAstreetstyle and on the last day, taking a tour of the city. The Westin Bonaventure Downtown LA was my home away from home.




Happy Birthday Kiwi

I kicked off the month of February by celebrating fellow blogger Kiwi Durham's birthday. We took over Fab'rik Atlantic Station and transformed it into a Hello Kitty lovers dream. Unfortunately I didn't read the fine print of no dark colors, but still embraced my inner Hello Kitty!

FFFWeek Atl Model Call

FFFweek founder Gwen Devoe and her team hit the ATL for 5th stop on the casting tour. Lane Bryant at Perimeter Mall played host to over 150 model hopefuls. I ran into several familiar faces and rooted for our very own Cha'Kiva Felder who ripped the runway for the judges! I can't wait to cover FFFWeek again this summer in NYC!

Fabulous at 60

On 2-9-13, my mom, Katie Harris celebrated her 60th birthday in a big way! I had a wonderful time celebrating with her and all of her friends for her 70's themed soiree. And yes, she is wearing her own Kami Shade dress like mine! I hope I look that good when I turn the big 6-0!!!

Puffs Kisses

Who knew that sharing a kiss could be so fun?!?! Last week I was honored to cover the Puffs Kiss event benefiting Dress for Success. Proctor and Gamble launched a promotion during the month of February called Puffs Kisses. Throughout the month, for every virtual kiss that was sent through the Puffs wevsite, $1 was donated to Dress for Success. During the event, the ladies of Proctor and Gamble presented Dress for Success a check for $100,000! Also, ladies that had completed the program were treated to a makeover. Adore Salon was the host location and provided complimentary manicures and makeup application and celebrity hairstylist Derek J. and his team coiffed their hair. It was an amazing night and I got to catch up with my blogger buddies and meet some new ones! 

Thrifty Divas

Finally, rounding out the month of February, I had a blast on a thrifting tour sponsored by my friend Sophia Starnes of SooSoo Tasty. Myself as well as Kerrie from VirtuousStyls added our style expertise and coached ladies on trends as well as spotting a great, thrifty deal! 

***Fashion Flash****

Shoenistas, this event is for you! Join me in celebrating the 1 Year Anniversary of Shoe Lounge Pop Up Shop! There are 2 days of #fab events, so check out the deets below and I hope to see you there!

xoxo-

❤ Parker S.

***Fashion Flash***

Check this amazing sale!!!

Un-Makeup Monday

Hey Guys! The beginning of the year has been great so far. I had such an amazing time yesterday at Black Bride 2013 and will be recapping my highlights of the event the rest of this week. I am also super exhausted, hence today's post "Un-Makeup Monday". When I'm out covering events, I'm usually super made up. Sometimes it may not look like it, but I have layers of makeup on to create a photo ready look.

Professional Makeup done by Shalawn Willis of Lamik Cosmetics

Needless to say, when I'm not out being FAB, I like to keep a more natural look. Unfortunately, my skin is not flawless, therefore I like to have some sort of coverage for my problem areas. Today I want to tell you guys how to get a great "un-made up" look.

No Makeup (Don't be Scared)

The base of any makeup look should be a great moisturizer. In the winter my skin gets super dry, so in addition to my moisturizer, I use the ultra hydrating HD Elixir by Makeup Forever. When using the Elixir after 15 minutes your skin is 520% more hydrated. This much hydration immediately plumps and fills in fine lines and minimizes the appearance of pores. It also gives your skin a dewy, fresh-faced look.

After the elixir, the main component of my look is Mac Studio Moisture Tint. This gives me just enough coverage to hide my problem areas. It also protects my skin with a low level SPF from the winter rays.

To enhance the rest of my face, I use Tarte Cosmetics Amazonian Clay "Blissful" blush. Blush immediately perks up your face and emphasizes your cheekbones. Depending on how I'm feeling that day, I will either use Benefit "They're Real" Mascara or throw on a set of lashes.

In addition to emphasizing your eyes, you can't neglect your brows. The Lamik Celebrity Brow Kit is a great way to frame your eyes. The brightening cream under and or above the brow sculpts and lifts the brow while the powder fills in any sparse hairs. Your eyes immediately look sexy and totally irresistible.

Finally rounding out my look, I keep my lips super simple and kissably soft with Fresh Cosmetics Sugar Rose Tinted Lip Treatment. Also having an SPF, the Fresh tinted lip treatment both moisturizes, protects and gives your lips an amazing rosy, tinted shine.

Creating the entire look takes all of 5 minutes and is a great way to be "un-made up"!

See you on the front row!

xoxo-

Parker S.

"Un-Made Up" with Lashes 

Here Comes The Bride...

No guys, I'm not getting married. My left hand is still sans a special piece of bling. Even though I'm not getting married, I want to invite all of my "brides to be" to join me this Sunday for the 2013 Black Bride Showcase at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis. From bridal dresses, to invitations, to event planners and more, solidify every detail of your upcoming nuptials with some of the fabulous vendors at this amazing event. Purchase your tickets today! I hope to see you there!

xoxo-

Parker S. 

Back to Basics

Happy New Year! I know you guys are probably expecting me to share the deets to some fabulous NYE party that I attended, but with the beginning of a new year, I decided to get back to basics. 2012 was such an eventful year for me. It was the year that I truly decided to embrace God's purpose for my life. Although I officially launched Everyday Runway this time last year, my true year didn't begin until the month of March. That's when I truly started to pour everything into simultaneously building both my Parker Simmons and Everyday Runway brands.  

From being nominated for a Style Blogger of Color Award, to covering Full Figured Fashion Week in NYC, to attending a variety of events on the Atlanta social scene, I accomplished a lot in 2012. My life has been enhanced by a variety of new people. Some of them I am able to call my friends, while others I have learned valuable lessons in loyalty and trust. With all the amazing things I was able to do this year, none of it would have been possible without my unyielding faith that I am following the plan that God has set for my life.  

Sadly, with all that He has done for me, He did not get the placement in my schedule that He deserved. Thankfully, my God is forgiving and always has a way of leading His stray sheep back home. For that reason, I knew the only place I wanted to be on NYE was thanking the one person that has been constant in my life. During the service my Pastor, William Holmes Robinson, delivered a very inspirational message. The theme of the sermon was "Seasonal Shifts...Maintaining Your Faith When Seasons Change".  

What a very fitting topic both literally and metaphorically. The general synopsis of the sermon was that in life, we will experience different seasons. There will be times that we are immensely successful and living in excess of what we need and there will also be times when we are living in a season of struggle. The thing that must remain constant is your faith in God. When your whole life feels like it's spinning out of control, praise God! Your breakthrough is just around the corner.  God is stronger than your struggle and He can step in and turn your situation around at anytime. 

With that being said, I want to encourage all of you to start your year off right. Get back to basics. Start back doing what makes you the unique individual you are. Often times, life consumes every fiber of our being and we lose sight of what's really important. Take the time celebrate all the blessings in your life and also be thankful for the bumps in the road, for those are what help you learn and grow and hopefully not make the same mistakes again. I’m so excited about what 2013 has to offer and I can’t wait to share it with all of you! 

See you on the front row! 


<3 Parker S.