BGLH Style: Shar in the DMV

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Introduce yourself!
S:
Hello! I’m Shar of Sharlendipity. I live in the DMV area with my husband and I am a fashion blogger and image consultant. I enjoy helping women develop their personal style and confidence in their fashion choices. I love blogging, fashion styling, crafting, cooking and reading. Oh, wait…I’m also a bilingual speech-language pathologist and am passionate about improving the communication of children from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.

What is your style philosophy?
S:
Distinctiveness. Living outside of the norm. Finding what best suits you and loving the clothes that you’re in.

How would you describe your sense of style?
S:
I love vintage fashion. Particularly from the 20s, 40s, and 50s and I’m noticing a few items from the 80s creeping into my closet. My friends and family call me the vintage girl, so I love re-creating vintage outfits with modern twists.

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What is the process of deciding what to wear in the morning?
S:
Sometimes my choice of clothing depends on my mood, but they are most frequently driven by a vintage theme. The weekends, especially when going to church, is when I really feel inspired! My husband knows the routine and on Friday evenings before church he’ll usually sit on the bed and wait for me to emerge from the closest with various pieces until the perfect combination comes together. It’s his private fashion show, what more can he ask for? 🙂

What are the three favorite things in your closet?
S:
I have a lot of pieces I love. When choosing my top three, I have a pair of high-waist, pleat front pants from Zara, which I recently damaged (sigh…will hopefully get them re-made by my seamstress), a floral peplum dress (when thinking of dressier items, found when thrifting), and brown vintage pumps. Oh, and glasses, I have an obsession. Since I have to wear them so I can see, I thought, why not make them fashionable? I’ve collected quite a few pairs over the past year.

What are some of your favorite shops/websites for clothes, shoes and accessories?
S:
When looking for new pieces, I must confess I immediately go to the thrift store. Sometimes I actually run. Especially on a 1/2 off Monday. I just find so many classic pieces that I normally can’t find in other stores and it makes my shopping experience that more entertaining because it’s a new experience. Every time. I shop everywhere, Zara, H&M, TJMaxx, Marshalls…wherever I can find something that really inspires me.

How long have you been natural?
S:
I have been natural for the majority of my life. I remember in 10th grade begging my mother to get what I thought was a super-fly haircut…that involved relaxing my hair. I kept my relaxed hair until my freshman year of college when I got fed up with the upkeep. I went back to my natural ways in 2002 (that might age me) and I’ve been natural ever since. I started my locs back in 2008, after going back and forth with the idea for years. I hesitated getting locs because my boyfriend, now husband had beautiful locs and people always stopped us to ask if we were brother and sister (insert blank stare). That was even before I got locs, so I knew that getting them might confirm the idea that we were “related”. I got over that quickly and have been in love with my locs ever since.

How and why did you transition into natural hair?
S:
I transitioned by cutting a bit of hair every time I washed it and wearing kinky twists. Finally I just cut my hair super short and let it grow from there. A loctician started my locs by using the comb twist method. I tried counting my locs once but got tired, 🙂 and stopped.

What is your signature hairstyle?
S:
My hairstyles usually go with my fashion style, so I try to recreate hairstyles from various eras to complement an outfit. My signature style was an updo, but I recently cut my locs into a short bob, so a curly bob is my new go-to.

Describe your styling regimen over the course of the month.
S:
I wash and retwist about twice a month and I am still experimenting with what works best for my hair. Every quarter I will try to do an apple cider vinegar and baking soda rinse to help remove any build-up from products. I use oils such as coconut oil, jojoba oil, castor oil, and sweet almond oil. I’m currently using Carol’s Daughter Rosemary Mint Clarifying Sulfate-Free Shampoo, but usually sit under the Huetiful Hair & Facial Steamer before shampooing for a deep treatment with Shea Moisture’s Yucca & Baobab Anti-Breakage Masque and coconut and olive oil to seal the masque. I try to use my products until they are finished, unless they are attacking my scalp because I’m a recovering hair product junkie. I do also use Shea Moisture’s Yucca & Baobab Thickening Shampoo and rotate between that and the Rosemary Mint Clarifying Shampoo. I usually retwist with Carol’s Daughter Mimosa Hair Honey Shine Pomade Hairdress and have discovered (and fallen in love) with Curls Passion Fruit Curl Control Paste, which has tremendously helped with frizz and fly-aways.

Is there a blog/webpage where we can find you?
S:
Sure! Visit me at www.sharlendipity.com. I love hearing from viewers and subscribers!

Find me here too:
www.instagram.com/sharlendipity
www.facebook.com/sharlendipity
www.pinterest.com/sharlendipity
www.sharlendipity.tumblr.com
www.twitter.com/sharlendipity

Please credit the following photographers:
JAR Media & Design
C.tHru.Lens
Scrole Vision
JCKA Fotos

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