Tuesday 30 August 2011

Girl's Networking Night

This is the newest event I am part of, and will be attending this week.

Blo is in the swag bags, and everyone knows a good blo is good swag ;)

Being girly for a good cause,
xo
Fatima



the-ultimate-girls-night-out!
OTHER SPONSORS:
beplatinum

Thursday 25 August 2011

CoupTessa is blo-wn away!

I got a really cute tweet from CoupTessa today with the following link:


http://www.couptessa.com/blog/2011/08/get-ready-to-be-blown-away/

Get Ready to be Blown Away!!

By now, I’m sure you girls all know just how much I LOVE blowouts- It’s like going from zero to glamorous in under 20 minutes! So of course, I’ve been following this amazing company, Blo (North America’s FIRST Blow Dry Bar, and one of my favorite blogs for everything hair and fashion!)  as they’ve been opening in cities across the nation. Next up, they’ll be opening up shop in both Brickell and Midtown locations by the end of the summer (and just in case you girls are wondering….Yes, I am LITERALLY squealing with joy as I type this!!)
In my opinion (and I’m sure every other hair obsessed girl’s) the concept of Blo is nothing short of GENIUS! This Blow Dry Bar is simply that- there are no haircuts, colors, or anything else offered here (so you don’t have to worry about leaving your trusty regular stylist) just a specialization in all things blowout! You girls will be able to choose from seven different styles featured on their services menu, from pin straight to voluminous rocker-chic, and be in and out of there in minutes with shiny new locks intact!
Blo is about more than just hair though, girls- you’ll absolutely LOVE the whole vibe of the place! From their upbeat music and quirky vocabulary (you’ll catch on soon enough, don’t worry!) to the fun staff who are always laughing and having a good time, this place is like a fun and chic girls’ club where you go to hang out, have a blast, and leave looking nothing short of flawless!
Blo Brickell – Opening Soon!
900 S. Miami Avenue, Unit 129
Miami, FL 33130
blobrickell@blomedry.com
To book a blo or just chat call 305.374.BLO5 (2565)



CoupTessa is a really great deal website, catered to women and their needs (think luxe mani's, sexy lounges & adventures with swag).

Of course I can't wait to blo her & her customers away, but it's nice to be on her radar from now!

*Batting my lashes*
xo
Fatima

Tuesday 23 August 2011

Busy Bee

Considering I have no 'job' for the summer, I have managed to stay really busy. I mean, my job is to get things going for Blo, and I've been doing a little bit of this and that, here and there...but I think if I knew the whole summer would go by before Blo was open, things would have been different. I've still been having fun, obviously, but I think that mentally knowing I'm on vacay might have been a bad thing, just because I am such a creature of habit. I love my routines.
And I've had tons of visitors throwing me off, which gives me something to look forward to (getting back on!).
My cousin Mark & his gf Niki came down for a week, and I showed them my summer of mani/pedi's, 4 & 5am weeknights, good food & tons of shopping (*for them, not me).
In between that, I took a bus for the first time since the cousins took my car shopping and  I had an appointment to get to. I cabbed it there, and couldn't justify the $40 back since it was one bus the whole way...my lawyer bbm'd me the whole way home because he was scared for me lol.
I also participated in a boot camp class one Saturday morning which was great. Then after a night of Cafeina, then Arkadia, then Mokai...Sunday afternoon this unforgiving soreness kicked in and I could no longer laugh, feel my glutes or make any sudden moves, really.
Cafeina was interesting....we called it our night of Gay Cowboys & Big Trannies. I'm not kidding. They had a mechanical bull that had men drooling over a baby-faced straight guy who managed to stay on the longest. I believe one guy actually said "I think I'm pregnant." How did I end up here? I was invited by the PR company that we worked with during Swim Week for their Principle's birthday.
The invite says a lot:

Atleast the drinks were sponsored!

Last week I started doing some blo prep: Ordered furniture, light fixtures, printed materials & buttons, and now I am just trying to decide on the tiles for the sink area. Decisions, decisions!

This past weekend was a good-but-bad episode of Jersey Shore. A crew of Torontonians invaded and as usual I got caught up in the mix - but I loved every second of it! It was literally one season of the show, crammed into one weekend. We enjoyed good food, great parties & some necessary pool time too.
This is the gist of the weekend at the Metropole


Now I am back to what is known as my grind: blo stuff, social media, blogging, gym. In a secret background location I also do other business-related things...involving stocks, professional editing (you'd never know based on this would ya?), & investor relations. None of these are related to each other, just random things to keep me on my toes.

On my agenda this week though is hurricane prep, as Irene makes her way through the islands and poses a potential threat to Miami and surrounding areas. I have flashlights, candles, batteries and we stocked up on the dry/canned foods incase the power goes out. We have a long list of condo guidelines to follow too, and we are right in the heart of hurricane season for the next little while...

Does wine count as a hurricane necessity?
xo,
Fatima

Sunday 14 August 2011

Home Coming

After getting my bridesmaid dress & coordinating accessories together, I am ready to go home and fulfill my duties for Anj & Mark's wedding, my sole reason for returning to Toronto.

I drop my oversize puppy to the boarding facility and we part ways painfully. This is what leaving a child in Kindergarten must be like, except you get to see them 4 hours later. Lovely Air Canada allowed me to watch The Lincoln Lawyer (mmm Matthew) & some good ol' Canadian Rick Mercer until I arrived home.

I am greeted in true princess fashion with:
- A car
- Full tank of gas
- Mars bar & Bounty (faves!),
- Canadian money
- A Blackberry

I head straight to Day 1 of Wedding Weekend (Wednesday). There were in fact many events prior that I unfortunately missed, but was there in spirit. At Anj's house I get to catch up with my lovely girls and fellow BM's and 2 biatches ask me if I remembered to pack my dress. I'm not even known for things like that but umm...a little late now for the reminder isn't it? LOL. We get our mehndi (henna) done and then proceed to eat one-handedly. I still managed to get seconds. It's been a while since I've indulged in some West Indian food! I paid for the chickpeas, roti & tofu royally with a stomach ache until 5am!
Thursday I headed downtown to visit my John Hancock familia & enjoy a cup of Tim Horton's coffee. Nothing special, just missed the thought of it. It was nice to see my old team, and the best part was that there was a pre-planned girls nite at Shaima's house! Of course I stuffed myself with hors d'oeuvres, wine & cheeses (lactose-intolerant, eek!) & caught up with some of JH's finest. One of my girls Theresa is moving to Italy in a few weeks, so she is gearing up for that. Check out her blog @ torontototerni.blogspot.com for some italian culinary lessons and all-around wittiness (if mine isn't enough). Next stop: Brassai on King St with the lovely Farah (see Bikini's post to put a face to the name), & my former Mgr Amanda. A few drinks & random run-ins later, I trek back to my parents house, the only home I can always call home, no matter where in the world I am.

Friday is Day 2 of wedding fun: The Hindu Ceremony in the temple! Once at the hall, we sat in a room with the lovely bride-to-be and she look so stunning! It was time to get this show on the road: cue Tassa band & bridesmaids do a half walk, half dance into the hall before Anj enters. The ceremony started, and it is lengthy (compared to Muslim/Christian weddings I have been to). There are many ceremonies, each one explained in detail so that the witnesses are always aware of what is happening. Once they are married according to Hindu culture, it's time to eat! Again, I managed to get about 2 dinners on one plate. But it was SO GOOD!
Hindu Ceremony, beautiful bride!


My binge-ing does not stop there. Saturday morning, everything my mom put in front of me was gladly eaten until I had to worry about my dress not fitting me for the wedding reception. I finally slithered out of the kitchen and did a quick visit to my friend Sharmiza & saw her new baby for the first time. She became a mom while I was gone...but luckily she is the obsessive type that constantly updates her bbm profile, etc so that I felt I watched him grow the first few months! (xo, Shama).
I meet up with my asian brother Daniel & we head to Ultra to have dinner & drinks with as many Toronto friends that can make it! It was definitely a great night catching up and seeing everyone. Thanks to those that made it! On my way back to my hotel, I made a pit stop @ Embassy Nightclub and hung out with Rocsi from BET's 106&Park. Apparently she needs a personal hair stylist to go on tour with her....so if anything I will bring a personal stylist on tour with me, as I tour with her, hehe  =D
Rocsi & I
Sis!
A few tired hours later and it's time for hair & makeup. Some of us girls got our Blo's @ the Vaughan location, then our limo went to pick up our Bride. Something about that initial moment, seeing your friend in THE white dress: Speechless & tear-jerking. The Church ceremony was really nice & flew by. We did our bridal party pics in Unionville, then headed to the party! As we freshened up for our cool entrances, Anj's extensions had a slight malfunction: the curls had become dead-straight due to the heat! Can you guess who saved the day with a flat-iron in her car & some Blo University expertise?? ;)
After my heroic moment and partial group speech/rap, it was partay time! It took me a few tries, but finally my 'wine' came back, as it was lost in the Miami house scene for a while. Oh did I mention I ate for 2 again?? Hello: Indian butter chicken!
Obv we parked here for a few
I woke up Monday still intoxicated, as I was convinced the night before that the drinks were too weak and doubles were a good idea...and I got a lovely family BBQ! How great to have my siblings, cousins, aunts/uncles there, while continuously eating all day.

It was such a great time in Toronto until... the biggest nightmare of a day: flying out. I can't discuss details via blog, however let's just say I missed my flight, had to re-book an American flight in a different terminal for a high-priced downgrade from Air Canada & didn't eat my first meal until about 2pm (the way I was eating the last few days, I thought I would be dead by then).
I missed Tyson's pick-up time when I finally did get back to Miami, so I came home to an empty place, loads to unpack, nerves shot, sore neck, normal blood pressure (mine is naturally low, so higher for me is a normal person's), and thankfully a bottle of wine...

Scared of the scale,

xo
Fatima

Monday 8 August 2011

Poko Pano S/S 2012 - Videofashion

15 Seconds of Fame

Hi friends & faithful followers,

Another great milestone for Blo Miami & me: My first interview for Blo is on VideoFashion.com!

This was backstage at the Raleigh Hotel for the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Swim show that we styled.

Check out my interview discussing the hair inspiration for the show:

http://www.youtube.com/videofashion#p/u/0/zri_34naH_M









Glowing in the moment,
xo
Fatima

Thursday 4 August 2011

Blo on Ocean Drive!

Hey peeps!

A quick update that I couldn't wait to share!!

http://oceandrive.com/channels/home-page/insights/marvelous-hair




Marvelous Hair

Blo Blow Dry Bar deals in gorgeous hair.

AUGUST 03, 2011

Blo
North America’s Blo Blow Dry Bar makes its way to Miami just in time for late summer’s heat waves with not one but two locations: Blo Brickell and Blo Midtown. Simply choose a style from the Bar’s hair menu and “wash, blow, go” your way to fabulous hair. Whether you’re going for “Red Carpet” tresses or “Holly Would” hair, you may never blow-dry at home again. Planning a night on the town? Check out the Blo In-Bar for up-do options and clip-in extension ideas. For those looking to tame their mane on a regular basis, there’s even a Blo Tab. Oh, the possibilities. Blo Brickell, 901 S. Miami Ave., 305-374-2565

All this press/publicity and we are not even open yet! Not to mention my twitter followers hunting me down for blo-drys. Imagine when the doors finally open?!?

Walking with a little more swag,
xo
Fatima