ESSENCE Network: Patrice J. Williams Shares Holiday Shopping & Fashion Tips

The gig: As a writer and affordable style expert, I blog on a daily basis at Looking Fly on a Dime and I write style articles for a few websites. I also do on-air style segments including finding models and products and offering style commentary for outlets like the Today Show. I also host thrift shopping events in New York City. When you help a woman put a little pep in her step, it instantly changes her outlook and empowers her.

The journey: I was the nerdy girl and awkward growing up. When I entered the workforce and became an assistant at a fashion magazine, I was earning less than $30,000 and became a pro at dressing on a budget. When I was laid off from my job right before Thanksgiving in 2008, I was forced into the entrepreneurial world.  I was broke, so I had to figure out what it was that I loved about my former position, what I hated and how I could turn that into my own thing. It took me a year to come up with the idea for Looking Fly on a Dime.

Her top shopping tip: Don’t get hypnotized by sale signs. A lot of stores try to lure you in with a sale, but you’re not always saving money! Before spending, research to determine if it actually is a steal.

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Thrifting 101: Fashion is cyclical, so what’s hot now was hot back in the day. Thrift stores have the trends we’re currently wearing at a cheaper price andmore unique items than what’s being mass produced. It’s all about affordability and individuality.

The fashion staples every woman should own: Flat riding boots, a statement coat, a structured leather purse, an Aaline little black dress that hits just above the knee and single sole black pumps.

Her biggest lesson learned: When I first started blogging, I was initially Living Fly on a Dime and didn’t research my name. About a year into blogging, I received an email from a blogger letting me know I was infringing on their trademark. I had to consult an attorney who let me know that I had to change my name. I was able to rebrand using Looking Fly on a Dime. I made sure to trademark my name.

 Her top business tip: Always negotiate. It can be intimidating when you’re a new business owner but if I don’t advocate for myself, then who will? I finally stopped feeling guilty about asking for more money or perks because I’ve proven that I’m worth it. Even if you don’t get exactly what you asked for, at least you asked and set the foundation that you take yourself and your business seriously.

Her secret superpower: I have an active imagination and I’m a dreamer. I visualize everything. Whether it’s mapping out my day in my planner or even visualizing what I want my life to look like a year or 5 years from now. Those visions help me map out what I need to do now to get to where I want to be.

Her stress reliever: I love to zone out and watch any home design shows on HGTV and I have a weird obsession with MSNBC’s prison show, Lockup. I also love walking and I pray and meditate every morning and night.

Her tech fix: I never leave home without my myCharge portable charger for my iPhone.

Her top shopping apps: I love Poshmark for selling your amazing, unwanted clothes and PriceGrabber to find the best deal on products before you buy.

Her beauty bag: I love NARS tinted moisturizer. It’s less fussy than foundation, but provides coverage. My hair is really dry, so I use Miss Jessie’s Pillow Soft Curls and African Pride’s Bouncy Curls Pudding.

Her power style accessory: Statement necklace. I have at least 15 of them.

Her theme song: “Everybody Got Their Something” by Nikka Costa.

The New All-Natural Beauty Secret from Africa You Need to Know About Now

Photo: Courtesy of Dr. Jackson’s

“The baobab fruit contains more calcium than two pints of milk, more vitamin C than six oranges, and more iron than red meat,” says Simon Jackson, extolling the virtues of the skincare ingredient that’s shaping up to be beauty’s next breakout star. A doctor of pharmacognosy, or the study of medicines derived from natural sources, Jackson has traveled to far-flung corners of the planet like the rainforests of the Amazon and Indonesia in the service of his research. So what exactly led the British-born scientist on a skincare expedition to the roots of the baobab tree? The fact is, women across the continent have been tapping into the healing properties of the seed oil to protect their skin and hair from the harsh environments for centuries—something that Jackson noticed on his trips to Africa. He ultimately poured baobab into his own winning line of Dr. Jackson’s Natural Products face oils and supermoisturizers.

Photo: Courtesy of Dr. Jackson’s

Harvested across Malawi, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, baobab seed oil—which is rich in antioxidants like Vitamin A (the key ingredient in retinol-based face creams)—boosts skin elasticity and encourages cell regeneration. And it isn’t the only African superextract that Jackson poured into products like his nourishing day and night cream, which arrive in dark brown glass vintage pharmacy-style bottles (now available stateside on net-a-porter.com) that preserve their active extracts. Locally known as the sausage tree for its long and bulbous shape, the region’s Kigelia fruit is often used  as a skin brightener. For those who suffer from hyperpigmentation, its naturally occurring melanin inhibitors are a welcome alternative to harsh bleaching agents. Shea butter and marula oil round out the list of Dr. Jackson’s ingredients, while arnica and calendula are anti-inflammatory; a tiny pot of 100% organic coconut oil, which melts with the heat of your fingertips, provides a dose of extrarich hydration to lips, cuticles, and dry patches. [Fashion Accessories]

Photo: Courtesy of Dr. Jackson’s

Jackson’s overarching mission for the line is hardly what you’d call skin-deep: With funding from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization for his pioneering work, he’s now collaborating with rural communities on a tree-planting program to promote indigenous species like the baobab, with a percentage of the proceeds going back to conservation and education. “The current number of households employed by this industry on the continent is around half a million, but it has the trade potential to more than triple,” he says. “Now even kids who were cutting down the baobab to make room for foreign crops like tobacco are learning how and why they should nurture the plant they call the tree of life.” 

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