The Cut It Out Dress is the latest drop in the ever-changing, small batched, handcrafted dress line…Fashion Not Fear.
You might’ve seen the sketch and preview on IG.
I’m happy to say that it is now available at Blue Labels Boutique. Check out the making here. 👇🏾
Thoughts on the Cut It Out Dress?! Let me know in the comments…
Stay Fearless 💋
Sometimes buying a whole new wardrobe isn’t in the budget. And other times, buying a whole new wardrobe isn’t needed. An upgrade might be the only thing you need to take your style from, “oh, hell nawl“ to “oh, hell yeah!”
Here are 5 pieces you can add to your fashion arsenal that will instantly upgrade your look.
A Statement Making Hat
Jeans, skirts, evening dresses, a jogging suit…this hat will undoubtedly look good with everything! And did I mention that it also comes in black?
Go For The Set
A matching set is essential. These two pieces alone can give you endless style options. Take the top and match it with your favorite skirt, wear it over a dress, or with your favorite hip hugging jeans. Or pair the skirt with a graphic tee, a sweater, a tank and moto jacket. I can go on and on…a matching set is where it’s at. Trust me on this one.
A Unique Handbag
How can you go wrong carrying a bag this different? You were born to be different, right?! Plus, it’s a conversation starter and it’s fun!
A Printed Jacket
A printed jacket is a serious upgrade from the regular black or brown jacket everyone else is walking around wearing. This is another piece that you can throw on with anything and boom…you just shifted your style up a level.
Add Some Sparkle
Ever heard the saying, “Add a little sparkle everywhere you go”? It’s truly words you can style by. Adding something as simple as a pair of sparkle earrings can really do the trick in upgrading your style.
Which is your top upgrade pick?? Let me know in the comments…
Stay Fearless 💋
Tanya Regan is a speaker, creator, and filmmaker in Mandurah Western Australia. She uses her art of storytelling to teach, heal, connect, and inspire.
I reached out to Tanya about sharing her fearless journey and sent her some questions so that we can get all up in her fearless living business. This is what she said…
1. Tell us what life was like before you began your fearless journey into making short social impact documentaries?
In late 2016 I was heavily pregnant with my third child and my mental health was not in a good place.
I was having a baby girl and I wanted to show her what a strong woman looked like…. AND I DID NOT FEEL LIKE A STRONG WOMAN.
I spent my days counting down the clock to when my husband would get home from work. We had only recently moved to a new town, where I did not know anyone. I was isolated and lonely. I never felt like I was doing a decent job as a mum. I felt like I did not know what I was doing. I poured all of myself into my children and there was nothing left for me.
Going into 2017 I made a new year resolution to be more creative. It was my attempt to fill my cup and do something for me, but I also did not know where to start with creativity. Just after my baby was born, I started developing myself as a creative person by doing a self-guided course in creative recovery called The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron.
Every morning I would breastfeed my baby until she fell asleep and then I held her for a couple of hours while I worked through the exercises in the book. I was scared my baby would wake up if I put her in her cot, so I just kept holding her all through her nap while I worked on ‘me’.
My creativity started to open and how I saw the world changed. I realized that creativity was not something that I had to magic from nothing, but it was an energy that I could learn how to tap into. By the time my baby was one year old I was so creatively inspired that I was making my first short film.
When I made that film, I did not even have a camera, so I borrowed my dad’s old handy cam. I used what I had, borrowed what I did not have, and I just made it work. That film was a finalist in a film festival and played in a local movie theatre on the big screen.
I knew that I had to find a way to fill my own cup again.
2. What made you want to take the leap and start your company?
It was in the process of making that first film that I was able to re-create my identity. I had lost myself in being a mum but then I found myself through being creative.
I have now made ten short documentaries. My films are about the themes of creativity, connection, and nature. It is an art for me and a way that I express myself.
3. What have you learned about yourself during this journey?
I have learned that wherever you are in your personal life story you can always choose to be your own hero.
I was a lonely and sad, 37-year-old, stay at home mum when I made my first short film. I did not own a camera. I was new in my country town and did not even know anyone who I could interview.
Working on myself and connecting with my creativity empowered my inner magic.
4. What would you do over again before you took the leap? (If anything)
If I could do it all over again, I would have started sooner. I lost time doubting myself.
5. What is life like since you have taken the leap into fearless living?
I feel like me again, but a better version of me because I am doing fulfilling work now. My biggest challenge now is balancing being a mum of three children who are still young, with being a filmmaker and creative person.
6. Tell us about your films.
My films are 2 to 5 minutes long and are all human stories with a social impact message. I believe that creativity, connection, and nature have been devalued by our society and so those are the messages that play throughout my films.
My films are available to view online at www.tanyaregan.me
7. What is one useful tip you would share about how to juggle motherhood with all the other things you are doing in life?
My biggest tip for other women juggling motherhood with all the other things we are meant to do is to know your season.
It would not have been possible for me to make a film when my baby was a newborn, however, I could breastfeed her while I developed my own creativity.
Even now, I would love to be working on a feature film, but my children are still young and of course demanding. I do not want to miss that so for me it is about finding a balance and that balance is constantly changing.
The key for me to be a good mum is to fill my cup. Creativity is one of the ways I do that, but I have also found other ways now too.
8. What has been the most difficult part of your journey?
When I have mum life and filmmaker life in balance, I am great. When I am out of balance, which is what happened for me again at the beginning of the pandemic, it all goes a bit pear shaped.
Celebrate yourself for your own baby steps, for your own progress and know what your own limits are.
9. What has been the most rewarding part of your journey?
The most amazing part of the creative journey is when that creative spark first hits you. There is an excitement and aliveness of making something that does not yet exist and bringing it into form. Receiving feedback from people that they feel “seen and heard” in my films as they connect to the messages, that is the cherry on the top for me.
10. How do you stay motivated when things get tough?
(laughs) I usually have a temporary breakdown, I might cry for a bit, I let myself feel the tough feelings. Then I dust myself, take a deep breath and work with what I have.
11. Share something about your journey that you feel is important that we have addressed.
If it feels good, do it.
If it feels heavy, put it down.
Excitement and fear can sometimes feel remarkably similar. Feel into the difference and then take inspired action.
Then take one intuitive step after the other and if things mess up be kind to yourself, be ok with mistakes, and then take another step.
One foot in front of the other, one step at a time, that is how we move forward.
Wanna keep up with Tanya and her story? 👇🏾www.tanyaregan.me
Leave your thoughts on this wonderful story in the comments…
Stay Fearless 💋
Andy Kahl says she wouldn’t call herself totally fearless but I certainly would! This drag racing, cancer survivor is living fearlessy and helping people along the way.
You HAVE to hear her story!
Want to keep up with Andy??? 👇🏾
Thoughts on Andy’s story?? Drop them in the comments…
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Lynn Power left a successful 30 year advertising career, as CEO of J. Walter Thompson NY, to become an entrepreneur. She launched MASAMI, a clean premium haircare, in February 2020. And hasn’t looked back since.
I wanted to know more about her fearless journey, so I reached out to ask her some questions. Here is what she said…
Tell us what life was like before you began your fearless journey?
I had been working in the advertising industry for my entire career and was running agencies. At the time, I was the CEO of J. Walter Thompson NY. But, I found that I wasn’t enjoying it much anymore. I was dealing with a lot of administrative work (HR issues, legal issues, finance meetings, etc) and had gotten away from what drew me to the industry in the first place — building brands.
What made you want to take the leap and start your company?
I decided it was time to stop building other people’s brands and to start doing it for myself. When I left J. Walter Thompson, I actually started a brand consultancy with a partner. We worked almost exclusively with startups which I really enjoyed. I found it fulfilling to make a direct impact on their business in a very tangible way. But then I met my co-founder James, who had been working on haircare formulations for about 10 years. I loved what he was doing. We decided to partner together to launch MASAMI which we founded in 2018 and haven’t looked back.
What have you learned about yourself during this journey?
I am much more adaptable and entrepreneurial than I realized. I always knew I had an entrepreneurial gene (both my parents were small biz owners) but I wasn’t sure I would like the “grind” of it. But it turns out, I like the flexibility of working when I want and controlling my schedule. And of course, launching during Covid certainly has given me a perspective on how to pivot and not get too caught up in your plans.
What would you do over again before you took the leap? (If anything)
I would take some time to build up my clean beauty network and also a network of peers and advisors. That has been incredibly helpful and I always advise other entrepreneurs to make sure they have a strong network, but there is no reason to wait until you leave your job and start your business to do that. You should always be growing your connections and network — you never know when it might come in handy.
What is life like since you’ve taken the leap into fearless living?
I have crafted my business around my lifestyle — which is super flexible. I like being able to work in Palm Spring, NYC, The Berkshires, wherever. And now with my own business, it’s been great to be able to create my life the way I want it. I like to blend my business and personal lives (for me that works super well), so I work with friends, my kids help out and my husband is our investor. It all comes together in a really fulfilling way.
Tell us about your company.
MASAMI is clean premium haircare with a Japanese ocean botanical that’s all about hydration. Our formulas are high performing but don’t weigh your hair down — which is something our customers really love. We are also gender neutral, vegan and cruelty free. And of course, have no sulfates, parabens or phthalates. We are a DTC+ brand (we have our own e-commerce site but are also sold on Amazon, in stores like Showfields and Verishop and have salon partnerships with Spoke & Weal and DreamDry).
What is one useful tip you would share about entrepreneurship?
Make sure you understand your product and market fit (how scalable is your idea) and spend time nailing your brand proposition and brand values. This is incredibly helpful as you grow, bring new people into the team and launch new products. All too often, I’ve seen founders focus on the product vs. the brand and end up with messy messaging that needs to be reworked later.
What has been the most difficult part of your journey?
Well, launching during Covid has certainly been interesting. It caused us to rethink our salon strategy (as most were closed for most of 2020) and focus on content and e-commerce. So, the unpredictability of it all has been a hard adjustment. But it taught us to go with the flow.
What has been the most rewarding part of your journey?
I’ve really enjoyed getting feedback from our customers about how our products have transformed their hair. And we’ve created a large size ceramic bottle with refills that I love because it enables us to help the beauty industry evolve and become more sustainable which is part of our mission.
How do you stay motivated when things get tough?
I’m lucky that I have an amazing network of supporters, friends and family who have been amazing. It’s easy to be positive when things are going well, but you really see the character of your team when things are tough and we’ve all had each other’s backs, which makes me feel like we’re in it for the long haul.
Share something about your journey that you feel is important that we have not addressed.
Both James and I are “older” founders — MASAMI officially launched in February 2020 at New York Fashion week. We were both 53. You are never too old to do what you love.
Want to follow her journey?!
👉🏾 Masami Hair On IG | Lynn On IG
Thoughts?? Let me know in the comments…
Stay Fearless 💋
Spring arrived a few weeks back and who’s excited about it? Flowers, sunny days, fruit season…what’s not to love?
Now that it’s arrived, you may be in need of adding a bit of Spring to your wardrobe too.
Springerizing your closet doesn’t require you to buy a whole need wardrobe. There are a few easy things you can do to make you ready to get out there and enjoy the new season.
And they are…
Add something sheer to your look. Out with the heavy fabric and in with the lightweight flowy stuff. A sheer top of skirt paired with a simple skirt or t-shirt will do the trick.
Flower Power! Nothing says spring like a floral piece. It can be something as simple as a floral printed headband.
Flirty Hem – A dress with a flirty hem is the way to go for Spring! Especially one that will go with any tank you already have in your closet. Or without a tank.
Add a pop of color – Now is the time to break up the black you’ve been wearing with some color. A bold pair of earrings will put the Spring in your step.
Be Shady – Shades are a must to blocking the Spring sun in style.
These simple additions will have you rocking Spring in style. Which are your faves?? Let me know in the comments…
Stay Fearless 💋
I am currently in the process of making new pieces for the Fashion Not Fear Collection.
Here is a simple sketch of the one of the pieces that I’m about to start working on…
I put this preview on @bluelabelsboutique IG stories and asked for help.
Prints won by a very large margin. So this dress will definitely be made from a printed material. Stay tuned for the reveal! Thoughts on which I should go with??? Drop them in the comments…
Stay Fearless 💋
Let’s be honest…we are all over it! 2020 that is. There’s no need to list the reasons. We all know why. With everything that happened in 2020, who hasn’t heard the chatter of people saying, “They can’t wait for 2021”. And although, I’m in that same boat, I can’t help but to think…how can 2021 better than 2020?!?! If we’ve learned one thing from 2020, it has to be that we now understand that there are soooo many things in life that we can’t control.
Even though we can’t control what goes on in 2021, we can certainly small, simple things we can do to make the most of it.
Here are some ideas…
#1. Create a Vision Board of what you want your 2021 to look like.
#2. Write down what your grateful for in a Gratitude diary.
#3. Learn something new from a sport to new language and/or skill, etc.
#4. Set a list of goals to slay.
#5. Stay prayed up and positive.
#6. Be ready to get outside. Since being outside creates less risk of the virus, find things to do that you can enjoy with those you love. Like a socially distant potluck, movie night in the backyard on blankets, etc.
These simple tasks should help you start your 2021 smoothly. Remember to be safe, wash your hands and wear a damn mask! 😉
Thoughts on how to make the best of 2021?? Drop them in the comments…
Stay Fearless 💋
If you follow my IG page @bluelabelsboutique; then you saw this sale announcement. But if you missed it. Don’t worry; I got you!
Everyday this week a new item will be on sale for that day only! The item on sale for that day will be featured on our IG stories. Sooo follow us on IG so you don’t miss a thing!
Stay Fearless 💋
Screaming that you’re fearless doesn’t always have to come from your mouth. An accessory can do the trick.
More like an accessory for your keys. This fearless keychain is the latest addition on our fearless women collection.
Fearless EST. Birth…does it get any more fearless than that?!
Accessorize your keys with this keychain. Only $7.50.
Thoughts on it?? Is this a way you’d show off your fearlessness?? Let me know in the comments…
Stay Fearless 💋