The Do's and Don'ts...

To the proposal...

DO propose in a romantic location, take a trip somewhere that your lady has never been, allow it to be a whole new experience for her.

DO use props when proposing, buy your lady a puppy and attach the box to his collar. Every time she looks at her puppy it will remind her of that big day.

DON'T propose on a holiday, NOT Valentines Day, NOR Christmas, not her birthday either, the day you propose should be about you and your lady. Selecting a date is important and that day should ONLY be known as your anniversary. There shouldn't be any other festivities to celebrate on that day.

DON'T mention what you spent on the ring, or how many carats it is. SAVE THAT FOR THE PRIVACY OF YOUR HOME, its classless for everyone in the room to know.

DO ask your ladies father for her hand in marriage.

DO consult her mother, sister OR best friend before purchasing the ring, one of these ladies will know what your lady is looking for in a ring.

DON'T rush your proposal, make sure the time is right, make sure you have saved enough money. No one wants a proposal on a budget.

DO add the element of surprise tell your lady to dress up and meet you at a new restaurant, have her immediate family & friends meet you there as well as. Order for her so upon her arrival you can pop the question, following that dinner can be served and the rest of the night is for laughing, eating and drinking...

Leah Janell: In My Shoes

She said yes...

Check out the rings these celebs received, WOW some girls have all the Luck...

Many people were surprised at how similar Selita and Mariahs engagement rings from Nick Cannon were... Both rings are extremely beautiful... Mariahs ring sits at 10K...


Check out Ashlee Simpson 5-carat diamond ring...


My personal favorite Vanessa Bryants break up to make ring SUPER SEXY...


Fact: Jayz had an imitation of Beyonces ring created, Beyonce doesn't wear her actual ring on stage or out in the public on a regular basis...


Leah Janell: In My Shoes

The Four C's

When one of my readers told me he needed help finding the perfect engagement ring for his lady, I was more than glad to add my two cents : )

The one thing I have learned about females is that when it comes to rings all they are concerned with is CARAT. Now we smart girls know that there is so much more to a diamond than carat. So fellas when searching for a ring you must remember The Four C's Clarity, Cut, Carat, and Color...

Clarity- While most people are concerned with Carat, Clarity is surprisingly most important. Clarity describes the presence or absence of inclusions (scratches/blemishes) within the diamond. Inclusions interfere with the light that passes through the diamond(like Jay said NO CLOUDS IN MY STONES) The fewer inclusions a diamond has the more rare and valuable it is.

Here's a breakdown of the Clarity Rating Scale

He Loves Me: FL Flawless (shows no inclusions)
Forever & ever: IF Internally Flawless (no inclusions/insignificant surface)
Ring the Alarm: VVS1 Very Very Slightly Included (minor inclusions difficult to see)
This may work: VVS2 Very Slightly Included(minor inclusions slightly see for the trained eye to see)
He Loves Me Not: SI1-SI2 Slightly Included Imperfect (noticeable Inclusions very easy to see)
I Don't: I1, I2, I3, Obvious inclusions by eye/threaten durability

So I bet you thought CUT was the shape "LIKE I SWEAR I WANT THIS PRINCESS CUT DIAMOND RING" LOL SO SILLY...
The CUT determines the brilliance of the diamond, the width and the depth effects how light travels through the diamond...

Carat what size is best
When selecting a carat weight consider your ladies style, the size of her finger, the size of the setting, YOUR BUDGET an most importantly the carat size of her previously engaged girlfriends ring... WHAT, Y'ALL KNOW YOU HATE HAVING THE SMALLER RING :)

CARAT TIP
THE SMALLER THE FINGER THE LARGER THE DIAMOND WILL APPEAR...

COLOR
POSITIVE Diamonds graded J or better are colorless or near-colorless
NEGATIVE The color in diamonds graded K-Z detracts from the beauty of a diamond.

Please visit bluenile.com for more information on making a diamond purchase...

Leah Janell: In My Shoes

Love and Marriage

Love and Marriage
Love and Marriage
Go together like a Horse and Carriage
This I tell you Brother
You cant have one without the other...
Love and Marriage
That was the theme song to one of the funniest sitcoms in the 90s but now its 2009 and boy how have times changed, women are no longer bare foot and pregnant and men aren't the only ones bringing home the bacon.... But my question is NOW THAT TIMES HAVE CHANGED DO PEOPLE STILL LOVE JUST FOR LOVE
In a recent conversation with a girlfriend of mine she stated that "All Men Cheat", and she would rather have a wealthy husband who cheated as opposed to a broke man who cheated. The scariest part of that conversation for me was that I agreed with her. Its weird because I wonder "WHEN DO WOMEN STOP SETTLING" or is that just apart of the deal. What is even more scary is the women who don't settle are often the ones that get labeled. In an recent episode of Real Housewives of Orange County Vicki and tried to convince Gretchen that she should talk to her sickly fiance about what would be left to her in his will. Now I was totally appalled by the fact that these women thought it was even remotely right to ask a man on his death bed about money. But lets look at the flip side, she's living in his house, not working because she is caring for him and God Forbid he passes and leaves everything to his children whom of which she is not the mother of she is left with nothing. So should she settle or boss up and tell homie "LOOK I KNOW YOUR DYING AND ALL BUT PLEASE LEAVE MOST OF YOUR ASSETS TO ME.

So Does Love and Marriage still go hand and hand or is Marriage more of a business arrangement these days...

Leah Janell: In My Shoes

Event Planning 101

How Important is the Cake...

The cake is the end all say all of events, Try to tie your cake into your theme...

This year my grandmother turned 75 and instead of flying her back to her home town of NYC, the entire family brought NYC to her... Even with this Statue of Liberty theme cake...


This past summer my partners and I had a screening for our very first project, "OFF TOPIC" so what better than a cast inspired cake...



In August when I gave my sister and her friends "A little black dress" birthday bash, I thought the guest would love the have a variety of cakes to choose from. So I got 5 different cakes, 5 different flavors, one for each birthday girl...





The best cakes in town...
New York City "SYDNEY'S SWEETS" CONTACT INFO sydneyssweets@aol.com
PHILADELPHIA "Ms. Selinda's Edibles" CONTACT INFO 215 744 2399

Leah Janell: In My Shoes

Nail Polish Color of the Week...

Buy me a Cameo by ESSIE is the sister color to Steeling the scene, its soft, its romantic, and its classic... Buy me a Cameo can be found on the official Essie.com site.

Leah Janell: In My Shoes

Keeping The Dream Alive...

This past weekend has been all about Dreaming...


If you went to see the film Notorious, BIG felt us with one quote that stuck with me... No Dream is too BIG, Sky's the limit...

Monday we came upon Dr. Martin Luther Kings Birthday, only to be proud to see part of his dream being fulfilled...

Today we watched as Barack Obama became the 44th Prseident of the United States of America...


And as for me, Im just a girl chasing my dreams....


Leah Janell: In My Shoes

A Sustainable Style Event...

My little cousin Ashlee who aspires to be a model invited me to her first modeling gig. The event was titled Got Green?, An evening of shopping, cocktails, and informal ECO-FRIENDLY fashion presentation. The mission was to donate recycled clothing to Dress for Success. Nonetheless I was so impressed with the event, Ashlee looked amazing and the recycled designs were fabulous..







Leah Janell: In My Shoes
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We can't change the world, unless we change ourselves...

I had pleasure of seeing NOTORIOUS last night and I would first and foremost like to say I LOVED IT... As you all know I love to watch films for more than just seeing a new project but as an actress I get a chance to view other thespians and actually learn some of their techniques. So here's my take on what each actor brought to the screen...


Jamal "Gravy" Woolard who plays Christopher "Biggie" Wallace did an amazing job this rapper turned actor, has truly proven himself ready for the big screen. He allowed us to once again open our hearts, eyes and ears to the Notorious BIG. I think I have a thing for BIG BOYS now : )...

"Derek Luke" who plays Sean Puffy Combs made me eat my words, when I first found out that he was casted for the role I just knew that he wouldn't be able to play Puff. But Derek look mastered this role he is an incredible actor and I respect his work 110% in this project.

Angela Bassett who play Ms. Voletta Wallace continues on her path to success she is phenomenal and what she does and that did not start or end with this project. After seeing the film it makes you realize that there is no pain like a mothers pain.

Anthony Mackie who plays TuPac Shakur Anthony has proven himself to be a great actor but I must admit he has fallen short of what I wanted to see. I wasn't impressed with his performance at all...



As we all know Lil Kim was not an active part of this production and she is also not pleased with the way she was portrayed in this film, for starters I feel Naturi Naughton formerly of 3LW did the best she could do with the role. I do feel where Kim is coming from a true bond between her and BIG was not displayed it was purely sexual. Though I feel this project is about BIG, I understand Kim's position each and everyone who BIG ever loved was an active part of this production. From his son to his mother, from faith to Puff, from Cease to D-Roc why not Just include her.

Overall the project was a success I hope we continue to support it especially within these last few days of its opening week, lets try to put BIG where he belongs in that number 1 spot...

Leah Janell: In My Shoes