Disclamer: It's been such a long time since I've chatted with you, so make sure you read the post to the end. 

2016 has been an exciting year of new experiences, meeting new people, and building great relationships. As many of you know, I moved from Philadelphia to Atlanta in July with my husband to embark on a new journey, allowing my husband to fulfill his calling as an optometrist and to be closer to family. Being that we are both from the South, it only made sense that we would move back to fully create a path of our own. Close enough to Louisiana (home) yet far enough for family and friends to visit. What surprised me most during this transition was that we would both have decided during the move that it was the perfect time to start a family! So by the end of July we were excited to discover that our dreams were becoming a reality. We were pregnant and a baby was on the way!

The first few weeks were really rough for me, being fatigued and sleepy ALL OF THE TIME. I always dreamed that when I became pregnant, I would be this super active, extra fit, superwoman. Truth of the matter is, I was exhausted around the clock and not feeling cute at all. No morning sickness thankfully, but constant dreariness. Oh and on top of it all, I was still job hunting.  In August, I landed two great job opportunities and had my choice between the two companies. Look at God! Patience is truly a virtue. Between all this job hunting and excitement, I was still thinking of ways to get active without causing too much bodily stress. Yes, I was the newly pregnant woman that didn't want to do any activity that may cause a miscarriage or any bodily harm. Every little thing made me nervous. From jogging on the treadmill, to doing my hair, to painting my nails, or smelling fumes around the house. I was that girl! 

Thankfully, once I started working in a corporate setting again, I felt more energetic and became more inspired to get dressed up and get back to my usual self. Doing this all while hiding a growing baby bump. Also, I decided to cut my hair in a pixie cut just two weeks before starting my new job. I wanted a new look to feel sexy again and that is exactly what I got. Things were going well and I was feeling much better. As the second trimester progessed, so did my body. I had mixed emotions. Completely ecstatic that my bump was arriving! Then eventually becoming down every now and then that my small waist was gone. Clothes weren't fitting the same any more and there was a new body when I looked in the mirror. I would yoyo through feeling excited about it and then wonder was my body growing too fast, am I gaining too much weight, other girls weren't this size at x number of weeks, etc. The worst thing I could have done was compare my body to other women. Why did I ever do that! Ultimately, I learned that EVERY woman's body develops differently during pregnancy and yes darling we are all beautiful beings creating a bundle of joy and happiness. (Still patiently awaiting for this snapback season next Spring!)

Off of my pregnancy soapbox! I am so excited to bring you great news about The Belle Rouge Company and the future of my brand.  Even though I won't be seductively crawling across the dance floor until my little man arrives in March/April, I have much much more envisioned for the future of The Belle Rouge Company. Starting with sharing with you some of my favorite beauty products, and occassional tutorials on how I achieve my glamour looks. I have had several ladies reach out to me for video tutorials on my makeup looks as well as questioning my opinion on hair brands and styles. No, I'm not looking to become the next YouTube sensation with a million views and posts. This is something I'm doing truly from my heart and helping women achieve gorgeous looks while feeling sexy about themselves, is my #1 goal. That is why today I am starting my first product giveaway! I'll be giving two lucky ladies a brand new highly pigmented Morphe Brushes Eyeshadow Palette. This is my go-to palette for everyday looks to photoshoot glamour! If you attended my makeup class in May, you would have already received one and noticed the versatility of this palette. See contest rules below.

You're probably wondering, "Belle, well what about dance???" Don't worry! My Belle Rouge Vixen dance class will make its debut in Atlanta in the coming months! I have created business partnerships here and I am excited to get back in the studio. For all of my ladies outside of Atlanta, I am planning a major event in August so start making plans now to make a trip to the "A" coming early August! Stay tuned for more information as well as vending/sponsorship opportunities. You will not want to miss out on the sexy, sensual, and seductive festivities! 

As we embark on a new year of opportunity, I want to challenge each one of you to set a daily routine that will make you feel better about yourself and enhances self-growth. Whether it is drinking a few more glasses of water a day, exercising for ten minutes a day, spending a few more minutes on your daily hair and makeup routine, or even sitting in your car a few extra minutes to unwind before entering your home. Start a regimen that will contribute to your confidence and sensual/spiritual wellness. I know it will not be an easy road but we have to start somewhere. I cannot wait to link up with you (again or for the first time) in person. Until then, keep it sexy, love yourself and know you are a Vixen at heart.  

Tell me in the comments what will be your daily routine to work on in 2017!
​
Miss Belle Rouge

You ever just want to get away from your regular routine and go have a night out with your girls? Well Saturday night we did just that in classic Belle Rouge fashion! Saturday's Ultimate Ladies Night event was all about enjoying the presence of other women, letting loose, supporting female entrepreneurs and getting sexy. We were accompanied by ladyprenuers, Sch-Rel Desire Jewelry and V3nusVintique clothing boutique. I was also able to cop some sexy new neck candy, earrings, and a bomb sequin gold top! Guests were also able to purchase my Belle Rouge Vixen corsets for half off too.

The evening kicked off with an intimate make-up class where the ladies each learned how to apply their own make-up using Belle's tips and tricks. Each VIP guest received a fabulous professional eye-shadow palette by Morphe, essential eye-shadow brushes, and few extra goodies. We spent the first hour and a half of the night just getting dolled up together and enjoying classic 90s jams! My students did an amazing job on their make-up creating soft yet sassy looks! See their photo below. After our VIP make-up class, the night spiced up with a flirty routine to Prince's "Kiss".  I'm so proud of all the ladies who came out and stepped outside of their comfort zones to learn my routine! (See a small group of us performing it below.)

Every now and then we have to treat ourselves to a night out away from our spouses, kids, and other responsibilities and just have fun. The greatest part of the night for me was to hear my guests  mentioning how much they needed to get away and how happy they were to come out. If you have yet to make it out to a class, what are you waiting for??? Come and join us in New Castle, DE on May 27th at 8:00pm. Tickets are available now in our BR Vixen Store. Philly!!! Save the date NOW and prepare to join us for our biggest event to date on Saturday, June 25th! More to come with The Belle Rouge Company. Stay tuned.... 

If you attended my Ultimate Ladies Night on Saturday, leave me a comment below. I want to hear from you ladies! Tell me about your experience. ;)

-Miss Belle Rouge

Sch-Rel Desire Fashion Brand (Jewelry)
Email: info@Sch-RelDesire.com    
Instagram: @Sdesirebrand

V3nusVintique Vintage Clothing Boutique
Instagram: @V3nusVintique

Hey BR Vixens! It's been a lonnngggg time since I have wrote to you fab ladies and I must say I have missed our conversations. I have been preparing for some major changes in my life which have required a lot from me physically and emotionally. This past week was very huge for the Belle Rouge Company.  I had the distinguished honor of being featured in my very first live performance as the sole choreographer and creative director of my performance. I know this may seem pretty "ehh" to some people, but to me this was my first time getting on a stage with COMPLETE creative direction and control over what I performed. In the past, I have been a wonderful supporter in other shows as a dancer and supporter. This time I stepped out on faith and took control! It was very exciting and scary at the same time. For those of you who supported by getting tickets, I truly appreciate your encouragement and support! To those who were unable to come out but shared your well wishes along the way, I thank you. My vision was to portray the essence of a well-rounded seductress and entrepreneur of the arts. It came to life before my very eyes, making all of the hard work and long nights so worthwhile. Today, I want to talk to you about pushing through and overcoming difficult obstacles on your path to achieving success.

Welcome back! I know it's been a little while since I've last wrote for you ladies and I must say that I have missed you. This past week as most of you know, I went on vacation with my husband to enjoy some time away from the freezing cold as well as refocus on our relationship without any outside distractions such as work or school. After a long run of consistently busy days and nights of being a superwoman for everyone else, you have to take a step back and enjoy the roses while they are still fresh. Cheers to vacation time and spending time with your loved ones!

Last Wednesday, my husband and I drove down to Charlotte, NC so that he could take his final board exam before graduating this semester. Since there was already a need for a trip, why not make a vacation out of it?! Granted we were not in Puerto Rico or Miami sitting on a beach soaking up some sun, but just being in each other's presence was enough for us. We spent most of our vacation sightseeing, enjoying delicious food and doing some shopping here and there. We were also able to catch a live RnB jazz band in downtown Charlotte at the Epicentre which brought back so many memories (especially when the band started playing classic 90s R&B songs that everyone in the crowd knew word for word).

In addition to getting outside and exploring the city, spending time in our hotel room was just as peaceful. My sole recommendation for anyone seeking a romantic vacation, invest in a room with a jacuzzi tub! You can thank me later. That alone time to relax and let go of all of your worries all while the jets apply just the right amount of water pressure to allow complete relaxation, is all worth it. Oh and trust and believe I brought my stilettos and one of my sexy corset dresses for a night cap! In relationships, we have to keep things exciting and fun. Whether it's jumping in a car for eight hours to get away or catching a flight to an exotic (or country) destination, every couple needs alone time together to rekindle the flames within their relationship.

My challenge to you all which are in relationships (or about to get in a relationship) is to think of something out of the norm for you and spouse to do for rekindling time. That can be taking a weekend getaway trip to the Poconos, or just grabbing a hotel room in the city for a night just for a change of scenery on date night. In order to keep our relationships strong, we have consistently put in the work to make it the best it can be. What works for me and my husband, may be boring to some of you. You can always learn some sexy dance moves in a Belle Rouge Vixen class too ;).  

Tell me your thoughts. I would love to hear from you ladies! 

-Miss Belle Rouge

The greatest gift is being able to put a smile on another person's face. This past weekend, I had the pleasure of working with some amazing women for my latest Belle Rouge Company project. My brand's mission is bring the total glamorous (Vixen) experience to all women through beauty and seductive dance. All women deserve to feel sexy and look their best and that is why I have made it my purpose in life to bring that joy to women all over. Today's post is about tapping into the beautiful and seductive woman inside and bringing her to life.

The ladies in the behind the scenes picture above come from several different walks of life. Some are mothers, wives, students, and business owners, but ALL are extremely sexy! My goal for this project was to take everyday women and show them that we can all be beautiful and fierce models. I had the distinct pleasure of hand selecting each beautiful model and corset, as well as doing some of the models' hair and makeup. While in the midst of styling one of the ladies, she shed tears of joy. I was taken aback for a moment because I couldn't understand why she was crying. My first thought, was wait, you're messing up your makeup! Just knowing that someone cares and shows you that you are beautiful, can make the strongest of us feel sexy and moved. The feedback from these women have made this entire experience more worthwhile. So while you're thinking you may not have what it takes to be a model or look like one, think again. It only takes effort and confidence to be anything you want to be. 

My photoshoot was not about me, it was about all of the women involved! Here are two before and after pictures of models dolled up by me with hair and makeup by Styles By Belle. 

In addition to the Belle Rouge photoshoot, I had the honor of teaching some sexy ladies in Delaware for my "Rock Your Stilettos" event in collaboration with Danceworks Dance Studio on Friday. Majority of the ladies in attendance were all first timers and all left feeling wonderful! We performed a seductive dance to "Dance For You" by Beyonce. As I told my students during your class, the objective is to practice performing in heels and tap into your sexiness. When the heels come off, so does your balance. With practice and consistency, dancing in heels becomes a breeze! 

This Saturday, I'm bringing the sexiness to Philadelphia for my #MoscatoAndHeels class. Ladies! I hope you're ready! Stay tuned for more fabulous happenings with The Belle Rouge Company.

-Miss Belle Rouge

As you all know by now, I like to leave you with a personal challenge. This week's challenge is to make someone else feel beautiful. Whether it's through giving a compliment or telling your friend (or a stranger) their hair looks nice today. A compliment goes a long way and could honestly turn someone's day around. Keep being boss women! 

With Love,
​Belle

This entire weekend has given me the time to truly sit down and relax without any major obligations. It gave me the one thing I do not even get on vacation which is, peace, quiet and release of control. Winter Storm Jonas forced us to stock up on food and prepare for some one on one time with our loved ones or even get more acquainted with ourselves. ​To be completely honest, I spent majority of the weekend sipping wine, eating good food, and snuggled up on the couch with my husband watching The Sopranos (we finally finished the entire show). I know I enjoyed the time of relaxation and also getting a few things done around the house.

Over the weekend, I hosted a sexy burlesque party with some amazing ladies who were all first timers to dancing seductively in heels. Their one main question to me during the party was "How do you perform like that and look sexy at the same time?" This question goes so much further than my private event and will also help ladies coming to future events. So while we are on this journey of becoming Belle Rouge Vixens, I want to break down my top personal tips to being your own best performer! Keep reading to find out more.

This past week has been an extremely productive and positive week for myself and for my business. From hosting my first model call to attending an unique vision board experience with my girlfriends, I can finally sit down and reflect. I have to be honest with you, lately my focus has been on reaching the goals I set for myself in 2015 while also creating balance at home. I found out this week just how others see my business and what they believe it stands for. I must say that I am proud and humble. There is so much more work to be done; however, just to know that you are empowering other women you have never met to make a change in their life and see other women who want to be apart of your vision, it is truly amazing! 

Getting more into today's topic, I attended a vision board session yesterday which blew my mind. To be completely honest, I have been hesitant in the past to attend such an event because I have been nervous to share my dreams and goals with other people. I have this sense of protectiveness around my goals and vision for my business mainly because I have seen that not every person is genuinely excited to hear your plans or believe you are capable of achieving those goals. Am I wrong for being this way? Possibly, but when you have a business, you want to treat it like your baby and protect it from negative outside forces. Until you are ready to show, then do not tell. That's my new life motto.

The Unique Vision Board experience hosted by Davita Garfield & Joyce Robinson of "Dreams, Goals, Vision" catered to encouraging women to dig deep down inside themselves and figure out exactly who they are. After you have openly talked about how you have made it to where are today, you then categorized where you saw yourself in life currently.  I am happy to say that I have a plan and I am working on it! I must say I was unaware of my own strength to maneuver through obstacles in my path and turn them into positives.  Sometimes you need to hear from other women how your story motivates them to keep pushing forward.  That lets me know that I am on the right path as well as to continue doing what I am doing. Many thanks and appreciation goes to my husband and close circle of girlfriends for pushing me to be my best and constantly being a positive support system.  Overall, the vision board experience was amazing and I highly recommend other ladies to schedule their own private group session with these amazing women. 

Growing up, it was such a negative thing to be labeled as selfish. If someone accused me of being selfish, I would normally revert to my twin and say I had a reason to want something for myself. I grew up sharing EVERYTHING and helping everyone around me. To be selfless was such a prominent skill to learn at a young age. Now that I am an adult, I yearn to find moments here and there for "me" time. I'm sure many of you can relate from being employees, mothers, wives, daughters or being in a relationship period. My struggle for the past few years has been finding balance between the give and take within my relationships. Relationships as in with my husband, siblings, mom and friends. Everyone wants a piece of your time. So how do you manage? 

You have taken on a new project at work which demands later hours and more focus. When you get home from work you are mentally drained and can only think about grabbing dinner and heading off to bed. A few weeks have passed and you've found yourself in a new routine. Constantly focusing on work and outside duties of your home, you have allowed yourself to become completely absent at home (not including the necessary duties such as taking care of the kids and putting food on the table). As a woman, no matter how exhausted we become, this is one thing we cannot allow to happen.  We have to put on our big girl panties and be superwoman day in a day out, and that includes keeping things interesting in the bedroom. Trust and believe I have tried to use that excuse, "I'm too tired, let's play tomorrow." Then tomorrow comes and now it's been over a week and my man is growing tiringly frustrated. You can no longer stall any more girlfriend. Whatever funk you have gotten yourself into, it has to stop now! 

First thing first, realize that every time you say yes to another assignment/task at work or volunteer to bake cookies to team bakeoff, etc, know that you are taking yourself away from precious time you could be spending at home with the kids or your significant other. Girlfriend, I have been there before and am not saying that it won't happen again but, the objective is to be consistent. Learn the balance of give and take. Key lesson here is to evaluate what you are willing to give up in order to take on something new (or additional). 

The objective in most relationships (outside of spiritually connecting and having like-minded goals) is to keep falling for the same person over and over again. As I have alluded to in my first post, we have to step outside of our comfort zones and tap into those three main characteristics that make us feel sexiest. However, after you have gotten your mental mindstate together, worked on getting dolled up for yourself, and put the wheels in motion by physically showing your seductive moves, is it enough to keep your man satisfied? To be quite frank, "a happy wife, makes a happy life." When you are doing something in your life that holds value to you, then you are already on the right track! Imagine if we only focused on the exact things that make our spouses or significant others happy. We would be drained energetically on trying to accomplish those desires daily. Let's be real for a moment. My husband enjoys when he comes home to a clean house, dinner prepared and on the table after a long day of work, and when I take the initiative to jumpstart some fun in the bedroom. Do I do this everyday? Absolutely not, I'm human just like you. Working a full-time job, personally commuting a minimum of two hours a day, and dealing with everyday stressors that can weigh heavily on anyone's mind. But don't get me wrong, I do try my best to fulfill these duties daily as a wife. By taking time out of our busy schedules and daily duties to do something that takes us away for even just an hour, can make us happy. When we are happy, then it trickles into the other aspects of our lives. 

Before we can ever think about learning sexy routines and performing for our significant others, the first thought that usually comes to mind is, "I should get sexy and try something different."  What I have found out through experience is that if we stay ready, we don't have to get ready. That sounds like such a cliche however, it's true! Years ago when I was still just dating my now husband, I became comfortable in my relationship. Comfortable as in mostly wearing big t-shirts and lounge pants when I would go over to visit. I wouldn't do my face or much to my hair. I was truly comfortable in my relationship and was thinking to myself, "I have a man now, we have been together over a year why do I have to do anything extra." Well my mother sat me down one day and said that if I got too comfortable, someone else could easily come along take my place. It was a big wake up call. I could sense that my boyfriend at the time was not liking my nonchalant ways either. So from that moment on, I have taken the extra initiative to always put myself first and I get dolled up just for myself. Even if I am not going anywhere other than the gas station, best believe I have my hair done, and at least some brows and lip gloss if nothing else. I strongly believe that someone is always watching your every move, so why give them the satisfaction that you are not on your game.

You are probably reading this and wondering where exactly I am going with this post. I wholeheartedly believe that feeling and looking sexy has three main components.
1. Mental
2. Appearance
​3. Physical Execution