Call Her Candice

When schools first closed, there was a wave of excitement from my kids.  It was almost as if Spring Break came early and would last a little longer.  Then another week or two of school was cancelled.  Which was followed by our county distributing laptops and wifi hotspot devices for the students.  All of which still seemed really "cool".  Kennedy was up at the crack of dawn on FaceTime with her friends, my son playing video games with his friends and my oldest seemingly unb… Read more

First off, if you ever get an invitation to attend an event hosted by Sally Beauty, GO!  You will NEVER be disappointed because they always go above + beyond.  This is my second Sally Beauty event that I attended, the first being in New Orleans.  Both times I received invitations and had no idea what to expect.  I'm dead serious.  It seems like they want you to be pleasantly surprised when you arrive so they give out very little details prior to.  This event did NOT disappoint at… Read more

This past weekend Essence + Ford hosted the My City 4 Ways event in D.C. and it was freaking AMAZING.  Let me just say that I was totally taken back by how fab this event actually was.  I don't know what I was expecting... probably something low-key and slightly janky.  But, I should've known better with Essence and Ford being involved. The event space was doper than dope.  Longview Gallery in D.C was the perfect backdrop and gave off chic/urban vibes.  Upon arrival, I was gr… Read more

Hey girl hey!  Happy Friday boo.  I don't know about you but it feels like this week just dragged.  I kept waking up every morning thinking it was Friday, only to realize it was like Tuesday.  But Friday is here and it's pay day for some of us, heeeeey!  But most importantly, Mother's Day is just days away.  We are still amidst the Mother's Day Gift Guide Giveaways and today's giveaway sponsor is Bliss!  Yes, girl... they are about to get our skin ALL THE WAY righ… Read more

With it being such a gloomy day here in the DMV area, I'm super happy I have what I need right here at home and don't have to go out for food.  When I'm not snacking on some fresh fruits or veggies, my Daily Harvest cups come in handy.  I've shared this over on Instagram quite a bit already but never here on the Blog (I don't think think!). Let me just give you a quick rundown of what Daily Harvest is.  They provide all the fresh ingredients you need to make the p… Read more

A few years back (okay probably more like 5 years ago... bear with me), I had been laid off from a job in the most shady way.  It was the first time I had ever been let go from a job so I took it very emotionally.  Other than pack my bags and file for unemployment (please believe, I did that first), there was nothing else to do but be patient and see where God was leading me.  During this time, my family was super supportive and lucky for me, it was summer break.  Although, I had a ca… Read more

Yay, the giveaways have finally begun!  Today's giveaway is from Dear Naturalista and it's their "The Magic is Real" mug.  Whether your magic comes from caffeine, wine or the good ole' baby Jesus (or a mix of all three), we all need this mug!  Entering to win is EASY. 1. Subscribe to this Blog 2. Follow  @DearNaturalista + (myself)  @MyCandiShoppe on Instagram 3. Comment both here (in the comments section) + on the Instagram Post (of this giveaway item).  Where do… Read more

With the amount of support I receive from you ladies day in and day out, I knew that this Mother's Day write up needed to be a little different than what I've done in previous years.  Most of you that have followed me for some time now are Mothers or have become Mothers in that timeframe.  We connect on that level with so many different topics and I appreciate having you in my online community.  So I've carefully curated a list of items that we all deserve to have and yes,… Read more

Last week I received a super cute package from Pixi Beauty containing all of their Face Mists.  *cue all the happy emojis*  I already had the Glow Mist in my arsenal but the other three... the Hydrating Milky Mist, Makeup Fixing Mist and Vitamin Wakeup Mist (all are $15 each) were new to me.  Obviously, they didn't stay new to me for very long because I immediately began trying to figure out how to use them... both separately and in combination. Here's what I figured out... 1… Read more

I know, I know, you're very confused.  Girl, so am I!  I take a lot of pride in being clear during the interview timeframe when looking for a new job.  Not only do I ask a lot of questions, but I negotiate quite a bit once an offer is made.  All of this was done, same as always, so how did things end up so far left?!  HOW?  HOW?! Lack of communication from the employer side.  During the interview and in subsequent communication, I asked if I had my own office.  You may wonder why… Read more

Occasionally, when I hit these writer block moments all it takes is a nudge from someone in my online community to get me back on track.  Today's nudge came from @mfromthesfbay on Twitter who specifically requested some Back to School inspo for her minis!  I was like, duh Candice, why didn't you think of this?!  School has started for some and is about to start for many so I hope these styles can provide some inspiration to my fellow Moms out there.  I went an extra step and i… Read more

About a month ago, I fell victim to Instagram and YouTube pressuring me to buy a few Pixi Beauty products.  Left and right, Bloggers were raving about the Pixi Glow Tonic and I figured for so many people to be raving about it, it MUST be good!  Lord knows I've learned my lesson in the past from thinking this yet I continue to fall into the trap.  Fortunately, this time all the gossip and talk was actually TRUE.  Of course, once I found the Tonic at my local Target store I couldn&… Read more

1.  Your Curl Pattern Doesn't Mean as Much as You Think I first Big Chopped to Brush Cut because I really have very little patience for any transition process.  At first, the plan was to grow my cut out immediately but then I fell in love with having no hair.  So I would grow my hair out 2-3 inches then chop it all off again.  Well, one thing I quickly realized was that my Curl Pattern would literally grow back differently each time!  When I first Big Chopped, the hair grew in ver… Read more

On Sunday, October 19th, I made my way into DC to join the Creme of Nature Team for the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk.  Honestly, I have never done a 'Walk for a Cause' before so I was probably way too excited. Like, didn't get decent rest the night before because I was so excited! LOL.  Looking back, all that excitement was definitely warranted because it was truly an amazingly fun experience. I was invited by Creme of Nature to be a co-captain for the Team i… Read more

This is probably the heaviest and most personal topic I've discussed here in the Shoppe.  Yet, this is a discussion that I've had numerous times in my life.  Not only was this conversation had with me as a child but I've had to hold this conversation twice, once with each of my daughters.  We are BLACK.  Our children are born into this world so naive and they start to formulate their own thoughts about "race".  Technically, their first thoughts aren't even r… Read more

Well, I have come across yet another brand that I'm really excited to review for you guys.  I am constantly asked about different products that may work for different hair types and sometimes I have the answer, sometimes I don't.  There are certain types of products that I like for my own hair but I know that as a resource, finding products that may work great for other hair types is important as well.  So, if ever you feel like your need isn't being addressed please let m… Read more

I know some of you are shaking your head in disagreement with the title of this post but bear with me.  Over the past few years, subscription boxes have become uber popular.  Some even forming waitlists, selling out or closing new membership sign-ups.  We've all seen the hype surrounding these boxes and a new one is popping up daily.  Personally, I'm not a member of any of these Subscriptions but I still see the value in having them around. Most of us who aren't members o… Read more