Sunday, May 18, 2014
The World of WAG's
(First thing's first, "WAG" stands for Wives And Girlfriends, the partner of a high profile athlete)
My introduction: As a kid, I remember my dad watching Hockey religiously. He still does. Back then it was all about Mario Lemiuix, Wayne Gretzy, I remember having a lot of Ottawa Senators gear (I was born in Ottawa) & Montreal Canadiens.
When I first started dating Ray, it was off-season & he was injured. I didn't really see him in his element. (*I will post about how we met & our story next!)
I never gave the whole 'hockey wives' thing a thought. Not even a consideration. I didn't know such a thing existed! I never realized that there was a clique, group, club for the girls who dated athletes. I learned that one pretty quickly. In 2010, my boyfriend signed to the Anaheim Ducks. I was so thrilled, coming out of his remarkable injury but also because, let's face it, we were headed to beautiful sunny California! Orange County at that! I remember getting dressed for this team event Ray had mentioned. "It's a charity fashion show, slash dinner thing, want to go?" he said. "Sure! What should I wear?!" I asked. I was thinking maybe I should wear a suit jacket or something. Ray told me he didn't care & to wear whatever made me most comfortable. I laid out a cute pink & cream outfit, with Harem pants that I got from Aritizia & then a more sophisticated dress. I was leaning for the Harem pants & Ray said to go for it. (ugh, what was I thinking!?) We drove to the venue, which was a hotel & I walked in & realized this was a much bigger event than I thought. More fancy too. I definitely felt underdressed. I saw the signs, "Lady Ducks Fashion Show" as I entered & thought... what the hell is a 'Lady Duck' though. Luckily, I met two of the ladies, super fashionable, blonde, beautiful & really sweet. They totally welcomed me & said I should meet the Lady heading the entire event about details on my participation for the evening. "Participation!??!" Honestly, my palms were sweating. With new people, I totally have social anxiety. Put me on a stage in front of 30,000 people, no prob! Put me in a room with people I don't know & I want to hide in a corner. So this older lady walks up to me & says.. "Hi.. I'm Cara! Awww, you are our new little baby duck! Well I'm the Queen Duck & I am the one responsible for throwing this event." Kill....mee....now!!!! That's all I could think. Then she asked me what responsibility I wanted to take part in, did I want to help in the silent auction? or sell pucks? or collect money? etc,. I was definitely stunned! (I guess no chance to hide in the corner?) The 'Queen Duck' (lol) then said to me "The Fashion Show & Dinner is taking place inside the hotel & is only for the players & for guests who are donating. All the 'WAGS' are responsible for the behind the scenes operations, fundraising, collecting money & making sure the event ran smoothly." #1, I have to commend the girls for not wanting to just take the backseat on a fun fashion event like most girls would want to, instead they were genuinely focused on raising money for an important cause, sick kids. (*See pictures from the event here) I thought that was pretty awesome! #2, WTF is a WAG?! I die. I legit had to google that shit when nobody was looking. After 15 minutes of wrapping my head around the event & Ray giving me the "are you ok?" look, I decided to get to work. I decided to put on my saleswoman A-game to help sell signed hockey pucks. I was dealing with credit card machines, keeping the line moving, repackaging & re-stocking. Once all the guests entered the fashion show, all of us girls who were hard away working out in the sun, went into a little room & sat around a round table to have our own lunch. I thought it was super awkward to be honest. Everyone was really quite at first. We all just sat there.. ate..awkwardly..staring at one another.. then finally Linda, a super hilarious girl started cracking some jokes (thank God!). Then the games began. Looking at us girls, there was a common theme. Simple girls with a passion for a lot of glamour. Chanel, Louboutin, Leather jackets, Diamonds, blonde hair. Fashionistas. American, Canadian, Swedish, Czech, Finish mainly. Some with language barrier but mainly we all could communicate with one another fine. The girls were super sweet, so pleasant, perfect & refreshingly genuine.. except for 1 or 2. This girl Sarah started our first game "What's your name, where are you from, who are you with?" Once it got to my turn I said "Keshia, Canada, Ray the goalie" Then one girl Anna looked at me & said "So.. like.. what are you? A wife, fiancé, girlfriend, do u guys live together? Or... are u like.. some...fling? How long have u been dating?". In my head I was thinking "What the fuck am I sitting on a panel with the girls from The View?!" but in my face, I showed no signs. I smiled & politely said "girlfriend. we live together. pretty fresh, just happy to be here." I got a nod & what I thought was a dirty eye look. Haha! Oh boy.. She then said "Oh you're new then. Well.. Are you working to be a wife someday?" I don't know why this bothered me so much, it was as if marrying an athlete was some big feat! Like as if it would be my life goal to achieve? Normally, I would tell a girl about herself if I felt like she was throwing shade but I decided to give her the benefit of the doubt. English clearly wasn't her first language & maybe it was a language barrier & she was brash without knowing. So I just answered her questions with one word answers & she moved on. Then a Canadian girl said to me "Hey.. What a minute? You're Keshia Chante right? I love your music!" She was super sweet & super pumped. Anna then looked back over at me, changing her body language in the most open way & was like "oh wow, you sing?" And then all of a sudden she was super nice to me. Yawn. Finally lunch was over, we spent 3 more hours dealing with the event & by the end of it, $100,000 dollars was raised. Success! Luckily majority of the Lady Ducks were awesome & I ended up having a great time. So with that, I'm not sure my first 'WAG' experience was all that positive. After that, I finished working on my third album, traveling back & forth from Toronto Canada to OC, California. After chatting around with different girls from various teams, I heard mega horror stories about wag groups in general & it just left a bad taste in my mouth. Luckily, that perspective changed.
Fastforward, Ray plays for 2 years for the Chicago Blackhawks & honestly, as an only child, I never thought I could love a group of girls so much. I was around to witness new relationships, engagements, weddings, baby showers, new babies being born, etc,. It was really such a fun thing! We became like family! During Chicago's Stanley Cup Winning Year (2012-13), I took a break from work. Ray really wanted me to be around 24/7 & I love spending time with him! It is super flattering to be with someone who genuinely wants to spend every day with you & experience new things together. With the type of schedule athletes have, it's hard to have quality time. The days & hours are so abnormal & all over the place. Definitely not a Mon to Fri, 9 to 5 situation where you can have a system. Even though this disorganized lifestyle grinded my OCD gears, Ray wanted me there to support him 100%. And I realize now, that most hockey players, or athletes, feel this same way.
My introduction: As a kid, I remember my dad watching Hockey religiously. He still does. Back then it was all about Mario Lemiuix, Wayne Gretzy, I remember having a lot of Ottawa Senators gear (I was born in Ottawa) & Montreal Canadiens.
When I first started dating Ray, it was off-season & he was injured. I didn't really see him in his element. (*I will post about how we met & our story next!)
I never gave the whole 'hockey wives' thing a thought. Not even a consideration. I didn't know such a thing existed! I never realized that there was a clique, group, club for the girls who dated athletes. I learned that one pretty quickly. In 2010, my boyfriend signed to the Anaheim Ducks. I was so thrilled, coming out of his remarkable injury but also because, let's face it, we were headed to beautiful sunny California! Orange County at that! I remember getting dressed for this team event Ray had mentioned. "It's a charity fashion show, slash dinner thing, want to go?" he said. "Sure! What should I wear?!" I asked. I was thinking maybe I should wear a suit jacket or something. Ray told me he didn't care & to wear whatever made me most comfortable. I laid out a cute pink & cream outfit, with Harem pants that I got from Aritizia & then a more sophisticated dress. I was leaning for the Harem pants & Ray said to go for it. (ugh, what was I thinking!?) We drove to the venue, which was a hotel & I walked in & realized this was a much bigger event than I thought. More fancy too. I definitely felt underdressed. I saw the signs, "Lady Ducks Fashion Show" as I entered & thought... what the hell is a 'Lady Duck' though. Luckily, I met two of the ladies, super fashionable, blonde, beautiful & really sweet. They totally welcomed me & said I should meet the Lady heading the entire event about details on my participation for the evening. "Participation!??!" Honestly, my palms were sweating. With new people, I totally have social anxiety. Put me on a stage in front of 30,000 people, no prob! Put me in a room with people I don't know & I want to hide in a corner. So this older lady walks up to me & says.. "Hi.. I'm Cara! Awww, you are our new little baby duck! Well I'm the Queen Duck & I am the one responsible for throwing this event." Kill....mee....now!!!! That's all I could think. Then she asked me what responsibility I wanted to take part in, did I want to help in the silent auction? or sell pucks? or collect money? etc,. I was definitely stunned! (I guess no chance to hide in the corner?) The 'Queen Duck' (lol) then said to me "The Fashion Show & Dinner is taking place inside the hotel & is only for the players & for guests who are donating. All the 'WAGS' are responsible for the behind the scenes operations, fundraising, collecting money & making sure the event ran smoothly." #1, I have to commend the girls for not wanting to just take the backseat on a fun fashion event like most girls would want to, instead they were genuinely focused on raising money for an important cause, sick kids. (*See pictures from the event here) I thought that was pretty awesome! #2, WTF is a WAG?! I die. I legit had to google that shit when nobody was looking. After 15 minutes of wrapping my head around the event & Ray giving me the "are you ok?" look, I decided to get to work. I decided to put on my saleswoman A-game to help sell signed hockey pucks. I was dealing with credit card machines, keeping the line moving, repackaging & re-stocking. Once all the guests entered the fashion show, all of us girls who were hard away working out in the sun, went into a little room & sat around a round table to have our own lunch. I thought it was super awkward to be honest. Everyone was really quite at first. We all just sat there.. ate..awkwardly..staring at one another.. then finally Linda, a super hilarious girl started cracking some jokes (thank God!). Then the games began. Looking at us girls, there was a common theme. Simple girls with a passion for a lot of glamour. Chanel, Louboutin, Leather jackets, Diamonds, blonde hair. Fashionistas. American, Canadian, Swedish, Czech, Finish mainly. Some with language barrier but mainly we all could communicate with one another fine. The girls were super sweet, so pleasant, perfect & refreshingly genuine.. except for 1 or 2. This girl Sarah started our first game "What's your name, where are you from, who are you with?" Once it got to my turn I said "Keshia, Canada, Ray the goalie" Then one girl Anna looked at me & said "So.. like.. what are you? A wife, fiancé, girlfriend, do u guys live together? Or... are u like.. some...fling? How long have u been dating?". In my head I was thinking "What the fuck am I sitting on a panel with the girls from The View?!" but in my face, I showed no signs. I smiled & politely said "girlfriend. we live together. pretty fresh, just happy to be here." I got a nod & what I thought was a dirty eye look. Haha! Oh boy.. She then said "Oh you're new then. Well.. Are you working to be a wife someday?" I don't know why this bothered me so much, it was as if marrying an athlete was some big feat! Like as if it would be my life goal to achieve? Normally, I would tell a girl about herself if I felt like she was throwing shade but I decided to give her the benefit of the doubt. English clearly wasn't her first language & maybe it was a language barrier & she was brash without knowing. So I just answered her questions with one word answers & she moved on. Then a Canadian girl said to me "Hey.. What a minute? You're Keshia Chante right? I love your music!" She was super sweet & super pumped. Anna then looked back over at me, changing her body language in the most open way & was like "oh wow, you sing?" And then all of a sudden she was super nice to me. Yawn. Finally lunch was over, we spent 3 more hours dealing with the event & by the end of it, $100,000 dollars was raised. Success! Luckily majority of the Lady Ducks were awesome & I ended up having a great time. So with that, I'm not sure my first 'WAG' experience was all that positive. After that, I finished working on my third album, traveling back & forth from Toronto Canada to OC, California. After chatting around with different girls from various teams, I heard mega horror stories about wag groups in general & it just left a bad taste in my mouth. Luckily, that perspective changed.
Fastforward, Ray plays for 2 years for the Chicago Blackhawks & honestly, as an only child, I never thought I could love a group of girls so much. I was around to witness new relationships, engagements, weddings, baby showers, new babies being born, etc,. It was really such a fun thing! We became like family! During Chicago's Stanley Cup Winning Year (2012-13), I took a break from work. Ray really wanted me to be around 24/7 & I love spending time with him! It is super flattering to be with someone who genuinely wants to spend every day with you & experience new things together. With the type of schedule athletes have, it's hard to have quality time. The days & hours are so abnormal & all over the place. Definitely not a Mon to Fri, 9 to 5 situation where you can have a system. Even though this disorganized lifestyle grinded my OCD gears, Ray wanted me there to support him 100%. And I realize now, that most hockey players, or athletes, feel this same way.
Saturday, May 17, 2014
Must Have Products for Mixed Girl Hair
Growing up I had a tough time dealing with my hair. As a kid, I always felt like it made me stand out too much. I hated it. Over the years, I grew to love my hair. It took me decades to not only find a hair stylist that could do my hair, but products that could manage my wild hair & keep it healthy. Once I hit the entertainment industry & my hair had to be styled every day I had to start thinking of solutions, and fast. My thought process is this, if you put a curling iron on your skin for even a half second, it would hurt, leave intense burns, well it must be doing the same thing to your hair! You just can't feel it..but eventually, you WILL see it. To this day, I can't even blow dry my own hair. It's thick, fluffy, curly, long & a serious arm work out. I may not be able to style my own hair like an expert but I definitely know how to keep it healthy like one.
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| Kenra Moisturizing Shampoo & Conditioner |
After years of going to the salon every week & trying out different products, I've come across my "Holy Grail" of Hair Products. So here goes...
Kenra Moisturizing Shampoo & Conditioner:
In the shower, wash your hair with Kenra's Moisturizing Shampoo, then rinse. Put Kenra's Moisurizing Conditioner in your hair & comb it through, then rinse.
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| Kenra Nourishing Masque |
This is my favorite hair treatment! I do this every sunday. It's a bit pricy if you use it regularly ($25) & I can only get 2 uses out of the jar before it's finished unfortunately, but for me, it is totally worth it! So here is what I do, I use about half of the jar & drench my hair in it. I wrap my hair in a bun & I sit under a steamer for a good 30 minutes with the product in it. I try to keep the masque in my hair for an hour, then I rinse it out. Your hair will feel amazing!
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| Kenra Daily Provision |
Kenra Daily Provision:
Once I rinse out the Kenra Nourishing Masque, I pat dry my hair a little bit then spray the Kenra Daily Provision mist. It's a really a light-weight leave in conditioner. I love it. Then I really try to let my hair air dry before blow drying.
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| Chi Silk Infusion |
Once my hair is blow dried, I put CHI Silk Infusion (silk reconstructiong complex). Another relatively pricey product, but my #1 favorite by far. My hair sucks up serums, so I have to apply this daily. Two other serums that I love but for me haven't been as consistent are Kerastatse Nutritive's Serum Oleo-Relax & Moraccan Oil.
Hope some of these products help you out! Stay tuned for more tips on hair from me coming soon! And as always, feel free to leave questions or comments below!! xo
(Please note: none of these products are sponsored or paid topic inspections. All opinions are of my own & are based truly on my experience.)
Ask Me Anything!
I get a ton of questions on my instagram, twitter, facebook fan page etc,. from you guys on a ton of different topics (from skin care tips, to how I got started, if I've gotten plastic surgery before, you name it!) & I feel like it's about time I answer your questions! Please leave them in the comments section below & I will write a blog post responding to your burning questions! xo
Saturday, May 10, 2014
My First Post!
Hi Everyone!!
I'm Keshia Chante & welcome to my blog! I never thought I would cave into the blogging vortex but here I am. I have SO much to share with you guys! Tips & tricks with makeup & hair from the top beauty experts in the world, favorite products (reviews & recommendations), stories about my life; from my wild career to my "how to's" on being the ultimate housewife, travel guides, a look into the hockey "wag" world (wag = wives and girlfriends of high profile athletes), an insider look into the world of celebrities & entertainment.. the list goes on! So.. Welcome to my Life, the candid, the glamorous & the crazy beautiful.
About Me:
I'm 25 years old. I was born in Ottawa, raised in Toronto, Canada. I've lived in many different cities from LA, Atlanta & Chicago & now I work in New York City, live in a suburb in New Jersey with my hockey player boyfriend who plays for the Philadelphia Flyers. I literally feel like a double agent who balances a career as the host of BET's #1 music show, "106 & Park" & the duties of a housewife. And not just any homemaker, the kind that is hands-on & likes to do it ALL. I started in the entertainment industry at the age of 14 as a Singer, I signed to a record label (Sony/BMG) & have been a public figure ever since. I've had numerous #1's, won lots of awards, certified plaques, even winning a Juno Award (Canadian Grammy). Later I released 3 albums & I was super content with the success it brought me. I couldn't walk into a mall or convienent store without being recognized & I basically gave up my teenage years to tour & release 3 albums. I don't regret the sacrifice in the least though, it changed my life & my families life completely. And for that I'm lucky! When I hit 21, I was thrown into the crazy world of the "Hockey Wives" & eventually moved my career into the US. Now I'm blogging!!
I have a miniature poodle, who I adore & treat like a child (lol). I'm obsessed with fashion, mainly shoes & handbags. My favorite stores are Intermix, Bergdorf's, Aritzia & BCBG Max Azria. I have an incred shoe collection if I do say so myself from Christian Louboutin to Versace. We have the mansion, the cars, all the things money can buy, I'm definitely spoiled, but not a brat. I appreciate what I have & enjoy sharing it! I'm a sucker for shiny things but I know what is truly important in life & everyday I look around & feel so very grateful & humbled. I believe when you are blessed, you should bless others & give back. So beyond all the fashion blogging, I will be sharing stories about my life that I hope compel & inspire you but also motivate you to give back as well!
I'm new to the blog world & I am an open book! If you have any questions, feel free to ask me almost anything! Let me know what YOU want to read about!! Be sure to follow me on Twitter & Instagram for daily updates also!!
I hope you love my blog & can't wait to hear from you all!
xx KC!
p.s - www.keshiachante.com is my official site, where all my career highlights are posted. This blog is a place where I can share a more candid, in depth look at my life & story. XO
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