Candalada’s 2015 Top Picks: The Best of Woodbridge and Beyond

Eyebrows

Hair Cuts

Pictured: Candalada,Omar L.

Who Continued: Fletcha (@fletcha_barber) here from Atlanta new to this area is very good, short wait. Devon (@getemniceday) with Genesis since it opened very talented long wait, more availability than Omar.

Whats Special: Extreme diversity, Asian, Hispanic, African American barbers.No racial divide. Wonderful lay out very clean. Music feels like New York in VA.

Website: http://www.genesisbarbers.com

 

A++ Nail (A Plus Plus Nails)

Located in: River Oaks Shopping Center

Address: 16681 River Ridge Blvd, Woodbridge, VA 22191

Phone:(703) 221-1551

Who: T she owns the shop with her husband. She is excellent at finding your natural arch and creating the perfect shape around it.

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Genesis Barbers 

Located in: Minnieville Shopping Center

Address: 2890 Garber Way, Woodbridge, Virginia 22192

Phone:(703) 494-5174

Who: Omar Lavender (@genesisbarbers) shop owner high demand long wait. 

Pictured: PrinceIssa

Pedicures Fancy 

Escape Day Spa

Located in: Shops at the County Center 

Address: 12627 Galveston Ct., Manassas, VA 20112

Phone: 703-670-3911

Who: Unfortunately I did get the name of the lady that did my pedicure, so you will have to find your own favorite person.

Whats Special: The atmosphere is so clean. They have private rooms if you want to go with some girlfriends or your mom. They don’t cost more but you do have to make an appointment and request them in advance. The BATHROOM thats all I am going to say. Make sure you got to the bathroom.

Website: http://escapetheday.com

Pedicures Regular

Polishes Nail& Spa 

Located in: Next to a cleaners and near  Woodbridge Post Office

Address: 14083 Noblewood Plaza, Woodbridge, VA 22193

Phone: (703) 878-7530

Who: Lisa for pedicures she gives long messages and miss. Tracy for gel nails.

Whats special: This place is extra regular. So while everyone is breaking their necks to get wine and cheese some fancy place you can walk into my nails on a Friday or Saturday with no appointment and no wait and get the best pedicure ever.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Polished-Nails-Spa-167450653374886/timeline/

Laser Hair Removal /Complexion Blending 

Cultura

Located: On the boarder of Washington DC and Montgomery County , MD 

Address: 5301 Wisconsin Ave NW #110, Washington, DC 20015

Phone:(202) 237-9292

Who: I saw Tamra. Who you see in Cultura varies based on what service you will receive.

Whats is special: Cultura specializes in laser removal for women of color. They offer a vast amount of services. Prior to DR.Battles’ discoveries many women of color were burned by laser hair removal.

"Dr. Eliot Battle is a celebrated, highly respected dermatologist with sought after expertise as a result of his Harvard laser research and groundbreaking dermatological practice. From television and radio to magazines, many media outlets solicit his professional opinion and contributions to special segments and articles. Dr. Eliot Battle represents Cultura Dermatology and Laser Center in media coverage and education throughout the United States.”  Excerpt from webpage
 

Website: http://www.culturamed.com

 

Trousseau 

Located In: Maple Plaza

Address: 306 Maple Avenue West Vienna,Virginia

Phone: 703-255-3300

Who: Sarah the owner or Kaylee

What is special: This place is beyond cute besides that they carry bras is some of the most outrageous sizes. Bras with tiny cups and broad backs, large cups and small back. You are not limited to large cup large back , small cup small back.

Website: http://trousseaultd.com  

Bra Shop

Sister Sister : NikkRich X Candalada

Let me tell you about this girl hugging me. She is my sister. She goes by NikkRich these days. There was a time where all I thought about was my education and my sister. I even took her to college with me; the place where she fell in love with photography. Many say we look and act alike however, we are complete opposites. Everything that we do compliments each other and adds to each other. We both carry cameras but I am far from a photographer. I long for the movement of video. Our creative processes are also light years apart. 

When we are together the question we always hear is, “Who is older? Are you two twins?” No, we are nine years apart. I am always the first to blurt out the answer. My spirit is young and her demeanor is mature. On my quest to become who I am today I never imagined she would play such a large role in my career. 

The work she has done and continues to do with and for me is invaluable for several reasons. The first being her passion for her craft, the second, her natural eye for getting what I need with little or no description, and last her technical skills. She is priceless to me that is why she is NikkRich (outside the reach that they are both abbreviations of her first and last name). She is rich in spirit, rich in drive and full of love.

We took this photo after a dinner party in DC. The ladies that she worked with for the DC Latin Creatives Project had a gathering. She was the youngest at the table. Yet there seemed to be no divide in content or interests. Cheers to NikkRich, this lovely self-portrait, fun mini shoot and sisterhood. 

Candalada cut by Omar Lavender

NikkRich Hair by Candalada

Candalada cut by Omar Lavender

NikkRich Hair by Candalada

THE LEFT COST VIDEO: NikkRich and Candalada: VA to LA

The Left Coast: Part 6 California

The Penthouse
(Nikky’s Apartment)

August 4th, 2015 11:59pm we made it to California! The welcome to California sign was underwhelming small and poorly lit. I wasn’t expecting that. I imagined we would be doing jumping jacks by the sign. Instead we took several attempts to take a photo on the poorly lit highway rolled our eyes and got back in the car. We arrived at the apartment a few hours later. We were happy to see it was a real place and Nikky was not bamboozled on the internet. We were very tired. The next day it was time to unpack and it was a long hot process.

The day after that our cousin flew in and the real party began. We ate all day, everyday and visited as many places as possible. This was our hit list 8/5-8/11

The house warming /we made it toast

Ikea Bistro West Covina

Jamba Juice

Thai Original BBQ & Restaurant

Roscoes Chicken and Waffles

Starbucks on Sunset 

The Melt

Zumba Beach 

Point Dume

Malibu Beach 

In and Out Burger

The Waffle

Manhattan Beach                                                                                                    Photo:Candalada

Venice Beach 

Manhattan Beach 

Manhattan Pizzeria

Santa Monica Pier/ Carnival 

PFChang

Manhattan Beach                                                                                                    Photo:Candalada

The Waffle

The Waffle 

Santa Monica Pier Carnival 

Santa Monica Pier 

Santa Monica Carnival 

Photos: www.nikkrich.com

Need More? Stay tuned for the finale.

The Left Coast: Part 5 Arizona

 It was the 58th hour of our road trip. My foot began to itch and then swell while taking this photo. That didn't stop me from running across the highway to get a sunny New Mexico picture because I was unpleased with the dark rainy one from the previous night. The retake was perfect!

The sunny retake

The Back 

When I returned to the car I said, “We have a problem Nik Nak my foot is burning. I hope this does not lead to a hospital visit.” After assessing the calamity with my foot I poured water on it and tries to focus on getting to Phoenix as well as how good dinner was going to be.

The highway art in Phoenix was beautiful. Nikky and I just loved the landscape. Texas was into decorating their highway but Pheonix had a wonderful color scheme and the plants were amazing. 

Nikky selected The Yard as our food stop. We thought it was one restaurant but it was three. A common area that looked like a yard hence the name “The Yard”connected them all. We chose to dine at the Mexican Restaurant, Burrio Urbano created by James Beard nominee Chef Silvana. 

WEBSITE

The Yard

Each restaurant had 2 entrances their was the option to dine in the restaurant, on the restaurants patio, or take your food to “The Yard” and relax there. We chose to dine on the patio. We could still feel the mist, which felt great as we people watched. People were having beers and playing ping-pong. They looked so happy. I was devastated that we had to leave shortly after dinner.

My perfect vegetarian plate.

We left Pheonix pumped and quickly fell into are we there yet mode. There is something about knowing the next state is the destination state. I made the minutes seem longer.

The Left Coast: Part 4 New Mexico

www.nikkrich.com

Did you guess what I discovered? I was in Anthony, Texas when I saw the New Mexico sign in the pouring rain three minutes later I was in Anthony, New Mexico Exit 0. I am not sure why seeing exit 0 made me laugh. It inspired me to name the first blog entry to this series Part 0. I thought to myself another same city name set up!

When we arrived at White Sands it was 1:30 in the morning. The park was closed and dark, so I continued up the highway. There was a boarder patrol stop. Thee officer told us the next town was 13 miles away. We had one drop of gas and I was nervous. We barely made it to town filled up and waited patiently until 7 am to head back to White Sands National Monument. 

There were several signs at the monument warning drivers that there is no water beyond a certain point. The sand in the beginning had many plants and other things in it. As we got deeper into the dunes the hills became higher. The sand was so clean it looked like snow. 

The sand was very moist. The view was amazing. The air was thin and the sun was hot. I felt joy, excitement and peace. New Mexico was the land of enchantment.

Photos by: NikkRich

Photos by www.nikkrich.com

The Left Coast: Part 3 Texas

NikkRichPhoto

By drive friendly what that really mean is drive fast!

iphone photo Had to slow down to catch this took 3 attempts :)

Dallas was going to be our first stop in Texas. I was excited it was daytime and we would have a chance to look around a little. 30 minutes out from Dallas Nikky found our food spot.

Ellen’s Southern Kitchen 1718 N. Market St., Dallas Texas 75202

WEBSITE

I had the mac and cheese with broccoli and diced tomatoes. It tasted like it had bacon in it. The waiter assured me it was smoke flavoring and not invisible bacon bits. Nikky had grilled cheese and tomato soup. I had a bite of sandwich. Unfortunately some type of mayo was in her grilled cheese and that temporarily ruined my life. The atmosphere at Ellen's was lovely, they had a full bar that was very lively. The wallpaper was very pretty.

Texas 

At the dinner table in Virginia before we hit the road Nikky decided she wanted to see Prada Marfa and White Sands National Monument. She showed me a few pics online and I kept looking at her like she was crazy. Thinking to myself, “Driving across the country is not long enough? We have to make it even longer?"

Instead of driving through Oklahoma and the panhandle of Texas taking 40 West as a straight shot,  we took a bit of a lower route and drove through the entire  body of Texas in order to get to Valentine,Texas. Yes the letter B!

Stay with me, we left Dallas and we were headed to the letter B. What was in Valentine, Texas that was so important?

The Letter B : Prada Marfa in Valentine, Texas

READ ABOUT PRADA MARFA

We were in the middle of the desert, late at night and 35 miles off of our route to California. I wouldn’t say that we felt perfectly ok on this road, where even the GPS went out. We started  to see the lights of the sculpture in mid uncertainty. We became so excited and as we pulled up the internet magically started working.

 We really didn’t want to get out of the car. We thought about it,  we drove over 24 hours as non-stop as possible. We could not let the opportunity to document Prada Marfa slip away. An officer pulled up asking if our purpose of being parked on the side of the road was the sculpture. I replied, ”Yes!” and asked him to stay for our safety. His headlights surely helped with visibility you can see them vividly in Nikky’s photo. Trust me it was dark out there!

Even Beyonce went in the daytime (2012) .....

2012 google image

We left Prada Marfa at 10:50pm and our next target was Letter C: White Plains New Mexico. Many of the exits had Spanish names and there were tons of tiny yellow lights. After hours and hours I started to wonder if I missed the sign. Nikky, "Am I in Mexico? Am I in New Mexico?” I just felt really confused. Why isn't Texas over yet? I passed El Paso and it wasn’t like when I fell out of Memphis into Arkansas. I was driving and driving and driving and driving and hoping the welcome sign to another state was on the way.

Those tiny yellow lights to my left were Mexico. I was riding along the boarder for hours. Looking at it on a still map makes much more sense than did that night looking at the little blue ball on my tiny phone from a zoomed in angle.

Wow route 10 you really basically almost let me almost fall into Mexico and cover every single little tiny peace of land Texas had to offer.

I dare you guess what I discovered next.

The Left Coast: Part 2 Arkansas

It was 1:14 am, before we could even read the names of a few schools and streets in Memphis we fell into Arkansas. I wish I could tell you that something amazing happened in Arkansas. Besides realizing the lack of creativity in the naming system of the United States. I saw signs for West Memphis in Arkansas.

• The same city name in both states right next to each other?!? 
• Combo state names

There was so much of that to be discovered for me. Bristol, Virginia and Bristol, Tennessee right next to each other, Memphis, Tennessee and West Memphis, Arkansas. Texarkana! Why? I did not understand how the naming system came to be or better yet remained in place. I am sure the answer lies somewhere in a history book.

No food in Arkansas, no sight seeing, no pictures besides the state sign. We were really tired too tired for anything. 

The Left Coast: Part 1 Tennessee

We rolled out of VA and into Tennessee at about 1:00 in the afternoon.The temperature was rising but I could not let go of my hoodie. The AC from car still had my bones chilly.

From this sign it would take another 7 hours to get to Nashville. Tennessee was so green and beautiful. I listened to Biggie and Jay -Z as I zoomed up and down the hills. I found all my motivation from seeing miles to Nashville moving from triple digits to double digits.

In Virginia we had Subway as our first food stop and decided each food stop going forward needed to be more meaningful. We wanted to dine at places that recieved awards, nominations for awards, featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives or at minimal excessive positive recommendations and high ratings online.

The system went as follows, Nikky would start searching for places to eat about 30 minutes before we hit a big city. Reading the descriptions and comments a loud. A minor set back included that it was Sunday when we entered Nashville and some places were closed early or not open at all. We decided on place named Fido. I had a black bean burger with sweet potatoes. 

WEBSITE

After being pretty content with our meal selections at Fido’s on the way to the car we spotted Jenis an ice-cream shop. We both selected the Gooey Butter sundea. I have to tell you it was thick and rich. Far from a soft serve special. Nothing like anything in the freezer at the grocery store.

The best part is inside of the fortune cookie is a conversation starter. Mine read, “When was the last time you lied to anyone about anything?"

After Ice Cream and back on the road.

Photos by @NikkRich WEBSITE

The Left Coast: Part 0 Virginia

It all started a few months ago she said “Can I think I want to move to LA.” I was not very surprised. After all at her exact age I did the same thing. I packed a Honda and drove clear across the country alone. She planned to go with a friend but in the end it was up to me to let her go alone or accompany her.

It was official I was going on a road trip with my sister! We planned to leave August 1st after going away lunch, too bad after lunch that lunch we needed more everything; more sleep and more time with our mommy.

Finally, the next day at 7am after breakfast on Prince William Parkway we took this picture and headed towards Manassas. We were ready to drive through the sate of Virginia armed with our Hair Therapy hoodies and smiles.

Filipino Beauty In Northern Virginia

Filipino people (Filipino: Mamamayang Philino) are an ethnic group native to the Philippines. There and around 180 languages spoken there however the official languages are Filipino and English. The Philippines has a population of almost 100,000,000 and 10-12 million Filipinos reside outside the Philippines. 

During the time of the cast system Filipino was used to describe a person of Spanish decent born in the Philippines. The system was abolished in 1898 and the term is used to describe all person born in the Philippines regardless of race or ancestry.

Eleanor is a first generation Filipino residing in Northern Virginia. Hair Therapy has introduced some adjustments to Eleanor's hair regimen. Eleanor prefers to wear her hair bone straight. It is naturally slightly wavy. Which means lots of direct heat (I know dangerous).Deep cleansing and steaming treatments, excessive trims and the wrap keep her hair looking nice.

Previously, Eleanor used a loose bun at night. The problem with that is it causes a slight dent and also leaves the hair dry. Wrapping the hair allows the ends to stay protected and moisturized. She has not mastered it however, I am persistent in my efforts to convert her to a devout wrapper. Occasionally I demand a roller-set to preserve her hair health.

Photos by http://www.nikkrich.com

Eritrean Beauty in Northern Virginia

Eritrea is a country in Africa. Eritrea's capital is Asmara. The country is bordered by Sudan to the west, Ethiopia in the south and Djibouti in the southeast. It is a multi-ethnic country with more than five recognized ethnic groups. The population is vast with over 6 million inhabitants.

Several first generation children and young adults with parents from various countries in Africa reside in Northern Virginia, as well as all around the world.

Sofie is a first generation Eritrean that has been re-introduced some safe hair practices for her natural hair by Hair Therapy. An advantage she has experienced with her hair is the natural darkness of her hair color reflects light; it often appears shiny and healthy looking.

A challenge Sofie experiences is static when her hair is placed under direct heat. The biggest adjustment she has made to her hair regimen since visiting Hair Therapy is refraining from using products with petroleum.

Photo Credit: http://www.nikkrich.com

Supporting Buzz For Boobs with Genesis Barber Shop

On October 26th NikkRich and Candalada participated in Buzz for Boobs. The fundraiser took place at Genesis Barber Shop 2890 Garber Way in Woodbridge, Virginia. Owner Omar Lavender and his team volunteered their time and donated all money raised to PNK Cancer Foundation.

The PNK Cancer Treatment Foundation is a not-for-profit organization that raises funds and provides limited financial aid and co-pay assistance to individuals of all ages who have been diagnosed with cancer and are in need of financial help.

Photo Credit: www.nikkrich.com

Omar and Candalada

Nikk Rich and Candalada