Life, Love and Lip Gloss

I try to keep my posts solely about style but my definition of "style" continues to evolve. Oye vey. While at home chillaxing recently, I stumbled upon a show on BETJ about Black women and dating. Usually I enjoy BETJ’s programming (kinda hard to screw up after big bro BET) but unfortunately the documentary like show featured about 6 or 7 women, Black women - all seemingly professional, financially secure, attractive; ranting and complaining about the quality of Black men for them to date. It felt like a bad re-run although I had never seen it before. Enough. Enough already with the depressing statistics about Black men in prison (trust me, stats are manipulated all the time). Enough already with rattling off the low percentages of Black women getting married (so relative). Enough already with the complaining about not being able to find a "good Black man". Enough!

Yes dating can be tough. For EVERYONE. No I’m not implying that ish doesn’t sometimes seem f*cked up for "us" in the romance department. It has been hard on "us" since we arrived (before the Mayflower that is). But now that we’ve established all of this… Then what? Are we going to all wake up tomorrow morning and slit our wrists? I’ve had my heart broken, I’ve been lonely, I’ve been depressed, I’ve been cheated on. I’ve also been in the type of love people write songs about. I’ve shown my affection for a dude with no reciprocation. But I’ve been showered with compliments and gifts too. I've gone out with a blue-collar worker and a suit-wearing corporate honcho. I’ve been on dates courtesy of the iron horse and a Metrocard (my best date in fact) and I’ve dated someone who drove a shiny, new Jag. My point is there are peaks and valleys in the dating world just as there are peaks and valleys in every other area of our lives. And newsflash: every guy you date doesn’t have to be your future husband. Kiss a few frogs. Live a little. Please. Maybe the odds are not in our favor, maybe I’m delutional because of the way I was raised (I’ve been told that), maybe I’m totally wrong but doggonit, the complaining and sulking we’re doing (collectively) is so lame. Let’s try something else.

Please.


Moving right along. I actually tried something else last week that I am in deep like with. Lip gloss! But not just any gloss. I’m not a big make-up wearer and I’m very brand loyal with the make-up I do wear. Other than lip gloss, I only fool with mascara and occasionally bronzer/highlighter. I’m also leery of beauty products with bells and whistles. Does it do the job it is suppose to do? Well? That is what I care about. Enter Go Light On My Lips Lip Gloss. This line has been around for the past year or so but is still fairly under-the-radar. What is so special about this gloss you’re wondering? Well, it provides the perfect hybrid of long lasting shine and just enough color to make your lips look even more kissable. However, it isn’t too sticky like many other glosses are. Created by Emmy winning make-up artist Elena George who has beat the faces of everyone from Star Jones to Salt ‘N Pepa, these glosses also have a built-in mirror and a light! How fab, right? Elena suggested I try Brown Sugar Baby ($38 with monogram, $19 without) and she did not steer me wrong. Plus the blinged out B on the top is such a conversation starter and I’m a sucker for anything personalized. Visit her site here to check out the other colors and the mascara.

P.S. - I am in a relationship now but it is far from a fairytale. Mr. TK and I might live happily ever after. We might not. Regardless I hope to remain optimistic about life, love and yes even a really good lip gloss.

Recession… What recession?

Let me guess, you have been under the impression our the nation’s economy is in a little bit of trouble, right? I thought so. What gave it away? Was it the rising cost of fuel that ultimately leads to the rising cost of everything from cereal at your local supermarket to the increasing advertising costs in your favorite magazine? Or maybe it was the alarming number of foreclosures that our country has seen this year or the fact that 80,000 people lost their jobs in March alone. It just might have been that startling figure of 47 million: the number of uninsured Americans. Well my amigos, we have all been bamboozled!

Clearly there isn’t a recession going on if homes are on the market for -are you sitting down?- $125 million dollars. Yes, ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY FIVE MILLION DOLLARS. What the crap? I had to share this because it is so un-freakin’-believable. My office happens to be walking distance from Christie’s and I spotted this bargain courtesy of their window display the other day on my way home from work. Since this is so priceless (no pun intended) I needed to take a pic. It’s no surprise that the home/estate is located in Greenwich "mo money, mo’ money" Connecticut. And as if the pricetag itself weren’t enough, best believe the property taxes in Greenwich are through the roof as well. Oh wait, turns out this is Leona Helmsley's old crib so maybe the owners don't have to pay taxes? I'm just sayin'...


I’m just wondering if the $125 mil includes psychiatric counseling.

My Search For The Perfect Freakum Dress

"Every woman has one."

Beyonce proudly made this declaration on the catchy cut Freakum Dress from her multi-platinum album B’Day. I’ll admit Freakum Dress isn’t my favorite song on the album. (Resentment is and Jazmine Sullivan does such a better job with that track.) But back to this dress that every woman has - I don’t. I do not own a freakum dress and I think I want one. Sure I, like most women, have a sexy number or two that I reserve for special occasions. But a straight up, shut your mouth, "Dang Gina!" freakum dress? Not a one in the closet. And I don’t necessarily want one for the reasons Bouncy lists in her anthem either. Seriously, what woman doesn’t desire a fierce go-to dress to wear when she just wants to shut it DOWN? I pondered over this for quite a while last year and even pitched this idea to one of my favorite fashion mags. (The editor entertained my pitch but ultimately decided my story wasn’t the right fit for said mag.) One of the things I love about having my own blog is that I get to write about what I what, when I want, how I want. Sooooooo…

I am officially searching for the perfect Freakum Dress! I already know it won’t be easy to find so I’m going to document my search here on PPT. First off, I’m thrifty - I don’t like paying retail for much of anything especially clothes. I refuse to spend more than two hundred bucks on this dress. Second, although I am fairly slim, I’m hippy. Finding a dress that properly fits my frame won’t be a breeze. Lastly, although this dress obviously needs to be sexy, it can’t be slutty. I don’t do slutty.


Amerie working a mustard Herve Leger number. These dresses certainly fit the uber-sexy yet classy bill but are way out of my price range... (Plus, everybody has one now. That isn't my speed.)

And I’m giving myself until the end of September to find it. I would have made it sooner but I’m going on a big vacay in September. So the search is on. Where should I start? I think I’ll check out the Barneys Warehouse Sale just for kicks. But I’ll go the last day for the best deals and less crowds. I also want to check out Bebe. Yes, Bebe does carry quality clothes for folks over 25 but you have to use a discerning eye to find them. And there are a bunch of cute boutiques and mom and pop shops around the city that I will check out for this self-imposed challenge as well.

Should you decide to accept this assignment for yourself, leave me a comment and tell me how you are progressing. In the meantime, I’ll post periodic updates on my search. I’m very excited about this y’all!

Live It To The Fullest!

I'm rushing off to the j-o but I had to post this before I left even though it isn't what I wanted to blog about today. I recently learned that I lost yet another family member to cancer. Just last year, I spent a little time with him down in Alabama and he seemed like the picture of health. Now he is gone.

Let's really live our lives like they're golden y'all. Because you know what? They are.

Make it the day you want!


R.I.P. David

The Making of a Dream Team: HONEY Magazine

An assignment at work this week led me to do some research on the Olympics. Now I’m not really into sports but I was surprisingly happy to learn such cool info about the Games. How gangsta were track and field stars Tommie Smith and John Carlos (above)? And Jesse Owens showing Hitler what was really good - crazy, right? Then the Dream Team creating the blueprint of a perfect basketball team because they realized that each of them were all-stars. There are so many important parallels between succeeding in sports and in life: teamwork, tenacity and God-given talent. (I believe the Creator gives each of us a gift.) All of these athletes faced tremendous adversity in their careers. But they persevered. I am convinced that this is how champions are built.

Well, I have my own dream team when it comes to magazines. Kierna Mayo and Joicelyn Dingle created what for me was the perfect publication: Honey. It had a lot to do with timing I guess. When the mag launched, I was in my early 20s; really just starting to find myself as a woman. I did have YSB (we desperately need a version of this for teens today), Seventeen (I rarely saw girls that looked like me in it though) and even 3-2-1 Contact (my dad was a science buff) but none of them touched Honey. And I don’t think I was mature enough to appreciate Essence yet. But Honey, it gave me and my girls a voice. And it spoke loud and clear with perfect diction. It told the world what we didn’t have a platform to: that we enjoyed going to art museums and hip-hop concerts, we were interested in traveling to Barcelona and Howard’s Homecoming (the boys!), we found it necessary to keep our hair tight and gear fly but still made time for church. Basically we had layers. Honey got that.

R.I.P: Lisa "Left Eye" Lopez graced the cover of Honey's official debut issue

Well, the "perfect" moment in time was swept away by greed, legal ish and a bunch of other stuff I don’t know enough about to comment on. Others attempted to keep it up but it wasn’t the same (no disrespect). What was once thick, sticky and sweet felt watered down, bland and just eh. No matter how hard ya try, some things just can’t be duplicated.

Every now and again I pull out my very first issue and smile. (Actually, Lauryn was on the cover of the prototype issue but I never got that one…) What a dream team it was! While Kierna and Joicelyn oversaw all the editorial content of the mag, Sonya Magett and Julia Chance held down the fashion and beauty pages. (Sonya tolerated my stalking - I was trying so hard to be her assistant.)

Just take a look at some of the other talented folks who contributed to this first issue:

Aliya S. King - recently penned what is sure to be a bestseller: Faith Evans tell-all biography

Bonsu Thompson - EIC of XXL Presents Hip Hop Soul

Datwon Thomas - EIC of XXL and Editorial Director of King

dream hampton - all around dope writer, ‘nuff said

asha bandele - author of The Prisoner’s Wife, poet and teacher (I worked with asha briefly so I can personally vouch for her being a natural teacher.)

Ayana Byrd - Articles Editor at Glamour and co-editor of Naked

Margeaux Watson - writer for Entertainment Weekly and amazing scribe (Did you read her Usher cover story?)

Miles Marshall Lewis - writer, author, blogger

Elon D. Johnson - magazine, television and book writer (She contributed to Ayana’s Naked.)

Raquel Cepeda - writer turned filmmaker - Bling: A Planet Rock is a dope piece of work

To this day, whenever I see Kierna and Joicelyn, they inspire me. These two young women made history and opened doors I didn’t even realize were closed. And I know that I’m not alone in feeling this way. I don’t have a gold medal to give them, but they will always be a dream team to me.

Family Business: Evin Cosby (Bill's Daughter) Opens NYC Boutique

I'm over celebrity "designed" clothing lines. I don't think I was ever really into them. Most are an insult to those who have paid their dues as a technical designer, patternmaker or illustrator. Frankly, starting a clothing line just seems sorta trite for the average celeb in 2008. Like opening a restaurant or launching a line of clothes (usually basic denim offerings and embellished tee shirts) are the only two investment options for a rapper/singer, athlete or actor.

Most of these celebs have licensing deals. They don't actually own ish. And the vast majority of people who own/run the parent companies that produce these lines have last names like Cohen, Jacobs or Berg. (I hope I didn't offend anyone but it is what it is y'all.) Just because someone is grinning in an ad campaign doesn't mean a doggone thing.



I digress. I'm not angry at all. I am actually pretty pleased because earlier this week I found out that Evin Cosby (Bill's daughter) just opened a boutique in Tribeca, NYC. PB & Caviar (Don't you love that name?) will carry pieces from newer indie designers like Melissa Odabash and Sestra Moja, as well as, cult classics like Anna Sui. And if it counts for anything, Evin did attend the Fashion Institute of Technolgy. Sure, she is working the family name a little bit (okay, maybe a lot) but I'm certainly not mad at her for it. But another graphic tee "designed" by someone who doesn't know anymore about fashion than my 5-year old neice? I would be mad at that. In addition to clothing, PB & Caviar will sell organic beauty products, home decor, children's clothing and toys. Prices for most of the items in PB & Caviar are probably on the high-end; I don't think this is the type of place to drop in and pick up a last minute top for the club. I hope to check it out this weekend. If you want to do a little checking out for yourself, head to 88 Thomas Street (Tribeca), NYC. (There doesn't seem to be a website address yet.)

THANK GOODNESS IT IS FRIDAY!

A Sneak Peek at Tracy Reese: Pre-Spring 2009

Who doesn't love the feminine, classy and well-crafted designs of Tracy Reese? While checking out Suze on Style earlier today, I came across these Pre-Spring 2009 looks from the talented designer. The items below won't be available at retail until early January; it is basically her cruise/resort collection. Don't you love? C'mon, you have to feel pretty in one of these dresses. And I am even feelin' the striped jumpsuit situation -- I actully have something very similiar from H&M, who knew (lol)?

I've always been partial to Tracy's spring/summer collections over her fall/winter ones because of her fearless use of color, prints and flowy fabrications. To me, what she does best just translates better for her spring lines. And I see she didn't disappoint with this latest offering. Notice how her Plenty (lower-priced line) doesn't skimp on quality or style. Go Tracy!

It is a tough choice but I think the cream dress is my favorite. What about you?

TRACY REESE






PLENTY