maya angelou said.

"... don't trust anyone who doesn't laugh."

-maya angelou

problem: mismatched ta-tas. solution: fruit of the loom.

kinda surprised that this didn't happen sooner but fruit of the loop has created the perfectly pair bra. for who? ladies with two differently sized breasts. each cup is bought separately according to your size and then snapped together to create a custom bra. you can mix and match from a variety of styles.
i just have 1 question. why didn't i think of this?

zig-zag charlotte dress.

all you need is some red shoes ...

$64 fredflare.com

click image to shop

estee lauder bronze goddess solid perfume pendant.

i think i like the idea of a perfume pendant because it sounds so old school. like something your grand or great grandma used to rock back in her heyday. agree?
i don't know how many times throughout the day i'd reapply since i have anxiety about wearing too much perfume, anyway. (long story short, i used to share an office with someone who wore an old, cheap perfume daily! smelled like something from the 80s. sweet lady and i knew the perfume was her favorite but it was way too much for the day time in an office. it literally gave me a headache.)
but cool, nonetheless.
$75, esteelauder.com (click image to shop)

enter to win a pair of vintage earrings.

click here to enter!

studded bow headband.

$5.80 forever21.com

click image to shop

sally hansen 14 day nail shield: but does it work?

i was instantly hype when i saw an ad for the sally hansen 14 day nail shield in the cosmo magazine. although my first name means patience in arabic, i am ridiculously the opposite. i love getting my nails done but i'm ready to bounce as soon as i'm painted.

i initially thought they were strips that you placed over painted nails for a quick dry. instead they are pre-treated, sheer color strips that bonds to your nails for an instant manicure.

they are sold anywhere nail products are sold. ulta sells them for $7.49. however, based on reviews, i think i'll pass. 5 out of 6 people on ulta.com seem only frustrated by the product. one reviewer says "i can't believe i spent $ on this horrible product." the one lone rave reviewer sounds like a sally hansen employee and says "... the results were just exceptional ... these are flying off the shelf."

i'll pass. have you tried these? if so, what's your verdict?

vintage earrings giveaway!

it's about time for a giveaway, isn't it? and although i don't need an excuse to do a giveaway, i've been kinda hype for a minute about having 25 blog followers. so we'll call this our 25 followers giveaway!

what's up for grabs? a pair of vintage clip-ons with a cluster of pink/white cluster beads. i think they're kinda cute. and i'm sure you could hook them up quite nicely.

to enter:

follow the blog (must be a follower of this blog) and:

for 1 entry ... leave a comment on this post.

for 2 entries ... leave a comment on this post and post the giveaway link to your own blog post, twitter and/or facebook.

that's it. giveaway ends on saturday, may 1. winner will be announced on may 2.

vintage music saturday: clean up woman.

what you know about betty wright? clean up woman is a classic. even if you don't know the song you recognize the beat because it's a staple in the clubs and the noon day or 5:00 radio hour and been sampled a ba'jillion times.
here she performs her 1971 hit on michael baisden after dark a year or so ago. if you not familiar with the term, listen to betty tell you who the clean up woman is ...

laura mercier tinted moisturizer.

laura mercier, you got this right. because the tinted moisturizer i just dropped $42 for this afternoon is the best i never had.

my hairdresser put me on to it. i always complimented her when she wore it because it gave her face a fresh, even and natural look. regan and i headed straight to the section in sephora. the associate made our faces and we were immediately sold.
i know i rave about a lot of things but i promise you, this is the ish. spring is here and as it gets warmer i won't be able to do the heavy foundations. this is oil-free, contains spf and is lightweight. the color (mocha for me) was a perfect match for my skin. a flawless finish.
i'm hype. now i want to go out this weekend just so i can wear it.

snakeskin do-not-disturbs.

be cute on a budget.

$11, fredflare.com

click item to shop

it was love at first sight.

good googly moogly ... this is a baad, baad shoe.

gianmarco lorenzi
style: discoball
$2,795, gregorysshoes.com

tougher than leather: alexander mcqueen bra top.

leather bra top, alexander mcqueen, $3,185

ciara rides.

i don't usually do too much of ci ci but chick gets it in on her new video with luda, ride ...

if you want to make it in the music business, "do some hoe shit." - eryka badu

mass appeal.

1994 dj premiere and guru better known as gang starr. r.i.p. guru.

karl lagerfield said.

"who can live without some black clothes."

- karl lagerfield

budget beauty.

let's face it. although things have gotten a little better compared to this time last year, we're still feeling the effects of the recession, depression, whatever you want to call it.

but you gotta love how we still manage to stay fresh and look good. it's what we do. right? right. don't you love when you can be resourceful and find a dual purpose for something already in your medicine cabinet. i do.

toothpaste! can't get around it. everyone's got a tube (and if you don't, we need to talk ... actually, we don't).

did you know that toothpaste can be used to combat pimples? yup. now i can't tell you the scientific explanation behind it, nor do i have time to google it but i can say for sure that it helps to dry out zits. probably the menthol ingredient. just put a dab on that pesty pimple and by the morning it'll diminish. i certainly don't recommend using it all over your face. that could be a disaster and that's what proactiv or mary kay is for. but for an on-the-spot, occasional treatment, it's pretty effective.

you're welcome.

zac posen for target.

it's already hard enough to walk out of tar'jay with only what you intended to buy when you walked in. now here comes zac posen. and it just got harder.

the zac posen collection for target will be around from april 25 to may 30. prices will range from $16.99-$199.

you excited? i like zac posen. i think he's a cutie. i'll check the line out but i tend to think that celebrity lines for affordable stores benefit label chicks the most. you'll get a mediocre design from an acclaimed designer without compromising your car note. guess you can't complain much about that, huh?

vintage music saturdays: tell me something good.

check out rufus and chaka khan performing on soul train back in the day. not sure of the exact year but i'm guessing 1974, 1975. look how tiny chaka is. and i read a comment by someone who says she looks a little like nicki minaj here. i think i agree. you?

j. alexander said.

"walk like it's for sale and the rent is due tonight."

-j. alexander

if i were a rich girl: stretch leather wrap boot, givenchy by riccardo tisci.

excuse me while i catch my breath.

tough!

stretch leather wap boot, givenchy by riccardo tisci, $1900 at bergdorf goodman

sock it to me.

yes, they're attached. and yes, you can plan to see multiple versions of these this fall. socks attached to shoes are the new new. these are by bruno frisoni. but prada and marni also make them. and you can bet your next paycheck that rainbow, barefeet, bakers, steve madden, 9 west, etc. will get in on them too.
like them?

chrisette michelle is not her hair.

so she cut it all off. and i absolutely love it. chick is gorgeous. such a good look for her.

google her for more of the pix taken by derek blanks.

fashionistas do read: alexander mcqueen genius of a generation.

alexander mcqueen genius of a generation by kristin knox will the first of many bios of the late, great designer. it hits bookstores on may 7. knox, a fashion journalist, puts together 128 pages that are full of photos and detail mcqueen's life from childhood to his untimely death.

i'm going make-up shopping.

me and one of my favorite chicks (heyyy regan) are going make-up shopping next week. yup. time to refresh the collection. of course we're hitting mac. maybe ulta. and most likely sephora.

and sephora just sent me a 15% off coupon for in-store and online (4/12-4/19). the online code is:

MADNESS

thank me later.

oh and they offer 3 free samples with every purchase, free shipping over $50 and free returns. that's what i'm talking about.

fashionistas do read: classy: exceptional advice for the extremely modern lady.

i think we can all agree that classy is not exactly a celebrated attribute these days. skank sells. so does smut. and in the words of the one and only erykah badu, if you want to get noticed "do some hoe shit." is she lying?

every other day i'm reminded of how much of an old head i'm becoming. i say things that remind me of my mother more and more. like, it makes me cringe that chicks look up to nicki minaj more than michelle obama. you won't find a hate fest over here on nicki; i mean, she's cool but i'm just saying.

anywho, i read about this handbook by derek blasberg called classy: exceptional advice for the extremely modern lady. i haven't read it but reviews say it's a hilarious, tongue-in-cheek book that gives the low-down on fashion, socializing, dating and etiquette. no topic is untouched from fashion vs. style to identifying fake logos on handbags to being a good host or guest.

available everywhere books are sold.

vintage music saturday: the breaks.

i heard this song on the radio while driving home yesterday evening and knew it would be perfect for vintage music saturday. i was only 3 when kurtis blow performed this on soul train in 1980 but i can still hear music like this and think: the good ole days! feel me?

you can feel the influence of 70s music in the breaks. it has that funk sound. music has changed soooo much. what's real and what's fake has become so misconstrued and muddled. a quick lesson:

"and the irs says they want to chat, and you can't explain

why you claimed your cat ... that's the breaks, that's the breaks"

or

"you say last week you met the perfect guy, and he promised

you the stars in the sky. he said his cadillac was gold.

but he didn't say it was 10 years old ... that's the breaks, that's the breaks.

he took you out to the red coach grill, and he forgot the cash and you paid the bill.

and he told you the story of his life, but he forgot the part

about his wife ... that's the breaks, that's the breaks."

real and relatable, right? what are they talking about in these songs, these days? "lemons on the chain with the v cuts." um, ok. and "i can make your bedrock." no you can't.

i hate to sound old and out of touch but um, yeh.

here's mr. kurtis blow performing on soul train. great quality video ... click on the music player on the bottom of the page to mute the background music.

ridiculously cute.

right?

duchesse satin skirt, timo weiland, $2,200
timoweiland.com

mama needs a new pair of shoes.

massimo dogana, $1795


lanzoni, $695

nicholas kirkwood, $900

nicholas kirkwood, $995

diego dolcini, $1595




lesilla, $4995

all available at gregorysshoes.com

philip lim makes ruffles and silk look pretty cool.

i'd rock them.

ruffle detail silk pants, 3.1 phillip lim, $450

spring pretty.

lace and cotton detail cardigan by beyond vintage
$205 at cusp

give me that jacket, cassie.

now!

cassie was spotted leaving the restaurant, katsuya, in la this weekend

remember when we used to rock: stonewash denim.

yes, you remember. bleach was a staple back in the 80s for more than just cleaning. and once we caught on to how fashionable you could be with just a $1.99 bottle of bleach ... we ran with it.

also called acid washed, the look was as if you used too much bleach in the laundry. but of course, the bleach-white streaks and spots were deliberate. ever wonder why it was called stonewash? the process involved washing denim with stones soaked in bleach. As the clothes tumbled in the washing machine, the stones would pound on the denim and create the blotchy bleach lines that we loved.

of course, this process only applied to the big brands, like guess, that made and sold stonewashed denim. mom was not having us putting any stones in her washing machine at home. we'd skip the stones and just use an extra few doses of bleach. worked just fine, didn't it?

and similar to the ripped up, distressed look, your parents really couldn't understand why you wanted them to buy you $100 pair of jeans that looked ruined. fresh prince was right.

so yes i have a couple pair of stonewash jeans hanging in my closet. and a jacket.

sgb still appreciates the trend:

stonewash by sgb, inquire within for details

easter sunday sharp.

photographer: russell lee, 1941

easter morning outside of church, southside of chicago

vintage music saturdays: zapp & roger - computer love.

also known as the zapp band, zapp and roger, was formed by 5 brothers out of dayton, ohio back in 1978. they had a timeless hit with computer love in 1985. i didn't realize that was our girl shirley murdoch on the vocals. my goodness that woman can sang. yes sang. charlie wilson was also a member of the band. didn't know that either.

no youngins. t-pain did not invent autotune. it's likely that t-pain was inspired by the band's frontman, roger troutman, who used a talkbox and a vocoder to lay his trademark special effects on his vocals. roger's stage presence was like no other - such showmanship.

roger had another hit that i used to love: i want to be your man. remember that one? and he also popped on tupac and dr. dre's song, california love, lending his signature sound.

unfortunately, with many great performers of our time, personal and/or family drama would be their downfall. in 1999, larry troutman, the band's former percussionist and manager to his younger brother roger's career, would kill roger in an apparent murder-suicide over a business dispute. sad. very.

but check out the video below of the band, along with shirley murdoch, performing on soul train in the late 80s.


and how could i do a post on computer love and not mention the scene from menace to society? you know the one. cain cruises down the ave. bumping computer love with shiny, new rims on his mustang. straight feeling himself ...

to mute the background music, click on the music player at the bottom of the page

just a plain ole hot black bag from phillip lim.

and i want it.

phillip lim, $550, lagarconne.com