Wednesday, June 30, 2010

The City Recap...Another One Bites The Dust



I'm just getting a chance to watch "The City" and I must say I'm loving Roxy Olin's Soho Hearts Twisted Rope Necklace. Soho Hearts has some other really cool pieces worth checking out.

Enough fashion, lets discuss the show............ Roxy couldn't get singer Lights to wear Whitney Eve for longer than 3 seconds. I thought it was sad and quite hilarious when the singer threw it on the floor immediately after coming on stage. Whitney gets pissed and reprimands Roxy (if you wanna call it that). She questions why Roxy works for her. Ummm, am I the only one that's been questioning this the entire season????? The gossip mags photographed Roxy moving out, so I'm assuming that's the next episode. Oh well....Another one bites the dust. Sure there will be a casting call soon for a new bestie/roommate replacement!

The b!tchy banter continues between Olivia and Erin. I LOVE it! Last week I was  wondering if my ELLE magazine was late because they moved Olivia to subscriptions. But this week Olivia confirms she can actually work, and comes through with "old pal" Prabul Gurung. Erin's pissed...saga continue.....

Saturday, June 26, 2010

Happy B-Day To Moi


Can't believe I'm turning 30 today!!!! I feel so blessed to have a great family and friends. I'm super excited about what the next 10 years bring. I can guarantee one thing, it will be on an entirely different level than my 20's. So watch out WORLD!!!!!!

Since champagne and cupcakes are my favorite double CC's (after Chanel of course), if i were a baker, I would whip up a batch of Chocolate Champagne cupcakes with white chocolate strawberry truffle center and strawberry whipped cream icing. I found the recipe on Vanilla Coca Blog. Since I'm in Vegas, I'll skip the cake and focus on the champagne hahaha!



Here is the receipe:
Chocolate Champagne cupcakes (original recipe from Krishna Brown)
yields 12

8 ounces 70% dark chocolate
6 tbsp unsalted butter
1 cups sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tbsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
6 tbsp flour
1/2 cup champagne

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Melt the chocolate with the butter in a double boiler.
Beat the salt, baking powder, vanilla and sugar into the melted chocolate.
Add the eggs into the chocolate mixture, beating them in one at the time. Add the flour to the mixture and mix until blended.
At this point, add the champagne and beat on high speed for about 3 minutes, until the mixture is shiny.
Pour the mixture into the prepared muffin tin and bake about 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with crumbs stuck to it if you want a moister cupcake, or else bake a bit longer.

Let the cupcakes cool completely and then make a whole in their center, going half way down the cupcake. Insert the white chocolate truffle in the hole and cover with the cupcake piece that was removed. It is very important that the cupcakes aren't warm anymore or else the truffles will melt. Set them in the fridge while preparing the frosting.

White Chocolate Strawberry Truffles
yields about 15

4 ounces white chocolate
2 tbsp + 2 tsp heavy cream
1/2 tbsp unsalted butter
fresh strawberries (I used the tips cut off)

In a small saucepan, bring the cream to a simmer. Add the butter and stir until melted. Pour the cream over the white chocolate, let sit for a few seconds and then stir until completely melted and smooth. Cool, cover, and refrigerate the mixture until firm, at least 2 hours.
Using a melon baller or small spoon, roll the mixture into little balls. Press down the middle with your thumb and nestle a piece of strawberry inside, roll the truffle back into a ball and put back into the fridge for about 1 hour or until ready to use.

Strawberry Whipped Cream
yields about 2 cups

1 cup heavy whipped cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tbsp granulated sugar
1/2 cup lightly sweetened strawberry puree

In a large mixing bowl place the whipping cream, vanilla, and sugar and stir to combine. Cover and chill the bowl and beaters in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. When chilled, beat the mixture until soft peaks form.
Then add the strawberry puree a little at a time, and beat just until stiff peaks form when the beater is raised. Taste and fold in more sugar or puree, if required.

Friday, June 25, 2010

fresh To Death


My ELLE magazine has yet to arrive in my mailbox. I saw the July issue in Harris Teeter this AM, and I REFUSE to buy it or peek inside. Instead, I purchased the July issue of W Magazine with the beautiful Eva Mendes on the cover. It's definitely worth getting.

I read in the issue that fresh has teamed up with Sony Pictures to create the Eat, Pray, Love fragrance collection, inspired by the memoir of the same name by Elizabeth Gilbert, and of course the movie.

Eat has top notes of Italian lemon, basil and bergamot; a heart of plum, red current and rose, and a drydown of caramel, meringue and vanilla. Pray has top notes of elemi, pink pepper and juniper berry; middle notes of incense, peony and rose, and a drydown of patchouli, amber and musk. Love has top notes of bergamot, red currant and mango blossom; a heart of tiare and dewy jasmine, and a drydown of sandalwood, vetiver and velvet amber. They all sound like they smell so gooooood! Each scent will cost $32 a bottle and there will also be candles available at $45 each. They arrive in stores on July 15.

P.S. I LOVE fresh Brown Sugar Body Polish. If you've never tried it, you must!!!! While I've been using Carol Daughters Sweet Honey Dip Chocolate Brown Sugar Scrub for the past couple of months, I think I'm going to have to switch back to fresh for ol' time sake.

Sunday, June 20, 2010

Steal Her Style: Amber Rose

Looks like Amber Rose decided to jump on the mesh dress bandwagon, and rock the Dime Piece  HOLD ME TIGHT dress, $85. If you haven't checked out Dime Piece clothes before,  you need to. You could probably use one of their tops in your life LOL

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Steal Her Style: Alicia Keys

Alicia Keys posted a twitpic earlier this week of her Nappa Spine Heel Ankle Strap Sandals by DSQUARED2. She wore these while performing at the World Cup in South Africa. The shoes are from the F/W 2010 collection and can be yours for $1275 at Luisaviaroma................."Throw Dem Bones"

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Nail Time... OPI Minx Inspired Nails

Thought about Minx nails but didn't want to pay the price??? Sephora now sells OPI Chic Print stick-on nail appliques for $15. I'm curious how long they last.... Prob a day or 2....

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Don't Mesh With Me

Mesh dresses are everywhere this summer. I think they are so sexy!! As hot as it's been, they provide a little bit of refuge from the heat.

Camilla and Marc Simeon the Proud Dress $245:
Look for Less:
American Apparel, $46


Herve Leroux Tul Mesh Sleeveless Dress $2200:

Look for Less:
Elise Ryan £35 ($50)


I found a really cute mesh dress from T.J. Maxx by Romeo & Juliet Couture. It was pretty cheap, $29.99. I paired it with my Chanel pumps, and it was a rough night. It was only the 2nd time I'd worn them.

Me with a fake smile. All I can think about is getting these shoes off!!!!

Friday, June 11, 2010

Style File: Iman


I love her brown drape dress, but I'm more interested in stealing her genes and beauty routine. She's 54 and looks AMAZING!!!!!!! She's set to co-host "The Fashion Show" on Bravo with Isaac Mizrahi. Bye-Bye Kelly Rowland....

Back in 2009, she shared with Allure Magazine one of her beauty secrets...SPF 50 sunscreen..told you so :)

"Patricia Wexler is my dermatologist, and 10 years ago, she told me to start wearing SPF 50 sunscreen on my face every day. At first I balked—I said, 'I have dark skin—I don't need that high of an SPF every day!' But I took her advice, and I'm convinced that's why my skin has stayed in such good condition. Women with dark skin often think they don't need to wear sunscreen, but everyone needs it—it has literally saved my skin."


Thursday, June 10, 2010

Red Bottoms By The Barrel, Pop The Giuseppe Tags Like It's American Apparel

*sigh* gotta love Rick Ross for that line.........I think he says "rare" but I substitute "red." Good one CoCo!

I peeped Giuseppe Zanotti Fall 2010 line (why, why in MJ "Human Nature" voice)......and it's crazy......

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Picture Time

I am going to be giving you all pictures that I find to be fashionably inspiring! Enjoy!!

FT




Hey Baby I'm A Rock Star...


I'm anxiously awaiting July's edition of ELLE magazine to be delivered to my mailbox. Rhianna is the cover girl and she's as sparkly as a disco ball in the 80's and I love it. She's wearing a hot Balmain sequin mini dress from their Fall 2010 collection. She's dishing about her hot beau Matt Hemp, her CD Rated R, black women in fashion industry, Chris Brown, and much more. I for one, am tired of hearing about Chris Brown......WE OFF THAT! But I understand it was a tragic situation. Anyway, magazine is in stores June 15.

Here are some photos:


Check out the behind the scene photo shoot by Tom Munro:

Wellness Wednesday: Do I Really Need Sunscreen????

elevated view of mother sunbathing and father rubbing sun lotion on her skin

This weekend I went to the pool. The sun was so hot, it started to mess with my mind. At one point I thought I saw a mirage of Aiden from SATC. I had on a baseball cap, sunglasses, and SPF 50 on my face. As an adult, I've had to educate myself on the effects of sun exposure. Growing up, the winter was my concern. Cold weather and wind meant extremely dry and ashy skin.

The skin of African-Americans has been calculated to be the equivalent of a SPF 13 sunscreen. While African American women are 20 times less likely to have melanoma due to the extra melanin in our skin, it can be more deadly. Melanoma is normally diagnosed at a later stage of the disease, which unfortunately results in a much lower survival rate.

I don't count on my skin tone or genes alone to protect me from the effects of the sun. Since I'm most concerned about my face, my daily routine includes Eucerin Face Lotion SPF 30 in the summer, and Cetaphil SPF 15 in the winter. I also use MAC Mineralize Foundation SPF 15, and when I'm at the pool or beach, I use MAC Primer SPF 50.




Remember......the sun still has aging effects!!!!!! So regardless of your skin tone, SUNSCREEN IS A MUST!!!!! So lather up!!!!!

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Say My Name, Say My Name


I use to rock my name necklace hard back in the day, but it broke, and I never replaced it. I decided to get a swarovski crystal name bracelet instead :) I'm ready for a new necklace, but instead of English, I want it in Farsi (Persian) or Arabic. I like the way the letters look, and I think I'm still Carrie-d away from all the Middle East influence in SATC2.  I was hoping Max & Chloe would sell them, since they are a credible site. But I've only been able to locate them on eBay or websites I've never heard of. So we'll see......

Thursday, June 3, 2010

Thank You For Being a Friend and Keeping Us Laughing


Like most of you, I was saddened to learn about Rue McClaahan's passing. I don't know anyone who doesn't love this show. Rue played, the over-sexed, self-absorbed, southern belle, Blanche Devereaux, on the "Golden Girls." Here are a few of my fave lines from Blanche....

Rose: "Oh, Blanche, how do you feel about performing in front of a video camera?"
Blanche: "I think it's OK as long as you've already had a least three dates."

Dorthy: "There's a man on our lawn."
Blanche: "Get the net!"

Blanche: "Oh I do love the rain. It reminds me of my first kiss."
Dorthy: "Awww....your first kiss was in the rain."
Blanche: "No, it was in the shower"

Blanche: "I treat my body like a temple."
Sophia: "Yeah, open to everyone, day or night."

Blanche: "There is a fine line between having a good time and being a wanton slut. I know. My toe has been on that line."

Blanche: "What was your first impression of me?"
Rose: "I thought you wore too much makeup and were a slut. I was wrong. You don't wear too much makeup."

Blanche: "Sophia, by placing this pearl necklace between my bosoms, does it make me look like I'm a sex-starved slut who is in need of a man to bed?"
Sophia: "Yes."
Blanche: "Good , then pearl it is."