Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Black|White Trend Spotlight

I've been seeing this trend so much that I had to bring a little more attention to it. I love it. On one end of the fashion spectrum, I've been seeing a wild play on color.... bright neons and kaleidoscope mixes... and on the other side I see this kind of mod minimalist trend going on with high contrasting colors. Its showing up from high end to street wear .. and from technology to the art culture... check it out.

















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Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Jonathan Mannion's "Rough Around the Edges" Exhibition

Yesterday, I had the chance to check out the gallery opening of Photogragher, Jonathan Mannion's 18 year collection of film shot on 665 Polaroid film. I was awe struck at some of the photos that I saw, mostly because there were some timeless shots of album covers that were released in my childhood; and because some of the people had already passed away. There was a great presence in the room as everyone walked around to admire Mannion's work.

I know it may be a little hard to see this so I'm going to type it out for everyone:

Before its discontinuation in 2008, Polaroid film was the only real means by which photographers could proof their images, while still on set. The immediate gratification of an image developing within 2 minutes allowed for both subject and photographer to review the final product and have an active dialogue about the creative process.

The black and white images produced by 665 Polaroid film are unique in that each positive image is simultaneously exposed with a sheet of negative film that can be used to make a traditional print. The one-of-a-kind border of each negative further enhances the inherent beauty of the final product.

Since his first cover shoot in 1996 for Jay-Z's debut album Reasonable Doubt, photographer Jonathan Mannion has made a conscious decision to work with unpredictable medium throughout his career in both his commercial and personal work.

"ROUGH AROUND THE EDGES" explores a selection of Mannion's 665 Polaroids by examining both the iconic and intimate moments of an 18-year body of work. From hall of fame artists such as Outkast and DMX, to photographs of street scenes and documentary portraits, this exhibition showcase some of Mannion's most influential and timeless images captured using the unique film.

I didn't take pictures of everything but I was able to get a good amount

I was really surprised when I found out that this cover was shot on Polaroid film.

Look how young Outkast was lol... and Luda back when he was starting out.

Ja Rule

Slick Rick and Nas

I was told that Mannion followed Drake around for a week before he was even famous. 

Big Pun!

I love the photo of the chucks


Run

Teddy Pendergrass and Bernie Mac
You can't tell me Teddy P doesn't look like Eddie Murphy with dreads in this pic! lol


I definitely used to have this album back in the day.


The exhibition is going on from June 18-July 7 at Milk Studio, (downtown NYC) on 15th street

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Monday, April 22, 2013

Dove Real Beauty Sketches


Wowwww... this is interesting. Good insight on how we look at ourselves with such a critical eye. I'm def guilty of this too. Lesson of the day... appreciate your natural beauty! You're gorgeous! :)

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Thursday, April 18, 2013

"Lauryn Hill Dropping Truth To The Youth Back In 2000! [Rare Footage]"


If anyone knows me, you know that I love Lauryn Hill. She's one of the few artists who's content actually has some substance, and for that reason, I think her songs will forever be timeless. She's such a great role model, something I think the youth, today, are lacking.

Thanks for sending me this, Jarid :)

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Monday, February 25, 2013

Ivy Charlaine Whipped Body Butter


This is the perfect follow up to the post I did last week, regarding my obsession with the health benefits of natural & raw products. I was sooooo excited to get this gift from Nicole (Ivy Charlaine). She was experimenting with blending different oils to make body butter and heres what she used:
  • Lavendar oil
  • Raw shea butter
  • Coconut oil
  • Olive oil
It smells SO GOOD. Its also unbelievably light. You can use it anywhere from your skin to your hair, and a little bit goes such a long way. I hope you keep making more of these, Nicole, because mine is almost gone! lol


For those of you who arent already familiar with Ivy Charlaine, check out her youtube channel here: IVY CHARLAINE YOUTUBE CHANNEL

Be sure to also follow her too: @IvyCharlaine ß twitter & instagram

Oh, and just in case youre interested, Ive listed some of the benefits for the ingredients that she used in the mixture:

LAVENDAR OIL:
A remedy for aching muscles, acne, bugs & bacteria, burns, cuts & wounds, earache, eczema, fatigue, fevers, giddy spells, palpitations, headache, insomnia, long haul travel, menstrual cramps, moth & mosquito bites, scabies, shingles, sinusitis, stress & anxiety, and sunburn.

COCONUT OIL:
Health benefits include hair care, skin care, stress relief, maintaining cholesterol levels, wight loss, increased immunity, proper digestion and metabolism, relief from kidney problems, heard diseases, high blood pressure, diabetes, HIV and cancer, dental care, and bone strength.

RAW SHEA BUTTER:
Good for dry skin, skin rashes, skin peeling after tanning, sunburn, blemishes, cracked heels and skin, itchy skin, frost bite, stretch marks, scars, chapped lips, eczema, small wounds or scrapes, diaper rash, hair moisturizer, burns, athlete's foot, insect bites, and stings, arthritis, muscle fatigue, pets' (dogs and horses) dry skin, sunburn, scrapes, and as a natural mechanics lubricant.

OLIVE OIL:
Filled with antioxidants, such as Vitamins E and A, the benefits are skin care - repairing sun-damaged skin, protects against free radicals and renews skin. Penetrates to make skin suppler and mixed with sea salt, it helps exfoliate dead skin. Also acts as an antioxidant and deep conditioner for your hair and prevents dandruff and flaking.

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Thursday, February 7, 2013

While I was in China... (January 2013)

When I travel, I try to take a lot of photos but only end up showing a few of them. Even though I've been to China about 7 times already, I still manage to see some things that gives me a bit of a culture shock.... other things I see are just different so they just get marked off as "cool" lol. Here's a few photos from my most recent trip:

I saw this after we landed at Hong Kong Airport. I'm not sure what it is. I'm assuming its an old phone. Looks cool.
The next morning, we got picked up from the hotel by a couple of girls who were supposed to take us to the material markets and be our translators. I was surprised and happy to see that one of them was wearing a pair of sneaker wedges that I designed :) ... It looks like she wears them a lot too!

The next morning, we had to fly out to Putian, and on the flight they served us some "food". I have no idea what this was and the other things were a cheese & bacon flavored cream bun, and milk. Needless to say, I was hungry when we landed smh.
I was excited to find out that the Double Tree they were building finally opened down the street from the office. And YES, they still gave us the free cookie at check- in. Whew... I was starving.
The view looked so nice at night.
A pic from the next morning, in front of the office. I mentioned, during one of my previous trips, how old people in China seem to be much stronger than the ones in the US. You will hardly ever catch an old woman trying to carry big bags like this in the states. You can't really see that well, but she has some foldable carts hanging off of the far left end of the pole. I've seen old ladies out here pulling wagons like they were horses. Its no joke. It must be all of the fresh food they eat.
Meet my friend, Sally :). She's one of the developers that we work with. She was the one who gave me the Chinese herbal tea blend.
We spend a lot of time on the road, traveling back and forth to the factories. This is one of the mansions I noticed on the side of a mountain. I would love to just go inside for a tour. 
I'm always seeing something strange on the menus. I can't with the flesh & blood!
I saw a witch's broom at one of the factories. The branches still had leaves on them. It just looked like a prop from a movie to me.
We went to a Chinese wedding while we were out there. This is what we were greeted with, when we walked into the lobby of the reception. Everything was decorated beautifully.
 The tables were extravagant. There were so many and there had to be AT LEAST 500 guests. The bride and groom were both the children of factory owners so they invited EVERYONE to come celebrate.
There were a couple things that they served us for dinner that night that didn't agree with my eyes. I tasted the top dish, which wasn't an animal. It's actually a sea cucumber and it tasted like the broth that it was cooked in. Not bad. The bottom pic was some duck soup. Do you see that curled up piece of meat hang ing off of the bone? Its the ducks neck!!! Ahh!! Yes, I was grossed out, and no, I did not taste it.
 On our way back from the wedding, I happened see this this car. It says "Spirior" but I think its supposed to say Superior. Just an observation lol
 Mmm.... I had to put a pic of this pizza up because I never had anything like it before. Its a tuna and garlic pizza with tomato sauce, cheese, and a green leaf. I want to say its arugula, but I'm not sure. All I know is it was soooooooo good!
At the end of our trip, we always have to fly out to Hong Kong before flying back to the US. This is what I saw in the airport. Its pretty expensive, so dried fish bladders must be a delicacy. #cultureshock 

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Tuesday, February 5, 2013

My Obession...


Those of you that know me, know that I LOVE to drink tea and love to use natural herbs to come up with some healing concoction for myself and others. Well, recently I realized that I have an obession with researching the health benefits of natural ingredients that I have. It all started a few summers ago when I was drinking so much coconut water that some of my friends would take pictures of coconut water cans in stores, and send them to me. They would always say that it reminded them of me lol. By the third photo I received, I started to wonder if drinking that much coconut water was causing my body any harm or benefit, so I decided to do some research, and this is what I found:
I was pretty amazed at the results I found and as I started raving about how good coconut juice was for you, I couldn't help but wonder what else...

I eventually added a few more  "Random Useful Knowledge" posts to my blog. You can click the tab above to see others. 

Well, like I said before, I recently realized I had an obsession and it happened when Jarid got me some loose leaf tea from Teavana and I researched the health benefits for every single ingredient...

crazy, I know...smh
I found this quote by Hippocrates, not too long after. I think it ties everything together lol.

This all just intrigues me, and what's even crazier, is that I have soooo much fun doing it! I have a whole "medicine cabinet" full of herbs that I've collected in the past year and a half or so, and its growing fast. I just love it. I eventually want to channel my passion for this somewhere... perhaps an informative website, or maybe even a store (God Willing, we'll see what happens).

 Here's a pic of most of the herbs and teas that I've collected during my travels.
   Here's some herbs I got as a gift from my friend in China. I was telling her that I wanted to make special blends that specific blends like "women's health" and "relaxation". This blend smells wild though. I almost felt rude for not warning my roommate that I was going to make it before I did. 

If you're wondering where I get the green bags from, go to PennHerb.com. They're located in Philly and they deliver very quickly. The price of herbs is very good too. Most of the herbs I buy are around 1.95 per ounce.

I'm already branching out from the herbs and experimenting with topical uses of raw foods like ginger. Stay tuned for what I have planned next :)

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