TWISTED BUT EVOLVING

"Twisted Elegance" Interlude-Velvet Rope


                                                 

" There's nothing more depressing 
than having everything, and still feeling sad...
You must learn to water your spiritual garden."- Janet Jackson from the Velvet Rope

Velvet Rope  album art, 1997 via Janet Global 

                       
                                         
Here we are again at the brink of another new year. I recently came across one of my favorite albums ever, Janet Jackson's Velvet Rope. I can't tell you how many times I played that album when I first got it back in high school. Love me some Janet Jackson. She's just simply iconic.


I now have a deeper appreciation for the work on this project, an audible diary of all the life transitions she was going through. Even just looking at the photography from the album was a clear crystallization of her emotional space at the time-raw, vulnerable, brash, and disjointed even. This is definitely my favorite Janet incarnation. That red hair, really her whole vibe, was so avant-garde at the time.


Now much older on my own journey of personal growth and reflecting on the this past year, I realize the importance of being mentally and spiritually sound. As much I love looking fierce with my makeup, hair, and clothes in check, I've learned it is nothing more than a fleeting facade if we do not invest in ourselves spiritually and mentally in the same ferocity as we do on our outer selves. Afterall, what we manifest internally is what the world really sees.


So this holiday season, amidst the height of mass consumerism and consumption, I challenge you to really take a moment to reflect inward on ways you can improve yourself on a more personal, internal level. Remember each and every day, each and every moment of our lives can be a new year if we so choose.

Blessings to you and yours.

Have a happy New Year!

NO WORDS NEEDED

picture via MadMikeAmerica



BEAUTY IS WHAT BEAUTY DOES: ESTEE LAUDER V.P. AND CREATOR OF BREAST CANCER AWARENESS RIBBON PASSES AWAY

 Image from: NYDailyNews.com

Evelyn Lauder, the daughter-in-law of cosmetics giant Estee Lauder and  pink ribbon pioneer, died Saturday at the age of 75 due to complications with ovarian cancer according to Estee Lauder Cos. spokeswoman Alexandra Trower. 

Evelyn met her husband and son of Estee Lauder, Leonard Lauder, in college when the beauty conglomerate was still a small cosmetics company. Since then Evelyn has held several different positions within the beauty company, helping  launch several successful skin care, fragrance and makeup lines, even working throughout her own battle with cancer. Lauder also established the Evelyn H. Lauder Breast Center in New York City.

I know so many women, be it family or friends, whose lives have been touched by breast cancer, so this is a cause very,very dear to me. A salute to one of the women who were on the front lines fighting the disease with strength, elegance and beauty up to her very last.

RIP.

ICONIC+ BEAUTIFUL: ANNIE LENNOX, ANDROGYNY AND AIDS

                                                                  Photo via Eurythmics.me.uk   

                                           Photo via Dailymail.co.uk

"Some of them want to use you.

            Some of them want to be used my you.

                               Some of them want to abuse you. 

                                                 Some of them want to be abused."

Annie Lennox is one of the most striking women in music history to me. With a career spanning over four decades, her groundbreaking, electro-soul sound as one part of the duo Eurythmics defined a sound-and look-for pop icons thereafter. Lennox's bold. androgynous look was way ahead of it's time and absolutely timeless in my opinion. Now in her 50's, Lennox looks more stunning than ever; her skin is absolutely aglow.

But what's even more is her commitment to human rights as an outspoken AIDS/HIV activist and UN Ambassador. 

On when she decided to become an AIDS activist via Oprah.com:

"That moment, as I listened to Nelson Mandela,  propelled me forward. I evolved from being a singer-songwriter-performer-mother-woman to being an activist."

The British singer's audacious wardrobe are the subject of a six-month-long art exhibition in the UK. The  House of Annie Lennox will be showing from September 15 through February 26 at the Victoria and Albert  museum in London.

I for one can appreciate a woman who is comfortable enough in her own skin to wear more genderless gear. Lately I have been toying with different ways of incorporating  menswear into my everyday look...such a departure from my normal style, and I can't wait to rock it.

.

You should try incorporating a few unisex fashion looks in your wardrobe: 

Unisexme by sugarrimmedandspicy.blogspot.com

GIMME THE LOOT! GIMME THE LOOT!

 [insert bratty voice] I WANT IT, I WANT IT, I WANT IT!

Delayed post, but when I saw this in my email via Sephora, I could literally feel my heart palpitate.

I kinda have a slight, long-standing infatuation for Hello Kitty... that is actually a severe understatement; I love, love, LOVE me some Hello Kitty. I have amassed so much Hello Kitty paraphernalia over the years-wallets, T-shirts, jewelry, artwork, bubblegum dispenser- you would think I should be ashamed. Well, I'm not because HK is just dopeness, period.

So when I saw Sephora was unveiling another HK collection, this one with bright splashes of graffiti, I knew I just HAD to have it. No questions. The mix between the girly iconic brand with a gritty urban backdrop was simply love at first sight. *Praying it is still in stores*



By Square Crow via Picasa