Archive for October, 2007

Gymbunny!

Wednesday, October 31st, 2007

Whether it be yoga, cross country or kickboxing, exercise is a vital part of looking and feeling great. However, it can be quite annoying when you stumble upon that cute guy that you’ve had your eye on for a while and you look anything but fabulous. I’ve compiled the outfits below so that I, as well as all of you, can draw inspiration from them next time all my gym clothes are in the wash.

Take your sneakers to the next step - metallic Converse are practical and still chic. A huge tote bag is great for carrying your yoga mat or water bottle and when you’ve finished working out, slip on the charm bracelet.

This one here is slightly preppier than the last, but is great for gym class at school. The bracelet doubles at a watch, so you’ll never be late to your Pilates class!

Have fun working out!
Rock on!!
xx
-Steph

Different strokes for different folks

Tuesday, October 30th, 2007

When we were/are at the age of, well, any age until 13 or 14, we usually listened to what we saw on the music channels because that’s all that was available to us. We didn’t know about the wonders of the internet or Friday night radio. We only knew what MTV wanted us to know. But now that we’re past that stage, we know better, and we know what we want. And there’s no shame in only wanting what only appeals to MTV, even after all these years.

However, because we’re past that stage and because we’ve all become so different and diverse in our music tastes, and in everything else because music does influence lifestyle choices such as those listed above. Though, to a certain degree, we’ve all become snobs, out of fear that when one person starts listening to or doing what we love, that they’re going to “copy” us; copy the lifestyle that we’ve worked so hard to attain.

Not only do we mock what is trying to become similar to us, but we also mock what is trying to become different to us as well. For example, metal fans will always be heard insulting Slipknot, or all those other rapcore bands that “try to be metal.” They’re trying to be like them, yet they’re different from metal so we still mock them. So, my question to you is this: though we feel such insecurities of once-again becoming drones, why do we mock those with different tastes?

~Flo to the ra~

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Item of the Week.

Monday, October 29th, 2007

Happy Monday, LuxBuzz readers! I figured I would start your week off with a lovely and VERY lux item I have personally been lusting over.

Check out what I found at Neiman Marcus the other day:

bf

Isn’t it gorgeous? Perfect for late fall and can even be carried over into winter. This Rebecca Minkoff “Mini Morning-After bag is sure to please. The only problem? Typical…price. Hey, no one ever said brown Italian suede was cheap.

The bag is $585. So save those coins and small bills in a jar, cash in at a coinstar, and head to Neiman Marcus or www.neimanmarcus.com. I’m certainly saving!

Have a Lux week!

Work it out!

Sunday, October 28th, 2007

My new fitness obsession comes from an unlikely source:

Youtube.

I login and simply type in something to the effect of “work out” and thousands of results come up.  And with a limit of ten minutes on all YouTube videos, it’s a quick and easy way to exercise and you can do it whenever, several times a day.

My favorites are the Pilates videos!

So check it out, work it out, and be able to eat tons of candy because Halloween is just around the corner!

Peace.

10 Must-haves for November (part 2)

Saturday, October 27th, 2007

If you missed out on part 1, you can read it here. Without further ado, let me continue my top ten countdown…

5. Analog Watches
Although old fashioned, analog watches are often more beautifully designed and crafted than digital watches such as your common “Baby-G.” You can find one-of-a-kind analog watches at vintage shops, often at rediculously low prices - and if the battery is dead or the watch has water damage, wear it anyway.

4. Gold
Metallic clothing has been quite fashionable for the last few seasons but now silver is fading slowly out of the picture leaving us with gold! Gold is an elegant color that can be worn either day or night and can be quite fun too. Just a word of advice - don’t mix gold with silver.

3. Hats
Hats are great for bad hair days, just throw one on your head et Voila! Instant chic! Anything from top-hats to chef’s hats are great and if you’ve got a couple of (thousand) dollars to spare, you can buy a mini work of art like the hats by renowned milliner Philip Treacy.

2. Metallic Eyeshadow
This has been quite a big trend for a while now but is now hotter than ever. You don’t have to spend a fortune on MAC or Chanel cosmetics either, L’oreal or Maybelline will do the trick just fine - especially since we dont know how much longer this will be “in.”

1. Full brows
I’m sure some of you know who Brooke Shields is, right? She is a model/actress from the 70s and 80s who is famous for having full eyebrows. In a time where everyone was overplucking their eyebrows and walking around with surprised looks on their faces, Brooke’s eyebrows made her face look powerful. You don’t need to go cold turkey on the plucking, but slowly let your natural brows show - who knows, you might even end up with “Brooke brows.”

never wear foundation again.

Friday, October 26th, 2007

Most girls I know hold a lengthy get-ready session every morning to get a perfect face: concealer, foundation and powder are just the basics — some even add primer, eye cream, and a multitude of other face-fixers before they even start with the mascara or lip gloss.

But what for? Most makeup ends up looking like a mask and melts off by lunchtime.

The solution may seem to pile on more, when in reality, it’s more effective to apply less. If you’re puzzled on how to do this and still have a perfect canvas of a face, look towards Make Up For Ever makeup, available at Sephora.

The brand was launched in Paris in 1984 with the aims of imitating the infallible pigments favored at opera houses and ballets for runway use, and has become a cult classic among makeup artists.

Make Up For Ever’s 5 Camouflage Cream Palettes contain 5 different concealors that can be mixed and matched for covering different skin ailments, rather than the traditional single-color cover-ups. This also solves the problem of picking out a shade of concealor or foundation and realizing it looks different than you originally thought; here you can just mix a different shade.

Four different sets are sold to suit a multitude of skin tones (No. 1 for light with pink undertones, No. 2 for light with yellow undertones, No. 3 for medium, No. 4 for dark). Set No. 1 is shown below.

Use the first and lightest shade to disguise under-eye circles, the fourth shade to add warmth if you’re feeling gray, and the last to counter redness (in other sets it’s a counter for sallowness etc.). The middle two shades can be mixed to fix anything in between.

This product can be used with foundation, but with it’s wide color spectrum, you’ll be able to fix everything and won’t need it! Sweep on some powder and you’re ready to go in half the time.

Perfect Lashes!

Thursday, October 25th, 2007

I’m always striving to get that perfect lash look.

So, LuxBuzzers, I’ll give you the how-to that works just in time for the weekend.

Firstly, to have beautiful lashes, they must first be healthy. I condition my lashes every night with Vaseline. I apply it before I go to sleep each evening, and it gives my lashes the moisture they need to stay healthy and even grow! Also, I find that using mascara each day takes a major toll. Vaseline on the lashes reverses and prevents this damage.

Alright, so you are conditioned. The next step is finding a curler and mascara that works for you. Personally, I like the drugstore brands best. Sure, I bought DiorShow and tried it out, but it was beaten out quickly by Maybelline’s “XXL” mascara. Honestly, DiorShow is ridiculously over-hyped.

Always curl your lashes before applying mascara! If want a real curl that will stay, invest in a heated eyelash curler. Sephora has a great, easy to use version available on their website, www.sephora.com for about $16. But you can find them at most drugstores as well for about $6-$10.

Of course fakes are always an option, but consider going natural. It can be beautiful.

Alright LuxBuzzers, it’s drug-store raiding time!

Shopping List

1. Vaseline!!

2. Mascara of your choice (pick up a couple to try)

3. Heated eyelash curler

4. [Optional] Fake lashes

Now get to a drugstore and rock those fabulous lashes this weekend!

XBox 360… Arcade Version

Wednesday, October 24th, 2007

arcade version

The new XBox 360 Arcade version was finally released. For about two months, the console was only rumor. Microsoft didn’t make any announcements until the last minute. Essentially, the 360 Arcade is the same as the now discontinued Core version, with only few changes. There is no hard drive, therefore no backward compatibility (can’t play any original XBox games). The system comes with a wireless controller, a memory unit for saving, and HD output capabilities (cable sold separately). The Arcade also comes with 5 full arcade games, not demos (PAC-MAN Championship Edition, UNO, Luxor 2, Boom Boom Rocket and Feeding Frenzy). With a broadband internet connection and the included storage device, instant access to XBox Live is available. If you have an XBox already and want to access XBox Arcade games, go to the arcade section in XBox Live.

The XBox 360 Arcade is part of Microsoft’s movement into entertaining the whole family. It comes pre-set to restrict younger users (settings can be changed though). More games targeted at younger audiences are also coming soon.

Pros to this system: Cheaper than the other versions ($280)… Comes with 5 full games

Cons: No Backward compatibility.

-Sheryl

A trip into the world of white nationalist propaganda

Tuesday, October 23rd, 2007

A few weeks ago, I logged onto a white nationalist site out of curiosity; to understand what white nationalism was all about. I will not disclose the name of the website, but I can tell you that, as with most organizations attached to what our society believes to be radical beliefs, most of the answers didn’t add up.

My initial question to the members was “why are you a white nationalist/supremacist?” This was before I found out that they were supposedly members of an organization based only on white nationalism, as opposed to both white nationalism and white supremacy, according to them.

I was told of the difference between white supremacy and white nationalism in one of the said interesting answers. White nationalists want their race separated from other races, while it is the white supremacists that believe all other races to be inferior. Seems simple enough, right?

And then I received some answers that made even less sense. One fellow said that white nationalism is all about pride in the white race. Simple so far. But then he, as well as other people, used this example with my race in it: let’s say you have a society with Batnayans being the only group. Then you notice that a bunch of non-Batnayans are suddenly flocking in, so all of a sudden, your kids are seeing all of these mixed signals; they’re confused about their identity; the cultures in this society mix to form one, after, let’s say, a few decades, and then you don’t really know who you are anymore. So, what are the Batnayans supposed to do, according to the nationalists? Kick out all the non-Batnayans!

Firstly, to say that white nationalism does not enforce hatred toward non-whites, but rather guards whites to what isn’t similar to them, is silly. Look outside. Do you see all whites looking very similar? I sure don’t, but yes, there are some looking the same. Not all Italians are considered white, but should we kick out the Indo-European Italians (non-white Italians) out? Should we kick out all of the Assyrians, and other Indo-European Arabs? Or what about those North Africans? Perhaps they are a problem, too! The funny thing is, we’d never know who truly deserves to be kicked out or not. Most white races themselves have strong ties to all non-white races. Thus, the “similarity factor” is broken, and it really does tie up to an inbred hatred.

Secondly, saying that white separatism is not a form of white supremacy is a flawed statement. Actually, they weren’t smart enough to know that race separation is separatism. Still, I don’t see non-whites around here bugging white people have them separated from their countries. Some of them even feel uncomfortable with some white people, but even so… just because you feel uncomfortable with someone, does not mean that you have the right to tell them where they’re allowed to live. Would that give them the same right over you? Doesn’t supremacy entail privileged power as such? I would love to see the face of a white supremacist being deported to a third world country from the utter irony of all that.

I thought that maybe I’d study this further to discuss it with you all, but really, this makes less sense to me than it will to you. None of the answers I’ve ever been given by white “nationalists” has ever made any practical sense to me. Perhaps they are driven by a real fear of racial uniformity, or perhaps they’re just stupid. You decide.

~Flora~

(this and other unscensored posts of mine are available at http://www.freewebs.com/ladyneedlez/florasthoughts.htm PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO MY SITE AT www.freewebs.com/ladyneedlez).

The Perfect Staple: Cashmere

Monday, October 22nd, 2007

Hey guys!

Are you, like me, caught between the changing temperatures of warm to cool to downright freezing? I know for me it’s becoming a major issue. So I ask myself, what fabric has a very temperate feel without being too warm or too breezy?

The answer? Cashmere of course! The perfect luxury fabric that’s also perfect to slap on the Christmas List. Can’t wait? Neither can I. I’m going out to Banana Republic for my cashmere later this week!

As for my cashmere picks for the season, try this lovely J Crew turtleneck in a bright red that just screams fall. Although cashmere carries a hefty price tag, bargain your way into asking your parents. Tell them it’s an early Christmas present and is the perfect sweater for the unpredictable season of fall.

cashmere.jpg

So get out there and get your staple that’s perfect at any age. Hopefully you’ll thank your parents for the perfect gift of luxury and comfort.

-Russ