Mood Board: December

It's cold out.

Maybe that's why my mind has been on the desert.

I have this intense desire to be completely covered. But I don't want an ugly parka; I want beautiful fabrics to drape myself in.

Some of the most beautiful women I've ever seen were wearing hijabs and saris which proves style has nothing to do with skin.

My body is in New York, my mind wants to be somewhere else right now now.

Quote It.

"It’s such a shame that all your favorite artists are so underground. That’s the hipster justification of failure … Everyone who could be a real rock star is just fucking scared.”

Kanye West to Rolling Stone staffers.

Well, that's one way of looking at it.

Subway Playlist: Covers I Love More than the Originals

• Rock Kills Kid - I Turn My Camera on (Originally Spoon)
  
• The Sundays - Wild Horses (Originally Rolling Stones)
  
• Bif Naked - Nothing Else Matters (Originally Metallica)
  
• Anya Marina - Whatever You Like (Originally TI)
  
• Dynamite Hack - Boyz N Da Hood (Originally E Eazy)
  

Quote It

"Travel, trouble, music, art/ A kiss, a frock, a rhyme/ I never said they feed my heart/ But still they pass the time." --Faut de Mieux, by Dorothy Parker

Shits and Giggles Mondays

My dear friend Morgan shared this with me so I'm spreading the laughter.

Happy Monday : )

What Do You Use for Your Pits?

The world of beauty is an intimidating one. It feels like there are a gazillion products on the market right now dedicated to enlarging this and minimizing that, highlighting and contouring this feature, covering up that flaw.

It's exhausting.

One area of the body I wish people actually dedicated more time to? Underarms. Yes, I want more than a few Dove commercials.

See the problem is I’m human and I sweat. I wouldn't say I have apocalyptic body odor (I bathe daily) but I am a little obsessive compulsive about smells and have been known to do armpit checks throughout the day.

Here's the other problem: I am very anal about what I put on my body. Yes, I'm one of those "the skin is the biggest organ, chemicals should not be touching it, if you wouldn't eat it why would you lather it on" snobs. See, Aluminum Chlorohydrate is one of the most common active ingredients in commercial antiperspirants. It’s also linked to Alzheimer’s disease and Breast cancer. So Secret or Degree just isn’t going to cut it.

I purchased an organic deodorant called Crystal Essence! It’s made of natural mineral salts and the one I bought is “infused with the refreshing aroma of pomegranate”. It’s supposed to create an invisible protective barrier against odor protecting bacteria and the pomegranate is supposed to promote skin regeneration. Sounds promising, right? It also doesn’t hurt that Crystal Essence is endorsed by Cancer Treatment Centers.

When I started using this product I loved it but I didn't want to write a review before giving it some time to fail me. Nine months later, I can say that while it's not the perfect product, it's a great alternative. Keep in mind that this product is not an anti-perspirant but a deodorant. So its job is to make your pits smell good and that it does. It hasn't kept things under the arms dry.

Huge Pro:

My armpits look fantastic so I guess all that talk about pomegranate promoting skin regeneration is true. Other deodorants irritated my skin and made it feel clammy to the touch. Crystal Essence has not only taken care of the clammy skin problem but it's minimized the discoloration under there too.

Huge Con:

It really does nothing to prevent me from sweating which is unfortunate. I reapply the product throughout the day. So if you’re like me and you’re used to wearing an anti-perspirant, natural deodorants take some getting used to.

That’s all folks.

As always, if anyone finds a better product, let me know por favor.

Subway Playlist: Songs That Changed My Life

Lovely Disco did a fun post on songs that changed her life so I compiled my own list.
Boy, that was hard! My list was originally 50+ so don't be surprised if I add to it in the future.

These are songs that had such an impact on me, I still remember the first time I heard them. Now I literally lose my shizz when these songs come on: the radio in a car, at the mall, or on the iPod of the person next to me. Theyhave the ability to take me to a different place and some of the songs introduced me to some of my now favorite artists.

Check it out and feel free to share your list with me. And remember Music = Love.

1. Aerosmith - Dream On
2. Weezer - Say It Ain't So
3. Metric- Dead Disco
4. Oasis - Wonderwall
5. Lady Gaga - Just Dance
6. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Gold Lion
7. Justin Timberlake - I Think She Knows
8. Michael Jackson - Beat It
9. Wheatus - Teenage Dirtbag
10. Harvey Danger - Flagpole Sitta
11. Alicia Keys - Unthinkable/ I'm Ready
12. Death Cab for Cutie - Soul Meets Body
13. Coyote Shivers - Sugar High
14. Madonna - Like a Prayer
15. Garbage: Cherry Lips
16. Cream - Sunshine of Your Love
17. Michelle Branch - Goodbye to You
18. Nerf Herder - Buffy Theme Song
19. Third Eye Blind - Semi Charmed Life
20. Soundgarden - Black Hole Sun

Honorable Mentions:

• Staind - Outside
• Beyonce - Get Me Bodied
• No Doubt - Underneath it All
• Jewel - You Were Meant For Me
• Nirvana - Lithium
• Paramore - Misery Business
• No Doubt - Spiderwebs
• Fiona Apple - Criminal

JMO: Glee GQ Photoshoot

These photos of Glee stars Lea Michele, Dianna Agron and Cory Monteith have caused a huge stir.

Now I'm no prude; I certainly have a sense of humor and to be honest, pervy Terry Richardson never manages to get a rise out of me with his 70s porn aesthetic.

And this photoshoot was for GQ; a magazine for men.

But does anyone else find the photos, Lea Michele's particularly, just sad? This whole Lolita/ Britney Spears, girly sex-pot thing is still popular despite its ick factor.

Little girl accessories shouldn't get a guy's motor running.

All I see is Rachel Berry trying to be sexy. It's like she went through Playboy and picked out her favorite poses.

Do you think she would have done a photoshoot like this before she traded Broadway for Hollywood?

Quote It

"For women the best aphrodisiacs are words. The G-spot is in the ears. He who looks for it below there is wasting his time." Isabel Allende

NBC's UnderCovers Kinda Sucks

I take my television shows very seriously. So seriously, that I print a schedule out before the Fall premieres so I can remind myself when my fave shows are premiering and so I can decide which new shows I'm going to invest in.

This year, I added UnderCovers to my Wednesday lineup. The show is about a husband and wife (Boris Kodjoe and Gugu Mbatha - Raw). They used to be CIA agents and are reactivated after being retired for an ambiguous number of years. So we have an interesting story, gorgeous actors and J.J. Abrams as the creator. How can this show fail?

Well, I'll tell you.

Awful writing, overacting, unrealistic everything.

After the first episode, I was dissapointed but optimistic. This is J.J. Abrams. He's never done me wrong, never. After the third episode, I accepted the fact that Abrams had a flaw and UnderCovers was it. Still, I watch the show. Why? Because I still believe beyond all logic that it will find it's groove and get better. Or because I want to support a mainstream series with characters of color in the lead roles. It's not like that happens every day. But I don't know if I can watch it anymore. It sucks.

Richard Lawson, Gawker.com's hilarious writer, made a comment about the show I took very seriously "Abrams's oddly unwatchable spy show (I think it's the tone? Y'know, is it thriller? Comedy? It needs to be frothier or grittier, the in-between just isn't working)".

Yes, yes and yes. The show is like an awkward teenager who doesn't know whether to spend adolescence with a sense of humor or all angst-ridden. Are you a comedy or an action thriller? The characters either need to head over to Chuck or they need Sydney Bristow to slap the smiles off their faces. Being a government agent is serious stuff!

Luckily for the people depending on this show for a paycheck, four more scripts have been ordered.

So UnderCovers, make up your damn mind. Nobody wants to wait around while a show figures things out.

Shits and Giggles Mondays

So stupid but so funny. Happy Monday : )

This Week in Frivolity

• This was not the best week for holy matrimony in Tinseltown. Seemingly solid couples Courtney Cox and David Arquette , Christina Aguilera and Jordan Bratman , Ben Harper and Julie Dern and former Mrs. Schuester Jessalyn Gilsig have all called it quits. I don’t have a snarky comment. Breaking up is hard and sad.
  
  
• And now it’s being reported that Carey Mulligan and Shia Lebeouf have called it quits too. Boo : (
  
  
• The first photo of Michelle Williams as Marilyn Monroe is making the internet rounds. Do you love it or hate it?
  
  
• Everyone’s favorite View host, Elizabeth Hasselback, is joining Good Morning America. Yay?
  
  
• Posh Spice reminds us that while her husband may sound like a little bitch, he’s still finer than the guys we hang with.
  
  
• Size 10 Model Crystal Renn gets booked in three shows and claims the fashion industry is diversifying their models. Ha, okay.
  
  
• Bachelorette stars Ali and Roberto have decided getting married immediately may not be such a great idea. This is smart considering they only dated for a couple of months before getting engaged.
  
  
• Ohmygawd you guys! Ken Paves and Jessica Simpson really are fighting. Allegedly. I mean there were rumors of them you know like not talking but now it’s gone to a totally different level because he won’t even do her HAIR anymore. Whatisshegonnado? Anyone with internet knows what Jessica Simpson’s hair looks like when she doesn’t have her mane man hooking it up. I’m really gutted over this.
  
  
• In repetitive but similar news, Jessica Simpson is in love. Again.
  
  
• Wanna see Demi Lovato go all “oh no you didn’t bitch” on a reporter for Miley Cyrus? Here ya go. The chick didn’t even have a chance to insult her.
  
  
• Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz are parents to a baby boy. The sure to be cutie, Egypt Daoud Dean, was born on Oct. 14 in New York City. Congrats to the couple.