Santa Baby: Rolex Oyster Perpetual Datejust

When I saw this Rolex watch in the current issue of Conde Nast Travel, I was unable to turn the page. I sat motionless staring at the luxury timepiece as if I was willing it to jump off the page and magically appear in my hands.

It never fails that I like the most expensive items. I need (want) it!!!! I've been an awful good girl ;-)



picture courtesy of Rolex

Monday Inspiration: The Holstee Manifesto

I saw The Holstee Manifesto on Golden Parachutes yesterday and it truly resonated with all that I am going through right now so I'm sharing it here. Hope it inspires someone out there too!

Thanks to Marian at Haute Travels who pointed me in the direction of Golden Parachutes.

For more information about Holstee click here.

The Stylish Life Wishes You A...

Pick Up My Purse & Go…

 

Hello Lovelies! I’m taking a bit of a break from my typical subject matter to let you guys have a peek behind the curtain that is my life.

The title of today’s post says it all; I am ready to pick up one of my haute handbags and go. Calling my current state a rut is a gross understatement. In my mind, I’m selling most of my material trappings and bidding adieu to Chicago and my job. Lately I have been pretty miserable. I try to hide it because I don’t want to be a dark cloud to others. The truth is I took my current job because I was tired of job hunting. Having been unemployed for nineteen long months, I was at my wits end and my savings were nearly depleted. I took the first thing that was offered to me. Big. Mistake. My job is just that…a job. It’s not my dream job, but I give all my energy over to it because I conditioned myself to do well in the workforce years ago. I refuse to fail at anything I do.
Inside little pieces of me are being pushed out and I’m moving further and further away from the things I want to pursue. I spend eight hours a day at work, staring at a computer, poring over spreadsheets, and reading reports. By the time I make it home, all I want to do is rest which translates into no energy to blog, no desire to be around people, and my dreams remain on hold.

I wear my emotions for all to see. If I’m mad, you know it. If I don’t like you, trust me you will know from the look on my face. At work, I’m very focused on the work and I interact very little with my coworkers. I’m sure my office mates can tell that I’m not as jovial as I was when I first came on board. It’s not the job, it’s me. After three months, I had to face the reality that I do not like my job. You all have no idea how guilty I felt when I said that out loud. Wasn’t I being ungrateful? Millions of people are out of work, and I have the nerve to not like my job. I had a lot of damn nerve! Had I not spent countless nights praying for a job? Did I miss something while I was out of work? Was I too focused on working again when I should have been pursuing my dreams? I never know what to choose when I come to the fork in the road. I don’t have the security of a significant other who can handle the bills while I do me. Everything falls on my shoulders. I have to take care of myself. If I don’t work, I don’t eat, I could end up homeless. Those thoughts terrify me and keep me stuck in a job and city that each day I loathe just a little more. I’m too old to go back home to mom and at thirty-faux (*smile*) shouldn’t I have it all figured out by now?

I’m supposed to be somewhere else doing something else. Wouldn’t it be grand if I knew where and what? I have a mantra taped to my wall at work: NONE OF THIS MATTERS. I am on the path to my purpose. I am seeking a change. This is what I do, not who I am. I look at those words about ten times a day. I pray the answers come soon because I am slowly but surely losing the battle that is going on inside me.

Thanks for reading my mini vent! I'll be back with my normal fabness (is that a word???) really soon.

Update on The Dilemma: My Fall 2010 Bag

After much debate and browsing I chose my fall bag Monday night. Actually the bag chose me...

My new baby: Coach Kristin Hobo - please ignore my messy desk, work is busy

Monday after work I went to Nordstrom to exchange a blouse and I decided to take a peek at the handbags. There was a table of reduced bags with two of the Kristin hobos among the selection. The bags did not appear to be marked down so I asked an associate to scan it for me. Hang on to your hats kids, this is where it gets interesting...

The bag was $100 off  of the original price of $298. Score!!!! Besides the price being to good to pass up, the bag met the rest of my criteria: the option to carry across the body, roomy, and any color but black.  I promptly whipped out my debit card and made my purchase! After two days of carrying my new bag, I am quite pleased. The leather is lightweight but very sturdy and I have received a lot of compliments about the color, aubergine (isn't that fancy?) Say it a few times, aubergine, aubergine. See? Now don't you feel just a little bit fancier? LOL!!

Well I have to get back to work! Ciao!!

The Stylish Life: Haute Bag Lady Bag of The Week



Mulberry Python Bayswater

Mulberry's classic Bayswater  bag in metallic gold python makes me want to curl up in a little ball and just cry. Where oh where is my billionaire boyfriend???

This is a gorgeous bag. It has a brown suede interior and the buckles on the side expand to make the bag larger. I would carry this haute bag whether I was dressed up or down. The Python Bayswater is a bag that says "Yes, I do have it all and you should envy me." Just kidding...

By the way, it costs $4000 and my birthday is in 2 months. I implore you all to feel free to donate to my handbag fund at anytime or just send the bag to me. I love getting gifts. *smile*




pictures courtesy of  Netaporter.com

Hair Care Boot Camp: Cold Weather Hair Care

As the temperatures prepare to drop, it is time for us to kick our hair care routine into high gear. And taking extra special care of your hair is important whether you are natural or you’re relaxed like me, say it loud, I’M RELAXED & I'M PROUD (fist pump, explosion of confetti, queue the noise makers) Relax, I kid, I kid! I am so NOT into the whole relaxed or natural debate. Do what works for you because I will most certainly do what works for me.

Anyhoo, I have my hair relaxed every eight weeks because as I have shared many times on my blog, I am extremely lazy when it comes to doing my own hair. I’m good at basic home maintenance but elaborate styling, at home washing and conditioning? No. Not. Happening. I have a standing hair appointment every Saturday morning. Since the cold weather is surely on the way, my stylist and I will work together to keep my hair healthy, growing, and on my head this season like we do every winter.

Here are my cold weather hair care tips:

Protect Ya’ Neck – No this isn’t just a song by the Wu-Tang Clan which was my jam back in the day, but I digress… It is a way to prevent breakage at the nape of your neck. Acrylic and wool coat collars and scarves are the hair enemy! Head to your nearest TJ Maxx, Marshalls, or even Macys and find an assortment of affordable silk scarves to wrap around your neck as a barrier between your hair and collar. If you wear a hat, you can find a satin skull cap from your local beauty supply store. I bought one from Sally’s last year. It kept my hair style intact, my head stayed warm, and my acrylic knit hat never touched my hair.

Drink your water – Simple enough. We all know we should drink 3 liters a day but I suggest squeezing in an extra cup or two if you can. In areas that are really cold like Chicago, the dry air can be extremely cruel to African American hair.

Grapeseed Oil & Organic Coconut Oil – There are so many hair care companies that tout these two oils as the main ingredients in their products but when you look at the back of the package they are somewhere in the middle or end of the list. I say eliminate all the stuff you can’t pronounce and just purchase these two oils from your health food store. OCO is a great pre-shampoo treatment. I use it weekly before I go to the salon. GSO is a wonderful natural heat protectant and it strengthens the hair making it resistant to breakage.

Rosemary Oil – There are reports that RO is good for growth. I like it use it for an at home scalp massage once or twice a week. It tingles and really opens my scalp up. I can’t speak on the hair growth aspect because I take a lot of vitamins and supplements so I always have a lot of new growth. I don’t know if it’s the RO or the vitamins or everything working together.

Blowdrying...Just Say No - I know the blow dryer is fast but it can be more damaging during the winter months. Take the extra hour and sit under the dryer. Wraps and roller wraps are wonderful because your hair holds the shape which means less at home heat styling. All you have to do is add a few self holding rollers in your crown for height, wrap your hair at night then in the morning comb it or leave it wrapped and put your satin skull cap and winter hat on, then style your hair when you get to work.  Okay...was that NOT the most run on sentence? LOL! Who cares, I had to get my point across :P

How will you change your hair care routine this winter? Do you have any cold weather hair tips? Please share in the comments section!

The Black Jackson Pollock

Thanks to Twitter I recently discovered an extremely talented artist, Gregory Pitts better known as The Black Jackson Pollock. Someone that I follow retweeted one of Greg's tweets. His Twitter handle, Blackjkspollock piqued my interest so I knew I had to check his Twitter timeline. He sent me a link so that I could learn more about his work and I was impressed by all his paintings. He is well deserving of being called the Black Jackson Pollock.

Greg was even nice enough to send me a painting:

When I opened the package I couldn't help but smile because I LOVE abstract paintings. I had the chance to interview Greg as well. I hope you enjoy learning more about Greg and if you get a chance to visit Miami next month for Art Basel, be sure to to stop by his show.

 How long have you been painting?

I did my first self-portrait 10 years ago. I stopped for a few years while I did freelance photography for various magazines as well as some acting.

Tell me about your formal training?
I do not have any formal training but have done a lot of independent study.

How would you describe your art?
I would describe my art as diverse, abstract and "from the soul." It comes from my gut. Each piece is different and I never know the specific medium until I am half-way through the painting.

What inspires your art?
My art is inspired by life.

Where do you see yourself in the next 2 to 5 years?
In the next 2 to 5 years, I see myself owning a gallery and being in museums in countries I've never heard of and even having my art in the Vatican.

What is the story behind your name, the Black Jackson Pollack?
Actually I did not choose that name. I had been doing photography for 30 years and one night, I was out at an art walk event and stopped by a gallery that had recycled paper from the Philipines for sale. I bought 20 sheets of the paper in different sizes and painted abstract artwork on this special paper. I chose to sell the art and give the proceeds to the organization "Mission Gifts", whose mission is to rescue children and young women from human trafficking. When I took the piece to the gallery, an elderly lady said that it reminded her of a Jackson Pollock and that I should call myself 'The Black Jackson Pollock." I had no idea of who he was because I had been doing photography for 30 years.

Greg's websites:
The Black Jackson Pollock
His art work

I want Lanvin, not flowers...

I'll be lining up for the Lanvin for H&M collection. Anyone interested in joining me?