Olay Regenerist Luminous Tone Perfecting Cream.

Hello All,

As you all know, I have been selected as a Style Ambassador for Harper's Bazaar.  Today, I received my first product to test for Harper's Bazaar.  It is Olay Regenerist Luminous Tone Perfecting Cream.

 

 

When I opened the box, I was so excited to see this product because of the following reasons

• it fades dark spots in 8 weeks
• it brightens, exfoliates, and smoothes your skin
• it regenerates skin's appearance for a younger, more youthful appearance

I love Olay's products.  I use the Daily Facial Moisturizer with sunscreen to keep my face moisturized and protected from UVA and UVB rays.

So after I came home from work, I cleansed my face and neck, just like the directions said on the box.

 

I wash my face morning and evening with Johnson's Baby Shampoo.  It is the best cleanser for your face because:

• it cleans all of the dirt, oil, and makeup from your face
• the formula produces "no tears," which means you can clean eyeliner and mascara from your eye, and it will not burn
• it leaves your face soft, smooth, and it smells really good

After cleansing my face and neck, I applied the Olay Regenerist Luminous Tone Perfecting Cream.

This is the first day I have applied the moisturizer.  So far, my skin is really soft.  It glided on very smoothly, but I noticed after I applied a second time, the cream became somewhat sticky, which means you only need to apply one time.

I will keep taking pictures and blogging about my results from using Olay Regenerist Luminous Tone Perfecting Cream.  I am still rubbing my face, and it is still soft.

Until Next Time!

Oscars 2014

Hello All,

It has been a while since I last talked to you.  After watching the 2014 Oscars, I had to give my input on who, in my opinion, was best dressed.  I tried to share my input last night, but it was raining very hard, and because of the weather, the internet stopped working.  So, here are my thoughts on who was the best dressed for Oscars 2014

Best Dressed (Women)

Khloe Kardashian (with sister Kim)

Kelly Osborne

Kerry Washington

Lupita Nyong'o wearing Prada

Amy Adams wearing Gucci

Cate Blanchett wearing Giorgio Armani

Charlize Theron

Jennifer Lawrence wearing Dior Couture

Anne Hathaway wearing Gucci

Sandra Bullock wearing Alexander McQueen

Jenna Dewan-Tatum (Channing Tatum's wife)

Penelope Cruz wearing Giambattista Valli

Lady Gaga wearing Versace

 

Best Dressed (Men)

Jared Leto wearing Saint Laurent

Bradley Cooper (Love Him) wearing Tom Ford

 

 

Cutest Couple

Matthew McConaughey (wearing Dolce & Gabbana) & Camilla Alves

 

Will & Jada Pinkett Smith (wearing Versace)

Brad Pitt (wearing Tom Ford) & Angelina Jolie (wearing Elie Saab Haute Couture)

 

I loved what everyone was wearing, especially Ellen DeGeneres's sequin tux (I couldn't find a picture of it). My favorite part of the Oscar's was Ellen serving pizza and asking for the tip with Pharrell William's hat, and the most tweeted selfie.

 

 

Until Next Time!

Stephen Burrows

Hello All,

We are halfway in Black History Month, and I am still excited about the research I have found.  The designer I am going to highlight this morning is one of my favorite designers, Stephen Burrows. 

I had the pleasure to meet Burrows while in grad school in 2011, and I must say that not only is he a true pioneer of fashion, but his facial expressions are also quite hilarious!

Burrows was born in Newark, NJ in 1943. He graduated from the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City in 1966.  Upon graduation, he began creating garments for the O Boutique, and his display windows literally stopped traffic.  He launched a Ready-To-Wear collection for Bonwit Teller in 1969.  Later that year, Joel Schumacher, the visual director for Henri Bendel, introduced Burrows to Bendel's legendary fashion director, Geraldine Stutz, and he was hired on the spot.

Burrows rose to fame with Henri Bendel, and his clientele included:

• Cher

• Diana Ross

• Lauren Bacall

• Liza Minnelli

• Jerry Hall

• Lauren Hutton

• Barbra Streisand

Burrows was known for his color-blocking techniques.  He was influenced by music, dance, and the body, and he produced revolutionary designs that were soft, comfortable, and chic.  He was known for his use of stretch fabrics such as wool and rayon jersey, and he crafted a close fit and slim silhouette.  He originated "the lettuce edge" that became his signature and remains in his collections today.  Burrows was nominated for a Coty Award, the fashion industry's highest honor, in 1971 and 1972, and he received the award in 1973, 1974, and 1977.

After his success with Henri Bendel, he opened up his own shop on Seventh Avenue, selling everything from clothing to fragrances, furs, and sunglasses.  Burrows is the first African American to achieve international acclaim.  After a long hiatus, Burrows came back into the spotlight and started creating his signature pieces again.  As of today, after being in the business for 45 years, Burrows is still designing his signature looks for the fashion world.

Stephen Burrows Designs

1960s & 70s

 

 

 

 

 

 

Present

2011 Collection

2011 Collection

 

2010 Collection for Target

2010 Collection for Target

First Lady Michelle Obama wearing Stephen Burrows in 2010

 

Until Next Time!

Fashion Accelerator 360

Hello All,

I have been taking the class, "Launch Your Line," which is a part of Fashion Accelerator 360, also known as FA360.  FA360 is a multi-platform learning experience that offers you full access to the industry's most established experts  I chose the "Launch Your Line" class because I am working to launch my own fashion label.  This is still in the works, but this class is helping me to reach this goal.

We are now in Week 4, and I have been having a lot of fun in this class.  There have been fun moments, as well as challenging moments.  My favorite assignment has been for Week 1, which is Product Development: Inspiration and Execution.  This particular assignment included the following:

• Come up with 12 styles (or more) for your line
• create a moodboard on Pinterest of your inspiration for your line

Here is my homework for this assignment

I loved creating the concept for this line, and so did my instructor.  It was discussed on the FA360 blog (https://fashionaccelerator360.com/blogs/student-spotlight-series-ashley-love). 

 

*for those who have been following this blog, you will see that I am revealing my name and face! :D

 

 

My most challenging class is Week 3.  The production cost and "backing in" to your production cost was very tough for me.  It took me a while to figure this part out.

Well, I have to read and do my assignment for Week 4.  I will give another recap for this lesson.  If you want to know more about FA360, please check out their website and follow them on social media.

• Website- www.fba360.com
• Facebook- www.facebook.com/FashionBusinessAccelerator360
• Instagram- www.instagram.com/fashionaccelerator360
• Twitter- www.twitter.com/fba360
• Pinterest- www.pinterest.com/fa360/
• LinkedIn- www.linkedin.com/company/3353575?trk=tyah&trkInfo=tas:fashion%20accelerator,idx:1-2-2

Until Next Time!

Elizabeth Hobbs Keckley

Hello All,

I am having fun researching African Americans in fashion.  I am finding a lot of information.  Another African American fashion designer I want to highlight is Elizabeth Hobbs Keckley.  Heckley was a former slave who became a successful seamstress, civic activist, and author.

Elizabeth Hobbs Keckley was born a slave in 1818 in Dinwiddie, VA.  Her mother was a "privileged slave" and her father, who was revealed to her later in life, was her slave master, Armistead Burwell. She endured a somewhat brutal life while growing up.  She gave birth to a son, George, in 1839.  While she was still working for the Garland family, her sewing helped support her family.  After she moved with the Garland family to St. Louis, MO, Keckley was able to mingle with its large free black community, as well as establish a connection with women in the white community working a s a free dressmaker.

Keckley met her future husband, James, while also in St. Louis, but refuse to marry him unless she and her son were free.  Once her freedom was granted, she was married and worked hard in her sewing business.  In 1860, she moved to Baltimore, MD and started teaching sewing classes to young black girls, but after six weeks, she hardly had enough money saved to move to Washington, DC.

Once she raised the money, she moved to Washington, DC, and her business took off.  Her clients included:

• Mary Todd Lincoln (wife of President Abraham Lincoln)

• Mary Anna Custis Lee (wife of Gen. Robert E. Lee)

• Varina Davis (wife of Jefferson Davis)

 

Keckley found most of her work with society women by word-of-mouth recommendations.  Keckley worked as Mary Todd Lincoln's personal dressmaker, stylist, and confidante.  While in the White House (and years after) she was the sole designer and creator of Mary Todd Lincoln's event wardrobe.  Although it was a strain in their relationship years later, they still remained in contact with each other.

In later years, she still remained busy with her sewing, teaching sewing classes to young African American women, and she also obtained a position as head of the Department of Sewing and Domestic Science Arts at Wilberforce University.  Elizabeth Hobbs Keckley died in 1907.

Keckley's Designs

 

 

 

Keckley in her design

 

 

Quilt created from scraps of Mary Todd Lincoln's dresses

 

Elizabeth Hobbs Keckley.  An innovator of fashion and American history.

 

Until Next Time!

Beautiful

Hello All,

 

 

 

While researching pictures of Anne Lowe designs, I came across the picture of this model.  Who is she?  She is gorgeous.  I would love to have her model my designs.  I feel all women are beautiful, no matter what race, creed, or color.  We are all beautiful creatures created by God, and this model is simply stunning!

 

If anyone knows this model, please let me know.

 

I will end on that note.  I will have more great posts to share later today.

 

Until Next Time!