Not a Fan of Basquiat

Hello All,

Besides being a fashion designer, fashion illustrator, fashion columnist, and blogger, I am also an artist.  I create drawings throughout my day, and I look at works such as Cubism, Art Nouveau, Op Art, and many others. 

I like to see Graffiti Art, but I would not say that I am a fan of it.  When I was living in Atlanta, I liked to see graffiti on the brick walls, bridges, and trains.  There was an area, Little Five Points, that was very popular because of the vintage apparel stores, art stores, popular retail chains, and of course the art.  Throughout certain areas in Little Five Points, you see graffiti art on many bridges and cement walls.  It is very mesmerizing.

Although I am not familiar with the graffiti artists, there is one artist that is very famous is Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960-1988).

Basquiat's works are very popular; the majority of his works sell for millions of dollars.  Even though Basquiat was an artist, I do not see why his work was so popular.

Cabeza (1982)

Untitled (Head) (Year Unknown)

Philistines (1982)

Bird On Money (1981)

 

I apologize if I offend any Basquiat fans, but I am entitled to speak my opinion.  He was not that creative. My young cousins could have drawn this.  All of these drawings look like the works of a young person who was bored and started drawing unrecognizable images on walls and buildings.  I remember when I was an undergrad studying art, and I saw Basquiat's work for the first time.  I was not impressed.  What made it worse for me was that my professors spoke of his works with such passion, and I was sitting at my desk with this blank expression like, "you really call this art?" I feel if Basquiat was not acquainted with Andy Warhol, he would not have been famous.

Over the years, I thought my opinion of Basquiat's work would change, but it never did.  While in graduate school studying fashion, I had taken this class where Basquiat's work was discussed.  A friend of mine had researched his works and she was in awe of them.  I had this look of disbelief on my face as she talked about how amazing his works were, and how they were so different compared to other artist of that time.  As the saying goes, everyone is entitled to like what they like.

Basquiat's rise to fame is almost like the story of the Kardashians!  He was famous for having no talent!  A child can create better artwork than this.  Again, I am sorry if I offended anyone, but I am entitled to my opinion.

Until Next Time!

Update: Olay Regenerist Luminous Tone Perfecting Cream

Hello All,

In case you don't remember, I am testing out this product, Olay Regenerist Luminous Tone Perfecting Cream.   It has been a week, and here is how my face looks so far:

Taken 3/3/2014

 

Taken 3/11/2014

 

I had just awaken when I had taken the picture on 3/11/2014.  My face looks brighter and smoother, despite having a pimple on my forehead.  I had two pimples on my cheek that left a black spot on my face, and it is disappearing.  My skin looks blotchy on the picture taken on 3/3/2014, and now it looks even and toned.  I am quite happy.

 

I will keep you posted on the progress of Olay Regenerist Luminous Tone Perfecting Cream.  I have a few more weeks to go.

 

Until Next Time!

Melyssa Ford from Blood Sweat & Heels

Hello All,

I just watched an episode of the new reality show, Blood, Sweat & Heels.  It is taking me a while to get into this show, but my favorite cast members so far are Micah Hughes and Melyssa Ford. 

Of course, of all the girls on the show, Melyssa Ford is the most well-known.  Her name sounds familiar because she was a former video vixen, model, and actress.

 

 

Before the premiere of Blood, Sweat & Heels, the last movie Ford appeared in was Good Hair.  Once Blood, Sweat & Heels had premiered, I was shocked to find out that she had given up being a video vixen, and she was broke and starting over as a real estate agent. 

 

 

 

 

 

When I started watching the show, I realized that we were somewhat similar in many ways:

• We had both fallen on hard times
• We had to start over in order to find ourselves
• We both have large attitudes
• We are still working our way up in our careers

Although she was successful as a video model, she stated on the show that she had depleted her savings and was flat broke. I was in school, getting the necessary education possible to get my foot in the door in fashion.  Upon graduation from graduate school, my goal was to have a job in fashion.  Of course, it did not work out in that way.  After so many unsuccessful obstacles, before I knew it, I was broke, and almost homeless.  I did not want to go back home to Mississippi, but after looking at my current situation, I had no choice.

 

Ford also stated on the show that, at the age of 36, she is starting over in a field that she is very unfamiliar in.  She has had a few arguments with her boss, but she is still working to get her first sell as a real estate agent.  At the age of 30, I am still working as a freelance fashion designer, but I am constantly applying for jobs in fashion and promoting myself, proving that I am an awesome fashion designer and illustrator.

 

As stated before, Ford has had a few arguments with her boss.  Yes, she is a hard worker, but she is also somewhat "hard-headed," like me!  Sometimes, when people try to talk sense into me, I have a tendency to roll my eyes and look in the other direction.  That does not mean I am not listening, but sometimes, I just get tired of getting unsolicited advice from people who are not in my career field, and don't know anything about working in my career field.

 

There were moments on the show when Ford has tried to purchase something, and her credit/debit card has been declined.  There have been moments when I wanted to purchase something and I could not because I did not have enough money in my account to make the purchase.  I do not believe in going broke to make purchases.  If there is something I want, but I can not have at the moment, it means that I do not need it in the first place.  We both want to be successful in our careers, and we are not giving up.

 

So, Melyssa, if you are looking at this blog, I want to say "keep your head up."  This is something that I tell myself quite often.  I know that God has not made a mistake, and He is still working to make me a better person, so when the next opportunity comes for me, that opportunity that I have been working for my whole life, I will appreciate it.

 

Until Next Time!

Socks and Heels: Go Away!

Hello All,

Lately, I have been seeing more and more of this current fashion trend, which is wearing socks with heels.  Here are some different variations.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have been seeing this trend on the runway, fashion blogs, and in many fashion magazines, and to be quite honest, I am tired of seeing it.  Although this trend was popular during the 40s and 50s,  it re-emerged in the mid-2000s.

 

 





Since its comeback, it has been worn in many modern ways.

 

 

The reasons I am tired of seeing this trend is because of the following:

• I do not like to wear socks or pantyhose, so when I see this trend, it makes me itch
• Although I do not like seeing or wearing pantyhose, I would rather see heels worn with lace pantyhose or bare legs than socks
• Wearing socks with heels is almost like wearing socks with sandals. It does not work well at all.

I know there are some people who love this trend; I'm just not one of them.  There are many ways to wear textures or colors with heels.  The following are my approvals:

Color Pantyhose

Textured Tights

Different Variations of Lace Pantyhose

 

Legwarmers and Heels

 

Of the different ways of adding color and texture for your hosiery, this is my favorite look of all

 

Bare!

 

Until Next Time!!

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!