My Christmas look

I based this style off Naptural85's video "Effortless beach waves" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kE-xKlc12tE . Now this is also my Outfit of the week. My Christmas outfit is a peasant dress and a cardigan. That simple, lol. =]

I avoid certain topics on this blog

   I know that this is "In MY Opinion" and I should give just that. Trust me, I certainly have tons of opinions but certain things are too ridiculous to talk about. Like celebrities. Posts about Justin Bieber and Beyonce are literally everywhere and I don't want to talk about that. Or New Jordans. Or crime in MY community. I know that crime is a very serious topic but what can I say? I am just as shocked as anyone else that there are so many guns on our streets. I am just as shocked that Black men can barely go to school but they can certainly go to the mall to stand on line for 12 hours to buy a pair of over priced, ugly, basketball shoes. IT IS SAD what society has become. These topics are ranted about on tons of blogs, just not mine.

Quote

There should be a drug class, there should be sex education, there should be a class on scams, there should be a class on religious cults, there should be a class on police brutality, there should be a class on Apartheid, there should be a class on racism in America, there should be a class on why people are hungry, but there aren't, there are classes on.. gym.
                                                                                                  -Tupac

Common's Album release concert in NYC

  Monday, December 19th one of my favorite rappers Common had a concert at the Highline Ballroom in Chelsea.He performed his biggest hits as well as tracks off his new album "The Dreamer/The Believer" in stores now. This concert event was very FUN. I had a great time, and of course recorded some videos:



He also brought out a special guest:

 NAS

I also took a poster home with me :)

"Blipster"

Boy do I hate that word. It is a shortened version of "black hipster" which is used to described a black person who's style is "hipster".
    They are people who listen to alternative music and like vintage things. & Don't like mainstream things. & they drink tea (according to tumblr). Being "Hipster" is actually becoming mainstream. Everyone now-a-days is trying to be different. I have absolutely no problem with that. The problem I have is with labels. Your style is your style. DO YOU. I understand that certain labels are used to easily identify people but sometimes society goes to far. If being hipster has to do with style&preference, then race has absolutely nothing to do with it. You could be Brown, Yellow, Puerto Rican, or Haitian. It doesn't matter! We are all people.
   The funniest part is that the term "Hipster" originally described white kids dressing like black jazz musicians. So when you call yourself a "Blipster", what are you? A black person trying to be black?

Article: 10 “Saturday Night Live” Cast Members You Forgot

   Ahhh Saturday Night Live, commonly known as SNL. SNL is just as American as baseball and apple pie. It is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show which premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of "NBC's Saturday Night". The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture and politics. SNL produced great comedies over the years such as coneheads, ladies man and mean girls. Also, Many great comedians and actors got their start on SNL such as Eddie Murphy, Will Ferrell, and Tina Fey. But there are so many others who we probably don't even know started on SNL.
Well http://www.toponlinecolleges.com's article 10 “Saturday Night Live” Cast Members You Forgot discusses just that. The article list the top ten SNL starts we may not remember and explains each one's career.
The list goes as follows:

1.  Colin Quinn
2. Victoria Jackson
3. Charles Rocket
4. Pamela Stephenson
5. Chris Parnell
6. Julia Louis-Dreyfus
7. Tim Kazurinsky
8. Joan Cusack
9. Robert Downey
10. Melanie Hutsell

  The article provides a brief summary of actor's time on SNL and also a video clip of each actor on the show. This article is great, fun, and informative. I certainly learned a lot being one who doesn't  watch SNL very often. I've hear of a few of these actors but had no I dea they were on the show. I suggest you all check it out here. :)

Outfit of the week and my Creepers

Yep, an Outfit of the week! I haven't posted one of those in a while. I guess there haven't been any weeks. But anyway I call this "Pre-Winter"

   It's COLD out, but not cold enough to be winter yet. While taking this photo my friend said “pre-winter fashion” so I just went with this title. This is something I threw together last minute, a collection of random clothes I’ve had for a while. I think creepers look really good with skirts or dresses and they’re just a great shoe. I love my creepers, they are the star of this show! Not to mention the newest piece of this outfit. Creepers, in my opinion, are the dopest shoe out right now. I first saw them a couple months ago worn by Pop star and my biggest fashion inspiration Rihanna on the set of her video "We found Love" as well as in recent photos promoting her album, like this one:

   I instantly wanted a pair. So I bought mine off Amazon.com for a very good price. The brand is Demonia and they're a unisex shoe so the size I got was 7mens. I wear an 8 1/2 in women sizes but they don't make half sizes. The shoes fit perfectly! They look great and you get used to the thick platform after wearing them a couple of times. The only problem I have is that the faux leather material is very delicate. After I first wore them they were already scuffed as if I had scratched them myself, with my fingernails.

If you'd like a pair of creepers and you are known to be hard on your shoes I recommend you buy ones of a different material such as suede. I LOVE my creepers. Theses shoes come in such a great variety., everyone should love them. :)

New rap artist: Yyou!

  Yyou(pronounced "why you") is an independent rap artist from Canada, who has contacted me to listen to his music. Now, I've posted about hip-hop plenty of times before and new rap artists is like a pandemic sweeping the world. Everybody's a rapper. But despite that I still gave him a listen and this is how I felt:







  I listened to his album entitled "OTF" on his sound cloud account(Here) and surprisingly I liked him. I am so used to new artists sounding exactly or trying to mimic big artists but Yyou is different. He has his own flow, which is reminiscent of New York rappers. So he's already got me hooked. The first track titled "I'm here" is the perfect intro track. "I'm here" is catchy, fun, and dope if you know what I mean. It is bound to be a big track. Not only does Yyou rap but he also sings his own, which is the new trend in hip-hop (like Nicki Minaj or Drake). I am a big fan of rappers trying to be pop singer but Yyou makes it work and shows that he is multi-talent. The second track entitled "Awooga Love" is the slow lovey-dovey type of song Drake or The Weeknd would put out but the rap verses on the song are dominant and the track itself is upbeat and good to dance to. Overall, I am certainly Yyou's newest fan and if you appreciate rap music you will be too.
You can find out more about Yyou on his websites:

Main Site: http://www.yyoulives.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/yyoulives

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/yyoulives

Yyou gets my very own DOPE seal of approval and I mean it.

Random Rambling

So I have one of those Rihanna/Tyra Banks fo' heads and I've kinda just started embracing it. Although my braids never really covered my forehead I never like wearing my hair up. Now I do. Even with my inch and a half of new growth!

10 Day all about you challenge

Day 9: Describe your favorite outfit.


I have quite a few, but my favorite outfit was an outfit of the week a few months ago. I wore My olive colored Harem Pants and silver oxford shoes, both from Forever 21, and a Grey swoop neck t-shirt from H&M. I love this outfit because it is simple, classy, and cute.

THIS BAG

    Now I have said that I am "Anti- Urban Outfitters" but today the were having a double sale!(an additional 50% off sale items). I couldn't resist! I had to at least browse. I saw a girl holding this bag and was a little excited... because I had seen bags exactly like it in a vintage apparel store called Metropolis, in East Village. But those bags were over $100! No way I was buying one, but ever since I first saw those bags I've been dying for one. So I asked the girl where she got it, I went over to where she told me and saw that it was already on sale for about $40. To make sure, I asked the person who worked there if that was the final price and she said "no, it's an additional 50% off, so it'll be 20 bucks, isn't that great? :D" I was so excited. No way in hell I was leaving that store without that bag, I also bought a hat for my aunt(which too was on sale). I don't think the bag is truly vintage(like the ones from metropolis) but IDGAF, I got the bag of my dreams for 20 dollars! ^_^

Forever 21 Grand Opening at QCM

    QCM being Queens Center mall. They have completely renovated and expanded(from one floor to two) the Forever 21 there. They had a grand opening event this morning where the first 500 customers received a free gift card. About 85% of the gift cards handed out were worth $10 but there was ONE worth $210. I don't know who got that one, but they were extremely lucky. This store was changed completely. They added new sections including 21 men, Heritage, 21 girls, and Forever 21 plus. The new Forever 21 in Queens Center Mall is identical to that of Times Square or East Village. It took me about an hour and a half to only buy 5 things, lol. The selection is much broader and overall the store is prettier., If you like forever 21 and you live in the NYC area you should definitely check out the store at Queens Center Mall. I enjoyed myself, here are a few photos I took:

I was #40 in line

The gift card & Coupon given to us

One of the best performances EVER!

How to make your own Cowl Scarf!

Now I'm sure you've been seeing these funky scarves around a lot, as I have. For more photos click here. Everyone's wearing them. This is yet another trend I don't quite understand but I'm going to show you how to make your own. It's easy!

After I cut it

   What you need is an Over sized Thick sweater. The reason is so that the scarf is thick and you are able to double it(like the real deal). You also need a pair of big scissors.
   First put on the sweater and measure where you want to cut it. If the sweater is long enough to cover your behind you should cut at your belly button or higher. Then take the piece and roll/fold/wrap it accordingly to get the look. It's that simple!

Trying on my new scarf

The end result

   Now, I'll admit: I did rush into this. It's something I really wanted to try, I also do not have a lot of money. I went to a 99cent store near my house and bought the sweater for 2 bucks! Now my advice to you is to please be wise while choosing your sweater. Buy or find a sweater that is very long and thick. Think about it: these scarves are being sold for hundreds of dollars! and you could simply make our own. I will certainly try this again and I will post about it. Please try this yourselves if you want and feel free to email me at KearahJ@gmail.com photos and a little description of your results.

An artist is just as good as their lastest work

    I completely disagree with this statement. My art teacher told us this in high school. I fully understand it but as an artist I feel it is unfair. I feel that an artist is just as good as their best work. Because their best piece of works shows the extent to which they are capable. I've drawn amazing things which show that I do have talent. I, of course, have done things which weren't as great, but what does the order of my greatness matter?!. An artist's best work shows just how great they truly are and that they can produce something just as good once again.

A bill to censor the internet!

     I am not kidding, the US congress is considering a bill to censor the internet. Which means our beloved social networking/blogging sites will be gone. But not that easy, there is certainly something we all can do about this.
     I just emailed Congress to urge them to oppose the Internet Blacklist Legislation, known as the PROTECT-IP Act in the Senate and the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) in the House. This legislation seeks to give the executive branch power to conduct slash-and-burn campaigns against websites that allegedly host – or even link to – content that infringes on intellectual property rights. That would “disappear” whole domain names, fundamentally undermining Internet security, and/or choke off their financial support. The Internet Blacklist Legislation puts more sites than ever at risk, effectively upending the DMCA safe harbors that have been crucial to the growth of Internet innovation and creativity. Sadly, these short-sighted and dangerous bills won’t do much to stop online infringement – but they will jeopardize our ability to speak and read online with the kind of freedom we cherish in the offline world. Deep-pocketed Hollywood lobbyists are aggressively pushing to control and censor the open Internet, willing to sacrifice free speech and our Internet culture in hopes of controlling how people view their movies and products. We need to stop this bill before it goes any further. Will you contact your representatives in Congress and urge them to oppose the Internet Blacklist Legislation?

Visit: https://eff.org/r.C8A
http://fightforthefuture.org/pipa/
and https://supporters.eff.org/thanks/thank-you-opposing-internet-blacklist-bill#censored

   As for my opinion on this. I can only think of one sole reason for censoring the internet. Children surfing the web and stumbling across things that are inappropriate. I don't know about you but I still have to tell my mother all of the websites I visit. I wasn't allowed to use any social networking sites until I was 16 years old. The same goes for my younger siblings. More parents need to be like my mother, obviously.  This bill is a clear violation of the FIRST amendment: FREEDOM of SPEECH/PRESS/&ASSEMBLY. We are free to say whatever we want, however we want to. The sites I frequent daily have helped me in more ways than they have hurt me. I cannot think of a logical reason for censoring the internet.

   For more information on the bill CLICK HERE to read the article. I URGE you all to click the links above and contact your government officials to change their minds. Tell all of your friends! http://americancensorship.org/

This seems kind of Grunge-ish to me

So this outfit of the week is just a random, well put together, fall look. I’m wearing black and orange striped tights and fish net tights over them. The stockings steal the show!

I rarely post about a product or item

So I'll post about my vintage glasses.

   Run DMC Rapper Retro Large Clear Lens Eye Glasses. I bought mine off amazon and I love them. Glasses of this sort as well as all things vintage are becoming more popular amongst kids my age, now-a-days. I originally didn't want a pair. As of about two years ago the trend of wearing Real-D glasses with the lens popped out came about. I wanted to do it but by the time I got my pair they were pretty lame. Especially for my age! But when it comes to the actual vintage glasses I still didn't want a pair. I saw about three of my friends with them. Then I broke down. A couple of weeks ago I ordered a pair of creepers(which still didn't even ship yet) and they were pretty affordable so I decided to buy something else. & "Hipster glasses" popped in my head right away. They were about 6 bucks and I got them quickly.

me wearing them

   I love them! I think they were a great addition to my outfit. The only problem I have is that they're a little big on my face. They slipped down quite often. So if you order a pair offline I suggest you look at/ask the measurements then measure your face. You can find them in many different colors and also tinted.

10 day all about you challenge

Day 8: Write your favorite book or movie and explain why.


   Well one of my favorite movies is "Mean Girls". I've wanted to post about this movie for a while now, because eit is so great. Mean Girls is the most quotable movie in history. It's funny and different. Whats amazing about this movie is that it has the same basic "teen chick flick" plot: Unpopular girl becomes popular somehow forgets about her real friends then realizes that the popular life was not worth it learns a lesson blah blah blah. But Mean Girls is pure comedy. This movie is great from beginning to end. I believe it's because a few of the actors in this movie are apart of the SNL cast. If you know anything about SNL movies, you know that they're funny.

Where will you be for the revolution?

truth

Image courtesy of: http://politicalsyeah.tumblr.com

Remind My Soul by Akrobatik

"Can’t work a dead end 9 to 5 for what To be another victim of social security cuts? I gotta cut myself from the chains and run free Empower myself to be my own authority People die so I don’t have to be a runaway slave Nat Turner must be turnin’ in his grave Like remind my soul Of the time we were great before the self hate The time we were great before the self hate"

Blog radar!

http://brooklyntheory.com/

  Brooklyn Theory is a photo blog of none other then the glorious borough of Brooklyn. This being my home, you know I love any blog dedicated to it. Us Brooklynites have an abundance of pride. The blog also posts photos of other parts of New York City. Whether you live here, near, or very far. Whether you have family who live here, or you've never been, I urge you to visit this blog. The photos are great!







Photos courtesy of http://brooklyntheory.com/

Outfit of the week

  This day my outfit was very preppy. I found those high wasted shorts in my closet and had to wear it with my button down shirt, of course worn with a cardigan due to the weather. I decided to wear my doc martens because I hadn’t worn them in a while. As for the glasses and necklace.. well they’re just random accessories I decided to wear just because, lol.

Kendrick Lamar- Cut you off

  This song is basically about that time in your life when you realize that the people around are not beneficial to you. People who aren't striving towards the same goal as you and who are bringing you down. They say "If you can't change the people around you, Change the people around". There are certain people you have to cut off.



  I recently found out about Kendrick Lamar through a friend and he's pretty dope. If you like Hip-hop I suggest you listen to him(ya know, if you don't already).

The Brooklyn Open

   Brooklyn Open is a monthly open mic series for teens at Brooklyn Public Library’s beautiful Dweck Center. Brooklyn Open is a safe space for poets, spoken word artists, emcees, scholars and activists to share their powerful and important voices. These events are run by youth for youth, with youth DJs, youth hosts and a monthly featured poet. Youth Board members will invite one elder poet each month as an intergenerational feature. Find out more at http://www.urbanwordnyc.org/

Here are two poets apart of Urban Word's youth board, Ashley August and Katherine George performing at one of the open mics.

10 day all about me challenge

Day 6: Tell your followers how you do your makeup.

    Lol, well I only wear lipstick and eye liner but it is a process. First I do my lips. I dab lipstick across my bottom lip then I rub my lips together. I wipe the edges with my finger to make sure its neat. Then I scoop some lip gloss and I rub it on my bottom lip. Then I rub my lips together and wipe around the edges again. For my eye liner I pull my bottom lid down then draw across the top of it and constantly take a step back to see how it looks until I'm satisfied. I do the same to my other bottom eyelid. I don't do the top because I can't without blinking and messing it up. This is what I look like =] ;

Quote

They always say time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself.
                                                    -Andy Warhol

Beats by Dr. Dre headphones

    Are a major turn off. They're like the newest fashion accessory and everyone thinks they have "Swag" with them. Don't get me wrong, I love music. I have big headphones too. But the prices on these headphones go up $350!! I feel like if you have $300 headphones everything else on you should cost $300 EACH. Okay, maybe that's a little much but I'm sure you get my drift. I see people wearing the most basic mall store outfits with Beats. That's just ridiculous. Especially for a college student. You're going to have to buy books and possibly pay for classes in the near future, amongst other things, and you spent $300 on a pair of headphones. People are spending whole paychecks on these headphones just to follow the newest trend. To me that means you're a sellout. If you don't own a house, there is no point in spending hundreds of dollars on one item. I always say "Don't believe the hype". I am my own person and I do not follow the crowd. If you want large, sound cancelling headphones buy a pair of Sony headphones. Mine are Sony and they were only $50 which sounds cheap compared to the price of Beats. Check online to see what I'm talking about! All I'm saying is, If you spend $300 on a pair of headphones they better last your whole life.

Happy Halloween!

   Halloween is my birthday and today I am 19 years old! Not only is it my birthday but it is also my favorite holiday.  This Halloween my costume and this weeks Outfit of the week  is “Vampire”. This can be worn on other occasions but isn’t my normal style. I went for, and achieved, the whole sexy/goth look.The rain jacket was a birthday gift last year and I bought the boots for $7 in a yard sale! The only item that I purchased specifically for this outfit was the corset top from Charlotte Russe. I bought the jeans months ago from Trash and Vaudeville on sale for $25! Everything simply came together. Happy Halloween!.

Blog Radar!

http://livingineczema.tumblr.com/

  This blog is for all people with the skin condition: Eczema.The term eczema is broadly applied to a range of persistent skin conditions. These include dryness and recurring skin rashes that are characterized by one or more of these symptoms: redness, skin edema (swelling), itching, dryness, and more. Scratching may result in scarring and may enlarge the rash.
   Not only is Eczema an annoying condition to have but it can also harm one's self esteem. The rashes are not pretty and one may not want to reveal there skin to others. It takes over your mind. knowing that you have a rash, wanting to scratch it, and knowing that others may see it. It becomes difficult to want to be close to anyone, while having this condition.
  Living with Eczema is a blog that brings together all people with Eczema. It does this by allowing followers to (anonymously) submit confessions and testimonies about Living with eczema(hence the title). This blog promotes beauty and self love, which is always important. I've always had eczema but it hasn't been apparent in years, well up until about a week ago. I started scratching the back of my neck, showed my mom and she said my eczema is back. I started to freak out a bit. But then I found this blog and was reassured: "No matter what, don't forget, You Are Beautiful!"

Zig-Zag Manicure

  For the past month I've been more interested in nail art than ever before. You've probably noticed based on a few of my posts. This time I've created my own design which I call the Zig-Zag manicure. This design was inspired by The explosion design seen here.

  First off I'd like to apologize for the lack of step-by-step video/photographs in this post. I will just talk you through it and hopefully that will be helpful. :)

Materials:

• 2 regular nail polishes of two different colors.
• 1 detailing nail polish
• Clear nail polish
• Tape (preferably clear tape)
• Scissors

Steps:

1. Cut your tape into small rectangular strips. (about 20-30)
2. Paint your nails with your first color. You can choose any colors, this is what is aesthetically pleasing to you. I went with light beige so that it is simple and that my second color pops. Let dry.
3. Place 2-3 strips of tape on to each of your nails so that the revealed (top parts) of your nails are a mountainous shape.
4. Paint over your nails with second color. Let dry
5. Use detailing nail polish and paint a thin line along the tape. Let dry
6. Remove strips of tape off all nails.
7. Paint over nails completely with clear nail polish.

And here is the final result:

10 day all about me challenge

Day 5: Discuss how you feel about homosexuals.

I LOVE THE GAYS.

Quick question

If we're not supposed to use contractions, WHY WERE THEY TAUGHT TO US?
   In college essays we're not supposed use words like "don't" or "Can't" we're supposed to fully write the words out like "can not" and "do not". The thing is contractions are taught to us in elementary school. We use them all throughout middle school and high school. Then we get to college and are told that we are wrong. Contractions are improper. So why do they even exist? Why did we learn them in school? No one is prepared for college after graduating high school.

My opinion on Rihanna's "We found love" video

Rihanna released her music video for her lastest sinlge "We found love" on Wednesday. The song if from her album "Talk that talk" set to release November 22nd. Before you see my opinion about it watch the video.










Now here's my reaction:

Outfit of the week

Rih-Rih and a shirt turned cardigan.

     I wore this on Wednesday. As you can see I am obsessed with those boots. I'm also a big fan of Rihanna. This outfit as a whole is very cute to me. I feel that the pants make this edgy and different as compared to if I had worn jeans. It was raining that day so I had to wear boots as well as a sweater of some sort. This "cardigan" was once a shirt. I bought it from old navy about 4 years ago and it is meant to be button at all times. But over the years it became worn out to the point wear it is practically see-through and doesn't fit me as tightly as it once did. So now I wear it as a cardigan. You know what they say, renew/reuse/recycle!