I was walking down Liberty Ave. in Pittsburgh, PA scoping out local hotspots when I came across a bookstore called Awesome Books. Awesome, huh? Total “you-had-me-at-hello” moment. I went in and found an entire bookshelf stocked with novels, poetry, and anthologies by Pittsburgh authors. Score! As a collector of unique finds from my travels and an advocate for supporting local artists, my question wasn’t if I’d be picking up a new read, but which one it was going to be. Narrowing down my choices was tough, but I soon found that the question I was most intrigued with was “how?” More specifically, how did the room come to smell like roses? Continue Reading »
How the Room Came to Smell Like a Rose
A Trip to the Movies After the Aurora, CO Massacre
For as long as I can remember I have loved going to the movies. The popcorn with way too much butter, the comfy seats, the darkness and the giant screen, I’ve always loved it…it’s always signaled an adventure and an escape. Growing up, going to the movie theater with my family was a special event—an occasion that meant we’d get to travel together into an unfamiliar world where no one knew quite what to expect. We would sit there, watch and then leave reflecting on key concepts of the films and our favorite and least favorite moments.
As I’ve gotten older, the movie theater has become my place of escape for other reasons. During times of heartbreak, intense sadness or disappointment I always (without a doubt) find myself at the movies. For me, it’s a place where I can be shielded from the drama of the “real world”…it’s a place I can go to make everything else mute for at least a couple hours. It’s a place that (as goofy as it may sound) is important to me.
The unspeakably evil actions of a guy I don’t feel is worthy of naming made me question that this weekend after his devastating actions in Aurora, CO. Continue Reading »
Confessions.
The following happened over a month ago, but I can still remember it like it was yesterday:
I typed ‘one direction one thing’ into the YouTube search bar and began to listen to my favorite song by One Direction. I’m sorry, do I hear what? Oh, right, that’s my music credibility crashing and burning into the ground (it’s so good though…). But anyway.
After the video was over, I started clicking through the YouTube suggestions sidebar (a.k.a. one of the black holes of the Internet) because I was curious to know what else the kids are listening to these days. Other than One Direction, teeny bopper music is foreign ground for me.
Then came Cher Lloyd’s “Want U Back.”
The grunt at the beginning was really off-putting. And the grunt every 16 counts after that throughout the entire song. I made a face and thought to myself, “What is this?” and subsequently closed the window and forgot about it.
Until Thursday. On Thursday night I was driving and heard the all too familiar grunt on the radio. I yelled to my brother, “THIS IS THE SONG. THIS IS THE SONG WITH THE GRUNTING” and turned the volume up. Two minutes into it, I caught myself singing right along: I want you back, I want you back, want want you want you back UNGH
Since then there was no turning back. I’ve been listening to it every day. This has become my personal “Call Me Maybe.” This is the song that I love to hate and I can’t do a damn thing about it.
What’s your guilty pleasure song?
Manicure Monday: London Calling
With British mania sparked by the upcoming Olympic Games in London, I absolutely had to create a manicure inspired by the hype.
I’ve had this Manicure Monday planned for months, ever since Editor-in-Chief Kristine sent me Rimmel London’s Instant Art Press On Color nail stickers with a British flag pattern. I knew I had to save them to make a special manicure dedicated to the London Olympics. I’ve actually been holding onto them since April. Clearly, that was a bad idea because when I sat down to start my mani, I realized that the nail stickers were dried out. If I bent them, they cracked in half. And they didn’t stick. I had to brainstorm a new idea for my London-inspired mani. Read on to learn how I brought life back into my dried out nail stickers!
Beauty, Simplified
You may be the kind of girl who isn’t big on wearing makeup because she thinks it takes too much time. You could be the girl who would love to wear makeup regularly, but only wears it when she’s going out for a night on the town. Maybe you’re the girl who knows everything there is to know about beauty and cosmetics, but whose beauty routine takes hours. For any or all of you, I’m here to tell you that it doesn’t have to be that way. You can wear makeup without adding much time onto your morning routine. Don’t believe me? What if I were to tell you that you could simplify your beauty routine to just five minutes. Yes, hair and makeup. I completed the look above in just under four minutes, actually. And I timed it. Whether you believe me or not, read on to find out how. I’ll make you a beauty guru in no time.
From My Mom’s Kitchen: A Tasty Spamwich?? Yes!
My family has always enjoyed taking day trips to discover and re-experience all the local fun and sights available near or around our town. A lot of my childhood memories involve waking up early to get dressed, prep the car, grab some travel sized cereal boxes and sandwiches, stock up on water bottles and head out onto the open road. Or well, the highways that divide up Puerto Rico and then trail off into smaller roads that run through the mountainous terrain.
Now, my favorite sandwich wasn’t ham and cheese or PB&J. It was something that we called “sandwich de mezcla” or mix sandwich. It isn’t for the faint of heart, as it involves using Spam, so if you’ve never had a taste for this particular meat product, you should back away now. For those of you who do enjoy a little sandwich experimentation, I promise you this won’t end in disappointment! Word of warning though, there will be Cheez Whiz. If you’ve ever had a REAL cheesesteak though, this shouldn’t be a problem. Also, this is my mom’s kitchen we’re talking about, so no vegetarians or vegans allowed (no offense! But this is a Puerto Rican mom’s kitchen we’re talking about!) Continue Reading »
LUSH Emotional Brilliance Collection
If you’ve ever been insi
de the beauty deli that is a LUSH Cosmetics store, you’re probably already hooked on the brand. The minute you step in the door, you’re transported into a whole new world of beauty experiences. For beauty junkies into vegan and cruelty-free products, LUSH is an absolute staple for hair- and skincare. And now… color cosmetics?
That’s right! LUSH is kicking up their product offerings with their all-new Emotional Brilliance collection. It’s all about colorful inspiration, empowerment, and coordinating your makeup to your mood. Launching tomorrow, July 21, this campaign will introduce you to a creative new way of wearing makeup. Learn all about the new collection and get a sneak peek right here! Continue Reading »
So You Think You Can Dance: ‘Top 20 Perform, Part 2’ Music Highlights
The top 20 was at it again last night! The contestants are really delivering this season so it’s going to be incredibly challenging when it comes down to the finals. Let’s take a look at the music:
Benefit’s “that gal” London Limited Edition Primer
Everyone’s got London fever this Olympics season! The Collabor-eight will be featuring tons of Olympic treats (including a hot giveaway: coming soon!) over the next couple of weeks. To kick us off, check out Benefit’s limited edition “that gal” Brightening Face Primer, made especially for the Summer 2012 Games. The super cute packaging features enough London landmarks to make you feel like you’re on the way to the Games yourself. Get your game face on! With calming raspberry and chamomile as main ingredients, your face won’t show the heat you’re feeling! Are you guys excited for the games?
Library Launch
I never liked group projects. Just like an episode of Survivor, everyone going into a group project has a desire to vote someone off of the island. Who’s the kid that’s going to sleep through the meeting? Not contribute his/her part to the group paper? The deemed “loser” is all relative in group projects, too. The worst member in a group might have been the kid that showed up 15 minutes late to the first meeting and his bad rep stuck.
Then there’s the other extreme: the overachiever. The one everyone fears in the group and the “second professor”. She (or he – but let’s face it, it’s usually a girl. Boys don’t want to ruin their chances of getting with a female member at the end of the project by playing professor’s pet) will be ruthless to slackers. And she will voice her opinion at all times:
“I have all of these ideas. What are yours? I don’t like that. I don’t like what you’re wearing.” Continue Reading »
The Collabor-eight 