Quick: pop quiz! Where can you buy fabulous Marc Jacobs, Diane Von Furstenberg, and Marchesa pieces this holiday season? If you answered Neiman Marcus, you’re spot on. But if you answered Target … you’re also correct! Starting December 1, these two stores will be selling the exact same pieces from fashion’s favorite designers- at the same prices. Read on to learn all about this awesome holiday collaboration and see a complete list of all the designers involved!
Target + Neiman Marcus: A Collaboration to Get Excited About!
P!nk Debuts Cover Of Her New Album
P!nk just released the image of the album artwork for her newest album, “The Truth About Love.” We’re loving the retro rocker look! Her sixth studio album drops on September 18. (Can you believe she’s already at #6? She just keeps pumping out the hits!) If you can’t wait that long, you can pre-order her album here and get an instant download of her cheeky new song “Blow Me (One Last Kiss)” for free.
Quick links: Passion Pit, No Doubt, Green Day.
We’re barely halfway through the day and there’s already a whole lot of new music to be listened to!
- Passion Pit is releasing their album Gossamer on July 24th. NPR has a first listen of the album here. I was a fan of 2009’s Manners so this release seems very promising.
- No Doubt has an album coming up called Push and Shove (set to be released September 24), and today they dropped their first single, “Settle Down.” Their music video for the single will be premiering tonight on E! at 8 PM EDT. We haven’t gotten an album from them in over a decade!
- Green Day has a trio of albums – ¡Uno!, ¡Dos!, and ¡Tres! – that are being planned for release over a six month course. ¡Uno! will be dropped on September 25 and their first single off that is called “Oh Love.” Green Day is describing ¡Uno! as a power pop album, while the other two will be “garag-y” and “epic.” Hmm…
What do you think of these new releases?
Manicure Monday: Bold Stripes!
As a lover of anything that has to do with manicures, I’m constantly trying to come up with something new and fun for Manicure Monday. To me, Manicure Monday has become more than just showing off what cute color I’m rocking that week. To be honest, I can’t have a Manicure Monday without making it some kind of show-and-tell for a new design. I actually can’t remember the last time I had a solid color for a manicure. I try to pull inspiration from everywhere – shapes, designs, architecture, street signs, different techniques. Sometimes, though, I pull the inspiration straight from the nail polish. I’ve heard great things about Maybelline’s new line of nail polish, so I had to try it for myself. I recently bought two colors, Maybelline’s Pedal to the Metal and Onyx Rush. I absolutely love metallic nail polish, and I wanted to try it out for myself, so I came up with this mani to show it off! Read on to find out how to get the look yourself.
Crazy Mocha Coffee Company: Pittsburgh, PA
I doubt I’d surprise anyone by admitting that the main reason I was drawn to Pittsburgh’s Crazy Mocha coffee shops was their goat logo. I mean, come on. Goats! Even though they’re the least likely animals I’d associate with beverages, read on to find out why Crazy Mocha was all kinds of right! Continue Reading »
Download this: 10 Covers to Have in Your Music Collection
I was listening to Luther Vandross’s cover/medley of “Superstar” and “Until You Come Back to Me (That’s What I’m Gonna Do)” and it got me thinking about how the quality of cover songs has gotten off track since the YouTube era began. Ideally a good cover holds its own as a piece. In other words, I need a reason to listen to it besides the fact that I already like the original. Creating a memorable cover begins with the artist finding a way to pay genuine homage to the original artist and work. Musicians should realize that there’s a thin line between irony and authenticity.
With all that said, I can’t blame anyone for the endless churning out of covers because it’s simply a sign of the times. Today’s technology makes it so easy for an artist to mindlessly come up with an arrangement, record on high quality equipment, and have a song available online for the public within a day.
I made it my own personal challenge to find 10 songs from the past 5 years to include in this feature. It turned out to actually be pretty difficult because there was a whole lot of less-than-average stuff to sort through in my music library, but I’m happy to report that I managed to do it. Artists include Cee Lo Green, Florence + the Machine, and Neon Hitch.
Brand Spotlight: Rituals, Amsterdam
I was first introduced to Rituals, a spa brand from The Netherlands, while working in the Marie Claire beauty closet. MC works on tons of international stories, and the best products from around the globe are often spotlighted. While these stories are always fun to read, they’re really tricky to work on. Some brands are impossible to get in touch with, international shipments can take weeks, and deadlines are super short! It was so … relaxing… to arrive in Amsterdam and pick up whatever I wanted right in the Rituals store. Read on to see what I think of my picks and to see the stores I visited!
My Journey of Hair
In January of 2008, I made a decision. It was my senior year of high school, and a time of uncertainty. Where would I be a year from then? What would I be doing? Who would I be friends with? For most people, it’s a big decision-making time. This decision was unlike many that others face during that time. It was quite possibly was the biggest decision I’d made in my life, and the effects of this decision are still with me four years later. No, this big decision wasn’t which college I would go to. It had nothing to do with what I wanted to be when I grow up. So what was this huge, momentous decision? Put simply, I decided to cut my hair.
Listen and download free: Oddisee, Haim, Azealia Banks, Childish Gambino
At Collaboreight, we love free things. While I definitely don’t mind paying for good music, not paying for good music is icing on the cake. I have some songs, an EP, and two mixtapes waiting for you on the other side.
So You Think You Can Dance: ‘Top 20 Perform’ Music Highlights
The latest episode of So You Think You Can Dance on FOX was enjoyable but I’ll be honest – overall the music was pretty lackluster for me tonight. Thankfully most of the dancing was dynamic and interesting enough to keep my attention. With all that said, I still made it out of the episode with three songs for all of you to listen to:
The Collabor-eight 