Kitten Lounge

Fashionable Fridays ~ Silver Goddess

KittenCouture — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 07:18:52 -0700

Amanda Righetti (The Mentalist) wearing Dina Bar-El at a recent NYLON event in LA ~ courtesy of Look Los Angeles

Le Vian 14k Gold Blue Topaz (10-3/10 ct. t.w.), Sapphire (1/2 ct. t.w.) and Diamond (3/10 ct. t.w.) Big Stone Pendant Necklace $4100 - Macy's

Carlos Falchi blue swirl snake leather flat convertible clutch $357 - Bluefly

I love goodies that come in the mail or those that come to my email. Kitten Lounge is always excited to partner with exciting brands, showrooms, PR firms and more! Look LA is definitely an interesting company that keeps their clients extremely visible! Amanda Righetti hit a recent event in this silver stunner by Dina Bar-El! Being a fan of silver, I knew this was the perfect dress to feature for today's post and although she looks fabulous, I have to say that I would have went another way in the accessories department! I love the effect of blue with silver maybe because I associate the two colors with water and flow. To that end, I would have popped a little sapphire in it and I think no evening out can be complete without a little python! This would have been a great way to add a little more texture and just to have a little something as the dress really speaks for itself! As always, the links are in the spread so click away!

Sippin Saturdays: Josh Cocktail & Danny Schwartz

KittenCouture — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 10:48:24 -0700

So this weekend is a collegiate mamoth of activities! Little 500, which takes place at Indiana University (my university), is known as a good time which includes a bike race, tons of parties and great music! Since graduating, I try to go to as many of the Little 500's as I can and although today's weather in NYC is amazing, I am bummed not to be back in Bloomington for many reasons! One of them being the band that will be playing there this weekend (it may be tonight or it could have happened last night). Every Little 500 weekend, there is a huge act that plays. This year it's Soulja Boy and of course, someone opens the show! Via an insider at one of my favorite PR firms in the city (that I'm fortunate to not only work with but enjoy building a great friendship), she told me about Josh Cocktail and Danny Schwartz - who will be opening during this year's concert which is unofficially known as Rap n Roll! So today I am letting you guys know about this amazing group and I am sending them virtual love and kudos as they are truly amazing!!! I know that this song is untitled although they shoudl call it "Another Show" - can I just say that I have played this 20 this morning and the song is stuck in my head?

Sippin Saturdays: Manze Dayila and the Nago Nation

KittenCouture — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 07:34:39 -0700

This morning Sippin Saturday is up a bit late as we are removing our old bed and bringing in our new one. So to assist with this change, we decided to listen to something new and I came across Manze Dayila and the Nago Nation who does World, Afro-Beat and Reggae! For a quick introduction, you can go here and then to learn a lot more and to see a very interesting website, you can go to her home. I love the use of all the instruments throughout her songs. Manze can be compared to a number of people but most closely to Nina Simone her voice is one of authority and an intense need to share her messages. Arriving to this country at the age of 19 from Haiti to Miami Beach and years later she would be discovered in a NY subway station singing.

I love the fact that she has such a distinct sound and as I sit and watch people putting our new platform bed together, it creates a very chill vibe around the condo and is also very inspirational. Definitely check out more about Manze Dayila and her bandmates!

Trendy Thursdays: Beam Brings You Into the Daylight

KittenCouture — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 05:00:00 -0700

I have to say that one of the things that I love most about Fashion Week above and beyond the shows is that it's a time when people come together to see people you run past daily or who you only talk to via emails. It's also a time when you have the opportunity to meet others through people that you already know. This can take place at shows, in the tents, parties and so much more. Simply put, it's a great way to relationship build!

Well, the night before Fashion Week, Total Beauty kicked off this week of events by throwing a party and via Sam from Dark PR, I had the pleasure of meeting Andrea and Liza Young, the Brazilian sister duo that is behind New York's prominent, Beam Laser Spa (1841 Broadway Suite 806). The night that I met them, I knew that not only did they look adorable but I was definitely intrigued to learn more about the services that were available at this spa. Fortunately, we were able to meet again and I settled on a date and time to not only have an appointment but to learn about the spa!

Trust me when I say that I was a little nervous to have my appointment. Although the idea of never having to shave under my arms again seemed like a dream, the idea of having a laser on me was a little too Goldfinger for my taste. But my apprehension was calmed by being greeted by Liza who has such a great calm personality, I love that she chatted and explained my forms and one look in the office makes you feel a bit of Zen. Andrea has such an amazing personality and beyond having a bubbly personality, knowing that she is a molecular biologist with an MBA and has worked within the hair removal industry for many years, made me feel that she was knowledgeable about various techniques and had seen the evolution of them.

My initial concern was the obvious - pain, I love how she explained that in areas that had less hair, you wouldn't feel as strong of a sensation as denser areas. In fact, the sensation would be temporary. Seeing her demo the laser and watching the puffs of air that came out that cooled the areas that had received the laser was very calming. But another issue that still remained was that I had always heard that African Americans were not able to have this treatment or that many people felt it simply wasn't for them. Even my mom was shocked that I had received this treatment as she explained that back in the 70's she had had laser treatment in her face and that later her dermatologist had explained that it wasn't for women of color. In fact when Googling on various message boards, I found this response along with warnings of scars and spots appearing on the skin as a huge warning against doing this.

Andrea's knowledge and answer to this question was shocking to hear. In spas that have these laser treatments, those who are olive to darker skinned should find out what kind of wavelength is used in terms of the procedure. Those that are darker need to make sure that their facilities have a dual laser machine which has an Alexandrite and a Yag wave. The YAG wave is for those with darker skin and although it penetrates deeper into the skin layer bypassing the skin color, it has a slightly reduced effect that still removes the hair without lightening our color. I found this amazing and was pleased to know that laser treatments could be an option for all skin tones.

Andrea explained everything, answered questions and continued to make me comfortable. Now for those who are thinking of getting this treatment, they offer a free consultation where they do a patch test. This is where you choose a small area and they do the procedure so that you can have a sample. In many cases, over 90% of those who do the consultation, come back to actually get it done. With all this knowledge and hearing this percentage, I was ready.

Prior to this, I was not able to shave about a day or two before coming in and (to my grossed out dismay) I didn't have deodarent on. Since I was doing my underarms, Andrea, shaved the arms to make sure it was clean, drew the area that would be treated with a white pencil and then used the laser. This procedure probably only took 10 mins total. At first the sensation of feeling the beam and then the cold air on my arms just felt different as you don't usually have this on you; however, when it got to the denser areas, there was slight discomfort. I love that she guaged my reactions and when I needed a slight breather she stopped. She continued to chat with me and you were able to continue. When it was over, aloe was placed under my arms.

I was shocked that it was over so quickly and after she examined my arms, she said that it didn't look aggravated. I felt a slight discomfort but absolutely nothing major. Now when you sign up you know that you will have to do somewhere between 6 - 8 treatments and they are spaced out by 6 weeks. Each time the hairs are growing in less and you can see the difference. In fact, within 3 weeks, both sisters said that I would notice hairs under my arms but that they would literally fall out. Although I am not a fan of stray hairs, the idea that I am one step closer to not having to shave is AMAZING.

When I got home, I checked under my arms and each day (as this took place on Sun) I am amazed that I haven't really seen anything! They offer so many services and I would start with doing your underarms. Because this is such a new thing for me and I have my next treatment in Nov, I will keep you guys up to date on how everything is going. Three weeks from now (actually from this past Sun), I will let you know if I see any hairs. The sisters reminded me that if I have hairs that are growing in by then and have not fallen out, they would take away the stray hairs at no cost.

The care they take from the time they walk in the door to when you leave is amazing and being comfortable is half the battle! Beam Laser Spa is definitely a place that I will refer to my friends and if you guys go there, you have to let me know your thoughts!

Fashion Week: Backstage at the Erin Fetherston Show

KittenCouture — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 19:39:32 -0700

I have always been a fan of Dashing Diva. Even when I was tight on cash, I found a way to get a mani here. It's always been a place that is clean, professional and just relaxing. Within the last few months, I have enjoyed meeting and working with Dark PR and because of the two, I was able to attend the backstage area to see the makings of this show. I loved seeing the models and watching everyone prepare for this show. More importantly, Dashing Diva did the nails of all the girls in the show! This clip shows the general area where everyone gets their hair and makeup done. Thank you guys for letting us be there! I also caught peeks of the designer as I became very interested when I saw her in the MAC video for the Cult of Cherry video.

We were also able to see the Dashing Diva team come in (they had just come over from the Liz McClean show). Lead by Claudia they entered through the Hair and Makeup area, then went into the area that had the models' clothes arranged (see how they stay organized with the rolling racks and each models names placed on them) and then through another sitting area. They are being lead by Claudia!

Fashionable Fridays: The Calm Before the Storm

KittenCouture — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 05:00:00 -0700

Last night, prior to the TotalBeauty.com and StyleList.com party, I took a second to take in the tents. It's my favorite thing to do the night before the shows. I love seeing the people making their preps and just seeing people hanging out in the park casually. Knowing that in hours the place will have constant activity until the conclusion of this event is absolutely amazing. But sitting there last night with great weather, a party around the corner with the amazing brands and my friends Dashing Diva and Dark PR, you forget about that and just enjoy that you're in the area. I love that the Empire State Building peeks out in this video clip and that also you can see the other buildings around. It's absolutely amazing that there is such a nice area that everyone loves to hang out at in the heart of the city! Enjoy and I can't wait to keep in touch via posts. If you Twitter, follow me! My screenname is Cocoabebe.

Fashionable Fridays: Can't Wait for the Webisodes of "On the Plus Side"

KittenCouture — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 05:00:00 -0700

On past Fashionable Fridays I have shared interesting editorials, cute outfits that I considered to be a must and how it would look amazing with denim and anything else you can get your hands on. But as of this week, something amazing has taken place and in my mind’s eye, this is as big as many of the industries that continue to bubble at the service within the fashion industry. Right now we talk about two issues, that we want our models to reflect real people in the sense that they should look healthy and not as if they are seconds from fainting. In addition, our models should also reflect us as a people – coming in a variety of hues and that there should be an increased goal to ensure that our runways give everyone an opportunity to show how garments look. The runways promoting positive health and also promoting the very awareness that Italian Vogue did in their ground breaking issue of showing various black models. I commend anyone that can be the first or be apart of any movement that aims to change the face of how we see everything around us. Although I have made strides to change something whether it is within the industry or not, I have not placed myself on a platform that says, “here I am, recognize me as I am apart of this team”.

Sarah Conley, Coutorture Community Manager, Style IT Editor, make up artist and my friend who has helped me learn much more about social media and just what it means to be connected even when you don’t see each other everyday (yet you share the same city) – is on this platform. This Fashion Week as I become excited in not only attending the shows but sharing it with you, I felt the need to focus on the preparation and what it’s like to be there in one of fashion’s greatest tests of endurance. Sarah aims to launch the ground breaking webisodes of "On the Plus Side: A Fuller Figured Fashion Week", a documentary on what it means to be a plus size woman covering New York Fashion Week. To know Sarah is to know someone that is so vibrant and passionate about what she does that you are also engaged in what she is working on as well. This is someone who has style and so much so that many of the clothing companies: NARS, Old Navy, B & Lu, Lane Bryant, Silhouettes and Kathryn Kerrigan are assisting her so she can inspire other plus sized women to embrace their inner style and to be comfortable in their own skin.

With this big step and with so many people supporting Sarah within the blogosphere (Girl Woman Beauty Brains) and in PR (PR Couture), I felt that it was necessary to show my support for my friend. I am not only supporting her by creating an exclusive lariat necklace from my line, Kitten Couture for Sarah. This necklace will be named Lola (pictured below and is constructed of Mother of Pearl, Green Chips and vibrant Red Coral), and a percentage of the proceeds will be given to an organizations that encourages young girls to strive for their goals as they continue to gain a strong sense of self.

But as she covers NYFW and explores "On the Plus Side", we will also play her videos here as well to keep you in the loop! I have had the honor of hearing this from a plan to seeing it morph into an amazing plan. Although Sarah's focus is on representing a positive statement on being a plus sized woman and participating in NYFW, I can't help thinking that this is also a cry for all of us to enjoy who we are no matter our size, height, appearance etc! Stay tuned and also stay tuned to the sites mentioned within this post who will also be covering this. If you are a company that is interested in assisting Sarah, then please reach out so that you can be apart of this event as well!