laura laine

flashback. 6th grade math class@brownbarge. classmate christina caught me doodling and after some time mustered up the courage to ask 'why i was drawing girls? first sign. high school. ap lit. anthony peeks over and goes, 'why girls? never a boy. [pause] ?"' ok. 21 yrs old@ work. caught by my manager, "whats up with these?" holding up my doodles...of girls. ok so it may have seemed strange. wasnt drawing just girls. though i spent extra time perfecxting their hair with pencil strokes. there was a moment when my "girls" became characters in my short stories each w/ their own unique style and look. i was drawing fashion- in some sense of the word. and the girls were just a tool. never thought much of my lifelong habit. the manager would say they were good and i should 'do something with that'. anthony would say you're crazy. and christina would like the clothes. i though, always thought my proportions were off. the heads too big. the clothing no dimension. never quite thought much of it. until i was introduced to laura laine. and her magic:

[click on images to see the greatness]

as seen@ lauralaine.net
there are others out there like me, and im on a lifelong mission to find them.

thoughts

"Οὐκ οἶδ᾽ ὄττι θέω, δύο μοι τὰ νοήματα."

[I know not what to do, to me there are two minds.]- Sappho

hair tip/ flat iron curls

so before i od'ed on the fashion/style blogs, was obsessive compulsive over my hair. i blame a certain group of online ladies for creating the problem that the boy recently told me "had gone overboard". admittedly did. but did learn a very useful craft that may come in handy sometime soon. theatrical hair anyone? todays tip is flat iron curls. the act of using your straightening iron to create luscious waves, curls and body. surprisingly get asked often, how do i get my hair to "look like that" :

1. it all begins with a great cut. or install [if we are discussing hair extensions]. layers help for the body. and with extensions., i like my hair thick so 8oz is never enough. you can still create great curls without this, this is just maximizing the look.

2. comb/brush hair prior. sounds simple enough. but often i forget to de-snag each section when rushing. take the time to do this. will make hair glide easier through the plates of the flat iron resulting in neater curls and not having to redo sections which damages hair in process.

3. begin with one side at a time. think about the 4 section part for relaxing. or just divide in pigtails. work with one side at a time. reduces overwhelming

3. the next step is explained best in a pic. separate hair in sections. smaller if you have time. but not too thick or not too thin. about 1" -11/2 sections should be enough. this makes it easier to handle hair. use clips, ponytailholders for hair not being curled to get out of the way. now hold the flat iron VERTICAL and place it around your section of hair. rotating either forward or backward [away from your face/towards, here im going farrah so backward/away from face] making sure you rotate all the way down the hair shaft with hair between plates. dont stop turning or the curl wont flow. or [method2]:place hair between plates, then rotate a full 180 degrees and pull flat iron gently down the length of hair. [see vid]

we've since upgraded the flat iron. peeling. really? fake ceramic.

4. i start in back @ bottom and work way to top. using smaller sections at crown and around face. gives more definition. great tip from member@ bhm: with bottom layers underneath, just curl the ends and as you go towards the crown [or the top] and the sides -curl the entire length. creates a heightening effect and volume at top. hope that made sense :>

5. complete your way around. if get lazy. [this can be a workout on arms] use bigger sections @ back for a lighter curl/wave and smaller sections around the top and front. this also is great if in a time crunch. lightly curl the bottom layers and back, [if even time for that] and focus on curling sides and couple top layers for the same effect. "messy bedhead/beachy waves look"

6. bonus: pick it all out. tease a bit. i go through with fingers [not comb/brush] and separate curls lightly. [more if going for drama but curls will naturally loosen through day. pulling curls apart, adding volume and dimension. hold head upside down and shake a bit. and you are now rocking. 'video curls'!

get inspired.
nicole scherzinger. vanessa and angela simmons. lauren london and cassie. and meagan good.

*hope this explains anything or helps. if not. heres a video. which diagrams it better. and perfects my method.
this red/blonde/brown was my favorite work thus far. too bad i dont think theres any recreating it. *shrug

l.a. gear

oh snaps! who knew la gear was still around? remember my pair with the lights on the bottom. couldnt get enough of stomping around just to watch the flashing lights. well, a couple of ladies from amsterdam [club zonder filter] is bringing back the 90s sneaks and tweaking them to effortlessly flow with this millenium meets the 90s era that is currently circulating. definitely digging the original look and love the velcro strap still in place. the la gear tag is the final touch. think you could still rock the la gear? would you? know a couple of ladies who could and would. grab your pair @ noboysallowed.


as seen @ hs /sf

rose cordero

model rose cordero. for V magazine.
source: V

i want this forever man

lazily being lazy. enjoying the final moments before grind season. in which no fun will be had. all work no play. but today. like the girls @ 2bd-about to drive real slow... real real slow.

They just wont stop. in the past couple'of days bp3 [the acronym for the much anticipated Jay Z LP Blueprint 3] brought us: reminder . off that. venus vs. mars. last night though, the buzz was reclaimed by octobers very own. drake. with the leak of forever. featuring label mate lil wayne, everyones favorite snob kanye west and our boy from the 8 mile eminem. btw. em' goes hard. no need to speak on drizzy and sound like a stan.-there's that wrd again.want to hear your thoughts on, what critics say, is the 2009 swaggalikeus. ??? bump it?


click on song titles. [update: links dying as we speak*shrug]
or check my source./nr
bonus. lil wayne-bad

fefe dobson

interview with fefe dobson over @ honeymag.
she discusses the 'did riri jock fefe debate?' if its even that

liked this girl way back when i discovered her reading, i think, seventeen. glad to see is doing her thing on her terms now. and with new music. hope she does well this time around. seems like the blog world, minus the kiddy 'stans'-y do i know that word?, has her back.

bck with more on fefe soon. for now heres her myspace.

i-D/ and the blogwrld goes crazy.

24 hrs a lot can happen in the fashion wrld. a while bck one of these models gave us a hint as to what was coming
and arrived.

[click image to see the greatness.]

chanel iman. sessilee lopez. jourdan dunn. arlenis sosa. for i-D.
bringing bacck the supermodel.

melbourne theatre company

click images to see the greatness.

melbourne theatre company/ melbourne recital centers. designed by a-r-m.
photos john gollings. as seen @ bustler/hL
tbL?

mama knows best

argh! via harlemloves,
this is jessie. she is a singer/songwriter from essex. and her voice. i cant even...just listen.

i try but gawsh i wish i could sing.
see more jessie @ her youtube channel and her myspace.
and chck out blogger harlemloves. shes pretty much all around great.

no words / just another drake post

C'est la Vie, Drake from jeff on Vimeo.

i tried not to laugh.
as seen @ itsthereal

aaliyah

Aaliyah - We Need A Resolution
by earht

aaliyah dana haughton.

less, more hustle

posting mainly for self. trackbacks so i remember to bookmark. but if any actors stumble across. this is todays source of inspiration. and some resources.

stephon w. fuller-
definition of an actors hustle. i want to be like him when i grow up. in 2.5 days.
reading his [long a. bio] his words not mine. & im only on jul 99 of chapter 1 but my gawsh. this is what i was supposed to be doing in podokey jacksonville. researching. making contacts. which i've done to a degree. but this is how to get it done. hero.

angelaacts.com-a MFA student/actress@ one of the top schools. i have plans to network and follow her religiously.

Danielle Faust-actress in NY who also does photography [www.whimsyphotographics.com]

Andrea Bordeaux-beautiful actress/model in NY.

Nicole J Butler.-actress
all ready over there in the blogroll.

TheUnRealHousewivesofKansasCity-self producing/promotion @ its finest.

TheActorsVoice-literally discovering them as i post.
by Bonnie Gillespie and features really great advice. really great. i mean i have a few years worth to go back and review.

and lastly. a book recommended by domonique toney over @ backstageblogs.
The Artists Way-Julie Cameron
creative tools for the artist

cant you feel a brand new day

i get so hard on myself at times. i think we all do at one point or another. when nothing seems to be going right. or when you're trying to figure it all out. you look back and the past and wallow in it. well i do. for the past couple of years i have been so focused on where i went wrong, the maybe-not-the best decisions i made, the what if? and i sink into this hole. this depressing, self inflicting place of regret. i dont like to think i have regrets. as people like to say, it all happens for a reason. its the mistakes that make us who we are. but to be honest. doing it right the first time might have been a little easier. i look at it in a slightly spiritual sense. the two roads. the fork. His way, the other way. ive gotten a lot more life in the past few years. those experiences that are supposed to make you wiser, mature. but not without some sort of pain or loss. loss of innocence. left that naive, hopeful wide eyed behind. and emerged something changed. a little wiser. less smiles. its strange. was having this discussion, minus the rambling with two different females in my life. one younger just on the brink of spreading her wings. the other my age. in a different place. more like where i was when i moved back here. after sharing some bits of life, lessons and my own 2 cents. i found myself feeling "wise". in a sense. actually found myself sounding like my mother who will talk and talk but when its all said and done-gives you truth. hope that in my talking and talking both ladies took something from the conversation. sitting in that place. that black hole. thinking about the woulda,coulda shouldas is not changing today. you have to live in the moment. you will bring your own self down [and who needs that?] and never progress towards greater. greatness. take those wouldacouldashouldas and apply to them to the decisions you will make. the positive choices you will choose. sure i probably should have kept my butt at state. [but im not the social type and campus life is crazy.]. and as much as sometimes i wish we'd catch up with our movies and invent that damn time machine. we wont. and we cant. and i shouldnt want to. because tomorrow is going to be so much brighter. live the life you are living now. stop wallowing in yesterday. and choose the right path today. take that negativity and make it fight for you. make you work harder. hustle harder. want it. get hungry! ive said it before. to you and to you. but i dont think i truly listened to my own words. on facebook finding myself wishing i was where some of my former classmates and peers are now. seeing other actors way ahead of the game, wondering why i am not. wasting time. yes its a waste of time. today. i am focused on me. and me alone. it happened. and its done. and today and tomorrow and the day after. is a brand new day.


.that title is from my jam @ the end of the wiz. hence the pic.
cant u...feel a...brand new daaaaay.

black sweat

prince - black sweat
by eikichi

thought this video was the bizness when i first saw it. featured dancer celestina aladekoba, who was on mtvs brief dancelife series.

spotlight / rutina wesley

first spotlight. i wanted to feature new faces around hollywood. especially black actresses. we can talk about black hollywood. the quantity. the quality. or we can think positive and embrace and support our people who are paving the road making it a little easier. rutina caught my eye with her debut as the star of how she moves. turns out she is a juilliard grad....and you know how that makes me feel. :>

spotlight on: rutina wesley

“I was born to be onstage. I loved storytelling..... I feel like that was my path.” -rutina wesley

rutina wesley hails from las vegas nevada where her father was a tap dancer and mother a show girl, surrounded by the arts at a young age. she graduated from las vegas academy of international studies, performing and visual arts. it was after high school rutina settled on pursuing acting. knowing she would have to leave her home of las vegas to pursue bigger dreams, and after missing theatre school auditions, she landed at university of evansville in indiana majoring in theatre performance. after reciving her undergraduate degree she auditioned for the prestigious acting program at the juilliard school in new york city [dream]and became a part of group 34. while at juilliard she appeared in several stage productions, such as The Winters Tale , Macbeth and The Marriage of Figaro.

She also did a summer stint @ London's Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts [anotherdream] where she landed the role of juliet in a production of the Shakespeare play, Romeo and Juliet. after being cast and ending up on the cutting room floor for the film Hitch, rutina graduated and was soon picked up by director david hare. she made her broadway debut as one of the original cast members in hare's The Vertical Hour with julianne moore and bill nighy.in 2007 rutina made her screen debut starring in How She Move, an independent film that premiered at Sundance and brought rutina to the forefront. currently rutina wesley stars as tara in everyone's favorite vampire show, True Blood which is currently in its second season. catch it on hbo sundays@ 9pm

my current inspiration. her story is so similar to my own and where i want to go. congratulations and many blessings in your journey rutina! cant wait to make some art with you. like that shakespeare prod. im on it.

sources: wikipedia, juilliard, kam williams interview. pics.googl images

maison..ah martin margiela

another 'premiere'. but the stills were poppin up everywhere along with the leaks long before. the styling was the strong point for me. now that we've gotten the full [vid and song] off of jay first single for Blueprint 3, whatcha think?

i do like the anticipation being built for it all...two thumbs up.

off that

it dropped. finally. and the bubble burst. referring to the jay z. feat drake. off that. the netosphere is mad that all we get is 'just a hook'. i mean. yeah. buuut. we all have to start somewhere.

jay z. ft drake. off that [you can find it here]
bonus: jay z. reminder

coquette

but i do like. her.
lv monogram coquette pochette in bunny pink.
as seen @ ilvoelv

louis bag

was going to make a reference to the throw it in the bag song. in which i wont waste time to hyperlink. its just that dumb to me. anyhoo. louis vuitton decided to diy their monogram speedy. not a huge fan of the brand. unless its vintange mono. oohyah. and except for the newly classic damier. yes. or the artist designed like marcjacobs and the richard prince jokes which i admittedly lusted over. one of their latest is the monogram eclipse speedy 28. notice the 28. the revamped mongram comes in two colors black and gold. and is decked out in meticulously placed sequins!?


clck images for detail. as seen @ilovelv

im following you

shouts to my latest bunch of im following yous. recruited from claire. except for one. hello ladies!

search.style.snap.

dream: interstate88

superficial glam

and my fellow lady with a pen. i do write. though we havent written much here. its coming.
theloudestpenever


and i love this blog:
i wrote this for you


recruiting followers. ;>

hero: tim lewis

i caught a segment of real sports with bryant gumbel this morning. and the story of tim lewis of compton,ca brought me to tears. no mind im a crybaby and i had just gotten off the phone with my mommy. men like tim lewis are the heroes in my eye. regardless of where he's been, its where he is going. he made his mistakes, and damaged his relationship with his own children. yet is giving of himself to change another humans existence. our children, even when i was a child was- is a cause i fight for. around 50% of black young men who enter high school arent graduating high school this year. and didnt last year. and the year before. [schottstatereport] give or take. this is unacceptable. tim lewis said something simple but remarkable at the end of the documentary, paraphrasing here. 'when i die-i just want to feel like i changed my world.' something i have always and will always continue to strive for.
thank you mr. lewis.

snippet: [view] a diamond in the rough

electrik red

currently dancing to.
thinking shes some kinda choreographer...

i dont want you to leave

“But who can say what’s best? That’s why you need to grab whatever chance you have of happiness where you find it, and not worry about other people too much. My experience tells me that we get no more than two or three such chances in a life time, and if we let them go, we regret it for the rest of our lives."- Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami

“ Don’t ever tell anybody anything. If you do, you start missing everybody. -The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

“i wanted a perfect ending. now i’ve learned, the hard way, that some poems don’t rhyme, and some stories don’t have a clear beginning, middle, and end. life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what’s going to happen next, delicious ambiguity. -Gilda Radner

help me, my arms are open wide
i could be unraveling wherever i’m traveling, even to foreign shores
but i will always be emotionally yours
-bob dylan

Oh shut up. Every time it rains, it stops raining. Every time you hurt, you heal. After darkness, there is always light and you get reminded of this every morning but still you choose to believe that the night will last forever. Nothing lasts forever. Not the good or the bad. So you might as well smile while you're here. -pleasefindthis

capital L.ove

le♥

favorite

always thought it was 'life is-". either way...

inspiration

I am only one, but still I am one; I cannot do everything; but still I can do something; and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do the something that I can do."

-Helen Keller

all together now-awwww

a lifetime's talk

keep gate closed

And you taught me what this feels like.

And then how it feels to lose it.
And you showed me who I wanted.
And then who I wasn't.
And you ticked every box.
And then drew a line.
And you weren't mine to begin with.
And then not to end with.
And you looked like everything I wanted.
And then became something I hated.
And you get thought of every day.
And then not in a good way.
And you let me leave.
And then wish I'd stayed.
And you almost killed me.
But I didn't die.

-pleasefindthis