Song of the moment

Successful- Drake feat. Trey Songz

I’m sure you’ve heard about the newest rap sensation who not only hails from the T. Dot, but is quoted by tons of rappers (and entertainers for that matter) as their fave new artist.

Drake—nee Aubrey Drake Graham—is the most talked about rapper EVER! Honestly, every time I put on the radio I hear his music. If I peruse a blog, his name will undoubtedly come up.

I'm sure his popularity is due to the fact that he is associated with Lil Wayne (FYI- Drake was a part of the fiercest bidding war ever and now has a record deal with Lil Wayne!) and his rumoured fling with Rihanna most def upped his playa status.

If his face looks familiar it’s because you may know him as one of the cast members of the highly popular television show Degrassi: The Next Generation.

Although he was cast on a teen drama, his rapping skillz are nothing to laugh at. Seriously, he doesn’t sound like an actor who’s trying their hand (or luck) at the rap game. He actually has skillz.

Hype aside, I thoroughly enjoy his new track, Successful. The beat is ridiculous, and his voice complements the tone of the song beautifully. I like that the song comes off more bittersweet and less arrogant.

I like Drake, I don’t loooove him yet. But this song makes me want to hear more from him.

Let me know what you think. E-mail me at michelle at happygrrls.com



-Michelle

Shop Your Closet

I recently became aware of the term “shop your closet.” Being the frugal sista that I am, I’ve been practically doing it for years, but during our recent less than stable economy, I find the practice most apropos.

Shopping your closet is basically taking stock of what you have in your closet, getting rid of the old garments that you don’t wear—nor do you like, and purging anything that doesn’t fit or flatter your body. Once you’ve done that, you can see what you own, and you can construct new fashionable outfits with the clothes you already own! How cool is that?! You can always update your wardrobe accordingly.

Working a full-time job and occasionally hitting the town; I have to be quite creative with my wardrobe. I’m not P. Diddy or Beyonce—meaning I don’t have designers supplying me with free clothes, so it’s essential that I find ways to look good, be fashionable and yet save some cash.

I’m not really a trendy person. Once in a while I will buy something completely out of my comfort zone (pssst.....for some unknown reason I actually bought a pair of leggings last year—trust me, it doesn’t look good on all bodies!), but all in all, I like to buy pieces that I know I can wear again and again—which works well with the “shop my closet” concept. To update my wardrobe I buy a few of the season’s must-have pieces and pair it with my staples.

Last week I wore a LBD to work that I purchased from the Gap eight years ago and paired it with a swanky piece of jewelry. My boss took me aside and told me that she loved my outfit. I confessed to having the dress buried in my closet for years and finally taking it out and pairing it with a signature necklace. She seemed impressed! I told her that I don’t shop that much, but I do like buying pieces that not only flatter my body, but my wallet too!

See, sometimes it pays to be cheap....okay economically savvy!

-michelle

Fashion: My colour of the moment

My colour for summer is yellow. It is so fresh, vibrant and cheery. I’m completely drawn to anything and everything sunshine hued.

On one of my weekly shopping jaunts to Winners, I timidly popped over to the shoe section. I almost never go in that section because I never find anything for my size 9 feet. But on that day, I was feeling particularly hopeful so I checked out the semi-stocked shelves. My eyes spied a bright yellow pair of flats. Side bar: I love flats but I’m a short grrl, and I like to wear shoes with a bit of height. I did like the shoe, but I hemmed and hawed over the fact that they weren’t platforms or wedges, so I put them back down.


I went to Winners two weeks later and I saw the same pair of shoes I saw previously, so I tried them on. Grrrls, I fell in love. Damn, they looked good on me! They added that little bit of colour that I really wanted. I picked them up quickly so no one would get their grubby little hands on them! Yes, I get a little psycho when I see something I like. This fab pair of shoes was only $29.99. Score one for me!

Update: I’ve worn this pair of shoes at least 10 times since I made this purchase, and I always get compliments.

I’m not a major purse person. I, unlike my sister, don’t own an ungodly amount of purses and bags. It’s kinda sad because I basically use just one (gasp!) for every occasion.

But I was on a mission to buy a cute purse for the summer season. I looked for ages. I saw purses that were okay....but I wanted something fun. Something that made people stop me on the street and say, “hey, I really like your bag!” Okay, not really, but you know what I mean!

On yet another shopping trip to Winners (I have been shopping at Winners a lot lately!), I saw a citrusy coloured bag. There were a plethora of yellow bags, but this one spoke to me.

It’s a medium sized, non-leather bag with a braid design on the front. I picked it up and it just felt right in my arms. I totally needed a moment alone with the bag!

After posing in the mirror with the bag for about 5 minutes, I decided to pay. Buying the bag was a no brainer. It met the requirements—it was yellow, looked cool and was the perfect size.

My new go-to bag cost $29.99. Yay for me!




-michelle

Great new products for summer!

Silky Smooth

You can always count on Lush to have a product that makes you feel great.

I received a box of goodies a while ago, but I only recently had the chance to try their latest product, Sugar Scrub. It’s an exfoliating sugar which scrubs away dead skin cells, tackles cellulite, and invigorates sluggish skin. Honestly, what else can a grrl want? LOL

While in the shower, I applied the scrub to my thighs and booty, and yes, I noticed a difference. My skin was as smooth as silk. It doesn’t rid you of that pesky cellulite per se, but your skin is sooo smooth and soft, it really doesn’t matter.

This product gets a stamp of approval from me!

So Refreshing

Question: What feels good on a scorching hot day? Answer: A tall cool glass of water. (okay, any icy cold alcoholic beverage ain’t bad either!!)

But what happens on those days when you need to quench your thirst as well as pamper your parched sun soaked skin?

L’Occitane has come out with a Citrus Verbena Revitalizing Mist for your face and body. It gives you some relief on those unbearably hot days (we haven’t had them in a while..but it’s good to be prepared). All you have to do is spritz it on your face (watch your eyes!)or body when you need shelter from the hot weather.

I had the chance to use it on a couple of hot days, and it did provide relief from the hot sun, but I will admit that I enjoyed the fresh citrusy smell the most.

-michelle

Goodbye, Michael

It has taken me a few days to write something about the passing of Michael Jackson. I was in complete shock when I heard that he had died, and I’m still trying to grasp that he is really gone.



When I was a kid I was a HUGE fan. No one could touch Beat It, Billie Jean and Thriller (video and song). Michael Jackson was the man back in the day! I didn’t even realize that he was such a trailblazer and innovator until I got older.



I will admit that I as I got older, I wasn’t such a big fan as I was when I was younger, but I do realize how much he has contributed to music and culture on a universal level. Who else can make an event of debuting a music video? You know you are big when it is on the news that your video will be premiering on MTV, MuchMusic etc.



My favourite Michael Jackson moment: Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, and Forever. This is where Michael Jackson moonwalked for the very first time. Let me tell y’all, it was electrifying! Everyone was on their feet with mouths wide open. I knew I was witnessing something powerful. I think I talked about that performance forever. I became a huge fan after that.



Say what you want about Michael, you cannot deny that all he wanted to make his fans happy. He was the consummate entertainer.



Thanks for the music Michael, and thanks for the memories that will live on with all of us!

-Michelle

Are tattoos still sexy?

When I was younger I really wanted a tattoo. It wasn’t that I was a rebellious child and wanted to show my distaste for authority by getting inked; I just thought that tattoos were kinda cool. OK, I will admit it, I was a huge goody goody, and I guess I kinda wanted to shed my good girl image with a harmless tat.


I toyed with the idea of getting a bull (my astrological sign) on my shoulder, a ring tattoo on my finger, and something written in Japanese on any part of my body. But when it came time to get one, I chickened out. Instead, I bought a bunch of temporary tattoos and pasted them all over my body.


That was over 10 years ago.


I have—believe it or not—grown up and matured and my fascination with tattoos has practically dwindled. I don’t hate them, but being the fickle woman that I am, I could not possible come up with one solitary thing that I would like to brand myself with for the rest of my life. A guy that I casually dated practically begged me to tattoo his nickname on my body. Suffice it to say, that relationship didn’t work out and thankfully, I wasn’t left with a crappy reminder of him!


Now that the weather is getting warmer and everyone is showing some skin, I’m noticing that everyone has a tattoo! No, I’m not thinking of getting one again (okay, that’s a lie. I’m kinda digging Rihanna’s star tattoos). It’s just that since there’s such a proliferation of tattooed people out there, I started to wonder....are tattoos still sexy?


Gone are the days when tattoos were proudly displayed on forearms, shoulders, legs, and lower backs. Tattoos have travelled everywhere on the body. Some people have ink on their face, neck, ears and in places I could not imagine a needle going!


To be honest, I think tattoos can be a little sexy if it’s not overly done. A tattoo on man’s arm that shows off his bulging biceps is quite sexy. But a man covered in head-to-toe tats is just plain frightening!


My biggest gripe is the with face tattoo. Why would anyone go through the trouble of getting something permanently branded to their face? It’s not attractive and it’s quite odd. It’s safe to assume that it’s impossible to name anyone with a face tattoo that looks good. Even that girl in Belgium is suing the tattoo artist for over tattooing her face.

For those considering a face tattoo......just don’t do it!

Michelle

Relating

Booty-licious?

It’s been some time since I wrote about one of my favourite topics.........men.

I was motivated to write this entry after seeing a bunch of questionably dressed fellas. Nah, they weren’t wearing anything outrageous like neon coloured thongs with heels. But they were, sadly, victims of the same fashion related issue that has been affecting young males since the dawn of time. Men who wear their jeans low...extra low.

Now I realize that this problem was at epic proportions during the 90’s, but it still seems to be such an issue today.

Maybe it’s that I’m getting older, but I find it hilarious (and disturbing) that guys wear their pants so low. You know that can’t be comfortable! It’s bad enough to see girls flashing their thongs whenever they bend down; but seeing a guy show all his stuff isn’t the manliest thing he can do.

I actually chuckled to myself last week when I caught a glimpse of a guy that was wearing a t-shirt (okay, a wife beater) and a pair of baggy jeans that practically clung to his knees for dear life. I unashamedly stared at his bum for ½ a block (I’m not a freak, really!), before I averted my eyes. I was in complete shock that someone would leave their house showing that much underwear.

So ladies, how do you feel about this? Do you like looking at men sportin’ their undies with low hung jeans or do you want them to pull up their damn pants already? Let me know!

-Michelle