Fad*ish- fashion and design

Not that every fashion statement could be taken from a drag queen, but you got to hand it to them, they paint on cosmetics like no other. Be it their flare for the dramatics-- or a just their need for a little more coverage than the average woman-- I am taking this article out of a page in a drag queens manual. I am not sure if this is what Urban Decay had in mind when putting together this ‘Rainbow Brite’ eye palette--but it works! Is it a tad bit dramatic? Of course! No one with subtly on the brain picks up ‘Heavy Metal’ eye glitter. The name alone should let you know that this isn’t for the weak at heart. To pull off this look you must have either a lot of balls, a lot of courage or be just plain fierce… either way work it honey!

*It’s Jil baby!

*Originally Published in Jil Mag: February- Love Bug issue; 2/23/07

Labels: Beauty

I am so tired of entertainers coming out when they are 16-- dropping their sophomore album when they are 18 -- and all of a sudden they are getting their “grown and sexy” on. Let me explain something real quick: Nas, Jay-z, Busta Rhymes, that guy from Aerosmith--god bless his soul-- are getting their grown and sexy on. I am not sure why no one has defined it yet, but it might be because the concept sells more albums. So I am going to define it-- because I officially became a grown ass woman this year.

So here are the tell tale signs that you are too grown for the dumb sh*t:

1. If you have had a major relationship that has either, seen kids, marriage, divorce or the point where you really contemplated killing a person for eating all the peanut butter and leaving you with a full jar of jelly.
2. You have had a period of success and then lost something significant. I am not talking about loosing your wallet, but something that would never be funny no matter how much time passed. Yet, you pull your sh*t together and come through it like a soldier.
3. You have gotten pass the stage of being embarrassed over dumb sh*t. You dance, dress and drink what you want because you are too damn old for peer pressure.

Now, I love Chris Brown--featured in Khaki his latest Gap ad above. I think it is cute that he can dance, flip, sing, and not even break a sweat--that’s that young boy sh*t. I like that he has that pre-drama twinkle in his eye, and he still has his zest for life. I applaud it, and might I add, I could watch that all day. But just the fact that I can catch a case even looking at him any type of sexual way makes him a boy. Therefore his sophomore album-- though I am sure he has seen a lot in his 18 year of age--can not be considered grown.

*Check out his latest song “Poppin” from his up-and-coming sophomore.

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*it’s Jil Baby!

*Originally Published in Jil Mag: February- Love Bug issue; 2/17/07

Labels: Music

If Paris is the most romantic place in the world, then Venice is the most alluring -- filled with dark corners for doing dark deeds. One of our Jil Diplomats has submitted his pictorial report on Venice’s 2007 Carnival. This event takes place every year, 8 days before lent, which means it usually fall sometime early February. It is a festival of masks, colors, and the back drop of Venice couldn’t be more enticing. It is no secret that this city is a favorite in Italy. But a word to the worldly traveler: you might want to be close with your stair master before you go because this city has a ton of bridges, no public transportation (except water traffic), and a whole lot of walking. Putting all of that aside, movies never do Venice justice so I suggest you just hop a flight and bear it. The people are lovely, the scenery is break-taking, there is art around every corner, and when the sun sets it becomes magical.

*Jil Diplomat

*Originally Published in Jil Mag: February- Love Bug issue; 2/14/07

Labels: Travel

I never imagined when I was reading Wonder Woman as a child that I would have a new super hero as an adult –Missy. If you look past the fact that it is written in French, and that it is based around a stripper, you will realize, as I did that this cartoon is absolutely fabulous. Here is the premise: the trials and tribulations of a stripper wanting to leave the ‘life’. This is not a series, but a one shot graphic novel that is illustrated beautifully by Hallain Paluku & Benoît Rivière. Who knew roaming the streets of Brussels –known for its huge graphic novel industry—would yield such a hot find. Even if you don’t read French, you can follow the story. Be ware this is comic is for grown ups, so if your child finds it you might have to have a discussion about the birds, the bees, and other naughty bits. But do what my mother did with “The Joy of Sex”-- hide it in the closet and hope to G*d the kids don’t find it!



*Originally Published in Jil Mag: February- Love Bug issue; 2/8/07

Labels: Books