J'adore Him

The holiday season is soon upon us and if you haven't done your shopping already, here's a couple of cool conceptual gifts for the men you adore. I ALWAYS have trouble shopping for guys, but if all the coolest guys in the world lived in my head this is what they'd get. [ lol ]

THE GROOMER

 I'm sure every masculine manscaper would appreciate an authentic shave kit. I think of one of my only male cousins who appreciates an excellent haircut and well kept facial hair. This kit is from the high end company, The Art of Shaving, $150. It includes a Gillette Fusion Chrome Collection razor with pre-shave oil, shaving cream, a badger brush and after shave balm.  

THE GADGET JUNKIE

Got that good guy friend who's all gadgets, but wears glasses that look like they're from the 60s? He's modern and retro all rolled in one. Personally, you couldn't go wrong with a Retro Duo SNES Console. I mean it plays all old school Nintendo SNES and NES games! I even want this, but that's just me. The console runs for about $50 at Think Geek.

Another gadget that caught my eye is for the music lover/iPod enthusiast. This is specially for someone like my significant other, who dabbles in the art of DJing. I think the iDJ iPod 2 Channel Mixer by Numark is definitely something out of the box and thoughtful. The mixer is about $160 on Amazon.

THE SHOPPER

I don't think there's ever been an age where I've been so self-conscious when it comes to buying clothing and accesories for a man. Highly fashion conscious and in the pursuit of personal style, men have become especially difficult to buy clothes for. Dad being the only exception; he always appreciates a fine tie. But this holiday season a stylish cardigan goes a long way. The grey collegiate sweater from AE is about $50. The Buffalo Plaid Sweater from the Gap, also comes in a great red color for $80.

 

I also think that every dapper fellow needs a pair of great cuff links. Just make sure he has the proper shirts pre-purchase. I've learned that lesson the hard way. Hmmph! David Donahue makes an array of cool cuff links that you can find at Nordstrom's and this pair of knot links are $125.

THE FOODIE

This set is for the Food Network junkies that like to experiment in the kitchen and eat really great food. And nothing could please a foodie more than premium cookware. Get your favorite guy his Iron Chef starter kit [ lol ] from Cookware.com. Calphalon's Simply Stainless II 10 pc. set, $200, will not only make him smile, but get lots of use in dinners being made for you.  

And if all else fails, lovelies, can't go wrong with a gift card!

bisou bisou
miss.εmmε™

World AIDS Day

Today, I encourage all you lovelies to spread the awareness, get educated/educate each other, know your status and continue doing your part after December 1st. I was once told when it comes to certain things the numbers are twice as much for the Black Community [i.e. unemployment]. HIV/AIDS is something that is an epidemic especially within our community. So, if I leave you with nothing else, be positive that you're negative!

Here's a couple places where you can find information:

Official World AIDS Day Website

World AIDS Campaign

Avert International AIDS Charity

Black AIDS Institute

Department of Health

bisou bisou

miss.εmmε™

Rated B-, Sorry Stans

Most of you lovelies know I don't like to make judgements without seeing, hearing and experiencing for myself. And with all the hoopla surrounding Rihanna's latest addition to her discography, I had to sit down and listen to it from beginning to end.

Rihanna's PR people and Def Jam have been trying their darnedest to push this Rated R album; giving it away with pizza, selling it for $0.99 on Amazon. I mean they are literally giving this thing away. Yet, I seen tweets and other reviews saying how great the album is. Guess it was just really bad projections.

Now, I don't want to get jumped by any Rihanna stans out there. This is just my one little opinion and overall I like her manufactured style and most of her music. So, just take this with a grain of salt.

I will admit she has been taking a couple vocal lessons and just recording tracks that really suit her voice, which I'm really happy about. My favorites are definitely Stupid in Love, Russian Roulette and Photographs. In between like street & blah avenue are Cold Case Love[could be a fave on a good day], G4L, Hard and just making it is The Last Song. There's some really great writing on this album. Most tracks are really settled into the anti-love/revenge theme, which I definitely dig.

On to the least favorites/I could care less abouts/Why is this on the album; Hole in My Head, Rude Boy and Wait Your Turn. I don't really know how I feel about these tracks, but I'm sure the fans are enjoying it. Well, that's all lovelies!

bisou bisou

miss.εmmε™