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™

Precious

All the hype was absolutely worth it. The Lee Daniels film Precious is a story beautifully composed exposing a reality; young, unloved and abused living in NYC during the late 80s. Completely compelling.

This movie is humorous, heart wrenching and frank. I never read the book Push, which the film is based on, so this only tells me the book is ten times better. Gabourey Sidibe portrays this broken spirit that finally breaks through in such a triumphant way. You can't help but root for Precious. But besides the main character you get a glimpse into the lives of many of the supporting characters and begin to understand why people are the way they are.

Mo'nique does such a flawless job in playing a heartbroken mother that   lets her anguish turn into hate for her own child. I hated her, pitied her and understood her all at the same time. The woman is so complex, suffering from a lot of deep emotional hang ups. And there's already Oscar buzz! I respected her as an actress in this role because she had to have pull the character from such a deep place. I believed her!!

Grab a friend, a loved one and go see Precious. You will leave theater hopeful, grateful and with a joke or two. I'd definitely see it again. Could be this generations The Color Purple and I do not say that lightly. Take a glance at the trailer, lovelies!

bisou bisou
miss.εmmε™

So, I Chopped All My Hair Off. Now, What?

Hey lovelies. I want to apologize to you all. I was going to give up on writing this blog and I thought about writing again and again and finally got the gall to continue. J'adore Miss.Emme will be continuing. No more major hiatuses! Promise!

So, back to the story!! As you know I've been transitioning on this quest to natural hair. Anyone who knows me also knows that I'm a little bit of a control freak and a bit on the impatient side [hey! everyone has their flaws, right?].

With this desperation to be free of permed ends, I strolled into my bathroom and commenced in cutting off my own hair. I made the first few snips and thought "what the hell am I doing!?!?" Yet, I couldn't stop and the further I got I realized there was no turning back.

When I was done I was scared, I was shocked at myself and I honestly thought I made a huge mistake. I kept a hat on for a few days only sent pictures and warnings to certain people lol. But I slowly and surely grew to love it more and more.

It's healthy, strong, soft and really cute. Oh, I can't forget well taken care of. Plus, I can wear a lot more cool hair accessories. I'm proud to be natural and loving my big chop more and more everyday!

bisou bisou

miss.εmmε™

I Heart the Obamas

Just had to post this one flick of the Barack & Michelle Obama attending the Congressional Black Caucus Dinner. They are an absolutely stunning couple. [sigh]

bisou bisou

miss.εmmε™

Fall in Love with Autumn

With autumn literally being around the corner, we're pretty much overdue for a Top Ten Back to School Necessities list. So, here we go lovelies, my personal list of what's hot for the fall season.

1. Oversized Cardigans
2. Natural Hair & Healthy Hair
3. Boyfriend/Weekend Jeans
4. Loafers & Mocassins
5. The Blueprint 3 on iTunes
6. Boyfriend Blazers
7. Books Dedicated to Women by Male Authors [i.e. Letters to a Young Sister]
8. Working Out/ Healthy Living
9. Leather Jackets
10. Community Service

And a bonus item flat boots are a timeless staple in any fall wardrobe, whether cognac colored, western inspired or in a luxurious suede.

This hot pair is the Sheriff from Nine West. Defintely a great look!

bisou bisou
miss.εmmε™

Live for It!

All you lovelies who grew up in the '90s remember Auntie Whit as the QUEEN of R&B crossover. You just wanted to dance with somebody and find endless love. And when she married Bobby, you thought it's not right, but it's okay! She was our queen of the night, our preacher's wife and we all waited for her to exhale. She finally did.

The diva herself, Whitney Houston, has risen from the ashes [no pun intended] and is finally making her highly anticipated comeback. If you've seen the Oprah interview, you can sense the change in her energy and I love it. I Look to You was released just in time to be considered for the Grammys and the official first single "Million Dollar Bill" finally has a video. I LIVE for this Swizz Beatz produced, A.Keys written track. And she looks great!

bisou bisou

miss.εmmε™