Pages Menu
TwitterRssFacebook
Categories Menu

Posted by on Nov 23, 2009 in Uncategorized | 3 comments

McDonalds moves from Feng Shui Luck to Lofty Ideas

It has barely been a year since McDonald’s began retrofitting and/or building a new look for their locations. Based on Feng Shui, the new interior design looks consisted of muted tones, wood and metal, paintings and certain “lucky” numbers of booths to retain customers. It worked, and McDonalds saw a positive spike in sales and customer sit-ins. California was the targeted state for most of these changes, but the plan went nationwide. With positive reports the designs are working, the number one fast food joint in the world is now shifting gears slightly and going IKEA.
McDonalds_Euro
The first location to experience the renovation is in New York City. Diners there reportedly experience a ‘lounge’ feeling, and are welcomed with Danish furniture, free wi-fi and sleek, modern surroundings. While the chain is responding to the way people use restaurants differently now, it sounds like it is yet another angle to give Starbucks a run for the money.

Would you prefer to work in a coffee house or comfy atmosphere McD’s?

Twitt
Share
Read More

Posted by on Nov 22, 2009 in Uncategorized | 4 comments

Baby’s Got Back – Rear End Enhancements

crownfoundations_fannyliftbriefWendy, 30, fills out her Apple Bottom jeans quite nicely, but not of her own device. “I use butt pads. Two of them!” she said giddily, as we all gaped at her backside. There were two big & beautiful cheeks, but how could this be?  She’s African-American, a heritage that is usually blessed in that department. Wendy insists she’s flat as a board without help. Ok, so she looks good with her clothes on, but does it interfere with the dating?

Sol: What happens when someone realizes your lovely lady lumps are not your own? Have you ever had any surprises?
W: I just tell him, “You want me to look good, don’t you?”

Wendy sources her build-a-butts from JC Penny and swears by them.  Foam inserts sewn into a girdle, she claims they fill her out as promised, are very comfortable to wear and are easy to clean.  She actually took orders for two and returned with the goods.  Here is a before & after shot of one of the girls modeling:

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Due to some technical difficulties this file is sideways

Wanting to find yourself as the subject of a Sir Mix-A-Lot song?  Check out JC Penny ‘s Shapeware section for at least three different types to find the one for your build.

underscore_paddedseatbriefcrownete_fourpadbrief

Thank you to timstotz.com for help with the video layout!

Twitt
Share
Read More

Posted by on Nov 21, 2009 in Uncategorized | 3 comments

First Rule About Luxury European Cosmetics? Don’t Talk About Human Fat Trafficking

One of the longstanding scenes from the movie Fight Club surrounds Brad Pitt’s character creating high priced soap from human fat. Turns out truth may be stranger than fiction.  Or at least mirror it. Police in Lima, Peru have uncovered a source for the decades long stories of “Pishtaco” – strangers who kill South American Indians, drain them of their fat, and sell to European cosmetics laboratories.

fight-club-soap

Rumors date the practice back to the 1500s, but police now have proof the murders have been going on for at least 30 years. Arrests were made November 3rd, and authorities were given details on how victims were lured into the jungles on the promise of work, killed, dismembered and drained of the amber fluid. A soda bottle’s worth could fetch $15,000.

Using human parts for cosmetics is not new. Discarded foreskin is a prominent ingredient in a luxury eye treatment. From the days in Egypt when rain caused the fat from the buried to soap up the Nile, to modern day injections, fat has cosmetic merits. But is it worth killing over? Considering the battle with weight most of the world has, harvesting is an easy option. I think the bigger question is – Who are the buyers? Where is this ingredient going and what labels actually contain human fat? Finally, fat does great things to keep skin beautiful, but I shudder just thinking about the health implications of random sources (obtained in a horrific way) and the improbability the material was stored correctly until use.

Keep in mind, this has been going on for 30 years in Lima that we can know of, and longer if you believe legend. $15K for a liter? The profits for the end user must be enormous to be willing to pay that fee.
humanfat

Twitt
Share
Read More

Posted by on Nov 20, 2009 in Uncategorized | 15 comments

Nail Trends: Acrylic Snowflakes and Stiletto Nails

acrylic_flecks_hand

This look started when I was inspired by a Nail Pro Magazine cover but didn’t have the right product:

Blue & White microglitter flame acrylic w/gel overlay

flamenails

I used a clear and white acrylic. Without microglitter, I didn’t want a dense look, so I went for flakes:

stilettos_almond_flame_nails

The resulting nail wasn’t bad for a first attempt. The flame was easy to create, but building the 2nd and 3rd layer were impossible without contrasting product. It was a good experiment anyway, and I added it with my first fiber tip almond and first sculpted pink & white stiletto.

I really liked the way the random flecks in clear acrylic made the nails look like a stone, so I decided to try it this week for practice. On my mom.

natural_nails

sculpting_acrylic_nail

We started with a clean, natural nail, then I sculpted the nails and buffed the acrylic. After much angst I was able to mimic the look. It was difficult because her free edge was short, and we were doing sculpted instead of tips. They aren’t perfect, but she made the same comment about the nails looking like the insides of glittery stones (we used to take lapidary classes together).  I would have preferred to add a small moon in white, but I wanted to tackle the basic job first round.  It was as blinged as she would let me get, but this is the first time in her life she has ever had artificial nails, and she said she loves them. Relief!

I like how it looks a bit snowflake-ish. Perfect for the season. What are you doing for the holidays?

acrylic_flecks

Twitt
Share
Read More

Posted by on Nov 20, 2009 in Uncategorized | 1 comment

Suicide Blonde? The Loss of Korean Model Daul Kim, age 20

Daul KimKorean supermodel Daul Kim was found dead yesterday, hanged in her Paris apartment.  At this time police believe it was a suicide.

This is the second high profile model suicide in a relatively short time.  Last June, Kazakh model Ruslana Korshunova was reported as jumping to her death from her high-rise apartment.  She was also 20 years old.

Ruslana Korshunova

Do you remember 20? The crazy/beautiful time when you and the world before you was just starting to bloom? Maybe for these girls life had fast forwarded too far due to rich and possibly rewarding experiences they were having. You can’t fast forward biology, self-esteem, wisdom and everything else that carries you through as you advance in age. At 20 years old, your mettle is still being tested, and you barely know what you are made of. There are seemingly insurmountable insecurities to overcome.  Without the ability to handle pressures and lacking a good support system, depression can make suicide seem like a reasonable option.

Daul Kim blondThe loss of Daul Kim is not only tragic for her family, but to anyone that enjoyed her work as a photogenic face and an interesting blog writer. Few Asians are prominent faces in modeling, with much in the past reserved for “quirky” and “weird”.  Kim fit a standard beauty while remaining exotic. She seemed to be a positive role model.

It would almost be easier to process if she was murdered.  The modeling industry can be especially brutal to those they use the most.  Her blog clearly stated some dissatisfaction.  Comments to catch are those where people thought she must be happy because she had it “all”.  What is your all? You need to define it to get it, and rarely do material possessions make the most critical on a list.  Most humans value true connections.

If this is ruled a suicide, how can agencies better protect the mental health of their clients?  First models are dying on the runway from eating disorders, and now suicide is en vogue? We need to start looking for ways to kill with kindness.  These are children.

Twitt
Share
Read More