BeautyLoveSpirit.com

Happily (N)Ever Afters

I'm commandeering this blog back. 

Initially I wanted BeautyLoveSpirit to be a blog for twenty-somethings and offer light hearted reviews, contests, current events and such. I wasn't going to get personal. But lately I noticed that I've lacked a platform for said personal musings. 

It's been over a year since my last post. There have been movies watched & books read that I should have blogged about. Maybe, I still will. But I think that there are real life issues that 20 something women face that just can't be solved by a quirky piece on the latest Twilight movie. 

Let's face it . . . I don't have multiple men (or werewolves or vampires) in love with me. And sometimes love just isn't as intense as portrayed in the movies. We all like to believe in happily ever after but is it really feasible? Does Cinderella ever turn to her prince and wonder: "Was that one night dancing together enough foundation to start a relationship?" 

Does happily ever after mean that they never had a fight? Or one person felt misunderstood by the other? 

If we, mere human beings (non-charters, if you will) are not blessed with the happily ever afters . . . what do we get? Are doomed never to have happy endings? 

I'm starting to feel duped.  And you?  

The Beauty of AVON

When I was little my grandma swore by AVON's Skin-So-Soft. She had the bath oil in a spray bottle and suggested that it helped keep bugs from biting. I am pretty sure I still got bit; yet I smelled delightful!

AVON has been around for ages and some of the product lines, like Skin-So-Soft are product icons. They have withstood the test of time, changed and evolved (for the better).

This company offers make-up, skin care, popular fragrance, clothing, jewelry and more. One of the most enduring images has been the door-to-door AVON lady. In Edward Scissorhands actress Diane Wiest plays this role hysterically and magnificently.

Now, the AVON "salesperson" can text message order deadlines, help you pick out a lip color via IM or e-mail you an update regarding your purchase. Some reps maintain their own mini-store online and are referred to as an "e-representative." It's really amazing how technology has benefited and assisted this "old fashioned" business.

Visual Jane Austen

For those of us just beginning to enjoy a visual Jane Austen, there is a new adaptation of Sense & Sensibility playing on PBS. I barely remember the1995 version with Emma Thompson and Kate Winslet.

Although serious fans of Austen may balk at any movie version, it still may peak interest in such period pieces. This new version of Sense & Sensibility is breathtakingly beautiful, the costumes alone are at the very least, worth a look. Part II airs 2/8/09 at 9 p.m.

Also see: Review of Miniseries North and South

Don't Call Me If I'm Watching Lipstick Jungle

If its Wednesday night at 10 p.m. please don't call me. If you do call, I probably won't pick up as I am watching season two of Lipstick Jungle on NBC. This show was developed from Candace Bushnell's best selling book of the same name. Bushnell is also the creator of the well known Sex in the City series characters.     

Yet, aside from having the same setting (NYC), fantastic fashion and female camaraderie,  Lipstick Jungle isn't a carbon copy of SITC.  In fact, its  more tame than Sex in the City (meaning there aren't new guys in the ladies beds every other episode). Plus, we actually see the women working!

Brooke Sheilds character, Wendy, is a top movie executive and mother struggling to juggle the needs of her family and her career. The dazzling Kim Raver plays Nico an editor-in-chief of a magazine who is dating a younger man. Lindsay Price is Victory Ford a fashion designer with the guts to dump her billionaire boyfriend to maintain her independence. 

The women are supportive of each others goals and man trouble. Their relationships frequently emphasis caring for one another over caddy backstabbing. Sure, this is still TV and there are a few unrealistic moments. But Lipstick Jungle is worth taking a peak at. If you missed the first season, its available on DVD.

Re-Birth of BeautyLoveSpirit

It has been several months since I updated this website. Mainly because I have been busy but also because i've been going through a kind of personal transformation. I am finding out what makes me strong, how to overcome challenges, and over all adjusting to the ups and downs of life. 

There have been moments of disappointment and then points of pure happiness. Now that I have emerged out of my "funk" I think it is time to dust off the ol' website. It still has much purpose. Everything from journal exercises to movie suggestions, from beauty finds to current affairs. 

Now is the time where young women are at a crucial point. If you're like me you've made it through a heartbreak or two, you're seeking to find more meaning from life - whether this is from a spiritual perspective, school or career. Especially with the upcoming election we are a voice that should be heard. 

This Friday night (September 26) there will be the first of three presidential debates.  This is our opportunity to hear from the candidates and where they stand on the issues facing our nation today. You can learn more about the debates by visiting this CNN webpage.

I hope that you will bookmark or subscribe to BeautyLoveSpirit for future news and updates. 

Hillary Clinton Speaks in Ohio but Will the Media Actually Listen?

Today, C-Span featured a stump speech that Hillary Clinton gave in Ohio. I love how even though I am not in that state, in that place, I can still hear about her awesome ideas! As far as I have heard she is one of the only candidates that speaks about college loans and students trying to pay for college. Hillary actually knows what a pell grant is and will actively seek to stop the outrageous interest fees charged by private college loan lenders. When I heard this and her earnest feelings on the issue, I literally got goose bumps.

By why is it that the media focuses on Hillary "getting upset" over campaign issues or "rebounding from Obama's last comments." Why must the media make this election sound like a nasty high school clique fighting. Can't they just tell people what her policy is? Can't we learn more about these candidates than who has money and who doesn't? Three years from now will anyone care about these silly things? I doubt it! How about it reporters . . . give us the news and convey the Candidates policies instead of entertainment-esque trash?!