The End of Plumber Pants and Mom Jeans

I have a collection of low-rise jeans that probably have a permanent crease from where they’ve been folded over hangers because I seldom wear them. Why? Because they’re as uncomfortable as a pair of thongs and just as revealing when you bend over or sit down.

I didn’t intend to buy so many of those annoying pants. In fact, I searched high and low for high-waist stretch jeans, but at one time, low-risers were the trend, and the only ones available in most stores. Even if you were tired of low-rise jeans, you didn’t want to wear the much derided mom jeans.

If you’re on the hunt for the perfect jean that flatters your figure but doesn’t reveal more than you intended, consider the Serene High Waist Jean from CJ by Cookie Johnson. The Serene features a contoured, straight leg cut, a double button closure, five pockets, and is made of stretch denim (97% cotton/3% spandex) for a comfortable fit. The jean is available in three washes: Deep Velvet, Optic White and Pitch Black and sizes 24-38. You can find the Serene High Waist Jean ($158) at Saks and Neiman Marcus. For more information visit CJbyCookieJohnson.com.

Am I Aries or Pisces?

The whole “controversy” over the so-called new zodiac had me thinking about the first line in “Controversy,” the 1981 Prince hit--I just can’t believe all the things people say.

Am I Aries, or am I Pisces today?

So it was fortunate that I had been given a Cloud 9 Living gift card and could choose from a selection of “experiences” across the country, which, depending on the region (and monetary value of the card) could be anything from hang-gliding to dance lessons. Once I picked the fencing class, there was $95 left, so as part of the “experience” I chose a 30-minute Phone in Astrology Reading.

Before discussing my chart, Vedic astrologer Steven Stuckey asked if I had been listening to the news reports about the new zodiac. He explained that Vedic astrology is calculated differently from the Western zodiac. So the gist of it is, I am Pisces in the Vedic system, but still Aries according to Western astrology.

“Things move back in this system in order to sync up with the actual star field," he began. "All astrology used to be based upon observation in the past where people would just look up at the stars and they would see the planets in the star field. Well, today the planets and the star field don’t align anymore. They’re about one sign off. This is due to the fact that the Greeks started calculating astrology a little bit differently. The Western world is basically using Greek astrology. If you could have seen the sun the day you were born, it would have been in a star field in the constellation of Pisces. This is the difference that a lot of people don’t understand. Anyway a lot of the things will still be similar. You’ll find out.”

Photo: Sagredo/Wikimedia

He started the reading with some general things about my chart. I was born at a full moon. People born at a full moon are very sensitive, very conscious and more aware. “So it’s usually an indication of higher awareness and it brings about a lot of knowledge,” he said. “Your life has been blessed in a certain sense with the pursuit of knowledge and understanding." This knowledge and awareness often has a lot to do with the things I do in life “in terms of your work and that kind of thing. A lot of times people born under a full moon are more intuitive just because they’re generally more aware and conscious. That means their feeling levels are usually higher as well. [The moon represents the feelings.] You also have Scorpio rising which is considered to be another very sensitive placement, intuitive, and sometimes psychic.

“You’re blessed with a beautiful Jupiter. Jupiter represents knowledge and wisdom. It represents high teachers. Your Jupiter is in the ninth house of the chart, which is the house that represents long distance travels, higher learning institutions, foreign trade. It represents people that are teachers, people who might be involved in legal matters. You’re fortunate in life and you get good teachers. You also may be a teacher yourself.”

Photo: Fulcanelli/Wikimedia

There were teachers in my mother’s family. One of my sisters is a teacher. I even considered the profession until I realized that I could possibly be under appreciated and underpaid. So I became an under appreciated and underpaid writer, but at least I love what I’m doing and the writing quite often involves long distance travel.

After talking about some of the topics I write about, Steven looked at my chart again. “The moon is in the sign of Virgo,” he said. “Virgo is a mental sign ruled by Mercury. The planet Mercury (which is involved with writers and communication) was involved in the full moon.” So I have a moon and Mercury opposition in my chart. The Moon represents the subconscious mind and Mercury represents the conscious mind. “What happens with moon/Mercurys is that they have a lot of knowledge. They have a lot of information going through their head all the time. This can be a creative thing for writing because there’s just so much information that is coming through. The other side can be more technical because the moon in Virgo is a stickler for detail and they’re intellectually oriented, but the Mercury factor brings in a creative factor.

“In this chart I would say you’re also disseminating knowledge in your writing. With this Jupiter factor, which means a person who bestows knowledge, a person who has access to knowledge, what that might mean to you is, within the context of that writing, you’re a teacher in some way or another.”

Although I’m finding it hard to believe (because in laymen’s terms, Saturn is totally messing with me, making life, quite frankly, suck) Steven told me that I have “a certain amount of grace in life" so I'm fortunate. "There are obviously ups and downs like everybody has, but generally you have a good amount of luck which is brought about from previous lifetimes of good work.”

Not everybody has this kind of a chart, he added. “Normally when I see charts like this, the person has been initiated by a guru and they are practicing heavy duty involvement in higher knowledge, especially connected to the East and things like this.” It’s possible that I haven’t met my “teacher” yet.

There’s also hamsa yoga in my chart. “Hamsa means swan-like, and it refers to people who are blessed with certain amounts of knowledge and information. So there’s a blessing in your chart and that’s one of the reasons why, if you’re in trouble, something happens to help you."

People used to explain some of the otherworldly help I’ve received at times with the saying “God protects babies and fools.” Lately I’ve heard such comments as “You asked and the Universe answered.”

"There’s more to it than that,” he continued, and suggested ways in which I could pursue a certain path, which, oddly, the month before I had actually started looking into.

And it seems there’s a deeper reason for the large collection of books about yoga, tai chi, meditation, feng shui, holistic and Chinese medicine, among other things that line my bookshelves.

So whether I’m Pisces or Aries is still in debate, in my mind at least. Maybe I’ll think more about it after my yoga class today. Or perhaps I’ll just let the Higher Teacher guide me.

For more information read New Zodiac Signs in 2011?

SoftSheen Announces Bria Murphy as New Global Brand Ambassador for Dark and Lovely

(l to r) Nia Long, Bria Murphy, Eddie Murphy

PHOTO: Courtesy of SoftSheen Carson

Eddie Murphy’s daughter, model Bria Murphy is Dark and Lovely’s new Global Brand Ambassador. The appointment was revealed at an event held by SoftSheen Carson at West Chelsea lounge, Juliet Supperclub.

Dark and Lovely Healthy-Gloss 5 Relaxer and Maintenance System

PHOTO: Courtesy of SoftSheen Carson

“I grew up using Dark and Lovely products and I am so proud to be part of a brand that celebrates the diversity of African American women and inspires them to be self-confident, glamorous and fun,” Bria told the guests which included mom and dad, Nicole Mitchell and Eddie Murphy, and actress Nia Long.

Nicole Mitchell, Bria Murphy, Eddie Murphy and little sis Shayne Murphy

PHOTO: Courtesy of SoftSheen Carson

Bria, 21, will be the face of Dark and Lovely’s new Healthy-Gloss 5 System which includes Healthy Gloss 5 Relaxer in Regular, Super and Color Treated formulas and maintenance products that include shampoo, conditioner, a leave-in treatment and hair crème.

Bria, who is signed with L.A. Models, will appear in television and print campaigns, as well as consumer and other events promoting the new product line.

New Year's Eve Beauty

Whether you plan to stand amongst the throng in Times Square or make the rounds to bashes throughout your city, or simply want to toast in the New Year in front of a cozy fireplace with that special someone, here are a few finishing beauty touches to consider:

The Eyes

With a touch of Victoria’s Secret Makeup Hypergloss Eye Shimmer ($12) eyes will sparkle like jewels.

Next, VS Makeup Brilliant Glitter Liquid Liner ($10) adds a bold line of glitter and sparkle to lids.

Bat those festive faux lashes honey! Ardell Elegant & Wild Lashes are strip lashes adorned with rhinestones and glitter.

The Lips

M.A.C. Happily Ever After Lip Kit ($22.50) has the perfect party shades—Cheers All Round, To Joy, and Endless Fun, in a tartan compact with the M.A.C. crest.

Victoria’s Secret Holiday Limited Edition Midnight Glamour Deluxe Lip Palette ($16) has shimmering glosses to prepare lips for that special midnight kiss.

The Nails

Dress up your favorite party lacquer with Kiss Paint & Stencil Kit ($2.99) in Silver or Gold. The kit comes with nail art paint, stencil designs and control brush.

Or create your own nail designs with Kiss Rhinestone Accents ($3.49).

China Glaze’s Cheers To You ($13) is a duo nail polish kit containing Midnight Kiss (a dreamy, creamy gold) and Cheers To You (a bold and glitzy silver). The set comes with a China Glaze shot glass to help you toast in the New Year.

Spritz & Sparkle

Dream Angels Heavenly Holiday Limited Edition Shimmer Mist ($25) from Victoria’s Secret, adds a luminous, golden glow to shoulders, legs and décolleté with the sensuous fragrance blend of white musk, sandalwood, vanilla and white peony.

Elizabeth Arden Red Door Shimmer Eau de Parfum Spray ($45) and Shimmer Body Lotion ($29.50) scent the body with a hint of shimmer.

Halloween Masques

Pumpkins are used for more than just jack-o’-lanterns and pies (although a warm slice of the latter with vanilla ice cream would really be a treat about now.) Pumpkin is also a treat for the skin. Pumpkin contains natural enzymes that gently exfoliate the skin and stimulate production of new cells, which is why it is often an ingredient in masks and scrubs. Pumpkin seed oil is rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids and nourishes the skin.

There are two products from Crater Lake that contain pumpkin among the ingredients. Pumpkin & Oats Nourishing Face Masque ($17, 1 oz) contains pumpkin to rid of the face of dead skin cells, as well as colloidal oatmeal and organic marshmallow root powder to help soothe inflammation, and Egyptian frankincense powder to improve skin tone. The all-natural dry powder masque is used with a liquid activator customized according to skin type. The Warm Pumpkin Bread Body Scrub ($19.95, 9 oz) features protective pumpkin oil as well as pure white cane sugar and pumpkin flakes to buff away dead skin cells, revealing more radiant skin. For more information visit www.craterlakecompany.com.

Farmhouse Fresh Splendid Dirt Delectable Mud Mask ($20, 3 oz glass jar) is especially great for problem skin that suffers from acne, blotches, redness and excessive oil. This warming mask contains two types of clays (bentonite and illite) that have healing properties and also helps deep clean, detoxify and unclog the skin. Yogurt cultures contain lactic acid, an alpha-hydroxy acid that stimulates circulation for more healthy-looking skin. The Splendid Dirt mud mask is available at www.farmhousefreshgoods.com and fine boutiques, resorts and spas.

The pineapple enzymes and pumpkin seed extract in Alba Botanica’s Hawaiian Papaya Enzyme Facial Mask ($12.95, 3 oz) naturally exfoliate to lift dead skin cells, while papaya enzymes loosen and dissolve dead cells and impurities, increasing circulation and revealing a brighter complexion. Visit www.albabotanica.com to find a store near you.

Renee Rouleau’s Pumpkin Soothing Peel was formulated with super-sensitive skin in mind. Mild corn meal grains gently exfoliate, with green tea extract, carrot tissue extract and antioxidants rounding out the soothing ingredient blend. The Pumpkin Soothing Peel is $51.50 (1.7 oz) at www.ReneeRouleau.com.

Whole Truth Holistic Health Solutions’ Healthy Beauty Bath Bars are handmade with 100% plant-based and vegan ingredients, including natural teas, organic oils and butters, and healing herbs. The Pumpkins From Poppy Seeds essential oil bath bar ($7, 5 oz bar) is great for acne sufferers and people with oily skin. It contains poppy seeds to gently exfoliate and pumpkin seed oil to nourish the skin. Annatto seed oil and sage oil have anti-inflammatory and astringent properties, and cedar oil combats acne and oily skin. Visit www.wholetruthsolutions.com.

Burt’s Bees Miracle Salve ($7, 2 oz) contains pumpkin seed oil combined with protein-rich bee pollen olive oil and wheat germ extract to hydrate and protect dry hair and skin. Beeswax helps to hold in moisture. Visit www.burtsbees.com for store locations.

REVIEW: Sound Oasis Sleep Therapy Pillow

The first time I used my Sound Oasis Sleep Therapy Pillow, I was testing it out in order to write a product review. I listened to Stevie Wonder and ended up listening to my entire collection of Motown anthologies. I didn't get much sleep that night, but I felt cozy under a warm comforter, my head pressed against the pillow as my favorite music flowed from inside. Then one night during a particularly hectic week when a deadline for six stories loomed just a few days ahead, I was tossin' and turnin', as the old Bobby Lewis song goes, and adjusting pillows, when I noticed a cord sticking out from inside one of them.

I couldn't believe it. That pillow had been resting against the headboard as mere decor for more than a year, handled only to remove for laundering, the satin pillow case that protected it. I shook my head and connected the pillow to a portable CD player beside the bed, and this time I popped in a soothing CD from the Aquae Sulis Spa (JW Marriott, Las Vegas) and before it reached track number 10, fittingly called "Stolen Slumber," I was in slumber land.

Music can be a great tool for relaxation therapy and has been proven to help reduce stress, ease depression and, as I can attest to, help relieve sleeplessness. It also helps if you chose the right music.

The Sound Oasis Sleep Therapy Pillow is available in a standard size (20" x 26") polyester fill pillow that comes with two thin stereo speakers that fit inside, making it much more comfortable than using headphones. The 1/8" (3.5mm) plug fits most electronic devices, so you can use it with your iPod/MP3 player, CD player, TV or radio. The pillow is also hand and machine washable (the speakers can be removed). The Sound Oasis Sleep Therapy Pillow retails for $49.99 online at sound-oasis.com or by calling 1-866-625-3218.

What the FTC Guidelines on Freebies Means to Freelance Writers

I read a brief item in the Writing World newsletter about a new Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ruling in relation to blogging. It reported that the FTC guidelines state that "any blogger in the States, who receives a freebie, including books to review in their blogs must now disclose them or face a fine of $11,000. " The item went on to say that the FTC guidelines suggest that bloggers who receive products for review are in effect receiving "payment in kind" and "can be seen as giving endorsements in return for the freebie." Payment? What is that? (More on this later).

I had been talking to a couple of writers with beauty blogs about this very issue the night before. They objected to this scrutiny by citing the print publication editors and writers who receive product samples and whose professionalism and acceptance of these items has not come into question. The FTC believes that consumers would be aware that traditional media receive review products for free but that they might not be aware that blogs or at least less-established blogs, might be receiving free product samples. In reading the actual FTC document, however, the rules apply to advertisers and marketers that use blogs and social media for product endorsements, and to sponsored blogs and bloggers who are paid for endorsements or are given free products in exchange for endorsements. It does not seem to apply to media professionals such as well-established blogs from online and print publications, but how these rules apply to freelance writers with blogs is confusing. And how the FTC will determine which blogs are legitimate media outlets and which are amateur blogs or sponsored blogs, is another matter of concern.

The FTC rules were met with quite a few irate posts, but I understand why the Commission, whose job is to protect consumers from fraud, would be concerned. I have visited numerous blogs by people who couldn't write a grocery list, passing themselves off as writers. Face it. Some bloggers really are writing product reviews simply to get free stuff. But for journalists, these items are neither payment nor gifts. For years film critics have been invited to free movie screenings, and are sometimes even flown to film junkets held in states other than their own. Book reviewers have been sent review copies and galley proofs. Music critics have received complimentary concert tickets and music. Need I mention restaurant critics and the network foodies who are presented with samples of cuisine that I’ve watched news anchors taste on air? This is a job. Do business employees pay for the supplies they receive in order to do their jobs?

It is far easier for someone-- anyone--to put up a blog than to write for print publications where one must pass the scrutiny of editors, most of whom will check to make sure the writer has credentials and, well, gee whiz--can actually write. Professional writers and journalists have studied those minor details of composition--grammar, spelling, how to construct a sentence, etc., and have developed fact-checking and proofreading skills. Oh, and some have actually studied or at least have a sense of ethics, concerning issues of plagiarism and copyright infringement, for example.

I think most consumers are smarter than the FTC (and apparently some magazine and newspaper bigwigs) think. I also think they know a legitimate journalist from a hack. And if they knew what most journalists and freelance writers make, I don't think they would mind them testing, and then keeping, that free tube of toothpaste they received in the mail--and really, do you think it would be wise for them to return it?

I have been writing professionally for 32 years now. I have been a book reviewer, record reviewer, beauty columnist, new products columnist, and travel writer and my judgement has never come into question. I truly resent the fact that anyone can question my honesty or believe that my reviews and articles can be tainted because of a freebie. If a book, album or product, was, in my opinion, horrible, it didn't receive any ink at all. If it had flaws, those flaws were mentioned, and if it was great, naturally I'd let you know that too.

Since I don’t let freebies influence my reviews (and believe me, I’ve been kicked off a few PR lists in the past because of this) I don’t mind adding a disclosure. However, if this fine applies to journalists, it is just another insult professional writers have had to endure since the dawn of the Internet. Where else can experts find a site where they can purchase books that they can pass off as their own to unsuspecting consumers? These are not books that are ghost written using these experts' knowledge and ideas. No, this is the publishing equivalent of a hair weave. The only thing that is real is your name and the fact that you bought the service.

And where else can thieves take content (what we used to call articles) and simply change the by-line? A few years ago I did online research for a relationship article and came across twenty copies of the exact same article with twenty different by-lines! The culprits stole a list of five relationship tips from the advertisement page of the real author's website. The relationship tips had been offered free of charge to potential readers to entice them to purchase the book from which these tips were excerpted. Surely he did not intend for others to steal his work. I could go on and on and on with examples like this much like the search engine pages I had to surf through, but I won't. Well, actually I will mention two of the by-line boosters: one was a journalist from a Nigerian newspaper, the other as it turned out, was a psychic. Imagine the snickers I would have received if I had credited Madam I-Can-See-A-Man-In-Your-Future as an expert in my article. Several writers now Google their own names on a regular basis and find their hijacked articles on countless websites.

If this $11,000 fine did apply to journalists who write legitimate reviews, it would be a travesty. Most freelance writers don't even make $11,000, though perhaps they would if they didn't constantly get stiffed by publishers. Publishers rip us off on a regular basis and the so-called online magazines are even worse. Why not go after these shysters? Here's my suggestion for people who deserve a $11,000 fine:

• Online publications that want four or more, well-researched, fully documented 1,000 word articles for the paltry fee of $25 (demanding All Rights, no less). So what does that amount to? About a half cent an hour, maybe? Get real.
  
  
• Upstart or simply cheap online and print publishers who think they are doing us a favor by allowing us to write for free in order to get a coveted by-line. Darling, I've been writing for years. I have more by-lines than I can count (many with more incorrect spellings of my name than you can imagine). I don't need a by-line. I need to pay the rent.
  
  
• Haughty publications that pay crap, yet enforce their archaic rules upon freelancers that extend even to work that doesn't have a damned thing to do with the publication.
  
  
• Websites and online publications that reprint articles without the writer's permission. No, reprinting an article simply by naming the publication in which it appears and crediting the author does not constitute permission. You have to contact the writer and set up an agreement for usage and/or payment.
  
  
• Content thieves that boldly steal articles and replace the true author’s by-line or tag line with their name.
  
  
• Plagiarists who make minor changes to articles and pass them off as their own.
  
  
• Any publication, online or print, that refuses to compensate writers for their work, whether it is by verbal or written agreement. This especially applies to publishers who not only refuse to pay for articles that have been used, but reuse the articles in additional publications and on their websites.
  
  

That's it for my bitching and moaning. I'm going to take a Prilosec for the acid that is churning in my stomach over this. By the way, it is a prescription. The company didn't send it to me for free. 'Kay?

For further information on the FTC guidelines:

FTC news release. You will also find links to information about the endorsement guidelines, as well as the text of the Revised Endorsement and Testimonial Guides at this site.

Also read this TechCrunch article by Brian Solis, FTC Values Sponsored Conversations At $11,000 Apiece

I'd like to hear your thoughts on these issues. Please leave a comment.