If you’re a gadget/tech freak like myself, then you’ll love what I believe is the absolute picks of the year. With the help of GQ, here is a list of must haves for 2010.
Best New Tech: GQ’s 2010 Gear Preview
Motorola Backflip $TBA; available this Spring
We have a feeling this will be our favorite Android phone based on the design alone. It has an ample, full QWERTY keypad, a zippy touchscreen, plus an additional touchpad on the reverse side for navigating through the phone without obstructing the screen—great for scrolling through long articles on the web. And when placed on a table as shown, it can turn into a clock or a digital picture frame.
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Lenovo IdeaPad U1 $1000; available June 1st
The conundrum of the year is this: ultraportable laptop or tablet? The Lenovo IdeaPad gives you both. Use it like a normal 11.6 inch, Windows 7 laptop, or pop it out as a standalone tablet for when you really want to go portable.
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Samsung 7000 Series LED TV $TBA; available in the first half of 2010
Yes, this thing is super thin and the picture is awesome, but what we like the most is the chrome, four-legged stand—it gives your set a more Design Within Reach-feel as opposed to, say, a Radio Shack one. Plus the 7000 Series has a 3D processor if you decide to make the jump and get a 3D Blu-ray player this summer.
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Sennheiser/adidas CX 680 Sports $120; available this Spring
mPower Emergency Illuminator $290; available in March An LED flashlight designed by the Porsche Design Studio, the mPower Emergency Illuminator has replaceable CR123 batteries in one tube and a rechargeable reserve battery that will keep its charge, even if it’s not used for 20 years, in the other. It also has a USB connection to charge mobile phones and other devices.
Samsung HT-C6730W $TBA; available mid-2010There are plenty of home theaters in a box out there, but this one stands out because of it’s sleek piano black finish, 7.1 surround sound—yes that’s seven speakers and a subwoofer—plus apps that give you access to Netflix, Pandora, and Twitter.
Powermat 2X Portable Mat with Integrated Battery $100; available in AprilIt’s time to ditch the wires in 2010. Simply throw your phone on the Powermat and you’re done—nothing to plug in and no spaghetti tangle of wires to deal with. Older Powermat products required you to place bulky covers on your phone, but this year you’ll just need to replace your battery with a Powermat one—in other words, it won’t change the look or feel of your device. This portable Powermat is meant for the road warrior: it can charge 2 things wirelessly and has a battery containing up to four full device charges—for shorter trips, you won’t have to deal with wires at all.
Sony Bravia NX800 Series HDTV $4600; available this Spring
Tivit $120; available this Spring
Parrot AR.Drone $TBA; available late 2010So there you have it! These items are HOT! I got my eye on 1 or 2 of them.
You have probably already heard or read John Mayer’s interview with Playboy. If you didn’t, here is just an excerpt of what’s on the mind of Mr. Mayer. I guess since it’s Black History Month he needed to do his part. Read on…
PLAYBOY: If you didn’t know you, would you think you’re a douche bag?
MAYER: It depends on what I picked up. My two biggest hits are “Your Body Is a Wonderland” and “Daughters.” If you think those songs are pandering, then you’ll think I’m a douche bag. It’s like I come on very strong. I am a very…I’m just very. V-E-R-Y. And if you can’t handle very, then I’m a douche bag. But I think the world needs a little very. That’s why black people love me.
PLAYBOY: Because you’re very?
MAYER: Someone asked me the other day, “What does it feel like now to have a hood pass?” And by the way, it’s sort of a contradiction in terms, because if you really had a hood pass, you could call it a nigger pass. Why are you pulling a punch and calling it a hood pass if you really have a hood pass? But I said, “I can’t really have a hood pass. I’ve never walked into a restaurant, asked for a table and been told, ‘We’re full.’”
PLAYBOY: It is true; a lot of rappers love you. You recorded with Common and Kanye West, played live with Jay-Z.
MAYER: What is being black? It’s making the most of your life, not taking a single moment for granted. Taking something that’s seen as a struggle and making it work for you, or you’ll die inside. Not to say that my struggle is like the collective struggle of black America. But maybe my struggle is similar to one black dude’s.
PLAYBOY: Do black women throw themselves at you?
MAYER: I don’t think I open myself to it. My dick is sort of like a white supremacist. I’ve got a Benetton heart and a fuckin’ David Duke cock. I’m going to start dating separately from my dick.
PLAYBOY: Let’s put some names out there. Let’s get specific.
MAYER: I always thought Holly Robinson Peete was gorgeous. Every white dude loved Hilary from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. And Kerry Washington. She’s superhot, and she’s also white-girl crazy. Kerry Washington would break your heart like a white girl. Just all of a sudden she’d be like, “Yeah, I sucked his dick. Whatever.” And you’d be like, “What? We weren’t talking about that.” That’s what “Heartbreak Warfare” is all about, when a girl uses jealousy as a tactic.
I”m going to say this with love because that’s the only way I know how to do it, but John epitomizes the covert racism that sits in the bloodstream of most people in this country. Covert, because up until today most of his fans probably never thought Mr. Mayer was a racist. And that’s exactly what he is. People typically say things they feel or believe in. The fact that he was so at ease with expressing this to an outlet as large as Playboy Magazine really shows his true colors. Imagine what he’s saying in the privacy of his four walls with his closest friends.
I”m not a racist so I don’t go around calling white people “crackers”. I don’t go around giving silent “shout outs” to Hitler. I don’t go around making statements that inflict pain, induce inferiority and offend people of a certain race or ethnicity BECAUSE THAT’S NOT HOW I FEEL. There was absolutely no reason or basis for his response which makes the comments even that much worse. Honestly, he really could have just said “my preference is not black women” and I could have respected him. But you couldn’t do that could you John? Since your duets and performances with the likes of Common, Kanye and Jay-Z, you probably obtained a huge new black following. The same black following that probably made purchases of your cd. The same black following that you probably offended in some way with this interview. So Mr. Mayer, you and that proverbial “hood pass” and your “David Duke dick” just lost a fan. I thoroughly enjoyed your music and actually just made a purchase on iTunes the other week which I will try to return. I also had 2 of your CD’s in my iTunes “Wish List” that I will remove. I guess that’s your loss.*shrugs*
News flash – making a dramatic difference in your appearance does not require a scalpel, 2 packs of weave or 12 weeks of intense cardio! There are actually a few quick and easy ways you can give your look an instant boost without spending absorbent amounts of money:
1) Consider having your eyebrows professionally sculpted either by having them waxed or threaded. Your eyebrows frame your face and can add depth and intrigue to your eye area. Be sure to not have them arched too high or to get them too thin. You don’t want to look surprised all the time or to get them so thin that you almost appear to have none at all.
2) Stepping out on the town? Got a hot date? Want to make an impression at a special event? Why not consider fake lashes? This is a quick and easy way to create the look of elegance. Fake lashes come in a variety of styles – some more natural looking and others more dramatic in length and fullness. A good rule of thumb is to consider that less is more. You want to have good-looking lashes – not fake looking lashes. Also, consider having them applied professionally for the first time. The application can be tricky and the last thing you want to happen is for your lash to detach in front of a perfect stranger!
3) Have you ever wondered how the celebrities have faces that appear to be sculpted, vibrant and airbrushed? Maybe they’re born with it? Maybe they have a great make-up artist! Yes, it’s probably the latter of the two. Adding light and defining certain key places on the face can enhance and even create light and definition where otherwise there is none. There are many products on the market for highlighting the face ranging from crème highlighters to powdered products. Using a foundation or a concealer up to 2 shades lighter than your own works fabulously. If you don’t want to invest in highlighter, concealer or foundation, use one of your beige-colored eye shadows that you no doubt have within one of your shadow palettes. Add this color with a sponge applicator underneath your eyes, in the inner-corners of your eyes, underneath each cheekbone, down the length of your nose from between the eyes to the tip of the nose, in the center of your chin and across your forehead. Then use a large make-up brush and gently blend. Instantly, you appear rested and youthful! One of the finest in his craft, Sam Fine, makeup artist to the stars, published the book Fine Beauty full of techniques and full-color pictures of some of the most amazing work ever. Here, on the cover of his book, he displays among the many techniques, his highlighting trick:
4) Try a pink lip gloss for a clean, natural and dewy look. Yes – pink, ladies. All of us have a pink that compliments our complexion. Some of us look better with rose-tinted pinks while others look better with more mauve-colored and brownish pinks. A great way to make pink your pink is to use a liner. First apply light brown or dark pink liner to the lip line. Gently blend your liner so that it doesn’t literally look like a line. Then apply your gloss (or glosses). Sometimes, achieving your best lip color requires a blend of more than one gloss. Also, a key to longevity in your lip product is lip conditioning. Washing your face alone does not adequately maintain the integrity of the skin on your lips. Consider using a lip masque product and a lip conditioning product to help remove dead skin and to smooth and heal the skin. This will improve the texture of the skin, preventing your lips from cracking and peeling.
5) Do people of color blush? I can’t say that I ever have but I certainly do apply it and it truly enhances my entire face. Blush can bring out features you did not know you had and it can create ones you do not have. Please do not achieve the clown face when applying you blush! Red circles on your cheeks is not the proper application. Adding a touch of color to the apple of your cheek and then using a large, angled brush to sweep the color up and to the outer corner of your eye can do wonders to create the look of high cheekbones. Afraid of overdoing it? No problem – just sweep your face with loose powder. Traditionally, when we think of blush, we think of reds and rosie pinks but there are also the bronzes, raisins and mauvey pinks. Don’t worry about your blush matching your lipstick or your eye shadow. It’s meant to enhance not match!
6) And finally, last but not least, the infamous, never-failing, always sexy and alluring, captivating smokey eye! There are numerous versions of this technique and it’s not for the faint at heart! You have to be bold, courageous and enchanting to pull this one off - otherwise the look can come across as excessive and superficial. Don’t bother going to get a “smokey eye” makeup palette. Just find your black eye liner, some black, charcoal or dark brown shadow and some black mascara and a matte highlighting shadow to accent your brow bone and you’re off! There are numerous tutorials on the internet showing you different ways to achieve this look varying from a basic cocktail after work smokey eye to a more dramatic black tie affair smokey eye. As a rule, to avoid a busy face, the smokey eye should be paired with a pale or nude lip. You don’t want anything but the eyes to have the attention of your audience.
Still thinking about paying thousands for a nose job or lip injections? Take one or two of these tips out for a test drive and you’ll be amazed at the amazing transformation! Enjoy!
Always enjoying the eye candy of a well dressed man, Cocoa Chicks CritiQues wants you to feast your eyes on this! Hoodies of back in the day are no more…
HOT! HOT! HOT!
Have you ever noticed how your face may look when you wake up in the morning? It may be puffy in certain areas, oily or wrinkled. I know personally there are days I can see a change in how I look in the morning depending on what I did before I started counting sheeps. For example, if I sleep on my side vs. on my back, in the morning the side of my face I slept on is very puffy.
Well the ladies of Cocoa Chicks CritiQues wants you to look fab first thing in the morning. MSN Lifestyle found a few great things to do to “Get Gorgeous While You Sleep”. There were a couple of suggestions we didn’t agree with, like taking rooster pills, so we replaced them with our own little secrets!
Get an Early Start
Make a habit of washing your face a few hours before bed. If you wait until you’re tired, you’re more likely to blow it off—allowing “toxins and dirt to stay on there all night,” says dermatologist Laurie Polis of N.Y.C. Another consequence? You miss the best time to treat your skin. “At night there’s more blood flow to the skin’s surface, and there’s nothing else on your face to interfere with absorption,” Polis says.
Sleep On Your Back
Lying on your stomach is bad for “beauty sleep.” The average head weighs 7 to 8 pounds—a lot of pressure to be putting on your face every night. In fact, many dermatologists say they can tell what side of the face people sleep on by the number of wrinkles there.
Get a Lift
Sleep with your head elevated on two pillows, or put the headrest area of your bed on 2- to 4-inch pieces of wood. Gravity helps lymph and blood flow so fluid won’t accumulate, Polis says.
Save Money, Not Wrinkles
At night you don’t need to worry about eye treatments smearing your makeup, so slather on the richest formula you can. Polis swears by Aquaphor: “It conditions lashes and hydrates the delicate eye skin really well.”
Avoid Carb Face
To wake with defined cheekbones, eat a high-protein, low-sugar dinner (try salmon and asparagus, a natural diuretic). Skip the rice, pasta and potatoes. “When our diet’s high in glycemic carbohydrates, our features take on a soft, doughy appearance,” says Connecticut dermatologist Nicholas Perricone
Wrap It Up
To minimize A.M. frizz, sleep on a satin pillowcase or put your hair in a silk scarf. “Those fabrics are much softer than cotton, so there’s less friction,” says Harry Josh, a John Frieda stylist.
Slap On the Moisturizer or Night Cream
Using and applying a night cream should be an intergral part of your skin care routine…esepcially once you reach 30s. It is proven that the skin’s ability to absorb active ingredients happens the most at night. Also, skin loses the most essential moisture at night. The results in the morning are wonderful!
Drink Up!
Can’t say enough about water. Do you realize how much water our body uses throughout the day? Most of us do not replenish what we’ve used up so of course our skin is dry! Plus remember what we said above about what happens at night with our face? Drink a big glass of water before bedtime ladies.
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