I recently made a trip the Blossom Lounge Bath + Body with Carole and was struck by MOR Cosmetics’ beautiful little Lip Delights. Oval shaped, golden-designed etched little boxes held delicious lip cares in varying flavours. Aesthetic over everything, really…these delights had me vying. Ever so generous Shauna surprised me with this as a goodie, and I couldn’t be more…well, delighted! This treasure’s the “Sorbet” version – delectable.

The collections combine Deon and Dianna’s flair for design and are presented in uniquely beautiful packaging. The duo is continuously refining their ranges ~ sourcing new ingredients & innovation to capture the essence of luxury and well-being.

 

Today, MOR brings you over 250 exquisite pampering products. The brand is sold in some of the world’s savviest beauty and lifestyle emporiums, spas and department stores, including Harrods & Fenwick’s in the UK, Fred Segal, Nordstrom, Lisa Kline & Anthropologie in the USA, David Jones & Myer in Australia.

 

MOR also enjoys a cult following around the globe with a celebrity fan base of red-carpet beauties from Sydney to New York, Tokyo to London and beyond.

Shop Song was ringing through my headphones for the longest time – and the one accountable for doing this to me was none other than miss PEARL FUTURE (aka Pearly), the next power vocalist emerging from Bay Area, US. We first got in touch through the beauty of social networking – a la MySpace. Being amazingly down to Earth (if you can believe – this girl moderates her own page comments and takes the time to respond), Pearl Future did a little Q&A for urbanebloc.com on her upcoming gigs.

She’s a “Cali hippie type with a gangster mentality”. Read up after the jump.

1. You’re so fond of the San Fran Bay Area – tell me how it’s influenced you / why you’re running it there?
   hmmm, many things have happened to me here in the Bay that have contributed to who I am so…yes, this area is under my skin. At 17 I lived in a communal artist warehouse… the rent was super cheap. It was a crazy mini government going on in there and they threw huge underground parties all the time. I met a lot of DJ’s and musicians, but they were sometimes on another musical trip than me. I interned at a hip hop studio and was writing pop music… my music evolved outta that. But I also met poets and painters and famous drag queens, so it all worked out. The Bay Area is unique in the way the way that there is a lot of open mindedness and so many different types of personalities. You end up with very few similar people… you bond on a different level. Like basically just acceptance. But I live by the street rules. If you treat me cool, I treat you cool. I stay outta your business, you outta mine. If I like you we are tight. Don’t hussle me.

 

2. You have an aggressive nature to your music – how do you think it makes people react?
   I hope it makes people assert themselves. Either to themselves or the world around them. I have a fighting spirit. Not so much physically, but mentally. I can be mouthy too. I stand up for things, but not in an activist way, more in a protective personal way. I’m the friend that stands up for you. I also am a firm believer that you have to go get the things you want outta life. I have a big heart that I protect. Its easy to get taken advantage of… so I pretty much play it safe. No one gets a pass until they earn it.

 

3. Dr. Dre, Bjork, Chopin – all such different backgrounds, how do you mix elements of all of them together to form your own style?
   The original list for those references was so big. I made a list and the writer chose those… but I admit, she was keen, they represent me well.

 

4. You started in music so early – who has ever heard of a sound engineer at 16! Tell me what it was like working professionally while still being a teenager.
   Yes, at 16 I engineered my first session alone. I handled the patching and sending and outboard gear. It was a Neve console and it was a tracking and transfer session. That’s what I did a lot… we transferred ADAT sessions into ProTools 24.. an early platform of Protools… I’m glad we’re into HD now. I moved onto editing once I started recording my first album.

 

5. You’re originally from Vegas – do you think that plays into your entertainment factor?
   Yes, I’m sure it does. The lights and costumes are addictive. My Dad was a pit boss and I was regularly left at casinos to be watched, like CircusCircus. It was fun… adults snuck me in backstage to the shows. It was surreal… I’m sure it rubbed off.

 

6. Shop Song is unnervingly addictive, it sounds like such a powerful song with piercing vocals. Where’d the idea come from?
   I have a girlfriend and when her and I get together there is this crazy shopping chemistry. We are insane and it feels like a drug, we go outta control. I was trying to capture that. I’m not gonna lie… it’s not my first time in a store!!

 

7. You’re so direct with your fans! Even for myself, I met you on MySpace, how do you connect with people usually, and how does the Internet play into your art / craft?
   I love the internet… when I can get on it! I don’t get a lot of time for it lately. I love how there is a real spirit of “doing your dreams” online. People sharing stuff, opening their minds. I like meeting people online, and like with us, it’s was really easy to meet, so it’s cool. I was able to find your blog and you could hear my music… I love that! I have also been able to work with other musicians from all over the world because of the internet and that has been great. The internet is changing the music and entertainment industry a lot. It is pretty wild right now.

 

8. What’s something that’s in your music collection that would surprise us?
   Would screamo surprise you? I dig Brokencyde and stuff like them, it’s a cool genre. I love heavy metal and classic rock too. Techno and Drum-N-Bass. Oh, I know what would surprise you… Andreas Vollenweider! Surprise!

 

9. What’s next Pearly, where can we find you?
   You called me Pearly… thats crazy cuz that shopping girlfriend of mine calls me that!! Girl, I bet we could shop!! :) Next? Well, A LOT! I have been developing my style and sound over these past months and we will be starting slow as we lead up to my single and album release, sometime in late 2010. I’ll be touring again also. Getting the word out and creating awareness to let pop music fans know about the music is what I’m doing right now. That is why it is so great to do this for your dope blog, you are definitely up on stuff early… I love that!

You can find more on Pearl Future at myspace.com/pearlfuture and twitter.com/pearlfuture

In a not-so-distant future, MTV’s FORA Magazine will launch (a joint venture with surprisingly, Clean & Clear). A week ago I had the fun of heading down to catch the filming of Kelly Cutrone on the Aftershow with Jesse Cruickshank and Dan Levy at the Masonic Temple (I can’t even remember the last time I was there – possibly for a Lauren Conrad filming). Following a bump in with miss Jules and Janet from Lotus Leaf, industry and media folk were ushered through a maze of old fashioned elevators and giant chess pieces, into a dark room filled with afternoon delights and a giant projector screen. Enter FORA Announcement by our favourite aftershow hosts.

Thanks to Casie Stewart for looping me in – hoping to be contributing to the magazine for the next issue. Also a quick hello to Lisa (we finally got to meet!) Cheers to more!

]]> http://www.urbanebloc.com/mtv-fora-launch/feed/ 0 http://www.urbanebloc.com/damn-heels-foldable-flats/ http://www.urbanebloc.com/damn-heels-foldable-flats/#comments Tue, 09 Mar 2010 18:00:33 +0000 Gloria http://www.urbanebloc.com/?p=5389

“Saving women from their beloved damn heels.”

No matter what, there’s something still too primitive about a barefooted beauty in the wee hours of the morning after a night chock full of dancing. Here’s an in for innovative concepts like Damn Heels and earlier posted cazz. Foldable ballerina flats are our saviours for stilettos – they’re a compact and wildly affordable product that have entered the fashion-inclined markets. Essentially flats that stem from an easy-to-pick menu (three sizes – S-M-L and in a small range of colours). Damn Heels brings some sassy branding to it, as they’re wrapped up literally with a hot pink bow, complete with a leather-like pouch and little shoes housed inside topped with more ribbons at the toe. What’s more? The pouch turns into a reusa-bag that carries your hefty high shoes. While the Damn Heels shoes are a bit more thin in material / do without the elastic band backing of the shoe that cazz has, it’s definitely got the look down.

See below for some more product shots (they retail for $20). Hot hot et hot.

> images from damnheels.com

At the sweet recco of Maria, I picked up a bunch of tracks from Mozella, a songstress with vocals that tinge on Duffy-style music. I love the stories of people running off to LA to pursue their dreams – stolen from Wikipedia:

MoZella was born and raised in Livonia, Michigan, where she first got her start as a performer booking her own gigs in coffee houses at age 15. Immediately after graduating from high school, she set out for Los Angeles to pursue a career in music. She took a day job decorating cakes, leaving her free to perform at coffee houses in the evenings. In 2002, MoZella was invited to England to write and record with Tim Saul, producer for Portishead. After she spent six months in Europe, she returned to Los Angeles when label interest was building.

If that’s not incentive to start learning to decorate cakes, I’m not really sure what is. Personal favourite: “Light Years Away”.

Watch her cute little diddy called “Manhattan” after the jump.

Links: twitter.com/mozellamusic (though she keeps responding to people with winky faces only), myspace.com/mozella

Can’t…stop…yelling. But at least it’s hands free. Thanks to Chris I’m the proud owner of this hands free car-clipped blue tooth speakerphone, so I no longer have to fumble while driving or…just not answer for hours. And makes for a lot of: “Hey that girl’s crazy she keeps talking to the sky, freak”.

A product of late-night Wal-Mart visiting from holiday season, this wicked device makes for the perfect addition to the Fashion Tech Section of urbanebloc.com (yeah yeah, always thinking content). For under $80.00, this was an easy-install (literally clip-pair-use). Simple one-button touch and a dial for volume, the Jabra SP200 is part of their “Easy Series”. Easy enough that there’s only one product in the series, but besides the point.

Their words:

Drive ‘n’ talk
Drive with caution and avoid losing calls when you’re on the road. The new Bluetooth speakerphone SP200 by Jabra enables you to make hands-free calls. It connects wirelessly to your phone and needs no installation – simply clip it onto the visor.

The intuitive controls complement the unique user friendliness with a large easily accessible answer/end button, a volume wheel and a dedicated on/off switch. It’s as easy to operate as pulling down the visor.

The DSP voice processing technology delivers clear sounding details even in noisy environments. And the outstanding speaker performance makes every call sound loud and bright. Stamina is the key word of the battery providing 10 hours of talk time and 23 days of standby time. It even comes with a car charger and a USB cable so you can charge both inside and outside your car.

Hands-free talking while driving simply doesn’t get easier.

Dang right, doesn’t get easier.

]]> http://www.urbanebloc.com/jabra-hands-free-bluetooth/feed/ 2 http://www.urbanebloc.com/cazz-foldable-flats/ http://www.urbanebloc.com/cazz-foldable-flats/#comments Tue, 22 Dec 2009 14:00:23 +0000 Gloria http://www.urbanebloc.com/?p=4915

Have you heard? If you weren’t at the clothing swap, you haven’t likely as of yet. CAZZ foldable flats are a concept that stemmed from barefoot-streetwalkers (kidding – basically chikitas that decide that the pain of their high heels are too much to bear, and opt for shoeless nights). These portable flats literally tuck into themselves to half the size, and conveniently zip into a pouch (which also converts into a bag). These shoes are nothing short of rocket science (I’m sure in a few years they’ll have perfected dishwashing too). But seriously, they come in three colours and are a non-fortune of $17.49 + tax.

Look through CAZZ.ca for the next in innovative shoewear – you might be pleasantly delighted (plus they make some sweet stocking-stuffer-slash-new-years-presents). I picked up the silver ones, they’re a metallic-y goodness.

]]> http://www.urbanebloc.com/cazz-foldable-flats/feed/ 3 http://www.urbanebloc.com/lizares-ss-2010/ http://www.urbanebloc.com/lizares-ss-2010/#comments Mon, 02 Nov 2009 23:48:42 +0000 Gloria http://www.urbanebloc.com/?p=4519

LIZARES is an emerging men’s ready-to-wear line, under the creative direction of Brian Maristela. Maristela happens to be a keeper of an interesting bio – born and raised in Sudbury, a top graduate of Fashion Design at Fanshawe college, and integrates his Filipino roots into design (cultural materials). The makings of something refreshingly original.

The mission? “To create timeless, powerful pieces that appeal to the likes of global opinion leaders and style makers”.

The line is new (started in 2009), crisp, meticulously detailed, and a welcomed edginess. It debuted at LG Fashion Week (unfortunately during the day so I wasn’t able to attend). Have a look at two other campaign shots below, and more images here.

image credit to Navy Nhum, www.dtourphotography.com

The Roosevelt Room is a hotly anticipated supper club slated to open late November (though I’ve heard so much about it, and might perhaps stop by the media preview tomorrow. With a menu inspired by the first ever Academy Awards and a beautifully themed reception, it’s pretty hard to pass up). The venue is located behind the TIFF Tower, located on 2 Drummond Place, downtown Toronto. Love the theme of old Hollywood glamour and the 20s theme (flapper dresses and sophisticated head pieces?)

Here’s a smidge more:

The Roosevelt Room is more than just a restaurant and nightclub. It is an unprecedented approach to dining and dancefloor entertainment; a place where the ‘big bands’ of the 1920s have been exchanged for fantastic DJs, but the cabaret girls remain.

Beauty. www.therooseveltroom.ca for more

I was gifted with two lovely Kiss the Girl T-Shirts for review – and I must say that I was pleasantly delighted. While I’m not usually an advocate for graphic tees, I found these ones of what I’d almost deem excessively comfortable, just the right amount of kitsch, and the perfect go-to for a casual day of…you guessed it, weekend work. Throw on a lavender dress shirt (I’m obsessed with the perma wrinkle one that I got from Talula), a waist belt (the one pictured is my favourite belt, Brave Belt), and some other mish mash (here being a jersey dress and tall taupe boots with leg warmers), and you’ve got yourself an outfit.

I did some webcam photos of the shirt initially, and they were too embarrassing to feature (though they’re in a thumby below). So instead, while on my photo venture on Main Street with Vijaya (for VJ!), I had her snap a few with me still clad in this.

Let me know what you think in le comments!