55 Secret Street

The Acid Queen

   

Okay, so I was going to post this last night - with more pictures - but my computer started having dizzy spells.  In fact, it's still having dizzy spells!

Anyway...

I love scrubs, but I'm an acid queen from way back - when they first started getting popular in the 90s.   My current favorite is Peter Thomas Roth Anti-Aging Cleansing Gel.   It's supposed to be for the face, but I use it on my body and I swear it gives my skin a certain glow that just doesn't happen with anything else.  Once I top it off with my  Nivea Q10 or my new favorite  Jamaican Punch Body Oil by Carol's Daughter, I'm practically blinding people.  Even my sweet eighty-something year old grandmother once said to me, "Baby, what are you doing to your skin?!"

I try not to get too crazy though.  I limit my use to 3 to 4 times per week and sometimes I follow with  aloe vera or PTR's Cucumber Gel Masque if  I have it on hand.

I also like DDF, but I'm afraid to go overboard with their glycolic body lotion following my PTR cleansing gel, so I use it on my regular shower gel days.   

I'm sure Grandma Ann would approve.

DDF-Doctor's Dermatologic Formula Glycolic Body Lotion 12.5% (8.45 oz) $42.00.  Peter Thomas Roth Cucumber Gel Masque (5.3 oz) $45.00.   DDF-Doctor's Dermatologic Formula Daily Cleansing Pads Glycolic 5% (60 Pads) $30.00.

She's Got Legs... And They're Shaven

 
Despite certain declarations - and demonstrations - on The View, black women do shave their legs.  Now granted, I have not met every black woman on the planet, but I am positive about two things:

1.)  It is never, I repeat never a good idea to touch a black woman's hair.

2.)  99.9% of black women do not believe it's okay to have leg hair showing through their pantyhose - or to have visible leg hair period.

As a black woman with dark skin, I will say that I do not know how often I shave because I only have to do it infrequently.  When the hair grows back, it's not very thick or visible and I usually don't have to bother unless I'm wearing a dress or I get ambitious.  And, like many women, I rarely bother with actual shaving cream - I just use whatever shower gel I have on hand.

Either way, I think I'll leave the hairy legs (and hairy everything else) to the fellas.

Carol's Daughter Jamaican Punch Body &  Bath Oil $18.00.   Schick Silk Effects Plus Razor with 2 Refill Blades $5.79. Michael Kors Leg Shine 2.7 oz Bronze $32.00.

King of the Cats

King of the Cats is a wonderful biography by Wil Haygood about the rakish, debonair Harlem Congressman and Baptist minister Adam Clayton Powell, Jr.   Even with the scandals that marred his legacy, Powell had some real accomplishments, such as the important role he played in the passage of minimum wage and anti-poverty acts, as well as bills supporting federal aid for education. 

However, he is primarily remembered for his fiery sermons, his radical politics and his flamboyant lifestyle.   After news of one of his adulterous affairs broke,  someone said to him, "I thought you were a man of the cloth."   He replied,  "I am.  Silk." 

King of the Cats: The Life and Times of Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. by Wil Haygood $10.85.   Rolex Vintage Silver Bracelet Watch $3,500.   L'Eau d'Issey Pour Homme $69.00.    Bergdorf Goodman Travel Shoe-Shine Kit $120.

Spoonbread & Strawberry Wine

Norma Jean Darden was a model in the 1970s, gracing the pages of Vogue, Harper's Bazaar and Essence, as well as the runways of Halston, Oscar de la Renta, Givenchy and others.   Today, she is the owner of two restaurants, Miss Mamie's Spoonbread Too and Miss Maude's Spoonbread Too, as well as a catering company,  Spoonbread Inc.    In 1979, along with her sister Carole,  she authored one of the most enduring African-American cookbooks, Spoonbread & Strawberry Wine.  Based on their family recipes and history, it's still a bestseller today.   I have had brunch at Miss Mamie's on many a Sunday after church in Harlem and, I must say, it doesn't hurt that it's right around the corner from my hairdresser!   Although I've had spoonbread, I must confess that I've never actually tried strawberry wine but that will definitely change in the near future.   The Spoonbread recipe below is direct from their website.

SPOONBREAD

8 servings
1 cup yellow cornmeal
3 tablespoons butter
3 large eggs, well beaten
2 cups boiling water
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk

Directions
1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Slowly add cornmeal to the boiling water, stirring constantly until thick and smooth.

2.  Add butter and salt and cool to lukewarm.   Then add eggs and milk.

3.  Beat for 2 minutes, then pour into a greased casserole and bake for 35 minutes or until golden brown.

4.  Spoon out while piping hot and pass the butter!

Six Easy Pieces

Walter Mosley's Six Easy Pieces has nothing to do with the  six easy pieces here - but why get in the way of a great title?  The Charlotte Beach Tunic Dress is perfection to me.  I love "throw on" outfits!  Who doesn't?  The Juicy Couture shorts are cute too.  I wouldn't walk around the streets of Manhattan in them though.  Guess I'll have to save them for the beach. 

Banana Republic Seamless Stretch Halter $14.99 (sale). Banana Republic Cropped Chino $39.99 (sale).   Charlotte Beach Tunic Dress $79.00.  Juicy Couture Short with Rose Embroidery $168.00.   Gap Ribbed V-Neck Tank $14.50.  Gap Favorite Cami $9.99 sale. 

Jump At The Sun

The Harlem Book Fair is coming up on Saturday, July 22, so I thought I'd have a little fun with book-themed posts this week.  Today's post was inspired by Zora Neale Hurston, the legendary novelist and anthropologist.  In the 1930s, she traveled throughout the American south, collecting folk tales, songs  and other invaluable African-American history.   I will be doing some traveling through the south myself this summer, although under much easier and desirable circumstances thanks to the gains black Americans have made over the decades.  The inside of my suitcase will look a little something like this...

Anthropologie Fourth of July Dress $118.  The Complete Stories by Zora Neale Hurston $14.95.  NARS Lip Stain Gloss in Chandernagor $22.50.   Neutrogena Age Shield SPF Sublock SPF 30 $9.44 (sale).    Miss Jessie's Curly Buttercreme $58.00.  Fresh Brown Sugar Body Polish $62.50.   Tocca Travel Candle Set $42.  Olympus WS-310 Digital Voice Recorder $179.00.

The Best of Everything

   

I think it's a true testament to a great product when you are willing to pay for it after getting it free for years.    I got the frangrances here, along with a TON of other free stuff for nearly two years during my brief stay at GQ.

A moment of silence for the 1 year, 7 months and 3 days of free swag from Chanel, Estee Lauder, Donna Karan...

They suddenly popped into my head amidst all of The Devil Wears Prada hype.  I haven't seen the movie yet, but I will.   Since I've already done my time at Conde Nast, I'm in no hurry.  In the meantime, I decided to go old school on the tortured magazine assistant front and start a book that I've had since last year, The Best of Everything by Rona Jaffe.  Published in 1958, it follows five young women who work at a New York publishing company that mirrors Conde Nast (Jaffe once worked at Mademoiselle - or was it Vogue?)  It was also made into a film starring Joan Crawford.

 Jean Paul Gaultier Classique Eau de Parfum $55-$70.   The Best of Everything by Rona Jaffe $13.50.   Issey Miyake l'eau de Issey $55-$75.  Bvlgari Eau Parfumee Green Tea $59.