55 Secret Street

$55 and Under: Japan Relief T-Shirt by Tory Burch

Generally, when you hear about companies donating portions to disaster relief efforts, you hear the phrase "a portion of the proceeds when it comes to the actual profits."   Therefore, when I heard that Tory Burch was actually donating 100% of the net proceeds from the sale of her Japan Relief T-shirt to the American Red Cross to benefit the Japan earthquake and Pacific tsunami relief efforts, I was impressed.  Another bonus for your generosity in buying the shirt: free standard shipping.

Tory Burch Japan Relief T-shirt $29.00.

$55 and Under: Incredible by Victoria's Secret

When Nichelle  asked if I (Nicole from Sample This Beauty) wanted to attend the Incredibles by Victoria's Secret Collection event at their Soho location in New York I was excited to say the least. I am a faithful Victoria's Secret bra wearer so I was eager to learn about their new Incredible Collection.

 I wasn’t sure if any of Victoria's Secret Angels would be in attendance, but then I immediately spotted Chanel Iman, Lily Aldridge, Erin Heatherton, Adriana Lima and Candice Swanepoel...I guess I got my answer. The models wearing eye catching sparkled dresses in neon colors and looked just as beautiful as they do in print.

The Collection consists of 5 different variations of the Incredible bra:

 Front-close Push-up Bra

Front-close Multi-way Bra

Demi Bra

Push-up Bra

Racerback Demi Bra 

The bras come in a variety colors from neon pink to animal print and range in price from $48.00 to $52.00. All five options (yes I tried all of them) fit and feel amazing. I chose the Front-close Multi-way which was has an awesome strapless option and is perfect for the bustiers I bought recently.  Overall, I was very pleased with the Incredible Collection and the Incredible perfume ($45), which is light yet sexy.

Fuck Yeah, Asians With Perms!

And you thought Black women were the only ones with hair issues...

In the hot mess tradition of frizzy, Aqua-net frozen mullets and juicy, drippy jheri curls, may I present  Fuck Yeah, Asians With Perms!  (For the uninitated, Fuck Yeah! is a common meme on Tumblr.)  

That's my buddy Jen Wang of Digrasian in the opening photo with her mom.  She started Fuck Yeah, Asians With Perms! after the huge reaction she got after posting an old high school yearbook photo of herself on Facebook.  Most of her friends insisted that they burned their old perm photos and Jen didn't buy it!  

From Disgrasian: 

Normally, internalized racism vis-a-vis beauty–i.e. the things non-white people do to look like white people because that’s what’s considered beautiful–is sad and sometimes dangerous and also, um, sad, but, I’m sorry, Asians with perms are fuckin’ hilarious. Besides, everyone wants hair like ours now anyway, so no one will remember that things went the other way once upon a time, follically-speaking, unless we start an archive.

FYAWP is accepting submissions so, if you know anyone or didn't "burn" your own evidence, don't let a good Tumblr go to waste...

Secret Weapon: Bali Invisibles Firm Control Leggings

I won a pair of Bali Invisibles leggings from my same-name blog pal Nichelle Pace's STYLEMOM blog during her Bali 7 Day Challenge Series.  I've been wearing the leggings all winter and they have worked out well, to say the least.  First of all, I could get into them without cutting off my circulation or twisting myself into a pretzel.  And, I forgot that I had a second pair, so I kept washing one pair over and over again and it's held up well.  I've worn them under dresses (with boots) and under slacks and jeans and not only are they comfortable, they don't roll down (no hiking up!) and you really do get the smooth, firm control that you are supposed to get from shapewear.  Another bonus? I asked for an XL to be on the safe side, but I could tell that I could get away with a large size if I have to. Total all around win.

 

 

Bali Invisibles:  Shaping Firm Control Leggings 2-Pack, $25. Seamless All-In-One Torset Firm Control $48.  Seamless Cami Torset Firm Control $36.