6FootBombshell

I had the chance of assisting Maggie Anderson of The Empowerment Experiment, host a wonderful networking event at TAGS Boutique in Smyrna, GA.  TAGS, partly owned by the beautiful Kandi Burruss of the Real Housewives of Atlanta, is an ultra chic boutique for men and women located at 4500 West Village Place.  Not filled with any of that 5/7/9 or KnowStyle crap, TAGS is definitely the place to go if you’re looking for something sexy and you don’t want to worry about the tag.  What was even more of a pleasant surprise was their “plus size” section.  There were items  I wanted to buy and have taken in by a seamstress they were so cute.  And for you men, Kandi didn’t forget about you.  The boutique is evenly filled with clothes and shoes for you as well.  Hot items too. For my tall ladies, not to many items for us but that’s just like every store.  We can definitely get a shirt or two.  Unless you can do a 34 inch inseam in jeans then you should be ok.

Go check them out!

TAGS Boutique 4500 West Village Place, Smyrna, GA www.tagsatl.com

Like most of us ladies, we have a mean fetish for a bad ass shoe.  The addiction to heels and Christian Louboutin’s newest release is worthy of an episode on A&E’s “Intervention”.  If you’re lucky, you can curb that addiction with a fix.

One of my most notable fashionista friends, Che as she is called, posted her “new babies” on Facebook.  Her new baby is a beautiful black suede with turquoise spray paint, Nicholas Kirkwood shoe. Feast your eyes on this ladies…

Nicholas Kirkwood Fall 2010, $815.  Available at Jeffrey Atlanta and NY.

I guess if you make any of the “Forbes Highest” list, you’re doing pretty damn good…especially during a recession.  Money is tight and companies that typically use big name models to promote their items, have resorted to using some untested faces.  Although the industry is strapped for cash, these models are recession proof.  Here are the world’s highest paid models.  I guess Halle Berry was right, he is a loser for only making 700k. *shrugs*

Gisele – $25 million

Aside from starring in campaigns that included True Religion jeans and Dolce & Gabbana, she has her own sandals line–Ipanema by Gisele. In Vogue‘s April cover story, Bündchen touted environmental causes. She reportedly donated $1.5 million to the Red Cross for Haiti

Heidi Klum – $16 Million

Beyond the television fame, Klum remains a longstanding member of the Victoria’s Secret Angel entourage while also hosting Germany’s Next Top Model and endorsing a slew of products, including Diet Coke, Volkswagen, McDonald’s and LG.

Kate Moss – $9 million

One of the world’s most influential fashion icons; at 36, she’s built herself one of the most lucrative modeling careers in the world.  Moss remains the face of Versace, Longchamp and David Yurman, among others. In November she got flack from eating disorders’ support groups for telling Women’s Wear Daily, “Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels.”

(uummm this is a sought out look for modeling? No comment)

Adriana Lima – $7.5 million

Yet another Victoria’s Secret angel atop the list, the Brazilian beauty got her start as the winner of the Ford model competition “Supermodel of the Year.”

Doutzen Kroes – $6 million

Seen recently on the catwalk during fashion week for Prada, this Dutch beauty retains a lucrative contract with coveted cosmetics brand L’Oreal. Former holder of lucrative Calvin Klein Eternity and Calvin Klein White Label.  She’s the last angel to sign with Victoria’s Secret 2 years ago.

Alessandra Ambrosia – $5.5 million

In the past year the Brazilian has scored gigs with high fashion labels including Louis Vuitton, Prada and Moschino. Victoria’s Secret contract plus Latin American deals keep the cash rolling in.

Natalia Vodianova – $5.5 million

Rags to riches Russian model continues to live the American dream. A contract with lingerie company Etam and lucrative fragrance campaigns with Guerlain and Calvin Klein helped the 28-year-old pull in $5.5 million over the last year.

Daria Werbowy – $4.5 million

Lancome and H&M contracts lead a string of lucrative endorsements.

Miranda Kerr – $4 million

The Australian model collects fat checks from Victoria’s Secret and David Jones Limited.

Carolyn Murphy – $3.5 million

Murphy is once again the only American model on our list. The blonde is still going strong at the ripe old age of 36. Aside from her contract with Estée Lauder, she’s been campaigned for Roberto Cavalli, Anne Klein.  It pays to be the face of Estée Lauder.

They’re kinda average looking when they’re not all dolled-up on the runway.  That check isn’t average at all, though.  Do your thing ladies.

I would like to see these endorsers have a more diverse “looking” group of models.  I don’t think people realize how powerful these images are to young girls around the world.  If every image of beauty is being sold as these 10 faces, then what are little Asian girls thinking?  Or little Latina girls? Or black girls?  These companies need to start giving more of an accurate image of what this planet looks like.  Ijs.

We see some of the biggest names in Hollywood with these bags.  Some ladies dream of actually seeing one in the flesh.  I have a picture of what I believe to be the best pocketbook created on the planet, folded neatly in a journal to remind me, “one day, you’re going to buy me.”

Jean-Louis Dumas of Paris and longtime Hermes chief, has died Saturday after suffering a long illness.  Dumas was the great-great grandson of Thierry Hermes. Theirry founded the company in 1837.  At one time it was a leader in leather goods.  But just like a lot of fashion companies, if you are not one step ahead of the game, then you become yesterday’s news.  This is when Dumas stepped in and shook a few things up.  He began hiring new designers, extended the company’s lines and expanded internationally.  But his biggest success was Jane Birkin.

Jane Birkin is an English actress who had an encounter with Dumas on a flight to London. Intrigued by a tattered bag she was wearing, Dumas began to ask her about it. Whatever she said must have been really good because he invited her to join him at Hermes to design a new bag. The Birkin bag is known for its voluminous size and characteristically cool clasp that most of us ladies drool over when we pick up one of those entertainment magazines and see the Birkin bag hanging off forearms of stars like Victoria Beckham, Kelly Osborne and Oprah. More importantly, it’s known for its price. Birkin bags START at $7500.

Jean-Louis Dumas is credited for resuscitating Hermes. In 1978 Hermès had revenue of about $50 million; by 1990, $460 million; last year, $2.5 billion and 300 stores worldwide.   He was truly a fashion icon and the Birkin bag is a BEAST.

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!

One thing we love for sure over here at Cocoa Chicks CritiQues is man.  A grown ass man specifically.  And with a grown ass man comes grown ass things.

PSA gentlemen – WE LOVE WHEN YOU LOOK PRESENTABLE!  Whether its jeans and a button down, jeans and a FASHIONALBE tee (not the white tshirt that looks like your pajamas) or a tailored suit, we love it.  We think there are some items that should be a staple in your wardrobe.  One of those items is a nice jacket.

Homme Men’s jacket outerwear coat in chocolate, black and even grey.

This jacket is TIGHT.  It makes the mannequin sexy.  So we’re imagining what it can do on a actual man.  Made of cotton in a variation of colors but we think these 2 basic colors, black and brown, is the truth.  Very very sexy.