Cool Accessories

I Love Aveda Products...

Create cool moments with peppermint to awaken your senses and rosemary to help protect from environmental damage.
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Rosemary Mint Shampoo

8.5 fl oz/250 ml
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Rosemary Mint Conditioner

8.5 fl oz/250 ml
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Rosemary Mint Bath Bar

7 oz/200 g

No longer available online. Please visit an Aveda Salon

New Years' Resolutions, No...Yes?

Is it necessary to make New Years' resolutions that are broken are easy as they are conjured? This year I will be thinner, wiser, more confident, giving, prosperous and procrastinate much less than in the past. These are my daily resolutions and I feel 2008 will be a milestone year for many, myself included. It's a most exciting time, despite an ugly war, genocide in Sudan, an inordinate cost of living, overwhelming home foreclosures, unemployment, underemployment, spiritual bankruptcy, violence against women and children, inner city blues, clinical depression and an overall lack of integrity in our society. You survived, so rejoice and be kind to yourself and others! The photo above also show survivors of the mass killings going on in Darfur, Sudan.

2008 is a new beginning as are all new years. This has been a challenging year, a year of good fortune and sorrows, the contrast of life. But, what I'm most grateful to have received in 2007 is the good fortune to better understand "human nature" (motivations, personal agendas, altruism, kindness and jealousy). I realize my self worth and know how I must believe in myself, regardless of who doesn't or see things my way! What I do want as some form of resolution is to better "accept" things as they are-- attitudes, opinions, perspectives, conditioning, selfishness, avarice and inequities....which are opposing views, judgments, assessments, pundits, bigotry, sexism, ageism, jealousy and envy, racism, poor public schools, tabloid news, our industrialized prison system, domestic violence, human trafficking, sweat shops and global warming. I accept that these imbalances do exist. I accept that I can't change anyone other than myself. I accept that greed and selfishness are the root cause for much of what ails us.

I accept that I will do what I can to help make this world a better and safer place. I accept that I'm fortunate to live in a country that despite all kinds of challenges, dreams do come true, we're so wealthy and can do so much to help others here and around the world. I accept that I'm a part of the solution, whether going green, mentoring teens, fundraising, giving back, learning, sharing, pampering and being as happy and as often as I can, this I do accept!

Saleisha Cooper - America's Next Top Model Winner

Congratulations to Saleisha Cooper, winner of cycle 9, America's Next Top Model and not without controversy! It seems she had prior modeling experience and knew the show's creator and host Tyra Banks as a teen in Tyra's T-Zone program for girls. Well, in today's tabloid environment, gossip, scandal and controversy makes for great headlines and fodder for entertainment shows and websites. I thought she would win from the beginning, just looking at her photos online. It doesn't hurt that her model behavior makes for a great role model to the millions of teen girls watching and wanting to succeed. While the runner up Chantal could have easily been the winner and had a stronger high fashion look in my opinion versus Saleisha's beautiful girl next door appeal. Unfortunately, Chantal came up short in the final runway competition. It's a safe bet that we'll see more of her. These shows are promotional vehicles.

With careful marketing and some luck, these starlets can parlay this major exposure and promotion into a lucrative and sustaining career. The likelihood that a winner from ANTM will become a wildly successful high fashion model is remote, given that major models start their professional careers in their early or mid-teens. Many have arrived by age 19 or 20 and begin to transition into other related fields as did Cameron Diaz, Jaime Pressley and Tyra Banks (Fresh Prince of Bel Air and Higher Learning). Another upset is that the "super model" era is most definitely over! With fashion magazines, clothing manufacturers and cosmetic companies now using branded or rising actresses and 'it' girls to sell products, models are losing jobs. We see Beyonce, Kira Knightly, Kerri Washington, Eva Mendez, Rihanna as well as other beautiful actresses and singers now getting modeling jobs that were once enjoyed by famed models. Our celebrity crazed society is to thank for these actors receiving additional revenue streams and lucrative contracts. We worship celebrities and so many devotees aspire to be famous, not necessarily talented, just famous. To wear their fragrance or rock clothes that movie and rock stars endorse or are photographed wearing gives us a perceived closer connection/likeness to our idols. With "You Tube" and other sites, stars can be made overnight with instant exposure (15 minutes of fame) from any town in America and around the world. Doctors, lawyers, engineers, athletes and politicians were once the people we wish we could be, now to be famous, rich and thin and live the red carpet, velvet rope experience is what intoxicates the masses.

America's Next Top Model provides a springboard for many of the show's contestants to live out their dreams and build careers in the entertainment industry, from designer runway fashion shows to television commercials to reality TV/Film roles to print ads to endorsement contracts, premiers and hot parties, think Adrian Curry, Yoanna, Eva Pigford,Toccara, Naima, Bre, Yaya, Mercedes, Jaslene Gonzalez...they have lasted beyond the perennial 15 minutes. Saleisha has great likability and I believe guided through to the right offers, she'll be around. Her fresh face and well-mannered public persona is immensely needed in the media with young and rich entertainers behaving badly and dominating the news. I expect big things to happen for this latest ANTM winner!

You go Saleisha!

Ledisi - Lost and Found...At Last...

Ledisi is more than a new rising star, she's one captivating singer! With her third album Lost and Found on the Verve label, this singer shines. By today's standard of music, this album hits in all the right places, it's radio friendly and with a voice like Ledisi's, she makes the simpliest of arrangements and production sound great. I recently saw her perform on Baisden After Dark on TV ONE and I'm happy to see people finally taking notice. She's so deserving of the wider distribution and promotion that she's now receiving! With two Grammy nominations, Best New Artist and Best R&B Album for 2007, this speaks volumes to the enthusiastic reception from fans, peers and the industry.

If you haven't checked out the music of Ledisi, please do so...her prior offerings are simply superb...being an independent artist has its perks...like creative control...see for yourself...this songbird soars and it appears all the stars are lining up for this lady with a song and she's just getting warmed up...whether recorded or live, this is one of our greatest artists of this time...really, in concert you'll be completely blown away!!! Don't sleep...your soul deserves this break...whether rotating Soulsinger or the breezy and jazzy Feeling Orange But Sometimes Blue or Lost and Found...

Things are in Ledisi's words... "Alright"...

AS

http://www.ledisi.com/