That tweet contained the following image:

And I have been livid ever since. Is this for real? Who is the managing editor who allowed this to be published?

I submitted a complaint to ESPN and I urge anyone reading this to do so as well. If enough of us say something, or draw attention to this horrible decision, I hope something will be done about it. Granted, I’m not holding my breath they’ll even acknowledge this, but what’s right is right.

You can contact ESPN here! Feel free to tweet and Facebook it as well. This is not ok.

Update: ESPN emailed the following to me this afternoon

Thanks for contacting ESPN. Last night, ESPN.com’s mobile web site posted an offensive headline referencing Jeremy Lin at 2:30 am. The headline was removed at 3:05 am. We are conducting a complete review of our cross-platform editorial procedures and are determining appropriate disciplinary action to ensure this does not happen again. We regret and apologize for this mistake.

Still doesn’t excuse the usage of such a term, with reference to an Asian American, but at least they did something about it.

Right now their website is all decked out for St. Patrick’s Day, and while I’m not Irish, I do like to have fun with everyone else! I’ve never gone as far as to purchase Irish themed candies, but there’s a first time for everything, right? Their Milk Chocolate Foil Shamrocks look like themed Hershey Kisses! Cute!

You can shop by price, category, occasion, or even best sellers, which would make your search extremely sweet. See, what I did there? I’ll be here all night!

I’m more of a salt-a-holic myself, so I’d probably be all over the Peanut Butter Patties. Yummy! But I am eyeballing their Milk Peppermints for Mom. We get her Thin Mints (courtesy of our local Girl Scouts) every year. Why not switch things up?

Do you have any go-to sweet treats you gift to the chocoholic in your life? Tell me! I’m always looking for new ways to reward my mom for being the greatest!

I’ve been curious about this product since I first saw it. Well, to be fair, I learned of the Revlon version (PhotoReady Airbrush Mousse Makeup) first, but after reading so many negative reviews of it (especially for us oily skinned chicas), I decided to pass. Then I heard there was a Maybelline version, called Dream Nude Airfoam Foundation.

Naturally I gravitated towards the Revlon version since they have just owned me lately. That includes their Colorstay Liquid Makeup, which I’ve been using exclusively, in terms of base foundation, for the past year and a half. But hearing the Revlon Airbrush foundation had sparklies immediately turned me off. No, it doesn’t mean there are big chunks or anything, but those don’t look the best on those of us who tend to get oily. I, for one, sometimes end up looking like a shiny penny. Don’t need to add sparkles to that! But aside from that, I also ready other reviews and pretty much none of them came off that impressed, so I didn’t even bother. Maybe some day I will, but it’s not likely.

So, I read and watched a few reviews from women of color (I usually look to them first) and they were surprisingly favorable. So, I decided once I got my hands on some coupons, I’d give it a shot!

Keep in mind, I’ve only worn it for a few hours on back-to-back days. So no extended time yet. Just enough to see how it wears and check out the coverage. I’ll do another post once I give it a full run!

First and foremost, if you’re looking to try this please, please, please do not go by the shade chart on Maybelline’s product page. It could not be more inaccurate if it tried! All the colors pretty much look the same and appear much lighter than their true shade; especially for women of color. And also don’t put too much stock in the bottle color you see in the store, although it’s far more accurate than the website. Pity.

I got the best advice on which shade(s) to select from YouTube reviews. Provided there is adequate light while said video is filmed, that would be your best bet. See how similar your skintone is to the reviewer. So, based on a lot of reviews, I thought #360 “Light Cocoa” would be a good match. But then I also noticed a few YouTubers, who bought #350 “Caramel” were also close to my shade. And, I know it’s a different brand, but my shade in Revlon’s liquid makeup is Caramel, so I also gravitated to that as well.

Could I be the dreaded “in between” to shades that I always hear about? It hasn’t happened to me before, but there’s a first time for everything! So, I bought both. I figured I can always return whichever doesn’t work!

Luckily (or unluckily) for me, I don’t have to return either as both work! It’s a subtle change in the shade that, if you look at the can, seems like it would be more drastic. It really isn’t! So, what I’m going to try to do is use the lighter shade, Caramel, during the rest of the winter and whatever Spring we end up getting. And then, should I use this foundation in the Summer, I’ll transition to Light Cocoa. I’m usually a little darker in the summer months without trying.

I love the whole airbrush idea, though. They’re doing some pretty cool things with beauty products these days! You are supposed to shake the can pretty well before opening and pumping out the product. I think I shook for about a minute. But be careful when actually pump it out onto your hand or whichever surface you use. It could come out very quickly and end up all over your walls or nearby objects! I did it over the bathtub first time out and some hit the sides of the tub! The second day, I did it right over the sink and there was no mess. So you never know!

Day 1 I applied with my Sonia Kashuk highlighter brush (I’ve had the same one about 2 years and still going strong!) and Day 2 I used a makeup sponge. I tend to like the stipling application method better, so I’ll probably do that in the future. I just wanted to try it a couple of different ways to start.

Doing small sections of your face at a time is probably the best way to apply. And it’s a light to medium coverage, that can be built up as much as you need. The finish is pretty naturally. I wouldn’t say “dewy” because I can’t do dewy. I’m an oil machine, so dewy isn’t the look that’d work for me. But it’s not the matte-ish look of Revlon Colorstay. Somewhere in between. I like the finish. I’d probably use it more during Fall/Winter because I’m not nearly as oily and the not-so-dewy look would be fine.

Now, I’ll have to do some extended wear to finish this review. I don’t know how my face is going to react to this product. As I said in the previous post, my skin has been through some times and I have to be kind to it. That’s why I don’t often test out foundations. It I piss off my face, it could get ugly…literally! So stay tuned for that!

Has anyone else tried either of these Airbrush foundations?

In addition to topical solutions, I’ve found that staying active (working out) and eating a pretty balanced diet (all about moderation) helps me keep my skin in check.

Since “The Outbreak”, as I call it, I’ve tried a million products, from drugstore items to prescribed solutions. And while things have settled down, I always wonder if there’s something better out there for my situation. Granted, I no longer have acne breakouts (mostly monthly hormonal appearances), but one just never knows!

I’ve randomly sat through the Murad Acne Complex infomercial, over the years, and it’s always piqued my interest. It’s often compared to Proactiv (which I’ve used), but uses different ingredients. For example, Proactiv uses Benzoyl Peroxide and Acne Complex does not. BP can pretty harsh on the skin, so it’s not for everyone. It could make things worse! But the similarities come from the fact that there are several steps to the basic application of this product line and it was developed by dermatologists. Acne Complex promises positive results in just a few days, and even more after a full month.

But Murad isn’t just focusing on acne prone skin. They also have a line for hormonal aging skin, called Resurgence.

Has anyone tried either of these products from Murad? How do they work? And would you compare them to Proactiv? If you’d like to try Acne Complex, some Murad Coupon Codes are available!

Welp, the Jason Wu for Target Collection has pretty much come and gone, but I got my dress and lived to tell about it!

It turned out that I didn’t have to wake up at the crack of dawn and camp out at my local Target! I was so thankful, because y’all probably would have heard about ya girl being locked up for cutting a bish trying to take the last size 4 or something.

I was pretty much camped out on the Target Style Facebook page for the better part of Saturday night. That move paid dividends! First of all, the Target employee who was manning the page, was responding very quickly to everyone’s questions and concerns. I thought that was very great move, from a customer service/PR point of view.

I noticed another prospective shopper inquiring as to whether the dress I wanted (above) was an online exclusive or not. I had not heard, previously, that it was in the discussion for online only. We were told the “online” items were starred with an asterisk in the uploaded Facebook look book. There was no such star next to the cream-flared dress. But the Target employee said that yes, it was an online only item. I suggested they update the look book to help avoid confusion, and they did so immediately.

That saved me, to be perfectly honest! I was fretting over how early to get to Target, the next morning, and now I didn’t need to! Just think. I show up to Target only to find out my dress isn’t even there? I would be MAD! Not only because I would have had to get up early for nothing, but also because my dress would have long been sold out by the time I returned back home! Note: I found out later that it wasn’t a true online only exclusive, but no stores in Ohio had them. So I still would have been screwed.

So, I stayed on Facebook for the next few hours. Turned out to be a great move! The community was helping each other score the pieces we were all waiting for. Whenever someone found an item available for sale, they’d share the link and any other tips, like being sure to already be logged into your Target account, and loading your credit card to said account, ahead of time.

As the pieces started to roll out, shortly after midnight (eastern time), I was ready! I refreshed the Target page until about 2 hours later when the link for the cream-flared dress appeared! Then it was on like King Kong, y’all! I selected my size (4), and went straight to checkout. SUCCESS! 45 minutes later, said dress was sold out online!

I was relieved when I instantly got my confirmation email, and now I’m even more relieved now that I’ve also received the “shipped” email! Can’t wait to get my hands on that dress!

I woke up Sunday thinking about how maybe I should have tried to get the cute light blue pleatred skirt too. My friend, Shannen, informed me that everything was gone from our Target (she was there 30 minutes before it opened), and my West Coast friend, Kiwi looked for it, but her store didn’t even have it. It wasn’t something I was crushed about, though. I later saw some up close, on-hanger photos of the skirt and decided I didn’t like it as much as I thought I did! No harm, no foul!

So, my experience was rather pleasant, but I was wondering how it went for others. A quick Google search gave me my answer: while not nearly as crazy as the Missoni launch, it was still pretty nuts. I read stories and saw pictures about long lines, vanity sizing, and sold out stores. I even saw video of people acting the fool. Like this Miami couple who CLEANED OUT THE ENTIRE LINE before anyone else had a chance!

That is something I definitely had a problem with. Let me tell you why. If you were shopping the Jason Wu line via the Target.com website, then you were met with the following regulation:

“Limit of 2 per color/size per order”

In my honest opinion, this should have been the in-store rule as well. If you’re going to set a limit for one medium, it needs to be enforced across the board. Fair is fair. As I understand, there was no limit anywhere for the Missoni line, so it was a step in the right direction. But they need to go all the way in, if they’re going to do it at all.

Aside from the usual stories of long lines and frantically trying to grab items, it seemed that this launch went off a lot better than the Missoni line. There’s still progress to be made, though. Hopefully, by the time the next celebrity line lands in Target, they will have taken another step.

If it’s any consolation, a lot of the marked up auctions on eBay aren’t selling that well. So the final joke may be on the hoarders who ruined the launch for honest shoppers who wanted the pieces for themselves. I’m guessing the prices will come down, over the course of the next few weeks. Maybe they’ll even end up being retail value. Have faith, Target shoppers. Your day may still come!

So, you may or may not have heard that Target has teamed with another celebrity designer and will release a special, limited edition line beginning tomorrow. This time around that designer is Jason Wu. (Probably known by most non-fashionistas as the man who designed Michelle Obama’s inauguration dress back in 2008).

Target had another release, for Missoni, back in the fall and it was utter chaos. I’m not into the Missoni look (far too crazy for my fashion tastes), but from all accounts, pandemonium isn’t even a strong enough word for how that release went off. People camped out for hours, fought each other in-store, and the website crashed many, many times before ultimately selling out of items. A lot of the people who managed to get their hands on the products, first, only did so for eBay resale purposes. In doing so, they robbed real shoppers of the opportunity to buy for the Target price. eBay mark up was often times twice or even 3 times as much. Buying an item from the real Missoni line would be cheaper, thus defeating the purpose of the Target partnership. Basically, it was a hot ass mess!

So far, there isn’t the same type of hype for the Jason Wu Collection for Target, which I’m thankful for. Jason Wu’s designs are much more my fashion taste; timeless, classic, and clean. A lot of people call his designs “boring”, but I don’t get that at all. Fashion doesn’t have to have a bunch of crazy patterns, weird shapes, and trippy colors in order for it to be exciting. Something I know I can buy and wear forever excites me. I can accessorize and tailor it to my needs.

So, the dress pictured above is my absolute favorite and I decided I will brave whatever crowds in order to ensure that it makes its way into my closet. The great thing about the celebrity lines is that us regular folk can afford them. Everything from Jason Wu’s line is between $19.99 and $59.99. To me that translated to the prices I’d see at my usual shopping spots (Express, The Limited, H&M, NY & Co. etc).

I’m not sure what to expect, but I will be at Target slightly before it opens Sunday (not taking any chances!). It’s a dress, and I don’t know how the sizing goes, so I’ll need to try it on if at all possible. I’m also eyeballing a couple of other pieces. See them below:

The navy dress checks in at $39.99 and the light blue skirt is $29.99. If I can make it happen, I want one of these 2 pieces as well, but I think I’m leaning towards the skirt. We’ll see how I feel Sunday, but the white dress is a must have!

Talk among my Twitter and Facebook friends has me convinced I’ll be in for a fight Sunday morning. Almost all my girls are contemplating going to a store or waking up at the crack of dawn to hop online and shop. If they don’t crash the site, I’ll hop on too, just to see which items will be number sized (2, 4, 6 etc.) as opposed to small, medium, large. That’ll help my preparation for when I head to the store. I am not going to buy multiple sizes and return what doesn’t fit. Don’t have that kinda $$!

So that’s my plan, right now. I’m sure I’ll be live tweeting and I’ll either be really happy (“NO ON ELSE IS EVEN HERE LOL!”) or I’ll be pissed (“WTF, THEY ONLY HAVE 1 IN EACH SIZE!”). Sadly, I doubt there’s any room for in between, so keep your fingers crossed for me!

What about you? Is anyone else as crazy as I am and will also be shopping Jason Wu bright and early tomorrow?

I’ve been a fan of Michael Jackson’s music my entire life. My parents own the vinyl of Off The Wall and sitting together, listening to it, is one of my fondest childhood memories.

So, good or bad, I was going to enjoy the Michael Jackson Glee episode. After all, I was already a fan of the show! But I also noticed that a lot of people, who don’t usually watch, tuned in. ‘Tis the power of MJ’s music!

Various members of the cast performed favorites like “Bad”, “Black or White”, “I Just Can’t Stop Loving You”, and “Human Nature”. But I think my favorite performance was Santana (Naya Rivera) and Sebastian (Grant Gustin) performing “Smooth Criminal” with the guys from 2Cellos. I’m a former orchestra nerd, so I loved the acoustic performance, accompanied by nothing but cellos. Also my brother still plays the cello, and he directed me to their own music video performance. Awesome, right? Just bought it on iTunes as well.

And speaking of iTunes, that version of “Smooth Criminal” is currently flying high on the Top 10 chart (and rising)!

I don’t always like when they do “theme” episodes because, in the past, they’ve detracted from the show’s storyline, but I thought they integrated this one rather well. And it’s prompted me to add even more Michael Jackson hits to my iPod. Thanks, Glee!

By the way, if you’re interested in the guys from 2CELLO, visit their official website for more information!

Over the years I’ve had a lot of great hosts, and a few really terrible ones. I’ve also had people kind enough to host my projects on their dedicated servers (that’s the best hookup). Word of mouth is a great way to find candidates, but after you get those names, be sure to look ‘em up!

A Google search is a must, but you should also check out sites dedicated to helping you find your web host match. Sites like WebhostingRating.com. They give you dedicated lists of companies, sorted however you like and completely based on your needs.

Say you use WordPress exclusively. They have a WordPress hosting section, including reviews, to help you on your way. From there, you can select and compare companies that tickle your fancy.

Sorting hosts by price and location are options as well if you’re on a budget! But beware, a lot of times you get what you pay for!

Also, if you have any questions or need recommendations, hit me up! I’d be more than happy to share my 10 years of experience with you as well!

After the burn that Kobe served to Aziz Ansari in the first Kobe System spot I saw, I honestly thought it was a one time deal. Totally wasn’t expecting there to be lulz in any of the ones that came after it. Boy, was I wrong!

The latest with Kanye West and Kobe still has me rolling. Check it out!

Click here to view the embedded video.

As someone who has run fan sites for a decade, and also is obsessed with their smartphone, being able to take video and put it on my device is extremely crucial. I think I just aged myself again! DOH!

I mean, how often do you see a video on YouTube and wish you could have it on your phone for easy viewing any time you like? Probably a lot, right? There are a lot of browser add-ons and tools that can help you download video, in various forms, but what happens when you want to move said files to your iDevice? (I’m going to concentrate on Apple since a lot of people, even if they have a Blackberry/Android phone, also own an iPod) iTunes probably tells you to pump your breaks and try again. Am I right?

Well, this is where the fine folks at ImTOO’s iPod Movie Converter comes in handy. I’ve actually used ImTOO products before, specifically their comprehensive Video Converter, and they are legit. The iPod Movie Converter will not only take your downloaded video and convert it to an iPod-friendly format, but it will also transfer it to your device for you, if you so desire! Easy peasy, right?

So, if you have a collection of downloaded TV shows, cat videos, movies, or anything lying around your computer, but would like to have them on your mobile iDevice, I’d give the ImTOO iPod Movie Converter a shot. Who doesn’t like multimedia tasks being made a little bit easier? Exactly. I’m pretty sure even my parents could use this, and that’s saying something!