Halfstack Magazine Fall Issue 2015

fall 2015

ANNUAL MUSIC Issue featuring: CARLOS “LITO” GARCIA

MACY’S & LATINO FASHION WEEK #stayHUMBOLDT #latinofashionwk

latino heritage month 1

TABLE OF CONTENTS-FALL 2015

MUSIC MUSTS State of Hip Hop Today

IN EVERY ISSUE Editors Letter 4

Meet the Team 6

SHOPPING & TECH Vintage Garage Chicago 38

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Top 10 Fall Concerts 50

Top 10 Fall Albums 52

Meet Hyukoh 54

THE SPOTLIGHT

BTS Product Round Up

Steve Conner Photography

Apps for Mil enials

Instagrammers to Follow

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Charlotte Tilbury 80

Halfstack Bookshelf 84

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GROOMING/HEALTH Arden Fall Edition 160

Fall Products for Him

FASHION & LIFESTYLE

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Fall Products for Her

Fall Plus Size Fashion

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Pritiskin Q&A

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Fall Looks For Less 90

WTF?! Stars Moda 98

Modern Notoriety 100

FN Platform 106

FEATURES Latino Fashion Week

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Microneedling Q&A 168

Leah Chavie Skincare 170

PR Couture

EDITORS LAST LOOK

LAnding Safely

N’Spired Thoughts

#Blacklivesmatter

The Lollapalooza Experience

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A Love Affair in Havana/Lil Lito

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Hello readers!

Thanks so much for taking the time to check out this latest issue of Halfstack Magazine. This fall we are excited to share our Annual Music Issue. This year we are adding a twist in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month. We are featuring a Chicago based star on the rise: Lil Lito.

Carlos “Lito” Garcia is Chicago’s first bona-fide Hispanic hip-hop/R&B star that, in spite of his twenty-one years, is experiencing his own musical re-birth. After a devotion of

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

ten uncompromising years singing, composing, and most recently producing talent, Lil’ Lito realigned himself as an artist in order to optimize his exposure to a much broader and diverse audience.

We featured Lito and two amazing models decked out in Macy’s product for our Fall editorial shoot. The styling and aesthetic of the shoot were inspired by the beauty of Havana, Cuba in the 1950s and we shot on location at the Humboldt Park Boat House. This shoot almost felt like I was coming full circle. Growing up in Humboldt Park made such a huge impact on the person I’ve become. Although life was hard, the Latino community that I’ve been a part of has always been amazing, kind and supportive.

I’m proud of being an American, something that was important to my family that moved here, but I am just as proud of my Puerto Rican heritage and roots. The Puerto Rican culture is evident throughout the community of Humboldt Park and although things have changed since I lived there, it still feels like home every time I come back.

JENNIFER M. LEZAN-VEGUILLA EDITOR IN CHIEF & FOUNDER

To that note, it is even more exciting to see the Latino business community thriving in Chicago. One organization in particular that is working hard to create a voice for designers is Chicago Latino Fashion Week. In this issue we feature the founders of the organization: Arabel Alva

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Rosales and Cesar Rolon. This year the events of Latino

Fashion Week take place September 30th – October 4th at Block 37’s newest Latin Food Hall: Latinicity.

In this issue we have an amazing round up of some inspiring back to school products, apps, and ideas to get you into the groove of fall. Jen Oquendo shares an array of inspiring books to get you in the right mindset. There is fall fashion, fall beauty and so much more from Teresa, Michelle and Danielle.

Laura shares the latest Instagrammers to follow and be inspired by as well as an in depth and raw feature on Oscar Castillo, the man behind the infamous sneaker head community website: www.modern-notoriety.com. Liv also shares an insightful interview with the founder of the popular website www.prcouture.com - Crosby Noricks.

Our newest West Coast Contributor: Carolyn Portner shares her experiences going from Midwest Girl to West Coast Career Woman in her column: LAnding Safely. Tyronita shares a moving op/ed on the #blacklivesmatter movement along with a historical exploration of the evolution of Hip Hop music.

Finally, we close out this issue with Perry’s 2015 Lollapalooza experience.

I truly hope you enjoy this issue. Thank you for walking along side us on this journey and remember you can keep up with your daily dose of Halfstack on www.halfstackmag.com!

JENNIFER M. LEZAN - EDITOR IN CHIEF

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jennifer veguilla eic/creative director founder @halfstackmag

kate roth founding member

mariana quaranta founding member

PHOTOGRAPHY

LAURA LOPEZ lead photographer

pickaposephotograpy.com

Perry Fish lead photographer

alluringchicago.com

HALFSTACK EDITORIAL

meet the

team 6

shirin koril lead photographer

yaritza ramocki set stylist

teresa cutrera fashion editor & blogger

jennie velasco set stylist

carolyn portner west coast correspondant

thom olson blogger & online digital editor

STAFF WRITERS

& DESIGNERS KALI KOLLER

Creative & Graphics Designer

SAMMY SITHIPONG

Creative & Graphics Designer

ANNABEL CARRILLO

LAUREN PFEFFER

Creative & Graphics Designer

Creative & Graphics Designer

JAMIE L. BREEDEN

Creative & Graphics Designer

DANIELLE PULAK Sr. Beauty Editor

STAFF BLOGGERS

AIRA LHEIZ AQUINO

Creative & Graphics Intern

STELLA QUIMBY Sr. Fashion Editor

DIGITAL TEAM

DWIGHT BEJEC Social Media Director PEARL SHIN Staff Blogger

DENISE GUEVARA Staff Blogger/Youtuber

OLIVIA LEMLEY Staff Blogger

ANDREA HANNAH Staff Blogger

TRACI CICARELLI Staff Blogger/Youtuber

ELAINE RAU

ROB SAMUELSON

TARIQ ALSAUD

Digital Blogger

Digital Blogger

Digital Blogger

REYNISHA LINDSAY Staff Writer

Catie Coscino Staff Blogger

Jennifer Oquendo Staff Blogger

Andre Thompson Staff Blogger

Tyronita Bell Staff Blogger

Louis Vasseur Staff Blogger-

Michelle Landriault Staff Blogger/Youtuber

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BLOGS TO READ

MAKE SURE TO CHECK OUT THESE GREAT DIGITAL READS FOR FASHION STYLE, DESIGN & LIFESTYLE MUSTS

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Vintage Garage Chicago The Premier Antiquing Experience

Written by: Catie Coscino Photography: Stephanie Battista Layout by: Annabel Carrillo

C

ity dwelling lovers of antique finds, rejoice! Dozens of vintage vendors from all over the midwest come together on the 3rd Sunday of every summer month to offer up their findings at Vintage Garage Chicago.

Literally located in a parking garage on N. Broadway, the market offers everything from furniture and dĂŠcor to clothing and records.

Due to its unique location, exclusive nature and the fact that it is only open once a month, the market is on rain or shine!

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With themes like 1985, Mid-century modern, Rockabilly and Tiki, involving music and costumes, the market is a really fun and unique way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

Vintage Garage Chicago is produced by Vintage Promotions LLC., which is owned

by Melissa Sands. An expert in all things vintage with experience in estate liquidation, and buying and selling vintage jewelry, furniture and art; Sands knows what she is doing. Her vision for the market is that

it would sell exclusively vintage pieces, so Vintage Garage Chicago’s vendors have to get any new or handmade items preapproved and they can only make up 20% or less of their booths.

While the summer 2015 markets have come and gone, there will be a special holiday themed market with hot chocolate on November 15th. Vintage Garage Chicago also presents The Grand Rapids Antique Market in downtown Grand Rapids, MI once annually for two days only. This year, over 200 vendors will offer up their findings. It will be held on November 21st through the 22nd.

The season picks back up on April 17th, 2016.

to be an official business to sell. So long as they have enough vintage product, they are welcome to offer it to the market’s shoppers.

Sands is quick to answer questions and help vendors decide if Vintage Garage Chicago is the right fit for them. The fee to sell for one day is only $150 if paid by noon on the Friday prior to the event, or $160 after that.

A true one-stop shop for one-of-a-kind pieces, Vintage Garage Chicago holds a treasure for everyone who takes the time to look.

For those who are looking to get involved and become a vendor at the Vintage Garage, the process is simple. They make it easy to apply online and love to offer tips and tricks to first time vendors so they can find success at the market. Vendors do not have

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Back to School Product Round Up:

College Edition Written by: Olivia Lemley Layout by: Annabel Carrillo There’s plenty to be excited about as back to school shopping arises— there’s also plenty of things to stress about: good-byes, roommates, dorm shopping, and just the sudden life changes. To make life a little easier, this product round up provides handy items to put on the top of your list to help prevent the move-in day “uh-oh”s.

Bath Wrap by Simple Design: This invention is pure gold. The bath wrap takes the place of a towel. The struggle to perfectly tuck the corner in to securely keep your towel on your body is quite noticeable and can be stressful when walking through your residence hall. Imagine walking to your dorm, all relaxed, from your perfectly steamy shower without having to worry about who might see what. With an elastic band at the top, you may safely walk past other dorm rooms knowing your Bath Wrap is securely fastened to your body, locked in by Velcro. This is an easy remix of a typical towel that allows you to have your hands free to carry your belongings back from the shower—which brings me to another necessity. Itching to have your own? The Simple by Design Bath Wrap is available at Kohl’s for $24.99 (SALE FOR $12.99). http://www.kohls.com/product/prd-2194164/simple-by-design-bath-wrap.jsp Mesh Shower Tote: In a perfect world, you could just leave your belongings in the community showers to share with one another, but this is America—you just don’t do that! The Mesh Shower Tote is a cute, portable caddy to hold all your necessities for the shower: soap, razors, shampoo, body wash, creams, hairbrush, etc.. Did I mention you can literally take it in the shower with you? With no fear of transforming your tote into a pool or having to set it by the fan for days to dry out, you can trust the mesh product to drain and repel the water.

For just $12.99, you can choose between 4 different styles of this shower caddy at Bed, Bath & Beyond. http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/store/product/mesh-showertote/127960?categoryId=13447

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Washcloth Mitts by Ankara: To wrap up bathroom supplies, washcloth mitts represent a different way of thinking. No, this is not a product only for babies.

When washing your face in the morning or before bed, the washcloth problem arises. Yes, it gets the job done, but isn’t it annoying how you have to continually readjust the flopping washcloth to keep it on your hand? The perfect solution is available at LuckyVitamin.com. For $2.79, you can purchase a mitt that goes on your hand for simple body-washing— not to mention, it is an eco-friendly product; you can gently clean your skin with a mitt made from ramie and bamboo (both highly sustainable plants). http://www.luckyvitamin.com/p-74899-eco-toolssustainable-ramie-bamboo-bath-shower-mitt?utm_source=googlebase&utm_ medium=fpl&utm_term=EcoToolsSustainableRamieBambooBathShowerMitt&u tm_content=101408&utm_campaign=googlebase&site=google_base&scid=scplp2944209&gclid=Cj0KEQjwgeuuBRCiwpD0hP3Cg4kBEiQAHflm1qM8feltudIq5 3xXEDx1u-ZVYmyEYEQrRgCiQX5LXOoaAgdT8P8HAQ

Bedside Caddy by Studio 3B: Moving into storage must-haves, Bedside Caddies are life savers— especially for those who are on the top bunk. Nothing is better than finally being able to jump into bed after a long day of lectures, sports, clubs, or a night out with friends. The last thing you want to do is have to get back up because you remember your retainer, book, or medicine is on the other side of the room. The Studio 3B’s Bedside Caddy secures around bed rails, under mattresses, and over doors. You will realize the $14.99 you spend on this caddy will be worth every penny each time you just have to reach across your bed to retrieve what you need at the moment. Don’t be handed things on a silver platter your whole life…buy a bedside caddy from Bed, Bath & Beyond! http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/ store/product/studio-3b-bedside-caddy/3253288?mcid=PS_google_nonbrand_dsa_&adpos=1t1&creative=81457780478&device=c&matchtype=b&network=g&gclid=Cj0KEQjwgeuuBRCiwpD0hP3 Cg4kBEiQAHflm1oOFqQMBQMYqDLMmozV2bqmXIUy4DfvPM3pRedlmli8aApyB8P8HAQ

Honey-Can-Do Bed Risers: Residence Halls never fail to limit you on space. Throwing bed lifters under your 4 bed posts can allow a surprising amount of extra storage. Honey-Can-Do Bed Risers come in a set of 4 and add 5.25 inches in height to bed legs. A trip to Target and $8.89 is all you need to create this additional space; when put with a roommate, extra space goes a long way. http://www.target.com/p/honey-can-do-bed-risers-set-of-4/-/A-15743595#pr odSlot=medium_1_3&tempterm=bed+risers

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Underbed Storage Bag: The best way to keep your clothes is NOT sprawled out across your roommate’s side of the room. The Underbed Storage Bag is an easy, outof-the-way option to store your extra clothes. Yes, your typical college students are pigs and dorm rooms often times need a professional detox, but what you put in the Underbed Storage Bag won’t; it is durable yet breathable and protects against pests and dirt. Better yet, you can pick between different colored bags which is not only nice because it can attend to your personal style, but it will hide the clutter stored inside of it. Useful features include handles, label holder and double zip closure.

Pounce on this great deal with just $14.99 in your pocket at the Container Store. http:// www.containerstore.com/s/ closet/storage-bags/grey-underbed-storagebag/12d?prod uctId=10024286 2-tier Expanding Shoe Rack: With non-slip grip bars, you can load 10 pairs of shoes on this handy rack and know they’ll stay put. Being short yet wide, this shoe rack is great under-bed storage to keep your dirty shoes out of sight. No one enjoys tripping over shoes scattered about. The 2-tier Expanding Shoe Racks are up for grabs at Bed, Bath & Beyond for $14.99. http://www. bedbathandbeyond.com/store/product/2-tier-expanding-shoe-rack-with-non-slip-grip-bars-insilver/1043477586?Keyword=2-tier+Expanding+Shoe+Rack

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2 Cup Smart Portion: Thwart the dreaded “freshman 15” by allowing these food containers to act as your personal dietitian. They limit your portion sizes to 2 cups (which is plenty to fill you up), so you can prevent binge or over eating. They are perfect to use as tupperware or for eating lunch on-the-go. This brilliant product is available as a 10 piece set at Bed, Bath & Beyond for only $9.99. It’s never too late to start a healthy lifestyle. http:// www.bedbathandbeyond.com/1/1/20244fit-fresh-smart-portion-2-cup-rectangularchill-containers-set-of-4.html

Gel Beads Air Freshener by Up&Up: Although movies and stories may tell you otherwise, college does have rules. Such as the rule against having candles in the dorm rooms as a safety precaution.

Up&Up has the best alternative— Gel Beads Air Fresheners. There is no flame, which means there is no hazard, which means there is no mess. The beads are loaded inside a plastic container that can vent its scent all day or be closed until you are in need. They are available in multiple scents that can take away that dorm room musk in the air. Find this product for $3.99 at Target.http://www.target.com/p/ up-up-morning-mist-scented-gel-beads-12-oz/-/A16760376#prodSlot=medium_1_1&term=Gel+Bea ds+Air+Freshener+by+Up%26Up

Command Strips: You can never have enough! While living in temporary housing, making holes in the wall is prohibited and duck tape takes away from the room decor as well as peals off wall paint. Command Strips are the best, damage-free hanging solution. They can be simply applied to almost anything. These sturdy and trustworthy strips get the job done for $2.94 at Walmart. http://www.walmart.com/ip/Command-SmallPicture-Hanging-Strips-White/17126876?action=product_ interest&action_type=title&item_id=17126876&placement_ id=irs-106-t1&strategy=PWVUB&visitor_id&category=&client_ guid=1986f59d-ebef-4c02-a335-25636ee9c36e&customer_ id_enc&config_id=106&parent_item_id=13996094&parent_anchor_item_id=13996094&guid=468f5475-7f1d-4173-9775c5670792497e&bucket_id=irsbucketdefault&beacon_version= 1.0.1&findingMethod=p13n

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Best Apps for Millennials Top 10 apps for music, lifestyle, shopping, college life Written by: Olivia Lemley Layout by: Annabel Carrillo Facebook: For most obvious reasons, Facebook has been popular for a while: It has everything ranging from written posts, pictures, to games— in other words, it combines the perks of Twitter, Instagram, and Game Center. You can stay in the loop within your family and distant relatives to know how the newborn is doing, what crazy story your uncle has from his day of renovating the house, what exactly your sister-in-law is having for lunch, your grandparents’ care-free retirement in Florida, and how fun your cousins’ summer vacations have been. Leaning away from the family aspect, you can also keep updated on what your childhood friends have been doing; posting old pictures from the younger years are always a bittersweet treat for everybody to enjoy. One of the perks of Facebook I have found most useful is the birthday calendar.

Every morning, I get a notification for whoever’s birthday is today and/or coming up. This fun feature keeps me from those awkward “Happy belated-birthday” wishes.

ShopSavvy: Shopping has never been easier!

With ShopSavvy, you can tell the app exactly what you’re looking for; it will keep an eye on the product and find it for you at the best, discounted price. With this app, there will be NO MORE over paying or breaking into your favorite piggy bank. In addition, you may scroll through all the different sales going on, so you know when to grab the ol’ wallet and hit your favorite stores for great deals!

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Soundcloud: Whether your are an artist or you just enjoy good music, Soundcloud is a great way to keep all your favorite tracks together in a playlist. You can come back and replay all the songs you “liked” whenever you have a craving.

Whether your niche is EDM, country, rap, reggae or even yodeling, you can easily find your speed of music on Soundcloud. Discover the new, rekindle the old, or release your own music. Better yet, it is all free! Unlike iTunes, there is no $.99 charge per song; enjoy all the music you want—time and time again—free of charge.

My Fitness Pal: Become your own, personal dietitian! With My Fitness Pal, you can count your calories and track your workouts. This app is a diet in itself; you can schedule how much weight you want to lose by a specific date, and My Fitness Pal will help you get there by setting a calorie consumption limit. This is for dedicated people who are looking for a change in their body or wanting to maintain a healthy lifestyle; those who like to try and trick themselves, it may not be the app for you. Just like the gym, it is easy to just pretend the app isn’t even there.

Although, with goals and statistics, this is a great motivational tool and reminder to make healthy choices throughout the day. There have been amazing success stories of users losing significant amounts of weight and transforming into happy health nuts!

WhatsApp: This app is for my wanderlust readers! If you have been diagnosed with cabin fever

and need to go explore the world, WhatsApp is your new best friend. This is an app that allows you to text and call for free while overseas. All the expensive charges for using your phone out of the country are ridiculous! Internet connection is all you need to use WhatsApp. In today’s society, people always seem to be in need of internet, so the likelihood of finding wifi around town is the best it has ever been! No wifi in the middle of the safari? No one needs to be reminded of the real world when your off experiencing the secrets of nature anyways.

LinkedIn: No matter what rough patch the economy is going through, you will never lose your connections. LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network. Not only is it a safe way to keep your business connections close, but it is also great to promote yourself! Your page acts as a portfolio; you can showcase your awards and honors, education, experience, projects, skills, etc… The more advanced your profile is, the more likely people are to check out your page. As a LinkedIn user, you can search for people related to a specific field or with a particular skill to make new connections for future collaborations. There is a direct messaging inbox at your disposal to propose ideas, potential partnerships, or even just to say happy birthday to one of your favorite connections.

Waze: This is a phenomenal app to use on road trips. Working as a team, Waze users report traffic, road hazards, police sightings, cheapest priced gas and much more on-the-go. The more warnings and alerts each user posts, the more points they earn! It also works as your GPS, so you don’t have two apps going at once. Plug in your destination, and it will provide you with an accurate ETA that takes traffic and roadblocks into consideration. This is a free app that can save you time as well as save you from speeding tickets—who can complain about that?

Quad: Now this is an app most useful for those going into college. Quad is a great way to meet your soon-to-be classmates as well as potential roommates. It seems as if everyone who is up to date on technology finds their roommate through social media rather than being paired with

someone at random. For example, high school graduates who are planning on attending University of Illinois this semester can join “University of Illinois 2019” quad to chat with 361 fellow, incoming freshmen. Whether you’re in need of a roommate or you just want to find people with common interests to start the semester off right, Quad is your right-hand man. Though college students are major participators of Quad, it’s users expand to a lengthy range of ages. You can find almost any group for any interest— but what happens if you somehow can’t find the group you are looking for? You have the ability to start your own group for others to join.

Shazam: There are so many different songs and artists in today’s pop culture that it makes it impossible to know them all. Nothing is more frustrating than hearing an awesome song, possibly your new favorite, and not knowing how to download it later. Rather than running around the bar or party asking around for the name of the song, you can open an app that tells you the artist and song title. Shazam is a quick and easy-to-use app that listens to the song playing and provides the information within seconds.

Pinterest: The lovable attributes of Pinterest don’t just stop after “unique” or “simple yet valuable”. Without even buying anything, you can save all your favorite finds from the endless supply of Pinterest posts to your collections.

You have the ability to scroll back through these saved pins at any time to use throughout the years; you may think something is brilliant, but you don’t have a need for it at the given time, so you just save it to your dashboard till the time is right. Heading off to college or getting your own place? Browse through unlimited decorating ideas. This is an app that seems to attract most women, designers, photographers, artists, teachers, and those who cook, decorate or plan events. It is the perfect way to organize your inspiration and plan it all out. With cool, different ideas or products that cater to an assortment of needs, Pinterest is a resource that will always have your back on the latest trends, secrets, and DIYs. DON’T FORGET: You can post anything that comes to mind to share with others as well.

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IMAGE - WWW.EUROPOPMUSIC.EU

THE STATE OF HIP HOP TODAY WRITTEN BY: TYRONITA BELL

HISTORY Hip Hop was born in 1973 at 1520 Sedgwick Ave in the Bronx (NY). A back to school jam party was thrown

by Dj Kool Herc and his sister Cindy. On August 11th- Dj Kool Herc, “tried something new on the turntable: he extended an instrumental beat (breaking or scratching) to let people dance longer (break dancing) and began MC’ing (rapping) during the extended breakdancing.”.

Little did these young people know that this is when an entire culture would be born.

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Many young people in New York made this a new way to express themselves and used it as an escape from everyday life. This new culture was comprised of “DJing, MCing, b-boying/bgirling (breakdancing), and graffiti: the ‘four elements’ of hip hop.” Fab 5 Freddy was the one who is known for identifying these elements.

Hip Hop really began gaining traction in 1979 when the Sugar Hill Gang’s Rappers Delight came out. Not too soon after “The Breaks” by

Curtis Blow went Gold in 1980. This is the moment when the new culture began to spread nation wide.

As Hip Hop began to grow in popularity, so did Djing.

“DJ Grand Wizard Theodore is said to have accidentally invented the method of “scratching,” wherein the DJ pushes the record back and forth as it’s played to produce a scratching noise as it brushes against the needle… Theodore is also responsible for pioneering the use of the needle drop, where instead of silently cueing up the next record to be played, the DJ drops the needle onto the exact beginning of the song.”. This is a method that Dj’s today still use.

IMAGE - WWW.BET.COM

POLITICS During the early days, the social and political power of rap was identified. Rap has always been a way to expose the reality behind the artists who wrote their rhymes.

It has always been a way to shed light on the things going on in the lives of the artist’s that most people would otherwise be in the dark about. Although, in the past “Rap was seen as the music of youthful black rebellion, its politics a hangover from Public Enemy’s uncompromising message of black empowerment.”.

During this time Hip Hop was very intimidating to the people in power.

The World’s most dangerous rap group, N.W.A is a common example of the strength and politics behind rap. The content of their music was extremely graphic, but the people loved their music, because it spoke truth. Their songs discussed topics like everyday life in Compton, Police Brutality, and just simply being black in America. When people speak the truth, and there is an audience listening fear is sparked within the people of power. That in of itself is a perfect display in how powerful Hip Hop as a culture is and can be.

During the 1990’s, people began to realize that there was a lot of talk about what was happening in the world,

but no action. It was at this point that, “ grassroots activist groups such as the Prisons Moratorium Project and the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement started to combine hip-hop and activism.”. They used Hip and politics together as a strategy to create change in the black community.

NEW AGE OF HIP HOP In the wake of the new millennium, there was a shift in hip-hop. Most notably, the sound has changed. This is a natural occurrence in music. Each decade has its own distinct sound. So, it’s no surprise that the ‘00’s has it own sound. This occurred during the new digital age, when the use of technology began to rise.

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Technology became more innovative and was/is used to make things sound better. One of the main differences from music today, and music of the past is the sound. The sound in music is clearer and better quality. In addition to that, music is now engineered using computers with a wider range of possibilities in creating a unique sound.

Another key difference is lyrical content. Instead of artists taking on a “gangsta” persona, most artists rap about their success and accomplishments. The Harvard Political Review discussed the topic by identifying that , “While, a decade later, rap lyrics still tell an artist’s story, each rapper has a different one; artists no longer need to write about the “ghetto life” to be signed by a major record label.

The definition of who a rapper can be, and what stories hip-hop can tell, has broadened indefinitely since the mid-2000s.”. They claimed,“ the origins of this transition to the release of Kanye West’s 2004 debut album, “The College Dropout.” Rather than focusing on drug dealing or violence or living on the streets, the album addressed religion, West’s pursuit of music, and as he says on the track “Breathe In Breathe Out,” his desire to “say something significant.”. They also pointed out that, “In the years following the release of Kanye’s first album, more and more rappers moved away from

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“gangsta rap” and towards developing their individuality as artists.”

With social media being so prevalent among young people, this has increased Hip Hop’s exposure to pop culture.

Hip Hop has been a significant influencer on Popular Culture.

With posts like memes, hashtags, and viral videos hip-hop has left it’s made its mark in the digital age. Artists are more accessible to their fans. In the past, most celebrities were quite untouchable. Nowadays, social media has bridged that gap between the artist and the fan. Artists are able to talk directly with their fans. Social Media has become so powerful that for most people in the industry, it is an absolutely necessary part of their strategy to stay relevant in today’s forgetful crowds.

In addition to the Internet being the main focus of music, the industry itself has changed. Artists seeking exposure no longer need agents . According to the Harvard Politics Review, “Prior to the rise of social media, an artist’s sole means of establishing a fan base was to capture the attention of a record label. With only a few major labels in the business, this reliance on agents contributed to the streamlined message seen in ‘90s rap lyrics. Yet, as emerging rap artist Miles From Nothing puts it, “we’re in an era where artists don’t need agents. If they know how to use sites like SoundCloud and YouTube, they can get themselves out there.” Ramirez agrees, admit-

ting that in many respects social media outlets have replaced the function of A&R scouts, who ordinarily are responsible for recruiting artists to different record labels.”.

The Internet has completely changed the music game in virtually every way. Instead of CD’s, music is being sold both physically and electronically. There are now music streaming options in which you no longer have to buy entire albums to listen to the music you enjoy.

Hip Hop has and always will be a voice and influencer of the people. Its presence is important to the music industry to ensure that the small voices are heard. The culture of Hip Hop is one that has been acquired globally, which truly shows its staying power. It’s crazy to think that this was all started at a back to school” party in a rec room in the Bronx.

That was the day that history was made, and the music industry will never be the same because of it.

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Rap has always been a way to expose the reality behind the artists who wrote their rhymes.

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TOP 10 CONCERTS

by. Pearl Shin

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1.

Dodos - October 6, 2015 at Metro 7 The Dodos are back in Chicago and playing a show along with the Danish band Mew. Catch them perform at the Metro on October 6. The doors open at 7pm.

2.

Glass Animals - October 7, 2015 at the Riviera 6pm The English indie-rock band, Glass Animals, will be bringing their unique musical sound over to North America this Fall. Check out their show on October 7 at the Riviera.

The show starts at 6pm.

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FFS (Franz Ferdinand & Sparks) - October 8, 2015 at the Riviera 8pm Save the date on October 8 to see FFS, a very special collaboration between the bands Franz Ferdinand and Sparks, perform in Chicago. FFS will perform on October 8 at the Riviera. The show starts at 8pm.

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Jamie XX - October 8, 2015 at Concord Music Hall 8pm Come and see Jamie XX, a member of the band The xx, as he goes solo on his fall 2015 tour. The show begins at 8pm on October 8 at the Concord Music Hall.

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Disclosure - October 15, 2015 at Navy Pier The EDM duo, Disclosure, will be having a concert at Navy Pier’s Festival Hall A and B on October 15th. Join them for at their Caracal North America Tour! Doors open at 6pm.

6.

The Milk Carton Kids - October 30, 2015 at Fourth Presbyterian Church 7pm Join the folk band, Milk Carton Kids, on October 30th for their show at the Fourth Presbyterian Church. The show starts at 7pm.

7.

Wild Child - October 30, 2015 at Thalia Hall 7pm The band is back in town as a part of their Fools Tour with songs from a brand new album to perform at their show in Chicago. Check out the incredible live performance by Wild Child at Thalia Hall on October 30 at 7pm.

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The Weeknd | November 6, 2015 at United Center 7:30pm With the release of his new album, “Beauty Behind the Madness”, The Weeknd is touring the states as a part of his “The Madness Fall Tour”. Catch him at the United Center on November 6th along with Banks and Travis Scott. The show begins at 7:30pm.

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New Found Glory & Yellowcard | November 6 & 7, 2015 at Concord Music Hall 7pm Two incredible pop-punk bands, New Found Glory and Yellowcard, team up to perform at Chicago’s Concord Music Hall. The bands will play two shows back to back on November 6th and November 7th, both shows starting at 7pm. This is a concert that you won’t want to miss!

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Postmodern Jukebox - November 18, 2015 at Riviera Theatre 8pm The popular Youtube sensation, Postmodern Jukebox, will be performing in Chicago on November 18 at 8pm. Check out their concert at the Riviera Theatre to see the group perform vintage renditions of modern hits!

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TOP 10 ALBUMS

by. Pearl Shin

Melanie Martinez | Crybaby | August 14

Melanie Martinez’s much anticipated debut album was finally released! Following the success of her Dollhouse EP, fans had high expectations for her full-length album. Luckily her album is nothing short of amazing. “Crybaby” is a perfect blend of cute and creepy which makes the album perfect for the autumn season.

Glen Hansard | Didn’t He Ramble | September 18

Irish singer-songwriter Glen Hansard (The Frames and The Swell Season) is back with his second solo album, “Didn’t He Ramble”. Slightly straying away from his usual folk form, Glen Hansard incorporates more country rock elements in his newest album, as exemplified in his singles “Lonely Deserter” and “Winning Streak”. This album is definitely something that you should check out!

Lana Del Rey | Honeymoon | September 18

The queen of sultry pop, Lana Del Rey, is releasing her new album titled “Honeymoon”.

With her impressive signature style songs like “High By The Beach” and “Terrence Loves You” on the album’s tracklist, “Honeymoon” is an album worth listening to.

The follow up to her highly acclaimed album “Ultraviolence” is out now.

Irie Sol | Dred Scott Fitzgerald | September 24

Literature takes a new, musical form in the album “Dred Scott Fitzgerald” by the band Irie Sol. This album is a hybrid of hip-hop and F. Scott Fitzgerald’s beloved novel, “The Great Gatsby”. Check out their original spin on the popular, American classic today!

Chvrches | Every Open Eye | September 25

The Scottish synthpop band Chvrches recently released their album “Every Open Eye”. The album features some of their newest hits including “Never Ending Circles” and “Leave A Trace”. This is an album that’s great to listen to as you bid your farewell to summer.

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Silversun Pickups | Better Nature | September 25

Silversun Pickups just released “Better Nature”, their fourth full-length album.

This is the first album that the band will be releasing from their own label. “Better Nature”, which features their single “Nightlight”, is out now!

Wild Child | Fools | October 2

Following the success of “The Runaround”, the band Wild Child follows up with their album “Fools”. Their new album is scheduled to be released on October 2nd.

Be sure to check out their album! If you want to see them live, you can check out their show in Chicago on October 30th at Thalia Hall.

Selena Gomez | Revival | October 9

After her successful collaboration with Zedd on the song “I Want You to Know”, Selena Gomez is making her comeback with a new solo album titled “Revival”. Her new album, which includes her single “Good For You” featuring A$AP Rocky, will be out on October 9th.

Neon Indian | VEGA INTL. Night School | October 16 Neon Indian is coming out with their album “VEGA INTL. Night School” which includes their eclectic singles “Annie” and “Slumlord”. This album is set to be released on October 16th.

5 Seconds of Summer | Sounds Good Feels Good | October 23

The popular Australian pop-punk band, 5 Seconds of Summer, is releasing their second studio album, “Sounds Good Feels Good”, on October 23rd. Keep an eye out for the album online or at a store near you!

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Musician Spot

By Pearl Shin

Indie meets mainstream through the band Hyukoh. This past summer, the South Korean indie-rock quartet that consists of the members: Hyuk as the main vocals, In-woo on the drums, Dong-geon on the bass, and Hyun-je on the guitar, broke through the impenetrable barrier of K-pop (Korean pop music) and became one of the most beloved bands in South Korea.

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Hyukoh is a band that is shockingly new considering that they’ve only been together for about two years. While they lack the longevity and experience of most bands, Hyukoh displays every bit of musical expertise and maturity in their music as any other group who has been together longer. During their time together, the band has released two EPs: “20” and “22”. Both EPs share the thoughts and emotions that a person in their early 20’s experience, loneliness and uncertainty being a recurring theme.

Although the band’s discography is rather short, the number of songs that stand out from their most recently released EPs is bountiful. From their EPs, songs like “Wi ing Wi ing”, “Comes and Goes”, “Big Bird”, and “Panda Bear” quickly grab the listener’s attention with their fun and catchy beats. Other songs like “Hooka”, “Ohio”,

tlight: Hyukoh and “Gondry” show off the band’s more serious side, focusing more on the lyrics and vocals rather than the instruments.

The band’s most distinguishable trait is their simplicity and minimalism. The lack of any unnecessary flourish in their music is what truly commands people’s attention.

While all of the band’s songs are amazing as a whole, it’s Hyuk’s unique and alluring vocals that make each song truly exceptional. Hyuk has a voice that is unlike anything you’ve heard. His voice is a rare hybrid of a husky, yet soothing and light sound, giving Hyukoh’s music a sense of delicateness and vulnerability.

While the band has steadily gained fame through the quality and uniqueness of their music and live concerts, the band has gained even more public exposure by being on a popular Korean variety show called “Infinite Challenge”. This past summer, the band teamed up with one of the show’s main cast members to create and record an original track within fifty days which led up to performing the song live at the show’s music festival. Shy and unusual to say the least, the band was an unlikely choice to be on the show, which mainly features a bright and energetic cast of celebrities. Even so, the four humble,

soft-spoken, and quirky members of Hyukoh proved to be more charming than anything, quickly winning over the hearts of both the cast members and the viewers.

In addition to being on Infinite Challenge, the band recently signed onto the newly formed record label HIGHGRND. The label is a subsidiary of one of the top music companies in South Korea: YG Entertainment. HIGHGRND is headed by one of the most successful and influential South Korean rappers: Tablo from Epik High. With the band’s growing popularity and fresh sound, it’s no wonder that Hyukoh is the first group to be selected to be signed onto the label.

In the midst of the “robotic” and “unnatural” music that dominates K-pop and most of Asia, Hyukoh continues to pave their way to the top, offering a new, refreshing and authentic sound. Thanks to the band’s ever-growing fanbase and a freshly formed contract with HIGHGRND, Hyukoh has nowhere to go, but up.

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10 Questions Questions 10 With Crosley Withwith withModel ModelSummer Summer Crosley

&&Photographer PhotographerSteve SteveConner Conner

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Photography: Steve Conner Written by: Jen Lezan Layout by: Kali Koller

W orking in film, fashion and television

can be daunting. The hours are long, the gigs can be few and far between and overall it is not an easy industry to work in. It takes a special kind of person with an incredible amount of inner strength to keep going after a dream despite rejection. Modeling is no walk in the park, but with the right mindset and work ethic, it can be a lucrative career. We interviewed model and actress Summer Crosley about her experiences and showcase her latest editorial shot by photographer: Steve Conner. Read on to learn more about Summer & Steve.

MEET STEVE 1) Can you tell us a bit about this shoot, the concept and overall direction? my overall style is usually based around similar concepts on every shoot, I like to a have a edgy, contemporary fashion approach that shows off the model , clothing and location. I always use vintage tones 2) Can you tell us a bit about yourself, and how you got your start in your career?

I got started in photography as a booker for elite models in Paris, from there I ventured out on my own and started shooting models worldwide

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3) What is your philosophy as a photographer, what are your goals for your work?

My philosophy and goals are to always stay motivated, for me the lighting is the hardest part, sometimes in takes hours to get the perfect lighting for the shot 4) Where can we learn more about you? www.steveconnerphoto.com

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MEET SUMMER 1) Can you tell us a bit about yourself, and how you got your start in your career?

I was scouted in Miami, where I used to live and from there I was offered a role on the TV series Californication and from there my career in the model and acting industry boomed 2) Have you faced any obstacles as you have pursued your dreams, if so how did you overcome?

Yes I always face obstacles, the industry is very competitive, but I always stay positive and confident and I stay focused. There are a lot of beautiful girls in the world as models so I just feel what ever gig I get that it was meant to be

3) What is the hardest part about modeling? The best?

Hardest part is being away from home and jet lag, the best is the gorgeous places you get to travel to 4) Models are truly breaking the mold lately, how are you trying to be innovative when it comes to your work?

I keep with my girl next role personality and never create drama! No one likes drama queens.

5) What kind of advice would you give a young person trying to pursue a career in modeling?

To keep doing test shoots to keep up with poses and feeling comfortable in the front of the camera

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6) What has been your proudest moment or most exciting gig as a model?

Being on Esquire magazine, That was a tough job to get!

7) You’re a super hero, what’s your super power?

To protect the worlds oceans, I am currently involved in ocean conservation and promoting to save our worlds oceans!

8) Do you have any hidden talents?

My hidden talent is my work in ocean conservation, i have traveled all over this world educating people on the importance of beach clean ups 9) If you could go back and tell your 18year old self anything, what would it be?

I would go back and tell myself that if I keep my chin up and a smile on my face and have thick skin that other people wont mess with me, haha!

10) Where can we learn more about you? www.summercrosley.com

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INSTAGRAMMERS TO FOLLOW

BY LAURA LOPEZ

In the last few years Social Media has connected people from all over the world in endless ways. The uses of applications such as Tumblr and Instagram have been especially helpful in artists finding a larger audience. There are those that argue that Instagram has made it easy for anyone to call themselves a photographer, but it can’t be denied that it also opens up a whole new world of opportunities for real artists to find an audience and build a following. The use of a simple hashtag can help an artist find a place in the world. We ventured out on a mission to find Photographers from all over the world on Instagram that inspire us. We talked to them about their own inspirations, their cities, who they follow and how they really feel about Instagram. We give you the Instagram Photography Class of 2015.

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@boywonderphoto boywonderphoto@gmail.com Chicago, IL

Dream destination to photograph and why

When do you feel most inspired and by what ?

One of the crazier moments was when a guy holding a gun chased me out of an abandoned building. He wasn’t a security guard by the way.

That’s a good question because I’ve had trouble staying inspired as of late. It’s probably because life itself has gotten in the way of my art this year. But traveling and just hanging with my friends who also create always reenergize me.

How long have you been photographing and how did you get into it?

I started photography 4 years ago. My first photos were just pictures of my friends skating. After awhile, I was introduced to other types of photography via social media platforms like Instagram & Tumblr.

How often do you shoot and do you collaborate with other artists?

I try to shoot 2-3 times a week, but it’s not always that easy. As far as collaborating with others I’m fortunate to have close friends that shoot as well so I can usually be found hanging with my friends and creating great images with them.

Was there one stand out moment in your memory that made you love photography?

Would love to just take a train across Europe and shooting everything in between. The scenery there is breathtaking.

The most insane story from one of your photography adventures..

What do you think of Instagram as an art platform?

Unfortunately, I don’t view Instagram as a platform for art even though there are artists that use Instagram. To me, the reason it was created was for social purposes. I have yet to find a platform created by artists for artists. *patiently waits* What art accounts do you follow?

A lot! I like to shoot different things. So, I like to follow photographers that are also diverse and open minded. @ nativechild is currently my favorite portrait photographer @fursty has breathtaking landscape/nature photos and @trashhand if without a doubt the ultimate source of inspiration.

Think of this as a “senior yearbook” quote… one quote that would leave a lasting impression on your followers…

“Fuck trends, follow your heart and vision and have fun with your craft”

When I noticed the progress I was making. That’s a moment I’ll never forget. It was my first time looking at my own work and being satisfied and proud of what I created. Ever since that point, I’ve only wanted to progress and feel that emotion again. There’s nothing like seeing your skills grow and mature as an artist.

A lot of your photography is Chicago… How does Chicago compare to other places? What do you love most about this city?

To me Chicago is one of the coolest cities ever. The layout is amazing. I’m still finding new spots and pockets throughout the city that impress me. Not to mention our skyline, buildings, and architecture is top notch. What I like most is the diversity we have; every neighborhood has a unique flavor to add to the life of the city.

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@black_soap Bronx, NY What do you love about New York and how does it differ from any other city in the world?

I love the grind, the hustle and bustle of NYC. One thing I love about NYC that may differ from other cities is the fact that everything is relatively close by each other. You can go shopping, then pop into an art gallery, hit a bar then end your night at a musical. NYC is really hands on and all you have to do it go out and enjoy.

What do you love most about photography?

With photography, I love the fact that you can learn something new everyday. The only way to do that is by actually going out and trying to find your vision/nitch which comes from being outside or in a studio.

Abandonment is a reoccurring theme in your work… What draws you to abandonment?

I love abandoned places because it’s not something you see everyday. Living in such a beautiful city like New York, you wouldn’t think there’s an entire abandoned town that’s been deserted for 30, 40 years. Abandoned places teaches me to look at my environment differently. Every time I go to a different bando, there is another adventure to be had.

Do you have a crazy story from one of your photography adventures?

One time a couple of friends an I decided to hit up this abandoned cereal factory somewhere deep in New Jersey. We got there and it was totally fenced around. We searched the entire square block and found an opening. After we got through the first part we walked around trying to find an actual way to get in the bando.

We found a high ledge that led to a broken window. Of course thinking I was the king of entering bandos, I climbed up our makeshift ladder to the ledge, broke the window some more and hopped in and over into the cereal factory. We walked around and took pictures for about 1/2 hours. As I was walking around this long hallway, it led to a total dilapidated room. The huge room had so much character and colors that we all went in to do our thang not knowing that the floor was going to cave in at any moment.

I began setting up my shot. I asked my two subjects to stand in a certain spot as I got into position. As I got into position to take the picture I heard and creek then a crack and BANG, the floor beneath me gave way. I fell through a huge hole in the building but held on to the broken wood with one hand and throwing my camera to my boy with my other hand. They helped me up

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through the hole and we looked into the dark abyss. We had no idea what was under there. We just knew I would have plunged in the darkness not knowing if there was a way out.

Your images have a dark kind of feel to them… How did you develop your style?

I developed my style from trying constantly trying different editing styles. I’ve learned different styles from the different people I met with. I really liked how underexposed photos came out so I kept that in mind for when it was time for me to edit. I also have my BA in graphic design so me finding my style was really important.

Have you ever felt discouraged by photography? And If so how do you get re-inspired?

There are many times when I get discouraged by photography. If I feel like I’m in a slump then I usually try and plan a trip. Leave the city for a while and go and try to find something new (to me) to shoot. Anytime I’m down, I have to get up and go shoot.

As an artist do you have a circle of other creatives that you work with?

I work with a great Visual Agency called Street Dreams. Besides everyone from there, there are about 2/3 other creatives I hang out with all the time. Taking photos or just chilling in general, They’re my friends and constantly push each other to do better, to do more.

I think it’s really important to be around like minded people. That’s one of the best ways to grow and develop as a better creative.

What do you feel Instagram has done for your art?

I feel Instagram has taken photography to a whole other level.

Instagram has made a level playing field for everyones work to be viewed.

What photography accounts that you follow do you feel are the most underrated and why?

My good friends Ron (@nevasatisfied) and Dennis (@denn_ice) creative works are deff underrated because they don’t necessarily post what people may want to view. They post the streets from their vision and their bando shots are epically unique. That’s basically the main reason why I appreciate and are inspired by their work.

Think of this as a senior yearbook quote: One quote that would leave a lasting impression on your followers….

“When it comes to creativity, don’t just appreciate the outcome.

Appreciate the entire process on how you got to that creative outcome.”

@ill.koncept mike@illkoncept.com Milwaukee, WI Where do you find the most inspiration?

I’m inspired daily by all of the other creatives out there killing it. I’m always checking out people’s work on instagram and tumblr. I love coming across fresh perspectives, and seeing the ways that people turn simple things into something extraordinary.

What started you in photography?

Before photography, I was actually heavy into skateboarding and the cinematography that corresponded. One day, while browsing skate clips on instagram, I stumbled across a photographer who was absolutely killing Milwaukee. I couldn’t believe his photos were taken in the same city I was from. They looked so surreal. I was immediately hooked on the urban/cityscape style of photography.

I already owned a camera that I used to film skateboarding. So, I just started taking photos with it also. Little did I know that the passion that ensued would dominate my life from there on out.

What do you love most about photography?

One thing that I cherish about photography is that each picture brings back a memory to me. You may see a skyline or whatever, but for me it brings me back to that moment, that weather, that person I was with, that city, etc. It’s almost like a digital, visual journal of my explorations.

Do you have a crazy story from one of your photography adventures?

Thankfully, I don’t have anything too crazy to share. Most of my explorations have been a success. However, I think the scariest feeling is that exact moment when you get caught somewhere you’re not supposed to be. I’ve had scares in abandoned buildings twice, and on a roof once. Luckily, in all three cases, they lightened up once they realized we were just taking pictures.

If you could photograph anywhere in the world… where would it be?

I would love to visit Chernobyl. Ever since I started, I’ve been fascinated by abandoned buildings, urban decay, and places that show nature taking over civilization. Chernobyl has been abandoned nearly 30 years, and is a perfect place to experience all of that.

When did you realize that your work was reaching such a large audience?

I saw the numbers getting larger on instagram, of course, but it didn’t really hit me until I started attending insta-meets. It was weird meeting new people and having them be like, “Whoa!

You’re illkoncept? I follow you already!” It was nice to see that real people were actually seeing my work and appreciated it.

What do you feel Instagram has done for your art?

Some people may cringe while reading this, but I’m not sure where my art would be without instagram, or even if I would’ve discovered this style of photography. I’m coming up on my first year of shooting photos, and instagram has been a huge learning tool. I’ve received a lot of positive feedback, and have a great community on my side that has helped me get to where I’m at today. It’s amazing how much I’ve been able to network through an app.

What art accounts that you follow do you feel are the most underrated?

Here are some that stand out to me. @jayson.cassidy @jackbphoto @kpogphoto @mijorody @ romancreates @thirdblackkey Think of this as a senior yearbook quote: One quote that would leave a lasting impression on your followers….

Do what you love. Work hard. Dream big. Stay positive.

Describe your photography style It’s hard to describe my work with one style; I like to experiment with a bit of everything. I think the photos should speak for themselves. It’s definitely very urban and a tad dark. I love big cities, street photography, and gritty places.

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Jamie Betts | @jamiebettsphoto jameshbetts@mac.com www.jamiebettsphoto.com Where are you from and how does that influence your work?

I am from Richmond, VA and currently reside in Richmond, VA. Richmond is very rich in history and has so many interesting areas. The city is located along the James River which offers class 4 & 5 rapids and is home to one of the most robust bald eagle populations in the lower 48.Virginia is a beautiful state and has everything. Mountains, beaches, and everything in between. I love exploring the rural areas of Virginia and I’m certain that has influenced my work.

Where do you find the most inspiration?

I am most inspired when I travel. Nothing thrills me more than exploring new cities or landscapes.

How long have you been in photography?

Professionally for about 15 years. I am a freelance commercial, editorial and fine art photographer based in Richmond, VA. I’ve always had an interest in photography and have been documenting my travels for as long as I can remember.

What made you fall in love with photography?

I fell in love with photography years ago. I spent a lot of time in Wyoming, hiking and exploring it’s endless landscapes. Once I learned how to manipulate film and print my own images I was hooked. The ever evolving digital age continues to keep things fresh and exciting.

You do a lot of Urbex… what do you find most interesting about Abandonment?

I’ve always been fascinated by abandoned places. They are literal time capsules. Knowing the history of the places makes the experience even richer. The creepier the better in my opinion.

There is much detail in decay and often these places are dark with unique lighting.

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Anyone that photographs abandonment has at least one insane story from an exploration Most of our explorations would seem pretty insane to a large percent of people. There is nothing sane about repeated trespassing, exploring unstable structures and constant exposure to hazardous materials. I‘ve been fortunate and haven’t had a bad accident yet (knock on wood). The worst has been hornet attacks, chiggers and a vulture puking on my friend and I. That was truly disgusting.

One place you explored with your camera that changed you.

I would have to say Detroit. I was truly amazed with what I saw there. It was awe inspiring and sad all at the same time. People from Detroit are very proud of their city. So, I was aware of that while I was photographing and very respectful of the spaces that I explored. I made some wonderful friends while I was there and plan to on going back soon.

Dream destination to photograph?

Iceland, Belgium, New Zealand, South Africa How important is Social Media to today’s artist?

I would say social media is very important. Websites are almost a thing of the past. Social Media is so current and offers immediate feedback.

What art accounts do you follow on IG? I follow SO many but a few of my favorites are: @valsdarkroom @soliveyourlife @kostennn @spencercotton @trashhand @ leahminium @jsun217 Think of this as a senior yearbook quote: One quote that best represents you and would leave a lasting impression on your followers….

“I don’t know why people are so keen to put the details of their private life in public; they forget that invisibility is a superpower.”

-Banksy

Jason Peterson | @jasonmpeterson jasonpeterson@me.com Chicago, IL

What do you think is the one element that you pay the most attention to when shooting?

What do you love about Chicago?

It’s great and it’s awful. I love that it has opened up photography to everyone. I hate that most of it is being influenced by Instagram.

People need to look at the classics for influence, not other Instagrammers.

Chicago is the most contemporary city in America. Super creative with hard working Midwest values What made you fall in love with photography?

I started shooting when I was 15 years old and I always loved classic black and white photography. I could never draw, but I could shoot.

Do you remember the first photograph that you made that you were just really proud of?

When I first downloaded Instagram, I thought it was a stupid filter app. I shot a photo on my iphone of Lake Michigan and the light quality blew me away. Up to this point, I rejected all digital photography. My best image hasn’t happened yet. I am never satisfied.

Do you collaborate with other artists? And if so with who?

I have been shooting a lot of of musicians. Asap Rocky at Lollapalooza was amazing. I am working on a collab with Chicago artist JC Rivera.

Light. I use only natural light. So, I am constantly looking at how the light changes.

How do you feel about Instagram as an art platform?

When did you realize that your art was reaching thousands of people and how did that make you feel?

Awesome! I love and appreciate every like and comment. Before Social Media, I just had a closet full of photographs that no one got to see.

What photography accounts on IG do you follow? Or do you feel are the most underrated?

My favorite is @katia_mi from Russia. I also love @1thwitness because he started this whole thing that every urban photographer is chasing.

Think of this as a senior yearbook quote: One quote that best represents you and would leave a lasting impression on your followers….

“Follow me into the dark”

All of your images are very powerful black and white images…

What is the difference for you between shooting in black and white and shooting in color?

Color marks the time when a photo was shot. Black and White takes time out of the equation and it is just about the image. It is more pure and emotional.

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Kathryn Riley | @k__h__r Khriley5@gmail.com Khriley.com Boston, MA How does your city inspire you?

The people from Boston inspire me the most. While Boston is full of architectural wonders, to me the people really embody the toughness and grit that the city is known for. I hope that my pictures are able to convey the “real” Boston.

What is your favorite subject matter to photograph?

Street photography, and more specifically: people riding on public transportation systems.

What started you in photography?

My mom. She was always taking pictures of my brothers and I while we were growing up. About a year and a half ago, I started following some photographers on Instagram and I wanted to be able to do what they did. So, I stole my mom’s old DSLR and brought it back to school with me. I guess you can say the rest is history.

Do you remember the moment you fell in love with photography?

Yes. It was March of 2014 and I was having a really rough week.

However, I really wanted to see this skyline view of Boston that I haven’t seen before. The day that I had planned to go see this new location turned out to be a freezing washout, but I went anyways.

When I finally made it and was able to start capturing pictures, I was overcome with such a joy. Everything I was worrying about just seemed to fade away. I even enjoyed the terrible weather. After that day, I knew that my photography obsession wasn’t temporary, but forever.

I really wanted some strong female photographers represented… Do you think being a female in the Photography world changes your artistic perspective and if so how?

I don’t think being a female changes my perspective, but I think that because I am a female, it’s a lot harder to get the respect

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for the kind of work that I really love to do (street photography).

One of my favorite Instagrammers is @eezeetee, she has stunning work, but in my humble opinion, she doesn’t get the credit that she deserves. Another one of my favorite photographers is h_cato.

Her street work is incredible. Yet, I don’t think that they get nearly enough recognition on Instagram. Photography seems to be a men’s club in many ways. So, if anything, being a female has only pushed me to be even better.

Describe your photography style My style can be all over the place. I’m lucky enough to spend the majority of my summer’s on Cape Cod. So, my style does a complete 360 in the summer. However, I like to think of my city shots as being gritty, yet clean.

Do you collaborate with any other artists?

Not yet, but I’d love to!

How important is social media to artists in 2015?

I feel that every artist should be on social media in 2015, especially if you’re trying to get your name out there. It’s a way for artists to show their work to an endless amount of people.

What do you feel Instagram has done for your art?

I feel that Instagram is constantly pushing me to get better, and to try new things. It’s also a way of communicating with other artists, and sharing ideas.

What photography accounts that you follow do you feel are the most underrated? @perspec7ive, @ri_ft, @ch00b, @subciity, @distinctsight, @ apricotberlin, @eezeetee, @tenzim_sonam Think of this as a senior yearbook quote: One quote that would leave a lasting impression on your followers….

“May the happiest days of your past be the saddest days of your future”

Lily Valencia @litttlelily littlelilyy@gmail.com Orange County, CA

Describe your photography style

How does your city inspire you?

Where is your favorite place to photograph?

It is such a blessing to live in a beautiful area like Orange County.

The laid back vibes from the people here are so welcoming. The weather is almost perfect most of the year. Yet, the best part of life here is the beaches. A lot of my photography has that West Coast theme. I get a lot of my inspiration from my surroundings along the coast.

I love it all! I love shooting interior spaces, the mountains, or the city. But my favorite place to shoot is on the beach and more specifically, during golden hour.

What started you in photography?

For as long as I can remember, I always enjoyed taking pictures.

Disposable cameras were the thing when I was in junior high. Yet, at that time I only took photos of friends and family for memories in scrapbooks. It wasn’t until I graduated high school that I started to experiment more with photography. I paid closer attention to lighting and composition using a cheap point-and-shoot camera.

It must have been my 23rd birthday when my family surprised me with my first DSLR camera.

What are the things that you love most about photography?

I love everything about photography, but I think what makes me the happiest is when I get to sit down and start the editing process. I absolutely love editing. It’s therapeutic. I love watching a photograph transform.

Do you think being a female in the photography world changes your perspective? And if so how?

Absolutely. I’ve had the opportunity to shoot with incredibly talented male photographers who inspire me, but I do think being a woman changes my perspective in how I see things and what I want people to feel or think about when they view my photography.

My style is forever changing: it goes through different phases in editing. It’s always exciting to discover new editing and shooting techniques or editing programs. Some of my work may be really dark and moody and some of it will capture a lot of light and warm tones. It usually depends on what I’m shooting as well as the surrounding light.

Do you have a creative circle of people that inspire you?

I’ve had the privilege of knowing and meeting so many creative people since I started my Instagram account. And not just photographers, I have some of the most talented friends who create beauty in so many ways.

How do you feel about Instagram as art platform?

I absolutely love Instagram! I’ve been so blessed because of Instagram and the community involved. The popularity of Instagram has started a new phase for so many others and me. It’s presented so many opportunities and been a wonderful tool to connect with other creative individuals and brands to collaborate, share, and gain more exposure.

What art accounts do you follow? Or feel are the most underrated?

Instagram is filled with creative talent! I’m inspired every day when I scroll through my home feed. I could go on forever naming underrated accounts. I’ll just a name a few who I feel have a unique style and don’t conform to the typical popular styles. Check out: @ohhbucksean, @joeleephotos, @__kevohin, @6corners, and @ kev_alvarez! You will not be disappointed.

Think of this as a senior yearbook quote: One quote that would leave a impression on your followers….

Your talents should be developed, never neglected.

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Michael Petit @low843 cubagraphy@gmail.com

me about the US. On the contrary, and across the board, the Cubans I’ve spoken with have said nothing but positive things about the US.

Where are you from?

Probably the one photo I’m most proud of is a photo I took of a gentleman named Roberto who I met on the streets of Centro Habana.

He was such a smart, kind gentleman, and, after we talked for a while, his only request was that I take his photo. I gladly obliged, and every time I look at that photo it reminds me of not only Roberto, but of all the amazing people I’ve met in Cuba.

I was born in Charleston, SC and I currently live right outside of Charleston in Mount Pleasant, SC Most inspired by: I’m most inspired by the older generation Cuban photographers, including Raúl Corrales, Perfecto Romero, Osvaldo Salas, Roberto Salas, and, my personal favorite, Alberto Korda (it was Korda who shot the infamous Guerrillero Heroico image of Che Guevara on March 5, 1960 in Havana) What started you in photography?

My father used to enjoy photography when I was much younger. So, my original interest came from observing my father. However, he passed away many years ago, and afterwards my interest in photography waned. It wasn’t until 2012 that I actually bought my first camera and started developing a real/true interest in Photography.

What do you love most about photography?

I love that I can use photography as a tool/mechanism to both create awareness and focus people’s attention on objects/topics/subjects that otherwise may go largely unnoticed/unseen. Specifically, in the case of Cuba, it gives me the opportunity to showcase and draw attention to an extraordinarily beautiful country (and its people) that most people (especially Americans) have never seen.

What made you fall in love with Cuba?

As an American, I’ve always been fascinated with Cuba for as long as I can remember (the history, architecture, etc.). However, I really fell in love with Cuba after traveling to Cuba in 2012 and meeting the Cuban people for the first time. In my many experiences in Cuba, I’ve found that Cubans are among the nicest, smartest, kindest, proudest, and most genuine/sincere people I’ve had the pleasure to meet. So many Cubans have very little, but, as a total stranger, they welcome me into their homes, treat me as family, and always offer me what little food/ drink they have, even if by doing so they’ll go without. I also love the fighting spirit of the Cuban people and their refusal to give up no matter how high the odds are stacked against them. I can also honesty say that, in all my trips to Cuba, I’ve never had one single negative thing said to

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How often do you travel there?

On the average, usually once every 3-4 months.

Do you have one photo that you are most proud of?

How does Cuba differ?

Photographing in Cuba differs from photographing other places in the world because Cuba is such a unique country given it’s history, governmental structure, and the fact that it’s essentially been off-limits to Americans for the last 50+ years. So, while you may find limited individual attributes in other countries that are similar to those found in Cuba, nowhere else in the world will you find all of those attributes together collectively, other than in Cuba. I hate using clichés, but, sometimes it really is as though you’re going back in time when visiting Cuba. Cuba’s history, and government, along with the US embargo, has created a special/unique country unlike any other in the world.

What do you think of Instagram as an art platform?

Selfies excluded, haha, I think IG is a great platform to showcase many different types of art/artists from locations all around the globe. As with any other social media platform, you may have to do some digging/ searching to find the good stuff, but, once you do, it can be incredibly rewarding/inspiring. Personally, I think IG is great. Both the talent and sense of community IG fosters constantly inspire me. Rarely a day goes by in which I don’t make a new connection, meet a new person, or come across another photographer who inspires me. So, in summary, IG has been a great art platform for me, by allowing me to showcase my photography, meet new people and gain inspiration Think of this as a senior yearbook quote: One quote that would leave a lasting impression on your followers….

“Beautiful doesn’t always mean ‘pretty.’ In reality, beautiful things surround us every day, if only we’d slow down long enough to recognize and appreciate them. Many of the objects/subjects I photograph may not be considered beautiful, traditionally speaking, but they’re all beautiful to me.”

Left to Right: Tessa Maye - Storm Models, Tessa Jantschek - Nevs Models, Bridie Morris - Lenis Models, Gabriella Bloomgarden - Premier Models, Paola Back - Lenis Models, Ava De Lacy - Storm Models

@_marchayden info@marchayden.co.uk www.marchayden.co.uk

If you had the opportunity to photograph anyone in the world who would it be and why?

Where are you from and how does that influence your work?

Its cool, I like getting feedback etc, but you have to remember the real world, as obvious as that may sound. A huge following doesn’t necessarily mean that one artist is doing better than any other artist. It’s a window into their art.

Im from London, England, and Im very fortunate as London has EVERYTHING; fashion, history, art, backdrops, people….and creativity….and its hard not to be influenced by it all!

Where do you find the most inspiration?

Id say it comes from my own interests and tastes, the people I work with, and the surroundings Im working in.

What do you love most about photography?

I could write an essay on this haha. For me, it’s the fact I can capture something beautiful, or make something beautiful, and then preserve that moment in a physical image. And that image is how I am seeing that moment/subject. Its amazing.

Have you ever found yourself discouraged or uninspired by photography?

Hmmm, no. Every artist goes through phases of creativity, and even if you feel like you aren’t progressing, when you make a breakthrough, its hugely satisfying.

With my business head on, Id say Kanye West. Otherwise, Id say Prince.

How does it feel as an artist to have the following you do through social media? And how do you feel about IG as an art platform?

As a platform, I love IG. Its amazing for networking, reaching brands, other creative’s etc. It’s the best social media platform for a photographer.

What art accounts do you follow on IG? I follow a fair few…..mainly models, model agencies, MUA’s, stylists etc, and then I follow cool brands and magazines when I come across them.

Think of this as a senior yearbook quote: One quote that best represents you and would leave a lasting impression on your followers….

When I make an image, my goal is to make it beautiful. Everyone has their own idea of beauty, and there is beauty in the ugliest places, but what you see in my photography, its my definition of beauty.

Do you have a muse or a person you feel you create your best work with?

I work with some great makeup artists; Anna Lingis (@annalingis on IG) is a friend and creative genius, and I have started working with Abbi Rose (MUA @abbirosemakeup) and Kasia Fortune (Hair Stylist, @ kasia_fortuna), who are also massively talented artists. Next for me is to find some stylists…..!

Describe your photography style.

Its fashion/portrait in the broadest sense, but I have a strong fine art background, so every image needs to be able to stand on its own as a piece of art. There is a cinematic element to some of my work….I love movie stills.

What do you love most about shooting people?

Getting beautiful images of unique human beings. Isnt it insane that every single human is slightly different to every other human?!

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Thomas Sawyer @tomcsawyer hello@tomcsawyer.com Cleveland, Oh

Is there a specific photograph that you are most proud of?

What are you most inspired by?

Luckily, I have been able to work with so many incredible people.

There are a few women now that I click well with. It’s usually until our third shoot together that their walls really come down and that’s we are able to shoot something real and honest.

Hardworking people. I’m really inspired by people who work their ass off and go after what they want in life. They don’t sit around and wait for things to be handed to them. It inspires me to keep pushing and chasing after what I want in this life.

How did you get your start in photography? And how long have you been photographing?

I was on a trip to central america, volunteering at an orphanage, and I fell in love with shooting portraits of the kids there. I didn’t have a fancy camera to work with, but it made me happy to capture honest emotion. That was the summer of 2008, but I didn’t start taking it seriously until last November when I started shooting fashion & lifestyle work with models.

What do you love most about photography?

I feel like photography is the way I show people how I see them.

I tend to focus on people’s quirks, the things that make them who they are, and I try to show them how unique their beauty is because of it. I don’t know if my photos are received that way, but that’s my goal. And being able to have an outlet to do that is what I love most.

How would you describe your photography style?

I describe it as barebones. I barely have any gear. I barely do any editing. It’s all about the connection between me and my subject.

You photography mostly women... what about women has made them the center of your work?

In my mind, women are the subject most worthy of photographing.

They are by far the most beautiful thing ever created in this world.

Our society tends to shame women for looking different or for expressing themselves in unique ways and I want to praise them for it. Women deserve to feel beautiful. They deserve respect. They deserve to feel empowered by their looks and self-expression. The goal of my work, my life really, is to help as many women feel this way as possible.

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Not really. I don’t really get excited about my work. I enjoy the act of shooting more than the final result.

Do you have a muse?

I had just one for quite some time, but our lives moved in different directions and we don’t really get to shoot that often anymore.

What do you think of Instagram as an art platform?

This sounds kind of silly, but Instagram is the reason I am where I am in my life. 8 months ago I was barely photographing anything and I was working a job that I loathed. Everyone in my life, professionally and socially, I met on Instagram. Without this free app on my phones, I would’ve never met all the incredible people I have in my life and I would still be an uninspired, depressed sloth of a person working at a crummy 9-5.

What art accounts do you follow?

Whenever I want to look at pure, unbridled art, I look to the people who inspire me most: @_mrndapnda @beautyandnyc @brookeellenphoto @churkh @ cinco.centavos @dustingenereux @jcvnha @josephkellyphoto @ kittybertino @lisha_fisha @shitjimmyshoots @sirneave @the.ellle @ thewesleycarter @w__b____ Models: Leanne Fabian, Jenna Valley, Petra Goldberg, Brighid Quinn, Lydia Troy and Julia Titus Visit Thomas online at: www.sirthomas.co

WWW.HALFSTACKMAG.COM

YOUR DAILY DOSE OF STYLE & WHAT’S HOT IN CHICAGO VISIT US TODAY >>>

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meeting

CHARLOTTE tilbury a beauty guru journey

H

ave you ever had the opportunity to meet your idol? This past summer, I had the chance to meet one of my favorite beauty icons.

With the launching of her new makeup line here in the states, Charlotte Tilbury paid our lovely city: Chicago a visit. I, along with other beauty mavens, was able to sit with her for an intimate heart to heart and learn about her career. The best part of the day, outside of meeting Charlotte, was playing with all of the new makeup products. Let me tell you, it was a dream come true and something that I will never forget!

Charlotte Tilbury has been in the industry for over 21 years, working not only in the beauty industry, but also in the fashion industry. Her clientele are A-listers including stars like Kate Moss, Jennifer Lopez, Penelope Cruz, Rihanna, Gwyneth Paltrow and Amal Clooney (she did her wedding makeup!). She has also worked on numerous fashion ad looks for designers such as Tom Ford, Stella McCartney and Burberry as well Fashion Weeks all around the world.

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Danielle Hazekamp After working with so many major brands, Charlotte finally decided that it was time to launch her own beauty line. The inspiration behind her brand was to create a wardrobe of makeup to match a wearer’s ensemble. With this idea in mind, Charlotte created 10 looks that are easy to transform from day to night. She wanted to create something that was easy for women to use and to choose. All of her looks include an eye shadow palette, blush and lip products that complete each look. Due to her experience as a makeup artist, Charlotte understood the importance of investing in good formulations for her products.

That is why she invested a large portion of her budget into all of the formulas of each one of her products in the line. I can vouch after playing with every single product in her line, that you can definitely tell that her products are high quality and easy to work with. Currently, you can see the whole collection at select Nordstroms or you can check it out on Charlotte’s official site www.charlottetilbury.com/us.

CHARLOTTE'S 10 LOOKS The IngĂŠnue - inspired by the fashions of Mia Farrow and Alexa Chung, this makeup look is all about being simple.

The Dolce Vita - inspired by Sophia Loren and Penelope Cruz, this makeup look is all about being sexy and seductive.

The Golden Goddess - inspired by Jerry Hall and Gisele, this makeup look is all about being radiantly bronzed.

The Bombshell - inspired by Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor, this makeup look is all about that Old Hollywood look with bold red lipstick.

The Uptown Girl - inspired by the classic Grace Kelly with today’s Olivia Palermo, this makeup look is all about well polished.

The Sophisticate - inspired by Audrey Hepburn and Natalie Portman, this makeup look is all about being classically chic.

The Rock Chick - inspired by Kate Moss and Debbie Harry, this makeup look is all about the Smoky eye.

The Vintage Vamp - inspired by Lauren Bacall, this makeup look is all about that seduction vamp look.

The Glamour Muse - inspired by Bianca

Jagger, this makeup look is about glam with a dramatic purple smoky eye.

The Rebel - inspired by Madonna and Lady Gaga, this makeup look is all about being bold and breaking the rules.

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Layout by Lauren Pfeffer

MY FAVORITE CHARLOTTE TILBURY PRODUCTS Danielle Hazekamp

Charlotte’s MAGIC Cream $100.00

GODDESS SKIN CLAY MASK + CHARLOTTE’S MAGIC CREAM = AMAZING SKIN: Right now, I am

at a point in my life where my skin isn’t as nice as it used to be. Due to this, I have tried everything from lower to higher end creams and this duo is the only thing that is helping my skin. This mask totally helps keep my skin in top shape and is something that is gentle enough to use everyday. According to Charlotte, this is a product she would use everyday. Whereas I probably use it more like every other day. I complete my skincare routine with Charlotte’s MAGIC Cream and my skin is good to go.

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Goddess Skin Clay Mask $70.00

WONDERGLOW: I love how versatile this product is. If you want to have an all over glow that looks like it is from within or maybe that isn’t your cup of tea and you would rather just highlight a couple of areas of your face, then this is the product for you.

Wonderglow $55.00

ROCK N KOHL EYELINER IN BEDROOM BLACK: I

Rock N Kohl Liner in Bedroom Black $27.00

FILMSTAR BRONZE & GLOW: I have tried many different highlighters and contours; this is one that I truly love and use the most.

The first that stood out to me is that this is a set. Second, these are a set of powders. This makes them easy to use and apply. Finally, the colors are universal for all light to medium complexions and are now available in a medium to dark version. So, you have options and a variety to easily match your skintone.

usually use black gel liner for my liner, but some days I just don’t feel like painting it on. Now, I have tried plenty of black eyeliner pencils from high end to lower end brands and this by far is one of my favorite. It doesn’t smudge easily and will stay on all day without losing its pigmentation.

Flimstar in Bronze & Glow $68.00

EYES TO MESMERISE IN MARIE ANTOINETTE:There

Eyes To Mesmerise in Marie Antoinette $32.00

are days I don’t feel like doing an elaborate eye look, but I still want to do elevate my look beyond black eyeliner. This product is amazing for those days. It is so easy to use and stays on all day without me adding any additional primer underneath which is something that I usually do since I have oily eyelids. I personally love the color Marie Antoinette. It is the perfect shade of gold, however this product comes in 5 other colors including a bronze, teal and greenish gold color.

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Layout by Lauren Pfeffer

HALFSTACK BOOKSHELF WRITTEN BY: JENNIFER OQUENDO

Heading back to school is exciting, but at the same time can feel so dreadful. With school being about homework, tests and more homework sometimes it’s good to sit back and read something that might intrigue you. Maybe some of these books will come up in your assigned reading lists for school. Either way, these books are truly amazing in the craft of writing, the vivid illustrations and simply the interesting story line. Some of these stories have moved me to tears, inspired me and amazed me in astonishment due to the beautiful prose.

When I was Puerto Rican

by Esmeralda Santiago is a memoir full of heartache and joy. The memoir follows the story of Esmeralda Santiago and her life as a child living in Puerto Rico. She reveals the struggle of not being able to speak English and living in poverty. Santiago takes us on

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a journey through her successes and failures. Not only do we experience her living in Puerto Rico, but we also see the events that led her mother to bring them to New York City. Santiago reveals memories and experiences in an honest form where we’re able to truly see and feel the journey she goes through and it becomes our own. We, as readers, are able to understand what she is going through because Santiago’s experiences are relatable especially to people that have had the experience of living in Puerto Rico or have grown up in a Spanish household. It is definitely one of those books that you can’t se¬¬em to put down because it’s just that good.

You want to keep reading and learn more about Santiago and her family.

THIS ISSUE!

BOOKS

T

INSPIREO

Almost a Woman

by Esmeralda Santiago “Almost a Woman” is a continuation to the previous memoir, “When I was Puerto Rican.” It is a coming-of-age story about a young girl, Esmeralda Santiago, living in New York City. It is about the struggle to find her identity among a large family and in such a big city. The story follows Santiago and her feelings of living a double life- one foot in Brooklyn speaking fluent Spanish with her Puerto Rican family and the other foot in Manhattan speaking English without a Spanish accent. Throughout all of this she just wants to become an actress

and find love. She wants to live a normal life. Santiago captivates her readers with her raw and honest expression of the experiences she went through and how she felt going through them. She paints an honest portrait of herself and all of her family. We see the ugly moments and the beauty that she experienced throughout her life. We are placed alongside Santiago on the journey she goes through and sometimes it even feels like we’re the ones going through what she is going through. We experience her growing from a child to a woman and her transformation through it all.

college student or just anyone needing a boost of encouragement to get through. I know tests and homework that come with the back to school territory aren’t necessarily fun and exciting. Yet, this book honestly causes you to enjoy the little things. One of the main things that opened my eyes was that we tend to over dramatize situations. Something that is small becomes this huge stressful thing because we make it that way. The book itself is a small book that you can fit in your purse, but it truly packs so much meaning and encouragement into a small package.

Whether you’re having a terrible day at work, struggling at school or even fighting with your significant other this book would encourage anyone for anything. I just open the book up and read a few chapters and

Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff and It’s All Small Stuff: Simple Ways to Keep the Little Things From Taking Over Your Life by Richard Carlson “Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff and It’s All Small Stuff: Simple Ways to Keep the Little Things From Taking Over Your Life” is a positive and encouraging book. I recently purchased this book because I was going through some hard times and needed some positivity in my life. This book has changed the way I view life. I would gift this book to a high school student,

ceived this book in a class and I thought the title was so cheesy.

So, I figured it was a waste of time reading it, but wanted to at least read the first page. I guess that’s all it took because I was hooked.

I studied page after page for a few weeks and had post-it notes in several pages. This book is so powerful and came in handy during the stressful moments in school. I learned so much from it and it changed the perspective I had of taking initiative and becoming a leader.

I was very involved in my school and even if I didn’t have a leadership position or role, I was always seen helping as much as I could because that’s just the type of person that I am.

I learned that not everyone has a leadership title. In fact, most of us without a leadership role are incredibly capable of being a leader. Everyone can be a leader. Being a positive influence on friends and family is a form of being a leader because you are leading, helping or training someone. This book taught me not to let the manmade titles bother me. We all have leadership qualities and just like the book says, you don’t need a title to be a leader!

You Don’t Need a Title to Be a Leader by Mark Sanborn “You Don’t Need a Title to Be a Leader” has to be in my top 5 of motivational and encouraging books. I can really say that this book has changed my life. I re-

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The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz “The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao” is definitely one of those books that you read because the author is an amazing writer and has a way with words that makes you want to keep reading. I’ve read this book about five or six times and never get bored with it.

Every time I read it, there’s something new that I get out of it. Junot Diaz knows how to keep a reader entertained. I used to read this book in college, in between classes, after classes and on the train heading home. The story follows Oscar, a young Dominican boy, growing up in New Jersey. He is an overweight, unpopular nerd, obsessed with science fiction and desperate to lose his virginity. During the first half of the book Diaz chose to include a ton of footnotes and Spanish phrases. This gives the reader the opportunity to learn a few Spanish words. Diaz effortlessly blended nerd culture and street language to create a unique and dynamic story.

The book is much more than just an amazingly written story.

The text includes a history of the Dominican Republic and of Diaz’ ancestors. There’s multi-generation, culture and references that creates an intimate yet comfortable relationship between the reader and the narrator. Then, there’s the narrator. Multiple characters narrate the story, but the voices for each of these characters are so compelling, relatable and

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complex that they flow seamlessly. Having the story narrated in such a unique way made me want to keep reading and reading. The story is not only interesting, but it is well written.

This truly helped me in college. I not only read the book because it was intriguing, but I read it because the writing was intense and I learned a lot from it. It doesn’t matter how many times I read this book, it keeps me coming back because there’s something new and different for me each time I read it.

story is well crafted and written beautifully. If you want a book that will challenge your idea of racism and will have you appreciate the love for words, then this is the book.

This book will make you love literature!

The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Teens by Sean Covey

The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison “The Bluest Eye” is one of those stories that will strike an emotional chord in the reader. Ever since I read this book in high school, I have not been able to forget it. It’s definitely a tearjerker and it makes you appreciate what you have. The book follows the life of Pecola, a young black girl who is surrounded by real life issues such as perversion, rape and alcoholism. The story highlights issues within black cultural tradition and racism. The story is told from multiple perspectives and is read in a poetic form. Although there’s pain, hurt, abuse and depression the

“The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Teens” is a written guide for teenagers. The book itself is a motivator to improve your life and move forward. There are steps to get you from where you are to where you want to be. All that is needed is the want and will to change. The book is has been a successful tool to many young adults all over the world that just needed a little boost of motivation.

It has helped many a reader believe and know that they can be successful. A teacher gave it to me in high school and it has hardly left my side throughout my youth.

I have recommended it to many friends that needed some motivation. The book has cartoons, wise ideas, interesting facts and inspira-

tional testimonies from other teens.

It is easy to get through and even gives you the opportunity to reflect on where your life is headed and where you’d like it to be.

Melinda, experiences. No one wants to sit with her on the bus, no one wants to talk to her and no one wants to be seen with her.

Melinda seems to shelter herself and not speak to anyone. We’re placed in Melinda’s world full of pain and struggle and we even start to feel the difficulty of being rejected.

The Overcoat and Other Tales of Good and Evil by Nikolai V. Gogol

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson “Speak” is definitely a great book to read when thinking about the power of your voice. In school, kids and young adults are taught that we should be able to speak our opinions and feelings. However, this book truly challenges you to understand the other side of the spectrum. What if you can’t speak out? What if something scarred you so bad that you just can’t express yourself? What if everyone in your school hated you? Life in high school is not easy.

There’s a ton of things that come into play that cause difficulty such as: peer-pressure, insecurity, self-esteem issues, trying to fit in, immaturity all while trying to act like a grown adult.

It’s a lot to handle all at once. So, having others not want to be around you is not easy. This book places you right in the middle of issues that are a teenager’s worst nightmare. No teen wants to be known as a snitch and that’s what the main character,

Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison “Invisible Man” is complex, intricate and known as one of the greatest stories ever written. I was assigned this book for an English class in college. At first, I hesitated having to read it, because I thought it would be difficult to get through. I thought it would be boring and hard to understand. I was absolutely wrong! The writing is beautiful and while the story itself is so complex, it will truly make you appreciate excellent story telling. The story addresses many of the social issues that we face today. It provided an excellent insight to not only an African American’s life, but into the lives of many living an invisible life.

“The Overcoat and Other Tales of Good and Evil” is a collection of short stories that truly depict the author’s dark humor. None of the stories are charming or end with a happily ever after. Yet, the stories are so impactful and interesting, that the positive outweighs the negative. Gogol writes about the ugly and absurd, which are things people don’t tend to write about often. His stories are known for the humor, gothic or horror moments and the fantasy-like of it all. My most favorite story in this particular collection is definitely “The Nose.” It was the most unrealistic, satirical yet hilarious story about a barber finding the nose of one of his clients. The magical realism in this story is shown when the nose begins to talk and seems to have a life of its own. Gogol’s story telling is so vivid that even though it sounds ridiculous you trust his writing because of his way with words.

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PLU FALL FA LOOK

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US SIZE ASHION K BOOK Michelle Landriault

If there is one thing I know, it’s where to find the best of the best when it comes to Plus Size options. I remember shopping for school clothes, and how big of a nightmare that was for the young Michelle. I’m so thankful that today there are far more options for plus size women than I had when I was younger.

Between Asos Curve, Lane Bryant, Torrid, and Forever 21 the possibilities for fashion are endless. Here are a couple of seriously fashionable looks YOU should try this season.

Plaid is in! This season it’s all about the Plaid baby! My question to you is… to plaid or not to plaid? Most women who are plus size feel like they can’t rock a good pattern. Well, you are wrong my beauties! You absolutely can rock a little plaid along with the rest of the fall fashions this year. I suggest taking a look at Torrid, Asos curve, and Target Plus to take advantage of some plaid plus size options. Here is a look at goodies that I’ve put together that showcase some of my favorite plaids this year.

Flares are coming back! I suggest pairing a sexy pair of flare jeans with an edgy moto jacket.

There are a couple of really affordable moto jacket options in the new Target Plus Size line

by Ava & Viv. I’ve also found some amazing jackets at Nordstrom that are well worth the investment. Pairing an edgy jacket with a nice graphic tee is an easy way to put a simple outfit together for a fashionable look.

In the beauty department, I suggest trying some items from the amazing Charlotte Tilbury line. Tilbury’s line of makeup and skincare is one of the best out there. She is the mother of all makeup. She has been developing beauty secrets for some of the most beautiful women in Hollywood, and now they are here for the rest of us. Her line is also available at Nordstom, try it... believe me you won’t be sorry!

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Layout by Lauren Pfeffer

F a l l 2 0 1 5 Lo o ks

! s s e L or

F

Teresa CUTRERA Fashion & Style Editor

Here comes fall! For you summer lovers, there is no sense in fighting it. It is time to embrace it! While the summer has finally come to an end, some of its trends are still going strong into the fall season.

Womenswear is still seeing the strong push in denim with skirts and 70’s flares. The 70’s style continues to invade our wardrobes this fall season! It lends itself especially well to fall with tons of layering and warm, deep color tones!

On the men’s front we have an emphasis on military greens and vivid deep burgundy’s and reds. Silhouettes have become bigger and elongated, which pulled influences directly from womenswear. So, just like the summer, the fall will be short lived and in no time we’ll see the signs of winter here in Chicago! I know, I know...don’t say the “w” word. Let’s enjoy the prettiest season we have, embrace the change and take on the fall trends head on!

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“ y n n i k S e h t “Getting Denim has been everywhere since spring! Now, we have denim showing up in our wardrobes this fall in the form of the denim skirt! If you dare to wear a mini with some killer boots or platforms, it strikes that ultra 70’s vibe! You can even opt for a longer midi length that’s office appropriate.

Layout by Lauren Pfeffer

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“The Denim Skir t“ I absolutely love this trend. There’s something so masculine, yet so feminine to the long denim skirt. Try a white or neutral color for a more sophisticated look. If you’re feeling fun and adventurous go for something in a bolder color like the orange Zara version.

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“ e n i L “Long

Long line vests are ultra chic and are great statement pieces. They’re perfect for the office or you can even pair them with shorts and tights for a very fashion savvy look.

“ e r a l F o r t e “R

I have been obsessed with flares for the last six months and they are making a huge splash this fall. For me the bigger the flare the better!

If you don’t want to make as dramatic a statement try a smaller flare with a higher rise that will elongate your legs!

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Layout by Lauren Pfeffer

“ r e g g i B d “Big an Menswear has gone from tight and fitted over the last few years to gradually building back up in terms of volume. For fall, big is…well, the new “big” thing! Big jackets, coats and shirts were show stoppers on the men side. Designer showcased oversized coats and jackets with tons of layered pieces to complete the look. If you want to make a bold statement opt for an oversized anorak jacket.

“ x u a e “Bord

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There is a boldness and fall like nature to this color. Choose from all different shades of the burgundy this season! It’s definitely a more mature and serious color in menswear, there is no shortage of ways wear it. My favorite way to pull off this color is styled with a classic varsity jacket sporting leather sleeves like the ones spotted at Zara.

Layout by Lauren Pfeffer

“Wild West“

One of my favorite parts of fall is booties season! I love a good pair of boots.

Fringe has been going strong for a while now and the western influence shows no sign of stopping this fall. Your booties are a must during fall because of the versatility. You’ll be wearing them with everything!

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“The Long Shirt“ Is there really anything more crisp and clean then a men’s shirt? Runways were filled with them for fall. However, the classic shirt had a slight upgrade. Shirt hems have become lower and lower! The long shirt has been shown both in menswear and womenswear for a few seasons now, but had a revamp this fall. Layer your long shirt with a bold sweater or jacket to complete the look.

“The Quilted Vest“ I personally love vests. They’re a great layering piece for fall without the heaviness of a real jacket. Menswear runways had no shortage of vests this fall. A big trend showcased this season is the quilted vest. The vest is extremely versatile and never really goes out of trend. It’s a great layering piece that you can use well into winter and spring.

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Layout by Lauren Pfeffer

“ y v n E n “Gree

Military green is probably one of the most popular colors in menswear right now. Slightly less serious than the Bordeaux color scheme, military greens still create that same attitude in a more casual manner. Double up on different shades of green to make a real impact. If you want one stand out piece that you’ll wear in seasons to come, go for a military green bomber.

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WTF!?

2015 MTV VIDEO MUSIC AWARDS

Disclaimer *We didn’t know that anyone still watched videos on MTV* By: Stella Quimby Design: Kali Koller

FIRST VICTIM: Crotch Mouth (her garment screams) Ms Baddie Winkle As Tim Gunn say’s, “make it work,” sorry this outfit didn’t do so or can do so. Why the hell would anyone over the age of Miley Cyrus (she’s in her own f**cked up age group) wear anything that had a mouth over your no-no spot?

I also think it’s drooling; so your crotch is drooling? Don’t forget the cyclops 1 eyed tit!

Why it makes the outfit complete!! Just go back under the rock where this outfit and now you deserve (by wearing that obscene thing)! Plus sneakers to an award show? I’m seriously getting a stroke looking at this crap. (photo by Jason Merritt/Getty Images)

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SECOND STAR: Sprinkling Star Frankie J. Grande First of all I would like to say is view this photo with safety, perhaps wear sunglasses or just go the odepus Rex way and pull out your eyes (I am leaning that way lately). WTF? Seriously, WTF? Are you trying to be an angel or a sparkling fairy? Either way you look scary. Next year I expect this “star” to wear white again, a white wrapped around and tied shirt in a padded room; that’ll be stylish. ((photo by Kevin Mazur/WireImage)

THIRD STAR: The two Hores (hey it’s on their dress) Amber Rose & Blac Chyna Warning; about to go on rant on these two. #1, who are they?

Celebrity exes? Model’s? Wanna be celebrities more like it. #2, Why, Why, Why would you wear anything that degrades you AND degrades women as a whole. What the hell is wrong with you two? Bitch, Gold Digger, Stripper, and many more beautiful terminology that describes you? So are these the outfits you both select when you go to a job interview? So when the recruiter asks you” tell me about yourself?” you just say look at my clothes bitch? Do these morons KNOW who watches MTV? Well it is not the adult nor the young adult demographic but teenie boopers and teenagers! So you are telling these youngsters that it’s ok to call yourself and others these names? I am surprised no one throw paint or anything at them cause to me this is the ultimate fashion travesty.

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WTF!? WTF!? WTF!? WTF!? WTF!? WTF!? WTF!? WTF!? WTF!? WTF!? WTF!? WTF!? WTF!? WTF!? WTF!? WTF!? WT

THE EMERGING CREATIVE AND THE EVOLUTION OF MODERN NOTORIETY

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WRITTEN BY: LAURA LOPEZ

At the age of 23, an accident left Oscar Castillo with an injury that during the recovery process left him unable to work and feeling more than restless. During the time that he was out of work, he started a small sneaker blog. Today, that small blog has become the online daily newspaper for the sneaker community. Oscar Castillo is the 27-year-old founder and visionary behind Modern Notoriety.

Castillo, who was born during a time of Civil War in his home country of El Salvador, fled the destruction of the war with his mother when he was just 4 years old. Growing up in Chicago’s North Side, he had no idea that what would begin as a hobby would eventually turn into a career.

It is this very career that would allow him to travel the world and do what he loves.

Castillo launched his blog, Modern Notoriety, by taking pictures of shoes and sharing his thoughts. “They weren’t good pictures, but I started to appreciate the visuals.” He had worked at a sneaker store for years and had connections that

he remained in contact with. Early on, he was getting his hands on product that no one else could get. He was photographing samples of shoes that were never put into production, shoes that were 1 of 1.

He would get shoes before they were released and leak the images of them online. As the content was growing, so was his following. He now had companies reaching out to him to advertise on his site and companies asking for visuals for their products. His hobby had turned into a fullfledged business.

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His success only grew with the rise of Social Media, “I can put things out and people don’t even have to look for it.” Modern Notoriety, like many other businesses, was able to step out from behind a website and really reach a larger audience through the use of social media outlets. With over 25K followers

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on Instagram and nearly 500K followers on Facebook, he is delivering fresh content to a huge community of people daily. Castillo, who has now expanded his team to 1 other photographer and 1 other blogger, explains that even now looking at what he has created, he is still not satisfied. “I’m never satisfied with what

continues to work hard and has remained humble through all of it, taking no blessing for granted. “ My mental investment is still on the project I have always believed in.

I still wake up everyday and work hard on this life like I could lose it tomorrow.”

He recently experienced the reality of just Castillo is no stranger to the hardships that most creatives face when venturing how big his dream had become when into the business of making your passion he was sent by Nike to cover events in a career. He has had doors close on him, Rome. “Rome was life changing. You there have been the inevitable moments put in so much work and you’re sitting in another country because of it. Some of my of doubt, and there will always be skeptics that don’t understand the vision. Yet, that friends don’t even have passports.” His has never stopped him from knowing that work has allowed him to lead a creative this is what he was meant to do. “Anyone life, travel the world, and see things he that makes something from nothing will has never seen. Despite having a dream always go through that. I see shit different. job that most people would envy, he I am doing. There is always something much bigger that I could do.” This perspective has been key in pushing him forward and making him think outside of the box. No dream is too big and there are infinite possibilities.

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That’s a gift and I try to surround myself with people that have the same vision” Oscar and Modern Notoriety are evolving.

What once started as a sneaker blog has expanded into art shows and other curated content that is relevant to a wide audience who is constantly inspired by it.

“There is a whole other world out there.”

Oscar is a Chicago native and a young Latino putting in the work to build his brand. He is chasing dreams and is constantly evolving. His humble beginnings, amazing work ethic and creative vision have established him as a mainstay in this competitive industry. Yet, it is his heart and soul that continue to allow him to thrive.

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WWW.MODERN-NOTORIETY.COM

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FN PLATFORM

Get Your Brand Noticed Written by: Catie Coscino

FN Platform, a retail tradeshow presented by MAGIC, showcases over 1600 footwear brands, offering junior’s, men’s, women’s and children’s styles from over 20 countries. Designed for a buyer’s convenience, FN Platform features six merchandised lifestyle environments, creating a shopping experience that is both immersive and easy to navigate.

The first of the six environments, “Bond”, features sophisticated, sleek and masculine brands that are both fashion forward and professional, geared towards the man about town. “In Play” represents children, with whimsical footwear options. “Cosmo” is all about the fashionable woman who wears many hats, carrying brands that offer a wide range of products that are all on trend. “Zen” is described as “the crossroads between style and comfort,” with plenty of comfy shoe options as well as unique shoe accessories. “Black Diamond” showcases brands that are focused on artisanal craftsmanship and quality materials, while “Camp” features brands that offer contemporary athleisure styles for men and women.

Another great feature offered by MAGIC & FN Platform is the buyer’s ability to “Shop the Floor” online.

This option gives industry insiders a taste of who will be exhibiting, including high profile brands such as Desigual, Marc Fisher, Johnston & Murphy and Seychelles, among many others. Trend forecasting, mood boards and buying guides are also provided on the footwear news blog, offering the full package when it comes to range of options and efficiency.

Not only does FN Platform offer the hottest range of curated footwear brands, but MAGIC provides great services for attendees. For instance, they have negotiated and guaranteed the lowest hotel room prices for guests, and are also offering shuttle services to and from the airport, hotels and opposite sides of the convention center. The next FN Platform show will take place February 16th-18th, 2016 at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

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Boasting “the most comprehensive selection of international footwear,” FN Platform was named amongst the Top 5 Tradeshows of 2013 by Focus on Fashion Retail magazine. Industry professionals awarded the event a perfect score for planning and organization. They also received the highest customer satisfaction ranking amongst the shows being rated by Focus.

FN Platform has an ongoing partnership with Marie Claire, as their brands

are frequently chosen by fashion editors at the publication for features and style shoots. The collaboration connects consumers directly to the covetable brands that FN Platform offers, giving the brands exposure before they even hit stores.

In turn, buyers can make confident purchases, knowing that consumers have already been made familiar with the brands that they will be selling in the coming seasons.

Since FN Platform is not open to the public, Leslie Gallin, President of Footwear at UBM Ad-

vanstar, offered a sneak peek at what is to come in Spring 2016. One of the major footwear styles that is trending for the season are penny loafers. Gallin says “The nostalgic shoe trend offers a sophisticated look paired with comfort.”

The other top contenders? Anything metallic or woven and 1940’s & 50’s throwbacks such as kitten heels. Expect more options: we will be seeing the same shoe styles offered in varying heel heights and booties will prove their staying power with another strong season.

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HISPANICS IN

BUSINESS

& FASHION WRITTEN BY: JENNIFER M. LEZAN

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Photo Courtesy of: David M.Earnisse Latino Fashion Week Chicago 2014, Beyond Exceptional, Finale, Fashion Designer Paco Mayorga – Mexico

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Despite what you might hear in the media, the Latino and Hispanic public are making a huge and positive impact in the business sector. The U.S economy is being fueled by the success of Hispanic owned businesses. In major metropolitan areas such as New York, “the number of Hispanic-owned businesses has nearly doubled since the late 1990s, to more than 140,000. About one in seven businesses in the Big Apple are now owned

by Latinos”. “There are more than 3 million Latino-owned businesses in the U.S., a number up more than 40 percent since 2007,” according to a Hispanics in Business 2014 study, released by Geoscape and published in partnership with the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

Many financial experts say Hispanics are starting businesses at three times the national rate, thus fueling growth in the economy and empowering Hispanics nationwide.

This type of success is key when it comes to closing the wealth gap in America. The average white household is worth 10 times more than a Hispanic household, according to a December 2014 Pew Research Center analysis

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of Federal Reserve data.

Those Hispanic families with small businesses are 80 percent more likely to make $100,000 or more.

It’s no surprise to see a community of proud hard workers, truly pursuing the American dream.

Yet, it isn’t an easy dream to pursue. Funding can be limited or at times non-existent. According to a report by Rutgers completed in 2014, researchers found that black and Hispanic entrepreneurs are discriminated against when pursuing small business loans from banks. The report highlighted instances in which banks provided far less information about loan terms and offered less application help to minorities. The Small Business Administration has taken it upon themselves to pursue the banking issues as a main priority. The SBA is currently headed by a Latina, Maria Contreras Sweet. Over this past year, the SBA has been a catalyst, facilitating more than 1.3 billion in loans to Hispanic business owners who may not otherwise have an opportunity.

Latinos/Hispanic designers in fashion are becoming more and more renowned. The fashion industry has diversified tremendously over the past

10 years. Designers such as Carolina Herrera continue to wow, but a younger generation of Latinos are making headlines in the industry. Designers like Luis Antonio, from Puerto Rico are creating a name for themselves and in part that is due to the community that surrounds and supports them.

Most Latinos and Hispanics aren’t out for themselves. They don’t have the mine mentality that can be quite common in today’s generation, they truly believe in creating a better community through giving and remaining humble. They crave success not just for themselves, but also their family and friends. It’s typical to see family members working together running a business or a community of Latinos empowering and supporting one another.

The idea of “familia” is an important value to the culture. That ideal is very much the norm for Chicago; even more so for the Latino fashion industry.

Arabel Alva Rosales and Cesar Rolon are two key people who are making sure that the Chicago Latino fashion industry is being noticed worldwide.

Arabel and Cesar are the founders of Latino Fashion Week based right here in Chicago.

Photo Courtesy of: David M.Earnisse Local Chicago Fashion Designer, Señor Dapper by Jimmy Guzmán (Model, Isaias Perez Torres)

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Photo Courtesy of: David M.Earnisse Fashion Designer, Paco Mayorga – Mexico (Model, Sky Darukhanavala)

Latino Fashion Week has become a mainstay in regards to fall fashion events in Chicago.

Each year, the event has grown and patrons continue to look forward to the week long event.

Latino Fashion Week is the brainchild of two Chicago Latinos and Natives: Cesar Rolon and Arabel Alva Rosales.

Arabel is a prominent Chicago Hispanic business leader and an entrepreneur who runs a tech firm right here in the City.

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She’s a mother, a tech innovator and a supporter of all women following a dream.

Cesar is the mastermind behind Imagen Marketing and Brillante Multicultural Marketing Group – consulting firms that are behind some of Chicagos most prominent multi cultural events. His ability to connect brands and people is truly exceptional. Together they launched Latino Fashion Week 9 years ago to fill a need in the market.

Today, Latino Fashion Week is the only full week and tour dedicated to Latino Fashion in the United States. They showcase top Latino designers from Central and South America, the Caribbean and the U.S during a multi-day branded entertainment event. I had the opportunity to speak with the team about their journey in their careers, launching Latino Fashion Week and what attendees can expect during the events that are taking place Sept. 30th through October 4th.

In its ninth year, the theme for LATINO FASHION WEEK 2015, reflects on the idea of “TIMELESS,”. This year, the organization celebrates the ability to create fashion that is beautiful to the eyes, stimulating to the spirit and forever imprinted on the soul. LFW™ is a showcase of all that is fashion during the 2015 Tour in the cities of Miami and our hometown of Chicago.

This year’s event is taking place at Block 37 in partnership with Latinicity on Sept.

30th - October 4th. Latinicity is one of Chicago’s most anticipated dining openings.

Brought to you by worldrenowned chef Richard Sandoval, Latinicity is a delicious twist on Latin street food.

Located on the third floor of Block 37, in the epicenter of Chicago’s Loop, this multi-sensory food hall experience features 12 innovative kitchens, a tapas restaurant, coffee cafe, wine bar, fresh market and

lounge — plus a culinary center with cooking classes. This years events are sure to be memorable! Keep reading to learn more about Cesar, Arabel and Latino Fashion Week.

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Photo Courtesy of: David M.Earnisse Fashion Designer, Rosita Hurtado – Bolivia (Model, Laura Silva)

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1.Can you tell me about yourself, your background and how you’re involved in Latino Fashion week?

Co-founder, producer, owner. I own a management, technology consulting company called AAR & assocs., ltd and we house LFW here. We do most of the infrastructure management as one of our on-going projects.

Cesar and I do most of the big picture work of Latino Fashion Week, and that includes finding designers, outreach to sponsors, media and supporters. We have started doing other events in Chicago, where we produce the shows and maybe focus on a special area of fashion: going green fashion, dress for success, men’s wear, etc..

I grew up in the industry. My dad was a tailor from Mexico who came to the US, and turned entrepreneur, and full-fledged designer. We have a small manufacturing group, of about 40 to 50 people in Wicker park.

We had a men’s clothing store in the Little Village area and my dad had a TV program where he would bring in celebrities and cross market his show and his designs. He was a pretty creative individual, and my mom has always been a great manager. I also took design for a year, but decided to take another route in my career and got a J.D. instead. I have always loved design and production so LFW is my passion project. I also get very excited about creating things that inspire others, and Latino Fashion Week definitely

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does. Even on the models side, we have a very diverse runway, because Latinos are so diverse.

That has changed the way model agencies look for their models.

We say LFW has changed the face of fashion. I am proud to say that Latino Fashion Week also helps to elevate the perception of our Latino community, both amongst ourselves and to others. It is indeed a movement.

2. Can you tell me a bit about Latino Fashion Week, it’s history and how it is innovating the industry?

We initiated LFW with the idea of helping local designers in Chicago, but it really has grown into a movement. We have always said by Latinos for Everyone, and we want everyone involved.

However, we have expanded on a national level, and are really recognized on an i international level. We work to enhance the opportunities for all those involved in fashion, not just for designers.

3. What are your goals for the growth of the event/show in the coming years?

To create more business opportunities for those in fashion, but first we have to start by assuring that those involved have the proper business foundation. We don’t plan on doing this ourselves, instead you will see us partnering up with others to do so.

Also, we are really helping support the concept that beauty

comes from within and that being healthy is beautiful. We promote that a lot now and want to do more of that.

4. What can attendees expect to see or be a part of while at the events and shows?

Fashion, events and amazing after parties right in the heart of Chicago.

5. How are you working with the local Chicago business and creative community to continue to establish Latino Fashion Week?

We have on-going relationships with chambers of commerce and non-for-profits. I serve on the board of two of the largest business organizations in the Midwest, Women’s Business Development Center, and Illinois Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and I am a board member on the CTA. So, I understand the importance of business and relationships. The work is on-going and will only be enhanced in the future.

6. Throughout your journey in growing LFW, have you faced any struggles or obstacles and if so, how did you manage to overcome?

In life, in general, there are always struggles. It is a part of learning. You just have to plow forward, and if one thing doesn’t work, try another. Being strategic and planning ahead really helps you avoid problems, but

pushed for a more collaborative environment between those that are in the fashion industry.

Different people, groups, bring different strengths, so sometimes it is a matter of getting people together and sharing their knowledge. Chicago has some amazing talent, in some cases it is about promoting it.

11. Any advice you can offer young people looking to break into the industry?

Photo Courtesy of: David M.Earnisse Fashion Designer, Argemiro Sierra – Colombia (Model, Alex Ortiz)

when all else fails, you have to allow yourself to look back and laugh. Then say, “Next!”

7. What has been the hardest part of building the LFW week brand?

The media has been very supportive of us, and in helping get the word out, so no hardships there, just good, steady growth.

Staying consistent isn’t always easy, especially when you are in a creative arena. Promising less and delivering more increases your credibility. It also strengthens your brand appeal because it builds trust. It just takes a little longer.

known for achieving the unbelievable (at a very low cost, LOL).

9. Are there any designers that you feel have truly made an impact in the Chicago community that you had a chance to work with?

Lazaro is amazing, he started his business in Chicago, but is now national with boutiques in NY and LA, and a huge presence in Macy’s Bridal. His gowns are spectacular, and he himself is a great individual with a very savvy business mind. I admire his work, and his designs. So many lessons to be learned from Lazaro.

8. Are there any key moments during your time running LFW that were a dream come true, if so can you share?

10. How do you think the city of Chicago can continue to grow and support the fashion industry?

Every year there are different miracles that take place. We are

I am on the Mayor’s Fashion Council and we have really

Be strategic about what you want to do. Learn as much as you can, have a plan, and that should include support for that plan. Don’t be afraid to ask.

You’ll be surprised how many people want to support dreams.

Then go for it. Just be prepared to work hard, and follow through on your commitments. This is a small town and we all know each other, so always give it your best.

12. Finally, where can we learn more about Latino Fashion Week and the upcoming events and shows? www.LatinoFashionWk.com/ tickets

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Fashion PRs Haute Spot

Written by: Olivia Lemley Layout by: Annabel Carrillo

T

he 21st century brought about many perks to everyday life. What is the big difference since the 90s? The improvements in technology, of course. PR Couture, also known as The Fashion PR Bible, is a site cherished among many related to the fashion industry. The website was founded by a woman named as a key influencer in interactive marketing and experienced fashion and consumer marketing strategist.

Participants who engage in the forums and hopefuls who read the pages of the site are in good hands. With a community of over 100k, Crosby Noricks and PR Couture continuously bring fresh insight into public relations, marketing and social media through the digital landscape. The website not only offers insight to PR, but also offers content dealing with expert interviews, strategy and job leads. Crosby’s journey stemmed from a fire within her to prove that fashion publicists aren’t true to their stereotype: people preoccupied with air-kisses rather than focusing on credibility.

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PR Couture:

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The popular site for business professionals, LinkedIn, is a great comparison to PR Couture. Though, Noricks has never put the two in a T-chart, one cannot help but ponder the similarities. While LinkedIn caters to any business professional seeking connections and insight, PR Couture is tailored for those in the fashion industry— more specifically, those specialized in public relations, marketing and social media. Either site can put you through to a career or job. When you specify your target market and put a bunch of public relation professionals together—one can only imagine the success stories, or you can just check out PRcouture.com. Whether you are a student at the entry level, a publicist, agency, designer or brand, PR Couture can be your pot of gold.

Keeping up with the latest in fashion PR, marketing and social media has never been easier. PR Couture provides helpful and inspiring resources for the readers to creatively plot the next move in their career. The blog being updated each week means you’ll always be able to discover new topics and strategies to tamper with to make your own— every fashionista’s heaven. The blog posts have everything from interviews, how-to tutorials, videos, success secrets, webinars and plenty more left to explore at your fingertips.

From the first looks of PR Couture in 2006, it was solely a blog with the goal to cover and learn about how PR works in the fashion industry. Noricks’ initial plan for the blog wasn’t made clear until after working her way around the industry. While she was in graduate school for Communication, she began working with a small online jewelry company as manager of the PR and marketing departments. She, soon after graduation, spent several years working for different agencies— five of which she held the role of Director of Social Media for a digital marketing agency. Throughout this time, she realized her specialty was entrepreneurship. She noticed how much she enjoyed and excelled in creating a department or growing a certain aspect of the business. This is not a common quirk of your “average joe.” Immediately, she knew entrepreneurship was not a path to skim past. Now, as founder of PR Couture, she takes on leadership: “These days, I prefer to help support publicists as a business coach, or take what I have learned in my background and apply all of it to help out creative business owners, fashion brands and designers.” -Crosby Noricks The business side of PR Couture grew organically while Noricks held down a fulltime agency position. She continued to juggle her two priorities until several years later when she decided to venture out on her own. Her decision to leverage PR Couture as her primary business came after slowly monetizing the site, writing a book and speaking nationally about social media and digital PR. This brought the spotlight in on PR Couture, and she knew if there was a perfect time to fully commit, it was then. From that point on, Noricks dedicated her time and effort to the rapid growth of her site.

“The inspiration really came in the form of a challenge: could I pull this off?”

-Crosby Noricks

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•••••••••••••• Like the common beginner’s side effects to anything great, Noricks ran into some roadblocks along the way. One would be considered naive to believe starting and maintaining a business is a walk in the park. On top of costs, inter-business competition and slow starts, there is also self-doubt that can invade the mind like a catchy Taylor Swift song. No matter what any confident business owner claims, there is always a time during their journey in which he or she doubts themselves and questions their own purpose.

“Being responsible for making so many decisions— big and small— can be overwhelming.” Yet, this didn’t stop Noricks from finding the diamonds in the dust with her positive attitude. “On the flip-side, the autonomy, creativity and freedom are well worth it.”

Like any top tier business, PR Couture is all about focusing on providing the best value to its readers and customers, Noricks makes sure of it. She works hard to not belittle your time; each bit of information is useful and worth the time to plunge into it.

“Personally, I always want to be sure I’m also excited about what’s coming up and that I’m still curious and committed to serving the space.”

She is a firm believer in controlling quality and has been so successful in doing so, that her site is being recognized as a Top 100 PR Brand. With great momentum, Noricks launched her first virtual course for aspiring publicists, earlier this spring, called PRISM. Time and time again, public relations seems to be an almost impossible field— all the stress and countless hours of extra work put in. The founder of “The Fashion PR Bible” provides her response to these judgements: “It’s great to have that clarity!” It takes the right kind of person, but if you have the skills and heart, “it’s well worth it.”

It is tough, but the roadblocks look a lot less intimidating with PR Couture on your team.

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Only in LA | The Hollywood Hustle What is the hollywood hustle you ask? No, it is not a move you incorporate into a danceoff you started at a karaoke bar. Even though I did experience that and it remains as one of my top ten moments in LA. The Hollywood Hustle I am speaking of is living in constant employment instability. Doing whatever you have to do in order to pay the bills. Living with the mentality that no task is too small or too below my education, skills or pride to reach my goals, and waking up everyday on a mission to work hard and meet the right people. If “The Hollywood Hustle” was a clever Instagram caption it would be, “Can I sell my blood to pay rent while also networking with the hospital staff to get my next gig? #Bpositive”.

Only in LA would you actually contemplate doing this. Only in LA will you resort to returning to the job you held at the age of 15, as a swim instructor, to not only afford your cost of living, but to feel purposeful again. There are only so many “errands” you can run during unemployment, till you consider watching an entire series on Netflix in three days a job well done. Only in LA will you find yourself in the midst of a laugh attack thinking about how you are college-educated and interviewing to sell grills outside of Home Depot. If you can’t laugh about this level of disparity

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disparity you won’t survive.

However, as I learned from a very special friend of mine, Angelo Kritikos, “if you’re not working, it’s because you’re not working hard enough. LA is all about building momentum.”

TranspLAnts | Managing Chaos with Angelo Kritikos Angelo Kritikos, celebrity photographer and music video director is a successful artist and Los Angeles “transplant”- One of the many who moved to Los Angeles from all over the world, hoping to find a greater purpose to their life than what they have always known. Doing the Hollywood Hustle and chasing some

thing they can’t explain. The goal is to not only share their stories but also learn from their experience. .

Angelo moved to Los Angeles from Chicago almost five years ago after winning a photo contest. W Magazine named him a top upcoming photographer.

A photography agency saw his work and wanted to bring his talents to Los Angeles. “I got a phone call on a Tuesday and I flew out here on a Thursday,” said Kritikos, “I had no desire to move to LA, but the day I came out here I fell in love with it.”

Angelo’s work has been featured in Cosmopolitan, GQ, Glamour, and Elle magazine, just to name a few. Hold up! I got to grab coffee with some-

Angelo’s career recently brought about another surprising turn and led him to directing music videos. He even agreed to shoot my upcoming music video from my EP, “Will Twerk for Work” After my chart-topping hit “Less Whine, More Wine.”

Kidding, kidding...right? In all seriousness, though, all it took was one risk to reach further recognition and reward for Kritikos.

“A music manager hit me up about shooting one of his artists music videos. He loved the photos I had done of her so much that he called me in for a meeting and asked me to direct her first music video.” Angelo panicked and said yes.

one who shot Nick Jonas for Galore Magazine?! Not only do I still get jealous (see what I did there) that he was in the presence of my middle school dream boy, but Kritikos has such a unique and artistic message that any artist, in any medium, should aspire to find in themselves. When asked how he would describe his creative style he said, “order in the chaos.” With such an eccentric and expressive artistic voice, Kritikos prides himself on the detail behind every aspect of his work.

“You go to my website and it looks like a hot mess trash, but there is so much detail in there that people are not familiar with.

Everything is so detailed and

is placed exactly where it is suppose to be.

This artist who is not afraid to rock light up shoes and flashy nail polish colors, described how his work constantly changes as a reflection of his personal development. “I was shooting everything and anything and things were kind of all over the place... But I am so completely authentically myself at this point in my life that it shows in my work,” said Kritikos. “You will see my evolution in my work. Two or three years ago I bleached my hair and everything went crazy from there and as a result my photography became more eccentric.”

“I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I left the meeting feeling like, what did I just do? But I made it work and I completed my first music video. The next thing you know Perez Hilton posted the video and I ended up booking four more videos on the spot.”

In the most non-offensive way, you can not meet Angelo Kritikos and not be more inspired to leave him stranded at the cafe you met him at to grab a camera and just go out and shoot something that is beautiful to you (sorry Angelo I thought about that at least three times). His selfmotivation is contagious and it shows through his work, successes and his humble advice.

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but notice how different dating and relationships are in Los Angeles than in the Midwest. With most of my social media connections based in the Midwest, I can’t open my feeds these days without seeing a new engagement or wedding. The family oriented Midwesterner in me says “awesome, so happy for these crazy lovebirds!” The entertainment industry and goal-oriented LA resident in me says, “stop this, we are so young and have so much yet to accomplish.”--Cue all the young Midwest married friends I have running after me with torches after this article.

“I think passion and drive is a big thing. If you don’t have that, you have nothing. The thing about LA is that everyone is trying to be something. But that is what makes this place so magical and a lot of people see that as a negative thing. But I personally would rather be around people that have big dreams and goals versus unmotivated people.”

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Midwest v. Westcoast | Tinder is for Networking?

I would like to preface this section with a huge self-call out-Hey Carolyn, who do you think you are talking about dating when you are terrible at it? I remind you, I am no Carrie Bradshaw. Yet, in a city that is so career focused, you can’t help

In Los Angeles people rarely settle down and work comes first. There are people who use Tinder for networking purposes (you know the dating app I am shamelessly admitting I have used before). The differences between the Los Angeles dating scene and the Midwest dating scene has less to do with swiping left or right but more so the act of swiping at all. Regardless of where you live, dating and relationship tendencies vary.

However, with the fear of losing sight of what you set out to do in the first place by coming to Los Angeles, many stray away from anything serious or committal. Being so new to this city I am still undecided about the amount of time and value I should be placing on romantic relationships. However, I will leave you with this. When I first moved here, my roommate, who has lived in Los Angeles for five years said, “If anyone tells you dating and relationships aren’t as important, if not

arguably more important, than professional success, are wrong because who will you go home to every night to share your successes with?”

ReveLAtions | #Employed Before moving to Los Angeles to join the creative, vibrant, people of this city following their intuitions, I left a comfortable full-time job for unemployment and uncertainty. When explaining to family and friends about my upcoming move, my mother (aka the queen B of my life) used to say, “We are letting her jump off a bridge and hoping that there is a job at the bottom.” I wonder where I get my subtly from?

Well, subtle or not, my momma was right (as she usually is) and after a long and windy free fall

off that bridge, there was a job at the bottom. Seven months of temporary gigs and many random jobs, including my personal favorite stint as a pasta saleswoman (gluten-free lentil based pasta anyone?!), I landed a full-time job on “Mike & Molly” at Warner Bros! I feel so lucky to finally have a stable job on a well-respected show. Not to mention, a show set in Chicago.

Although this news is sweeter than a Portillo’s chocolate cake shake, I will never forget the “Hollywood Hustle” that I had to shimmy out of me to get my foot in-the-door to the heavenly gates of the television industry.

I have so many reasons to be grateful for what I have succeeded in so far! The people I get to share my achievements with and the unknown still yet to come keep me going day in and day out. In a city with millions of people

trying their hand at the same business, I find comfort in knowing we are all hollywood hustling into the unknown.

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AN OP/ED PIECE WRITTEN BY: TRYONITA BELL Black Lives Matter is a movement that was created in 2012 in response to the controversy that arose when Tray’von Martin, an unarmed black 17-year-old teenager was shot and killed after an altercation with George Zimmerman. Many supporters of the movement believe that Tray’von was shot because his hoodie made him appear suspicious.

The trial lasted almost a year and a half. In the end, the shooter George Zimmerman was found not guilty for Tray’von’s death.

Based on Florida’s stand your ground law in relation to homicides, a person is allowed to respond with deadly force if they believe they’re in danger. Thus, the outrage raged on.

This, in turn, sparked a social media firestorm, which led to the Black Lives Matter Movement. Tray’von’s death brought attention to mounting issues within America’s justice system, and what many people believed to be the devaluation of the lives of black people.

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In the years following Tray’von’s passing, many other black lives have been lost showcasing a deep issue that continues to thrive in America.

You might have already heard the

stories of the untimely deaths of Eric Garner, Freddie Gray, Sandra Bland, Samuel DuBose and countless others who haven’t made national headlines. This naturally rings the questions, why are African Americans being killed?

Well, lets start off with the justice system. According to an Article from Stanford University, African Americans make up only 12% of this country’s population but 40% of the prison population. One in three black men can expect to go to jail in their lifetime. . “Blacks are imprisoned at six times the rate of whites and a report by the Department of Justice found that blacks were three times more likely to be searched during a traffic stop, compared to white motorists. African-Americans are twice as likely to be arrested and almost four times as likely to experience the use of force during encounters with the police.” In addition to that, black people are “21 percent more likely to receive mandatory-minimum sentences than white defendants and are 20 percent more like to be sentenced to prison.”

Even after all of that, the uncommon denominator between the crimes

THEGUARDIAN.COM

of POC and white people is believed to be race. Which shows how although we are living in a time where blatant racism is not as prevalent (or socially acceptable), it is still a huge problem that must be addressed.

Straight Outta Compton was released this summer, on Aug 14th 2015. It grossed over 60 million in its first week. The movie was widely accepted and is rumored to be in the running for an Oscar. The movie discussed the story of the group: NWA and their rise to fame during the late 80s. The film addressed subjects such as police brutality among the black community, and showcased a snapshot of what is still going on today.

In the film, the Rodney King trial and the reactions of the N.W.A members were displayed. In 1991, the police caught Rodney King after a high-speed chase. The officers pursued King, and the pursuit attained high speeds, while King refused to pull over.

King would later admit he attempted to outrun the police at dangerously high speeds because a charge of driving under the influence would violate his parole for a previous robbery conviction. After he was caught, he was then brutally beaten by the four police officers. The officers were charged for “assault with a deadly weapon and excessive use of force by a police officer.

However, after a three-month trial, a predominantly white jury acquitted the officers”. Following the verdict, the tensions of

the public and their reaction to the acquittal sparked the L.A riots of 1992. During these riots 53 people were killed and over 2,000 were injured, ending only when the California National Guard was called in.

Fast- forward to more recent times in 2015, when the death of Freddie Gray made national headlines. When the 25 year old was arrested, the graphic video that swept the Internet showed that he couldn’t even walk. The police had to carry him to the vehicle. When the police were taking him in it is said that he wasn’t buckled in the police vehicle, which somehow caused his injuries and ultimately his death.

On the day of Gray’s funeral, peaceful protests began. Much later in the day after a group of young people decided to take

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those protests to the next level, things started to get violent.

We now know those events as the Baltimore Riots. Many Media outlets began using words like criminals and thugs to describe the people who were a part of the riots. These are words commonly associated with African Americans. The story was juxtaposed against the Vancouver riots over the loss of the Stanley cup. A majority of the people who participated in the Vancouver Riots were white, and words like thugs or criminals were not at all used. This brought to the light how the media has used certain words to defame the character of certain people, depending on how they want the story to be perceived.

In recent years there has been some progress since the inception of the Black Lives Matter movement. The city of Ferguson will be withdrawing all arrests prior to 2015. According to Buzzfeed News, this change is “meant to restore confidence in the court after a federal investigation conducted in the wake of Michael Brown’s death found that Ferguson’s police department and courts unconstitutionally targeted black people.” It is quite brave for the city of Ferguson to actually admit that their justice system has been flawed, and that they are taking the initiative to improve this problem.

The topic of race has also been an important issue that the presidential candidates of

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2016 will have to address to win over the people. Bernie Sanders has been one of the most popular candidates among millennials.

Aside from his plans to reform student debt, creating jobs, and climate change he also boldly takes on issues of racial inequality and private prisons. These are the issues are what millenials really care about, because these are the matters that will directly impact the generation.

To change the ongoing pattern of police brutality in the U.S his strategies are to: Demilitarize the police force Get officers working within the communities Establish a new police training program Hold officers completely accountable for their actions Require police departments and states to provide public reports on police shootings and deaths that take place in police custody.

These are only a few of the strategies that he plans on carrying out to correct the current issues we are facing within our communities. We are only in the beginning stages of making this a country in which all men are actually treated equally. Many people believe that this battle ended in 1964 when segregation ended, which was/ is extremely progressive and it is up to the millennial generation to end this

racial battle once and for all.

Yet, it is important that the Black Lives Matter agenda doesn’t get muddled up due to a small percentage of radicals that are utilizing this movement to strike out against individual police or communities in a violent manner. One shouldn’t label an entire movement by the comments and actions of just a few activists, but the larger part of the organization must address the issues that arise due to those radicals.

Recently, an official statement released from the organization explained, “We’re targeting the brutal system of policing, not individual police,” the statement reads. “We seek a world in which ALL Black lives matter, and racial hierarchy no longer organizes our lives or yours. This is a vision of love.

As Black survivors of White supremacy, our hearts go out to all victims of violence.”

That vision of love, is the most important aspect of this all. Killing innocent officers, is not the way to push this movement forward. Black Lives Matter’s main point is to draw attention to police misconduct and the lack of police accountability. It is also important to note the followers of the movement are not asserting that black lives are more precious than white lives.

They are underlining an indisputable fact — that the lives of black citizens in this country historically have not mattered, and have been discounted

and devalued. Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo expressed a similar sentiment, telling a local Fox network: “They’re not in conflict. Just because you believe black lives matter doesn’t mean you don’t support the police.”

Hopefully one day for future generations they will look at the past of their country with the confidence that America’s dark history is left behind them without fear of the future.

Can you image a world where you don’t have to wear the embedded cultural stereotypes of your race on your sleeve?

Or a world where you know for a fact that something as cosmetic as skin color will not hold you back from advancing in any way shape or form? A world where true equality is something that is very much

real, and not some far in the future fairy tale.

That will be the legacy we need to leave behind for the youth of the future. In the words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.

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The Journey

to the Top THE RISE OF CARLOS “LITO” GARCIA PHOTOGRAPHY: LAURA LOPEZ/SHIRIN KORIL PICKAPOSEPHOTOGRAPHY.COM CREATIVE DIRECTION: JENNIFER LEZAN MUSICIAN: CARLOS “LITO” GARCIA MODELS: ELLIE FLORES & MONIQUE AVILA FASHION COURTESY OF MACY’S MAKEUP: NATALIA EVANGELISTA LEAD STYLIST: YARITZA RAMOCKI SET LEAD/HAIR: JENNIE VELASCO SHOT ON LOCATION: HUMBOLDT PARK BOATHOUSE & CAFE ALEJO CARS COURTESY OF: ORIGINALES FOUR LIFE CAR CLUB

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WRITTEN BY: LAURA LOPEZ

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He launched an independent label of his own, with a few trusted friends and artists, at the age of 16.

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Carlos “Lito” Garcia was born in the 90’s to a musician father and a mother who taught him to always be grateful.

Music was always an influential part of his life. He grew up on the streets of Chicago’s in the Humboldt Park neighborhood. From an early age, he set out to make a name for himself in his city.

He discovered his own musical talents as a kid and wrote his first song at the age of 13.

He spent most his teenage years developing his skills and writing music.

He launched an independent label of his own, with a few trusted friends and artists, at the age of 16. This moment would be the birth of TAT Records and the city’s introduction to “Lil Lito”. Lito was not only working on making a name for himself, but he was also set on being an integral part to the growth of other Chicago talent.

His team worked hard releasing mixtapes and music videos. Lito was involved in developing every aspect of the music. Including: the visuals, the production, the promotion, and of course establishing the talent. It wasn’t long until the city started hearing about Lil Lito.

Over the years, TAT Records and its artists had assembled a following of loyal fans. By 2012 Lil Lito had independently put together his first solid album: Grown Folk Business. Lito explains, “Grown Folk Business is when I started to realize that my music was reaching people.” This project would represent his growth as man and as an artist. He was determined to be taken seriously. It would also be the first time that he would sell his music. Lito confesses, “I had to be talked into that.

For me it wasn’t about making money, I wanted to be heard. I wanted to

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make music and I wanted people to hear it.” When Lito shares his journey about his first performance at Bandera Bandera, he does so with a sense of pride that’s palpable. It’s almost as if you relive that moment with him. As he performed on the streets of his community with no money behind him, just a dream, a faithful team and the most amazing fans; it reaffirmed his commitment to what he had set out to do. He describes it as a moment of accomplishment as he looked out into a crowd that was rocking with him. He listened to them sing his songs word for word. He was building something and he knew that it was special.

His fans knew that he was special.

One of the most unique aspects of Lito that has captivated his audience is his ability to personally connect with the people that have supported his movement. He has managed to establish a large and loyal fan base over the years. Yet, at the same time he has always remained humble to the streets that raised him and the people that have continuously showed him love. He is grateful for each and every person that has contributed to his success, “Every time someone gave me something, I was taught to be appreciative.

I am nothing but grateful.” When he talks about the people that have followed his career, he speaks about them like they are family. He is thankful to have outlets like Facebook and twitter and other social media that have given him the opportunity to connect with each of his fans on such a personal level. He values their input, he asks them for advice, and he wants to get to know them because ultimately he wants to make music

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that they love. “I take my fans to heart, I take them personal.”

In 2012, while in a studio session, a Zuma Records artist, recognized Lito and he was introduced to Roosevelt Allen. Within weeks, Lito was sitting down with and ultimately signed to Zuma Records. Being signed to a label tends to be a major change for an artist that is so deeply involved in all aspects of his career. Although TAT records eventually dissolved, and he would be known now as Lito Garcia, he made sure that the friends and the talent who worked with him would continue to be a part of his journey if they chose to be. Lito would have to learn to trust a few new members of his team with his vision. “It was hard to hand over something that I worked so hard for to someone else. I have always had a vision for my career and it was important that they meet me halfway.

On the same token, I also knew that their investment in me would mean that they were going to have to work just as hard for me as I did for them.” Since signing with Zuma Records, Lito has dropped 3 singles that have gotten airplay on local Chicago radio and his current single “Lights On”, is quickly gaining notoriety across the country. He has spent the last year and a half traveling back and forth between Chicago and LA working with producers like J.R. Rotem, taking meetings with record labels in California, New York, and Atlanta. He has been getting a taste of what the next level would feel like.

With all of the work that he has been putting in professionally, there have been major changes in his personal life. In December of 2014, Lito welcomed his daughter into the world. “I need to have my kids set. I need their college paid for and they need to have a house to go home to. The reasons why I do this have changed dramatically. Time is ticking and I can’t hold back anymore, especially now. I had to make a choice between love and music.” This past summer of 2015, his 5-year long relationship to the mother of his children and someone he describes as respectful of his dreams ended. She was a

visible and integral part of his journey. The change of his current relationship status has left his fans wondering what the future holds for his love life. For now, Lito is adjusting to the change and using this period of transformation as a way to fully dedicate himself to his craft. It has been a form of therapy during a difficult time to be able to write from his experience and create music that allows him to share his story.

In addition to the work that he is doing with the label and the current single, Lito is also working on an independent project that fans can count on being one of the more personal projects he has ever done. One relationship has ended, but his love affair with music continues on, stronger than ever before.

It has been a year filled with change for Chicago’s Lito Garcia, but he is an artist on the verge of greatness. While he always remains grateful to the city that gave him life, the success that he has always dreamed of is finally within reach. He is a man who forges on through the darkness to find the light and an artist that demands to be heard. Lito Garcia’s journey to the top of his game continues on.

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One of the most unique aspects of Lito that has captivated his audience is his ability to personally connect with the people that have supported his movement.

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ABOUT HUMBOLDT PARK Humboldt Park is one of 77 officially designated community areas, located on the West Side of Chicago, Illinois. The Humboldt Park neighborhood is known for its dynamic social and ethnic demographic change over the years. The Puerto Rican community has identified strongly with the area since the 1970s; however, gentrification and displacement has significantly decreased the number of Puerto Ricans in the neighborhood. Yet, the community continues to thrive and grow.

ABOUT CAFE ALEJO Alejo is the Spanish version of Alex – which is short for Alexander. Café Alejo is the first of the proposed cafes of the A Boulevard Cafe concept located in Humboldt Park along Sacramento Boulevard in the Historic Prairie Style Pavilion Boathouse. Café Alejo offers a unique ambiance that facilitates the appreciation and reflection of the local history, the passion and commitment of Alexander Von Humboldt’s life and a variety of fresh healthy choices and succulent items.

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CAR CLUB

originales four life

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ELIZABETH This fall Elizabeth Arden is turning its heels from its original Red Door Classic look to a new edge for 2015.

The new Golden Opulence collection has some amazing new products that are head turning on anyone young to old. The timeless beauty and class that is the Arden brand just got a hip new bunch of goodies that I couldn’t wait to sink my skin into.

The entire collection includes a Lip gloss, Eyeliner, Eye-shadow quad, and a highlighter trio for the new contouring trends. The highlighter is a radiant 3 tone illuminator that is great for a natural glow, it also has optical diffusers which soften the look of fine lines and imperfections. Often times, those with mature skin don’t opt to use a highlighter with any shimmer due to the looks that it provides to the skin, but this Arden invention is amazing even for you silver foxes!

I’m a huge fan of the eye-shadow quad as well; the colors are amazing and have a beautiful shimmer and sheen to them.

Right now, in the fall with all the hustle and bustle of the kids heading back to school, the leaves turning colors, and the smells of fall starting to hit the air, I’m

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reminded of my childhood and heading back to school. I remember my mom taking me make-up shopping for the first time when I went into high school, and from that moment on I was hooked.

She, of course, started me on her favorite brands, and Arden happened to be one of them. Everything about this brand is total nostalgia for me. I can remember my mom with her beautiful red door themed items on her make-up stand, and my matching little cases.

I’m super excited for this launch because, for me, the brand stood out as something that was geared toward older more mature skin, but honestly I was so wrong! They have some beautiful and timeless classics that are great for everyone, which makes this so versatile and easy to use. Anyone who’s looking to try some amazing products with a hip edge to them should definitely check out Elizabeth Arden brand this fall!

H ARDEN NEW YORK THE 2015 FALL COLLECTION WRITTEN BY: MICHELLE LANDRIAULT

THE GOLDEN OPULENCE COLLECTION

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buxton grooming set

Buxton Men’s Grooming Set - This is the best travel grooming set I have ever seen. Not only does this contain all of the usual grooming tools such as nail clippers for both fingers and toes, scissors and tweezers, but it also includes a shaving mirror, shoe horn, and lint brush. This set has everything you need and is the perfect size to fit into your gym bag, brief case or luggage.

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Beard Envy Kit

Billy Jealousy Beard Envy Kit - Hair is hair, even if it is on your face. It is important to take care of your beard as you would the hair on the top of your head. This kit includes a hydrating beard wash that contains aloe and soy protein that will soften and smooth the hair. The kit also includes a boar bristle brush and beard control that contains aloe and jojoba oil to hydrate and allow you to actually style your beard.

Billy Jealously Beard Envy Kit Ulta $25.00 www.ulta.com

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Burt Bee’s Res-Q Ointment Walmart $5.96 www.walmart.com

Res-Q Ointment

Burt Bee’s Res-Q Ointment - It is always important that you have a good ointment in your medicine cabinet. Burt Bee’s prides itself on being an allnatural product. This ointment is one of the best choices out there. Ointments actually serve as a multipurpose product. They work wonderful on dry chapped skin as well as help to heal rashes and scrapes. It even works as a hair product when needed.

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Sonic System

Clinique for Men Sonic System Deep Cleansing Brush-It is about time that a brand made a specific cleansing brush for men. Thanks to Clinique men now have access to a high quality cleansing brush.

The Men’s Sonic Systems is specifically designed to help eliminate impurities, dirt and oil. This cleansing brush helps prep men’s skin for a smooth and easy shave.

Clinique for Men Sonic System Deep Cleansing Brush Sephora $89.50 www.sephora.com

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Layout by Lauren Pfeffer

Top Fall products For Danielle Hazekamp

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NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream

NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Prague and Copenhagen - First off, I love the formulas of these lip creams and own them in multiple shades. This product just glides right onto your lips and then when dry has a nice matte finish.

It also keeps up well throughout the day and doesn’t transfer. When it comes to selecting fall lip colors, I always opt for a deep plum color, which is why I love the color Prague. It is a gorgeous plum color that isn’t too bright or too dramatic. Now, if you want a color that is a bit more dramatic go with Copenhagen, a very dark plum red color.

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Dry Shampoo

It’s A 10 Dry Shampoo Ulta $19.96 www.ulta.com

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It’s a 10 Miracle Dry Shampoo & Conditioner in One - I hate washing my hair everyday. Therefore, I try to wash it every other day. However, I still like to use some kind of dry shampoo in between. Now, I have tried many different dry shampoos that range from salon to drugstore brands and I have to say this is one of my favorites that I have used thus far. What really caught my eye was that this was a 2 in 1 so it doesn’t cause your hair to look matte like some dry shampoos tend to do. This formula doesn’t cause that powdery look most dry shampoos do either. Yet, it is used the same way and offers better results.

NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream Prague & Copenhagen Ulta $5.99 www.ulta.com

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Maybelline Brow Mascara

Maybelline Eyestudio Brow Drama Sculpting Brow Mascara-Soft Brown - Thanks to Cara Delevingne, brows have become focal points when doing makeup. The fuller the better. Typically, when I do my brows I just fill them in with a matte brown shadow, but some days I just don’t feel like taking all the time to complete the process. Thanks to this product I can do my brows everyday and it only takes 30 seconds to do it. I would recommend that you get a color close to your brow color for a more natural look. For a more dramatic look go one shade darker.

Maybelline Eyestudio Brow Drama Scuplting Brow Mascara Target $6.99 www.target.com

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Smashbox Eye Shadows

Smashbox Full Exposure Palette - I always love a good shadow palette. This one is for sure a must have for this fall. The palette contains colors ranging from nudes to dark smokey colors with each color coming in both a matte and metallic shimmer finish. This palette also comes with a duo sided brush shadow brush that is perfect for helping you achieve your desired look.

Smashbox Full Exposure Palette Sephora $52.00 www.sephora.com

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IT Brushes

IT Brushes for Ulta - Your Contour Must Have Set- With contouring being so popular among beauty fans lately, it is essential to not only use the right shades but also the right tools. I personally believe that when it comes to contouring and highlighting one should use a brush instead of a sponge. It just seems as if one can blend better with brushes. Blending is the key to a good contour application. This set is perfect due to the inclusion of the brushes of the set. I love nearly all of the brushes in the IT Brushes for Ulta set. I even own some for personal use and always have them in my kit for work. I secretly want to go buy more.

IT Brushes for Ulta Ulta $39.00 www.ulta.com

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Layout by Lauren Pfeffer

“When seeking any type of invasive beauty treatment, whether laser, neurotoxin or filler, the patient should be evaluated by a physician.�

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ave you ever tried to do a beauty treatment at home when you really should have gone to a professional? I know that I have tried using at home waxing strips back in high school. That was a big mistake. Not only was it painful, but it left me bruised. It is extremely important to go seek out a professional when getting certain beauty treatments done. Thanks to Dr. Mary Pritikin founder of Pritiskin here in Chicago, I was able to find out what is safe to do at home and what is better left up to the professionals.

Q: I agree with you that some things should be left to the professionals! What treatments do you recommend going to a professional for?

A: I think all injectables should only be administered by professionals.

Q: When seeking a professional for beauty treatments what qualifications should one be looking for in a professional?

A: When seeking any type of invasive beauty treatment, whether laser, neurotoxin or filler, the patient should be evaluated by a physician. The person administering the treatment should have a significant amount of experience with both product and anatomy. Any treatment around the eyes, such as filler or laser should be performed by a physician acquainted with that specific anatomy. I am an oculofacial surgeon and as such perform all injections around the orbital region Q: Are there any beauty treatments that you think are safe enough to do it yourself at home?

A: At home, a person should use exfoliants, antioxidants, serums, cleansers, moisturizers and sunscreens as directed by a trained professional. Very light peels might be acceptable as home procedures.

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Seeking a Professional for Beauty Treatments

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A DOCTOR

Mary Pritikin Danielle Hazekamp

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MICRONEEDLING with Seabron Pelc DANIELLE HAZEKAMP

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ue to my roles as a beauty editor and makeup artist, I am always looking for the next best thing or the latest technology in the beauty industry. A new procedure that caught my eye recently is microneedling. I know it sounds painful, but once you learn more about it, it really doesn’t seem that painful. Professionals numb your skin after all and if done correctly, it is really beneficial to your skin. Thanks to Seabron Pelc, Senior Medical Aesthetician at AOB Med Spa, we are able to find out more about this latest procedure.

What is microneedling?

Microneedling, also known as collagen induction therapy, is a minimal downtime procedure that stimulates new collagen in the lower layer of skin leading to a reduction in fine lines and wrinkles, smoother texture and a more even tone.

M “ icroneedling is suitable for almost any client at any age. It’s safe for all skin types and treats a variety of skin conditions.”

Who do you think benefits from getting this procedure done?

Microneedling is suitable for almost any client at any age. It’s safe for all skin types and treats a variety of skin conditions.

What are the benefits of getting microneedling done?

Clients will see a reduction in fine lines and wrinkles, especially around the eyes and lips. Microneedling can also vastly improve the texture of the skin due to previous acne scarring. It also safely and effectively treats hormonal pigmentation like melasma and post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation from breakouts.

What should one expect when getting this procedure and how is it done?

A topical numbing agent will be applied to the area being treated and left on for about half an hour. Once removed, the technician will gently glide a pen-like device over the skin. A client can expect minimal pinpoint bleeding during the treatment and mild to moderate redness afterward. Most clients experience very little downtime, some looking back to normal the next morning.

Is there any after care or maintenance that one has to do after this procedure?

You cannot wear makeup, exercise or swim for 24 hours after your treatment, so plan accordingly. A daily sun protection is also required and the use of healing and calming products containing antioxidants is encouraged.

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Layout by Lauren Pfeffer

Leah Chavie Skincare Boutique DANIELLE HAZEKAMP

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don’t know about you, but I love getting a good facial.

Trust me, I emphasize on good because I have, in the past, received facials that I felt a little disappointed with the results. When I was asked to try a smokey sulfur treatment that was offered by Leah Chavie team at Leah Chavie Skincare Boutique, I knew I just had to go and try it out.

This facial definitely lived up to its reputation. My skin looked amazing and I was treated to DNA Cryostem Cell Therapy to complete the session.

DNA Cyrostem Cell Therapy is a live stem cell treatment that you leave on your face.

Not only was I lucky enough to receive these treatments

by Leah herself, but I was also able to get the scoop on skincare and makeup from this beauty expert.

You use stem cell therapy with some of your facials, why do you think this is so effective?

I find stem cells are the closest form to naturally healing for your face. They are clean and pure, which in return helps regenerate and rejuvenated the skin. Think of it as food for the skin!

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What do you think an easy and effective skin care routine consists of? What brands do you recommend?

The easiest and most effective skincare routine is consistency with your cleanser, toner, and moisturizer. Be aware of the type of skin you have and once you find a product that works well, stick with it. For individuals who wear makeup throughout the day, I recommend starting with the conditioning make-up remover from Leah Chavie to remove all the excess makeup off your face before cleansing.

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I would then cleanse the skin with our Leah Chavie chamomile facial cleanser and the dual action toner. I also recommend the Biologique Recherche product line from France, which we also carry in our boutique. Biologique Recherche P50 Exfoliant is an amazing balancing exfoliant for the skin!

I loved the facial that you gave me and could really see the difference in my skin. How often do you think one should get a facial?

I recommend receiving a facial once a month due to the cellular turn over, which happens every 28 days. This is where the skin should naturally shed, but as we get older it is a longer process for our skin to shed naturally. This way, you will receive a nice cleanse that can also reset the skin.

Besides getting facials are there way or products that one can use to do DIY facials in between appointments?

There are plenty of DIY facials, masks, and exfoliants out there! I recommend making a DIY exfoliant with epsom salt by simply incorporating it with your favorite cleansers or face lotion. A popular DIY trend is the coffee body scrubs, which includes Epsom salt, coffee grounds, and a few drops of your favorite essential oils.

You have been in the industry for years and you have had many features in magazines and television what do you owe your success to?

I owe my success to my internal drive and having patience in this, sometimes overwhelming, industry.

You have to wake up every morning and be passionate about the career you are in and stick to it!

What advice would you give someone who is starting out in the industry?

My advice for someone starting in the industry would be to educate yourself as much as possible. Go to trade shows, continuous education classes, and reach out to other individuals to ask them about their knowledge. Try every facet of the industry to find different areas you like more than others. More importantly , stick with it! It can be challenging at times, but being consistent every day can only make your career better.

“I find stem cells are the closest form to naturally healing for your face.”

&A LAYOUT: LAUREN PFEFFER

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Be Nspired: Music, the Soundtrack of Our Lives Written by: Reynisha Lindsay Layout by: Annabel Carrillo

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t’s in the air…can you hear it? The running of feet down the stairs, sounds of toasters filled with everything from Pop-Tarts to waffles and the slamming of doors by kids going to school. Yes, it’s that time of year again – Back to School time. While these sounds may be familiar to most, going to school these days is vastly different than going to school when I was a kid. Thanks to technology, going to school has become a production.

On the first day of school, moms are expected to take photos of kids with “First day of school Chalkboards” and post them on Instagram or Facebook. Parents can google and find ideas for other Back to School photos, tips on how to organize kids’ backpacks and tips and tricks on how to save and

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pack lunches. On Pinterest there are Back to School DIY’s on everything from calendars to homework stations. There are even apps for Back to School! One app in particular can even help students manage their assignments and due dates through color coding and can even sync information to their laptop. There are even teacher survival kits! Moreover, there are ideas for First Day of School traditions. When I was growing up, traditions were something passed down from generation to generation. I was lucky if I had any pictures from kindergarten besides the infamous “school” picture. My mom did not know any of these special tricks. There was no internet to rely on or Google to ask any question on a whim. She learned from her mother and so on.

Yet, today technology plays such a significant role in the life of students and parents.

While these points may show how greatly different going Back to School is from yester year than today, there is something that students from generation to generation have in common. That something is music. Now, I know we may not listen to the same genre of music or even the same artists, but we all do listen.

Music may wake you up in the morning and accompany you as you get ready for school. It rides with you along the way via your cell phone or iPod. Then, it plays in your head throughout the day. It greets you when the bell rings and pumps you up for practice or just hanging out. It calms you before you go to bed and lullabies you to sleep. It can give you courage to ask someone to the school dance or comfort you when you heart first breaks.

Music is trans-generational. It is the backdrop for every important event in our lives. And every monumental moment in our school life can be remembered by a song. Who did not sing the ABC’s or the “Itsy Bitsy Spider “song? Who didn’t have a school fight song? Who didn’t have to sing “The Star Spangled Banner” at some point? Then, there is the song I’m sure most teenagers cannot wait to hear – “Pomp and Circumstance” – the graduation song. Music marks so many significant milestones in our lives as we matriculate through our school years.

If you could compose the soundtrack of your life, what songs would you choose? For me, a few songs quickly come to my head – like Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance with Somebody”.

That was my “try out” song when I went for Feature Twirler when I was a junior in high school. Whenever I hear that song it takes me back to the day when I auditioned and that was years ago.

However, it never fails…I always think of my audition when I hear that song. Now, I know you are wondering if I “made” Feature Twirler, and the answer is yes, I did. I was captain as well. Thus, that song brings back great memories.

Another song that I would definitely include on my sound track is “I Can’t Make You Love Me”. This song was originally recorded

by Bonnie Raitt. However, the version I recall is a little jazzy ver-

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sion from Will Downing. This of course, was I song I listened to when my high school boyfriend and I broke up. As teenagers do, we broke up off and on, but this was the “break up”. Through this song, I realized my strength and my selfworth. I was more than just someone’s girlfriend.

I love this song and while the memory may have been a miserable one initially, when I hear the song today I have fond memories of that time. In this case the song grew with me and took on a new meaning.

One last song I know I would add to my soundtrack would be Adele’s “Someone Like You”. I just really love this song. Unlike the other songs mentioned, there is no particular situation I associate with this song. I have an emotional connection to this song because I am a true romantic. Therefore, I empathize with the lyrics and the feeling Adele emotes through the lyrics. I could go on and on with songs I would add. Thanks to my father, I love Earth, Wind and Fire and would definitely add “September”. I would also have to have some Techno songs on my soundtrack. Oh, and how could I leave out the song that my husband and I first danced to as husband and wife – “Spend My Life with You”.

However, I am sure you do not want to know ev-

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ery detail of my soundtrack therefore, I’ll stop.

Now it’s your turn. Think of all the important times in your life and what song was playing in the background. Maybe you would choose the song playing when you had your first kiss. Or the song that was playing when you drove a car by yourself for the first time. Or a song you sang with your best friends at your first concert.

Whatever songs you choose, I know the majority of them will be from your youth. It could even be the music your parents listened to while driving you to school or the music played at the school dance. When we are young, music plays a vital role in our emotional development. It shapes our personality and teaches us about ourselves.

We become students of music. It is an education that is priceless. It connects us to each other and at the same time teaches us about one another.

I recently saw a poster that stated, “30 years from now, it won’t matter what shoes you wore, how your hair looked, or the jeans you bought.

What will matter is what you learned and how you used it.” It’s all about life application – how you apply what you learn. So keep on listening and keep on learning. Your soundtrack isn’t done yet!

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Lollapalooza

Chicago 2015 Written and P

Layout by: Air hotography by: Perry a Aquino Fish

The first real concert I ever attended was Green Day back when they were on their American Idiot Tour, in Grand Rapids, Michigan, in 2005. I went with my friend Lindsey and it was a big deal to us that our parents let us go to a concert by ourselves - especially, a punk rock concert.

If I had to pinpoint when my love for live music started, I would say that first concert started a passion (borderline obsession) that would continue through my adult life. I have seen many of my favorite bands; - Mumford and Sons, Of Monsters and Men, Bastille, Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros, to name a few - perform live since then. Many of those concerts, I was lucky enough to photograph.

There is nothing better than being as close to the stage as you possibly can be, hands raised high up into the air, surrounded by people singing all of the words with you. Well, that is, unless you could do it three days in a row, with multiple bands.

Lollapalooza, a three-day music festival, set up in the heart of downtown Chicago, in Grant Park, is one of my favorite yearly festivals. Each year the lineup is packed with not only an impressive, but diverse selection of headliners. This year, Sam Smith, Paul McCartney and Metallica were some of the well-known groups to grace the Bud Light and Samsung stages.

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I hadn’t been to Lolla since 2013. So, I was excited to attend all three days, July 31st – August 2nd this year. As soon as I walked through the front gates, the excitement of being at the iconic festival came rushing back to me. I immediately grabbed a stage map and planned out my weekend schedule of must-see bands.

First on the list was the BMI Stage. One of my new favorite bands, Bear’s Den, a folkinfused group from London, performed to an intimate, yet excitable crowd that Friday afternoon. I first saw them perform in Milwaukee, opening for Mumford and Sons, and

I have become a fan of their music ever since. Their dreamy melodies swooned the audience, as the faint bass from artists performing on the seven other stages crudely beat in the background.

On Saturday, I met up with Australian DJ Duo, Hermitude and then watched them do their thing on the Pepsi stage.

The energy of the crowd was electric as they danced to their mixed beats. I had to laugh when I saw two guys propped up on their friend’s shoulders, one wearing a horse mask, the other a rabbit mask. The diverse personalities is just one of the

many reasons I love Lolla!

From there, I made my way over to the Sprint stage to see Walk The Moon perform. Their entire set was energetic, but as soon as the opening beats of their summer hit, Shut Up And Dance started, the crowd burst into a fit of jumping and dancing. The sea of people surrounding me sang the song word for word and in that moment, it felt like summer would last forever. (continued)

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Over the course of the weekend, I also saw Sam Smith, Of Monsters and Men, Brand New and The Alabama Shakes - all amazing performances. But, the finale to Lollapalooza, during that rainy Sunday night, on the Samsung stage, was simply perfect. After many delays in the schedule, due to on and off rain, Florence and The Machines took the stage to perform for a more than eager crowd.

As Florence Welchdanced around and ran through the audience (at one point shirtless) thunder could be heard in the background, a sign that the looming storm was growing closer. As she sang Cosmic Love, like a Goddess, the most

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beautiful and haunting display of lightning played in the sky behind the crowd. It was the perfect, bittersweet ending to another amazing Lolla weekend.

As I exited the park, along with thousands of other sweaty, tired, yet happy festival-goers, I couldn’t help, but smile as I watched everyone spill into the streets – thinking to myself, how wonderful it is that a love for music had brought us all together.

The festivities continued on into the streets while some people sang and played drums, celebrating another Lolla passed.

I made my way to the L station and boarded the train, turned

turned on my Spotify and reflected on the weekend, while listening to American Idiot, a fitting soundtrack for my ride home.

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“

Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and charm and gaiety to life and to everything.

- P lato

�

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