HAPPY CAMPER

I went camping over the Memorial Day weekend at Lake Camanche, expecting to see people roughing it in the wilderness. Umm, not quite. There were super tents, canopies, folding tables overflowing with food, deluxe grills and more. Having left inspired, and with the Fourth of July and Labor Day holidays coming up, I thought I'd highlight some great camping finds. 

The Lippi Selk Bag is the new solution for those who don't want to leave the coziness of their sleeping bag. This body-hugging jumpsuit looks super-snuggly and is just a brilliant invention, available in three variations. I'm glad that now I don't have to look like an old lady with a huge blanket wrapped around my head and body.

It's not unnatural to crave ice cream in warm weather, but what do you do when there's none in sight? You make your own with this fun and clever ice cream ball from L.L. Bean. Just mix in the ingredients with ice and rock salt and play some soccer with the plastic ball (or whatever you decide on doing) and in half an hour, you will have fresh ice cream. Brilliant.

OK, so this gadget probably won't save you from wild bears or a forest fire, but it's cute and handy, both in the woods or in the concrete jungle. The Miss A Kit comes with a mirror, knife, perfume bottle, needle and thread, flashlight, pill box, and more.  

The mecca of all things camping, Coleman, made it hard for me to find just one thing to highlight from it's extensive line of outdoor gear. When I was camping, I noticed that everything from the flashlight to the tent bore the Coleman name. It seems to be the way to go in terms of long-term, reliable camping gear. Be sure to check out the handy and informative checklists (brought to my attention by my friend, a camping veteran), that will insure that you have everything you need for your venture into nature.

Whatever you do and whatever you buy, make sure to bring a good attitude (because nature's in control here, not you), turn off your electronics, recycle when you can, leave everything the way you found it and enjoy yourself because nature is truly a beautiful thing.

SONG I CAN'T GET OUT OF MY HEAD: DANITY KANE'S "DAMAGED"

MADONNA: WHERE IT ALL BEGAN

I was watching Madonna's induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame on You Tube and was enchanted by the long-running, glamorous career of the pop diva. I also recognized and admired the hard work she put into making it and staying at the top of her game. A must for any Madge fan (I'm a huge one), here is another gem I came across: her first live performance as a solo recording artist (at Danceteria in New York in 1982).

DIVAS MEXICANAS

In honor of the Cinco de Mayo, which I'm sure you all celebrated  by downing much more tequila than you should have, I am paying homage to the beautiful Mexican actresses of the silver screen. I love the film divas of yesteryear, and Mexico had a golden era of its own, which was brimming with talent. These are their beautiful stars. Watch their movies, admire their talent and beauty, and see how it's done, Latina style.

- Maria Felix

- Dolores Del Rio

- Lupe Velez

- Angelica Maria

- Silvia Pinal

THE DARK LIP IS TRES HIP

As I took a moment to catch up with my magazine reading, flipping through the stack of Vogue and Elle magazines, I discovered a strong trend for Spring and Fall 2008. Ads for Dior, Nars and other big name companies featured the renaissance of the vamp--dark lips, skinny arched brows and serious attitude. Runway shows also featured this striking look, made popular in the 20s by such starlets as Jean Harlow. If you want to get the dark lip right, I suggest looking at Harlow and other stars of the time, who truly pulled off an effortless yet chic and polished look. Always remember to keep the eyes lighter, as you want one feature to stand out while the others are subdued. If your eyes are dark, your lips are not and vice versa. Sometimes you can have a somewhat smoky eye while rocking dark lips, but don't overdo it, unless you want to be mistaken for one of those girls in the Robert Palmer videos.

P.S. If you didn't know, Robert Palmer did kick ass. I may just dress up as a Robert Palmer video girl for Halloween, though I wouldn't rock the look on the regular. I'd be "Simply Irresistable!!!"

JUMP ON THE BANDWAGON

Fashion design is part art, part math and part business. The result has to be beautiful, original in some aspect, and wearable. It's not an easy task, yet season after season, celebrities take it upon themselves to take this daunting task head on, without any previous experience or training. (It's not always difficult, considering the fact that celebs hire an elaborate design team to carry out their "vision" for them, making approvals here and there when they can or if they care to.) The end product is OK for making a quick buck off of an image, but hardly anything worth mentioning from the fashion community. L.A.M.B. and J-Lo are great and have proven both Gwen Stefani and Jennifer Lopez as designers (or at least great entrepreneurs), while most others are a signal that some celebs should stick to their day job. Seriously stop, it's getting old.

DON'T BELIEVE EVERYTHING YOU READ

So, I was Googling myself today to see if I could find anything under Vilma Alexandra de Fatima Szoenyi, which is my extremely long name, which I usually abbreviate. (I like to joke that having an extremely long name is a requirement of being Latina, much like that news reporter on Married With Children.)

I usually have several results with my name in it's abbreviated form, V. Alexandra de F. Szoenyi, under Szoenyi, and under ALEXTHEARTISTE, but did I find one new result that made me laugh.

http://www.classmates.com/directory/public/memberprofile/list.htm?regId=8685637768

Apparently, I'm 37 years old. I graduated from high school in 1998, but Classmates.com has me on their site, which I don't remember ever signing up on, as graduating in 1988. I like to consider myself a very young-looking 27, but it's hard to maintain your flyness when websites go around adding a decade to your age. Talk about haterism- hahaha.

THE LUXURY ARTISTE, COURTESY OF FENDI

I'm having a moment. A box of markers, crayons, or paint make me happy and inspired, and luxury bags make my heart skip a beat. The combination of the two is a moment in time. Talk about a double yeay. Fendi's Paint-Your-Own Baguette is the perfect way to be artistic, and more importantly, have a one-of-a-kind Fendi bag that you created yourself. The bag comes with 10 Pantone Universe markers and a stark-white, coated canvas bag that is just begging to be drawn on. For $1300, and available at eluxury.com, you too can be a luxury artiste.

WHY YOU'VE BEEN DEPRIVED OF THE LATEST ALEXTHEARTISTE TIDBITS...

It's been about a week since my last "ALEXTHEARTISTE SAYS..." post and I am riddled with guilt that I have deprived you all from my golden nuggets of knowledge. The reason for this faux pas??? I've moved into the city (SF) from the Peninsula, which means even better coverage of what's hot in pop culture (yeay!!!) It also means that I've been living out of boxes for the last week or so. You're jealous, I'm sure. As we all know, moving is oh so glamorous!!! Starting tomorrow, the blog posts will be back to normal, so you may now relax.

WHY DJ JAZZY JEFF IS MORE THAN JUST FRESH

It's hard to say DJ Jazzy Jeff without wanting to say "and the Fresh Prince" after it. In the 90s, the duo was unstoppable, both on TV on The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, and on the airwaves, with such hits as "Parents Just Don't Understand" and "Summertime." They were also the first winners of a Grammy in the Rap category (in 1988). Jeff (Jeff Townes) was the jelly to Will Smith's peanut butter. But it's important to note that DJ Jazzy Jeff is a powerhouse on his own as a DJ. Last month, I saw him spin live at Fluid nightclub in San Francisco (an event I photographed for NapkinNights.com). Randomly does a DJ mesmerize the audience, and this crowd was captivated. While most good DJs will get the crowd roaring with a good back-in-the-day jam, DJ Jazzy Jeff had the club-goers screaming "Oh!" all night long. The place was ridiculously cramped, but everyone seemed happy to stand and/or dance. It was musical hypnosis, the perfect blend of old and new jams seamlessly mixed together, and basically one kick-ass night. DJ Jazzy Jeff is an incredible DJ. If you don't know, now you know.