Hello December ;)

Video Song: "Memories" - David Guetta ft. Kid Cudi

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Hey Guys,

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Can you believe we are already in DECEMBER!?!?! Omg, its crazy how time flies. Hanukkah, Kwanza, Christmas and the NEW YEAR are around the corner. I always love NEW YEARS, it’s my fave holiday. For me its always been a bittersweet feeling, but more on the sweeter side. It's sad to witness the speed of life and time --BUT beautiful to continue a journey that YOU create!

So...

Jess and I attended the CHAMBORD FLAVORED VODKA - Mixologist Conference along with our boss, Jorge Cano-Moreno and singer, Zeitlin Perez. It was an event targeting Latin bartenders from different lounges/restaurants. This was held uptown at Umbrella Lounge! The set up was very feminine! We were welcomed with various types of Chambord mixed cocktails by lovely models. It was drink after drink after drink -- definitely fulfilling ;). Hands down, I would consider this a LADIES' DRINK. During this conference, they hosted a competition for best drink! They had three judges and one of them was our buddy La Soga actor, Manny Perez! It's always a pleasure seeing him. (We worked on the red carpet for the LA SOGA movie premiere in NY back in August! --You guys have to watch the film if you haven’t already.) Speaking of stars …we also bumped into The Hurt Locker actor, Anthony Mackie! Some of you might now him from the Notorious movie where he played Tupac! It was awesome seeing him supporting this Latino event.

Written by me. Designed by Jess :)

I'm so excited for tomorrow's event!!!  The Ayari Makeup Tour Launch party…

We hope to see some if you ladies there!

Now for my top 3 things for Christmas >=)! 
1. Laptop
2. Apartment/Car
3. ROB KARDASHIAN! <3333 

Us w/ actors, Anthony Mackie & Manny Perez

My song of the week is dedicated to my future husband – 
"All I Want for Christmas is You" - Mariah Carey

(Overall the best gift is HAPPINESS)

xo, Samantha 

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Whats up!

I hope everyone enjoyed their Thanksgiving!  I had a very relaxing festive weekend with a few friends and family.  Our dinner this year, was small...just the four of us (mom, dad, lil' bro and myself).  A few hours later, we broke out all the Christmas decorations and got into the holiday spirit!  Now everything in my house is a jubilant green and red...and there are snowmen everywhere (lol).  

My LS's and I at Ravel

I hope that anyone that went out on Black Friday got everything they were looking for. I normally don't leave my house to any shopping areas on Black Friday, but that night was my homie, Steven's 27th birthday celebration, so I had to go in search for an outfit.  While I didn't really find any outfits that fit my style...I did find these awesome Henry Ferrera riding boots (*bbm love struck face*) at Love My Shoes in Queens!! So anyway back to Steven's birthday (lol). He brought in his 27th year at Ravel Rooftop Lounge in Long Island City.  This lavish lounge has awesome views of the Queensboro Bridge and midtown Manhattan. My linesisters and I had a great time and I definitely recommend this trendy little lounge for some cocktails and good music. 

The rest of the weekend, I spent at home being lazy, watching movies and returning some of the stuff that my mom bought on Black Friday (smh lol).

Chambord Product

Tuesday night (11/30), Samantha and I attend Chambord Flavored Vodka's Latin Mixology Conference at Umbrella Lounge.  It was a cool little event.  Chambord invited bartenders from different Latin restaurants, lounges and clubs in the tri-state area to partake in a "best cocktail" competition using Chambord's Blackberry Flavored Liqueur.  Judging the competition was actor, Manny Perez (a good friend of ULM!), Mark Troope (bartender of a popular Latin establishment) and Ruben Mendez (restaurantuer).  Each bartender was given 5 minutes to create a cocktail with only the ingredients found behind the bar and of course Chambord.  The cocktails were judged based on creativity, presentation, ingredients and taste. Meanwhile, Chambord models passed out Chambord cocktails and hors d'oeuvres.  My favorite cocktail was definitely "French Sparkle," which consisted of blackberry Chambord with mango nector & champagne (yum).  

Anthony Mackie & Manny Perez

After the competition was over and the winner selected, Samantha and I caught up with Zeitlin Perez (who showcased her singing talents last Tuesday at Sazon for GIVEN Liqueur's first Acoustic Tuesday) and actor Manny Perez (thanks Manny for the drop!).  We even bumped in actor Anthony Mackie!!  You may know him from films such as The Hurt Locker (which won 6 Academy Awards including Best Picture), Million Dollar Baby, Eagle Eye, and Notorious...just to name a few.  

Anyways, that's my week so far.  Since my house is full of so much holiday joy (lol) and since Christmas is literally 3 weeks away, it got me thinking about my Christmas wishlist!  So here it is my top 3 (I'm hoping my family and friends take note and make this happen **big smile!)...

1. Sadly my mac has completely died on me sooo I'm in need of a new one. A brand new 17-inch MacBook Pro with 8GB memory, 2.8GHz Intel Core i7 processor, and 500GB 7200-rpm hard drive loaded the latest versions of Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign and Microsoft Word, Powerpoint and Excel....ooooh and I can't forget Final Cut... would do nicely.

2. A Nikon D90 Digital SLR Camera...to "unleash my potential"

3. I love to read, so any kind of digital reader would be awesome - Kindle, Nook, Sony Reader or heck even a iPad...it doesn't matter.

That is all (lol). These are the expensive things...but really all I want for Christmas is to continue on my little yellow brick road to happiness and success with as little obstacles as possible.

What's on your Christmas wishlist? Let us know!  And be sure to check back with us next week, as we give you the full lowdown on Ayari's Makeup Tour Launch Party!

Song of the Week: All of the Lights - Kanye West ft. Rihanna

xo, Jessica  

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Don't forget that today (December 1st) is World AIDS Day. It has become one of the most recognized international health days and a key opportunity to raise awareness, commemorate those who have passed on and celebrate victories such as increased access to treatment and prevention services.

World AIDS Day is all about raising awareness to tackle HIV prejudice and help stop the spread of HIV.  Be sure to get the facts and find out what you can do to "ACT AWARE." 

Here are some helpful sites: World AIDS Campaign, World AIDS Day, Keep A Child Alive, Buy Life, AIDS, and Join Red.

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