My friend and designer DaShone is the fashionable artist behind DaShAppeal clothing and she very recently had an exciting photo shoot featuring her newest designs and two very beautiful upcoming models, Chanan and Alexia. I've featured DaShAppel on LuxeDelux before and have been waiting for another opportunity to do so. The photos, shot by Martha Mejia, look fantastic and will be featured on FashionBerry.com. We are all very excited for DaSh! Follwer her on Twitter! See the rest of the pics from the shoot here.

Wow my mind has been everywhere but where its supposed to be. As much as i've beaten you over the head with info on rapper/singer Drake, i didnt even give you the honor of watching the first video from his So Far Gone mix tape for "Best I Ever Had."

Maybe you've been sleeping under a rock and havent heard this song? It's one of the most highly regarded singles off the mixtape and is a prime example of both Drake's lyrical and vocal capabilities. For some reason this song reminds me of Craig David (does anyone remember him?).

The video for Best I Ever Had was directed by Kanye West. I love the cinematography but the concept and storyline are wack. Perhaps Drake simply felt honored that West showed an interest in working with him so he didnt question the concept? If it were me i'd have  been a little skeptical. Kanye doesnt seem like the kind of person who does something for nothing. Im just sayin....

Enjoy the video!

I spent the past few months waiting for the newest novel in the Sophie Katz series and I'm happy to say that it was a fantastically fun read! Lust, Loathing and a Little Lipgloss by Krya Davis, was the perfect book to kick-off my summer reading. I've always enjoyed Davis's writing style, as she is one of the few authors that actually makes me laugh out loud while reading, and the fourth installment in the Sophie Katz mystery series did not disappoint - Sophie was as sharp-tongued, witty and and dangerously risky as ever.

Sophie, a mystery writer in her own right, has just found her dream home - a spacious, three-bedroom Victorian with hardwood floors. So what if her ex-husband is the Realtor? Finding a dead body at the first showing? No big deal. And the home's seller demanding that she join the Specter Society? She can handle that. But, when a member of the Specter Society is also found dead, and her new dream home is starting to seem like it might be haunted, Sophie knows shes got to find out who's behind the murders, who's trying to scare her, and why.

I had fun trying to figure out who was behind the murders (of course, it's never who you think it is). Although a mystery, the book was always fun and light-hearted. One of my favorite things about this series is that each chapter always starts with a snappy quote from one of Sophie's own fictitious novels. Plus, shes "every girl" - Biracial (Jewish mother, black father), lives with her cat, has a boyfriend that shes head over heels for (but argues with constantly), and loves a good frapaccino from Starbucks. 

One thing I noticed was that Sophie never really seems to go to work... I was just thinking that it might be interesting if a murder happened withing her publishing house. Or is that too cliche?

I cant wait for the next book in the series, and hopefully fans wont have to wait too long.

Aubrey "Drake" Graham aka Drizzy just might be the biggest thing since chopped liver (or something else wildy popular). If you consider yourself to be, even slightly, a fan of rap, r&b, or underground and indie music and you havent heard of Drake by now, I suggest you crawl out from under your rock and download So Far Gone- the lyricist 's and vocalist's highly coveted mixtape. 

Once known as Jimmy, the wheelchair bound, token black kid on Degrassi: The Next Generation, Drake has swept the world of hip-hop off its feet - and that's a good thing! Despite rumors, he remains unsigned but not for lack of offers. You see him with Lil Wayne, you read about him in VIBE, the hip-hop blogs are going crazy with rumors. Twitter and Facebook are full of impostors. Everybody want to know Drizzy.

I feel this post is well deserved, since my original post on Drake as February's Crush of the Month is one of my most popular yet. The people get what the people want!

Please believe, So far gone is in heavy rotation on my Ipod and every time i listen to it, I find myself wondering "what is it about his music?" Is is it his versatility? Working with artists from Lyyki Li and Santogold to Omarion, Lil Wayne and Bun B the music never gets boring. No matter the mood I'm in, So Far Gone has a song for me. Originally, I avoided the track with Peter Bjorn & John but after just a few short weeks I found myself singing along "LETS CALL THE WHOLE THING OFF!"

Maybe it's his honesty... I noticed right away how often he spoke about his family life, feeling bad about buying new cars while his father scraped change together to purchase cigarettes and other personal details. While it is common for rappers to lie brag about the cars and clothes, Drake sings and raps about relationships and the need to feel or be successful.

Or it could just be that sexy deep voice.....hmmm.

I wonder if Drake recognizes the power that he has. I think back to my senior year of high school, when 50 Cent's Wanksta came out, followed by In the Club. The anticipation for Get Rich or Die Tryin was so heavy we sat with clenched teeth and sweaty palms waiting for the official release. When it came out that tuesday in 2003, people were ditching school to run to the record store to buy it. By that afternoon, every car was blasting 50's music non-stop. The record sales smashed the charts. In all honesty, I think that will be Drake.... only BIGGER!

I think we can admit that we have been waiting for an artist like this. May I say the "anti-Kanye?" By that I mean, the vulnerability of 808's and heartbreak is present without the overly cocky "you-are-lucky-to-be-in-my-presence" attitude, with the swagger of a champion, heart of a lion, talent.

Get to know Drizzy.

"My Name is Drizzy, And I'm not Perfect

But I work Hard, So I deserve it" - Unstoppable

More fabulous fashionable reading for you to do! Here are my top 5 must reads for spring.... I have yet to read any of these books but they are on the top of my list. Almost all of the 5 titles were released this year, so be the first of your friends to read them. My first choice off the list is "Super in the City"  

Recently while riding in the car with my friend, and ex-college dorm roommate, Kaylan, we were listening to her ipod and she asked me if I remembered the days when we used to sit in the dorms and watch new episodes of "Degrassi" on Friday nights. I remembered, so she continued "remember Jimmy? The kid who became wheelchair bound after the school shooting? Well this is his music were listening to.

Get out! I was in denial at first, but it turns out it's true! Aubrey Graham, aka Jimmy, now goes by the stage name "Drake" and is an r&b singer/rapper.  After hearing his name several times in the past few days, I decided to go ahead and dedicate this post and my February "Crush of the Month" to him.

On the streets, the name Drake is receiving a lot of buzz right now. He has released three self-produced mixtapes, the latest of which dropped on the 13th of this month and is titled "So Far Gone." He's currently signed to Interscope and his first major label debut is scheduled to be released early this year and is tentatively titled "Thank Me Later.

Drake comes highly endorsed by NBA baller Lebron James (my secret lover) and frequently works with artists like Lil Wayne and Trey Songz. You may have heard one of his most popular songs "Brand New," which is by-far my favorite. I'm not a big r&b fan but I love the sound of his voice. He's also a skilled lyricist and to top it off, he's a hottie (OMG!), but that's not new because he was cute even when he was playing spoiled-little-rich-kid Jimmy on Degrassi.

Be on the lookout for Drake!

It started last night, but it really hit me this morning and I have been thinking about it ever since..... I'm starting to have second thoughts about moving!

I usually am always open to change but this time I'm not sure. Ive been living in the same apartment for 3+ years. It's near my school and almost all of my friends. I'm afraid that I'm going to be a loner when I move since I dont know very many people who live in the area, and my friends may not want to drive out to my place all the time. My apartment in Long Beach is about a 20-30 min drive to my new place in LA. I could easily drive back to LB whenever I like but thats not the point!

I kinda always wanted to live in Long Beach and I always thought that when i moved it would be to a place in downtown LB or Belmont Shores, but then I got this Job in Marina del Rey (where the pay is so good i'd have to be stupid to quit) and the 1 hour commute to and from work is kickin my ass! I'd really like the benefit of only having to drive 20min to work everyday, but i wonder if it's worth it to just put up with the drive?

On top of that, since my mom bought me a puppy for Christmas, I now have to pay to feed and take care of myself as well as Coco. Now Im increasing my rent by $100 and having to pay utilities just for big windows and hardwood floors (my utilities are currently covered in the cost of my rent)? And when i asked my mom what she thought she just said "well its not too late to back out." Yo, secretly I dont think she wants me to move.

AgHH!! I want to move but I'm just having these doubts! SOMEBODY HELP!