BeChicMag.com

By SHELIKA BAEZ

Going Au naturale is a thing of the past thanks to the second most popular non-invasive procedure of Laser Hair Removal. According to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, 1.5 million women in the U.S are permanently reducing their fuzzy upper lips and shadowed underarms in a matter of minutes.

The laser hair removal technology is an almost painless procedure that involves a laser beam zapping the hair follicles beneath the skin to shrink and prevent from re-growth. The procedure involves no down time, and can be done without anyone noticing.

With the procedure being offered at the new breed of spas, medical spas are becoming the new social hotspot. Spas like Blue Medi in Sherman Oaks, California and Sutera Spa in Miami are performing the procedures every half hour to both women and men alike. Fabien Azoulay, owner of Broadway Spas in New York City has cashed in on the craze. Read the rest of this entry »

MERCEDES-BENZ FASHION WEEK ONLY DAYS AWAY

On the Catwalk: Omahyra Mota in Gustavo Arango in 2006

With Fashion Week hitting New York in two weeks, Valentine’s isn’t the only day to look forward to in February. Spring- not to mention the real face of Winter- hasn’t even arrived yet and renowned designers such as Diane Von Furstenburg, Carlos Campos, Vera Wang, Max Azria, Oscar de la Renta (and the list goes on and on) are getting ready to unveil their fall collections at the Mercedes Benz 2007 Fall Fashion Week in Bryant Park starting on February 2nd.

While we wait for the most anticipated week this winter, check out some photos from Gustavo Arango’s Olympus Fashion Week Spring 2007 runway.

Mercedes at The Promenade.

*ms

After successful years and immense popularity reggaeton has proved that its hype was more than a phase. But today Bernardo Brigante- hardcore fan of universal music who has been following the genre since the early ’90s- examines the past, present and future of reggaeton… *ms

By BERNARDO BRIGANTE

It captivated Latinos in 2003, and reached the masses in early 2005. Now, with everyone all but renouncing their interest in the music, the genre of reggaeton has hit a fork in the road, and has to make the decision to sink or swim. Here is a reggaeton fan’s attempt to look at the music (and its social implications) holistically.

Growing up in the ’80s and ’90s, I didn’t know much about reggaeton outside of Playero tapes (which I hated with a passion, by the way) and El General. Being that no concrete promotional platform existed, I’d watch what was offered to me: low-budget Boricua Guerrero videos on UHF (channel 39: HTV or something like that) along with Proyecto Uno, Sancocho and DLG. Yea, I knew it was kinda corny compared to everything else I was listening to at the time (Biggie, Wu-Tang, Supercat, Mad Lion, Nas), and the artists had no style to save their lives, but they were from Puerto Rico, stirring not just immediate interest, but also a realm of mystique to their 120 BPM songs. Read the rest of this entry »

ADVERTISING FIRM INVITES EMPLOYEES TO SHOW OFF THEIR STUFF

It’s no secret that artists face unique circumstances when it comes to survival. We’ve all heard stories about the “starving artist” who lives out of his car. But thanks to companies like Kirshenbaum Bond + Partners who for the first time welcome its employees to show off their personal projects in a special exhibition titled “5 to 9″, artists like Oliver Rios are encouraged to pursue their creativity outside of the office.

Graphic designer Oliver Rios presented “RAICES”, an exhibit based on the collaborations of images he photographed in Camuy, Puerto Rico and photos he took of Danza Fiesta- a folkloric Christmas presentation in Aaron Davis Hall last month.

“I went to see them perform with band Zon del Barrio who did a small musical with songs from Puerto Rico, and that was my inspiration to do this,” says the 34-year-old artist. “With the images I took, I was first only going to use those photos for the exhibit and then I said ‘You know what? Let me play around with it a little more’ and it just evolved.” Read the rest of this entry »

New York with her 20 Bachelors

VH1 had two successful seasons with Flavor of Love, but there are plenty of reasons to believe the show wouldn’t have acquired as many ratings without Tiffany Patterson aka New York. From the infamous scene when she almost gave Pumpkin a concussion to her unexpected return in the Flavor of Love 2, New York kept viewers coming back for more. Starting this month, the 24-year-old starlet returns to VH1 with her own show I Love New York. Here’s what the queen of drama had to say about the anticipated series. Read the rest of this entry »