I’ve always been a fan of cosmetics. When I was a little girl, I was always pilfering through my Mom’s makeup drawer. I was captivated by the sleek tubes of lip stick and the pans of blush and powder. As I grew up, I became pretty good at make-up application, too. Between all of the baton twirling, pageants and later on, an on-camera television career, makeup became a big part of my daily routine.

Recently, I had the opportunity to spend some time with Carmindy. Many of you may know her from her time spent on TLC’s “What Not To Wear.” Each week, she helps transform a fashion victim with her expert advice on looking your best.

Over the two days I spent in her chair, she taught me some of her best tricks. My favorite tip and one I use almost daily is to highlight around the lip. Carmindy showed me by using a highlighting eye shadow, you can outline the lip. This technique works much better than a lip liner and gives you the appearance of a fuller lip. She also uses the same highlighting technique in the corner of each eye and right underneath the brow line. This really makes the eyes shine. And to finish off the look, she dusts a little highlighter right along the top of the cheek bone. It gives you a subtle shine with a huge impact.

I have been blessed with what I think are fairly long eye lashes, and with the correct mascara, I can usually create a full lash line. Carmindy showed me how to amp-up my lashes with the use of false eyelashes. She took a full lash and cut about a third of it off and placed it on the outer edge of my upper lash. It added some fullness without making me look like a Kardashian!

Carmindy has teamed up with Sally Hansen and created a line of cosmetics. I’m not a huge fan of drug store, but I have to say, I’ve been wearing her blush, power and eye shadows and have been pleased. My favorite product thought is her lip gloss. It stays on really well and smells like a creamcicle!

You can keep up with D.J.’s adventures in the Big Apple at IamDJDuckworth.com follow her on twitter @mrsdjduckworth and on Facebook at DJ Cunningham Duckworth

As a child, I was taught that you do not mess around with electricity. One year around Christmas time, I had my own personal experience with the power of electricity as I checked the lights for the tree. In case you are unaware of this fact, you should not let your finger touch the prongs on the plug! It was enough of a shock to get my attention; I’ve never made that same mistake again.

So, when I read recently about David Blaine’s latest stunt involving one million volts of electricity I was instantly taken back to the moment in the garage when I lit myself up like a tree. Blaine is famous for his many death-defying stunts. He has suspended himself over the River Thames in London for 44 days with only water. He has been buried alive for seven days. He has even frozen himself in a block of ice. As of Monday night, Blaine has also stood in the middle of an electrical storm as one million volts of electricity were being shot his way.To say Blaine is a thrill seeker would be an understatement.

Corbin and I met Blaine the weekend before his stunt, Electrified: One Million Volts Always On. My friend, Denise Albert, invited us to come along as she and her boys went downtown to Blaine’s office. Denise worked with Blaine for many years, producing several of his biggest events. As you can imagine, the boys were beyond excited.

Blaine showed the boys some photos of what he was working on. Corbin asked, “why are you electrocuting yourself”? Blaine explained that he was “electrifying” himself and not “electrocuting” himself. There is in fact a HUGE difference between the two. In one you die, with the other, you don’t die! I did my best to explain this to Corbin.

Corbin tried on the glove of the Faraday suit that Blaine wore during the stunt. The suit was an adaptation of a Faraday cage which basically protected Blaine from the electrical field around him. The chain-like suit looked like something a really cool and hip knight would wear during battle. Before we left, the boys checked out Blaine’s pet alligator in the office. Yes, a pet alligator! Seems Blaine makes living on the edge a professional and personal matter. He also did a few card tricks with the boys that even left me wondering, “How’d he do that?”

On Sunday, Corbin saw Blaine being electrified at Pier 54 along the Hudson River. It was a cold and rainy day. Not an ideal day to be electrified if you ask me. It was also really, really loud. So loud, that everyone was given ear plugs before walking onto the pier. Corbin was speechless, like most of the crowd. It was a very surreal experience to see the giant Tesla coils shooting out bolts of electricity at Blaine. He was standing on his 20 foot perch raising his hands like a conductor of the perfect lightening storm. Blaine maintained his position for three days with no food. He received fluids through a tube and relieved himself with the aid of a catheter.

Corbin wasn’t sure what to think or say. He looked at me with this bewildered look in his eyes. I just kept reminding him that playing with electricity is extremely dangerous and even deadly. At the same time, I was trying to explain how Blaine was able to perform the stunt and not zap himself into the next life! It was beyond weird to see a man standing in the crosshairs of the Tesla coils and catching electrical bolts as if they were simply being tossed at him.

I have a confession to make. I am addicted to all things fashion related! Since my childhood, I have been inspired and captivated by pretty clothes, shoes and accessories. It is all directly linked to my incredibly talented mother, Chloe, who can create just about anything from a piece of fabric. She and I spent countless hours in fabric stores pouring over patterns and searching for the perfect fabric and trims. We would design a dress and she could put it together with various patterns. She doesn’t sew for me anymore but I still have that same love for fashion and really well made clothing. You can imagine my sheer joy when I was invited to a recent photo shoot for Neiman Marcus here in New York City. It was a combination of three of my favorite things – fashion, Neiman Marcus and New York City.

Within the first few weeks of moving to New York City, I was introduced to Georgia Christensen. Georgia had previously worked with Neiman Marcus but brought her family to New York about 10 years ago when she took a job with Victoria’s Secret. As it turns out, Georgia was about to head back to Texas and take over as Creative Director at Neiman’s. In her role, she is responsible for crafting the overall look and feel for the brand and ensuring the creative supports for the marketing objectives of a given project.

In January, I met Georgia at Hudson Studios for a Spring ad campaign photo shoot. Hudson Studios is a really neat place where at any given time there can be up to five different photo shoots happening at the same time in various studios. It was exactly what I had imagined the studio would look like. It was spacious, white and well lit. There were lots of people milling around and getting prepared for the shoot. Of course, there was the model, Merethe, make-up artist, hair stylist, photographer, Diego Uchitel and his team of assistants, and the stylist Karina Givargisoff and her team. Producer, Cynthia Cohen from Right Arm Productions over saw the entire crew and made sure everything ran smoothly. From the yummy food down to the booking of the team of creative professionals, Cynthia had it all covered. Georgia developed the overall design and photography direction and under her guidance the crew of creative minds made it happen.

The team was working on the Modernist mailer that was sent out to Neiman Marcus customers. As you can see from the photos there were several different looks in the piece. The shoot took place over two days and the final product was really impressive. It was interesting to see the final product knowing all of the work that went into each photo. From the prepping of the model and constantly changing her look, to watching the stylist work her magic in pulling together each outfit, I saw firsthand just how much work goes into putting together a fashion photo shoot. The Prada dress used in the shoot was beautiful and cut to fit a broomstick. Merethe is obviously tall and slim and the dress didn’t even come close to zipping up. No one was sure why the dress was cut to fit a Barbie doll, but from the images you can’t tell that the other side was nowhere close to being zipped. That’s where double sided tape and pins come into the picture, so to speak.

The looks in the piece were from many of my favorite designers. There was Celine, Givenchy, Rick Owens, Dries Van Noten, Prada, Lanvin, Roland Mouret and Chanel. And as you can see, the model, Merethe, made each piece come to life, along with some perfectly executed styling from Karina. It also helps that Merethe is close to six feet tall and 19-years-old! So the next time you feel like you aren’t as pretty as a model in an ad campaign, keep in mind that most of them are in their late teens and early twenties and REALLY tall. Youth is clearly still on their side! Good genetics also help, too.

When I received the piece in the mail, it was really cool to see the finished product. After pouring over hundreds of images, Georgia selected the best of the best and the results were sheer perfection. A few weeks later while I looking through my In Style magazine, I ran across another image from the shoot. This entire look is Chanel and one of my favorites! Yet again, Merethe makes anything look amazing! To have a view from this side of fashion was such a treat for me. I’ve often wondered how these shoots happen and what is involved in putting it together. To borrow Hillary Clinton’s phrase, “It takes a village of creative minds to make it happen.”

The heat of summer has forced many New Yorkers to cooler places. Lots of folks head to Long Island and the Hamptons to enjoy the sandy beaches and summer breezes. However, we ditched the east coast for the west coast and headed to Vancouver and the outer islands for a Canadian wild life adventure.

What was billed as a once in a lifetime trip, turned out to be just that. We left Vancouver on a float plane and landed at Poet’s Cove on Pender Island which was where we spent the first half of the trip. Within a few hours we were out on the water checking out a pod of orcas a.k.a. killer whales. Spotting the pod took a while and was part of a nauseating and cold ride through choppy water.

Corbin, Mark and I spent the next few days on the water searching for seals, whales, bald eagles and bears. With a guide leading the way, we headed out in sea kayaks for a day of geo-caching. I’d never been on a geo-caching excursion. If you’ve never done it, I highly recommend it. You use a GPS device to find a hidden treasure box. When you find the box, you can take a small treasure for yourself out of the box but only if you leave one for the next person who will find the box.

On that particular day, we were joined by a seal and her seal pup. We spotted several bald eagles, too. I’m not sure about you, but I’ve only seen one other bald eagle in the wild. For me, to see at least six in eight days was simply awesome. We even checked out an eagles nest. Did you know that an eagle’s next can weigh up to two thousand pounds? That tidbit of bird trivia may come in handy if you ever find yourself on an episode of Jeopardy!

We flew on to Tofino for more whale, bear and eagle watching. Our bear watching excursion was a bit of a bust. The most we saw of a black bear was his back side as he walked back into the woods as we pulled up in our Zodiak (fancy float boat). Corbin laughs when he tells his friends he saw a bear butt. There is nothing like 7-year-old boy humor!

Did you know you can surf in Canada? I did not. Turns out you can indeed surf. We stayed at Long Beach Lodge where the waves were perfect for the novice surfer. We headed out with our instructor after getting into a wet suit. Keep in mind it was about 65-70 degrees and he water was much cooler. I don’t see myself chasing down any huge waves in the near future but it was a fun experience none the less. Corbin and Mark really enjoyed it.

No trip to the western coast of Canada would be complete without salmon fishing. Mark snagged several salmon that should be heading back to New York City very soon. It looks like we will be eating salmon for the coming months. We also saw several humpback whales on our fishing trip. A sea otter even popped up out of the water to check us out, too.

If you find yourself wanting to escape the scorching heat of the summer, I highly recommend heading north…way north! The Canadian weather was perfect and the people were friendly. It is a great place to unwind and relax with your family. The only bad part was returning to the heat of New York City.

Tripp Edwards was kind enough to share some of his photos with me. Due to a strict 25 pound bag limit, I left my nice Canon camera behind in New York City. There was really no decision to be made when it came down to either taking a camera or bottles upon bottles of lotions and potions and clothes.

Follow D.J. on Twitter @mrsdjduckworth and on Facebook at D.J. Cunningham Duckworth. D.J. is a contributing writer for New York Family magazine.

Yoga is part of my life and has been for many years.  One of my favorite aspects of the practice is the music.  I like to listen to music that is more instrumental and without lyrics preferring Krishna Das over Katy Perry.  If I start to sing along, my brain takes me back to where I was when I heard the song, who I was with, what we were doing, what I was wearing, what I was eating, how old I was, who my friends were, who I didn’t like, which boyfriend broke my heart, how much I weighed, what my hair looked like…you get my drift?  I get lost in my thoughts and forget about the practice.  Which is why I don’t like to hear anything remotely contemporary in a yoga class.

On Wednesday, I was half way through an intense yoga class with a teacher who plays a wide variety of music in his class.  You can image my surprise when I heard the words mother fucker float or rather sear through the room!  I was really into a groove with my practice, moving well, sweating like crazy and finally in my yoga zone.  And all of a sudden, there they were.  Mother fucker.  Of course, it didn’t take long for me to snap out of my yoga zone.

I looked at the other yogis in the room to see if they were as shocked as I was.  Some were.  The teacher didn’t appear to be too rattled that the song was playing as I assumed he wasn’t aware that it was in the playlist.  Needless to say, my practice took a different turn at least mentally.

Here is a quick script of my thoughts.  ”Did I here that right?  Was that mother fucker?  Yes, that’s what he said.  Is he (the teacher) going to switch songs because this is totally not a yoga class song?  How many times is this guy going to say mother fucker in one song? This is one mother fucking hard pose. If this mother fucker isn’t going to change the song, then he could change this mother fucking pose.  My legs are fucking killing me! This is one crazy ass way to end my mother fucking yoga class.  So much for om shanti, mother fucker…this is just fucked up!”

And then I started giggling.  Really?  Not only was I bombarded with mofo’s, but now I
was giggling like a school girl.  The song finally ended – THANK GOD!  And my giggles subsided and I managed to finish the class.  Sivasana was as pleasant as it could be as Adele’s version of  ”I Can’t Make You Love Me” played in the room.  And there again, I was back in my head thinking about the first time I heard that song and how sad it makes me feel. I thought,  well isn’t this just a mother fucking perfect way to end my mother fucking yoga class?

Namaste’ my friends.  May all of your yoga experiences be free of all mother fuckers.

This morning in midtown Hugh Jackman took some time to discuss his new film Real Steel and his family with the ladies of Moms and the City.

In the intimate discussion with a small room of bloggers he talked about his children, work and how he managed to finish reading the script for the film by turning it into a bed time story for his 10-year-old.

The once named Sexiest Man Alive talked openly about spending as much time with his kids as possible despite his and his wife’s busy schedules.  They are both actors.  But also admitted, as many parents know, it can be refreshing to have even one or two days away from the kids!  I, for one, am a big advocate of that!

Corbin won’t be seeing the film due to the PG-13 rating.  He’s only 6 and frankly, Finding Nemo still scares him a little.   Hugh said this is actually the first film of his that his kids have watched. Hugh didn’t think it was a good idea for his kids to see their Dad cutting heads off in X-Men while at the same time trying to get them to stop fighting with each other!  I agree with him on that one.

I hope to see the film soon.  If you check it out, let me know what you think.

Two years ago Mark said, “we are going back to Tuscany in 2011.”  I looked at him and said , “sure, whatever.”  He’s a big planner and I’ve gotten used to him saying things like this.  I mean, who can even think that far in advance, right? So, it’s 2011 and I’m in Tuscancy.  Glad I have a super-planner, travel agent in my life…even though it wears me out most days!

In Casole d’ Elsa with my favorite travelerThis photo was taken last night before the high intake of carbs started. If you look closely you can see that I’m not with the “pasta baby” just yet!!

There are so many things to see and do along with many great places to just chill…

The View to a Chill

Ciao, for now.  We are off to San Gimignano!

I’m giving you the heart and soul of my experiences, with a heavy dose of perspective. Come along on the trip.

I’m giving you the heart and soul of my experiences, with a heavy dose of perspective. Come along on the trip.  I’m giving you the heart and soul of my experiences, with a heavy dose of perspective. Come along on the trip.  I’m giving you the heart and soul of my experiences, with a heavy dose of perspective. Come along on the trip.

zhwahhhhh-də-veave, Y’all

 As translated from the Southern dialect that DJ so beautifully employs…DJ brings you stories that celebrate the joy of life.  As a small town girl, she spent years wanting to get out of Arkansas and explore the world. She did it. DJ has been reporting and writing about life since she could form letters and speak to anyone who would listen. DJ is likely to explain the heart warming memories of dissecting an Oreo as a young kid and analyzing the cost per wear of a pair of Manolo Blahnik stilettos! Note:  You have to wear them A LOT to get your return on investment!  

DJ travels to fun places usually with 50 pounds of luggage and nothing to wear…she tends to forget to pack her panties. She takes you along on her trips showing you the best of each destination whether it is in Europe or in Arkansas. Growing up as the perfect second child in a family of 3, she swore she was never having kids up until the moment she actually gave birth to her son. The challenges of motherhood have provided her lots of teachable moments including having to explain the “F” word in detail to him. DJ shares those stories and others with brutal honesty and humor.

This well-traveled Arkansan now lives in Manhattan with her two boys; her son and the worlds most amazing wiener dog, Leo!

New York Fashion week as come and gone.  However, some of the world’s leading fashion designers are still unveiling their collections in Milan, Italy this week. I hope to be in Milan in September, but for now I’m still marinating in the excitement and insanity of the Carolina Herrera show I attended during fashion week here in New York City.

Last February I participated in the festivities and fun of fashion week.  With Exclusive Resorts’ Andy Irving and Sage Fennig, I had access to the tents and some amazing shows.  Andy and his team planned four jam packed days of fashion shows, shopping, eating, drinking and of course people watching!  This year ER took their show on the road and is in Milan, as I type this post, taking in Prada, Gucci and well, you know, all of those other amazing Italian brands that make you think about taking out a second mortgage on your home! Hopefully Andy and Sage will share their photos and stories with me when they return.

This year I had access to some of the most sought after shows.  However, the ticket prices … yes you can buy a ticket to a fashion show … were astronomical.  For example, a ticket to the Carolina Herrera show which I really wanted to see was almost $2,000.  And no, that did not include any clothes!  I decided I’d pass on the ticket and check out the collection online for a lot less.

But my dream of seeing the show actually came true!  My friend Mayte ended up with tickets to the show.  Much to my shock and amazement, we had seats on the front row in the middle of the runway.  We could not have been any closer to the action.  And, we were seated next to New York Times fashion photographer and legend, Bill Cunningham.

Like last year, the best part of fashion week and the show is the people watching.  Carolina Herrera is a huge fashion brand with an A-list following of celebrities, fashion editors and stylists.  The show did not disappoint in the people watching department.  Molly Sims, Ivanka Trump, Brad Goreski and Tinsley Mortimer sat behind us.  While Anna Wintour, decked out in her perfect scowl and sunnies, along with the raven haired Grace Coddington sat further down the runway.

“It Girl” Karlie Kloss wore the first look of the show.  The dresses where what you would  expect from Herrera.  The were seriously feminine, flattering to a woman’s body with amazing tailoring and made of the most luxurious fabric.  My favorites included a long red dress and a black two piece ensemble with a sequined hooded top.  Simple and stunning.  The collection’s long emerald green dress trimmed in fur would make any Hollywood It Girl swoon.  The waist cinching belts and perfectly placed brooches were also a great touch from Herrera.  You can see the entire collection atwww.style.com.

If you are a fan of Bill Cunningham’s fashion coverage in the New York Times, then you should also check out Reuben Harley or Big Rube as he likes to be called, from the Philadelphia Daily News  He sat down next to me after the show while I was checking e-mails and returning phone calls.  We started chatting, he asked me about my Wolford stockings, by their EXACT name, and I knew he wasn’t just any photographer! Big Rube and I hit it off immediately.  And we even found a common Southern connection.  He has  an ease and grace about him that doesn’t lend itself to the frantic pace of the fashion world.  But he clearly has an eye for capturing the essence of a woman and all things fashion related. You can find more of his work atwww.streetgazing.com.

In an attempt to capture a photo of me and the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week logo, I ended up looking like a sales person for Mercedes-Benz don’t you think!  Oh, well!  I’ve included it in the mix of photos from the day.

You can keep up with all of DJ’s adventures in the Big Apple by following her on Twitter @mrsdjduckworth and on Facebook at DJ Cunningham Duckworth. DJ is a contributing writer for New York Family magazine. She lives in Manhattan with her three boys; Mark, Corbin and Leo – woof, woof

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