Diva Taunia's Backstage Pass Official Blog

DIVA GLAM! SIGMA MAKEUP BRUSHES REVIEW

IT'S NOT ALWAYS SUNSHINE AND ROSES...

DIVA GLAM! Before & After and Product Pimpin'

LOOK FOR PRODUCT USED WITH LINKS TO THEIR WEBSITES BELOW

Remember - this is STAGE MAKEUP! I would never wear this much for a daytime look. lol Anyways, thought this was fun. All products and links listed below. Enjoy!

Prep:

Moisturizer:

http://www.philosophy.com/web/store/prod_miracle-worker-moisturizer____24007_23503_81656?mpe_id=23151&cm_cr=January+2010-_-A-_-home_right1_miracle+worker+cream-_-HOME_RIGHT_1-_-home_right1_miracleworkercream&catalogId=10001&cm_sp_o=wl5BfCjCv%2#

Foundation Primer:

http://www.smashbox.com/PHOTO-FINISH-FOUNDATION-PRIMER

Foundation:

http://www.maybellinenewyork.ca/caeng/products/face/l29l51l52l639l656.htm

Concealer:

http://www.toofaced.com/product_template.asp?dept_sub_id=8&dept_id=2&cat_id=15

Setting Powder:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0017KCQ72/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_3?pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B002HHK0E0&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1TVQVZ0EC3JX2P7FH508

Blush Primer:

http://www.abeautifulsecret.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=6937

Blush:

http://www.benefitcosmetics.com/gp/product/B000YYI8P6/sr=1-16/qid=1269807478/ref=sr_1_16/186-5757776-1656513?ie=UTF8&n=164990011&bcBrand=core

MAC Eyelid Primer:

http://www.maccosmetics.com/product/spp.tmpl?CATEGORY_ID=CAT154&PRODUCT_ID=1573

Shadow Base:

http://bareescentuals.com/bareMinerals%20Clear%20Radiance/33283,default,pd.html

Crease Shadow:

http://www.ecrater.com/product.php?pid=3439925

Shadow/Brow Highlight:

http://www.drugstore.com/products/prod.asp?pid=180433&catid=98578&cmbProdBrandFilter=53219&aid=333971&aparam=l_oreal_hip_shocking_sha&CAID=96717e9d-afd8-41b9-9008-3c608ec8126c

Liquid Liner:

http://www.drugstore.com/products/prod.asp?pid=179728&catid=98579&cmbProdBrandFilter=5369&aid=337953&aparam=l_oreal_lineur_intense_f&CAWELAID=141609213

Mascara:

http://www.rimmellondon.com/US/products/eyes/product.aspx?id=366

Brows:

http://www.amazon.com/SEPHORA-COLLECTION-Arch-Brow-Kit/dp/B000265C3W

Lipstick:

http://www.amazon.com/Revlon-Colorstay-Lipcolor-58-Poppy/dp/B0017I3OZ2

Lip Gloss:

http://article.wn.com/view/2010/03/11/BEAUTY_FASHION_PRODUCTS_Living_a_healthier_2010/

False Lashes:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=230421374312&rvr_id=&crlp=1_263602_263622&UA=WVF%3F&GUID=b2bb49171250a0b583f09120ff96c3a5&itemid=230421374312&ff4=263602_263622

DIVA RECIPE : CUCKOO FOR COCONUT RICE!

DISCLAIMERS:

1)  Rob didn't love this.  I did.  A little sweet, a little nutty, all sorts of yummy. 

2)  I'm not pimpin' this out as WLS friendly.  Just yummy.  Not pouchy-worthy, especially for beginners.  (HA!)  

 
You probably heard me brainstorming out loud on Facebook and Twitter today about this rice dish.  (I say this as if I've stumbled upon something really extraordinary here.  Disclaimer # 3, it's good, but not good enough for me to get THAT pompous about. Just so you know.  I'm just down with the yummy-ness.)

So for those of you who can handle rice without busting a gut, and who (like me) tend to like things a little on the sweet side sometimes, this is a nice change-up on regular ol' rice.  Coconut-cashew-pineapple-cranberry-brown rice goodness:

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 cups cooked whole grain rice
• 1 can low-fat/low-sugar evaporated milk (small 5 fl oz can)
• 1/2 cup of dried, unsweetened coconut flakes
• 3/4 cup chopped cashews 
• 3/4 cup pineapple chunks 
• 1/2 cup of dried cranberries
• 1/2 tsp of nutmeg

DIRECTIONS:

• Cook brown rice as directed and put aside
• Heat a saucepan to medium low and heat the evaporated milk, coconut, and nutmeg til warm
• Turn off heat, add the remaining ingredients, mix together
• EAT.  YUM.

I'm not a medical professional or nutritionist AT ALL, so I'm just giving you a recipe that I made for myself.  Always,check with the pro's, yo and don't eat this if you're not sure if you can or not.  Makes about 8 normal people sized portions, and about 1000 pouch portions.  Hey, I like to stock up....

IN A VAN, DOWN BY THE RIVER...

Last night, I did one of the coolest/weirdest things in my musical career:  I had a rehearsal in the back of a van, parked on the street in Jamaica Plain.  I was there with Brad Smith on piano, and Anna Fan on drums.  And we had a pretty kick-ass time making music. 

This all came to be because of Brad.  This dude is one of the most creative and craftiest people I know.  He's built an all-inclusive carrying case for his keyboards that packs up and travels, but also doubles as a keyboard and music stand.  The thing just rolls in and out of gigs - it's pretty amazing.

Brad is also a piano technician and tuner, so he needs a van to get around to all his different sites of business, and he needs to be able to move pianos.  He also realized that he had downtime in between gigs, and that he could use that time to practice and play.  So he hooked up his van with some serious electrical power, speakers, the whole kit and caboodle.  This allows him to play pretty much anywhere he goes.  Uh, AWESOME.

So we had the rehearsal - complete with Anna's drum kit - in the back of the van.  My passenger seat swiveled around, I sat next to Anna, and Brad has his whole keyboard setup in there.  We parked on the street, kept the doors closed, and made music.  It was a really fun time, and just made me realize how freakin' happy I am to be making music - ANYWHERE.  (BTW - the three of us will be performing at The Stork Club in Boston this Saturday, March 27th from 9:30pm-1:00am.  Stop by and see us if you're in the area!)

From this rehearsal was born an idea that I'm hoping will turn into something really great:  "The Diva Taunia Traveling Show."  We're going to play lunchtime concerts at local businesses during the spring and summer months, and also play evening and weekend gigs in town - ON THE STREET AND IN PARKING LOTS.  I mean, how fun is that gonna be?!?  We're still looking into permits/restrictions/etc, but we're really excited to be setting up a summer tour of van concerts.  Man, I just love life with music, I really do.

So hey, if you're in the New England area and want to book us for a lunchtime concert, drop me a line at booking@divataunia.com.  If this van's a rockin', you should DEFINITELY come 'a knockin!

DIVA'S BOLLYWOOD SOUP

Many of the big stars of Indian cooking come together in this really yummy and really healthy soup that I created today.  The standout flavors:  ginger, garam marsala, turmeric and cinnamon.  OMG, this is so, so, so yummy.

Most of you know that I generally start with a basic vegetable stock that's pretty standard in most of my soup recipes.  This makes it super-easy for me to get all my vitamins and veggies in, so I load up with veggies that may not always be in the traditional versions of some of these. 

Anyhow, this was so, so good.  A little bit of work with prepping and sauteing the veggies, but this  makes a ton of soup that freezes well and makes many, many servings. 

Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS:

makes 8-10 normal servings or 12-14 pouch servings

• 12 cups (Two 49.5 oz cans) of low-sodium chicken broth
• 2-3 potatoes, chopped
• 2 tbsp of good olive oil
• 2 large yellow onions, diced
• 3 large carrots, diced
• 1 large red pepper, diced
• 3 stalks celery, chopped
• 1.5 cup of frozen sweet peas
• 2 cups of yellow lentils (holy protein!)
• 3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp of fresh grated ginger
• 1 tbsp of fresh chopped cilantro
• 1 tbsp of Garam Marsala powder
• 2 tbsp of Turmeric powder
• 1 tbsp of Cumin powder
• 1 tbsp of Hot Yellow Curry powder
• 1 tsp of Cayenne Pepper
• 1 tsp of Cinnamon
• Salt & Pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

• Saute the onions, peppers, carrots, and celery until soft
• Add frozen peas, garlic, and fresh ginger along with half of all the spice ingredients.  Let the spices saute with the veggies for approx 10 mins.
• Add chicken stock to crock pot, add remainder of spices
• Add lentils and potatoes to chicken stock, start crock pot on low.
• Add all sauteed veggies to the crock pot, cover, and cook on low for 6-8 hours.
• EAT AND ENJOY!

NUTRITIONAL INFO:

I'm not a medical professional or nutritionist AT ALL, so I'm just giving you my best estimates here.  But as always, check my lousy math, and check with the pro's, yo. Estimates given based on 10 servings.

Calories:  120g
Fat: 1.5g
Protein:  9g

THE THINNEST OF THE FATTEST

My friend Dr. Sheila sent me this link today, about a new ABC Series called "Huge," a new one-hour drama premiering this year. "Huge" is a new drama about a "fat camp" for teens.  It's starring Hayley Hasslehoff (yes, The Hoff's daughter) and Nikki Blonksy, of "Hairspray" fame.  The Huffington Post "Hayley will play the hottest and thinnest girl at the camp who considers herself too big."   The hottest, thinnest girl of the at girls.

That's Hayley over there to the left.  She's playing a fat girl.  And I just looked her up on IMDB and found out she's 20 yrs younger than me(!) - gah. I'm fairly certain that if she were at my school or in my circle of friends when I was kid, I would have never left my house.  EVER.

This got me thinking about identity and the MESSED UP ways we define ourselves - even in our own "safe" circle of friends.  Because I know I've been in situations where I have been in a group of my friends - all of us overweight and struggling (Weight Watchers, anyone!?) and there's always the immediate comparison of who's the fattest, who's the smallest of the fattest...and you define yourself by your weight even within a group where everyone shares the same struggles and social stigmas.

These are your friends: supportive and loving and caring, but that comparison is still there. Maybe not on a surface level, but it's there. I used to be the biggest, now I'm not, and it's a weird identity for me. And I think at times it was difficult for the other people in my life because everyone's definition of me had to change.  I was no longer the Fat Diva.  And I was openly and excitedly celebrating my weight, or lack of weight.  And I was obnoxious about it sometimes, I know I was.

It bothers me that even as an adult, and a thinner adult, I immediately scan the room to see who's bigger/smaller than me.  Who's prettier, who's plain.  As a logical and mature adult, I have a hard time understanding why my self-esteem easily and immediately goes there, and it's something that I hate about my own self-esteem.  (And I should mention that after my initial comparison is done, I then become an adult again and start appreciating what's beautiful about every person in the room.  At least there's been progress in my life there.)

I'm interested to see how they tackle self-esteem and health issues with this show.  I hope it's something that will be empowering, and that helps teens to grow up without scanning the room and beginning a comparison.  Fingers crossed.   

3/22 - ARCHIVED SHOW

In can you missed it, you can listen to the archived show here:

3/22/10 - BPRP: Gabby Sidibe, Howard Stern & Fat Acceptance

SUSAN, PART II

Susan Powter put up another video today, one that I found some very simple and effective words to share:

"If I could tweak my nose right now and bewitch you to as lean, as strong, and as healthy as you wanted to be, you would choose that over morbid obesity, and don't tell me you wouldn't, because everybody would. And you can have that easily if you stop defending this ridiculousness and spend your energy on getting yourself well."

That's a truth that needs to be said. Y'all know I love Susan, and it killed me to put up that video response to her yesterday (below), but those comments above reminded me of why I love her. Sometimes truth isn't pretty, and sometimes truth is tough.

I think that giving Howard Stern a nod at all was the wrong move. Howard Stern doesn't care about Gabby's wellness or any other woman's wellness. Howard Stern isn't concerned about anything but shocking for ratings. Susan Powter IS concerned for your wellness. To associate those two people together enrages me, and I want it to please (for the love of all that is right) PLEASE stop. How can I (or any other woman) embrace wellness with the face of hate, prejudice, and misogny associated with it? Ugh, no.

But if you can get past the mention of him again in this video and take away the actual, real message, wellness is there.

WHOO, LORDY! IT PAINS ME TO SAY THESE THINGS...