Elevate Difference

Reviews by Stephanie Nolasco

Stephanie Nolasco

Stephanie Nolasco is a New York City-based writer and editor. She’s a graduate of The New School where she concentrated in creative non-fiction writing and journalism. She also studied feminist filmmaking and the roles of women in religion. During her student years, she explored the rise of one popular feminist magazine and its impact on contemporary pop culture. Nolasco has written for several online and print publications, including London’s Chic Today, New York Press, Latina, WireTap, and Manhattan Times, among others. Nolasco is also a former mentee of Girls Write Now, a non-profit organization that provides guidance and support to aspiring female writers in New York City. To learn more about Nolasco and her writings, visit her website at www.stephanienolasco.com. You can also follow her on twitter at www.twitter.com/snolasco where she reports on her latest happenings.

Isabella Blow: A Life in Fashion

Before Lady Gaga adorned her poker face with a diamond-encrusted lobster, there was the original eccentric fashionista Isabella Blow, the flamboyant muse to couture designers who, despite being the toast of London’s glitterati, would die at age forty-eight by her own hand. As a fashion director, she survived as one of Anna Wintour’s assistants to later become champion of the avant garde. From hot pink cobwebs to towering peacock feathers, there was nothing that Blow wouldn’t dare crown herself with.

Fragments: Poems, Intimate Notes, Letters

Everyone knows about the tragic life of bombshell Marilyn Monroe, whose nickname “Miss Golden Dreams” would indicate nothing of how brief her existence would be. At thirty-six, the “orphan” with a mentally damaged mother and no father to call her own was found naked and dead in her Los Angeles home, apparently from suicide. With three divorces, several miscarriages, and plenty of roles depicting her as a dumb blonde, not even Monroe’s celebrated curves, sapphire blue eyes, or perfectly heart-shaped face were enough to keep her smiling. No fame or money could save the starlet with the little girl voice from the many demons that haunted her.

Shamanic Egyptian Astrology: Your Planetary Relationship to the Gods

If you’re looking for an astrology book that tells you if this is your month to fall in love or what day to play the lotto, then you should skip this review and skim to the back pages of Cosmo. However, if you’re looking for a comprehensive guide on seeking aid from Egyptian gods, all while understanding how the elements of your sign can be used to make you a more spiritual being, then Shamanic Egyptian Astrology is a must-have for your personal library.

Hello Kitty Must Die

To many, Hello Kitty is a mouthless cat in blue overalls who’s never spotted without her signature red bow, but to twenty-eight-year-old Chinese-American Fiona Yu, the feline is an embodiment of everything she hates and willing to kill for. Author Angela S.

The Witch’s Coin: Prosperity and Money Magick

What if you were given the opportunity to not only overcome your financial burdens, but still have enough money to spare? After ending a year filled with recession woes, 2010 is a time of hope for many of us. According to award-winning author Christopher Penczak, anyone can now earn a little green with the help of Mother Nature. In his latest book, The Witch's Coin, readers can transform poverty into prosperity through spells and lessons in Finance 101.

Ladies Certified Organic White T-Shirt

Green is the new black, and no, we’re not talking about that vintage Chanel dinner party dress. From cosmetics to clothing, the determination to be more earth friendly is not just a celebrity fad, but a way of honoring Mother Nature.

Janis Joplin: The Woodstock Experience

What is there left to say about Janis Lynn Joplin that hasn’t been said before? It’s been thirty-eight years since she died from a heroin overdose and yet, we continue to call out for an outcast from Texas who was no great beauty. However, this wild haired flower child is the reason why we have female musicians taking over arenas and baring their souls to millions. In her brief time on this earth, Joplin managed to do what few men accomplish in their lifetime, which was rock out without giving a damn.

Picture Perfect Face Primer

Oily skin is often revered as one’s personal fountain of youth with an ability to slow down aging, but for those who were born with this physical trait, it’s a nightmare that stares at you right in the face. Instead of glowing and glistening, oil oozes from pores, causing pimples to make frequent visits, while rosy cheeks appear slippery and dirty. Not even the finest powders can combat the greasy mess, and at the end of the day, your many hours of carefully applying makeup for a fresh face results in a gloppy gunk.

It's Not About Food: End Your Obsession with Food and Weight

The new year is upon us, and it’s not just because George W. Bush has finally left the White House. Whenever we decide to turn on our televisions, the Resolutions Monster is there. It appears as a perky model that lost fifty pounds after some fad diet. We look at our own bodies in disgust, poking at the extra pounds of flesh formed after gorging extra slices of pumpkin pie. Summer suddenly creeps up on us like our monthly cycles and those dreams of wearing a bikini are shattered.  There aren’t many options in combating the Resolutions Monster.

Tom and Sally’s Body Paint

When it comes to sex, everyone wants a little something to spice up the night and make the bed sizzle. Whether its garter belts, handcuffs, or studded leather whips, there’s no such thing as a fantasy that can’t be fulfilled with some helpful accessories. The old saying, “a way to a man’s heart is through his stomach,” may have been proven centuries ago by a naughty mistress who realized that if a lover can be satisfied with a hearty meal, imagine all the possibilities food can awaken on a quivering body.

Pornocracy

A beautiful woman enters a gay discotheque where she encounters a curious man who will follow her and spend three evenings exploring sexual brutality. Sounds like the plot of an erotic thriller guaranteed to tease and please, but was instead the story behind French filmmaker Catherine Breillat’s novel, Pornocracy.

Your Life Your Way: The Essential Guide for Women

Think life ends when turning fifty? Writers Lynn Hull and Julie Molner believe it’s only the beginning when dreams become reality. In Your Life Your Way: The Essential Guide for Women, these professional co-active coaches want every woman to push aside their insecurities and stand up for a more satisfying life.

How Sassy Changed My Life: A Love Letter to the Greatest Teen Magazine of All Time

Before female adolescents in America had Oakland/Portland’s Bitch or Chicago’s VenusZine for feminism 101, there was New York City’s Sassy. In How Sassy Changed My Life, readers are given a magazine-size book that reads like a nostalgic love letter chronicling one of women’s crucial marks in journalism's history.

Making Sex Work: A Failed Experiment with Legalised Prostitution

Mary Lucille Sullivan attempts to tackle the world's oldest profession, but provides more questions than answers. When the State of Victoria in Australia became one of the first governments in the world to legalize prostitution in 1984, both residents and the rest of the world wondered how this radical law would affect women's role in this underground, but very active workforce. Making Sex Work: A Failed Experiment with Legalised Prostitution investigates whether the ladies of the night in Victoria are expanding or diminishing the sex industry.
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