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July 27th, 2010We Asked and You Answered!
July 19th, 2010When we needed help testing a potential new night-time fragrance, who else would we turn to but our loyal Apple Bottoms fans? Thank you to everyone who tried our samples and took our survey.
And most of you chose….
Fragrance Sample #1!
…as a perfect scent for date night, the club, and anything behind closed doors. We can best describe this scent as sultry: bold at first with hints of dry earthiness in the background. We found our inspiration from grapefruit oil, jasmine, apricot, and blackcurrant mixed with peach and orange blossom.
Congratulations to Neatha Jennings, the winner of the $250 Visa gift card.
Thank you to everyone who gave their 2 cents on our two scents. We love hearing your feedback and comments.
Which sample did you choose, and why did you like it?
African American Style Pioneers
July 1st, 2010When we set out to write a post on African American style icons we thought it’d be a snap. There are so MANY style icons to choose from, how could this possibly be difficult? Well, as we set out to make our list, we suddenly realized there are so many HUGE stars it was incredibly difficult to choose among them!
Style isn’t JUST about fashion and wearing what looks good. Anyone can wear a pair of jeans, but a person with style can transform those jeans into something that is uniquely them. Style is about creativity, originality, and innovation.
So, here’s our list: If you think we missed someone, shout it out! We want to recognize all the stylish people who we didn’t have room for!
The 1960’s
Fashion in this era was all about the mini-skirt, bell-bottom jeans, tie-dye and paisley. Some style runners up include: Sammy Davis Jr., Pam Grier, and Aretha Franklin.
Jimi Hendrix: Jimi was well known for his unique wardrobe and hairstyle. He wore bell-bottoms, scarves, rings, medallions, and army dress uniform jackets. Towards the late 60’s Jimi’s more memorable attire included a shortened blue kimono-style jacket and a white fringed jacket, decorated with blue glass beads. – Rock on!
Diana Ross and the Supremes: Other than the Beatles, the Supremes reigned “supreme” as the top group of the 1960
’s and who can forget the iconic images of this trio of songbirds? Everything from their flipped up hair, to their coordinated dresses screamed: Stop! In the Name of Love.
The 1970’s
The Afro, platform shoes, turtle necks, and three-piece suits were cool during this era. Some style runners up include: Jimmie Walker aka James “J.J.” Evans, Jr. from “Good Times”, The Jackson Five, Eartha Kitt, Marvin Gaye, George Clinton, Isaac Hayes and Grace Jones.
Beverly Johnson: This style icon not only graced the cover of more than 500 magazines, she was also the first black woman on the cover of Vogue magazine. This single event is often noted as the cover that changed the beauty ideal in fashion and opened the doors for American fashion designers to begin using African American models.
Richard Roundtree: Better known as Shaft (Shut yo mouth!), With his iconic blue turtle neck, afro, and leather jackets, Richard Roundtree is now a cult icon of the 70’s. Don’t mess with him.
The 1980’s
Think: leggings, leg warmers, Cosby sweaters, shoulder pads, jean jackets and you are transported to the 1980’s. Style runners up for this era include: Tina Turner, Prince, Whitney Houston, and Run DMC.
Iman: Yves Saint-Laurent was once quoted as saying, “My dream woman is Iman” and in the 1980’s she showed the world that a self-proclaimed “typical Somali girl” could shape and influence fashion and style around the world. IN FACT, just this month, on June 7, 2010, she received a Fashion Icon lifetime achievement award from the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA), a special prize reserved for “an individual whose signature style has had a profound influence on fashion.”
Michael Jackson: Look at anything he wore. Ever. Should we say more? Ok, whether it was a red leather jacket with an excess of zippers, a sparkly gloved hand, or a gold-plated military style jacket with matching belt, Michael Jackson was always creative, innovative and original.
The 1990’s
Do you remember Doc Martins, Hoodies, ADIDAS, Jerseys, and the Wonderbra? Some 90’s style runners up include: Naomi Campbell, Michael Jordan, Lil Kim, LL Cool J, Snoop
Tyra Banks: Model, businesswoman and now media personality, singer, and actress, Tyra is a Jill-of-all-trades who seems to have her hands in everything! She was the first African American woman on the covers of GQ AND the highly coveted Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue and in 1997 she received the VH1 award for Supermodel of the year. That same year, she became the first-ever African American for the cover of the Victoria Secret catalog. Further, Tyra’s TZONE foundation teaches young girls about style by empowering them to “live their dreams, discover new possibilities within themselves and take on life’s challenges with fierce determination and drive.”
P.Diddy: Rarely spotted without his bling, Diddy is a man who insists on being seen in his high profile, stylish wardrobe. “Puff Daddy” as he was known in the 90’s, helped pioneer the celebrity clothing line phenomenon in 1998 with Sean John (which won the Council of Fashion Designers of American Award for Menswear Designer of the Year in 2004). Sean John was also the first black-owned retailer on Fifth Avenue.
2000’s
We’ve officially left the 00’s, yet they still seem so close. You can still spot people wearing Crocs, skinny jeans, Polos, and Ugg boots which all materialized in this decade. Some style runners up include: Halle Berry and Pharrell.
Beyonce: Whether she is gracing the red carpet in a beautiful, designer gown or on stage in a glittery leotard, Beyonce is fashion-oriented and has a keen eye for style. She’s been quoted as saying, “I like to dress sexy and I carry myself like a lady,” and we believe she’s lived up to her goal. Tres chic!
Kanye West: Always well coordinated wearing a polo, fancy wrist-watch, and signature shades, Mr. West is never too far from his Louis Vuitton luggage, and iphone. Why did we pick Kanye? He’s a regular at mens collections, has designed footwear for Nike and Louis Vuitton and has twice been namedo n Vanity Fair’s Best-Dressed list.
Present: Who are your favorite style icons today?
Why We Love Jada Pinkett Smith
June 24th, 2010When you think of Jada Pinkett Smith, you immediately think of Will Smith right? But Jada is so much more than who she married (although we’d take him any day!). She’s a career woman AND a wife AND a mom AND a philanthropist. And she manages to balance it all very well. We think that makes her nothing short of a role model.
Let’s start with her acting. Her film debut was in 1993’s “Menace II Society” playing a single mom. She’s since been nominated for BET Awards and NAACP Image awards, most notably for playing Muhammad Ali’s first wife in “Ali.” She can play action as well drama, which you know if you saw her in “The Matrix: Reloaded” and “The Matrix: Revolutions.” But she’s not just a film actress; she currently stars as a tough-as-nails nurse in “Hawthorne,” which started its second season on TNT this week. And if you never saw her in NBC’s “A Different World” (1991-93) you should check it out because she stole every scene. (This show also stars a young Lisa Bonet and Marisa Tomei!)
She’s had a distinguished acting career, but she’s also a singer and producer. Jada is the lead singer and song writer for a heavy metal band called Wicked Wisdom which performed in 2005’s Ozzfest. As if acting and singing weren’t enough, she also produces television shows and movies. She and her husband, Will Smith, produced the TV show “All of Us” (2001-07), and of course a little movie called “The Karate Kid” starring Jaden Smith, her son with Will, which is currently in theaters.
Which brings us to that man she married. She and Will Smith have been married for 13 years, and they have two kids, Jaden and Willow. They’re often seen on the red carpet gazing adoringly at each other and she said in a 2008 Interview for USA Weekend that nothing was more important to her than family.
Yet there is so much more to Jada Pinkett Smith than her husband and family, or even her career. She has used her position as a celebrity to further philanthropic causes. The Will and Jada Smith Family Foundation donated to causes ranging from lupus to literacy to inner city youths. The charity was awarded the David Angell Humanitarian Award by The American Screenwriters Association in 2006. Jada has also donated $1 million to the Baltimore School for the Arts in the memory of Tupac Shakur, who was a friend of hers before his death. And she does all of this while flying under the radar! How can that be?!
Do you still consider Jada Pinkett Smith as just Will Smith’s wife?
What do our mothers teach us about life?
June 17th, 2010Answer the following the sentence: My mother taught me…
It’s hard, right? Mothers taught us so much at different parts of our lives. When we were young, she taught us unconditional love. She taught us how to walk and talk and other basic functions. As we grew up, she continued teaching us basics but also how to accept and respect ourselves. In fact, there is very little that our mothers were not first in line to teach us. Could we have even made it through adolescence without our mother? She lent us the courage to first face the world.
Besides teaching us the basics of womanhood, she taught us the difference between beauty on the inside and beauty on the outside. She taught us to be compassionate and forgiving (which can be hard with teenage girls!) and that gossiping will always get us in trouble. That listening is way of caring for others and empathy is always smarter than logic.
She taught us self-reliance and the importance of making informed decisions. We have dreams to follow and talents to contribute! Any situation can be reframed to have a more positive outlook, and any goal achieved once we’ve named it. And once we’ve achieved one goal, we have the ability to set new ones.
Our mother taught us fun stuff too; like shopping is fun. (And dangerous!) Eating healthy is good, but sometimes a hot fudge sundae really can make things better. Oscar –winning movies have their place, but a Saturday night “chick flick” is sometimes just the thing. In fact, we think mothers invented the term “guilty pleasure”!
Perhaps most importantly, our mother taught us how to listen to our hearts. She taught us to trust our instincts, something that seemed so simple as a toddler and yet so much harder as we grow older. But every time we hit a roadblock, if we stop and listen, we can hear our mother’s voice. She’s telling us that we already know the answer. It’s within us; it’s what our mother taught us, and we wouldn’t be who we are without her.
So, answer the following sentence: My mother taught me…
Meet Nelly Event – Recap!
June 9th, 2010The Meet Nelly event at Carson Pirie Scott in N. Riverside Illinois was a blast and a success! We know a lot of you couldn’t make it, so here’s a recap of what you missed:
11am: People started to get in line and the area around the fragrance counter was filling up pretty quickly. Store employees were running around spritzing Apple Bottoms fragrance and passing out samples of lotion on cute little white silk flower petals. The sweet smell of transparent florals mingled with tropical fruits, all wrapped with golden amber, musk and vanilla filled the entire second floor! Finally we said, “Someone’s gotta turn on the jams!” and suddenly the DJ started spinning the Nelly tunes getting the crowd ready for him to arrive!
When the freebies started flying into the crowd everyone got excited. They were tossing out T-shirts, samples and any Apple Bottoms branded item they could find to give away.
1:00pm: On the lower level of Carson Pirie Scott, Nelly did a greenroom interview with some radio station winners, our social media winner Aisha, and some store employees. Check out Aisha’s interview here.
2:00pm: The store manager got on the mic, introduced Nelly, and he took the stage. 
He was wearing a shirt that didn’t quite show off his muscles (boooo), shades that he took on and off throughout the day, and bling even the people in the back row could see sparkling! As soon as he hit the stage, he spotted two women in wheelchairs, so he hopped back off to give them a hug and a kiss. They swooned. We swooned.
He was all smiles the whole time. You should have seen him with this little girl who was desperate to meet him. She kept calling his name from the crowd, even though she wasn’t in line to meet him, he couldn’t help letting her come on stage to say hello. Nelly was supercute with her, picking her up and talking to her. Check out the photos!
The rest of the day progressed with people screaming and taking photos of Nelly while he met his fans and signed autographs. It was crazy! There were some serious fans there!! Two women said, “We’ll show you some real apple bottoms!” (and you can imagine what they showed!) See the photo!
It went well past 4pm (and he was only supposed to be there until 3pm!). As long as people were there he stuck around meeting everyone. He was nice and gracious and everyone had a great time.
Thanks everyone who came out! Check out more photos here and videos here.
Want to influence a new fragrance?
May 28th, 2010We at Apple Bottoms Fragrance by Nelly LOVE our friends, fans, and followers! And we’re showing our appreciation by asking for YOUR input on our new fragrance. 
That’s right! We are giving YOU (and your friends) the opportunity to share your thoughts on a new fragrance. Your opinion will play a huge role in our next scent!
Interested? It’s easy to participate. Here’s how it works:
Click here to sign up and have two free samples sent to you. Included with the samples is a link to a short survey where you can tell us what you think of the two scents. It’s simple: smell the fragrances, then fill out the survey. The best part? Everyone who fills out the survey is automatically entered to WIN a $250 Visa gift card!
Space is limited, so sign up NOW if you’d like to participate. And tell your friends, because we know that important decisions are always run by our girlfriends!
Click here to get your free samples: http://bit.ly/ABFform.
Meet Nelly Contest!
May 26th, 2010** Note on 6/4/10: This contest is closed and we have chosen our winner. Details forthcoming. Thank you to everyone who participated!**
On Saturday, June 5th, Nelly will be meeting his fans at Carson Pirie Scott in North Riverside, Illinois! We are looking for ONE LUCKY FAN to cover the event by snapping photos, taking video, and asking Nelly one question on behalf of his fans.
Are you interested? Can you attend? If so, Just fill out this brief questionnaire and YOU could be the lucky fan that meets Nelly and “covers” the event for all the other fans!
To qualify you have to:
- Live in and/or around Chicago
- Be able to get to and from the event
- Be able to take video and pictures at the event and send them to the Apple Bottoms team
To Enter:
Simply CLICK HERE and complete our brief questionnaire. Remember, we are basing our decision on the QUALITY of your question for Nelly and whether you meet the above criteria.
The lucky winner gets to meet Nelly and ask him one question for all the fans out there! AND since she’ll need something to take pictures and videos with, we’re giving her a free Flip Camera! PLUS, we want her to smell nice, so we’re giving her a bottle of Apple Bottoms by Nelly Fragrance!
The contest has ended and we have picked our winner! Details coming soon!
Adoption : Celebrity Edition
May 20th, 2010Angelina Jolie, Madonna, Sandra Bullock … What comes to mind when you read these names? Yes, they are all A-list celebrities, but it’s what they are doing outside of the limelight that has caught our attention.
Angelina and family
They are adoptive parents! The media goes wild whenever a celebrity adopts, especially if it’s a child of a different race. Madonna adopted a child from Malawi, Meg Ryan, a child from China, and all of Angelina Jolie’s and Brad Pitt’s adopted children are of other races. These children were also born outside of the United States, which has caused controversy since there are so many adoptable children in the U.S.
One celebrity who adopted a U.S. – born child of a different race is Sandra Bullock. Recently People Magazine released exclusive photos of the Academy Award winner holding her new baby boy. This year has been a mixture of ups and downs for the actress, from winning her first Oscar to separating from her cheating husband. But somehow amid the media glare, Bullock managed to keep a joyful secret, the adoption of a 3-month-old baby boy from New Orleans.
Sandra and her new baby boy, Luis
Adoption is a brave and wonderful commitment, and anyone who fulfills the duties of being a parent to a child, ANY child, is a hero! That goes for biological parents as well. A quote from Julie Andrews says it all, “After all, children are children no matter what their background.” And a loving parent need not have matching DNA.
What do you think about celebrities adopting children?
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Meet Nelly!
May 10th, 2010Want to meet Nelly? Well, what are you doing on June 5th? Nelly will be signing bottles of Apple Bottoms Fragrance at Carson Pirie Scott in North Riverside, Illinois. (That’s near Chicago.)
Purchase either an $80 or $100 gift pack and you can meet Nelly! *
$80 Gift Pack includes:
3.4 oz fragrance
6 oz lotion
Gold and White AB Bag (Wrist Bag)
2 oz Shower Gel
.3 oz Purse Spray
Red with gold chain bracelet
Nelly Meet and Greet
$100 Gift Pack includes:
6 oz Body Wash and lotion
3.4 oz fragrance
2 oz Body Lotion
.3 oz Purse Spray
Red with gold chain bracelet
Python Bag
Sunglasses
4 x 6 Professional photo taken w/ Nelly
Nelly Meet and Greet
$100 Gift Pack
So mark your calendars ladies! (Pssst, fellas, this is a great way to make your lady feel #sexyYOU).
Meet Nelly!
When:
June 5th, 1-3pm
Where:
Carson Pirie Scott
7505 West Cermak Rd
North Riverside, IL 60546
Make sure you’re following us on Facebook and Twitter to get updates!
(Want to cover the event? Enter the contest!)
What will you wear when you meet Nelly?!
* We originally posted that with an $80 fragrance purchase you would meet Nelly. We just learned that you actually have to pre-purchase one of the two gift packs. Note that gift packs are not available when you purchase them; instead they are only available the day of the event (June 5) when you arrive at Carson Pirie Scott and pick up your lanyard/VIP pass and gift set and get in line to meet Nelly. You can pre-purchase gift packs at the following Bon Ton stores from May 20 – June 5, 2010.
Harlem and Irving
River Oaks
Ford City
Evergreen Park
Chicago Ridge
North Riverside
