Sheila E., Jeffrey Osborne, Boyz II Men and Living Colour Among 32 Artists to Perform at 23rd Epcot International Food & Wine Festival

The aromas and flavors of more than 30 global food and beverage marketplaces, plus a full menu of new offerings such as “Sunday Brunch with the Chef” series, will welcome guests during the 23rd Epcot International Food & Wine Festival, Aug. 30-Nov. 12, 2018. Guests will have a chance to meet their favorite celebrity chefs, try a new Food & Beverage Pairing in the Festival Center each Friday through Sunday, get their gourmet groove on at nightly Eat to the Beat Concert Series shows and more.

Celebrity Chefs

A-listers from the culinary world bring their talents to Walt Disney World to delight guests and inspire palates. Guests catch mealtime maestros in action at exclusive events, such as Party for the Senses, and special culinary demonstrations. Some of the celebrity chefs participating include:

  • Huda Mu’min (Sept. 20 and Sept. 22) – Founder and CEO of Chef Huda’s Kitchen, a unique culinary company specializing in healthy comfort food; record-setting winner of Food Network’s “Cutthroat Kitchen” and fan favorite on ABC’s “The Taste”
  • Dana Herbert (Oct. 4 and Oct. 6) – Winner of TLC’s “Cake Boss: The Next Great Baker” and expert sugar artist is best known as “The Sugar Daddy” because of his work with pulled and blown sugar
  • Jennifer Hill-Booker (Oct. 10 and Oct. 13) – Cooking style is a modern reinvention of Southern cuisine that incorporates seasonal ingredients with French culinary techniques; studied at Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Paris
  • Carla Hall (Oct. 28) – Former co-host of the popular ABC TV show “The Chew” and competitor on “Top Chef” and “Top Chef: All-Stars”; Carla Hall’s Southern Kitchen, the chef’s first restaurant, features iconic Nashville Hot Chicken and Southern sides
  • Rock Harper (Nov. 8 and Nov. 10) – Widely known as “Chef Rock” following his win on the third season of the Fox TV show “Hell’s Kitchen” (hosted by Gordon Ramsay); recently launched his own imprint, RockSolid Creative Food Group LLC, and the Chef Rock Xperiment Podcast.

 

 
Eat to the Beat Concert Series

Thirty-two musical acts will perform during the 23rd Epcot International Food & Wine Festival. These performers represent a diverse collection of hitmakers from pop to country to R&B and more. They comprise a powerful lineup ready to rock the America Gardens Theatre stage at 5:30, 6:45 and 8 p.m. daily. The lineup includes:

  • Baha Men (Sept. 14-16) – The band revived the deep musical legacy of the Bahamas and achieved world fame with the hit song “Who Let the Dogs Out.”
  • Sheila E. (Sept. 22-23) – She began her career as a percussionist and soon thereafter launched a successful solo singing career with hits such as “The Glamorous Life.”
  • Living Colour (Sept. 20-21) – The New York City rock group known for “Cult of Personality” released a new album, “Shade,” just last year.
  • Jeffrey Osborne (Sept. 29-30) – The legendary R&B singer known for “On the Wings of Love,” among many other hits.
  • Kenny G (Oct. 22-23) – This master of the soprano sax is one of the biggest-selling musicians of all time.
  • Billy Ocean (Oct. 24-25) – An international pop and R&B star of the ’70s and ’80s, who rose to fame with hits such as “Caribbean Queen” and “Get Outta My Dreams, Get into My Car.”
  • Boyz II Men (Nov. 5-7) – Recognized as one of the most successful musical groups of the ’90s by Billboard magazine, with hits such as “End of the Road” and “It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday.”

Latest Festival Buzz:

  • The NEW Taste Track global marketplace featuring specialty croissant doughnuts (add gelato for an extra-sweet treat) joins dozens of popular returning marketplaces. For a fourth year, global marketplaces will extend into Future World to offer brand-new taste sensations. Disney chefs are in the kitchen whipping up delicious new bites like Butternut Squash Ravioli with brown butter vinaigrette, Parmesan cheese and pumpkin seeds at The Wine & Dine Studio; Charred Chimichurri Skirt Steak with smoked corn cake, pickled vegetable slaw and cilantro aïoli at Flavors from Fire; and New Brunswick Slider, slow-braised beef brisket “pot roast-style” on a potato roll with horseradish cream, crispy fried onions and pickled vegetables on the side at the Hops & Barley.
  • The NEW “Sunday Brunch with the Chef” series in World ShowPlace will kick off Sept. 2 with Top Chef All-Star Richard Blais and continue on select Sundays through Nov. 11 with a lineup that includes Jamie Deen, Tiffani Thiessen, Masaharu Morimoto, Buddy Valastro, Art Smith, Geoffrey Zakarian, Carla Hall and Alex Guarnaschelli.
  • The grandest of the festival’s don’t-miss tasting events, Party for the Senses at World ShowPlace will welcome acclaimed chefs and vintners Sept. 22, Oct. 6, 13, 20 and Nov. 10 to showcase creative bites and palate-pleasing sips with sensational live entertainment.
  • “Mix It, Make It, Celebrate It!” hands-on workshops Wednesdays and Thursdays will offer new opportunities for guests to interact with visiting chefs, bakers, mixologists and other pros.

Included with Epcot Admission

Back to Basics series, book signings, Eat to the Beat concerts, Festival Passport and all attractions and park entertainment are included with regular Epcot admission.

Special Programming by Reservation

The Party for the Senses grand tasting events, signature dinners and other special wine and culinary programs require reservations and separate event admission. Guests can call (407) WDW-FEST (939-3378) to make reservations and find more details at TasteEpcot.com.

Shopping for Sunglasses: Tips on Choosing The Right Pair

Sunglasses make for great birthday and holiday gifts because they are stylish and ideal for use during winter holidays where we experience extreme temperatures that can dry the eyes. Compared with designer shoes and handbags, sunglasses are an affordable luxury that can be worn all year-round.

Featured Photo from Instagram

But how do you know which pair of sunglasses you should get for your loved one? Shopping for designer sunglasses is certainly not a walk in the park, and there are some style rules you must follow to ensure you are getting the perfect pair that your loved one will love wearing.

To provide some assistance in your sunglasses shopping, we outline some tips on choosing sunglasses to give as a present for friends or family:

Consider their face shape

This is not an easy step because you don’t want your friend or family to get a clue that you are giving them sunglasses as a gift. But this is also one of the vital steps you need to take to ensure that the person will love the sunglasses you will get for them.

Face shapes can help determine which frame style will best fit a person. Does he or she have around, heart-shaped, oval, or square face?

To guide you in choosing sunglasses based on face shape, check out our pointers below:

Oval shape– frames that have a strong bridge and bold patterns. Cat-eye glasses are ideal.

Square shape – rounded and thinner frames to soften the angularity of the face shape

Diamond shape – curved frames, frames that are wider than the cheekbones

Round shape – square or rectangular frames

Tip: If you find that it’s difficult to tell their face shape through sight alone, take a look at your friend’s existing sunglasses frames.

Get familiar with different brands and designers

If you want to get the perfect pair of sunglasses for a friend, consider his or her take on fashion. Do they follow catwalks religiously? Do they have a penchant for a particular brand or maybe an aversion to a certain designer? Take note of their existing wardrobe, and ask them what they can recommend if you were to get a pair for yourself. From there, you will get an idea of which designers they support, and what brand they are likely to have a liking towards.

Think about the person’s favorite celebrity

Often, celebrities get the first dibs on the latest trends in fashion and accessories, so when thinking about the right pair for a friend, it may help to look at their favorite celebrities, what their style is, and what accessories they are donning these days. Chances are, your friend will take inspiration from that and will love to wear a pair of sunglasses similar to the one that their favorite celebrity is rocking.

Consider the purpose of the sunglasses

Sunglasses can be used all year round because they provide protection to the eye. But if you want to make your gift more personalized, consider how the receiver will use it. If he or she loves the outdoors, then you want to get a pair of sunglasses that is durable and can withstand harsh weather conditions. On the other hand, if the receiver is a trendsetter, you may want to get a pair of aviator shades from Ray-Ban and Police. For friends who love high fashion, you can go for designer labels such as Chloe, Miu Miu, and Prada.

Conclusion

There is no single pair of sunglasses that is perfect for gift-giving. It all boils down to the person’s sense of style, face shape, and personality. So make sure to consider these before making a purchase to ensure that the receiver of the gift will be delighted to receive an item that has been carefully chosen based on his or her unique style. Remember that it helps to shop around when buying sunglasses as prices can vary significantly and often buying sunglasses online is the best place for the lowest prices on official designer made sunglasses.

 

 

Collaborative Post

#FashionRule Last Chance to Break Out the White Clothing with Ann Taylor

In just a few days, the freedom to wear white on any given day is coming to an end and therefore you should go out with a bang wearing your favorite white styles for Labor Day Weekend.

Ann Taylor has all the looks needed for Labor Day Weekend wear.  From white pants to white pieces paired with bold colors, you’ll be able to stand out in style all weekend long.

Pair your favorite white pants, with a bright top from Ann Taylor and accessorize it with the perfect brown slides. Pull the look together with Ann Taylor’s fun accessories collection to keep you feeling trendy.

5 Ways Clothes Affect Our Personality: What’s Your Dress Code?

There is a certain feeling that comes with trying on a new outfit, especially when we know it looks great and really suits us well. It’s a feeling that tells us we can go out and do great things, be successful, and be impressive. No matter whether those clothes are a business suit or new jeans and a t-shirt, it is how they make us feel and affect how we think about ourselves that is important – they don’t have to be special, but they need to make us feel special. New clothes have been proven to have a psychological effect on us; here are some examples of how it works.

Featured Photo from Refinery 29

Being Casual

If you’ve ever gone from work to a social event and kept the same clothes on, it is likely that you didn’t feel completely comfortable and perhaps you weren’t able to join in with conversations as confidently as you might normally have been expected to do. However, if you change from your work clothes into something more casual (which can of course still be smart), then you will feel more like contributing to the discussions taking place around you. You will be more open and communicative if you are feeling comfortable in general, and that’s where clothes can make all the difference.

Because we don’t always know when we might be asked out for a drink or a meet up with friends after work, it’s always a good idea to have a change of clothes with you. These clothes can stay in a drawer by your desk, or in a locker, or perhaps in your car if you drive to work. That way, if you do have an unexpected invitation, you can ensure you will always be comfortable.

You might even have a casual dress code at work, which can solve the problem entirely – casual clothes won’t need to be changed out of like formal clothes will. In some cases, wearing casual clothes to work can actually help your productivity, particularly in the more creative fields, so a suit wouldn’t be appropriate anyway.

Power Dressing

Although in some careers more casual attire is expected, and although this has become a popular trend across many different sectors, ‘power dressing’ in a formal, smart suit – for both men and women – may be something you prefer, and if that is your choice (or if the sector you work in demands it) then you should certainly do it.

There is something about a smart suit that gives some people an entirely different work ethic to when they are wearing more casual clothing, and they find they are a lot more productive when they are dressed more formally. This kind of clothing can completely change our attitude and perspective on work, and make us more successful as we are keen to work harder and impress more. The initial expense of making your closet ready for your power dressing job will be easily paid off when you become more and more successful. Plus, if you take care of your suit by washing it properly, it can last for years.

If you have recently started a new job are in need of a quick fix to fund your new lifestyle and wardrobe, in order to be entirely ready for wearing such clothes at work, you may consider a loan from Bonsai Finance.

This can help set you up for the road to success on your new journey. Feeling powerful means that we are sure of ourselves, certain that we can do whatever it is we want to, and do it well. Looking powerful is a useful tactic in meetings, for example. If you want someone to know who you are and that you’re an important part of the business, you should dress formally to show them that you are serious about what you are doing. This all adds up to success and confidence, and that is an ideal combination as one will always lead to the other.

Your Uniform

Of course, some roles have a specific uniform that must be worn for them. These include nurses, firefighters, police officers, restaurant workers, and more. A uniform has been shown to help us achieve even more. Wearing a uniform makes us more aware of what we should be doing at work, and in turn that ensures that we are more willing to do it (and do it to the best of our abilities).

Not only that but since other people will have certain expectations of us when we are wearing that uniform, it means we need to be professional at all times and always do our best. Even on days when you might not feel like you want to be at work, once you have your uniform on, that feeling can disappear, and you will become more responsible and responsive.

A Great Work Out

The gym might not be your favorite place to be, but since it is essential to carry out regular exercising, it is an important place to be nonetheless. If the gym is not possible, then something else such as taking part in sports of a fitness class, cycling, swimming, or simply taking a walk (although it must be a brisk one and not a gentle stroll) around the block can work too.

It’s not just what you do that makes a difference though; what you wear can help too. Even if you’re not feeling too much like heading out to the gym or going out to do exercise because you’re tired and you’ve had a busy day (or even because you just don’t enjoy it), once you put on your gym clothes, you will feel a lot better. Those gym clothes need to be kept just for that – working out. If you wear everyday clothes, then it won’t feel so special, and you won’t feel quite so motivated. Plus, when you’re wearing these special clothes, you will have a constant reminder of what you should be doing, and that will push you on even more.

Designer Clothes

Although it is probably not a good idea to wear designer clothes all the time because they are extremely expensive, having one or two designer items in your closet can really make a difference. These kinds of clothes can boost your confidence when you wear them and can change people’s perception of you. Even if those designer clothes happen to be second hand, they will still make us feel a lot more assertive when we wear them.

Collaborative Post

Tips for Repairing Summer Skin Damage from Board-Certified Cosmetic Dermatologist Dr. Kenneth Mark

Board-certified cosmetic dermatologist Dr. Kenneth Mark is sharing his tips for repairing summer skin damage so you can look and feel your best come the fall:

Featured Photo from Glamour

  1. Identify the Damage: The sun can wreak havoc on your skin leading to sun spots, blotchy pigmentation, fine lines, wrinkles as well as clogged pores.  All of these things can lead to a dull, less toned, and less radiant complexion making it imperative to isolate the problem.

  1. Begin with a Fresh Face: Cleansing your face helps to prepare the canvas, making it easier to penetrate beneficiary anti-aging ingredients. Dr. Mark recommends his one step process All-In-One Cleanser, which effectively and safely cleanses and tightens, leaving the skin feeling refreshed.

  1. Use Exfoliants: Exfoliants help unclog pores, smooth the skin, fade blemishes, and send signals to the dermis to produce collagen. Dr. Mark’s Moisture Cure and Exfoliating and Hydrating Mask contain natural and plant-sourced alpha hydroxyl acids that assist with this process.

  1. Incorporate Antioxidants into your Regimen: Antioxidants produce new collagen and sift free radicals.  Dr. Mark’s Antioxidant Boost contains Astaxanthin – “nature’s most potent antioxidant,” which is up to 1000-times stronger than Vitamin C, Green Tea, and Vitamin E, helping to firm sun damage caused by the sun.

  1. Protect Your Eyes: One of the most delicate areas of the skin for damage is the eye area.  The sun, wind, and squinting can cause wrinkles and irritation. Dr. Mark’s Tighten and Lighten Eye Cream has a unique combination of key ingredients that not only treats the contour of the eye, it also safely lifts the fold of the upper eyelid.

The State of The Modern Office Chic Style

The modern office is a fascinating place for fashion to protrude its head. On the one hand, we have companies like Google that want all employees to wear whatever they want to as the philosophy of having comfortable workers is their choice. And on the other, there are people that believe this is something they would only support within reason. Employees are a reflection of the company they work for, therefore owners want to remain professional and perhaps not have their workers dress too casually. Perhaps this is why the chic style has always found its way into office culture as it frees people up, but still keeps bosses who have to maintain order, happy and clear. It allows both parties to save face, yet we don’t see or read much about the modern office chic styles in magazines. It almost sounds like an oxymoron but it’s anything but.

Chic doesn’t mean fitting random pieces of clothing together in order to look special in a certain way. That would be eclectic and a mixture of other styles. You can be smart and experimental at the same time, which is why office chic seems to break a traditional mold.

Formal yet the opposite

Wearing a jumper in an office setting is not new, but even this must be seen as breaking traditions. Men in the 1950s would frown at someone in their company wearing a jumper to work. Although it may be practical and warm in the winter, it was still seen as being too casual. Thankfully, however, jumpers have changed from being the thick heavy pure wool styles, up to the slim fit cotton and synthetic designs. If you want to wear a jumper as part of your professional outfit, then you’ll be dabbling in darker tones, which makes perfect sense. Blue, black, grey, and earthy tones like brown and burgundy are just some of the colors you’ll want to aim for. However the design and style of the jumper are more important as here, is where you tread the line between casual and chic.

Rather than a v-neck or round-neck style, focus on either a turtleneck or roll-neck long sleeve top. Roll-neck is profoundly a modern metropolitan invention for the office. Perhaps turtleneck is too close to the winter wear styles, as it’s mainly featured in thicker tops. A roll-neck, however, can be worn in a loose top and look brilliantly chic in a plain black. In all honesty, women tend to pull this off better with a leather slim fit skirt, but it’s a unisex item that men should also feel comfortable wearing in the work environment. However, it would go better with trousers rather than jeans if this is something you would like to try.

Low profile lenses

Whenever we think of a ‘chic’ style we immediately think of it meaning small and sophisticated. In this sense, we think of France, seeing as it is the capital of female fashion. Walk around Paris for a couple hours and look at all the office-class workers. They will be will be in love with the power of black, and unlike other nations, make such a bold color look suave. Much like their attitude to what fashion should be, the items they wear are to be admired for what they add individually to an outfit. If you cannot see a piece of your clothing, standing alone and reaping praise, then you shouldn’t be wearing it, it’s that simple to them. Business workers walking around the City of Lights will have the most modern styles in lenses also. If there’s one nation to make glasses incredibly chic and fit into the office naturally, France is it.

Take a look at the best place to buy eyeglasses online and you’ll find the best chic glasses in different styles. If you want to have the best product for your sensitive eyes, yet still be sleek enough to be chic and feminine, then Frames Direct is for you according to the detailed review. You want the frames to be low profile, adhering to the chic style of being purposefully modern. This means that rectangular styles will be what you want, and avoiding ovals will be something to definitely consider. If you would rather like some kind of shape, but remain respectful of sharp pointy lines, then Zenni Optical glasses will suit your desires. The winged and upward inflection of the frames, in ping and orange leopard spot design, is playful and remains chic at the same time.

Tapered for stature

For professional women, chic office fashion could not get any better in some regards. The trouble for women has always been to look professional yet remain feminine. Let’s face it, for a long time the only professional office clothes were designed for men. However now women are bosses and hold senior positions in companies, the chic office style has become their own. A tapered trouser is great for highlighting your natural shape, but remain tasteful enough to not boast. The chic styles are such that they start right at the start of your calves and end just above your hips, close to the belly button. The taper will go in toward the knees but slowly edge back out slightly more than needed over the thighs. This is done strategically so the stature of the woman is not impeded and straight lines are not broken up. Psychologically, this kind of chic office design maintains the height of the woman, which is good for her stature and avoiding looking short. Since it is a chic style you’re aiming for, you could deem it a mix between chinos and professional pants. It’s not quite formal but it’s not quite casual either, which is exactly the kind of middle ground you want to occupy.

Thankfully for women all around the world, they don’t need to emulate what a man wears professionally in the office anymore. The tapered trousers women can choose are excellent. Straight lines are important to show authority and height, but the way the trousers edge in is complimentary of a feminine body shape. Low and professional, glasses worn in the office should be sleek and somewhat soft in order to not be taken too seriously. Women have one clear advantage over men in terms of jumpers in the office environment as in a dark tone, a roll-neck jumper is superb and perhaps the most iconic chic style item.

Collaborative Post

#SneakerOptions – Make Sneakers a Part of Your Work Look With Ann Taylor

Dressing for work and being comfortable at the same time is not always the easiest task. A majority of the time the most uncomfortable part of an outfit is the shoes. Luckily, Ann Taylor has different sneaker options that will go great with your work attire.

Featured Photo from The View from 5’2

Whether it is the middle of the summer or the dead of winter – it is not hard to pair a work outfit with a pair of cute sneakers. Most of the time, a solid white sneaker works with about anything. These sneakers can be paired with a knee-length sweater dress, or a pair of slacks and a top. These outfits will be working appropriate, comfortable, and stylish enough to wear out after the work day is over.

THE LOOK: ALL STARS Gearing Up For The Second Season

DreamVenture Productions announces the successful run of the pilot season and return of the makeover TV series THE LOOK: ALL STARS for a second season. The one-hour reality series aired on CW, MyNetwork and TBD stations of SINCLAIR Broadcast Group and has received positive feedback from the industry and consumers at large. “We are extremely pleased and excited to continue our collaboration with THE LOOK: ALL-STARS as the initial results were extremely positive, showing ratings double from lead-in programs for select markets in the time slots assigned,” says Rida Khan, Head of Fashion, Lifestyle and Entertainment Programming, SBG.

The series successfully integrated augmented reality makeover try-ons in real time, so the audience watching at home could try on the looks and discover beauty products used on the show. More than 2 million try-ons for every episode were generated through the Perfect365 app from their 15 million users. This unique collaboration is a first of its kind for a national broadcast TV show.

The executive producers of the show are gearing up for filming, slated to commence this fall, with the support of the beauty and fashion industries. In addition to brands coming back for this season that include the biggest names in beauty, the show has expanded participation from top cosmetic brands with more added to the list daily. New companies coming next season include Amazing Cosmetics, Amore Pacific’s Mamonde, Kevin Aucoin Beauty, Makeup Geek and Iconic London launching in the US on THE LOOK: ALL STARS. The series utilizes national TV broadcast as a platform to reach, educate, empower and entertain millions of consumers who are avid beauty lovers exposing them to high-quality beauty products from large and small companies alike.

 

Two hairstyling icons from the TV series presented onstage to promote the show and ramp up excitement within the elite hairstyling community at the North American Hairstyling Awards 2018, the most prestigious photographic professional hairstyling awards, attended by over 4,000 stylists. As a result of a special collaboration, select NAHA 2018 applicants will be featured in the second season as part of the talented cast. The TV series also held auditions and met with members of the beauty industry at COSMOPROF NORTH AMERICA, the largest B2B exhibition for the cosmetics industry. “As the most important beauty exhibition platform in the US at the moment, Cosmoprof North America always seeks to bring resources that can help build the business of indie companies in attendance. The TV series provides great national visibility for brands trying to connect with consumers in a different way,” stated Daniela Ciocan, marketing director and the brains behind Cosmoprof’s phenomenal growth in the last 12 years.

Beauty legends, fashion icons, recognizable names from entertainment, and top social media influencers will be featured on the show as judges and special guests. Daniela Pestova, cover girl, and TV personality will be coming in as a permanent judge in the next season. Larissa Love sought after hair colorist, Jennifer Goldstein beauty editor Marie Claire Magazine, Kirbie Johnson host/producer PopSugar, Emily Dougherty beauty director NewBeauty magazine and many more will be featured as guest judges. Integrating big names from social media, THE SOCIAL CORNER segment of the show will bring new faces such as Marlena Stell, Tiffany Stanley, Tokyo Stylez and Anthony Cuts.

For general information on the TV series, or to view episodes from the pilot season, visit thelookallstars.com.

Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc(SBGI)

Sinclair is one of the largest and most diversified television broadcasting companies in the country and a leading local news provider. Sinclair’s content is delivered via multiple platforms, including over-the-air, multi-channel video program distributors, and digital platforms.  http://www.sbgi.net/.