GLAMOUROUS

This one of a kind glamourous outfit can flatter any silhouette. Whether your short, tall, curvy or a stick, this little number will surely make you look fabulous no matter what.

Glam Time by elena-rodriguez featuring a cuff bracelet

Pretty outfit

Check out this blissful outfit for that pretty girl in your life ;)

Pretty Outfit by elena-rodriguez featuring platform sandals

Spring is here!

Spring is here by elena-rodriguez featuring a leather tote

A walk in Central Park

A walk in Central Park by elena-rodriguez featuring tote handbags

Rigid Curves :)

Rigid Curves by elena-rodriguez featuring a chiffon skirt

A pretty dress for a pretty lady

Oh polyvore how I <3 you!

Muy Caliente

Im not one to always post what others are wearing...but how can you not when someone looks as good as Sofia Vergara. Looking even more stunning then usual Vergara in her hot pink Marchesa dress makes me want to go back to my senior year of high school and make this dress my prom dress. Home girl really knows how to work it ;)

Networking

Finally I got into the whole networking thing. I told myself I would start accounts on Twitter and Linkden a while ago, took me long enough. You can follow me on Twitter: @elena_esta_aqui and on LinkedIn. Hopefully some good will come from this :) Muchas Gracias.

I am a latina...

Are you jealous yet? 

Process of Beauty

When I was a little girl I remember my grandmother applying her lotion on just before she went to bed and then I would go into her bathroom and apply it on when she wasn't looking. She would first apply it on her nose, forehead, cheeks and then chin. She would always say "Mija, recuerde que debes a aplicar lo hasta ariba." Translation "Sweetie, remember to always apply it on while moving your hands up your face". She said this because it would supposedly lessen your chance of wrinkles. To this day I continue to apply my lotion the same way my grandmother did.

However it makes you think...old ladies have their own remedies of becoming beautiful...but what are mine? Mine are simple, wear as little makeup as possible so your face is clean and clear all the time. Therefor, when you do try a little bit harder for a date, wedding or dance people will notice, in a positive way of course. (Plus natural beauty is always better). Obviously the world doesn't involve around me, so what about others beauty process or remedies...

Concept Board Constructed by Elena Rodriguez, Images taken from various sites.

This would make an excellent concept for photo-shoot wink wink ;) . 

Remember latina's always do it best.

Some extra fluff...

2012 is just around the corner...what is on your new years resolution list? Im guessing some of you have loosing the extra fluff gained from your grandma's pozole or tamales (on mine) or saving up for a new car or just becoming a new and improved person. I can tell you that my list contains two things...well three. 1) Loosing the extra fluff gained from all the yummy pozole and tamales. 2) Saving up money for my tia Cathy's bridal festivities in California (bachelorette and bridal party) and 3) Creating a new and improved look for myself. Not going to lie, I do LOVE myself...I just need a change both physically and mentally. So I got to start somewhere....Here is a concept board of some looks I might chase after. 

All images taken from Style.com and Nordstrom.com 

My personal favorite is the Bar Scene...since in 2012 I will be turning 21...so bring on the margaritas.

The After Pictures

In my last post I gave you a sneak peak of a visual merchandising opportunity I had with Alchemy Jeweler.   Well it is finally complete and done for the most part. I came up with the idea of using snow flakes and icicles to be carried through out the store and within the window displays. David the owner of the jewelry store also wanted to make use of all these lights he had in storage, so I helped him install the lights along the panels in between the display vignettes. Take a look....

 

 

Overall, the experience I had working with David, Laura and Sander was absolutely wonderful. I thought the vignette displays turned out great and with the lights...it looks absolutely stunning at night time. Please go and check it out if you get a chance 1022 NW Lovejoy St. Portland, OR 91209. See...latina's always do it best ;)

The Before Pictures

So this isn't very Latina related however it is about me, a fellow Latina getting herself involved in the whelm of Portland.  

I was asked to do the visual merchandising for a local jewelry store in the Pearl District called Alchemy Jewelers. It is a winsome store filled with random little things that complement every article of jewelry. I am so excited to work on this project. I will keep you posted when the project is complete. Here are some photo’s of the store taken on my first visit and consultation. 

Photo Credit: Miguel Ramirez 

The ULTIMATE Brown Girl...

About a week ago I received my November issue of Latina Magazine and let me tell you it was a fantastic issue! It consisted articles that were about Asian Latinos all the way to what Latino inspired dishes you should be cooking for Thanksgiving. However, the article about Salma Hayak was the winning piece. She talked about mother hood, her life as a Latina actress as well as her new and upcoming cosmetic line, Nuance. It is a must read for not only us brown girls but anyone who aspires to be anyone. It does not matter where you come from or how you grew up you are capable of anything.

Needless to say, Salma Hayak is one of today’s most beautiful Latinas ever (aren't we all). However the photo shoot that accompanied the interview helped support that statement even more. This is just a sneek peak of what you can expect…

Photographed By: Justin Stephens
Styled By: Petra Flannery
Dress: Alexander McQueen
Braclet: Neil Lane

She is photographed wearing dresses by Alexander McQueen, Zac Posen, Roland Mouret and Stella McCartney. I must say she looks absolutely stunning in each and every dress. I guess this means its time for all of us to go out and buy her Nuance creams and a McQueen dress so we can slowly become more like her ;)

Gringo=White

Its Friday night and what do I find myself doing, typing random things in the google search engine and guess what I find...a random little article that talks about 100 stars that you never knew were latino. It featured actors from my childhood show 7th Heaven to Pocahontas. Trust me when I say you will be shocked when you see who is on the list. You can check it out here.

On the subject of randomness, here are just some other fun things I found during my late night search. 

Photo Credit: Andrew King

Photo Credit: CLS Photography 

Center Stage...watched this movie while I was doing my late night search...so why not post it :)

Mariachi Lindo

Ever since I was a child I have always loved listening to Mariachi music. I know that may sound a bit cliché, but its true. I absolutely love mariachi music. I remember wanting to be a Mariachi singer at one point in my life…it was for about a month but I still wanted to be one. For those of you who do not know what Mariachi music is, you are most definitely missing out on what classic Mexican music can offer.  Here is a link to a video I found that explains what Mariachi music is and the history of it. (I found it very useful).

Now back to what you have been missing out on…Mariachi music is like no other music. It is a mixture of a classic ballad with an acoustic guitar, violins and talented men and women. My personal favorite part about it is the falsettos that the singers do. (A falsetto according to Wikipedia is “the vocal register occupying the frequency just above the modal voice register and overlapping with it by approximately one octave”).  I must tell you, when this happens during a Ranchera (another way of saying ballad in Mariachi terms) I get chills on my arms…it is quite extraordinary because very few musicians do that. As for my final note…I wish to leave you with some advice…go and listen to some Mariachi Music…trust me, you will not regret it.

Mariachi Vargas: Como Han Pasado Los Anos 

Mariachi Vargas: Ni Contigo Ni Sin Ti

Lucero: De Que Manera Te Olvido

My Dreams as a Child

When I was in 3^rd grade I used to dream of becoming a chef. I used to write papers in elementary school about how becoming a chef was my goal in life. I even went as far as writing a paper on how fractions will most definitely help me in my career choice (which is still true). After my 3^rd grade year ended so did my dream of becoming a chef. Then a new year began as well as a new dream. When I was in 4^th and 5^th grade, I dreamed of becoming a famous actress or singer. I was going through a stage of want; I wanted to become famous one way or another and in order for me to accomplish that, I joined choir and band. I learned how to sight-read and play the clarinet. Once the spring of my 4^th grade year came, I joined the Honor Choir of the Gilroy School District. This was a huge milestone in my life. It was the first time I had gone out and auditioned for something “huge”. I remember singing Row Row Row Your Boat with a fellow student and Colors of the Wind from Pocahontas as my audition pieces…I stayed in that choir until I ended my 5^th grade year.

Once I hit middle school, my whole view on the future had changed. I decided I wanted to either be on Broadway or be in the fashion industry. For almost all my middle school years my heart was set on Broadway, yet I still had a thing for fashion on the side. Once high school came, it had hit me…I wanted to peruse a career in fashion. I began to be more serious about my craft. I would doodle in sketch books (thinking my designs where amazing…) and envision the clothing coming to life. I would use old jeans that did not fit and make jean purses. My spare time was taken over by myspace, school, fashion and theater. Still today, my life is taken over by the same things, but replace the myspace with facebook.

I am proud to say that I have held onto those dreams and look forward to the day that they come true. I hope and pray that I will land a job in the world of fashion after I graduate from The Art Institute. My ideal job? I am not sure…I will get back to you on that. Though I do know that I am ready to see what life has in stored for me.

The Women Who Inspire Me

In my previous post, I had mentioned the name of Penelope Cruz, a famous Hispanic actress. She has been in numerous films, which have led to an Oscar winning. I feel that she is a perfect example of a wonderful role model for all women today. Penelope has always been a role model for me as well. The way she dresses, the way she answers the questions that are asked of her are things that make her stand out amongst the crowd of celebrities. However, she is not the only woman in this world that has inspired me. The following is a list of women that have inspired me in some ways or another through out my life:

Noemi Rodriguez: Noemi is my 16-year-old sister. She is a junior at Aloha High School and is a crazy cool kid. Even though she is younger then me she still has inspired me in many ways. She is my number one source for advice in life. When I need boy advice, she is there. When I need to know if something matches, she is there. When I need someone to talk to with out getting in trouble or judged, she is there. I absolutely love and adore my sister. I am positive that she will grow into a fabulous and beautiful young lady.

Jill Krebsbach:  Jill is my old youth group leader and is now a very close friend. She is someone that I not only go for spiritual advice but for life advice as well. She is in her mid twenties and has a lot of advice to give. She is such a humble person; she never judges but loves all that comes her way. She is also strong in her faith and is not afraid to show it! When I am a more mature adult I can only pray to become half the person she is.

The Trujillo Sisters: These are my mother’s sisters. They all have their own families and lives, yet they have each somehow made a huge impact on mine. Christina: She has inspired me in her kindness to all as well as a muse to allot of my work in college. She makes me want to become a more kind and humble person. Ana: She is a doctor. What more to say. She is helping me want to peruse and do better in college. Cynthia: She is a remarkable mother. She had her first child in high school, she managed to graduate from high school and go to college. She is now a manager at a dental office and is continuing to peruse her education. She has helped me understand the concept of “when there is a will, there is a way”. Cathy: Cathy is the baby of all the sisters. She is just such a wonderful person and is always there when people need help. Out of all the sisters, I had always sought out advice from her. I love all my aunts.

Sofia Rodriguez: My mother. What is there to say, our mothers one way or another has influenced us all. She is such a remarkable woman. My mother is visually impaired and still manages to maintain a household of five people. I love my mother so much! I look forward to spending time with her everyday, even if we argue it still does not bother me one bit! She is the ultimate role model! As what the popular shirts and signs say “I Love You Mom!”

Cheetah Girl Still Knows How to Work it!

Just the other day I was browsing through the internet while singing a song that got stuck in my head while I was at work. Now if you have read my bio you would know that I work at the local Claire’s and the songs that we play there are very Disney Channel and little kid oriented. It just so happens that the song that was stuck in my head was Cinderella done by the Cheetah Girls themselves. Most of you might be wondering where I am going with this but it made me wonder whatever happened to these girls, they started out being Disney Channel Stars but where are they? Then I remembered that one of them was on Dancing with the Stars. But what happened to the cute Latina girl, Adrian Bailon? Last time I saw her was on a Keeping up with the Kardashian’s episode when she was dating Kim’s brother, Rob.

 I decided then and there to Google Adrian and see what she had been up to.  One of the first things that popped up in the search engine was the Latina magazine website http://www.latina.com/ . She was featured in the UNICEF 60^th Anniversary Celebration  picture slide show wearing a strapless silver animal print dress done by an unknown designer. The first thing that popped up in my head was “wow home girl is looking gooood”.  She has most definitely come a long way from her Cheetah Girl shoes. In other words she has really grown up.

On a final note, Latina girls that started out on the Disney Channel are still working it, for example: America Ferrera, Demi Lavato and Selena Gomez.  

Your Creative Spirit

As my first entry I wish to talk about some things that have inspired me, not only for this blog but for my creative process as well. I would like to start off by talking about creativity. Imagine growing up and not ever being able to “play” as a kid? I am assuming most of you may be having a hard time imagining it. What some of us may not realize is that this so called “play” time is the time when the child’s imagination and creativity will begin to grow. There once was a study done by GH Mead that analyzed different stages that a child goes through, also known as the Cognitive Stages. With in these stages there was one called the “Play Stage” (ages 3-7). It is this stage that the child is just beginning to learn about self objectification and reflexive thinking. It is also the time that a child will begin to “play” around and experiment. This so called playing around is just the door that is connecting you from the social norms all the way to the creativity world.  I myself was extremely blessed to have had parents that embraced my creativity while growing up. I was involved in theater, musical theater as well as music. If it wasn’t for my so called “play” time where I was known to have always busted out into some random “operatic” song, I don’t think I would have actually found my creativity to be of any use. Now I am fully aware of what value it may have for not only myself but for some amazing artist such as Meryl Streep, Penelope Cruz, Isaac Mizrahi and Oscar de la Renta.

As you may have noticed this blog is called “With Latina Flavor”. And I have chosen to call it this because I do feel that this is what has and will always make me stand out in the world. I am a creative Latina and will forever be one! I will end this night with a quote said by Penelope Cruz during her 2009 Oscar winning acceptance speech; “Because Art in any form is and has been and will always be our universal language. And we should do everything we can to protect its survival!”