Atlanta fashion tastemakers will soon be privy to an exciting experience of all things Luxshoery. Shauntee Billups, owner of Luxshoery Boutique is proud to announce the official Luxshoery launch event on Saturday, June 29 at a private showroom starting at 6:00 p.m. The all white affair will include a night of sips, socializing, shopping and fashion presentation featuring Atlanta media mavens Kiwi The Beauty, Style Is She, Naeemah Jade & Alex J.  Kai Morae will also be a special featured model of the Hollywood Couture line. In addition, celebrity fashion stylist & Editor of Kontrol Magazine, Julian Lark will be selecting the best dressed for a special surprise.  With the support of event sponsors including Miss Jessies, A Lil Bit of Everything Personal Chef, Vita Frute, Urban Vines, Its My Hair Magazine, Fly Nation, and Little Miss Cupcake, guests will receive complimentary drinks, bites, desserts, sounds from DJ Coolly 'the runway dj', special giveaways and glam bags. A portion of the event proceeds will be given to the non-profit organization 40 Girls and Shoes created by Sylvia Webb.

Luxshoery Boutique provides high quality, fashionable shoes and apparel at affordable prices. Styles vary to compliment the everyday woman, whether in the office or out on the town. By providing the latest and trendiest selections, the company thrives on bringing luxshoery to you!

1. DO respond as soon as possible

2. DO NOT RSVP more than 2 additional guests 

3. ALWAYS include the names of your guests

4. ASK if you can forward invitation to clients or colleagues

5. ASK if you desire to RSVP more than 2 additional guests

6. It is RACHET to rsvp yourself + 3 or +4 or +5 ….you get the drift?

7. If you didn't receive a DIRECT INVITE only RSVP yourself plus 1 additional guest

8. ALWAYS reference the event date/title in your RSVP email

9. READ the invitation details to assure you are sending your RSVP to the correct person

After graduating from Virginia Marti College of Fashion and Art, Diane open her first boutique named ‘Styles of Imagination’ in 1999, located in Maple Heights, Ohio. After she got her feet with running the first store, she opened a second boutique in downtown Cleveland. In 2006 Diane was wearing herself thin running two boutiques and needed to refocus her attention on her ultimate goal, which was launching her on clothing line. Thus, N.G.U. Designs was born. N.G.U. Designs are currently being sold in more than 20 stores throughout the states and on Amazon.com

In March of 2009, The N.G.U. Collection was showcased in Atlanta, Georgia in a show organized by Dwight Eubanks, also known as “the 5th Housewife” on the reality show Housewives of Atlanta. Diane recently designed two ensembles for actress Jazsmin Lewis, (of Barber Shop 1 and 2 fame). She also showcased her clothing in a fashion show hosted by America’s Next Top Model Eva Pickford that was in Columbus Ohio. She has been featured in many local TV shows in the Cleveland Ohio market. You will be able to see her collection on the big screen in the upcoming movie ‘Fashion Police’ coming in the Spring of 2014.

On last Tuesday May 7, Atlanta's elite were treated to a culinary soiree to celebrate the official launch of S3 Catering.  The creative team Nirjary Desai, Rajan Mistry & Chef Bhavesh produced a very distinguished affair and presentation of their signature dishes.  High in the clouds on the 49th floor of The Commerce Club located in downtown Atlanta, guests enjoyed red carpet arrivals, a live DJ, signature giftbags, the Social Box interactive photobooth, open bar and all of the cuisine that one could imagine. Singer/Songwriter Anoop Desai of American Idol made a special appearance and a lucky guest won a private dinner for 8 courtesy of S3 Catering.
For more information visit S3Catering.com

Photo Credit: Kate Byars

We definitely didn’t see this one coming! Note the sarcasm.

In recent news, the last of the original American Idol judges Randy Jackson has confirmed that this season will indeed be
the last for “The Dawg”.

In a statement released a couple of days ago to the public, Jackson states:

“Yo! Yo! Yo! To put all of the speculation to the rest, after 12 years of judging on 'American Idol,' I have decided to leave after this season,” 

And if you are a believer of the old adage “where there is smoke, there’s fire”then you’d probably be assuming that he is not the only one.

Rumors are swirling, that the show’s executives are looking to make some serious changes in order to revamp the show and revive the steadily declining ratings.  Competing with NBC’s “The Voice” and Simon Cowell’s “X-Factor”, Idol has its work cut out for them.

I think the fans might appreciate that Idol gets back to the basics. For years American Idol set the standard for the television music competition and now it seems like the leader has fallen victim to becoming a follower. In an attempt to stay relevant over the years, Idol spent big dollars on big named judges like Steven Tyler, Mariah Carey and Nicki Minaj. While those names are nice to have, Idol missed the mark when relying on the judges to bring viewers to the show. 
 
Don’t get me wrong, it’s totally entertaining to see the constant shade throwing theater that is Mimi and Nicki but after a while it gets old and makes the audience feel like it’s contrived for views. We don’t care if Nicki feels bullied by Mariah nor do we care if Nicki’s presence threatens Mariah. We shouldn’t turn to Idol to observe the struggles of two women trying to maintain and feed their egos. The show is about music and vocals. Who can sing the best and win the
title. That’s it. Point blank period.

The recent headlines make American Idol look more like a God awful episode of the Bad Girls Club then a musical
competition.

Wishful thinking would pray that the executives at American Idol uphold the contracts, pay these people their money (if they haven’t already) and send these celebrities swiftly on their way. That way these folks can go back to being
stars and legends like they were pre – Idol and the executives can focus on providing a show that has the viewers
invested in the talent on stage not the bickering of the judges. I have

Alex J.

A born entertainer, Mary Fakhoury has been singing and writing her own music (In English, French and Arabic) since she was five years old. A Grammy member for the past 7 years, Mary has been nominated twice for "Best New Artist" and "Best Song."

A double threat, Mary is also an accomplished actress, having studied acting for eight years, including at the prestigious, Act One Studio, and then privately, with several renowned Broadway legends. It should therefore, come as no surprise that with her singing, acting, and modeling in television and magazines, Mary's fans around the world have recently topped over 1.5 million in less than six months.

Mary remains proud of her other accomplishments, including her education at Columbia University, where she earned a Bachelors and two Masters degrees.  When pressed, Mary will also admit to having won several beauty pageants, including the title of Ms. Illinois.  Beautiful and talented, Mary is a proud native of Chicago and currently enjoys living in Los Angeles, CA.  IMDb Mini Biography By: Anne Jordan 

UPTOWN Magazine in conjunction with MarketingCamp LLC and SEMAJ Consulting presents PROJECT13 the 2013 day of change. This highly anticipated multicultural event was created to acknowledge and support 13 selected nonprofit organizations and campaigns dedicated to impacting the lives of those in need in the Atlanta community. This red carpet evening will feature 13 exclusive silent auction items, live entertainment, complimentary specialty-themed cocktail bars, passed hors d’oeuvres, mixing and mingling among Atlanta’s most recognizable tastemakers, notable figures, VIP guests and more. It will be an explosive night that promises to pique all of your senses while advancing 13 extremely worthy causes. Tickets available at PROJECT-13.info