Ian's Favourite Things: Solo Noir

Look under your seat!! Ok, I don't have Oprah cash so you won't be getting these prodcuts I feature, but you'll be up on some great things that I've found.


One of my Homewood-Flossmoor HS classmates recently contacted me on Facebook and told me about a skin care line that she had started. She probably didn't know this at the time, but I LOVE anything that has to do with skin and grooming. My bathroom cabinet looks like a mini Sephora pop up shop and I am always looking to try the newest and best. Giving me a sample of her line could prove an easy sell to a shopaholic, or a tough one, as I am pretty knowledgeable.


I was sent a sample of her collection and I was actually impressed just by the packaging. It was simple, modern and masculine. I shook off that initial awe, so I could be objective when discussing the product. I weened myself off my skin care regiment, which includes cleansers, toners, and moisturisers from different companies that I've found to work best for me. I hadn't shaved for most of November and had a face full of coarse and painful hair. It was time to put Solo Noir to the test.

I started out with Sleek, which is a Pre Shave Oil/Shaving Cream. I saw the word "cream" and got nervous, as I tend to prefer something more like Jack Black's beard lube as it is transparent and doesn't clog the razor. Sleek actually wasn't like most creams I have tried and actually gave me the same sort of shave that a beard lube would.

I followed up with Brave, which is the aftershave and toner. There was no burning as I applied it and it had a pleasant smell to it.

To end my shave, I used Smooth, the conditioner and smoother. It has a light consistency. It was a great finish to a shave, which sometimes can leave my skin feeling less than great. The main drawback with this product is that it doesn't have SPF in it, to which I have grown accustomed. This line is organic, so most compounds that we use as SPF wouldn't be allowed. I'm a person who needs the SPF included as I forget it and when I do remember I haven't really found many stand alone sunscreens that don't leave a gross residue on my face.

The cleanser for this line is called Dapper. I like how it left my face feeling after using it. Keeping with the two in one theme, Dapper has toner in it. A few times during my trial period, I used Refined, the buff and cleanse. This is mild and feels like you are exposing new skin, not bone. I liked it for that reason. Some exfoliants out there are so rough under the guise of helping get rid of dead skin layers, but go way too far and leave the skin feeling sensitive and dry.


Overall, I will say that I was impressed by this line. The organic slant to the line is nice. Your skin is the body's largest organ and says a lot to the world. Why try to eat healthy and workout, only to wash your face with chemicals you cannot pronounce? It was nice to see that although Solo Noir didn't rid me of acne or stop ingrown hairs (I have clear skin and don't really get ingrowns) it was able to give me the same results as my other products minus the chemicals. On top of that, I absolutely love the way it smells. It has a light scent which is pleasant, but not overpowering. Job well done, Solo Noir! The men's skincare industry has been blowing up over the past decade but I haven't really come across many lines that seemed tailor made for me. They have found a fan in me.


If you are interested, visit Solo Noir online @ www.solonoir.com

Album Review: Nicki Minaj- Re-Up

So a lot of people were let down by “Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded” I have to say that I was one of them. I liked how it started out, but then I wasn’t really a huge fan of the pop/fist pump set that made up the end of the CD. I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t sing along to it in the club after a drink or 234, but I like mixtape, Nicki. Well Nicki must have gotten sick of only charting overseas and decided to re-issue her CD. These new tracks go hard and has Nicki doing what she does best: delivering great ass punch lines.

Up in Flames: I think this track has a big feel and is a great start to a CD. I was pretty much in love with this track after she said “I’mma violate you asses like Chris Stokes” I knew that she was ready to pop off at the gums and that made my heart smile

Freedom: Next single off this release. I like the track as it reminds me of something that Nas might spit over. This song basically has Nicki telling us how dope she is and how important to the industry she is. People don’t give her credit, and no one thanked Jesus for dying on the cross. Nicki, a MAC deal and some pepsi checks do NOT put you in the same group as Jesus. Sorry.

Hell Yeah: I’m not really feeling this. The track has LOT going on and it makes me kind of black out to be honest.

High School: I always like when Wayne and Nicki get together on tracks. I think she steps her game up when the bossman is on the same track.

I’m Legit: How Nicki ended up getting Ciara for this is beyond me. It’s fun, but it’s always weird to hear Ciara talking shit when she seems so quiet and sweet. Nicki’s flow goes from slow and choppy to rapid fire. I like how she switches it up.

I Endorse These Strippers: Fun song for girls who work the pole. It’s funny because it has a real presidential campaign commercial feel to the chorus. She sounds like a female Wayne here.

The Boys: I freaking love the beat. The drums basically pummel you upside the head, while a robotic Cassie sings a fun hook. What’s with Nicki bringing back all these throwback girls? She may hate other female MCs but she does her charity for R&B chicks who can’t chart. Brava Nick! Also it thrills me so that she references Love an Hip Hop's Joseline with that line about Steebie and her Cuddy cat. haha.


Overall this is a nice effort. I think the streets (and down ass white boys) will be pleased by this.

Album Review: Rihanna- "Unapologetic"

For those of you without a calendar, it’s November. What does that mean? Tons of men growing tragic moustaches, Thanksgiving, and for the past four years, a Rihanna album. Anyone that knows me know that I have been looking forward to this. I really enjoyed “Tal k That Talk” and was kind of surprised that it didn’t do better/spawn more singles. Then again, it produced the wildly successful “We Found Love” and “Where Have You Been” so I guess she’s doing better than many other artists. I was just happy that she continued on the up tempo streak she hinted at with “Loud” and gave me some music that made me want to dance. It’d totally be a logical step to continue with her successful trend for her next project, right? Well, as RIhanna would say “#Phuckyologic”

The lead single for “Unapologetic” is “Diamonds” It was penned by music’s it girl, Sia and was a definite departure from “Talk That Talk” I’ll be honest: I didn’t like the song at all when I first heard it. After listening to the lyrics and that damn “shine bright like a diamond” hook , I fell in love with it. I was ready for more music and was totally amped for the new project. I then played the CD start to finish without skipping anything. First impression: no impression. Nothing stuck. No tracks stood out to me as singles, there wasn’t anything that stayed with me hours afterwards (ie SHINE BRIGHT LIKE A DIAMOND!) Needless to say I was disappointed. I know Rihanna is unapologetic, but I felt like I deserved an apology. The CD felt completely vibed out on some Frank Ocean shit and I just didn’t feel like I was high enough to really appreciate it. Quick run down:

Phresh Off the Runway: RIh comes out with her guns blazing. Guetta gives us a track that doesn’t sound like anything I’ve heard him do, which is refreshing. The sample of “phresh off the runway” is a bit repetitive and the lyrics just pretty much have Rihanna talking about how dope she is. A good track to run to.

Diamonds: If you don’t know this song, you are dumb. GO away.

Numb: A laid back track that makes me want to curl up and eat pizza rolls and watch Sponge Bob. The chorus is just her “I’m going numb” repeated about 234423 times. I think the highlight of this song is Eminem’s verse. His wordplay and the effects they used on him are pretty dope.

Pour It Up: This could MAYBE bang in strip clubs if it was a tad bit faster. Rihanna is rich and likes strippers. Got it? Good.

Loveeeeee Song: A slow jam featuring Future. The track kind of lags to me and doesn’t really seem to go anywhere.

Jump: Did Rihanna really sample “Pony” by Ginuwine? It’s a cute song, but I think I give it more points because of that sample. She adds a dubstep breakdown to it, to update it for these children who don’t know that the original was cold as hell on its own.

Right Now: Another Guetta track, but this is a bit more classic Guetta. Ester Dean writes on this one so it feels a little more familiar as Ester has penned most of Rihanna’s biggest hits. This one doesn’t top their “Whose that Chick” collaboration.

What Now: After a blip of energy, Rihanna slows it down. This song is pretty cool and reminds me of “Too Close” by Alex Clare. It starts out slow and ballad like and then the chorus gets all gritty. I likes it gritty.

Stay: Another slow song. She premiered this on SNL last week. The lyrics are really deep. It’s pretty much just her and a piano, which is ballsy for someone who isn’t really known for her vocal prowess. It works for her though.

Nobody’s Business: This features Chris Brown and it samples Michael Jackson. I thought that for a couple of kids who are sick of people all up in their faces, they would have come with a harder track, but this is a sweet, breezy track. They don’t even cuss. This track reminds me of Bobby and Whit’s “Something in Common” Take that however you please.

Love without Tragedy/Mother Mary: this reminds me of the beginning of MJ’s “Dirty Diana” It’s an interesting track that also makes me think of the Police. I know that’s a random reference, but whatever, I’m random. Rih asks “what’s a love without tragedy?” I say “FUNCTIONAL”

Get it Over with: This has a Frank Ocean vibe to it, but not as good. This feels like a long, drawn out, interlude.

No Love Allowed: Rihanna goes back to the islands for this one. It’s a simple reggae beat and there isn’t much to the song, but I like it. It feels like a follow up to “Man Down” It’s not as good, but I like it.

Lost in Paradise: This song grew on me. It feels like stadium music. Like I could see Coldplay playing this at the O2 arena for the masses. Maybe Rihanna picked up some pointers while recording “Princess of China”

Half of Me: I love this song. Once again the production is stripped down and you can focus on her voice and the lyrics. Basically she’s talking about how we only see half of her story. Oddly enough this is one of the most relatable songs on here. I just like how in this introspective song she finds a way to say “I’m the type to not give a fuck” hahaha Oh Rihanna, behave!


Overall I’d have to give this a C-. It’s not only due to the fact that I really don’t like slow music, (I LOVED Rated R) but also the fact that nothing on here really feels special. Then again, someone who puts out 7 albums in 7 years is probably used to feeding us filler. I’m just not used to seeing THIS much filler on an album. Thankfully, she will probably be recording a follow up while she’s on promo for this. I know people were saying that this 7th album would be lucky and give Rihanna her first number one CD, but at this point I think people will be more apt to buy a Kelly Clarkson Greatest Hits or even Nicki Minaj’s reissue over this.

Let me end this positively. The cover is really cool. The artwork on the inside looks like Rihanna's stoner friends on instagram made her a collage, but it's cohesive. Furthermore, I am less and less disappointed with each listen. So maybe I won't be looking for that apology come February 2013. We'll just have to wait and see!

Album Review: Christina Aguilera- "Lotus"

When RIhanna was still in Barbados and free of tattoos, Christina Aguilera was showing America what being fresh out of fucks to give looked like. I’m talking about her “Stripped” Era. This is when she stopped being lumped together with all the other pop princesses of the time (Britney, Jessica Simpson, Mandy Moore) and really came into her own as a pussy popping, leather chap wearing diva. She followed that up with “Back to Basics” four years later which somehow got radio play. I’m not saying that album was bad, it was just so different than anything else on the radio. She another four year hiatus and put out Bionic. Things in the music world changed greatly in that time. Britney was now back in the game and somewhat lucid. The world was introduced to Lady Gaga and people’s tastes and attention spans had changed. This time around Xtina wasn’t so lucky. People accused her of biting Gaga’s style and the album flopped. Truthfully it wasn’t a bad album at all, but she stopped promoting it and kind of ran away with her tail tucked betwixt her curvy thighs.

Ok, so two years have gone by and Xtina is on TV with The Voice and was part of “Moves Like Jagger” which was a smash. Sounds like a great time to put an album out and reclaim your position as a pop diva! A few months back her single for “Your Body” leaked. It instantly had people talking as the chorus included the F bomb. I didn’t like it, but by the time I heard the mastered song I was hooked. I was really excited for her to return to musical relevance. Max Martin is a Swedish genius who was behind the catchiest song of all time, Since U Been Gone. It seemed like Xtina was ready to break the top 10 again. Sadly no one else seemed to be on board like me and it didn’t break the top 10.

The rest of the CD has a bunch of different sounds. Oddly enough it still feels a bit more cohesive than Bionic. It’s a step in the right direction, but at this point in the game she needs to be leaping and not stepping. There aren’t many tracks that standout as surefire smashes to me so I’m curious to see what she picks for singles. This CD will be a tough sell as I don’t think Xtina really has her own lane. Britney gives us dance/pop music. Brandy went back to her R&B roots and is finding success there. Xtina has always liked to dabble in different genres and try new things, which is admirable, but can also be confusing. Who is her demographic?

To end this on a positive note, I will say that I actually like the album. I have missed all of the melismas and powerhouse vocals that Xtina brings. Here’s a breakdown track by track:





Lotus Intro: Has an interesting start and the track sounds like it’s building up to be something epic. Then it stops before we get to that point. The song feels like Xtina is basically telling us that she is sick of being seen as some has been and is ready for some serious rebirth. Sounds like SOMEONE has been paying attention at yoga class! She sounds surprisingly restrained in the vocal delivery.

Army of Me: This promises to be an anthem in the same vein as “Fighter” The chorus seems like it’d be fun to sing along drunkenly. It’s kind of dance-y but it doesn’t go far enough in my opinion. I think a good remix could really take this song to the next level.

Red Hot Kind of Love: Upbeat song, but the production is a bit too cluttered for my liking. There is so much going on that I kind of don’t know where to focus. The vibe makes me think of a jam band having fun in someone’s garage.

Make the World Move: This also has a jam band feel to it. This features Cee Lo. It’s decent, but for two talented musicians it is kind of overwhelming. I really hope Cee Lo brings out his white cat for the video.

Your Body: Ok so this song what I needed from Xtina. It has her in the same pocket where she was for “Moves Like Jagger” and I really don’t mind that at all. This is a great pop record that sticks with you. The chorus is fun to belt out, but beware; I think I have done permanent damage to my vocal chords. So worth it.

Let There Be Love: This song is backed by a throbbing beat and is a fun dance song. It’s probably the first track on here that is truly a dance song. Army of Me kinda pussyfoots in fist pump territory, but this song actually just goes all the way. Once again Max Martin does it for me.

Sing for Me: Xtina slows it down and gets really introspective with her lyrics. It allows her to not only gush about how much she loves singing, but allows her to belt and showcase her pipes through a bunch of runs and melismas.

Blank Page: The production here is quite stripped. It’s just Xtina and a piano. She sounds good here. Another nice song by Sia, who apparently is having the best year ever.

Cease Fire: I don’t know what it is about this track, but it sounds so BIG and dramatic that I can’t help but love it. It goes along with that whole notion that love is a battlefield.

Around the World: It’s pretty much Xtina talking about getting freaky all over the world. At times she has a bit of an island feel to her delivery.

Circles: This song has Xtina telling folks to sit on her middle finger and spin in circles. DEEP. Once again she is giving me some RIhanna vibes with her delivery. For me, the chorus is such a disconnect from the rest of the song that it kinda just messes it up.

Best of Me: Total empowerment song. Her vocals soar over a track that starts out really sparse and then builds to a big, dramatic end.

Just a Fool: Blake Shelton is on this song and surprisingly enough, I love the country vibe of it. The two sound great together Blake proves that he is able to keep up with Xtina’s powerhouse vocals.

Light Up the Sky: Decent song with a pretty chorus and an uplifting message.

Empty Words: I actually really like the lyrics in this song.

Shut Up: Dirrty Xtina is back and as foul mouthed as ever! “Shut up, just the fuck up” is pretty much the chorus of the song. Well the bleep out the “Fuck” but we all know what she is saying. And as a tribute to the late, great Whitney Houston, Xtina even says “Kiss my Ass!” I can’t decide whether bleeping out most of the expletives is genius or annoying.

Your Body Remix: No. Why mess with a great pop gem only to do some tired ass remix?