Category: Events

  • Absolut Lime Launch Party : My Recap [VIDEOS] #absolutlime

    Absolut Lime Launch Party : My Recap [VIDEOS] #absolutlime

    Pause the music…

    Atlantic City, NJ

     

    Premier Night Club

     

    January 23, 2017

    I was there…

    I was at the launch for Absolut Lime Vodka and I had sooooo much fun!

    If you were following my Instagram Story you would have felt like you were there, forreal!

    Let me lay it all out for you…

    When I walked in, this is what I saw

     

     

    Absolut Lime Models

    I mean, I expected a lime green atmosphere, but I didn’t expect this! It was so fun to be around and generated the energy I expected, which was the sense of a night where anything is possible.

    As I made my way through the green atmosphere, got a quick pic with the Absolut Lime Models,

    then I made my way to our favorite place, the bar. 😀

    Before I came to this event, I heard about the launch of lime and already had a ton of ideas about the cocktails that one could make with Absolut Lime. I even bet myself (yes, you can do that) that there would be a cosmo on the menu…and ya know what…it was there.

    My First Drink – Absolut Lime & Soda

    I started off with the Absolut Lime and Soda because I really wanted to get a taste to see how intense the taste of lime was in a cocktail. I’m not a big fan of doing shots while I’m out, so for me, trying vodka with soda is perfect for getting the full flavor of flavored vodka. On the first sip, I honestly couldn’t taste the lime too much. It was a subtle texture of lime flavor but it didn’t over do it. As I took my 2nd sip, I could taste it more and a bit more as I continued on with my drink. It was as if the lime flavor was building on top of what I tasted in prior sips but still didn’t overpower the simplicity of vodka, soda and lime.

    My 2nd Drink – Absolut Lime-ito (right) / Absolut Lime Cosmo (left)

    Next I decided to try the Absolut Lime-ito. I figured since lime is a pretty important part of a Mojito, a “Lime-ito” would have to have good attempt to measure up to the classic cocktail, and it did, BUT. (There’s always a but) I think the bartender took away from all the drink really could have been because he didn’t muddle the mint. The cocktail was great, but I was looking forward to really getting that “mint spritz” lol (you know what I’m talking about).
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    The Absolut Cosmo pictured is my friend’s cocktail and I opted not to get a full version of that drink. I did, however, try a sip of hers and it was pretty much what I expected from a cosmo. I guess with the lime flavor already in with your vodka, if cosmos are your thing, you don’t have to go the extra step/ingredient to making your Cosmos.

    There was another cocktail that was available to try, but I opted not to for several reasons, the main reason being I didn’t want to drink too much at one time, the other being I didn’t want a super (what i perceived to be) sugary cocktail. That cocktail was the Absolut Cherry Limeade which consists of:

    • Absolut Lime
    • Sprite
    • a splash of grenadine
    • cherry/lime garnish

    But enough about the drinks, you should see the party!!!!!

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    It wouldn’t be a brand launch without a photo booth right?!

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    Oh and can we talk about how this girl was going AWF on the violin…yes, a violin!!!

     

    Me in front of the Marquee! 😀

     

    I had a ton of fun at this launch, this was definitly one for the NJ launch books!

    Thank you Absolut for the invite.

    I can’t wait until the next one!

  • The Gin Lab: My Recap

    The Gin Lab: My Recap

    Recently, I had the opportunity to attend an event called The Gin Lab. Being that I don’t have much knowledge about gin compared to other spirits, I figured it would be a great event for me to attend and learn a thing or two.

    This event was held at Sbraga in Philadelphia. I had never been there before, but I’ve heard great things about the venue so I was even more excited to attend this event. When I arrived, I was late, but I don’t think I missed too much from the start of the event. I seemed to arrive when the brand rep was explaining the history and process of making gin.

    I learned a lot that I never knew about gin, especially about how essential Juniper is in making Gin. I think its fair to say that its as important as when making whiskey and they types and treatment of the casks that make the spirit as great as it is. I also learned that in making gin your own, there are endless combinations of Juniper and herbs and fruits, in terms of what can be added to it in order to make it something supremely unique.

    To start with our hands-on portion of the educational process, we sampled 3 different types of gin by Tanqueray. Among the 3 were Tanqueray London Dry (original), Tanqueray 10, and Nolet’s Silver Dry Gin (pictured above). If you can’t see in the picture, (I listed the tasting notes in each) It was a bit hard for me to distinguish exactly what I was tasting in each so I just went with what it felt like to me or what it reminded me of. Tanqueray London Dry, I tasted woody/oak notes and various types of sour/tart fruits. In Tanqueray 10 I picked up scents of floral notes and tasted light hints of juniper, and an essence of some sweet that I couldn’t quite put my finger on. In the Nolet Silver I kept tasting a lot of floral notes and citrus. the scent smelled a biton the sweet side kinda similar to candy and at the same time was “perfumey”. (yes I know that is not a word)

    After tasting the 3 I can say that I preferred the Nolet’s Silver overall mainly because it felt like it finished smoother and seemed to have a fruitier/sweetness to it instead of the spicy notes that I was picking up in the original Tanqueray. Next fav out of the 3 would be the Tanqueray 10 because of the scent that I picked up before it touched my lips. The scent was very floral and almost minty. It was very refreshing and more palatable than the other Tanqueray.

    After that exercise of the tasting I could more so see what it is about each gin that I liked. I obviously prefer the fruit notes of gin, and with our next exercise in the lab, we were able to make our own gin via a whipped cream dispenser.

    yep….a whipped cream dispenser

    So, with the whipped cream dispenser it was totally new to me, but apparently not to a lot of other people, that you could use it for infusing gin with whatever botanicals, fruits, herbs, etc. (mind blown). To do this we were paired with the person that sat across from us and we picked 2 ingredients that we wanted to make our gin with. I selected Jasmine and Lime and my partner selected Thai Chili and Sage (sounds interesting right?!)

    So we went to the foraging table (pictured above) and selected our items and Juniper. Came back to our table to add in our distilled spirit and charged it in our whipped cream dispenser and after straining it into a wine glass… viola!

    Behold, our one of a kind custom made in the the Gin Lab, GIN!

    I loved the way it tastes. Before sipping it, you could smell the Jasmine and the lime. Upon tasting it you could really taste the earthy-ness of the sage and the citrus of the lime. The Thai Chili showed up as a nice spicy finish that made for a more developed taste in my opinion.

    Once we finished sampling our Gin, the true test came when it was included in a gin and tonic cocktail and honestly, I think it held up great. Unfortunately, when added it with ice and tonic, the jasmine scent went away, and the earthy notes from the sage seemed to be less noticeable, but the lime and the chili stayed and made an awesome flavor profile.

    And that was the event in a nutshell!

    Would I consider myself a fan of gin now? No, but I definitely have gained a new appreciation and a lot of knowledge for it. I feel like I can now offer more recommendations to clients of Pour Models and friends who are looking for something new to drink or something with a bit more customization and uniqueness to it compared to the popular spirits. Im currently, in the process of learning more about these whipped cream dispensers so I can get one of my own and start doing some things with other flavor ideas I have for gin. Who knows, I might have to start the process of making my own gin one day!

    Cheers!

  • Women & Whiskey: My Recap (@stbenjaminbrew & @bulleitus)

    Women & Whiskey: My Recap (@stbenjaminbrew & @bulleitus)

    Recently, I had the opportunity to be invited to an event called “Women and Whiskey”

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    The event was held at South Restaurant in Philly and it was my first time there. I had heard things about the place, and it was exactly what I expected it to be. A very classic atmosphere with high quality food and great presentation in the food, drinks, and the staff.

    For the Women and Whiskey event, I attended it alone because all of my Whiskey loving friends had to work that day. 🙁 None the less, even though I don’t really like going to events alone, I thought it would be a great way for me to break out of my shy shell and speak to people and network at least with the special featured guest and others who came out to enjoy it.

    The event took place from 4p to 6pm. I arrived around 5 after battling a bit of light traffic coming from NJ. When I arrived I saw a familiar face that I knew so I sat at the bar with them the whole entire time, and lo and behold, I was also sitting next to the owner/featured guest of the night, the owner and brewer of Saint Benjamin Brewing Company, Christina Burris.

    One of the reasons that I attended the event was that I loved the name. It meant something to me, because throughout my experience within the beverage world I have noticed that there is a huge gap in the ratio of men to women within the industry in various positions in everything from the sales team to the production. It was very refreshing to me to see a female brewer who has an AMAZING product and making strides in the Philly beer scene! Can I tell you how much more motivated that made me to keep pushing in my business?!

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    Any whooo, lets get to the drinks I got to sample! 😀

    There were 3 beers that were available to sample as well as a bourbon whiskey (not by St. Benjamin). I was excited to sample everything there was to offer but I made sure not to do it on an empty stomach. I ordered the Crispy Rock Shrimp appetizer just to make sure I had something in my system. It was delicious!!! It was basically fried shrimp with tartar sauce 8.0 lol (but not really tartar sauce!!! Lol I don’t know what kind of sauce that was on it but it was tasty, I kinda want to put it on my fries and stuff.)

     

    WOMEN-WHISKEY-ST-BENJAMIN-RECAP-BLOG-POST

    The First beer that I tried was suggested by Christina herself called Liaison Saison, the website describes it as A lightly hopped, dry saison with notes of peppercorn and a slight lavender finish. This floral beer appeals to saison aficionados as well as casual beer drinkers. It definitely had a floral scent to it, I could smell it before I took my first sip. The color was a light golden color and the flavor was crisp. I liked it and thought it was very smooth tasting for a beer that is 8% alcohol. The lavender added something to the overall taste that I think makes it leave a nice finish that isn’t bitter or linger longer than it needs to.

    The 2nd beer that I had was Little Peat from St. Benjamin. It was darker in color, somewhat reminiscent of a Guinness or other stout. Although, it didn’t have the stout scent to me, It smelled less malty than most stouts but still had a tart taste in the beginning but finished with a smoky taste, VERY similar to a peaty scotch whisky. I can see how this is going to be a hit in the fall and winter months for this brand.

    There was another beer that was available to try but I didn’t try it. I wanted to save room for the Bourbon. *cue happy music*

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    I was able to try the Bulleit Bourbon 10 year, of which I loooooved! It was very smooth and easy to drink. It did have a peaty (smokey) taste but it wasn’t overpowering and the after taste was very pleasant. It wasn’t bitter or sweet, it was very light finish. According to the brand – “Bulleit 10 is the brand’s selected reserve, delicious bourbon that, at 91.2 proof, is consistently smooth, russet in color, rich with oaky aromas and hints of vanilla and dried fruit with a long smoky finish.” I CERTAINLY didn’t get the 91.2 proof feeling but I guess that’s a good thing, it definitely goes down smooth.

    Overall, I had a good time, got to know some great new drinks and a new way to eat shrimp, and I may have a new spot to stop in and catch some entertainment when I’m in the city.

    To learn more about the brands I mentioned, be sure to check them out:

    Saint Benjamin

    Twitter – @stbenjaminbrew

    Instagram – @stbenjaminbrew

    Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/stbenjaminbrew

    Website – http://stbenjaminbrewing.com

    Bulleit Bourbon

    Instagram – @BulleitUS

    And be sure to follow me on Instagram – @topmodelwithbottles 🙂

  • Recap: Funny Moments at #NYFW – #ilaughed

    Recap: Funny Moments at #NYFW – #ilaughed

    New York Fashion Week comes around but twice a year and every time its filled with the seriousness of FASHION and STATUS (insert glitter sprinkle here). I personally did not attend any shows this season but with my poppin Instagram Feed, Chef Roble, and Nicki Minaj, I caught all the hilarity without having to hop the train the NYC.

    With that, here are 3 moments that occurred during fashion week that I found funny. If you don’t laugh, chuckle, or crack a smile…drink some prune juice 😉

  • Hard Rock Cafe Philadelphia – Pinktober Fashion Show #breastcancerawareness #bcamonth

    Click the Image to Purchase Tickets
    Click the Image to Purchase Tickets

    Come see me and other local models modeling for the Pinktober Fashion Show at the Hard Rock Cafe in Philadelphia on October 6, 2013. The show starts at 6pm and the proceeds from the door will go to the Susan G. Komen Foundation. Buy your tickets to the show online for $7, at the door its $10. The show will feature Philly designers Kristin Simms and Trisha Williams as well as students from Moore College and the Art Institute of Philadelphia.

     

    There will also be a silent auction that evening, I am auctioning off a 2 hour 1-on-1 runway training session. If you are interested in bidding on it get your ticket for the show here – http://www.ticketfly.com/event/357905-pinktober-fashion-show-philadelphia/ and show up and have a great time for a great cause.

     

    Got any questions? Let me know!

     

    Hope to see you at the show!

  • Stomp The Runway Against Domestic Violence

    Stomp The Runway Against Domestic Violence

    I know I’m probably going to look really bad for just posting this but, things have been really busy lately for me and I couldn’t put this post off any longer. So here goes!

    I attended the Stop the Runway Against Domestic Violence Fashion show benefit dedicated to the late Vanessa Banks of Philadelphia. I have never met Ms. Banks, but from what I have heard and read about her online she was a model from who was murdered by her boyfriend in a domestic violence incident. When I heard about the event, I knew it was something that I had to attend and support. Domestic Violence is an undercover issue especially with our young adults and it needs to be brought to the light. Its a shame that she had to die in order for this cause to have garnered attention on this level but for me, I’m glad it did. Everyone knows of someone who has been or is a victim of domestic violence. They may not have told you about it but you can bet that out of every 3 people that you know, 1 of them is or has been in a domestic violence situation. This was one of the stats that was mentioned at the show by author Brenda L. Thomas who is a victim of domestic violence. She gave a brief account of her experience of being in an abusive relationship and how she eventually came to the point she is at now. What stuck with me the most is when she mentioned that she did not want others to go through what she went through and that is why she tells her story. The key to everything in this life is knowledge, when you don’t know something it leaves you at a disadvantage. When you know what domestic violence is and how to identify it, you are more than likely to survive and hopefully help others to do the same.

     

    NOW comes the Show RECAP!

    What I wore:

    With all of the running around that I have been doing lately, I opted to keep it simple, professional, and cool. I’m so used to dressing “modelly” so I decided to look like the cute young business owner that I am, that’s out for the night lol. Sho here’s how I achieved that look:

    Hair

    • My trademark Cinnabun Hair do with my Flower in my hair.
    • EcoStyler Olive Oil Gel
    • a bunch of bobby pins
    • a black shoelace to tie up that ‘froliciousness 😀
    Makeup
    • Foundation L’Oreal HIP
    • Fashion Fair Pressed Powder
    • Hard Candy “temptation” pallet eye-shadow (inner corner)
    • NYC brow kit in brunette (brows)
    • L’Oreal “copper penny” eye-shadow (lids)
    • Yagolicious “fireplace” eye-shadow (crease/outer corner)
    • NYC liquid eyeliner “extra black”
    • Clinique eye-shadow palette in copper-mine (highlight/brow bone)
    • Maybeline Mascara in blackest black (that trademark pink bottle with the green cap)
    • Too Faced Eye-shadow primer
    • Salon Effects Natural lashes #53
    • NYC Lipstick in Blue Rose
    Outfit (nothing fancy)
    • Dress – Ya Los Angeles (bought it at Plato’s Closet)
    • Jacket (had that thang so long IDK where I got it)
    • Shoes Grey pumps from Bakers

    What do you think of my look?

    Show Details and Pics!

    The Purple Carpet started off with local radio personality Kendra G hosting and interviewing the talent and VIPs of the night…

    Kendra G interviewing Designer Carmelita Martell of Carmelita Couture on the Purple Carpet

    While everyone mingled and settled into their place to watch the show…

     

    …While the the models looked great as they showcased a few designs before the show started. they all donned loosely curled hair that was smooth at the roots and teased towards to the ends creating a what looked like a semi-afro for most of the models. Makeup looked lovely as well, Im a lover of a RED lip and it was done spectacularly (is that a word?! lol). It was glam enough that the eyes weren’t competing with the lips and achieved a very balanced face.

    I did have an opportunity to meet the makup sponsors for this event but I can’t remember the name of the company, or the name of the woman I spoke to. If you happen to read this please reach out to me with your contact info, I’d love to find out more about your products! 🙂

    But I digress, next up the clothes……….BABY, the clothes! lol

    Read More

  • *TEAM BRADLEY* Making Strides For Breast Cancer Fundraiser [EVENT]

    Saturday October 8th , 2011

    9pm

    Sam’s Bar & Grill
    18 South Main Street
    Pleasantville, NJ 08232

    Come out & join Team Bradley for a night of fun. We will have various raffles but the top raffle prize is a basket that includes a Mens black Movato watch! Tickets are $20 and will be on sale up until the night of the raffle Contact Nakyia

    Donations are accepted & greatly appreciated…all proceeds will be donated to Breast Cancer Research in the fight to find a cure.

     

    Are you having an event or doing something in support of Breast Cancer Awareness month? Let me know about it. Either leave the details in the comment area or email it directly to me at alean@aleanelston.com

  • 17 Days of Fashion (Philadelphia)

     

    Click the image above to see all the events going on for the 17 days!
  • Divas in the City invites you to an Exclusive Shopping Soiree (NYC)

    If you are in the NYC area be sure to join Divas in the City for an exclusive after-hours shopping party!

    The fabulous Divas of Kurvacious and Marliyn’s Boutique in Harlem, are closing their store just for Divas in the City members and their fab guest to shop exclusively on Friday, August 5th from 6:30pm – 9:30pm.

    Grab a few of your favorite Divas and enjoy a girl’s night out while participating in a fashion styling segment by Kimberly Edwards of Chique Chix, sipping bubbly, shopping, winning fab prizes and did we mention SHOPPING.  The boutiques carry sizes 4 – 28, so there is something haute for every Diva!

    Come shop, sip, mix and mingle!

    • Save 20% on all purchases made that evening!
    • Enjoy Diva-licious drinks!
    • Nosh on yummy appetizers!
    • We will be raffling off Fab giveaways AND;
    • Special prizes will be given to members with Social Diva or Diva on the Move membership package

    Visit the members-only area to RSVP NOW.  You MUST be logged in to RSVP.

     

  • Hip Hop recording artist RAtheMC hits NYC to perform at “Rap Rocks”

    Rap Rocks is the premiere destination to celebrate everything Hip Hop, Rock and Rap-Rock bands; with the mission to create a huge movement that unifies people of all walks of life to enjoy a night of great music. Located at the Studio at Webster Hall, 125 East 11st, NY doors will open at 8:30 pm.