John Legend and Chrissy Teigen attend Ocean Drive Magazine's Cover Party at the W Hotel

If you've picked up the July/ August 2011 issue of Ocean Drive Magazine, you'll notice the extremely beautiful model, Chrissy Teigen, is gracing the sultry cover! The famous Sports Illustrated model attended the Ocean Drive Party last night with her beau, Grammy Award winning artist, John Legend [pictured above]. It was definitely a warm night in Miami. Luckily, Ocean Drive Magazine always provides their guests with delicious Greygoose Vodka popsicles! For those who wanted to keep the party going, Ocean Drive Magazine also hosted an after party at Wall inside the W South Beach. For all things Miami, visit the Ocean Drive Magazine website and check out their latest digital swim issue!

After a night full of swimwear fun, I had a chance to unwind with my friends at the Ocean Drive Magazine cover party. If you want to see the behind the scenes footage from Chrissy's cover shoot, check out this hot video by Ocean Drive Magazine....enjoy!

Tracy and Alonzo Mourning introduce their Honey Child Collection at Therapy Boutique

Happy Valentine's Day to all of my Sazoneros! In the spirit of love, check out this event I attended over the weekend called "Lover.Kiss." hosted by one of my favorite power couples: Tracy and Alonzo Mourning [pictured on the right]. On Saturday, February 12th, the duo introduced Honey Child's latest Bath & Body Ritual Collection by Tracy Wilson Mourning (TWM). Honey Child is a line of natural products developed by TWM featuring a variety of body polishing scrubs, cleansers, body glowing oils, moisturizers and perfume oils. The products are categorized into four distinctive scents: Goddess, Soulmate, Mother and Friend. The newest collections, Lover and Kiss, were revealed during this weekend's event at Therapy Boutique located at the W South Beach. You'll be happy to know that Therapy carries Honey Child at their South Beach location so make sure to stop by to indulge in these sensual products.

According to Tracy, "Honey Child reflects an inner style that fascinates and inspires others. She looks good because she feels good." TWM's collection leaves your skin feeling smooth and silky ladies! The best part of Honey Child: you can choose your favorite scent [Goddess, Soulmate, Mother or Friend] and find the matching scrub, lotion and perfume to complete your daily moisturizing ritual. To see the complete list of scents, visit the Honey Child website and click on the "About Us" section.

Guests of the "Lover.Kiss." event enjoyed Valentine's Day cupcakes, champagne and cocktails provided by Fenom. Ten percent of all of the sales made throughout the evening were donated to Honey Shine Mentoring Program, an Alonzo Mourning charity.

Top Right: Jeff St. Fort along with the beautiful Amaris Jones, Founder and CEO of Elite Home & Lifestyle Management, striking a pose for Miami Beats & Sazon!

Above: I had the pleasure of meeting Tracy Mourning's sister, Lisa [middle], who gave my friend, Natalie Hatjes [pictured on the right- Director at Pure Romance. Inc.], and I a personalized demonstration of the new Honey Child collection.


Top Left: Andrew and Lauren Sperber. Top Right: Amber Lamptey and Iram Ahmed.
Tracy Wilson Mourning's Honey Child Bath & Body Collection is available at various retail store across the country. For those who prefer to shop online, you can purchase products on the official Honey Child website. As stated on their website: be good to yourself...you deserve the gift of Honey Child!

Business Buddies Miami hosts a "Networking for Friendship" event at the W South Beach

It has a been a wonderful week so far in Miami! Even though the weather is cooler, the events certainly seem to be getting hotter! On Thursday, September 16th, Business Buddies Miami presented a poolside event called Networking for Friendship at the W South Beach. Business Buddies is designed to raise awareness and funds for Best Buddies, a non-profit organization dedicated to enhancing the lives of individuals with intellectual disabilities through friendships and jobs. Guests who attended the sizzling event enjoyed live entertainment featuring DJ Irie of the Miami HEAT, a silent auction and cocktails provided by Grey Goose Vodka. This was a great networking opportunity and all of the proceeds from the night benefited Best Buddies and their programs.

Top: Dr. Jodi Stoner (Etiquette Expert and Psychotherapist) and DJ Irie (official DJ of the Miami Heat basketball team). Dr. Stoner is a sought after motivational speaker, workshop trainer and etiquette consultant. Based in South Florida, Dr. Stoner provides professionals with the most up-to-date etiquette techniques.

Top Left: Tatiana Santos from Best Buddies along with Marcos de Andrade. Top Right: DJ Irie and Amaris Jones (CEO of Elite Home and Lifestyle Management).

Top: I ran into my friend Bobby (right) who attended the event with his collegues.

Top: Yours truly along with my fabulous girls- Michelle Hampton, Daylene Foch and Diaset Cabrera (my sister). Hope you get a chance to visit the Best Buddies website to find ways in which you can get involved with this great organization. You can donate, volunteer or sponsor a future event. Cheers to a fun night of networking!

Best Buddies Miami presents "Networking for Friendship" event at the W South Beach

Sazoneros: This is by far the best networking event I have come across in a looong time! Mark your calendars for Thursday, September 16th as Business Buddies Miami presents Networking for Friendship at the W South Beach. Business Buddies is designed to raise awareness and funds for Best Buddies, a non-profit organization dedicated to enhancing the lives of individuals with intellectual disabilities through friendships and jobs. This special event will be held from 7 p.m. till midnight. Guests will enjoy live entertainment featuring DJ Irie of the Miami HEAT, a silent auction and cocktails provided by Grey Goose. You'll be happy to know that more than 800 guests will gather at this networking event which benefits Best Buddies and their programs. Tickets cost $20 presale and $25 at the door. Admission includes open bar for two hours featuring specialty cocktails, hors de' ouvres and DJ Irie spinning. For more information on the event or to purchase your tickets online, visit the Best Buddies website. Check out this video and get inspired to join the organization.

Special Interview: Tori Praver debuts her 2011 Resort collection during Miami's Swim Week

This week, I had the pleasure of meeting Tori Praver, Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Model, surfer and designer, at the W South Beach to preview her 2011 Resort collection. This Hawaii native (pictured on the right) has an amazing taste for swimwear since she grew up on the pristine beaches of Maui. Today, Tori travels the world to find inspiration for her unique swimwear line while modeling for international brands. You may have seen her gracing the covers of magazines like Glamour, Cosmopolitan and Elle. To view Tori's entire 2011 Resort collection, make sure you visit her website. This season, Tori has added full-coverage boy briefs and high-waisted bottoms to her line. I sat down to speak with Tori about her new swimwear, her inspiration and her future projects.

MBS: When did you realize you wanted to shift from the modeling industry into your new career: a swimwear designer?
TORI: Well, I grew up in Hawaii so the beach culture and the ocean is second nature to me. I always had a passion for swimwear. I had drawers full of bikinis growing up so I knew I wanted to design my own line at some point. It wasn't until I started modeling for Sports Illustrated when the editor, Diane Smith, really encouraged me and inspired me to get started with my own line.

MBS: How would you describe your 2011 Resort collection?
TORI: For my third collection, I've introduced many new prints and hardware like zippers. I started off by strictly using solid colors. Now, I have carried over my signature ruching and I feel like it represents my style really well. The colors come from various earth tones and the prints are inspired by my travels (like a boutique in Bali).
MBS: I know you're from Hawaii, BUT, where would you say is your favorite destination for a swimwear photoshoot?
TORI: Actually, whenever I hear that I'll be going back to Hawaii for a photoshoot it's like a dream come true! That's my favorite place for sure. Other than that, I would say the Caribbean and Costa Rica. I was recently there and I loved Costa Rica.

MBS: Is this your first time in Miami? If not, which "hot spot" would you recommend to my readers?
TORI: I've been to Miami many times and I love the spa at The Standard.
MBS: Where can people buy your bathing suits?
TORI: You can check out www.ToriPraverSwimwear.com for a complete list of stores or visit Shop Bop as well.
MBS: Do you have any upcoming projects you'd like to share?
TORI: I'm working with the Surfrider Foundation to design a collection that will benefit their charity that supports clean water around the world. My biggest goal is to collaborate with a charity and integrate my swimwear with their mission.
Thank you Tori Praver for a wonderful interview and I wish you the best of luck with your future endeavors. Hope you enjoyed your trip to Miami! xoxo

Acura launches an exhibition featuring renowned photographer, Erik Madigan Heck

Acura, the automotive luxury brand, presented their latest model, the all-new 2010 Acura ZDX four-door sports coupe, in Miami on Thursday, February 25th, at the W South Beach. The event launched a seven-city tour featuring the vehicle and the works of renowned photographer Erik Madigan Heck. The Acura ZDX was designed with as much creative freedom as Erik Madigan Heck’s works - making the partnership between the artist and Acura a natural fit. At 26-years-old, Heck is an established fine art and fashion photographer who has shot the collections of the world’s finest designers including Valentino Garavani, Christian Lacroix, Jean Paul Gaultier and Helmut Lang. Last night, I had the opportunity to interview Heck.

MBS: What is your favorite type of photography?

Heck: Well, I shoot mostly fashion photography but for this event, I wanted to show a balance between some of my landscape and figurative work. I also segmented the pieces based on color.

MBS: How did your partnership with the new Acura ZDX come together?
Heck: The concept for this new car was developed by a team of young designers (at the new Acura Design Studio in Torrance, California) who are all around my age. They were looking for a similar artist to represent their newest creation. In that respect, it works really well.

MBS: Have you ever been in Miami and is there anything you're looking forward to experiencing?

Heck: Never been in Miami! I haven't been able to explore it as much as I would like to but I definitely love the beautiful weather.

MBS: What has been the highlight of your career thus far?

Heck: I did a shoot for a Belgian fashion designer, Ann Demeulemeester, and I was a huge fan of hers for years. Ann's clothing is very expensive and she is a highly sought after designer. But, one day I did a photoshoot for her and she absolutely loved it so we became friends. It was like becoming friends with your hero. It was awesome!

Erik Madigan Heck is also the Editor-in-Chief and Creative Director of Nomenus Quarterly, a hybrid online/print publication that features the world’s most influential artists, institutions and fashion designers. To see more of Heck's work, you can visit his websites:
http://maisondesprit.com/ or http://www.nomenusquarterly.com/. Beware: his work is AMAAAAZZZING (I think he's MY new hero)!!!

After my chat with Heck, I returned to the exhibition where a crowd surrounded the new 2010 Acura ZDX. While some guests mingled, others couldn't help but sit inside the stunning coupe-like vehicle to see the panoramic glass roof. If you're interested in viewing this car yourself, then note that these Acura ZDX Launch Parties featuring Erik Madigan Heck will travel from Miami to Dallas, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Washington, D.C., culminating in New York City on April 8, 2010. I definitely see why Acura scheduled Miami as their first stop on the tour!

Guests at the 2010 Acura ZDX launch event in Miami