GAL APPROVED Weekend! The VMAs ΓÇô Post Party, Shine Like a Diamond, and Sweet Chocolate Pairings!

By DIVAGALS | August 23, 2013 | Entertainment, Gal Approved

WATCH. There will be no sleep till Brooklyn this Sunday as MTVΓÇÖs Video Music Awards descend upon the Barclays Center in the iconic New York City borough. The live show is featuring a stellar line-up, including Lady Gaga, who was spotted looking trim and blonde on her way to rehearsal earlier this week; Justin Timberlake, Kanye West, Katy Perry, Bruno Mars, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Miley Cyrus, Robin Thicke and the just added Drake (Amanda Bynes will definitely be watching!). Our Diva-licious team will be up front and center for a post-VMA celebration at Brooklyn Bowl where The VoiceΓÇÖs CeeLo Green and former bandmates from Goodie Mob reunite after 14-year hiatus. The band is about to drop a new album, Age Against the Machine, on Aug. 27. Make sure you follow ~~@PattyHughes~~ and @beautygazette on Twitter for live tweets and add hashtag #divagalsdaily so we know youΓÇÖre in the know! In BK and want to get in on the action yourself? Tickets for the performance are available. Catch the VMAs this Sunday, August 25 at 9 p.m. on MTV.

SHINE. Bling me baby, or bling yourself and stay within your budget. Forever Brilliant sparklers aren’t diamonds, but they actually made from seeds found in nature. They outshine traditional diamonds and are mistaken for the real thing by us, (we failed a test to compare them to four real diamonds) and professional gemologists). “Forever Brilliant studs are actually “whiter, so its sparkle is noticeably brighter.” Priced at a fraction of the cost of diamonds and even more brilliant, ultimately the money you save will make you feel like the brilliant one!

SAVOR. I love chocolate. Many of the men I have dated in the past love a good brew. How to find happy common middle ground? Just put them together! ThatΓÇÖs exactly what I did when I road tested Wild Ophelia chocolate with Goose Island beer at my local Whole Foods last week. These two mid-west based companies have paired their significant flavors, which makes for several tasty delights. Sofie beer (named after Goose Island foundersΓÇÖ granddaughters) + Southern Hibiscus Peach chocolate equals a taste thatΓÇÖs tart and sweet. PB&J fan? Try the Peanut Butter & Banana chocolate with Pere Jacques. IΓÇÖm not a dark beer drinker, but Pepe Nero, with its peppercorn-y, roasted flavor was the perfect companion to the Beef Jerky milk chocolate bar. My personal fave is the Matilda beer with Smokehouse BBQ potato chip chocolate. ItΓÇÖs a tangy and spicy explosion in your mouth ΓÇô who doesnΓÇÖt like that treat? We totally Gal Approve that Wild Ophelia is run by famed female chocolatier Katrina Markoff, out of Chicago who loves bringing all natural, gluten free, high quality chocolate in crazy flavor combinations, yum!