45 of you are vying for No Panty Lines, Purple Lab’s lip plumping, Hoodia enhanced, crystal clear uber fabulous lip gloss!

But alas, there are but three to give away. Here are the randomly chosen winners!

9 — Lexi who says she’ll “wear “No Panty Lines” over a nude lip pencil with a soft, smokey eye.” Sophisticated!

28 — Takea Janelle says – “I plan to wear my “No Panty Lines” lipgloss with very little else. I LOVE the sexy, kissable look and feel of a neutral gloss. My lips have a natural pinkish hue, so I don’t need an in-your-face color for everyday wear. On Valentine’s Day, I want my boyfriend to be transfixed on my Huge Lips & Skinny Hips ;~).” — well go ‘head Takea!! Happy Valentine’s Day to you!

43 — Crystal G who offered two looks — “in the day- by itself or over a lip covered in liquid foundation for a clean nude look. At night-over bright red lipstick or dark brown lip liner!”

Congratulations, ladies. Hope you love the gloss! If you didn’t win this time around, click here to check out the rest of the Huge Lips, Skinny Hips collection.

Here I am wearing Worship Kate. Love it!!

Thanks for everything, Purple Lab!

Your comments on the Bare Escentuals Buxom Babes giveaway post were SO inspirational and beautiful. I love you bellas!!

I wish with my whole heart that I had enough lip gloss for all of you…but you know how it goes. Here are the three lucky winners!

3 – Martii
27 – Shuggie
55 – Adria

Congratulations!! I hope you enjoy your glittery, gorgeous BE glosses.

If you didn’t win, you can click here to buy yourself this sweet $28 package. And stay tuned — I’ve got an extra special grown & sexy Valentine’s giveaway in store for this week!

I can’t even recall the first time I encountered the name of designer Abby Z — her name has become just about as well known as Donna Karan or Tracy Reese amongst plus size fashionistas. Abby Z’s gorgeous outfits regularly grace the red carpet on celebrities like Queen Latifah, Camryn Manheim, Mo’Nique, and Angie Stone.

Being that Abby is a well known designer whose HSN clothing line literally flies off the shelves whenever she’s on the air, I didn’t know what to expect from our interview. Would she be a diva? Would she be out of touch, or someone I can relate to?

I’m so happy to report that Abby Z is made of pure awesomeness. You don’t have to ask me — she’ll be on the Home Shopping Network at 1 a.m., then again at 9 a.m and 6 p.m. tomorrow — so you can see for yourself!

My interview with Abby became a conversation pretty much right away. We just gabbed like old girlfriends, and I didn’t take note of my questions at all. So here, my ladies, are some of Abby Z’s gems of wisdom about her amazing life, and her gorgeous clothes.

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If Bob Marley was alive, today he would have celebrated his 65th birthday. Every year on this day, fans gather to listen to his music and honor his legacy. From London to Ethiopia to Jamaica to right here in Chicago, we’re celebrating Bob Marley Day. My relationship with his music goes back as far as my earliest childhood days. Check the timeline.

When I was a toddler, my dad spent time in Jamaica studying for a master’s degree. When he returned, he brought what seemed like Bob Marley’s entire record collection with him. Uprising. Natty Dread. Burnin’. Survival. Rastaman Vibration. We had all the LP’s and from that early age, I started soaking them up like a sponge. I swear on the Bible that I have clear, distinct memories of seeing footage of Bob Marley’s funeral on television. The coffin surrounded by an ocean of weeping fans, the mourning of a people. I know I probably have created these memories — Bob passed in 1981. I wasn’t more than two at the time, but part of my brain swears that I witnessed this moment with the rest of the Caribbean.

One of my earliest embarrassing memories is of my brother Dominic sneaking up on me as I sang Redemption Song to myself (I must have been only four or five, and of course I didn’t know the lyrics).

When I was a teenager, Bob’s lyrics helped me navigate my way through oceans of frenemies. I absorbed his lyrics. Listening to his music gave me that feeling of spiritual balance that I felt unable to attain at church on Sundays with my parents.

And to this day, whenever I need a little guidance, a little perspective, a little satisfaction for my soul — I turn to him. Rest in Peace, Mr. Marley. It’s an understatement to say you left this world too soon.

Here are my top 5 favorite Bob Marley tunes, in no particular order. That would be too difficult.

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I certainly hope you all saw the BET Honors ‘10. If you didn’t, allow me to share this video with you. The legendary Kim Burrell SANG her HEART out to Whitney Houston. And Whitney, like everyone in the audience, felt the spirit.

Click here to read more. I apologize – BET’s video doesn’t include a “please do not autoplay” option…
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I got the call last week, from a friend. It went kinda like this.

“Hey girl! I heard your good news! You’re going to Milan to cover Fashion Week! That’s SO awesome!”

Yes, I agree – that would be awesome. If it were at all true. Which it isn’t.

I’m learning some hard and cold facts about the nature of this business that I’m in. And one of those facts is, people will use your name and hard work to their advantage. And sometimes, you’ll even be bamboozled enough to be flattered by that kind of thing.

I’ve said it so many, many times but it bears repeating. Blogging takes work. I’ve been steady staying up till 2, 3 in the morning to put together these words and photos and giveaways and special tributes since 2006. It’s my baby. It’s my labor of love. It’s my passion project. And somewhere along the line it became my brand and my business.

I didn’t start out with these goals in mind but I recognize that now, that’s what it’s become. And it’s really interesting, having to learn what professional is in a field that doesn’t always recognize professionalism. It’s been quite eye opening, actually.

Blogs are where it’s at right now. And slowly but surely, advertising agencies, public relations firms, and yes – even mainstream media – are having to recognize that. They’re starting to offer olive branches for not inviting us to the party before but all too often, the overtures made don’t take our skills or capabilities into consideration. So please allow me to make these things plain (and forgive me for addressing this all so publicly).

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