A few of my readers (readers! I have readers!! Yay!!!) have advised me to try Miss Jessie’s products for maximum curl satisfaction. And oh, how I yearn to. I would buy the Baby and the Curly Buttercreme. I would throw in a jar of Curly Pudding just for fun. And I would fly to New York, just to have an appointment with Miko and Titi Branch, sisters with some of the most beautiful hair I’ve ever seen.

I would love to get a twist set, too. I mean, look at the photos of all these smiling natural beauties! I’d be honored to be pictured among them. Really, I would if I could. But I can’t. Why, you ask? Because a jar of Baby Buttercreme costs $58 for a 16 oz jar. That’s right, I said $58. Miss Jessie’s products range from $38 to $58. And that’s online, so you still gotta add shipping. To which I say damn, Miss Jessie! What about the hardworking curly girl?

There’s just no way I can afford to pay that much money for some hair goop. Let me correct myself – I can afford it, I just can’t justify it. I’m the kind of girl who gets real salty about dipping into my hard-earned trip-to-Europe fund for nothing.

Playing with my money is like playing with my emotions.

In order for me to shell out that kind of cash, I would need a 100% guarantee that this product works. And from what I’m reading in the forums of Nappturality.com, NaturallyCurly.com, and MyNatural.com, I am not yet convinced. It seems that Miss Jessie’s is real hate-it-or-love-it stuff. I suspect the strong feelings and the price of the products is directly co-related.
I’m a free sample kind of lady. I need to smell and touch a product before I buy sight-unseen. So if any of you have tried Miss Jessie’s, please share your experiences. If you know where I can try it, let me know. I need some convincing. I have a good feeling that I could fall in hair product love here, but I’m wary of such a costly commitment.

Dear Aretha,

I got upset recently when Perez Hilton posted a doctored photo of you, where you looked something like a giant wedding cake spewing frosting (or… not frosting) out of your mouth. Don’t get me wrong, I love Perez, but I thought he went too far in making fun of your appearance. “Nobody better disrespect Aretha Franklin,” I muttered at my computer. “She’s a living legend.” Then I saw this NSFW photo on Crunk & Disorderly. Oh Aretha. You know better than that! As a fan I beg you, please don’t do this to yourself.

I know you’ve been letting your chain hang low (so to speak) for years now. But someone of your musical and historical stature shouldn’t let it all spill out like that. You’re giving Toni Braxton visions for the future. Frankly, Ms. Franklin, you need a good bra, and a long, hard look in the mirror. Read the rest of this entry »

When I made my pilgrimage to Sephora Aventura for last Thursday’s Carol’s Daughter event, I was determined not to spend more than $20. My goal was to score as many samples as I could, and spend some time sniffing the products and deciding what to buy next. I had salivated over the Carol’s Daughter website for so long; I already knew what I wanted. I definitely wanted to try Lisa’s Hair Elixir, but it cost $17.50. I planned to walk away with at least two nurturing hair products. A super friendly and enthusiastic salesperson encouraged me to get the Rosemary Mint Shampoo w/Sea Moss, but I settled for a sample of that. I bought the Black Vanilla Leave-In Conditioner, and after some debating, I decided to spring for the legendary Hair Milk that I had heard such great things about. When Oprah talks, I listen ya’ll.

At Lisa Price’s recommendation, I bought the $16 8 oz. bottle. Lisa said I would just be mad at myself if I didn’t get that size. Initially I was skeptical, but she was totally right. On NaturallyCurly.com, the message boards refer to certain products as being HG, or Holy Grail products. I think Carol’s Daughter Hair Milk might be my holy grail.

The texture of the stuff is everything I want a curly hair leave-in conditioning goop to be. My hair really does drink it right in. The ingredients are essential oil of lemongrass and lily of the valley fragrance, but to me it smells more like an Indian delicacy, like coconut burfi. In short, Gee, My Hair Smells Terrific! No really, it does. And my curls are happier for it. Their thirst has been quenched with shea and cocoa butter oils, causing them to happily coil up into adorable spirals. I could go on and on. But I won’t. If you’re considering a Carol’s Daughter purchase for the first time, I’d say spring for the hair milk. Or even better, get the Black Vanilla Leave-In Conditioner.

This is no plain vanilla.

The leave-in’s ingredients also include lavender, rosemary, roses, nettles, chamomile, sage, peppermint, blue malva, marigolds, black coconut, and vodka. After I put it on for the first time, my husband asked me what new perfume I was wearing. That never happens, people. It made my curls perfectly defined and lightly, angelically scented. My one complaint is the packaging. A product like this should really come in a spray bottle. I long to spritz it all over my hair like fine perfume, instead of just having to pour out small amounts in my hand.

I’m so excited about the stuff I used that I want to go back to Sephora Aventura (or South Beach…but not Dadeland. For the love of God, why?) and buy lots more of their products. I just don’t know what to buy next, they all sound so delicious! Mimosa Hair Honey, Khoret Amen Shea Butter Hair Smoothie, Rose & Chamomile Toner, Almond Cookie Eau de Toilette? I want it all! But I’m a Bella on a budget. I have to pick and choose my purchases carefully. Next I’ll probably try the Essential Serum For Oily Skin, since I’m on a mission to be completely matte. After that I want to get the Hair Balm, and Lisa’s Hair Elixir. The chemical fire cream that I slathered on my scalp for years has truncated my hair growth. I want to see if Carol’s Daughter products can restore life to my traumatized tresses.

* I wanted to add that I heard through the PR grapevine that Lisa from Carol’s Daughter loved my review! Holla back, Lisa – I have product suggestions! And for my Bay area readers (do I have any of those yet?) I hear there’s going to be a very similar Carol’s Daughter  event in a Sephora in San Francisco. Stay tuned for more details!

Ladies, meet Oreo Fun Barbie. To quote Adam Sandler in that hilarious Saturday Night Live sketch – “Who were the ad wizards that came up with this one?” Learn more in Wikipedia’s exhaustive Barbie entry.

The recent remake of the infamous 1950’s “Doll Test” by an intrepid 17 year old filmmaker, Kiri Davis, has been making waves recently. Davis has been interviewed on CNN and many other mainstream news networks, and the reaction to her film always seems to be a variation on surprise. I found the results to be heartbreaking, but not surprising. I can’t be surprised that any of the little kids chose the white dolls, when so many of our modern day black celebrities seem to strive to look like white Barbie.

I for one would rather see India.Arie or Janelle Monae or Leela James at the top of the charts, and all up on MTV and BET.

Kiri Davis is a brave and talented woman for putting this out there. And all of the girls she interviewed are also gorgeous. Natural hair, dreadlocks, or relaxed; with skin in shades ranging from dark cocoa to chai latte. We have to learn to accept our beauty as a fact, and teach the truth to our children. We are all beautiful, and our futures are just as bright as anyone else’s. But it’s important that we believe it to the fullest.

So today, I want every woman (regardless of color) who reads this to go look in the mirror and smile. Know that you’re gorgeous, honey. Don’t let the world make you feel otherwise.

If you’re a beautiful cocoa or caramel colored sister, then you already know all about this stuff.

I guess the first time I used a fade cream was in high school. I don’t remember if my family turned me on to them, or if it was my school friends. I do recall that most of the girls in my class used them. Clareesha used Ambi. Tawanda used Crusader. Mary used Topiclear. Mariah used Palmer’s Skin Success. And so on. The names have been changed to protect the innocent, but you catch my drift. They were popular products among my peers. The one that we used was called – wait for it – Fair and White. I kid you not. Read the rest of this entry »