Purple has been my favorite color for as long as I can remember. From lavender to aubergine, it doesn’t matter the shade. My purple passion hasn’t faded with age. When I was little, my parents dissuaded me from having a purple bedroom. Recently, my husband talked me out of choosing a purple car.

Every autumn, the trend mavens start pitching purple to the public (say that three times fast). At the Emmys, violet gowns were all the rage. I definitely have some pretty purple pieces sprinkled throughout my closet, but my favorite trend of the season is purple makeup. I personally think the color looks good on just about anyone, if applied correctly. Dark shades of purple look especially glorious on women of color. One of the many advantages of having beautiful brown skin is the ability to wear any color. Subtle purple makeup can also add some zing to an otherwise tame grey or black outfit.
For an everyday look, less is more. I start out with one of my favorite items to stock up on at Sephora. Here’s a tip for the Sephora-phobic – the Sephora brand slim eye pencils are a steal of a deal. Four bucks! They come in an incredible array of colors, and unlike other eye pencils I deign to mention that hardly leave a mark no matter how hard I try (or almost put out my eye), the Sephora actually leave a defined, smooth line on my eye. I own these in orchid purple and violet 216 (among other colors), and every time I wear this combination I get crazy compliments.

I line my top lid with these two shades of purple(or smudge them together if I want to), and I line my bottom lid with the usual black. Then I go over it with one of the purple liners for a little extra pop of color. Once I was lucky enough to get a makeover by Victor C of MAC Cosmetics. He did an amazing job, and made me feel like a goddess. Victor highlighted my lids with this shadow in Twinks, a shade described as dirty plum with gold reflects. It was gorgeous, and I’ve been meaning to buy it for myself ever since. And while I’m there, I totally should treat myself to this. I’m a fool for MAC. I can’t afford their stuff, but I totally fantasize about owning all of their colors and displaying them in some kind of fabulous hot pink Caboodles box.

I’m also a sucker for purple lip gloss. My current faves are tinted lipglass in Boldheart and Cargo’s Lip Gloss Duo in Oulu.

I normally would never pay $20 bucks for lipgloss, but I just had to buy it. It totally called my name. The darker shade goes on slick and shiny, and the lighter goes on well over lipsticks for an innocent, understated sparkle. Unfortunately, these glosses don’t last long. Despite the need for constant reapplication, I don’t regret the purchase. It was just too pretty to pass up.

Is it just me, or does Corinne Bailey Rae look alot like Josephine Baker? They both have wonderfully expressive eyes.

Love Josephine’s eyes in this photo. I. Want. Corinne’s. Hair!!! The chic site 55 Secret Street has a styling suggestion for twist outs, and a brush with the chanteuse herself. I love Rae’s delicate songs, Like a Star and Choux Pastry Heart. Bless her. I always have love for ladies who aren’t afraid to step away from the norm, who express a unique style. Funny, because on her VH1 Soul countdown, she picked Beyonce for her number one video! Their fashion senses couldn’t be more different, I think.I plan to try twisting out my hair this week. I might have alot of time for at home beauty treatments on my hands, if Ernesto decides to terrorize Miami. Just when I was hoping we’d escape unscathed this hurricane season. I’m approaching this week with extreme trepidation.

Thursday was like a holy pilgrimage for a product junkie like me. I have wanted to try Carol’s Daughter products ever since Oprah gave them the big thumbs up in her magazine. Then Jada Pinkett, Jay-Z, and Mary J. Blige came on board, and they opened a big store in New York that I yearned to shop at. (Don’t get me started on New York. The resources for curly-haired girls there seem to be mind-boggling. Every time I hear about a great new product or salon, it’s in NYC. I want to go on an AfroBella sabbatical there, someday.) I was often tempted to just purchase the products online, but I wasn’t sure where to begin. The names all seemed so intriguing and mysterious. Khoret Amen. Tui. Clarity. I wanted to smell them. I wanted to feel the texture of the product before I made a decision. Finally, Carol’s Daughter products became available at Sephora. Not all Sephoras, mind you. It really annoys me that this product wouldn’t be deemed universally desirable. What’s the big demographic difference between Aventura and Dadeland Mall?

I got to Aventura Mall around 2:00. Mary J. Blige wasn’t expected to make an appearance until 5. I do love Mary, but I didn’t come to the event planning to meet her. I was there to meet Lisa Price. She’s the creator of Carol’s Daughter, and started making the products in her kitchen back in 1993. Her success story reminds me of black beauty products pioneers like Madame C.J Walker and Annie Malone. From the outset it was evident that this event would be different and special. Velvet ropes snaked a Z shaped line outside the store. A DJ booth was set up at the front of Sephora – the first time Dem Franchise Boyz and Rick Ross was played in those scented halls, I’m certain. When I met Lisa, I immediately complimented her on her fabulous turquoise and gold paisley skirt. “Girl, I got this at Marshall’s,” she laughed. That was all she needed to say. Lisa’s an AfroBella kind of lady; a bargain shopper with an eye for quality. Read the rest of this entry »

I purchased Optimum Oil Therapy on a Walgreens whim. Whenever I go to a drug store I always wind up drawn to the ethnic section. It’s like a tractor beam. I stand there staring at the same old small section of familiar products. Queen Helene’s there, next to African Royale. TCB, Dax, and Duke are on the bottom shelf, next to S-Curl and VO5 grease in the tube. A giant spray can of Olive Oil, Just For Me, and a lot of bottles that have the word “Gro” on the label clutter the shelves. Then there’s my least favorite hair product, Luster’s Pink Oil.

Forgive me, Pink ladies. I have given this pastel goop enough of a try. In an ideal example of buyer’s remorse, I even once spent money on the Light Pink Oil. There was nothing light about it. It was just as goopy and sticky as its Pepto Bismol colored sister. And it still made my hair look like I had used Soul Glo.
So when I saw this stuff, I got a little excited. Optimum smelled better than Pink Oil, and it claimed to have “micro-oil technology,” whatever that meant. Curly hair needs moisture; it drinks it up like a sponge. But products like this don’t moisturize my hair effectively. Instead, the oil weighs down my curls and I wind up with Billy Ocean hair.

Not cool. I’m glad I only spent $3.99 on this; otherwise I’d be a lot angrier with myself for wasting money on lame products.

The New York Times published an excellent article about mineral powders this week, that somewhat related to my earlier post. I am primarily a cosmetics cheapskate, and I try to abstain from Sephora, simply because I always blow at least $100 when I go there. But Southpaw’s glowing reviews of Bare Escentuals (left in the comments page) combined with the opinions expressed on Makeup Alley, led me to ask for a sample of their stuff when I attended the Carol’s Daughter event on Thursday. In fact, even Lisa Price (the creator of the ethnic beauty product line) told me that she used their Mineral Veil to prevent shine. That could have made all the difference in MJB’s pics, and mine which I will post later. The sample I got was small, but the effects were noticeable. I wore it out last night, and sat outside drinking mojitos in a still Miami summer night. I definitely perspired a fair amount, but my makeup lasted till morning. Also, I want to note that I have enlarged pores and I think the powder minimizes their appearance. Careful application and a good moisturizer base is key. I will eventually have to make a decision. Should I buy Bare Essentials Mineral Veil ($19, not bad) or Philosophy’s The Supernatural Airbrushed Canvas for $35? I absolutely adore Philosophy, so I’m actually leaning towards spending more. I’m looking for a mineral powder with a sunscreen that will let my skin breathe while making it look matte and blemish free. Any reader feedback would be much appreciated!

Talk about gorgeous. I know I’m not alone in saying that Billie Holiday is one of my absolute ultimate beauty icons. In her early years, she was as beautiful as the gardenias she wore in her hair. By her forties, she looked like a faded rose. Don’t click that unless you want to see the unvarnished ravages of heroin. Her clavicles are sharper than Nicole Richie’s. Besides Billie’s music, her most lasting legacy is a testimony to the perils of rough living and heartbreak.

This week I was privileged enough to interview a living legend. Little Jimmy Scott is an 81 year old jazz singer who Billie Holiday once described as her favorite singer. His life is absolutely fascinating. The hereditary condition Kallman’s Syndrome deprived him of puberty, and so even today his voice is warm and womanly. He spoke candidly about his memories of Billie. “We lived closely the same life. She was one who struggled with her career. And the unfairness of managers and agents, she went through that also. She was just a good kid that needed love, like most of us do, you dig? If she had had that, I’m quite sure her life wouldn’t have been as brutal. Because love won’t let you kill yourself, you see? If a person loves you, they’re not gonna see you kill yourself,” he said. His words touched me tremendously and shed even more light on her too-brief, tragically wondrous life.

I’ve spent many a day moping around my bedroom listening to Billie. I love her early songs, when she was fresh and sassy, but the ones that really get me are her latter hits. Strange Fruit, God Bless the Child, Autumn in New York, Solitude; where her voice vibrates with honesty and pain. This performance was filmed in 1957, two years before she (and saxophonist Lester Young) died. It’s probably the most recognized jazz performance in television history.

Her skin looks a bit rough from certain angles here, but in the luminescence of vintage black and white footage, she’s stunning to me. I wonder how she would have filmed under today’s less-than-flattering high definition cameras? (For an idea, I’d say see Mary J Blige in the post below).

For a Billie Holiday-inspired look, I turn to her most iconic images.

Dark, perfectly plucked, arched brows, ruby lips, and a flower in my hair. She knew how to rock a hair accessory like none other. Niecy Nash from my Dad’s favorite show Reno 911 is often seen with a flower pinned in her hair as well. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. Read the rest of this entry »