Afrobellas and other bellas (and fellas!), I just want to show you all some love.

I come home tired and dejected to an inbox full of comments and it just lifts my spirits like nothing else. You keep me going, and I appreciate that! In recent weeks I have gotten e mails from Portugal and Kenya, Zimbabwe and the UK, all loving my site and living the naturally beautiful life.

Yesterday I got this wonderful comment from SannaJohanna, a reader from the Nordic countries who replied to my post about ganguro girls. Here’s a quote:

“Off topic: ironic thing is that though this seems to be a site for georgeous black girls I´ve found more reasonable tips here than other sites desinged for caucasian girls.”

That really surprised me and made me happy. I started Afrobella because I wasn’t seeing women like me represented in the media or in other beauty websites. The fact that I’m reaching other ethnicities and genders feels good. Although this site is very “sistacentric” and will always focus on celebrating the beauty of women of color, I want to say welcome to all readers.

Holla back, I love hearing where you all are from and how you discovered my site! Your comments keep me going, and I have to say thank you all so much for your feedback and encouragement. I see Afrobella as a movement, and this is only the beginning!

I was sent some Carol’s Daughter products by a very nice PR lady about a month ago, and I have taken my sweet time trying them and reviewing them. Finally, I’m ready to come clean with my true feelings about the products I tried.

Bellas, I love what Lisa Price has created. More power to her, for creating a quality line of products for natural beauties. I adore the Hair Milk – Lisa was right when she advised me to spring for the $16 bottle as versus the $10 bottle. I use Hair Milk almost daily, and if I’m not using that, I’m using Lisa’s Hair Elixir which I also love.

I’m alllll about the Almond Cookie, and now, finally I understand why Lisa urged me to get the Black Vanilla Leave In Conditioner; the smell of that product is heavenly. Especially when I compare it to the Khoret Amen. Let me backtrack a bit.

At the Mary J. Blige event I spent a great deal of time in the Carol’s Daughter aisle, smelling stuff and rubbing lotions on my hands. Jamaican Punch was too sweet and Kool-Aidy, I wasn’t feeling the Ocean. But the Khoret Amen appealed to me. I believe I said it smelled “like I died and went to ylang-ylang heaven” at the time.

Initially it smelled strong and unique, “sensual and woodsy” like the container said. I thought I could get down with Khoret Amen. I was wrong.

Sense of smell is such a subjective thing. What one person thinks is delicious-smelling, another person might find stank. Body chemistry definitely plays a role in our olfactory interpretations. For example, mi amiga Motown Girl describes the Hair Milk as “very stinky,” but I love it because it reminds me of Indian delicacies. Another case in point, the review at the bottom of this Amazon listing for the Khoret Amen Hair Oil. That lady loves the scent. For me, Khoret Amen had an attractive scent in the bottle. Then I put it on my hair and that was an entirely different story.

Sephora lists the ingredients for Khoret Amen as including lavender flowers, sage, ylang-ylang, clary sage, and bay leaf. The Carol’s Daughter site adds blue malva, cedarwood, and patchouli. On me, it smelled a lot like Vetiver, the grass root that my mother keeps little ribbon-tied bundles of in her closet instead of moth balls.

Vetiver is used as a base note in many popular scents, so some of you are probably familiar with it and enjoy the smell. (Also, vetiver is often used in witchcraft. Which reminds me, happy halloween, everyone!) To me, it takes me back to being six and playing with my dolls in my mother’s closet. I’ve never cared for the scent.

On my hair, woodsy = funky = bad. And it failed the husband smell test; he was like “Ick! What did you wash your hair with?” Not a good sign. So I have to say the nay-no to Khoret Amen not for the quality of the product – the Hair Smoothie isn’t for traditional in-the-shower conditioner use. It worked great when used with my steam cap, and made my curls coily and happy. The leave-in worked well enough. But I won’t be buying Khoret Amen again. It doesn’t mesh well with my chemistry.

Hey Carol’s Daughter, why not make an Almond Cookie hair smoothie, oil, and leave-in? That would be delicious!

When I originally conceived of this tribute to aging Afrobellas, I envisioned highlighting five brilliant women and ending with a big interview. But so many other afrobellas who have influenced me kept coming to the forefront. It became stressful to choose just one more. Then I realized I don’t have to choose one, I can shine a light on the women who inspired me, who paved the way for all of us to express ourselves artistically and sartorially, who are still out there doing great things. One of the first women who came to mind was Ruby Dee, who appears to be having a fabulous time with Angela Bassett and Oprah here.

I love seeing powerful black women standing together, basking in each other’s glow. This photo warmed my heart, to see Ruby laughing and happy. I remember crying in my parked car, listening to a compelling interview with her on NPR in which she spoke so eloquently on love and loss following Ossie Davis’s death.

I am happy to report that at age 82 (her birthday was October 27. Happy belated, Ruby!) she is still acting, and has two projects scheduled for release in 2007. She is living proof that you are only as old as you feel, or as limited as you allow yourself to be. Her 50-year-long marriage to the late Mr. Davis offers hope to so many couples who struggle in this era of disposable relationships.

Longevity is possible, and can truly be a beautiful and inspiring thing. Hats off to you, Ruby Dee!

I was never allowed to watch Dynasty and I was born long after Julia had come and gone, but Diahann Carroll has always been an influence for me. She is a rare talent, a beautiful woman who is a truly undeniable stage presence, who can also sing her butt off. I can’t think of a single contemporary actress who can pull that off. Talk about breaking down doors, the divine Miss Carroll was the first African-American woman to star in her own weekly TV series, and she showed the world how absolutely fabulous an African American woman could be as she held her ground against Joan Collins and Linda Evans. This site offers a wonderful timeline of her evolving look, for those seeking beauty inspiration. I was so happy and proud to see her recently on Grey’s Anatomy.

I sincerely hope that this is the beginning of a trend, that Hollywood will recognize how many incredibly talented black actors and actresses are still out there, ready and able to work. Thank you Shonda Rimes for bringing Diahann back into the spotlight!

If you’re talking bellas with big, fabulous hair, forget the weaved-in contemporaries. For big-haired bombast, Ain’t Nobody can beat Chaka Khan. I absolutely adore Chaka! “Tell Me Something Good” is one of my favorite songs of the Seventies funk era. Back in the day Chaka was sexy and deadly on the mike – Check her out in this retro-cool video clip, proving her musical versatility.

Her staying power is amazing! When I was little, “I Feel For You” was the jam. Think of how many of Chaka Khan’s hits live on today in the form of samples and loving remakes by contemporary artists. “Through the Fire, “Sweet Thing”, and of course, the perennial women’s anthem. I love Whitney’s version, but this is still Chaka’s song in my opinion. Go on and sing along – you know you want to!

Enjoy, ladies! FYI, Chaka is still singing, still sexy, and her hair is just as big and fabulous as ever!

If it’s Monday morning and you’re reading this, odds are I’m hustling to get ready for a stressful day at work, and I am drinking a strong cup of tea. I believe I made mention of my love for tea before, but bear with me while I gush for a moment. There are few beverages more pleasurable to me than what my mother refers to as a N.C.O.T (Nice Cup Of Tea). I drink black tea when I wake up in the morning (the first thing I do in the morning is put my kettle on), I typically order iced tea when I get lunch, I get the green tea frap at Starbucks, and often, I drink a cup of yerba mate or rooibos before bed.

I love tea for its health benefits, flavor, and variety. So when a friendly PR vixen contacted me about Tracy Stern’s products, my interest level was extremely high. Beauty products infused with tea? That’s a match made in Afrobella heaven.

Now on the surface, Tracy Stern and I seem pretty diametrically opposed. She’s a wealthy socialite, I’m a hardworking writer. But at least one thing unites us – a firm belief in the practice of afternoon teatime. A cup of Lipton’s red tea with Harvest Strawberry and Passionfruit puts the entire rest of the day in acceptable perspective for me. I’m still itching to get my hands on Tracy’s Salontea line of loose brews, specifically blended with adorable titles.

How fitting – Chai, my favorite kind, is dubbed “The Writer.” Even more so, Chocolate Chai is “The Lover.” I’m a lover and a writer. Sounds sweet to me!

My interest is particularly piqued by the Beauty Teas. I really want to try the Toxic Beauty which combines St. John’s Wart, mistletoe, lemongrass, blackberry, nettle, and ginkgo leaves to rev up weight loss and antioxidant levels, and the Natural Beauty, which promises to assist with glowing skin, long hair, and nail strength. (Hey, the Beauteas come in an adorable gift package! What a great idea for Christmas!)

Tracy Stern’s beauty products are all infused with tea as well. I was lucky enough to get two of the Salontea Signature Soap Bars, in The Society Hostess, an enchanting black tea vanilla bar, and The Romantic, green tea with jasmine flowers.

I adore scented soaps, and I love them even more when the ingredients aren’t the kind of multi-syllabic words that I can hardly pronounce.

Tracy Stern soaps are made with olive oil, coconut oil, palm oil, soybean oil, green tea leaves, fragrance, and alkali. Nothing more. I’ve been showering with The Society Hostess (well that sounds weird, doesn’t it?) and I adore it. The scent fills the bathroom and lingers on my skin. The soaps aren’t drying, and the fragrance is strong and long lasting, but doesn’t clash with my perfume (like some other soaps that the husband insists on buying).

Each bar costs $12, and for the tea lover in your life, one of Tracy Stern’s pretty pink packaged Beauty Gifts might make for a lovely Christmas package.

I also puckered up for Tracy Stern’s Lipbalm tea, and while the Green Tea rose scent was mild and pleasant, there was no flavor or pizzazz about this lipbalm for me. Call me obvious and cheap, but my current balm of choice is Skittles Strawberry. I’m just saying, I want my lipbalm to taste like something yummy if I’m paying $6 for it. Perhaps the chai is better.

Despite the lack of flavor, my lips loved this emollient balm that slicked on smooth and made them kissably soft. Again, the ingredients reveal a less-is-more philosophy; the balm is made of coconut oil, beeswax, grape seed oil, jojoba, rose oil, and vitamin E. All good stuff.

So if you’re like me and nothing beats a good cuppa, then I suggest you submerge your senses with an infusion of Tracy Stern’s tea products. They’re available online, and a chi chi boutiques, spas, and funky shops nationwide.

Alrighty, I know calling this Afrobella of the Week is a total misnomer for two reasons.

1. I run out of gas by Friday or wind up too busy, so it really winds up being Afrobella of the Fortnight. But that doesn’t have the same ring to it, now does it?

and 2. Jill Scott ain’t a weekly phenom. She’s my Afrobella of the Decade. She’s my Miss Jenkins. Don’t you say nothing bad about Miss Jenkins!

I distinctly remember the first time I saw Jill, in the video for “Gettin In the Way.” It was a landmark moment for me, because I had never seen a sassy, thick, naturally beautiful woman on BET in a primo spot before. I mean, that video was on during the day, not relegated to Midnight Love hours.

Ever since then, I’ve loved Jilly from Philly. I’m a total stan. I own all of her albums, and Dave Chappelle’s Block Party was on repeat at our place for a while (because I love Jill, and Dead Prez, and The Roots, and Cody Chestnutt… but most of all because I MISS Dave Chappelle!!! Come back to your fans, Dave!).

To me, Jill Scott is the essence of soul.

Not to mention the fact that people tell me I look like her all the time.

I know that I don’t, not REALLY, but hey – it’s a much better compliment than “you look like Sybil.” (A brief aside – does ANYBODY remember Sybil? I KNOW Rich from Four Four does, he has to! I loved this song!)

Seriously, I had a lady come up to me at Publix to ask me if I was Jill Scott one time. I was so delighted I just about skipped out of the store.

Lordy, if I could interview Jill Scott I would probably make a babbling fool of myself. I’d wind up crying and telling her how much I love her music.

Even though Jill’s hair is straight and retro in her latest video, I had to name her Afrobella of the Week. She’s so amazing. I had a difficult time choosing a Jill Scott video – do I pick a live version of “You Got Me”, or “Golden,” which always lifts my spirits? Then there’s “Gimme,” which is guaranteed to get y’all dancing on this beautiful Friday? Or how about this incredible clip of her singing “Good Morning Heartache”? (Fresh, look out for LaMichael at the beginning!)

I even contemplated posting this audio-only clip of “The Thickness”, just because Jill so eloquently captures the essence of what Afrobella is all about. Seriously, if you’re a big beautiful black girl and you’ve never heard “The Thickness,” you owe it to yourself.

But I finally decided on “Daydreaming,” with Lupe Fiasco. Jill sounds perfect and looks absolutely gorgeous! I adore her makeup in this video. This is my JAM, y’all. Hope you enjoy it.

Congratulations, Jill – you’re Afrobella of the Week!

Shannon, of the informative and honest beauty blog A Girl’s Gotta Spa! contacted me for an interview about ethnic beauty. I was more than happy (and honored) to oblige, and you can read the results on the Pierce Mattie site, as well as on Makeup Minute.

Shannon also interviewed Lianne, the expert behind the incredible The Makeup Girl blog. Lianne is one of very few black beauty bloggers, and she’s a skilled makeup artist. I was in great company!

The interview was inspired by the latest line of Jane Iredale products, called Global Beauty.

I sincerely hope that this product line is part of a continuing and growing trend of more makeup for women of color, in stronger, darker, brighter, and better colors. Like I always say, all shades of beautiful.

Check it out, and feel free to leave a comment!