This is my internal crisis as a beauty blogger — Rome is burning. The economy is in the veritable toilet. A gas shortage is crippling parts of the South. Banks are eating each other, and thanks to global warming, so are polar bears. What is this world coming to? And here I am, going to write about makeup? Sometimes I look at the list of products that I have to review, and I feel so conflicted.

I figure the best I can do is:
a. suggest products for bellas on a budget,
b. tell you which products to avoid at all costs, and
c. let you know which products are truly worth your purchase.

Because the bellas who can afford to whimsically purchase a $60 bronzer based on a cavalier product review are lessening in number. I’m gonna focus on my essential favorite items by two of the top makeup brands on fancy department store shelves — Bobbi Brown and Shu Uemura.

I still remember getting confused between Bobby and Bobbi Brown. The makeup artist started her product line in 1991, and since then she’s all but eclipsed my instant name-association with Whitney’s ex. Bobbi Brown is known as a must-have, subtle and classy brand by any cosmetics-loving diva. If a makeup pro like Lianne the Makeup Girl raves over Bobbi Brown’s stuff, you know it’s worth a purchase.

Bobbi always has great palettes — exhibit A, the Shimmering Nudes palette, and exhibit B, my new obsession, the Moon Rock Long Wear Eye Palette — four “celestially inspired” long wear cream eye shadows that can be also used as liner. $55, but the gorgeous silver fox who runs the Bobbi Brown counter at Saks Dadeland, assured me it would last forever.

She didn’t convince me to buy the eye palette, but she DID convince me to buy Bobbi Brown’s famous bronze shimmer brick compact — that’s it up above. $38. Absolutely no regrets. I have used this thing every day since I bought it. It makes my cheeks look luminous, and used individually as eye highlighters, makes my eyes look incredibly bright and glowy. Loves. This is a bronzer for all shades of beautiful, but I think it’s especially wonderful for beautiful brown skin. It can be subtly shimmery on its own, or swirled over your fave blush to add an extra dimension of gorgeous.

The Saks makeup artist dusted it on my cheekbones, then highlighted my brow bone with the lightest shade. I was initially skeptical, but instantly convinced. Love the shimmer brick, and any bella who loves an outstanding eye that can go from day to night with subtle but effective layering, will adore the metallic eye shadows. I’ve been rocking these in broad daylight as an easy daytime face, just a dusting along my eyelid, and a lightly applied fingertip to highlight the brow bone. Finish with black liner alone the lash line, coat of mascara, and I’m out the door. Sage (a shimmering gray green), and Penny (bangin’ golden copper) are my favorites.

Other products I’d like to snag from Bobbi Brown? I hear great things about the Brownie shimmer brick, and the pink ribbon Breast Cancer Month lip collection looks universally flattering. Multitaskers, busy bellas, and newbies to the makeup scene would do well with the basics palettes, perfect starter sets in compact packages you can take and use anywhere.

I’ve already done quite a few Shu Uemura reviews — still loving the cleansing oil, which d’oh! Would have been great in a travel bottle for the trip to Vegas, and I told ya, the Fiber Xtension mascara is a great secret weapon for special occasions. Shu Uemura is primarily known for their crazy false lashes (like, for example the Tokyo Lash Bar collection). I couldn’t apply them onto myself in Vegas, but my sister in law Katrin did, and she rocked a pair very similar to these, that had a pretty greenish strip to bring out the color of her eyes. Lashes can be insanely pricey — like these Viktor and Rolf lashes,which go for $95 a pop dontcha know.

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Just about six weeks left to election day, and it’s getting scary.

Among a scattered few of my peers, I am almost sensing some Obama backlash. This is mostly anecdotal, friend of friend stuff, but I’ll hear something like, my friend’s biracial but he’s not voting for Obama because everyone expects him to. (really?) A bella I respect recently declared to me, “neither of the candidates inspire me. Imma just stay home November 4.”

I think the stakes are too high for people to just stay home. Not after the last 8 years, and the mess this country has found itself in.

Every so often, I still hear criticism about Barack Obama that I just don’t understand. Don’t get me wrong — I believe there are legitimate reasons to criticize any politician. No man is a messiah. I actually like hearing dissenting perspectives, when they’re well voiced and intelligent and give me something to mentally chew over. But what I don’t get, is the people who refer to the man as Hussein or Osama, or who say disparaging things about my BFF in the head Michelle (don’t talk bad about Michelle around me, I take it personally). I can’t abide that kind of ignorance.

I get angry at the idiots who still talk about Obama being a secret Muslim (despite the angry Christian pastor) or having a dodgy birth certificate, which has been roundly debunked by Snopes and FactCheck.org. As if religion should be an automatic disqualification for being leader of the free world. With the economy in the state it’s in, I personally don’t care about the faith of the person steering the ship, as long as they can navigate us out of this mire.

I still read comments from people who refer to him as a “stuffed suit” with “empty promises” — to which I say, show me a politician that HASN’T made empty promises. Show me a politician who has consistently delivered on everything they’ve promised, who has never said anything stupid or made a mistake or been greedy. Show me that politician, and I’ll show you someone who just hasn’t been caught at a bad moment yet. The kind of politricking that Stevie Wonder outlines in Big Brother , has been happening in politics since the beginning of the two party system. If not before that.

In my opinion, dismissing Obama as an empty hope promiser is just cynical. And lazy. Look, it’s easy — clicky click. If you care to learn more about Obama/Biden, start reading. If you don’t, then that’s your perogrative. Just keep it 100, and don’t deride him with jibber jabber like, “I don’t know what he stands for,” if you haven’t even tried to read and find out. Pick a more informed reason to dissent.

I sincerely believe in knowing and considering the policies of the candidates on every side of the fence — an educated voter would know the platforms of Obama, McCain, McKinney, and even Bob Barr and Ralph Nader, who were excluded from this year’s debates. But this election is so passionate, so heated, too easily swayed by emotions and anger. People are responding to non stories and half-truths instead of facts. Like I said, scary. And entirely too close for comfort.

I don’t mean to preach. I don’t consider myself an Obamabot. I actually really resent that term, and I am incensed by those who assume that just because I’m black, I’m backing Barack. I’ve been hearing people who I usually should respect talking that kind of mess, and it really irks me to the core. It assumes a lack of intelligence that I find incredibly insulting.

My reasons for supporting Barack Obama go deeper than our shared skin tone. I’ve read the man’s policies. I’ve watched his speeches. I support his health care plan. I think he’s got an astute plan to save our economy, and as someone who has lived in the USA for a decade while still keeping close ties to my island home — I believe that the impact his presidency could have on the world’s view of America would be incredibly positive. Those are some of the reasons why I’ll be dressed like a Smurf tomorrow, Tuesday September 30, for Obama blue day. It’s my way of making a statement without saying a word. And to pipe up for my BFF Lauren, the self-described “jewbella” who sent me this hilarious link, that’s also what The Great Schlep is all about – raising awareness and attempting to enter a dialogue with those who might not agree with you. (Sarah Silverman, LOL!)

Already rumors are swirling thick and fast about November 4 — can you, or can you not wear election gear to the polls? Newsweek claims that the GOP is working to keep eligible African-Americans from voting in several states. Is that true? Monday, October 6th, is the final day to register new voters. OMG, that’s coming up soon!

Regardless of if you share my political feelings or not, you can’t deny the importance of this election. After the debacle of the previous ones, with so many reports of questionable voting machines and uncounted votes, it’s expected that this year’s election day will be crazy. According to the Washington Post:

“The crush of voters will strain a system already in the midst of transformation, with jurisdictions introducing new machines and rules to avoid the catastrophe of the deadlocked 2000 election and the lingering controversy over the 2004 outcome. Even within the past few months, cities and counties have revamped their processes: Nine million voters, including many in the battleground states of Ohio, Florida and Colorado, will use equipment that has changed since March.”

That sounds dire. But you can avoid Election Day drama, make sure your vote is counted, AND do it while rocking your Ojamas, Michelle Obama Wonder Woman tee, or Runway to Change designer shirt. (psst – LOVE that Tracy Reese!)

Click here to request a Vote By Mail ballot and vote early right now by mail. If you live in Florida, North Carolina, Oregon, Tennessee, or Texas, you can click here to find out about early voting in your state. What are you waiting for?

** I feel the need to end this post with a disclaimer, after some of the comments I got after my last political post.

I respect and welcome dissenting opinion, and I realize anytime I post anything political these days I am just opening myself up for comments from people who are so not Afrobella regulars who spend their days seeking out blogs where they can vent their political emotions. I know what I am getting into. Just please keep your race baiting, hatred, rage, and foul language off my comments thread. If you’ve got something to say, please say it with smarts and class. Aim to drop some knowledge. And if you can’t, expect to find your comment deleted with a quickness. Thanks.

Today, September 28, 2008, marks four decades that my parents have been married.

40 years is no joke, especially considering my parents’ unusual romance. As my dad himself disclosed in an awesome comment on my Vegas post, he has “also experienced some negative reactions from family, friends and even people who do not know me at all, because I married MY soulmate, who was older than me with two children. I said ”was”, because now she is much younger that me….. at least, that is how she looks to me.”

I must say, Mama Bella does look stunning. And not a lick of plastic surgery or cosmetic injectables on her, for the record. She’s an obsessive water drinker, and that’s one of her beauty secrets I need to work on if I want to look like her when I’m in my Tina Turner years.

My parents were both born and raised in Belmont, a suburb of Port of Spain in Trinidad. My mother was 29 and divorced, raising two kids on her own — my sister Petal and my brother Clint. My father was just 19 years old, the best friend of her baby brother, my uncle Rhoden. My father recounted the relationship for me on the phone today.

“The circumstances that brought us together were not the best. There were so many people who weren’t ready for us, who tried to interfere in our lives. The world wasn’t ready for us, and those difficulties made us stick together. Because of all of that, we bonded, and we became best friends. Not everybody was supportive, from family right down. People just stop talking to you, everybody makes your business, their business. Your mother is an extremely courageous woman to have stuck through it with me. She got it from all sides, from her parents, her sisters, her brother, her friends. She saw gold in me. What I had in me, I didn’t even know yet. But she saw gold.”

My parents eloped, and famously, Mama Bella wore a white leather mini dress to her wedding. Hey, it was the Sixties!

They had three children of their own, my brothers Patrick and Dominic, then me almost ten years later, long after they assumed no more kids were in store.

I’m not going to sit here and pretend that it’s been a seamless and idyllic 40 years. My parents have been through just about everything. “We have withstood things that have led many other couples to divorce,” my dad informed me today. Watching my parents marriage – the loving moments and the arguments, the lofty ambitions and the crushing disappointments, struggles over money and the rewards of hard work, and between it all managing to raise five children and realize quite a few of their shared dreams — has been an invaluable education for me. Without all of that, I wouldn’t be the Afrobella you are reading today.

When I asked Mama and Papa Bella their secrets to lasting love, their answers were unsurprisingly similar.

“Prayer first, and compromise. And prayer to help you through the compromise. Unhesitatingly, I will tell you that,” my mother said with a hearty laugh.

My dad replied, “Prayers. And luck. Finding the right person has a lot to do with it, and most times people choose the wrong person. So there’s an element of luck. Marriage can be heaven or hell. But once you find the right person, you live a good life, and you pray, and you share everything the good and the bad, in sickness and in health – you good. I sometimes wonder what my life would have been like, without your mother. I can’t even imagine. I don’t think anyone else in the world could have been as compatible with me.”

As their youngest daughter, I gotta say that I agree. Despite so many odds — a ten year age difference, being practically excommunicated by their families (most everyone has come around, I’m happy to report), and some really trying times and marital obstacles, my parents have stuck it through. Forty years! That deserves some kind of reward, and they’ve found that in each other. Mom and Dad, I love you very, very much. Here’s to many, many more wonderful years to come. I learn more and more invaluable lessons in life and love from you every day — thank you so much for allowing me to share the lessons I’ve learned from you, with so many people around the world. Love! What a beautiful thing.

Hey bellas — Feel free to wish Mama and Papa Bella a happy anniversary — most of you who read this blog regularly know that they’re reading and will most likely leave a comment of their own somewhere!

You bellas are so beautiful. Your comments yesterday brought happy tears to my eyes. Quite a few of you had beauty questions sprinkled in between the compliments to my hubby (as if his head isn’t big enough, LOL), and I wanted to share the tips I used when I was workin’ it in Vegas. I took a bunch of new products with me to see if they stood up to the desert heat!

The temperatures out there are typically brutal, but at this time of year it’s lovely to be outdoors. Strolling the strip on a September Sunday evening was breezy, warm, and comfortable. During the day, it’s definitely hot, but because the heat is dry it felt equally comfortable in the pool as it did in the hot tub. Weird. Because I’m so used to moist environments (Trinidad and Miami are both humid as all get out, but at least Trinidad has island breezes to cool you down from time to time), I knew I had to take special beauty precautions. Filling up my travel size bottles with coconut oil proved to be an excellent idea. The hairstyling products I took with me to Vegas? I kept it simple with pure coconut oil, Carol’s Daughter Hair Milk, and Miss Jessie’s Curly Meringue, which I used to style my hair in the black B&Lu dress photo in the previous post.

To protect my hair from drying out from chlorine and sun exposure while lounging poolside, I slathered on some coconut oil on the roots of my hair, and sprayed my ends (and the rest of it) with Phyto Plage protective beach spray, an olive-oil based UV protectant that is a tad greasy, but definitely worked to moisturize my situation. It costs $20 and lasts, so I’d say it’s a worthwhile investment if you’re a regular sunbather.

I already gave it up for the Neutrogena Ultra Sheer for all over body use, but what about the face? Poolside I used My Blend Power Veil, which kept the rays at bay. (It’s pricey, though — I know there are other SPF40 face products on the market that work well, so bellas on a budget should keep on looking).

Daily moisturizer is absolutely essential in dry desert heat, and Lierac’s Mat Chrono Moisturizing Emulsion was my skin SOS.

This clear serum was sent me to me shortly before the trip, and I’m so glad I took it with me — thanks to Lierac, my skin didn’t dry out completely. On my face, anyway — I definitely have drier skin in my hard-to-reach-didn’t-get-enough-sun-protection areas, and since I’ve been back my organic sugar scrub by Sally B’s Skin Yummies has been salvation for the elbows, knees, and weather-roughened areas. To keep my legs and feet from looking like I was kicking flour, I packed a little sample of Nettiescrub’s body butter — it’s super thick and very moisturizing for problem areas (like the sides of my feet). Love me some Nettiescrub!

Let’s talk wedding day makeup — I wanted my look to last all wedding long, so I layered on my favorite MAC Paintpot — artifact to layer, and I lined around my eyes with my fave purple Milani color brilliance eye pencil. Had a mini meltdown when trying to apply fake strip lashes by myself, so I just layered on Shu Uemura Fiber Xtension mascara. It’s the bomb. On the cheeks, NARS orgasm, on lips, Cover Girl Vibrant Hue shine in shiny sugarplum. Judging from that photo, I could have used an oil blotting sheet or two, but other than that, my look lasted well into the wee hours.

Bellas, I am so behind on reviews, interviews, giveaways, everything! So look out for me next week, I am back and more inspired than before! Happy Friday!!

But not this time. Cause I’m gonna tell you about almost all of it!

I missed you bellas — been insanely busy and that vacay was VERY necessary. Internet cost $12 a day at the hotel, so I decided to step away from the computer altogether and spend my time hanging out with family and old friends, while making some new friends.

My sister in law lives in Las Vegas, and her husband was born and raised there. So we’ve visited before and done the Las Vegas strip — it’s so bright and exciting, but it can be too much. As someone who lives in Miami and hardly ever ventures over to South Beach, I must say that I empathize with Las Vegas locals. There’s much fun to be found off the strip, and I love discovering a city’s hidden gems. Here’s a review of my Las Vegas experience. Let’s start with the hotel!

Here I am, all prettied up to hit the strip and posing in our hotel room.

Like the black dress? I got it at B & Lu, and I LOVE it. Great experience shopping with them, affordable, tres chic, and ooh, are those subtle little pockets nobody notices unless you want them to? Great deal, definitely recommend.

OK, let me tell you about the hotel!

The Green Valley Ranch resort is gorgeous and sprawling — there’s a first rate spa, a big casino with several restaurants (ranging from fancy steakhouse to pancake house, with a food court, buffet marketplace, and a pretty good Cheesecake Factory rip off besides that). There’s also a cinema, a concert venue (Seal played there the night of the wedding), and a beautiful pool area, where I pretty much spent all my time.

If you’ve been following me on Twitter, you’ll know — the cocktails by this pool are amazing. I loved the Kusababa, a frozen blend of pina colada and Zen green tea liqueur, and the pineapple mojitos, which always go down smooth. Las Vegas sun absolutely bakes your skin and leaves you dry, so I gotta give props to Neutrogena — that Ultra Sheer sunblock kept my skin in tact. I came home about two shades toastier and with glowy cheeks, but my skin isn’t peeling or flaky at all. I love the SPF 45, and it always amuses me when people are surprised at the sunscreen I’m using. Skin cancer is a risk no matter how dark your skin is, and it’s important to know that
higher SPF doesn’t always mean higher protection. I apply carefully and reapply often.

Our days were spent poolside, but every night we did something fun — first stop, Fado Irish Pub for cocktails. It’s a fun, inviting chain of pubs that I’ve also visited in Chicago, and my new brother in law Rich, works at the Las Vegas pub. Stop by, have a drink, and tip the tall, friendly redheaded bartender if you’re in the neighborhood!

Friday night we spent at The Peppermill, an atmospheric, old school Vegas lounge that looks like a rundown HoJo on the outside. We chilled in the Fireside Lounge, which has a flaming pool, recessed couches, and giant fruity drinks on the menu. As the website indicates: “Featured insuch films as “Casino” and ”Showgirls” and seen on TV in “CSI Las Vegas” and “Elimidate.” (tee hee). This place makes for great I-wonder-what’s-your-profession people watching, by the by.

Saturday was the wedding, and it was absolutely magical. Held at the quaint and adorable Little Church of the West just across from the Mandalay Bay hotel, the ceremony was ten minutes long at most, and the crowds waiting outside took more photos of our wedding party than of their own, it seemed — people took the Seventies dress code seriously!! Which brings me to a blogging first, and part of my New Year’s resolution to be a braver blogger.

I’ve referred to my husband quite often on this blog, and I’ve posted many photos of my own immediate family — specifically my sister Petal, my parents, my little niece Dominique. I’ve even visited my in-laws before, and wrote all about the wonderful trip I’ve had. But I’ve never before posted a photo of my husband or his family, for one simple reason. He’s asked me not to. But we’ve talked recently, and two years after starting this blog, he’s finally cool with me sharing the other parts of my life with the world.

So everyone, meet Steve, the love of my life, and my wonderful family of in-laws.

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I totally meant to post something fun and fabulous before I left… but that didn’t work out. Time came down on me like a hammer, and the day of the trip turned out to be crazy. But I just wanted to let all of you know that I’m in Las Vegas for my sister in law’s 70’s themed karaoke wedding! Won’t be back to regular posting until next Tuesday.

I’m staying at the stunning Green Valley Ranch Resort just off the Strip, and bellas let me tell you — this place is stunningly gorgeous. The pool looks like a scene from Entourage or something — amazing cabana beds as far as the eye can see, and the iconic buildings of the Strip glittering in the distance. This post will be short and sweet, as my in laws are all waiting for me down at the pool.

Thanks to all of you who advised me on 70’s dresses for full figured bellas like me – I chose this gorgeous silky dress in the Cosmo pattern, so it’s a modern (read: flattering) fit with the fun Seventies-type style I was looking for. Expensive, yes — but it fits like a dream. Kiyonna is back in my good books!

While I am here I am hoping to meet up with two of my favorite beauty blog buddies — Lianne the Makeup Girl and Christina of Christina Loves.

I will try to post a little while I am here, but HEY! I’m on vacation!! So maybe some time away from the computer is necessary.

Look out for longer posts next week, and for those of you following me on Twitter, I’ll be posting regularly from my phone.

Happy weekend, bellas and fellas!

** I don’t even have access to my FTP, so the image of the strip above is from here.