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Jun 30

Before I give tribute to the many, many famous and beautiful black women at the BET Awards last night, first a word to their publicists.

Where ARE you?

Holla at a blogger!

It seems that whenever a cast member of Gossip Girls sneezes, I get a press release. If Paris Hilton strolls through a boutique, I get a press release. If Speidi or Lauren Conrad, or some other former cast member of the Hills goes shopping at freakin’ Target, I get a press release. But when it comes to readily getting info about celebrities of color… *crickets*

“Janet

I wish my inbox had filled up with press releases gushing about the makeup artistry and fashion choices of celebs like Taraji, Monica, or Estelle. That was NOT the case and I would sincerely like to see that change. If celeb makeup artist Ashunta Sheriff hadn’t reached out to me to detail the looks of her clients Alicia Keys and Tatyana Ali, I would have been stuck where I always am — guessing what products these fabulous women used in an effort to share the info with you, my fellow beauty loving bellas.

Here’s hoping some celeb PRs see this and get a dose of act-right when it comes to promoting their clients of color.

Off soapbox. On to the award-attending beauties!

Bellasugar did a fab job of highlighting the trends of the evening, so I’ll just shout out my faves along with some product recommendations I can vouch for. Photos are from Oh No They Didn’t.

First up, Janet. I can’t express enough admiration for her strength under such incredibly painful, difficult circumstances. She maintained her composure with grace and she looked like an angel. Cascading curls and beautiful bronze makeup gave her a restrained beauty. To recreate such a gorgeous bronze eye, I recommend Bobbi Brown. I said it already and I’ll say it again – those shimmer bricks are the business! For a more subdued glow, it’s possible Janet’s artist used the new nude collection — which includes an eye palette and a shimmer brick that includes gorgeous pearl pigments. My beauty blogging homegirl KarlaSugar swatched the whole shebang, so check her out for color details.

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Jun 30

It’s that time again, bellas!

“Black

The 2009 Black Weblog Awards are underway, and some of your favorite blogs are nominated. Like Afrobella! Click here to cast your vote!

I’m nominated for three categories — Best Culture Blog, Best Writing in a Blog, and a new one – Best Microblog for my Twitter page.

If you enjoy reading Afrobella, please take a moment to cast your vote. It would make me so happy and proud! Thank you!

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Jun 29

“Alicia

I missed the BET Awards but I didn’t MISS the BET Awards, if you know what I’m sayin’.

Judging from the various indignant responses on Twitter, it seems I didn’t miss much. But thanks to some of my favorite sites — Oh No They Didn’t and Crunk & Disorderly, I saw all I needed to see. Red carpet fabulousity! And if you’re like me, you might be wondering — exactly how did these stars get so amazingly dolled up?

Today’s your lucky day. Celebrity makeup artist Ashunta Sheriff wanted to share her special makeup tips and tricks exclusively with Afrobella readers, and here’s the scoop on her lush looks for humanitarian award winner Alicia Keys, and one of my favorite child stars who’s gorgeous and all grown up, Tatyana Ali!

Take it away, Ashunta!

Alicia Keys
Inspiration: Moroccan inspired due to her recent trip there in May for the Mawaline Festival. Alicia’s short bejeweled shift dress in its soft aqua truly brought out her golden complexion. I wanted to give her a touch of sun kissed glow and egyptian/moroccan eyes with coral lips remniscent of the colors of a Moroccan Paradise.

Skin: Mary Kay Oil Free Hydrating Gel to make skin supple and soft. Oil of Olay Illuminating Eye Cream to diminish imperfections, Naked Cosmetics Shadow Base, Laura Mercier Mineral Primer.

Face:Mary Kay oil free Tinted Moisturizer in Bronze 1, Mary Kay Concealer in Bronze 1, Black Opal translucent finishing powder, Cover Girl Queen Collection Natural Hue Mineral Bronzer in Light Bronze.

Eyes: Egyptian inspired eyes using Jane Iredale 24 Karat gold shimmer in the inner corner of the eyes, Naked Cosmetics eye color is EC15 Green in the outer corner and lower lash line. I used Make Up For Ever Gold Cream on the lid to give Alicia a Cleopatra eye effect. I used Styli Style 24 hour Black Liquid Liner and completed the look by adding 3 coats of Dior Show Black mascara on top and bottom lashes.

Lips: Mary Kay Coral Lip liner I lined and filled lips in then used TRUE lip gloss an all natural organic brand in Coral to give Alicia a beautiful coral pout.

Cheeks: I made cheeks pop by applying Mary Kay Strawberry Cream mineral blush on the apples.

Body: my secret weapon body glow mix is a combination of Dior Bronze Sun Powder Spray, Smashbox Bodylights body Lotion shimmer and Girlactik Beauty Gold Shimmer powder. The combination gave Alicia an amazing bronzed sun kissed glow to make her legs and declertage look flawlessly stunning.

“Tatyana

Client: Tatyana Ali
Inspiration: Bollywood Princess, bringing out more of Tatyana’s Indian heritage I used metallic earth tones to shape and frame her eyes. Radiant bronzed skin works for her toffee complexion and an iridescent nude topped the look off.

Skin: prepped skin with Mary Kay Oil free hydrating gel to moisturise skin, Elizabeth Arden Gold Ceramide Capsules using as a primer plus it makes skin glow, Mary Kay Eye Primer so eye shadow last for hours on end, LaVanilla Lip balm because it hydrates lips and smells so good.

Face: I used Mary Kay Tinted Moisturizer in Bronze 2, Black Opal Concealer and translucent pressed finishing powder to keep skin shine free and polished. Cover Girl Queen Collection Natural Hue Mineral Bronzer in Brown Bronze to sculpt and shape face.

Eyes: Mary Kay Cinnabar Mineral eye shadow on lids, MAC Pigment in gold and vanilla in inner corner of eyes and brow bone to highlight. Make Up For Ever Aqua Colors Black Eye Liner and Cover Girl Lash Blast Mascara for extra lush and thick lashes. For red carpet glam I added Ja’maal Buster Eye Lash Guru Lashes called 2nd Date Guaranteed which are vampy sexy lashes that really opens up the eyes.

Lips: Mary Kay Lip Iiner in Chocolate with Mary Kay Sugar berry nourishine lip gloss.

Cheeks: Bare Escentuals Flowers Blush applied to apples of her cheeks to make them pop.

Body: Palmers Organic Olive Oil Body Cream and Smashbox Bodylights Lotion body shimmer to make her legs look flawless.

Did she say Mary Kay? Palmers? Olay? Cover Girl’s Queen Collection? Black Opal? Ashunta is my kinda bella! There’s something so wonderful about knowing celebs are using the same products a bella on a budget might swear by, am I right?

I promise to fill in the complete list of products with links where you can check out these items ASAP! Right now it’s 1:30 a.m. and this blogging bella needs her bed.

Click here to visit Ashunta’s website to see even more of her amazing work, and click here to follow her on Twitter! Look out later today for even more BET Awards looks from the red carpet and the ceremony itself — Janet, Beyonce, Nichelle Nichols and more!

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Jun 27

So I announced this a week or so ago, and tah dah! My first AOL Black Voices posts are up.

“AOL

Check out my introduction — ancient info for those of you who’ve been with me on the Afrobella journey for a while, but hopefully new to quite a few. I plan to keep the fire burning here while expanding my range over there. So leave comments, wontcha? Thank you ALL for your love and support!

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Jun 26
Oh, Michael
Posted by bella in Famous Faces, Issues, Lost Ones on 06 26th, 2009| icon348 Comments »

I was an Eighties baby but the last of the family. So many of my childhood memories are Seventies leftovers from my sister and brothers. And like so, so many black families around the world, the Jackson 5 were a part of our lives. I don’t recall exactly when my love affair began, but it may have been the first time I heard Who’s Loving You.

Oh, Michael.

Young Michael with the perfect afro, the unbelievable soaring voice, and enviable adult swagger so long before any of us sucked all meaning from the word.

Every Christmas we listened to the Jackson 5 Christmas Album. To this day, their version of Give Love on Christmas Day is as evocative of Christmas to me as is the crinkling of wrapping paper.

Oh, Michael.

He became a symbol of lust for so many, as he grew older. Seventies era bellas know all about it, when the Jackson 5 taught us dance moves that many try to replicate to this day — check them poppin and lockin with the late Dom DeLuise. Laying the foundation for Usher, Chris Brown, and Justin Timberlakes to come. They were Dancing Machines, Michael out front, amazing us all with his fluidity years before a white glove set him apart.

Oh, Michael. As he became a man, at first he put away childish things. Or at least he seemed to, with Off the Wall. That album is practically perfect, from the dazzling disco of Don’t Stop Til You Get Enough (OMG, what an iconic video), the heartache of She’s Out of My Life — believed to be a tribute to the late Minnie Riperton — the irresistable bump of Workin Day and Night, the insiduous slink of the title track, the effortless sex appeal of Rock With You. Girrrrrllll, close your eyes. Let that rhythm get into you.

Oh, Michael.

My favorite track from that album? It’s so hard to choose just one. But I Can’t Help It comes most immediately to mind. Just hearing that on the radio brought pinpricks of tears to my eyes yesterday. There’s something so wistful about his vocals on that track. Oh…. Michael.

“Michael

OK, HOW big was Thriller in your life? Thriller was beyond humongous. Thriller was on constant rotation in my house for a year, it seemed. I’m partially responsible. I was old enough to get the LP onto the record player and choose my favorite tracks. I remember sitting in the living room by the stereo, gazing at the photo of Michael and the baby tiger and letting his voice wash over me.

The songs I listened to over and over again were Human Nature, PYT — oooh, that bassline! — Wanna Be Starting Something, and of course, OF COURSE, Billie Jean. And who doesn’t remember THIS moment?

Was that the moment the rest of the world fell in love with MJ? It may have been. He was on fire that night, in a way that so few artists ever are. Oh, they might think they match up, but they can’t hold a candle. Sparks seemed to surround him. And then he introduced the world to the moonwalk and honey, it was OVAH.

Oh, Michael. One performance and you changed the game forevermore.

Bad was a phenomenon in my life. I remember getting a pair of bright red overalls with Bad spraypainted across the front and feeling like the coolest little thang ever when I wore them. And the videos from Bad lit the world on fire, putting Michael Jackson at the forefront of the entertainment scene once again. As if he’d ever left. My parents raised an eyebrow at the sexual danger lurking in the video of The Way You Make Me Feel — it was the beginning of the “is Michael Jackson weird?” questions that swirled around him for the rest of his too-brief life. The rumors about the Elephant Man’s bones, the hyperbaric chamber, thetabloid nicknames, the beginnings of vitiligo and the apparent plastic surgery.

Still, the music came ahead of his image at the time. The dance moves in Smooth Criminal astounded us all. I cried at the video for Man in the Mirror. Another Part of Me was my favorite song.

More than anything, I wanted to go to a Michael Jackson concert. To experience that hysteria in person. The screaming crowds that seemed to reveal an almost religious fervor for the King of Pop. Maybe this was when fame began to become bitter poison.

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Jun 25
RIP, Michael Jackson
Posted by bella in Famous Faces on 06 25th, 2009| icon386 Comments »

Bellas, I feel devastated. I can’t even fully put into words what I feel right now. So instead, I turn to you.

“Michael

What’s your favorite Michael Jackson memory? What’s your favorite song? And how do you feel right now, after this awful, tragic news?

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