One of the most common complaints I get from my fellow Afrobellas is this:

“Bella, I’m bored with my hair! What can I do with it?”

So, so much. If you’re not into twists, twist-outs, cornrows, up-dos or frohawks, you can do what I always do… keep it simple and rock a stunning hair accessory. Here are some recent discoveries. And head’s up – this post ends with a special giveaway! So read on!

Andrea’s Beau specializes in very feminine designs, the kind of thing you can wear to a tea party, a dinner date, or even on your wedding day. I’ve always been a bit too restrained for flowers, but there’s something really whimsical and pretty about their gardenia silk that I really like.

For bellas looking for this sort of thing, Andrea’s Beau has a special offer — when you make a purchase of $50.00 or more and during check out put “50” in the comments section — you will receive a confirmation email containing a $25 gift certificate code which can be applied to any future purchase within 90 days of confirmation e-mail. If you’d like to apply the $25 gift certificate to the current order, add “apply GC now” to the promotion code. (Please note, the $25 deduction will not appear on their online transaction but will be reflected on their invoice. If paid by Paypal, a refund for the $25 gift certificate will be sent in the form of a check along with their order, says Andrea.)

Got all that? Whew. If you buy yourself one of these headbands, let me know your thoughts. I haven’t yet reviewed them.

But in bright and cheery news from a brand I have reviewed (and LOVE) — PeaceImages, my sisters with locs and sisterlocs can now find a few precious items to adorn their hair. These are specially designed for sisterlocs.

There are many imitators, but only ONE original Tomoka’s Twists — made by Carmen straight outta NC. I’ve been lucky enough to review both her hair ties and twists, and I must say they’re truly awesome for natural hair in its various, glorious forms. The ties are great for sisterlocs or other kinds of locs, or for bellas with longer hair. The ties work best for my length and shorter hair, to pull it back and keep it off your face with style. I love the versatility of Tomoka’s Twists. Check out the many ways bellas have worn Luxurious, one of the flyest Tomoka’s Twists out!

And finally, giveaway time! Through Twitter, I met a new jewelry designer on the scene — Sarenzo Beads. She makes bracelets, necklaces, and earrings — and I’m feeling her beaded headbands! Look how cute that little girl looks wearing hers. Awwww.

These are the perfect example of a product that looks simple enough on the web, but is more impressive in person. They’re lightweight, flexible, and fit like a beaded tiara. Here’s me, rocking one of them. $15 — but three lucky readers can get one right here on Afrobella for free!

How can you win? Visit Sarenzo Beads website, and choose your headband of choice. Then tell me in the comments which one you’d like. It’s as simple as that!

I’ll close these comments Monday, or when I get 50 comments. Whichever comes first — then randomly choose 3 winners. May the luckiest bella win!

Edited Tuesday August 4 — so I closed the comments later than I planned. Now to pick a winner! Thanks for entering, bellas!

“Your little girl is an angel most of the time… until you sit her down between your knees to comb her hair. Then it’s tears and squeals and tantrum time.

I first learned about this story via The Root, in Teresa Wiltz’s essay Beauty, The Brush, and Black Girl Pain. I can barely stand to watch this now-infamous YouTube video, that raises more questions than it answers.”

I know this is a topic close to Afrobella readers’ hearts, so I wanted to crosspost a part of what I wrote over at AOL Black Voices. It’s a long post, be forewarned… but I hope it helps more people there than it would here. I imagine many Afrobella readers know the importance of reinforcing their child’s positive self image, regardless of the texture of their hair. On BV, I’ve gotten so many e mails from readers who have put a relaxer in their child’s hair at age 3, 4, 5… it’s heartbreaking.

Please feel free to comment and share your knowledge. Spread the natural hair love, bellas!

This August, I’ll celebrate my third bloggerversary, and believe me when I say it’s gonna be a special month. When I started Afrobella in 2006, I wouldn’t have even dreamed it would find the kind of reception and regard it’s managed to find. I am truly so blessed, and so grateful to all of you who read my blog.

Recently Konector, a site that ranks the online impact factors and audience profiles of blogs around the world, ranked the top 50 Beauty Blogs. The complete ranked list hasn’t been released yet, but I’m so proud to report that Afrobella is number 7 on the list, and “has set itself up as the beauty site for African Americans.”

Can you see me, smiling from ear to ear?

I am so thrilled, and I plan to continue doing the best that I can — celebrating you and you and you and you, women all shades of beautiful.

In other happy happy news, I was recently named #12 on ChicagoNow’s Top 25 Twitter Users in Chicago list. And I just got here!

Needless to say, that’s tremendously encouraging news for this recent transplant. Every day in every way, Chicago proves to me that I made the right move at the right time. SO happy to be here, and SO happy to be on the list. Thank you, ChicagoNow!

Whew, that’s enough good news for one post. Stay tuned for more wonderful things this month — August is going to be beyond fabulous for Afrobella readers, TRUST!

This June, I made a ton of new friends at a very special Welcome to Chicago party thrown for me by the two wonderful bloggers you see above (although my hair is threatening to eat her face) — Luvvie of Awesomely Luvvie and Karyn of The Fabulous Giver. Together they make up The Red Pump Project and they do everything in their power to bring awareness to the impact of HIV/AIDS on women and girls.

At the Welcome to Chicago party they threw for me, they gave out many gifts. So when I met up with them at the Blogalicious 09 kickoff party, it was my pleasure to give them some gifts, courtesy of my friends at Behrman PR. These were originally intended to be raffle prizes at the party, but came a little too late. But just in time to make Luvvie, Karyn, and the women of the Chicago Women’s AIDS Project happy! Thanks to my amigas at Behrman, a great package of items including Cures and nailpolishes by Jessica Cosmetics got donated to some very deserving bellas.

Thanks for helping me spread the joy!

Fingers and toes crossed, this bella is hoping to attend New York Fashion Week for the first time this September!

I figured it’d be a good idea to get my feet wet by interviewing some designers. So when I got the word that eternally gorgeous and talented New York based designer Rachel Roy was about to debut a new, affordable fashion line at Macy’s, I jumped at the chance to ask her some questions. Without further ado…

I love that you’re coming up with more affordable items for women in my demographic, can you tell me more about the overall inspiration and aesthetic of the line? What I’ve seen so far is bright and fun!

Accessible fashion is very important to me, and I believe every woman should get the opportunity to express herself through style. I have wanted to design a fashion forward yet affordable collection since I was young. With this collection I focused on accenting women’s best features while keeping the clothes edgy and youthful.

I think it’s interesting that your affordable line is at Macy’s, which I must admit doesn’t spring immediately to mind when I think “affordable.” What made you choose Macy’s as opposed to say, Target?

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In the world of eyebrow shaping, there are the laypeople (the ones who wax you at any standard day spa or mall outlet), and there are the superstars — Anastasia, Damone Roberts, and Miss Rashida B., among them. Rashida flits between Miami and Chicago, beautifying the brows of the truly fabulous in both cities. When she isn’t plucking, shaping, holding down her popular Chicago salon, The B Spot and getting namedropped in the likes of Vogue magazine and Daily Candy — Rashida’s keeping it real on Twitter as @beautyschooled. AND she’s got an awesome blog of the same name — where she drops knowledge and interviews professionals in the world of makeup and the beautifying industry.

My interview with Rashida was unconventional in the sense that we were cracking each other up and bonding like old friends (even though we hadn’t met yet!) So without further ado, here are some of Rashida’s best tips and quips.

I had to ask her about the infamous eyebrow weave video — despite the repeated promise of “celebrity status,” Rashida is not feelin’ it.

“I don’t recommend it. It doesn’t look good in person. Maybe you can use it for photography, to achieve a certain look for a photo shoot…” she suggested. Oh, Rashida you are being too kind.

What about the latest no eyebrows trend, as identified by the New York Times?

“I’m gonna say no to that as well, unless you’re a runway model. If you absolutely have to achieve that look, there’s this stuff called spirit gum which you can use to smooth them down.”

One of the things I loved about interviewing Rashida is, she is no nonsense. She broke down her feelings about waxing and threading, without hesitation. And she got this formerly wax-happy bella to think twice.

“Tweezing is my preference, but I’ll give you the facts. The saddest thing I’ve been hearing lately is about clients going to get their eyebrows waxed and walking away with scabs. That’s when you go to a place that isn’t professional. There should be a consultation form when you go into a professional waxing salon. They don’t do that. What if you’re dealing with a diabetic? Diabetics, you don’t wanna lift the skin off them for fear of infection. Are you on Retin A? Are you on Accutane? These are questions that need to be asked before you get waxed. And don’t get me started on the double dipping and the stick… if you think about it, they’re using the same wax for your eyebrows, your upper lip, and your bikini area. And they’re just double dipping the stick into the same wax.”

Um, EW. I never even thought about that before.

I had to mention a popular chain of wax salons that ahem — I had a ghastly experience with back in Miami. Now they’re offering “celebrity brows,” where you can go in and ask for let’s say, the Megan Fox brow. It sounded ridiculous to me. And Rashida agreed.

“That’s… insane. You don’t have Megan Fox’s face, or her eyebrow shape. You can’t go into an eyebrow shaping like that. Don’t think thin, don’t think thick. Beware of eyebrow trends. It should be all about your face, your brows, and what’s gonna look right on you. It happens all the time, where ladies will say to me “I want eyebrows like my friend.” Well, unless your friend’s gonna give you her face, that’s probably not gonna work.”

So what are the perfect brows, according to Rashida B?
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