Sesame Street has been a tremendous influence on my life, and throughout the history of this blog I’ve celebrated the series on several occasions. Today I take special pleasure in giving tribute to the Children’s Television Workshop, Jim Henson’s genius, and Sesame Street. Today the legendary program turns 40 years old.

That’s HUGE!

Sesame Street taught me my alphabet, it taught me how to count, how to share with others, and that natural hair and brown skin is just as beautiful as any other kind. Allow me to share some Afrobella highlights from the last 40 years of arguably the best children’s TV show of all time!

The Cartoons:

Sesame Street has a long tradition of featuring animated characters with adorable afros in them! And funky music to boot. Take for example this supafly Seventies mama who fixes her car with the letter R. How badass is that soundtrack?

Both Billy Joe Jive and his partner Smart Susie Sunset had natural hair and fly Seventies style.

Then there’s one of the most popular grocery store lists ever:

Who doesn’t remember that? Years later, Sesame Street released a remake of “A loaf of bread, a container of milk, and a stick of butter,” but nothing can top the original.

Back in the day Sesame Street was groundbreaking and inspiring, dedicated to integrating their audience and teaching kids to embrace and celebrate each other’s differences. Listen to this song from the Seventies, by Roosevelt Franklin’s baby brother, Baby Ray Franklin.

What a great message to teach the kiddies!

The Celebrities:

The list of celebrities who have appeared on Sesame Street is so long, it might be worth asking — who HASN’T appeared on Sesame Street?

From the early days, iconic celebs acted and sang alongside muppets to teach kids new words and life lessons. Check out this montage for just a taste.

That video is amazing. Celebrities from Vanessa Williams, Maya Angelou, Liam Neeson, Rosemary Clooney, Doug E. Doug, opera singer Denyce Graves, Conan O’Brien…all joined together to sing composer Joe Raposo’s signature song. I think that montage is adorable, but my all-time favorite version of Sing is by Olivia and Linda.

Sesame Street was where I first discovered and fell in love with Cab Calloway. HOW old was I when I first became obsessed with this?

And let me confess – the Two-Headed Monster was one of my favorite muppets!

The first time I heard Smokey Robinson’s You Really Got a Hold On Me was this version right here.

Dag, that letter U was persistent!

So many of my beauty icons made their first impressions on me through Sesame Street. I will never forget when Lena Horne and her fabulous fro appeared, and sang one of the funkiest alphabets ever.

I was always just a little jealous of the late, great Madeline Kahn in this classic clip – she got to hold and cuddle Grover! He’s always been my favorite monster!

This clip of Ethel Merman and Michael Jackson appearing on a Special Sesame Street Christmas is both wonderful and heartwarming. Michael’s fro was ON POINT as always, and I’m just sad that he didn’t sing a song and appear longer on the show.

Back in the day in Trinidad, the television stations showed vintage Sesame Street episodes over and over again, so many of my most favorite moments were from the Seventies and early Eighties. Consequently I’m kind of a walking encyclopedia of random Sesame Street trivia. For example, did you know that the original New Way to Walk was by The Oinker Sisters (LOL), but Destiny’s Child remade it in the Nineties?

Random, right? And I got so much more where that came from!

The Characters:

There were quite a few human characters on Sesame Street that I grew up identifying with.

Susan’s bright colors, asymmetrical afro and plus size style made her a favorite of mine from early on — which is why I celebrated Dr. Loretta Long as one of my earliest Afrobellas of the Week!

Consider this clip from 1986 — in my prime growing up days.

On a personal note, Telly Monster has always been one of my least favorite muppets. Chill out, Telly!

Olivia always was one of my favorite singers on Sesame Street — check out her beautiful braids and the handsome George Benson in this classic clip. Olivia wasn’t a regular on the show in the later Eighties, but her guest appearances definitely meant a great song! For example — Birdland, a jazzy tune she sang at Hoots the Owl’s Birdland Jazz Club.

Aw, and there’s the late Northern Calloway as David in the audience singing along with her.

David was one of the coolest brothers on Sesame Street. He had one of the sweetest voices and sang some of my favorite songs. (anyone remember I’m Pretty? I think about that song when I’m putting on makeup sometimes. TMI? Maybe!)

I knew the actor who played David had passed away, but I had no idea what led to his demise. Wikipedia outlines the tragic end of his life. RIP Northern Calloway.

This morning I watched Sesame Street for the first time in many years, and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Broadway star Lin-Manuel Miranda played a rapping realtor trying to get Big Bird to change his habitat, and First Lady Michelle Obama taught Elmo and Big Bird about planting seeds to make delicious fruits and vegetables grow. Today’s episode made me proud of the show that has endured so much change, and excited for the future. It’s been 40 years, and Sesame Street is still going strong! And someday when I have kids of my own, I can share the classic clips of the show I’ve grown up learning so much from.

If you still don’t own these DVDs, treat yourself (and your little ones) to Sesame Street – Old School, Vol. 1 (1969-1974) and Sesame Street: Vol. 2 – Old School (1974-1979). And why not throw in Follow that Bird — it’s a classic!

What are some of your favorite Sesame Street moments?

Related posts:

1. Happy Birthday, Stevie!
2. There’s Nothing We Women Can’t Be!
3. Afrobella of the Week- Dr. Loretta Long

My days of dressing up just might be over, but that doesn’t mean I won’t be enjoying the candy! I’m gonna wait till tomorrow, and catch the sales at the drugstore!

Halloween has become so much more commercial since I was a little one. Back in the day, your mama might make you a witch costume. That was it. But now there are so many awesome adults and children’s costumes on sale, you can be absolutely anything you want without having to make anything at all!

I absolutely adore the Princess Tiana costume available at the Disney Store, HOW CUTE is that? But for $89.50 in this economy… Disney gets the c’mon, son.

I am sure some enterprising bellas can sew their daughters up a replica. And at least there’s the Princess Tiana veil and shoes that dare I say, are cute enough to wear to other occasions? If your little bella just can’t get enough of The Princess and the Frog, the Carol’s Daughter Magical Beauty Collection will be pre-sold online Monday, 11/2. You’ve still got time to place a pre-order, but they’re going fast!

Are you dressing up this year? Or taking your kids out in costume? However you celebrate, I hope your Halloween is sweet!

Related posts:

1. Happy Historic Halloween!
2. First Look at The Princess and the Frog
3. The Happiest Halloween

If you’ve sent me an e mail within the past oh… six months, asking me advice on how to start a blog or build your blog audience, I’ve been meaning to write back. Really I have. But every day I’m inundated with e mail. Every day I’ve got a monstrous things-to-do list and on top of all of that, I’m a forgetter. Just ask my mom, and she’ll probably go into a long rant about those photos/products/e mails I promised to send her and all kinds of other yadda-yadda-yadda.

Please don’t be mad at me, my brain is like a sieve. It’s a problem.

But anyway, I’ve recieved several e mails recently from aspiring or new bloggers asking the same kinds of questions. So I will attempt to answer some of them here. If you want to be a blogger, these are my top five insights.

1. Blogging may start as a hobby…but it’s a hobby that requires a tremendous amount of work. Are you ready to put in work?

Don’t be fooled. Blogging is fun, yes. It’s an avenue for personal expression, definitely. But it requires a tremendous amount of work. Behind the scenes, many (if not all) of your favorite bloggers are staying up into the wee hours of the morning, and then waking up early to make sure they’ve got a fresh post up for your reading enjoyment the next day. Being a truly great blogger requires a certain amount of sacrifice — and that comes straight out of your personal life and downtime. Learning the basics of HTML, coming up with fresh ideas, getting the right photos you need, linking back to your sources… all are time consuming but extremely necessary parts of building your blog.

2. Everyone and their mom has a blog now. What’s gonna make yours different and special?

Name your top ten favorite celebrity blogs. Or beauty blogs, hair blogs, food blogs, fashion blogs, mom blogs, music blogs…whatever category you can think of, there’s the ones you visit often and hopefully leave comments on, and there are the ones you read once a month if even that often. Why is that? It’s important to identify what resonates with you as a reader, what keeps you coming back for more…and from those answers, your inspiration will come.

Because there’s such an overwhelming number of blogs out there now, it’s even MORE important to make yourself stand out. In a GOOD way. When I first started Afrobella in 2006, I started it because there were no blogs like it. I couldn’t find a natural hair-loving, black beauty celebrating, plus size fashion endorsing blog that filled the void of all the print magazines that had been sucked into the vortex. That was in 2006. Flash forward to 09 and there are SO many awesome natural hair blogs, black beauty blogs, plus size fashion blogs…. the pressure is continually on me to step my game up. So I sincerely believe it’s even harder for a new blogger to establish themselves and carve out a distinct niche. But it CAN be done. Do your research. Visit other blogs that inspire you, so you can know what’s out there first and find a fresh way to present your information. Which brings me to #3.

3. BE ORIGINAL.

Not too long ago, another blogger came at me with accusations of plagarism. In the past I’ve gotten some e mails that bothered me…but this one REALLY bothered me, because I PRIDE myself on my originality. I work hard to write fresh material for this blog — and for AOL — every day of the work week. I was so incensed by the accusation that actually asked a friend of mine about this, who runs one of the most popular gossip blogs around…and she admitted this happens ALL the time. When you’re writing about the same kind of topics as other bloggers (especially breaking celebrity-related news), at some point some overlap will occur. It’s inevitable.

Look at your favorite beauty blogs right now, or celebrity gossip blogs…. most of the time they’re writing about the same thing. That’s because most of us get the same press releases from public relations firms, we watch the same television shows, and we all rush to get the information out to the reading, clicking public ASAP. Which is why sometimes it’s better to wait — I’d always, ALWAYS rather review a product than just post the press information about a product that isn’t available yet. It’s also why it’s vitally important to have your own voice and your own views, and not just cut and paste from press releases. Otherwise you stand the risk of being caught in the shuffle.

4. Make your own blog family.

What’s that saying, no man is an island, no man stands alone? I think the same goes for the blogosphere. I strongly believe in forging relationships with your fellow bloggers, showing and sharing respect, and being a contributing part of the blogging community. You can do this in several ways. You can join a group — many of my favorite beauty bloggers show each other weekly link love through Web Snob or Glamour Squad, things of that nature. While some of these require an invitation to join, I’ll tell you from my first hand experience — you don’t need an invitation to any exclusive blog group or organization to make a name for yourself, or to make friends in the blogosphere, just like you don’t need to join a sorority to make friends in college. How do you do find friends in the blogosphere? By commenting regularly on the blogs you like. By linking the articles you find interesting on your own blog. By communicating with these bloggers via Twitter or Facebook or via e mail, sometimes. By being friendly (without being pushy or insistent or leaving comments just to post your blog title on someone else’s blog or getting mad if a blogger doesn’t write back right away).

I’d be lost without my friends in the blogosphere. Especially in the early days when I first started out, I learned about blogging etiquette so much by just e mailing and communicating with the bloggers whose sites I used to comment on every day. While blogging CAN be extremely competitive, it’s better, smarter, and emotionally healthier to be cool with everyone, instead of approaching blogging as a game where there can only be one winner. I’ve been called “naive” before, for stating my belief in the sisterhood of the blogosphere. Well, I still do believe. And my sisters (and brothers) online know who they are. Love to all of you!

5. Don’t come into this expecting free products. Or money.

If you’re getting into blogging just for freebies or profit, I’ll tell ya right now — you’re doing it for the wrong reasons, and this probably won’t pay off in the long run.

Just this week I logged onto the Estee Lauder Facebook page and there was a comment right on the wall — “How do I get free samples?” It was apparently deleted shortly afterwards. I read that and thought, how tacky, rude, embarrassing, and clearly unprofessional. That kind of thing can make public relations people and business owners wary of working with bloggers, for understandable reasons.

As with anything in life, you have to put in hard work, prove your worth, and then the rewards come later. It took me at least a year to start making any kind of income from the advertising on my blog. I am extremely (almost annoyingly) cautious about the kinds of ads and affiliations I host on my blog. It took longer than six months before PR companies recognized that my reviews were considered, well-written and deliberate, and consequently started sending me products to review. Recently I’ve been meeting bloggers who seem to believe that there’s a fast track, and getting freebies is all that it’s about. So. Not. True.

As much as it may pain professional journalists, blogging is the new journalism. It’s the new medium for the masses to get information. With newspapers and glossy magazines going down left and right, and the recent implementation of FTC guidelines, it’s even more important now for bloggers to recognize and respect the need for professionalism.

I’ll be writing more about this soon, but for the interested bloggers who e mailed me, I hope this begins to answer some of your questions! And if you have more, please leave them in the comments below.

Are you a blogger? Please introduce yourself in the comments, and share your best advice for bloggers on the come up!

(photo obtained from LuxuryRealEstate.com).

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2. Guess Who’s a Glamour Magazine VIP Beauty Blogger?
3. Inner Conflict of a Budgeting Beauty Blogger

I’ve fallen out of the habit, but every time I hear about a comic book being made into a film, my ears perk up. So when I read about a possible feature film starring Frank Miller’s comic book character Martha Washington coming to life, I got excited.

From the Wikipedia page, by way of introduction:

“Born in 1995, Martha Washington grew up in the Cabrini-Green housing project in Chicago (called “The Green”) with her mother and two brothers in abject poverty brought on by the economic policies of the President Erwin Rexall. She is an average student, but one who displays a gift for computer programming and hacking.
Her teacher, Donald, encourages her to be a better student and, because he lives outside the Green, brings her contraband items. One night Martha shows up at Donald’s classroom and finds that he’s been murdered by the Ice Man, a large thug who works for a local gangster called the Pope. Before dying, Donald managed to stab the Ice Man in the wrist. This distraction allowed Martha to seize his weapon, a longshoreman’s hook, and plunge it into his shoulder. The Ice Man chases her through the school to a locker room, but before he can kill her, he dies of blood loss. Martha is later remanded to a psychiatric hospital.
In the institution, she discovers that experiments are being secretly performed on children to genetically alter their minds, effectively turning them into human computers. Their heads are covered with wires plugged into their brains. Martha believes one of them resembles the Raggedy Ann doll she played with as a child. This institution is closed due to national budget cuts, and Martha is left homeless. She later joins the PAX Peace Force, where her heroic tale begins.”

Read more here on MTV.com.

Martha Washington is a badass, and an anomaly in the comic book world.

Then I read more at Comic Book Movie, and was kinda disappointed:

“Dave Gibbons has told Digital Spy that Frank Miller’s favorite actress to play Ms. Washington is the phenomenally hot Rosario Dawson. Gibbons, who worked on the graphic novel series with comics writer and filmmaker Frank Miller, told DS that Dawson would be an ideal actress for the eponymous character, a woman who enlists in a reinvented version of the US Army.

“Her name is not seriously in anybody’s frame but I do think that it would be a wonderful part for an actress because she is a very strong character.”"

Sigh.

I’m gonna need central casting to try harder.

Don’t get me wrong, I love Rosario Dawson. She’s stunning, strong, and generally seems like the kind of actress who’d be cool to hang with in real life. Plus she genuinely seems to be interested in the world of comic books and the men who love them (as per her roles in Clerks 2 and Sin City). But in some images, Martha looks more like an Alek Wek, Grace Jones type of woman with strong, indubitably black features. I just can’t look at the images of Martha Washington as she’s been drawn, and see Rosario filling out that role.

Comments on Superhero Hype provided some brilliant alternative suggestions — Taraji P. Henson, for one. Young up and comer Keke Palmer for an even more impressive #2.

But when it comes to Hollywood, it isn’t necessarily about who’s got the acting chops. It’s about who’s got the box office mojo to make for a big opening weekend. So in the meantime, we’ll just have to wait and see.

For more on black comic book heroines, check out the following links:

Africomics

Wikipedia’s page on the portrayal of black people in comic books

Blacksuperhero.com

DarkFantasy’s article about Deconstructing Black Superheroes.

Click here to buy The Life And Times Of Martha Washington In The Twenty-First Century

I don’t know how many of you are familiar with the character, but I’d love to hear your suggestions for the role of Martha Washington! Either way, I’ll be watching!

Related posts:

1. Skinspiration – Kerry Washington
2. Lost Ones — Dinah Washington
3. Who’s Watching True Blood?

Sometimes, randomly I’ll wonder what she’s up to. Is she in good health? Is she still lucid? Is she surrounded by people who love her and care for her? I hope and pray she is.

Lena Horne is a living legend who has retreated completely from the spotlight. She turned 92 on June 30, and her last public appearance was in 1999 at an event in her honor in New York. Her final televised singing appearance was in 1998 on the Rosie O’Donnell show.

I wasn’t of the Stormy Weather generation of Lena Horne fans, not old enough to remember her appearances on The Judy Garland Show, or her TV specials. My connection to Lena is directly connected to my childhood.

Her appearances on Sesame Street and the Muppet Show made a huge impact on me at a tender age, when Trinidad and Tobago Television showed endless repeats of Seventies and early Eighties era episodes. Even then, there was something about Lena that just struck a chord with me. Her gentle spirit. The way she carried herself. Her classy demeanor. She reminded me of the women in my family, who held themselves with a certain elegance and dignity even when in less than dignified company.

Lena didn’t teach me the alphabet (I’m pretty sure my mother, my aunty Opal, and my sister Petal were directly responsible for that), but Lena’s funky version sure helped to reinforce the lesson.

This song used to make me sad when I was a wee one.

There’s something very tender about it. Add that to the fact that Grover has always been my favorite muppet. He’s just so fuzzy and blue!

It’s Not Easy Being Green is one of the best Muppet songs point blank, and Lena’s duet with Kermit is touching and magical to me, even to this day.

Of course, many prefer Ray Charles’ version. Which is also magnificent).

I guess I’m something of a Muppet freak. And even at my age, I’m not ashamed. One of the many things I look forward to, when I have children of my own, is sharing these childhood memories with them. I can’t wait to sit with my own little boy or girl, and watch Lena’s episode of the Muppet Show. I’d embed it if I could, but of course YouTube’s got it on lockdown. It’s worth watching, just to hear Lena perform Sing A Song with Kermit, Fozzie, Rowlf et al. Here’s part one, part two, and part three.

It’s amazing what the mind retains. Watching that now, I can recall almost every punchline of every joke, every line of the song. I remember how much I loved her denim jacket in that first song, “I’ve Got a Name.” (It’s like a denim kung fu jacket with fabulous big sleeves and cool fasteners on the front. If I could find such a jacket today, I’d be a happy, happy gal). But if you ask me what I did on Tuesday afternoon for example, I’d be at a complete loss.

Lena Horne showed enough of her personality on those children’s television shows to make me love her for life. From what I’ve read, she now lives a very quiet and private life on the Upper East Side in New York. And as I mentioned, every so often I just wonder – how’s Auntie Lena doing? Even though we’re totally unrelated and if I ever had the opportunity to meet her, I’d be completely star struck and speechless.

I hope she’s living out her days in comfort and surrounded by love. And I can’t lie, a small part of me hopes she finds out that this homage is on the internet somehow. She’s part of a generation that is slipping away so fast, we hardly get a chance to say goodbye. I just hope she knows while she’s still around, that she made an impact on people’s lives in ways maybe she never thought about.

Thank you, Lena.

USA Today reports that James Gavin has written a new biography titled Stormy Weather: The Life of Lena Horne, that “offers a fascinating study of a complicated woman and the complicated times that shaped her.” Gavin only interviewed Lena herself once in 1994, but pulls together his depiction based on research and conversations with key figures in her life. I plan to give it a read. But honestly, I really should read The Hornes: An American Family, which is written by Lena’s daughter Gail Lumet Buckley, first.

Are you a Lena Horne fan? A Muppet fan? Share your fondest Lena memories with me.

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2. A Tribute to Beautifully Aging Bellas
3. Happy Birthday, Sesame Street!

This made me cackle out loud. No shade to my be-weaved amigas, I hope everyone finds a laugh in this.

The original song, Too Many Man (We Need Some More Girls In Here was a hit for Boy Better Know, JME and Skepta, a crew out of London producing grime, guttercore, garage music – whatever my UK homies call it. Over there, you’ve got so many musical genres and sub genres, I feel clueless. But I dig it, I do!

Anyways, enter comedian Jason Lewis, a hilarious brother from the UK who made fun of the video by giving it a pro-natural hair spin.

It’s silly parody, but made me giggle on a busy day. Maybe it’ll do the same for you!

Related posts:

1. Tyra Banks Real Hair Dismay
2. Tyra Declares National Real Hair Day

Cheers to fabulous 4th of July cocktails!

But only if you’re over 21, mmmkay?

Part of the fun of having an at-home celebration is whipping up deliciousness in the kitchen and serving your guests something both festive and delicious. So allow me to present to you the Afrobellatini!

This concoction was made by my friend Courtney who has an amazing food blog at CocoCooks. You gotta check her out! Here’s the deetz on the drink:

“Natural, real, rich, complex, and sweet. Raspberry Currant simple syrup, Cognac, Cointreau, served in a chilled martini glass. Garnished with currants. Edible Blue Glitter optional for Independence Day.”

How do you make this summer fruit inspired deliciousness? Here’s the recipe!

– Raspberry Currant Simple Syrup: 1 pint each of raspberries and currants. 1 cup water, 1 Cup sugar. Bring to boil. Let sit for 20 minutes, Strain, set aside.

– Cocktail: 1 part Cognac, 1 part Rasp Currant Simple syrup, 1/4-1/2 part Cointreau, Shake all with ice and serve in a chilled glass. Garnish with edible Blue Glitter for Independance Day and a sprig of currants.

Fabulous, right?

The Afrobellatini is an elegant cocktail, meant to be sipped at a fab garden party. But what if you’re having an affair that’s a bit more um, down n’ dirty BBQ style? Well that might call for a little something we came up with called the Pank Drank.

Myself and my homeboy Francisco Alvarado — ahem, multiple award winning journalist Francisco Alvarado — came up with this when he helped us move from Miami to Chicago.

The recipe is easy! Get a big ol’ glass pitcher, add a liberal and unrestrained amount of Rosangel hibiscus tequila, lots of OJ, a little grenadine and a big splash of Grand Marnier. Over ice? So very nice. This one can sneak up on you, so be forewarned. And PS – the Rosangel website includes several, far fancier recipes. We just wanted to whip up something simple and super easy.

I like my drinks like I like my men — sweet and strong. So when Bacardi released Dragonberry, their strawberry and dragonfruit flavored rum, I knew I’d like it. I didn’t think I’d LOVE it. But oh, I do – just as much as I love the Cruzan flavored rums. If you’ve got a punch bowl, these are the intoxicants for you! You can sip em with Sprite, but if you really want to go Caribbean style, check out your local supermarket’s ethnic foods aisle and look for Grace juices. Specifically, fruit punch. Or you can make your own mix with pineapple juice, and pineapple or guava nectar.

If all else fails, go for traditional Trinidadian rum punch. Strong, sweet, can’t be beat!

Remember, everything in moderation — and word to the wise, if you’re drinking strong, don’t drink in the sun. I recommend counterbalancing each cocktail with some refreshing club soda and lime over ice, and eating a good meal all the while. Stay safe and enjoy your holiday weekend!

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I like to use bar soap first, then slough my skin with a decadent, lavishly scented body wash using my trusty bath puff-thingy. And I like to have several options at the ready. How do I choose the body wash du jour? That entirely depends on the day and the vibe I want to enjoy for the next 24 hours (unless I feel like spoiling myself with an evening shower too)!

These are my top 5 current fave body washes. There’s one for every beauty lover’s taste — expensive, affordable, and every price point in between!

1. Caress Evenly Gorgeous Body Wash. OK, I’ll make it a tie with Caress Cashmere Luxury Body Wash, just because I love anything and everything vanilla! But if you have rough skin or just want really soft smooth skin, Evenly Gorgeous is the one for you. It’s infused with burnt brown sugar and karite butter to tone and exfoliate, and I gotta tell ya, it smells delish. And apparently Spoiled Pretty and Kim Kardashian agree with me!

The texture isn’t too grainy so this won’t irritate my sensitive-skinned bellas. Plus it’s affordable and here’s a bonus — coupon, anyone?

Caress has a great initiative with fashion guru Carson Kressley, all about flaunting your skin with the hottest clothing trends. Click here to peep his vids and be inspired!

2. Bodycology Foaming Bath & Shower Gel. If you really like the kind of lush scented body washes available at Bath & Body Works and Victoria’s Secret but don’t want to break a Hamilton, check out Bodycology, a line of bath products that cost under $10 and are typically available at supermarkets and Walmart, but smell like heaven. I’ve tried a number of their scents, but I keep returning to White Gardenia and the delicious Coconut Lime, SO refreshing for summertime!

3. 100% Pure Tahiti Coconut/Vanilla Foaming Body Wash. Just because you’re into organic, pure, natural living doesn’t mean you are forever condemned to smell like patchouli and sweat! I seriously love the 100% Pure line of bath and body products. Their shower gels come in a dazzling and delicious array. This island bella goes gaga for anything vanilla or anything coconut as you’ll notice, so put them two of them together and OMG, foaming bathtime heaven!
For $15 you can cop a taste of Tahiti at Bath & Body Works. Or by clicking right here.

4. Neutrogena Rainbath is the OG of high-end drugstore goodness. Mama Bella has sworn by it for years, and when I was younger I’d occasionally sneak drips of her Rainbath for my own shower experience, just because I wanted to smell like a grown woman should! Rainbath smells fresh, clean, feminine, grown, and sexy IMO. It’s a perfect summer body wash — leaves my skin feeling very soft and lightly moisturized. And one botle can last a while if you’re judicious (and don’t have a pesky teenager stealing from ut all the time)!

5. Kai Fragrances Body Buffer, which I got from PlanetBeauty.com. Ever since I realized Kai was one of Oprah’s favorite things, it’s been on my radar. You know Oprah’s always using good stuff, and this was a no brainer for me. Hints of gardenia and white flowers, evocative of Hawaii — right up my alley!

The body buffer isn’t exactly a traditional body wash, far from it. The $36 package includes two body buffers — round, white sponge-like bath puffs that are heavily saturated with heavenly scented Kai goodness. $36 is a bit steep, but this is high-end goodness, and they’re guaranteed to last at least 30 showers (more if you save them and let em dry out between uses). Soak the buffer, scrub your skin, then smell yourself. Mmmmmm! For even more scent, follow up with the body lotion and the perfume oil. Believe me when I say, someone will ask you about the delicious scent you’re wearing if you rock this stuff.

Whew! I didn’t realize I had so many delicious shower scents at the ready. What’s your favorite body wash? I’m always down to try something new!

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After considering all the priceless bon mots and tidbits of advice my father has offered over my 30 years of existence — some of which he has shared right here — it was difficult to choose the best. But I came up with this:

“When I was a rebellious teenage bella, my dad always repeated two phrases. The first was, “if you fail to prepare, prepare to fail.” We kids used to clown him for that cliche and it was repeated most often when we had to study for exams at school, but it’s proven to be so true in many other circumstances. My dad taught me the importance of hard work, focus, and diligence and those lessons have stood me in amazing stead. Without the lessons he taught me, I wouldn’t be Afrobella today.”

Very, very true.

So you may be wondering — what’s the second phrase? It’s this —

“there are mad people everywhere.”

And sometimes, they don’t know that they’re mad!

Mad meaning crazy, as the English tend to say. I know many of you know what I mean but I wanted to clarify. That particular piece of advice has saved me quite a bit of drama and heartache through the years.

My father is a very real, down to earth, smart, supportive man with a measured temper and a tendency to pontificate. That’s been passed along to me. I’m feeling a bit down that I couldn’t hear his voice today, but it’s for a great cause. He’s on a cruise with my mom! Happy Father’s Day, dad — wherever you are, know that I love you and respect you tremendously!

Thanks again to In Her Shoes for the opportunity.

What’s the best advice your father’s given you?

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1. My Father’s Father’s Day
2. Before I Go AWOL
3. Happy Anniversary, Mama and Papa Bella

I grew up a Sesame Street junkie, and this song was always one of my favorites. The empowering message resonated with me at an early age — “just look around you, it’s easy to see. There’s NOTHING we women can’t be!”

This year, Sesame Street celebrates 40 years of excellence, and according to that Newsweek article in the previous link, it’s ranked #15 in popularity of the children’s shows on air. That’s terrible news and I blame Elmo. Just kidding (I’m a Grover stan, for the record)!

It’s true, the Sesame Street nowadays isn’t quite the show I grew up on. But it’s still awesome and the messages of inclusion, equality, and respect remain. And for classic Sesame Street fans of my generation, all isn’t lost. You can get
Sesame Street – Old School, Vol. 1 (1969-1974) and Sesame Street: Vol. 2 – Old School (1974-1979). Your kids will LOVE it. And so will you!

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1. Happy Birthday, Sesame Street!
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