Grustling. Real hard.

I’ve been working my fingers to the nub to keep the fires blazing here at Afrobella while writing at AOL Black Voices and tah-dah — just last week I wrote my first article for Ebony! Yup, it’s about Michael Jackson. I hope you all like it and leave comments and YAY!

After that, I was featured as EbonyJet’s featured blog. DOUBLE YAY!!!

Twas a good week indeed.

Over at Black Voices I blogged about Alicia Keys’ hair, missing the Essence Festival, and I answered some hair questions.

Speaking of which — have you heard of the Cherry Lola method? The creator, Cherry Lola, claims that it’s helped to control her frizz and caused her curls to clump together at the root. I’m curious, and I have cooked with amino acids before! Might have to buy a bottle just for this purpose.

UK bellas here’s something for you — AfroSaxons, a limited release documentary that follows four black hair salons in the UK as they prepare for the Black Beauty and Hair Awards. I’m seriously looking forward to seeing this, based on the logo alone — isn’t it awesome? I can’t wait to see this, just like I’m looking forward to finally seeing Chris Rock’s Good Hair when it finally hits the big screen.

Do you have Hand In Fro Syndrome? I’ve got it bad and that ain’t good! Diary of a Kinky Curly Transition has tips to kick the habit.

Another bad hair habit of mine — trying any product that comes my way. I balk at a few ingredients — mineral oil and alcohol, but there are more to avoid. AfroGlitz did a great post on things your natural hair hates.

In other fabulous hair blog news, one of my favorite sites, The Coil Review, has launched their new debut. And their launch video is FRESH to DEATH.

The Coil Review Relaunch Commercial from The Coil Review on Vimeo.

SO fly, and that’s exactly how I feel about my hair and my style. Why be a carbon copy when you can be an original?

And if you ARE a proud, original Afrobella, here’s an opportunity for you! Pantene is looking for 4 African-American women to appear in national advertising in 2010. To enter, simply upload a video expressing their love for Pantene in Pantene’s “I Love Pantene!” online casting call at www.relaxedandnatural.com.

Best of luck to you, bellas!! And thanks for hanging in there with me. I might be busy, but I’m always thinking of you!

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Yesterday my husband and I enjoyed a great day in Harlem. Not THE great day in Harlem, but a brilliant one nonetheless. Let me tell you all about it!

The standard oh-you’re-going-to-Harlem? advice is, start on 125th Street, and just kinda stroll around and check it out. Apparently NYC hasn’t gotten the memo that everyone’s ready for Spring already… it was cold yesterday! 125th Street didn’t care — it was just as bustling and fun as I’ve ever seen it, and I love the vibe. I gotta admit, 125th Street reminds me of my home country just a little bit — Fredrick Street in downtown Trinidad is just as busy and vibrant, with salesmen of all kinds hawking products you may not need but will probably buy anyway. Harlem’s specialties are tubs of shea butter and African black soap, incense and scented oils and CDs galore.

Best believe as soon as I heard rockers blaring from a rastaman’s speakers, I had to stop and add to my music collection! The wonderful thing about Harlem is, you can haggle a bit, and get your item for an even more reasonable price. Two CDs for $10? Thank you! And best of all, I asked for a semi-obscure artist — that’d be Johnny Osbourne — and the guy had what I needed right there. I happily spent my money with him.

I wanted to spend money happily at Ashley Stewart — some of their new Spring dresses really are so cute! But I experienced some really NOT cute customer service issues. Note to Ashley Stewart employees — if you see a customer with an armload of dresses trying to get your attention, stop. Listen. And just unlock the fitting room doors, if you’re not going to be waiting near that area to help people. Because if you don’t, you could be missing out on some big sales. I am sad to report that I left the store frustrated and empty handed.

That was NOT the case at the Carol’s Daughter flagship store, which is just gorgeous and transportative in the best possible way. The salespeople were friendly and attentive without being pushy, and I loved it. I bought the new Wash Away the Oil face wash, a bottle of Hair Balm, some Tui Hair Oil, and a tub of Coconut Wet Shine for Lips. Love you, Carol’s Daughter! Expect some reviews of these products soon — but I can already tell you the coconut lip stuff is awesome, moisturizing, and shiny. Two thumbs up!

Exploring areas away from 125th Street is also totally worth it and doable in an afternoon. After getting a little main street shopping, we headed out to Lenox Avenue to the adorable Settepani Bakery for hot chocolate and a plate of teeny gourmet-style cookies. A delicious and fun pick me up before we hit 116th and the Malcolm Shabazz Harlem Market — another great spot for super cheap African garb, wood carvings, and jewelry. Again, a great place for haggling. I got a super cute, super warm Trinidadian flag-emblazoned wool hat big enough to contain my mane, and a pair of gold circle earrings for less than $15. It’s all about the deals!

Last night I met two of my favorite Twitter friends — Tha Connoisseur, AKA Ann Marie of SoulAfrodisiac and the one and only Huny Young. We met at this cute little bar, Perks, that has a good happy hour and killer cocktails (order The Nutcracker! OMG it is SOOOOO good).

After cocktails, it was time for dinner and where better to be than Harlem? Soul food and ethnic cuisine galore is in store almost anywhere you look, but I was advised to head to Amy Ruth’s, and I suggest you do yourself a favor and do the same sometime. It’s THAT serious. I got the Honorable Keith Wright — a plate of the most delicious Southern honey-dipped fried chicken, served with collard greens and mac & cheese. I know, I know. I’m gonna burn it all off today with a lengthy stroll through Central Park!

I’m trying to be a better road trip blogger, so keep your eyes peeled for more posts this week. I’m on the move, but still thinking about my bellas!

Thanks to everyone on Twitter who gave me advice on where to go in Harlem, and special thanks to the folks behind Harlem One Stop and Around Harlem.com — you know what’s up! Love you, Harlem – hope to come back again soon!

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The one and only Carmen Van Kerckhove, creator of Racialicious and president of the diversity education firm New Demographic, is offering the kind of diversity training I can get behind.

Carmen is all about helping organizations overhaul the way they think about race and diversity. She’s offering a FREE TELESEMINAR happening on Wednesday, January 21, 2009. That’s tomorrow!

The call is titled “The 3 Biggest Diversity Blunders Your Organization Could Be Making Right Now (And How to Avoid Them),” and in it she’ll break down specific information that will show you exactly why your organization hasn’t become the leader in diversity it wants to be. And then, she’ll give you the resources to turn that around so that you can help your organization gain a crucial competitive edge by recruiting and retaining top diverse talent.

If this sounds like something that can help to take you and your company to the next level, click here to reserve your line for this FREE 60-minute teleseminar.

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If you visited a high end department store and overpaid for some cosmetics between May 29, 1994 and July 16, 2003, you could be in for a freebie, thanks to a class action lawsuit.

From Businessweek:

“Starting next week, several big retailers will giveaway $175 million worth of free high-end cosmetics including such brands as Estee Lauder and L’Oreal to consumers as part of a class-action settlement alleging that the stores planned to fix prices.

Department stores such as Macy’s and Nordstrom will distribute free cosmetics as long as supplies last to shoppers who bought certain cosmetics between May 29, 1994 and July 16, 2003 to settle claims that the stores violated antitrust laws and tried to fix prices.”

So you’re wondering — when, where, what?

“The products will be available starting Jan. 20. Shoppers are only permitted to receive one product made by cosmetic companies that include Chanel, Estee Lauder and L’Oreal USA, among others.

Stores participating in the settlement include: Bergdorf Goodman, Bergner’s, Bloomingdale’s, Boston Store, Carson Pirie Scott, Dillard’s, Gottschalks, Herberger’s, Macy’s, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, Parisian, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Younkers.”

Companies are giving back specific products, so visit Cosmetics Settlement to learn more. Myself, I’ll be making a beeline to the Dior counter for a bottle of J’Adore. Or to Givenchy, for a bottle of Very Irresistible (it really is). Or to Lancome, for a tube of Fatale mascara.

Well hello, 2009!

Happy Friday, bellas!

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I submitted this photo to I Can Has Cheezburger right after we got back from Chicago. The house seemed to be in perfect order until we visited the upstairs bathroom and discovered the toilet paper terror had struck again. Poor guy was bored and lonely, and took out all of his emotions I guess. Now that we’re back home and settled, has Max changed his ways? Not at all. In fact, just this morning he casually knocked over a glass of water with his paw, leaving the coffee table dripping and all of my work documents soggy at the corners. I still love the little furball, but aarrrgh!

While I was busy celebrating my second bloggiversary, another famous blogger was celebrating her fifth! Five years in the blog game is no joke. Congratulations to The Budget Fashionista, for half a decade of fun, fashion, and frugality.
This week she’s been interviewed by my amiga Natalie of The Frugalista Files on five ways to recession proof your closet, and on Clutch Magazine, on just how far being fabulous for less has taken her. I’ve gotten some great tips from The Budget Fashionista — that 70/30 rule has gotten me through many but-I-really-need-this-trendy-shirt quandaries. And I had a bella on a budget breakthrough of my own this weekend — at one of TBF’s fashion find stores, I scored a FLY red Michael Kors long winter coat for a mere $60! Thanks, TBF!

My blogging amigas are all headed to NYC for Fashion Week and already the stylish posts are rolling in — Nichelle of 55 Secret Street took this image of a Brooklyn Fashion Week show that stretched across the Bridge.

Fabulous, fabulous, fabulous. You all have a blast at the L’Oreal Feria party! Wish I could be there with you…

Politics is causing my pressure to rise again, so I’m glad there are other bloggers who are covering the issues that I am obsessed with but lack the energy to write about myself. Racialicious has a great post about Michelle Obama and sexism, and Stereohyped covered the Maury Povichesque drama surrounding Republican VP pick Sarah Palin, and asked the question — could you just imagine if this were happening in the Obama family? I can think of at least two or three “newscasters” whose heads might explode. Opinion based news is killing me these days, I tell ya.

Two recent posts at Soulbounce got me in the mood for musing —
Five Reasons why Freedom is Impossible Today highlights why Freedom, one of my favorite old school all star jams from the Panther movie soundtrack, would never happen today. Reason # 2 — The disappearance of the female emcee. Period.

Also at Soulbounce, their top 100 Soul/R&B songs countdown has come to a thrilling finale with Donny Hathaway’s A Song For You.

What an incredible song. Ray Charles’ version was the one I knew first — it’s a good one, and the emotion rings true because of Ray’s advanced age. “And when my life is over, remember when we were together,” sounds right coming from his weathered voice. But Donnie Hathaway made that song his own because he lived it at such a tender age. Those lyrics spoke to the anguish within his own heart.

I have about half of a super long post about Donnie Hathaway written and holding — he was to be a part of my Lost Ones series, which I envisioned as a kind of Hollywood Babylon that focused on black celebrities who succumbed to the pressures of fame. I had to stop writing it midway through my posts about Dennis Brown and Donnie Hathaway. It was just… too sad, sitting up late at night all alone, watching YouTube videos of my musical icons who had passed away. I do plan to someday revisit and complete those posts. Soulbounce did a beautiful job of commemorating the life of an artist lost to the world in the prime of his life.

Donnie Hathaway was just 33 years old when he was found dead, and that makes the emotion you hear in this song seem all too real. Depression is real, it isn’t something you can just “get over” or “snap out of.” Click here to learn more, and hopefully answer any questions you may have.

Donnie Hathaway left this world too soon. But his spirit lives on through his talented children, like daughter Lalah Hathaway. He left us with incredible music — treat yourself to A Donnie Hathaway Collection, if you don’t already own a copy. You won’t regret the purchase.

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Lauren over at Stereohyped did a beautiful artists’ spotlight on Clementine Hunter, a folk artist from Cane River, Louisiana who has been called the “black Grandma Moses.” I loved the idea of highlighting an artist who connects to your roots. Inspired by Stereohyped, here’s my artist’s spotlight on the brilliant Trinidadian painter Boscoe Holder — dancer who once worked alongside Josephine Baker, choreographer, artist, and brother of famed actor Geoffrey Holder who many of you will instantly recognize from Annie and Boomerang (Strange! It Stinks So Good!). Geoffrey Holder is also a painter, FYI, and like his brother Boscoe, he is inspired by beautiful black women.

Boscoe Holder’s art is lush and moving, the women he captures have soul and class and are just stunning to gaze upon. In this article by L.M.N. Harris (who was once lucky enough to sit for the artist), he explained why black beauty was his main focus:

“I just like black skin! Black just looks so damn good. I’m black, old, tall, lean and wrinkled and I still look good. Black people don’t know their own strength, their own beauty, and I guess I’ve always been aware of it in one way or the other.””

You damn right, Boscoe. Don’t we look good, bellas?

One of my favorite Trinidadian blogs, The Bookman, wrote eloquently of Boscoe Holder’s passing in 2007. In this fascinating obituary from the UK’s Independent, the explanation for his island muse is revealed: “I love painting Caribbean people, especially the women, because they are so decorative. I capture all of the Caribbean in my work, the poverty, the strong black theme, the nature and the beauty. Looking at a painting is like taking a trip. When I look at each of my paintings, I can remember the sight, the taste, the smell, every detail of my life on the day it was painted. I would say it’s more like déjà vu.” Maybe that’s why his paintings feel like going home to me. I yearn to own one someday. You can see a collection of his work at Barbados’ Lancaster Great House here, and buy art prints here.

Do you love Michelle Obama’s style from head to toe? If you want to learn more about her hair, clicky click to read an interview with Johnny Wright, her hairstylist. FYI, Michelle O’s moisturizing hair product of choice is Shea Butter conditioner from Fekkai. Thanks, BellaSugar!

Are any of you attending the Bronner Bros International Hair Show in Atlanta this weekend? Stop by the booth for Shine , a new magazine that caters to African American and Latino hair care and makeup professionals. Their photos are gorgeous. OH! And for my UK bellas, there’s an event called You’re Beautiful, Woman! set to take place Saturday 9th August at the Imperial War Museum. It’s all about celebrating black beauty. Click here to learn more.

Speaking of celebrating black beauty, I gotta put you on to Gorgeous Black Women. This blog is a great source for beauty inspiration, and it truly celebrates black beauty in all our shades and textures. If you’re on the fence about going natural, their Afro Chic and Lovely Locs post could be the inspiration you’ve been seeking. I love this photo of Barbadian model Tennille Stoute. So bold and simple — inspiration for my TWA bellas.

Some of my fave fashionistas are doing fresh new stuff! Andrea from Fly went shoppin’ with her homegirl Rakia, and produced a fun new Fly webisode. I love seeing what’s being worn across the pond, and The Fashion Bomb did a post on London trends that makes me want to go shopping for bold ethnic prints. But I don’t think those quirky little British hats would hold on to my massive cloud of hair.

The Makeup Girl got Botox, and she’s blogging about it! I love reading brave beauty posts like that, because it answers all of the questions you may have had in the back of your mind about the procedure.

To end this post and kick off the weekend, I want to share with you my new favorite song. Soulbounce said it best — Raphael Saadiq’s Oh Girl is simply beautiful. This track has been on steady repeat since the moment I downloaded it. I love, love, love it. I’ve always loved Tone Toni Tony!, and I love the retro sensibility Raphael Saadiq brings to the table. Dude is a genius, and deserves his own Throwback Thursday post soon. For now, click here to let Oh Girl wash over your soul. I hope you love it as much as I do.

Happy Friday!

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Meet Window Snyder, head afrobella in charge of security at Mozilla Firefox. Her Kenyan-born mother, Wayua Muasa, taught her to program the early computer programming language Basic, when she was five years old. When I was five, I was all about Smurfs and Fraggle Rock. Go figure.

I love that Window is doing great work for my internet browser of choice, and knocking down doors within her field. That’s my kinda lady. (Thanks to Nichelle, by way of Talking Stuff for that one!)

Did your high school have a debate team? Mine did not, but I’ve always been fascinated by the art form — it’s a world that I simply don’t understand, where speed speaking and conviction are necessary tools for victory. HBO is screening an incredible array of documentaries every Monday this summer, and last week’s screening, Resolved, gave amazing insight to the stories of two debate teams — Matt and Sam from a rich Texas burb, versus Richard and Louis, two inner-city debaters from Long Beach, California with crazy skills. This documentary made me laugh, cry, and admire the discipline debate requires from its contestants. All of the debaters were great, but Richard and Louis are especially amazing to watch. I sincerely hope they take the opportunities they’ve been given, and go far in life.

I haven’t yet watched this week’s doc, Hard Times at Douglass High: A No Child Left Behind Report Card, which I know will just break my heart. The series continues through August, and I’m already setting my DVR for The Black List, which includes insightful interviews with Toni Morrison, Suzan-Lori Parks, and Thelma Golden, among others.

Even if you don’t have premium cable, you too can get an excellent documentary fix this week when CNN’s Black in America hits the screen. Soledad O’Brien’s six-hour television event promises to examine the issues, successes and struggles of black men, women and families.

I’m definitely looking forward to that. It premieres in a month — Monday July 23rd and Tuesday July 24th at 9pmET/PT.

I find it kind of interesting that there’s this recent uptick in multifaceted documentaries about African American life, and such a dismal lack of diversity on television sitcoms and dramas. Click here to read an interesting piece about the lack of black people on TV for the upcoming schedule of new network programs, and what the NAACP is trying to do about it. I find it extremely disconcerting that Cleveland Brown is being described as “television’s great black hope for the 2008-09 season,” and I agree with Racialicious– my WTF-o-meter went wayyyyy off when I heard that news and saw the photo of the cast. But maybe that’s just because deep down, I’m a South Park fan.

I say, meh. What say you, bellas and fellas?

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“When I wake up in the morning, the first thing I say is ‘Thank you for waking me up this morning.’ Then I look in the mirror and say, ‘You are beautiful!’ The third thing I say is, ‘I am going to have a fantastic day!’”

This is why I love Andre J, better known to Crunk & Disorderly readers as Gaymonn. I absolutely admire his unflappable joie de vivre. And I love the photos on NY Photo Forum.

Beauty blog superstar Tia Williams recently released her latest book, Sixteen Candles! Tia is truly an inspiration to me (and so many other beauty bloggers out there) — not only is she blazing trails with fun, clever young adult literature, but she co-wrote one of my bona fide go-to beauty bibles, Iman’s The Beauty of Color. If you’ve got a young adult in your life, click here to pick up some summer reading material for them.

And speaking of fabulous beauty bloggers… congratulations to the wonderful All About The Pretty, for winning Total Beauty’s Best Beauty Reporting Award! I love her blog.

Racialicious is one of my favorite blogs out there, and they’ve been doing amazing stuff of late. Now they’ve been collaborating with one of my favorite fashion blogs, Make Fetch Happen. Both blogs are really excellently written, thoughtful, and smart. I learn so much from Latoya, Carmen, and Brigitte.

Click here to read their take on Liya Kebede’s latest “exotic” Vogue fashion shoot, and click here to see a complete slide show of images.

Some of the political posts were getting to be too much for me, bellas — you already know where I’m coming from and where I hope this country’s going. I’ve been sitting back and learning a lot recently — people can be quick to insult you and dismiss your ideas when you’re not saying what they want you to say. Then all of a sudden, it’s “you’re a beauty blogger, stick to what you know.” I don’t ever plan to stick to one range of topics, but I’ve been biting my tongue of late, observing the news closely and just waiting for history to unfold. But Ryan Barrett has been speaking her mind, and I like what she’s saying. Also, LOOK at that crowd. That speaks volumes, if you ask me.

Are you looking for style inspiration? I love this chick’s understated swag — short fro, big sunglasses, sassy layered scarf. Effortlessly chic and nonchalant about it. She was spotted by Styleaholic Najwa Moses for AOL’s Black Voices blogs. I love the idea of just photographing all of the inspiring afrobellas you see on a day out. I’m gonna try to do just that this weekend. It’s our anniversary, and it’s Memorial Day weekend in Miami. So of course, being a Caribbean bella and a big reggae fanatic, we’re going to Best of the Best!

For dancehall reggae fans, the lineup is sick — Supercat, Barrington Levy, Sizzla, Buju Banton, Bounty Killer, Beenie Man, Machel Montano, Mavado, and Tarrus Riley — who I really am starting to like, BTW. His lyrics are uplifting. I love Lion Paw, and today I dedicate his video for She’s Royal to each and every natural beauty reading this right now. Because you’re a queen.

Isn’t that sweet?

My fingers are crossed that the concert stays positive and uplifting throughout. I’ll give a full report next week. For now I just want to say thank YOU, bellas!

The comments on the Creme of Nature giveaway glitch post were so absolutely amazing. I’ve learned so much about what you’re using, what you want to use, what you like about my site, and what you want to see more of. And I learned about some amazing-sounding new products and companies — Sizta2Sizta, Wen , Giovanni’s Direct and She Scent It. I’ll be checking all of those out for sure. And some of you predicted posts and reviews I’m working on, so keep reading… I’ve got some GREAT upcoming giveaway ideas now!

Without further ado, here are the Creme of Nature giveaway winners!

1 – Shones
2 – Cynthia
3 – Dora
4 – classy and natural
5 – Melanese
6 – Marsha
7 – SoFrolushes
8 – tycajam
9 – Diva (in Demand)
10 – Aisha Kelson
11 – Nemesis
12 -Chocopina
13 – Amber M.
14 – joyous
15 -Legz02
16 – Mara
17 – cheeky
18 – KamikaK
19 – Mezzo_Soprano
20 – Shan Shan
21 – VirtuousBlue
22 – auragirl
23 – Styleis20/20
24 – Nicole
25 – PhDiva

Congratulations to you all, and please look out for my e mail — if you see this first, e mail me at bella@afrobella.com with your real name and mailing address.

I sincerely wish I could give a special hair care package to each and every one of you, but for now all I can do is pick 25 readers. (I am working on an additional Creme of Nature giveaway in the future, and my new goal is at least one giveaway a month, so hang in there if you didn’t win this time around).

It’s Memorial Day weekend, a time to bond with friends and family, a day to celebrate the legacies of those who have fought and died for this country. Stereohyped did a beautiful little photographic tribute to the most oft-overlooked soldiers, the ones who normally aren’t depicted in war movies.

Happy long weekend, bellas!

** edited on Monday — whoops! I chose the name Cynthia twice… so I chose another random winner. ShanShan, come on down…

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…According to you guys and the Glam Network, that is! That’s right, bellas — thanks to your support, yours truly won the title of Best in Beauty in this year’s Glam Network Awards! And a big ol’ photo of me is the front page photo on the slide show! Wow, wow, wow.

Thank you all so much for voting for me. Honored isn’t the word. I am so excited and proud and… hang on a second. I am tempted to get all teary eyed Sally Field “you like me, you really like me,” here, but Mama Bella reminded me that they play off over-long speeches at the Oscars. So I’ll save the fabulous dramatics and keep it short and sweet.

In August 2006, I dreamed up a blog that captured the essence of the kind of magazine I wanted to read, the kind that wasn’t at the store shelves. Something that was primarily about beauty, but didn’t make me feel like I wasn’t just as precious, delicate and gorgeous as the models of the opposite race, size, and hair texture as me. Afrobella started out with the intention of being a pure beauty blog with not much beyond product reviews and musings about natural black beauty, but along the way it evolved into so much more than that. Afrobella is an outlet for everything I care deeply about — beauty, hair, music, fashion, politics, whatever. The variety of topics has led to my exclusion in certain circles, but that’s OK. It’s also led to some wonderful ongoing opportunities, like the honor of participating in the blogger’s round table on NPR’s News and Notes. (I’ll be on again this upcoming Monday, April 28)! It’s been a wonderful ride, and the lesson I’ve learned is to follow my heart, and never limit myself.

It is such a pleasure and a privilege to be able to write about my obsessions and musings, to share my Caribbean culture, to put my thoughts about being a naturally beautiful black woman out there, and to participate in the exchange of ideas with so many of you all over the world. You make my life so rich and wonderful. I have so many big dreams for this blog and for myself as a writer — my mother always said, “Thursday’s child has far to go.” I’m on my way! Thank you all so very, very much for making one of them come true, and thank you to everyone at the Glam Network for your continued support.

My prize for winning is a Flip video camera, so I hope to start making some makeup and hair videos on YouTube soon.

Click here to see the slide show of this year’s Glam Network Award winners, which includes one of my first blog inspirations Beauty Addict, Hollyscoop, Popbytes, the amazing YourCause.com, and In Case You Didn’t Know.

YAY!!! I love you guys!! Thank you so, so much.

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One of the most obvious, easy ways to be environmentally friendly starts with shopping. Americans throw out 100 billion plastic bags each year, and the detritus of those unrecycled bags is killing the planet. Some stores are doing away with them altogether — plastic is no longer an option at Whole Foods, and it’s a trend many gourmet grocery stores have adopted. Using a sturdy cloth bag is a practically effortless, often quite stylish way to reduce waste.

You can score chic bags galore today, at places like Kiehl’s. The first 50 patrons to return empty Kiehl’s bottles to any one of their free-standing stores for recycling will receive a Kiehl’s reusable canvas tote bag today — one per customer.

Macy’s also has some chic bags for sale for $3.95, and in all Florida and Puerto Rico stores, they’re having a special charity-shopping event on Saturday, April 26th and Sunday, April 27th. By making a $5 donation at Macy’s stores or online at www.nationalparks.org, customers receive a One Good Turn savings pass — a two-day in-store and online shopping pass — for 20 percent off most merchandise, and 10 percent off most home items. So you know where I’ll be this weekend — workin’ the plus size section with my discount card.

If you’re looking for a variety of natural and organic beauty products, check out Beautorium.com, a new site that features truly natural, truly organic, good-for-your-skin beauty all in one online store. For every purchase over $75, Beautorium will include a free “I Am a Natural Bag” fair-trade burlap bag.

By far the nicest charity-supporting reusable shopping bag I’ve seen is by Star 50 Bags, a line of collectible handbags that are designed to celebrate each state of the union. Is the Louisiana Market Sac not to die for? It’s super sturdy, and works just as well at the grocery store as it does on the beach. It’s pricey — $115 — but 5% of all sales benefit Brad Pitt’s Make It Right foundation, which is assiduously working to rebuild New Orleans’ Lower Ninth Ward, improving the living conditions there with environmentally friendly architecture. Click here to make a direct donation. I’ve got a special Star 50 discount for Afrobella readers!! Use the code Star50bella on your bag purchase, and you can get 50% off your purchase. This will only last for one week — until Sunday May 4 at 5 p.m, so click here for the Louisiana Market Sac!

There are some other initiatives and offers (besides bags) happening today —

Total Beauty.com is featuring a totally green sweepstakes, and you could possibly win a 2008 Saturn Vue hybrid car, filled with beauty products from Origins. Origins is all about Earth Day giveaways, they’re also offering a free Peace of Mind® On-the-spot-relief sample, plus free standard Shipping with any order while supplies last, today only. Clicky click!

It’s Earth Month at Ojon (expect a big fabulous review of their products soon!), and the hair product line so many bellas adore is donating 10 percent of all online sales through Click here to learn, and discover more about Ojon’s commitment to environmental sustainability and preservation.

If you’re interested in learning other ways to live a greener and more fabulous life, visit TheFindGreen, a shopping search engine that exclusively features products that employ eco-friendly practices or materials. Today they launch a week-long series of blogs on helpful “green-living” tips for consumers. I can’t find a direct link just yet… but celebrity and fashion journalist Merle Ginsberg will be offering info about planning an eco-friendly wedding, and the latest celebrity charity causes.

Maybe for you, commitment to the environment goes deeper than shopping, reading about charities online, or toting a chic grocery bag to the store. Maybe you work green, play green, eat green and live green. If your ideas are truly unique, you can submit a short film or photo essay to the Sundance Channel’s original series “Big Ideas for a Small Planet.” The winner will be awarded a cash prize of $10,000 (!!) to help make their “Big Idea” a reality. The contest runs until May 20. Click here to learn more.

Treehugger has an exhaustive and magnificent Earth Day guide, loaded with information and advice.

Whew! Those are the coolest Earth Day offers I’ve heard about so far, bellas. Do any of you know of anything else happening today, or for the rest of April? Let me know — this is an easy way to support environmental initiatives and charities. But I’m looking for suggestions beyond just shopping, so please share any of your environmentally friendly ideas and tips with me — this week I’ll be writing about other ways to save the planet right from the comfort of your own home.

Related posts:

1. Earth Day Eco-Chic – Reuseable Shopping Bags
2. Throwback Thursday — Earth Wind and Fire!
3. Happy Halloween!