Sponsored giveaway by Mr. Bubble Bubble baths are among my top favorite things in life. I don’t get to bask in their luxury often enough, but when I do it’s a ritual. I even have a Spotify playlist dedicated to Sunday bubblebaths. I get the water to the right temperature, add my bubbles and salts… read all

This post is sponsored by Refinery29 The 4th quarter of the year is a time for reflection and projection. We look back on what we’ve experienced and anticipate future possibilities to come. It’s no different in the beauty space – this is the season for recognizing the developments we have enjoyed and admired the most…. read all

This post is sponsored by COVERGIRL For some of us, every day is a Big Beauty Moment. For others – like myself – the days for full-out glam are irregular occasions. I’m at a juncture of life where I need to let my skin breathe. Most of my days at home are spent makeup-free (but… read all

On Instagram, I use the hashtag #IndieBrandLove to highlight and celebrate the independent brands I’ve tried and can vouch for in terms of product quality. And now I’m sharing that spotlight here on Afrobella.com! Get to know some of my favorite independent fashion, beauty, food and cultural brands and let’s show them a little #IndieBrandLove!… read all

This post was sponsored by SheaMoisture. I’ll never forget the first time I had to buy my own hair products in America. It was late August, 1998. I had just become a freshman at the University of Miami. I had grown up in Trinidad, surrounded by women with similar hair issues to my own. We… read all

Bellas, as you may know, I go back with the MAC Cosmetics folks for quite some time now. So when they hit me up to let me know a special collection was soon to be released, and asked me if I’d be interested in checking it out early — of course I said YES. Especially… read all

It was my first ever trip to New York City and we were staying with a college friend who lived in Harlem. He lived in a cool little walk-up above a neighborhood bar, on Manhattan Avenue. It was a sunny afternoon, my husband and I explored as much of Harlem as possible. Strolling along the… read all

Every brand has them – the best sellers, the tried-and-true items, the products they’ve been making for the longest because the people keep coming back for more. In the biz they’re known as hero products, and beauty brands strive to cultivate and maintain them. What makes a product a hero product? Consistency. Quality. It has… read all

Summer weather can throw unexpected curveballs. Here in Chicago, I can expect balmy breezes only to be faced by humid, hot air. Surprise thunderstorms can blow our way at any time – ask anyone who attended Lollapalooza in 2012 and/or 2015. The sky will be perfectly clear and then all of a sudden clouds roll… read all

  In my line of work I interact with entrepreneurs and indie brand creators from around the world, the majority of them are people of color (obviously, this is Afrobella.com!). I’ve heard the complaints from so many corners, about the struggle to get noticed or to stand out as a product producer, or the difficulty… read all