Like many of my peers in the blogosphere, I’ve been trying my best to move on. But it’s hard.

I still can’t quite believe — a week ago, Michael Jackson passed away.

Even typing that phrase feels wrong.

I wrote a tribute from the depths of my heart and then tried to look away from the onslaught of rumors and almost-news that took over the internet and television. I got into Facebook fights and Twitter spats with people who just were itching to disparage his name as soon as the tragic news came. I tried not to read the nasty online comments and poorly timed jokes. I tried to just remember the music. The dancing. The talent.

Michael had talent to spare. When he was at his peak, nobody could come close. To this day, I can’t think of anyone who compares — sorry, Beyonce fans, that includes Bey. Michael Jackson revolutionized entertainment and held it down from the age of 7, well into his 30’s. There will never be another like him.

Having said all of that, I’ve been disappointed with the so-called tributes I’ve seen people trying to pass off. I didn’t torture myself with the BET Awards in its completion, but I watched enough YouTube clips to think they could have done better.

Soulbounce has been doing a phenomenal job of putting the best tributes together, for example from Erykah and the Roots (courtesy of Erykah’s Twitter, click here for a free download of that BTW), to Stevie Wonder, to Raphael Saadiq. All artists I would have loved to see together, on stage, paying fitting tribute to the King of Pop. Another artist I wish could have contributed — Marsha Ambrosius.

The former lead singer of Floetry has an incredible vocal instrument. AND she wrote one of my absolute favorite latter period Michael Jackson songs, Butterflies.

Marsha’s version gives me goosebumps, I swear. Her voice is absolutely angelic.

And just for good measure, here’s Michael’s version, from the Invincible album.

Sorry for those who are sick of hearing about Michael Jackson — these wounds are going to take a while to heal. The tributes aren’t about to die down anytime soon. The King of Pop left too enormous of a shadow. Saying he’ll be missed is an understatement. Like Quincy Jones said in this awesome, candid interview — it still feels surreal.

Who would you like to see pay tribute to Michael? Who do you think could do justice?

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*

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.

Read the rest of this entry »

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

Read the rest of this entry »

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

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

I’ve been reading Michael Pollan’s book, In Defense of Food. The first sentence grabbed me right away.

Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.

He makes it sound easy, right? But when you’re living in a city, or on a budget, if you work long hours or if you have kids who are picky eaters, eating according to Pollan’s plan can seem almost impossible. Unhealthy food is cheap and it’s EVERYWHERE. Eating healthy takes a bit more effort. But believe me, bellas — it’s worth it!

I have big, big admiration for First Lady Michelle Obama for getting her hands in the dirt and encouraging kids to plant a vegetable garden at the White House. 36 students from Washington DC’s Bancroft Elementary helped her, and just this week they harvested their veggies. 73 pounds of lettuce, to be exact. Then, together with White House chefs, the FLOTUS and her elementary school assistants dined on baked chicken with brown rice and peas, salad with carrots and honey dressing, and garden cupcakes with fruit topping.

Delicious! Michelle Obama explained her motivation in a speech following the harvest.
Read the rest of this entry »