When I read it in college, I fell in love with the lavish lifestyle F. Scott Fitzgerald so vividly illustrated in his literary classic, The Great Gatsby. The book is set in the ostentatious 1920’s and inspired by real people and places Fitzgerald hobnobbed with – even today, the mansion that inspired Jay Gatsby’s, is…
Pop Culture
RIP Chris “Mac Daddy” Kelly of Kriss Kross.
Tonight on Twitter the news spread like wildfire that Chris Kelly, one half of the 90’s rap duo Kriss Kross, passed away. According to ABC News, reasons are as yet unconfirmed. I can’t deny that this news made me immediately sad, and brought back so many memories of a particular era of my life. The…
Fashion Fair’s 40th Anniversary Collection — All Pink Everything
For 40 years, women of color have known and loved Fashion Fair Cosmetics. The venerable beauty brand based in Chicago was a staple in my formative years and I know I’m not the only one who remembers that familiar pink marbleized compact being on their mother’s dresser. The brand has been through so many…
Rumble With The Bee – Interview With The Daily Show’s Samantha Bee
This post has nothing to do with Lil Kim. And everything to do with coming face to face with your TV faves. I’m a big fan of The Daily Show, so when my friends at Dove told me the April Truth Day they wanted me to come to NYC for was being hosted by…
Inside Dove’s April Truth Day. Discover The Real Deal With Cleansers
Dove is one of my favorite beauty brands for many reasons. They’re a legacy brand known for consistently great quality skincare, and advertising I can totally get behind. Their whole brand aesthetic is about healthy beauty on your own terms, which is what I’m about! So when Dove invited me to NYC, to experience…
Upcoming Films You Need to Know About
Just as with the weather, there are seasons in cinema. There’s awards show season in the fall and beginning of winter. There are the winter doldrums in January, where the terrible movies the studio wants everyone to forget about come to the theaters out of obligation (for example, Movie 43). There’s summer blockbuster season. And…
The Umberto Beverly Hills Experience
My Target Inner Circle trip to Los Angeles in March remains a fabulous memory that feels more like a dream. Within just a few days, I experienced so many amazing things. I already told you about my Essence Black Women in Hollywood experience, and my Napoleon Perdis smoky eye makeover. Now let me tell you…
Happy Birthday, Diana Ross! Thank You For Everything
One of my earliest hair-related memories was watching Diana Ross’s concert in Central Park, 1983. Of course I wasn’t actually there – the concert was televised, and I remember watching it with my parents in Trinidad. I was so little and I remember watching this goddess of a woman with this resplendent mane of kinky,…
7 Things I Learned At My First SXSW
I just got back from Austin last night, and my voice is doing this Lindsay Lohan/Harvey Feirstein thing that is simply not the business. I’m still basking in the afterglow of my first ever SXSW. I got to Austin on March 9, and stayed till yesterday – and I’m sad I am not there for…
Philly, University of Pennsylvania, and The Politics of Black Hair Symposium
My travels seem to never end, and I wind up going to some truly amazing places and participating in incredible events! Today I’m on my way to Philadelphia, one of my favorite cities for good food and culture! I’ll be on campus at University of Pennsylvania, participating in a prestigious academic symposium that I am…