This post is sponsored by PATTERN Beauty but the opinions are all my own. When I first started Afrobella in 2006, I couldn’t have imagined the growth the natural hair industry would have. I couldn’t have imagined the wonderful changes to come. If someone told me in 2006 that celebrities I liked and looked up…
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Multiple Myeloma – A Summary of My Story
Here it is, the post I’ve contemplated a thousand times. The thing I have to share that I haven’t wanted to type or say aloud. I have cancer. I have multiple myeloma. Here’s my story, in summary. I was diagnosed in January, but my symptoms first really appeared in October 2023, when hitting a pothole…
A Tribute to Chef Julius Russell
I lost a friend at the end of March and I would like to pay an overdue tribute to him here on Afrobella. I featured him and his recipes so often in this space. He showed up for me time and time again. I want to pay homage to Chef Julius Russell as the man…
Dinner in the Sky – An Unforgettable Chicago Experience
When you’ve lived somewhere long enough, it can be easy to take things for granted. For example, here’s a slightly embarrassing confession – I’ve lived in Chicago since 2009 and I didn’t make it to the top of Willis Tower until this year. 2023. I know! It’s ridiculous. I’d been to the top of the…
Helpful House Hunting Checklist: Top Tips from a Zillow Premier Agent for Finding Your Dream Home
This is the second post in a three-part series about my personal home search efforts, sponsored by Zillow. After years of condos and a history of life in townhouses, the idea of moving into an actual factual single-family home is appealing but also daunting. Like, I can’t wait to decorate but at the same time…
All About Mielle Organics’ Cooling Avocado and Tamanu Anti-Frizz System
This post was sponsored by Mielle Organics. In beauty and haircare, innovation is the name of the game. Top brands are continuously exploring new ways to include buzzworthy ingredients. If customers are searching online for new ways to increase their hair length, strength, moisture, or shine, there’s a brand looking to deliver the goods on…
Looking For Our Next Home with Zillow
This is the first post in a series on my personal home search efforts, sponsored by Zillow. If we have had casual in-person conversation within the past few years, it’s likely that I have mentioned something about moving. Don’t get me wrong, condo life has been wonderful, and we love our neighbors and our neighborhood…
What I Now Know About Grief (From Personal Experiences)
I have lost so many people I cared about in the last few years. Too many. Close relatives, distant relatives, friends made in Miami, Trinidad, and Chicago. People who knew me as a little girl, people I worked with in later years, people who made a difference to my life. People I loved. People I…
An Amazing Trip to LA & the AAFCA Awards with Nissan!
I’ve been off the scene for a while and haven’t done much travel since 2020, so last week’s experience felt like returning to a dream of an old life in quite a few ways. I went to Los Angeles (first time back in 4 years) for the African American Film Critics Association Awards with a…
Back to Blogging — What Am I Still Doing, and Why?
I read a lovely Twitter thread recently from @PulpLibrarian that so beautifully encapsulated what it felt like to go online back in the day. If I had to look back and choose a year that I first went on the internet, I think it was probably 1993. I was 14. I so vividly remember the…