I went to New Orleans with two missions in mind.

#1 – to thoroughly soak up and enjoy the splendor of my first ever Essence Music Festival! And

#2 – to capture the many stunning natural hairstyles I was bound to encounter during three amazing days of culture and music!

Together with Chuck Olu-Alabi (AKA @Chuckstr), I set out to discover the natural beauties of the Essence Music Festival weekend, all on behalf of Nothing But Hair Care. We present to you Nothing But Natural Beauty at EMF 2012!

Nothing But Collage

 

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I had to show props and love to Nothing But for the amazing opportunity to experience this fabulousness in person! We rolled up on their Fierce Fly and Fabulous booth (and @MasterBarberWMS) right in the middle of a sale frenzy. He was imparting knowledge and product was flying off the table! By the time we got there, my favorite Nothing But products, the Clarifying Shampoo and the Cleansing Conditioner were gone baby gone, into the hands of excited customers.

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Of course there were naturalistas galore at Fierce Fly and Fabulous – that’s where I ran into one of my favorite natural hair bloggers!

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Oh HEY Cassidy! I love her style so much! She keeps it short, funky and sassy. ADORE.

Across the street at the Convention Center, there were so many beautiful women! So many gorgeous textures and lengths of natural hair!

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This young lady was rocking those Earwings by Erykah Badu – loved them on her and LOVED her hair! What a great cut, right?

 

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On Friday afternoon literally as soon as I stepped foot into the convention center, these two women recognized me. I LOVE meeting my readers! Such sweethearts!

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We watched this gorgeous bella get a Cover Girl Queen Collection makeover at the My Black is Beautiful booth – LOVE the look of both stylist and stylee!

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How GORGEOUS is she?

 

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We saw some beautiful natural hair in a variety of textures, and a LOT of fun COLOR! Blonde and red is definitely hot for summer!

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You know who looks GOOD and is rocking her hair gorgeously natural? Tempestt Bledsoe! She’s doing a new show with Anthony Anderson on NBC, called Guys With Kids. Looks super cute and Anthony Anderson is a RIOT so I’m hoping it’s a hit!

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Two generations of naturalistas – mother and daughter both looking GORGEOUS. So lovely to meet them!

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Everywhere I went on Saturday, I met Afrobella readers who just wanted to say hello, show love, take a photo. As a blogger it’s SO incredible to meet the people who read what you do and appreciate your work. I really loved meeting everyone!

So many of my blogger besties were out there in NOLA looking fierce. Gotta show some love to my sistren!

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Had Nothing But fun at Essence Fest, and I loved seeing so many beautiful natural bellas out there doing their thing. I’ve got at least one more recap in store, bellas. See any hair you LOVE up above?

If you’re a blogger in these photos, PLEASE leave your link in the comments! It was wonderful meeting you ALL!

My trip to Essence Music Festival was sponsored by Nothing But Hair Care but all experiences and opinions are mine, baby! All photos by Chuck Olu-Alabi.

COMMENTS

Doctor Cris says:
July 16, 2012, 8:52 am
I am so happy you shared your photos of the Essence Music Festival. There are so many great amazing natural beauties, including you. What a great way to sell and promote these wonderful Nothing But Hair Care products. I so wish I would have met you because you bring so much positive energy wherever you go.
Pets says:
July 16, 2012, 5:00 pm
Afrobella had a ball and met them all! Amazing to see what are fan pics of you and your readers! Amazing to see they hair styles and colours. Next time you're home I will take you to meet the Administrator at our pharmacy who has orange or blonde hair when she feels like - all natural hair too.
Darlene says:
July 17, 2012, 8:13 am
Looks like you had a great time at the EMF! One reason that I continue to read Afrobella is for images that help me recognize (and reaffirm) my own beauty. I love this post and your blog because it helps me feel good in my skin!
Maven says:
July 17, 2012, 1:56 pm
Great photos. Loving the hairstyles shown here. Right now with the heat I'm just washing and going, but I plan to branch out a bit soon. Everyone I know had a great time there.
Jasmine says:
July 17, 2012, 7:06 pm
It was fab seeing you in New Orleans. Your pix are great and I love the recap of all the fun you had. Til we see eachother again. xoxo
Ashley Small says:
July 17, 2012, 7:33 pm
Thanks so much for including me and my mom here. It seriously is one of those lifetime highlights- featured on one of my favorite blogs...with my mom;). Thank you!
mary-ann says:
July 18, 2012, 8:44 am
I tried fantastic natural cosmetics, essential oils BIO, vegetable oil at www.ftiaxnokallyntika.gr
kia says:
July 20, 2012, 1:24 pm
i saw anisa, the fab makeup artist in one of your pics! i hope to see you next year at EMF, Patrice!