How amazing is Ava DuVernay? In the dazzling span of her film career, she’s blazed a trail and changed the game. She was the first African-American woman to win the Best Director Prize at the Sundance Film Festival, for her film Middle Of Nowhere. Her first feature film, I Will Follow was critically acclaimed… read all

  Do you remember where you were, when you found out? I do. I was standing backstage at Texture On The Runway, such a fabulous New York Fashion Week event. I was waiting to be interviewed by Corynne Corbett for Essence, when Dickey of Hair Rules came backstage and said five words I won’t ever… read all

The woman is in her 60’s and still nobody does it better. The one and only Grace Jones has aged like only the most high quality wine. Today, let’s look back to one of the images that made her an icon. The album cover for Island Life. Grace is GORGEOUS. Sinewy. Sleek. Her skin is… read all

Today is Februrary 1, the official beginning of Black History Month. Every day this month, I will feature a snapshot of black beauty history. Expect to see images, products, tastemakers, artists, models, and films that have shaped the world of fashion and beauty today.  I can still remember like it was yesterday. I may have… read all

As crazy as this may sound, Cosmopolitan was one of the first magazines I remember reading. I knew I was far too young to be reading that stuff, but I couldn’t stay away. Those primary colored covers featuring super glamorous women — especially in the Eighties when supermodels seemed like a breed apart. I was… read all

When you think of Jody Watley, very specific visuals might come to mind. Sleek hair. Bangin’ brows. Hoop earrings. A matte red lip. When I visualize Jody Watley, I always envision her in an all black ensemble. And for me that’s entirely because Jody Watley was one of my earliest beauty icons. Her Eighties hits… read all

In the interest of furthering the Afrobella Art series under a knowledgable and well curated eye, I’ve turned over the reins to a new monthly contributor. Bellas, meet Veronica Marshall. She is a self-described interior design junkie, obsessed with all-things home décor, antiquing, midcentury modern design, and collecting art by emerging artists. The owner of… read all

YAY! You guys LOVED Afrobella’s new makeup expert Meagan Shea, judging from the comments on the first post! She’s a wealth of information with an infectious personality to boot. I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship! For Meagan’s second post, she took a look at the hottest trends on the Spring/Summer 2011… read all

Yesterday we teased you with the photo, but today you get to see the real deal! Actress and comedienne Kim Coles has been wearing her hair in micro-braids since 1991. Before that she wore weaves. Before that, she wore her hair relaxed. But now finally she’s ready to show the world her beauty in its… read all

I have been meaning to write this post for weeks now, but I figure better late than never. Just because Black History Month is officially over doesn’t mean that we move back to the present day and forget all about honoring our predecessors for another year. Black History Month should be every month, in my… read all