Feet are the workhorses of your body. We shove them into tight shoes, punish them with designer heels, and roughen them by walking around barefoot. When I was a teenager, my feet were oh so soft. Now they have become hard and tough from abuse. I can’t always afford a trip to Nail Fever (my…
Skin
Bronzed Goddess
Bronzer is one of those cosmetic products that I eschewed in my tomboy days. “I’m black, I live in the Caribbean. My skin is baking in the sun all day. I don’t need bronzer or blush,” I’d scoff. What a fool I was. A little blush can take your look from a’ight to amazing with…
Be Your Own Mixtress!
You keep spending money on hair and skin products that suck. A conditioner that fails to leave your hair in top condition. A sugar scrub that makes you almost slip and fall in the bathtub. Unimpressive toner, and shampoo that leaves your tresses coated with residue. What’s a bella to do? Instead of getting all…
Skinspiration – Kerry Washington
This weekend I finally went to see The Last King of Scotland. If you bellas are as about supporting black actors and actresses as you say you are, run, don’t walk to see this film. Thus far all of the buzz has been about Forest Whitaker, and deservedly so! He transforms into a historic figure…
Moisturize Your Situation – Skin Edition
I’m trying to figure out a balance between social issues and beauty reviews, bellas. I’ve been in a contemplative mood these days, so now I’ll lighten it up with some beauty stuff. Back to my regularly scheduled post, which is long overdue! I did part one of Moisturize Your Situation (hair edition) back in December,…
Adding to the Discourse
Before a whole week passes and I completely forget – my blog buddy Nichelle of 55 Secret Street was inspired by some of the comments left in my review of the prescription fade cream Tri-Luma. While The Makeup Girl advises rubbing lemon on your knees and elbows, Nichelle advises sunscreen and exfoliation, and her post…
A Recommendation With Reservations
My skin was my biggest beauty dilemma last year. Repeated series of breakouts led me to seek acne medication and left me with some depressing hyperpigmentation. Post-acne skin discoloration is an issue that I think primarily affects women of color, and in 2006 it became my plague. Inevitably after I have a breakout – especially…
The Best of 2006
Greetings from sunny Trinidad and Tobago! The temperature here is 30 degrees Celsius. I guess that’s in the 80’s, in Fahrenheit speak. Our vacation is flitting by in a blur of family, friends, cocktails, and fabulous food. I’m collecting quite a bit of material to write about when I return, but I have hardly had…
Presents for All-Natural Bellas
Don’t get it twisted, ladies – we already went through the Definition of Natural before. When I refer to a “truly natural bella,” I’m talking about a woman who has taken natural beauty to the nth degree. Afrobellas and rastabellas who proudly sport their own locks, bellas of all colors who are card-carrying PETA members…
Comfortably Numb
A few weeks ago, an online store by the name of Buy Beauty.com sent me a sample package of some of their products. The basket was chock-full of stuff, some of which tackled beauty issues I don’t have. So the lip plumper and eye cream, I passed along to some of my equally analytical beauty…