Afrobella Wins a Fabbie!

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

In January I proudly announced that I was nominated for a Fabbie Award — the first ever fashion and lifestyle blogger-created and organized awards, created by the internet superstars of Fashiontribes, Bag Snob and Manolo’s Shoeblog.

I am thrilled to announce that thanks to you, beautiful, wonderful bellas and fellas who took the time to register and vote for moi, I won! I won, I won, I won the Best Beauty category. And I was nominated alongside some really first class beauty blogs, so I am especially surprised and honored. Cut to me dancing like Snoopy in my living room.

Without further ado, the winners are as follows —

Accessories - Knickersblog

Beauty - Afrobella (that’s me!)

Best Newbie - stylenotes

Men’s - Dandyism — which I love, BTW

e-Zine/New Frontier Publishing - NYMag.com

Fashion - I Like Her Style (YAY, Sylvia!!!!!!)

Indie/Niche - The Fashion Incubator

Lifestyle - a tie between Apartment Therapy & the YBF

Parents/Pets - Honest Baby

Shoes - Grand Mademoiselle Shoe blog

Shopping - The fabulous FabSugar

Streetstyle - The Sartorialist.

I am so psyched to have won an award alongside these magnificent blogs, and I can’t thank you enough for voting for me. I promise to keep my head to the sky, and to keep on bringing you more of the stuff you love.

Speaking of which… what would you like to see more or less of on this blog? Beauty reviews? Giveaways (goes without saying)? Hair posts? Makeup tips? Politics? Music? Celebrity rambling? Also, what would you guys think about an Afrobella forum, where you could ask questions and keep conversations flowing all the time? I’m open to suggestions, and I’d love to get your input on ways to take Afrobella to the next level.

Thank you again for taking the time to vote for me. I’m gonna try to make a trip to NYC this September… the Fabbies award ceremony is going to be held during Fashion Week!!

…I can’t believe you like money too!

Totally out of left field — one of my favorite comedies ever is a cult flick by Mike Judge called Idiocracy. It’s cynical and dark, but absolutely hilarious in my opinion.

Brief synopsis — Average folks Luke Wilson and Maya Rudolph sign up for a military hibernation experiment, and wake up 500 years in the future. Mankind has become increasingly stupid with the passage of time, people wear clothes covered in advertising logos, the hottest show on television is called “Ow, My Balls,” the anchor of Fox News is a shirtless bodybuilder, and you can get a law degree at Costco (where the door greeter repeatedly says, “welcome to Costco. I love you.)

I was totally reminded of Idiocracy when I saw the ad for VH1’s new reality series, I Love Money, which has combined the rejects from Flavor of Love, Rock of Love, and I Love New York, and allowed them to compete for a a $250,000 grand prize. That’s right — it’s Pumkin vs. Whiteboy, Midget Mac vs. Heather in a race to the bottom. What will they think we’ll watch next?

Why did I have an Idiocracy flashback? Simply because the title of this new reality show is almost exactly what Dax Shepherd’s hare-brained lawyer repeatedly says throughout the movie. “… I like money,” and that made me LOL. And also, I think this show is the embodiment of what Idiocracy was about. Shed a tear for the dumbing down of society, and click here to enjoy a compilation clip of some of the funniest scenes from Idiocracy. One caveat — it’s dark, has chock-a-block cursing and adults-only humor, and is not the kind of thing I’d normally post on Afrobella. But if you’re a little left of center, and enjoy underrated not-for-everyone comedies, you’ll probably enjoy it.

For the record, Pooty Tang is also one of my favorite comedies. This all probably reveals something about me, but I’m not sure exactly what.

Happy Birthday, Stevie!

Today is one of my favorite musician’s birthdays, and I just gotta give props to the man who’s been by my side and in my ear during the good times and bad. Stevie Wonder is a musical legend, and today he turns 57. Here’s a link to my last little Stevie tribute, and here’s his video for Lately. It’s very simple — just Stevie and the piano. But oh, that voice. I love the Jodeci version as well, but Stevie’s resonates with my heart. It’s pure and beautiful. Love it. Love him.

Thank you so much for so many years of music, Mr. Wonder. Happy birthday to ya, and here’s to many more to come!
Do you bellas and fellas have a favorite Stevie Wonder song — or more like SONGS? Tell me!

b.l.a.c is beautiful

I have so much admiration for sistas who are out there doing it for themselves, entrepreneurs making a name in the cosmetics biz by specializing in makeup made for bellas like you and me.

The ethnic market has become big business, and many of the leading cosmetics lines are offering makeup for a deeper and wider range of skin tones. Everyone already knows how wonderful MAC, Prescriptives, and Bobbi Brown products are, which is exactly why I love to shine a light on the new, niche businesses on the rise. You all remember Valana, Shea Radiance and Ohm Body? Great! Here are some more products by bellas for bellas that have come across my radar.

For any woman of color who’s been seeking simple, pure beauty solutions for her skin tone, b.l.a.c minerals is the bomb. This is truly natural makeup that doesn’t rely on the use of fillers and fragrances. Owner and Creator Merced Manning truly is dedicated to making a range of products that bring out black beauty — their items come in shades that exist compliment deep, warm skin tones to a tee. Take for example, the toasty blush. I was skeptical when I first saw it in the package — too burnt orange, I thought. But when sparingly applied to the apples of my cheeks, it gave me a subtle, gorgeous glow that didn’t scream “I’m wearing blush!”, which is exactly what I’m always looking for. Subtlety is key when it comes to cheek color.

The lip glazes are made with shea butter, and are as smooth and soft as you’d imagine them to be. Plus the colors are true to description — the Spice shimmer gloss really shimmers. If you’re a mahogany-skinned bella who prefers a shimmery, nude gloss, I’d advise you try the Cocoa shade. It just gave my lips that slick of sophistication that finishes off a well-done un-made up look. It would look effortlessly beautiful with bronze eye makeup. Speaking of which…

b.l.a.c’s Carnival eyeshadow is the perfect shade of gold for my complexion, and it’s flecked through and through with sparkles. Just a little stripe with a wet brush along my upper eyelid is stunning for day, and the full lid in gold at night is a bold, bright look. Royal is the kind of blue that really brings out the brown in my eyes — try it, I bet you’ll love the power of blue eyemakeup to amplify your baby browns.

b.l.a.c specializes in mineral foundation, and they offer a dazzling array of shades. From butternut tan to mocha deep, there’s a whole lot to choose from. The coverage is light and really flattering, but would be most ideal for a bella with unblemished skin.

b.l.a.c minerals is sold online (the company is based in Atlanta), and the prices aren’t scary — $22.50 for mineral foundation, $11 for blush, and $6.50 for a pot of lip gloss. Good deal, great little company. Click here to read Urban World Online’s interview with Merced Manning, creator of b.l.a.c.

I had the honor of meeting Kiley Russell, the gorgeous, creative bella behind Big Girl Cosmetics in person, at the Makeup Show Miami. She is stunning in person, and wears her locks like a true queen. And her makeup was to DIE for!

I admired Big Girl’s big display of items — that Mosaic Bronzer looks kind of amazing, right? And their eyeliners and eye shadows come in a great range — $10 a pop for the shadows. Their Diva Gloss is smooth and slick like a regular lip balm, but gives great shine and glimmer. I was very skeptical about the sheer peach, but it just gives such a beautiful natural glow to my mouth, I’ve been completely won over. Even prettier over a lip stain. Love it.

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How You Can Help

The tragedy in Myanmar is absolutely staggering — Cyclone Nargis wrecked the country a week ago, and reports of the death toll are conflicting, but terrifyingly high. State-run Myanmar television sets it at 28,458, with 33,416 people still missing. The Times Online indicates that the death toll could reach a million if disease sets in and the current sanitation conditions persist.

The military junta is still blocking aid sent to cyclone victims, which is insane, ridiculous, and absolutely criminal in my eyes. But just because the aid efforts are being blocked now doesn’t mean aid isn’t necessary. Just the opposite — the people of Myanmar desperately need assistance by any means necessary.

If you’d like to help, Google is supporting cyclone victims through direct donations to UNICEF and the Direct Aid Organization. The Body Shop is donating 25% of the proceeds from their Bag for Life to Save the Children, who is organizing relief efforts — food, sanitation, clothing and health care supplies — for children affected by Cyclone Nargis.

And before you click to start donating, you should read this article which illustrates Charity Navigator’s guide to donating to cyclone victims. Here’s hoping the people who need it the most start getting help immediately.

Giveaway Glitch

Heavy sigh. OK, here goes. I love doing Afrobella giveaways, and I try to host them as often as I can. Most of the time, they go extremely well — I review a product I like and I think is worth your attention, end my post with an offer for you lovely bellas to win one of your own, comments flow in, I choose some at random, contact you, send info to the PR, you get a lovely free package in your mailbox shortly thereafter. It’s all good. But there have been some occasional disruptions in the giveaway procedure.

Sometimes I’ll hear from a winner months after the prizes have been sent out, who then says she never recieved her prize. Then I have to contact the PR to ask why, and it gets tricky from there on out. I’ve had some people up and disappear on me, or just shrug their shoulders and say they sent it and don’t know what happened. At that point, there’s nothing I can do except feel bad.

Being a beauty blogger who hosts regular giveaways involves a relationship of trust between myself and the product people, and also myself and you, the reader and giveaway contest enterer. If I don’t hear from you after you’ve gotten your item, I won’t know if you liked it, hated it, or never got it. Or got something you really, really weren’t supposed to. Let me tell you a funny, frustrating story with a super happy ending.

For my birthday, I hosted a Creme of Nature giveaway. Got lots of awesome birthday wishes, came back, chose winners, everyone’s happy, right? Then a month later, I heard from one of the winners. Roshanne. Thank you so much for writing, Roshanne!

She says in part:

“I am emailing to ask you about the contents of the giveaway… Ive gone completely natural and just yesterday i was fed up with my hair and thought about getting a relaxer and saying forget it…..

So today when i opened my box there was a relaxer kit in the box along with a bottle of shampoo..and conditioner….lol…I was like wow is this a sign….but seriously after this long and drawn out email were we suppose to get a relaxer in the giveaway i dont remember..”

OK. Imagine your reaction, if you were me — a beauty blogger with a website called AFRObella, entirely dedicated to preserving and loving natural hair. And a package containing a complimentary box of creamy crack is being sent out on your behalf. OMFG, as the Gossip Girl fans say. I was aghast. Horrified. I immediately wrote back to tell her, NO — this is SO NOT a sign, and I would never ever have asked the company to do that. “Stay strong, girl,” I told her. Sell that stuff on Ebay, or give it to a friend who uses relaxer, whatever you need to do.

Then I e mailed the PR, the lovely Angela, and asked her — did all TEN winners get this additional item in their giveaway package? It took her about a week to get back to me with the answer. Yes. OMFG.

And to think, I would never have known unless one of the winners actually wrote back to thank me and to ask — why the relaxer, Afrobella? Oh jeez.

I am pleased to report, after lots and lots of e mails back and forth, Angela set up a conference call for me, her, and Shawn Tollerson, the VP of Marketing for Creme of Nature. Shawn explained that it was just an oversight, they were trying to just give the readers even more of the products the company has to offer. As it turns out, some are afrobella-friendly, others aren’t. And they just wrapped up a big ol’ package and sent it out without catering to natural hair needs. Shawn was hilarious. She said, “I give you my humblest and most sincere apology. I myself am a natural woman, and my children are natural. When I found out what happened, I was like aaaaaaah! Patrice is gonna kill me!!” She made me laugh out loud. So we talked and talked, and figured out how we’re all going to make this giveaway glitch right.

First things first, the original winners are being sent a brand new Creme of Nature gift pack, which includes the products I like the most — soothing shampoo for dry hair and flaky scalp. the lemongrass and rosemary leave in creme conditioner, and my favorite of all, the red clover and aloe daily breakage relief.

And secondly, for 25 more of you lucky Afrobella readers, we’re offering another chance at a Creme of Nature giveaway. All you need to do is write a comment below that begins by saying, “Pick me, Bella!” And tell me what Afrobella giveaway you’d like to see in the future! As you can tell, I’m trying my best behind the scenes to get you all some of my favorite beauty products out there.

** edited at 6:37 p.m. — I’ll close these comments on Tuesday and pick winners next week!

Happy Friday!

** edited again Tuesday morning, at 8:05 — 155 comments! Whew. I’ve now officially closed entries for this giveaway. You’ve given me a whole lot to read, bellas! Thank you! My goal is to post winners by Friday.

Fashion Mission — Bright Yellow Top

I am obsessed. I’ve been daydreaming about it. The perfect bright yellow tee, at the perfect affordable price.

Let’s be real here — money is tight and times are hard. I wish I had $500 to just blow on the hot new trends, but I don’t. Not if I want to pay for gas and bills and all of the not-so-fun necessities of life. So I am allowing myself a few spring/summer staples, and to follow up on my adapted Tim Gunn’s Guide to Style List, I need to look fly on a budget. Some of you might recall, I recently ordered some items from Kiyonna — a dress for a wedding, and a pair of shorts. The shorts weren’t gonna cut it. Too tight, didn’t look cute… still looking for the perfect summer shorts, and I strongly suspect I won’t find them online. This needs to be a try-on-in-store purchase. But the dress fit like a charm, and was quite flattering once I jazzed it up with jewelry — I splurged on a gorgeous aquamarine lariat necklace from Innasense Gems, a store in the east village (I think). The price was right and the jewelry is gorgeous, but methinks their website is broken. Does it load up properly for you? Probably not. If you’re wandering through the village anywhere near Christopher and Bleecker, stop by — you’re in the neighborhood. And their stuff is amazing, I seriously wanted to buy everything.

Back to my full figured fashion review — overall, the Kiyonna experience was favorable… watch yourself if you tend to linger before sending back an item, they won’t accept a return if it’s been a month since the date of purchase. But here’s my real beef with Kiyonna. Their designs are simple and flattering, but I think the prices are inflated. Feel free to jump in and correct me, if I’m wrong. The Hamptons Surplice Tee is exactly what I’m looking for, but it’s $56! Which is more than enough to make me question whether or not I really need it. (answer — I don’t.) I’d look divine in this yellow top, but you know what else I’d look divine in? A plane, on the way to Paris. Or a house of my own. Or a car that’s been completely paid for. I’m trying to be thrifty here, and blowing $60 for a cute teeshirt isn’t the way forward.

So I planned to compromise with my fashion sense by getting this cotton/Modal smocked tank top from Old Navy. It’s $15 on sale, and I can work it with a cute cardigan over it for work. Then one of my favorite style bloggers, Sylvia of I Like Her Style, recently highlighted plus-size destination Size Appeal, and most specifically, this adorable Alice in Yellow top for $29. Light fabric, breezy v-neck design… I like it! And it’s extremely similar to the Kiyonna shirt, for half the price. Ladies, Size Appeal definitely has cute, summery clothes at an array of prices. Well worth checking out. Have any of you ordered from them? Was the experience worthwhile? Please let me know.

For now, I already found MY perfect yellow shirt — it’s sunshine bright, soft jersey, short sleeves, square neckline with has some ruching at the front bustline that looked weird on the rack but was extremely flattering on me. Sadly, I don’t have a photo of it yet - I just got it this week, and I can’t even find a website by the designer! But just so my plus size bellas can be on the lookout, I keep finding these super cute, very flattering tees by Derek Heart designs — here’s a link to some other tops by this designer on Overstock, Amazon, and on Kohl’s. All I know is, Derek Heart is apparently a juniors plus size designer whose garments eventually get sold in discount fashion stores like Kohl’s, TJ Maxx, and Ross, which is where I found my perfect yellow shirt. For less than $10!!! Love that. I’ve had more than a few amigas clown on me for my regular Ross shopping sprees, but you know what — I keep going back because I always find cute, affordable tops there. And they just expanded their women’s plus department. No shame in my cheap shopping game.

Have you been on a fashion mission lately? What have you been searching for, bella? Tell me!

Yikes - It’s Almost Mother’s Day!!

I knew this date was creeping up on me, but oh no — Mother’s Day is this Sunday and I am so not ready. I’m gonna have to hit the mall sometime this weekend — Mama Bella’s actually going to be here on Monday and I want the post-Mother’s Day shebang to be just as special as Sunday will. I know I’ve waited until almost the eleventh hour, but I wouldn’t be a very good Afrobella if I didn’t let you all know about the sweet Mother’s Day deals I’ve been noticing. Maybe this will be a gift for your mama. Maybe it’ll turn into a little gift for yourself. Either way, there are some great discounts and specials in store!

Curls is offering 15% off through May 10 (if you use the promo code ilovemom), and free shipping on orders over $75 (with promo code free4mom). Could be a great time to stock up on that Milkshake.

Of course you know Miss Jessie’s is offering a free value pack with the purchase of a 16 or 8 ounce Baby Buttercreme (which is my favorite, and Little Afrobella’s too!) The deal ends May 11, so get to clickin’.

There’s all kinds of gorgeous gift sets at Sephora, my favorites of which are the Givenchy Very Irresistible gift set for $60 (I love this scent! So floral and pretty. Then there’s the Cannabis Rose gift set for your ex-hippie baby boomer moms, and the Philosophy Breakfast in Bed set, for those moms who dream of bathing in heavy cream.

Philosophy’s also gone the extra mile for mama, with their “mom’s philosophy” interactive website where you can celebrate your mothers’ wisdom while also creating a unique online tribute to her. Click here to celebrate your mom, and enter for the grand prize — $1200 shopping spree on philosophy.com. Sweet!

If you can afford to splurge, Yves St. Laurent has a great gift package — $80 for the Elle Mother’s Day coffret, which contains an eau de parfum and a body lotion. That’s the kind of gift my Mama Bella always crosses her fingers for.

For a limited time, Kiehl’s is offering limited edition collections for mom. I need that gardenia in my life! The Hand and Body Lotion costs $19.50, the Liquid Body Cleanser is $15.50, and the Gardenia Candle is a little steep at $28. But I’m sure it smells heavenly. Love me some Kiehl’s.

Carol’s Daughter has a great Mother’s Day contest which I really should have mentioned earlier… it closes May 11. And, even cooler — Lisa Price, one of my favorite entrepre-bellas, is making her Home Shopping Network debut on May 8, 9, and 10! Show her some love by tuning in!

Need even more specific suggestions? Check out Someone Spoil Me, a site that’s got your gift organized to a tee. Is your mom sentimental? A fashionista? Is she into gourmet food, or organic living? They’ve got your back, bellas.

What do you plan on giving, or getting for Mother’s Day?

What Next, HilDog?

I never thought I’d say this… but I kinda feel sorry for Hillary Clinton. She insists on staying in the race, but the numbers are clearly stacked against her. She won Indiana by the slimmest of margins, but she maintains that it’s “full steam ahead to the White House!” The headlines on cable news have been brutal, and all of the pundits have been wondering “Why is She Still Running?” (That’s from CNN, not from me).

Is she staying in the hopes that Barack might come across some other, Reverend Wright-esque stumbling block? Does she hope to gank some of the undecided, undeclared superdelegates? Is it because she still thinks she can be the vice president? Or is it because the Clinton campaign is in desperate debt, and she needs to continue raising money to pay off some of those mounting bills?

In the meantime, the pundits are getting anxious. Tim Russert just straight up called it like he saw it. The Chicago Sun Times put it more bluntly — Face It, Hillary: It’s Over, is the headline of their editorial. And next week, Time Magazine’s cover will be a gorgeous photo of a beaming Barack Obama, next to the words “And the Winner* Is”. Jasmyne Cannick posted a hilarious funeral program for the Clinton campaign.

Stereohyped asked their readers, who would you vote for if your candidate didn’t get the nomination, and I’ve been hearing similar drumbeats for a while now — lots of “hell no’s” and “I would rather vote for McCain than for her/him.” That makes NO SENSE to me. In my view, choosing to not vote because your candidate doesn’t get nominated, or to spite the party that pissed you off by voting for their rival, is the ultimate defeat. That means people aren’t truly thinking about the issues — the ongoing, senseless war in Iraq, the economy and what will actually help us in the long run, and improving health care, among everything else the next president will be dealing with. I hope, come November — regardless of what happens, or what should happen — people vote with their heads, instead of their hearts.

Feel free to pipe up and yell if you think I’m wrong, but I think pride is what’s keeping Hillary Clinton in the race, and you know what they say about pride. I don’t pretend to know what’s going on in anyone’s head — lots of the talking heads have been playing these ludicrous “what are they thinking?” games, and obviously there’s no way to know the answer to that question. But it must be damned hard to turn your back on everything you’ve dreamed of and worked for your whole life. To watch that dream die despite your best efforts must be beyond painful. So that’s why I feel a little bad for Hillary. I look at her in her campaign stops now, and I imagine how I would feel if I were in her shoes. But you know — if I WERE in her shoes, I would have already bowed out with as much grace as I could muster. There’s a lot to be said for a campaign conducted with dignity, that ends at the ideal time to save face for those involved. I’m wondering when exactly will Hillary Clinton come to that conclusion. When will she bow out of the campaign?

What’s your prediction, bellas? Will this be a fight till the finish that won’t be finally resolved until August? Or will Hillary take the high road and end this struggle sooner than that?

Robert Randolph Rocks!

I went to a great concert last night, and I just gotta shout about it — Robert Randolph and the Family Band are amazing! They opened for Eric Clapton, and for Clapton’s finale, Robert Randolph joined him on stage for a blistering duet of “I Got My Mojo Workin’.” Seeing the two guitar gods exchange licks and admiring glances was thrilling.

In case you’ve been sleeping on the funk phenomenon, allow me to introduce you. Robert Randolph is a wizard on the lap steel, and his band includes his sister, and his cousins. To be honest with you, I’ve never even so much as heard a Robert Randolph song on the radio. But I’ve seen them live three or four times and they BRING the FUNK. Seriously, amazing. He’ll play some traditional blues-rock, then launch into a instrumental version of “Purple Haze,” or Bel Biv DeVoe’s “Poison,” or Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean” that just gets the audience moving.

I Need More Love is probably their most popular song, but I’d like to share a different song, “Going in the Right Direction,” from their album Unclassified.

Different, right? But so much fun, especially at a big concert. I dig them. I hope you do too!

* For any of you who were curious, here’s a review of Eric Clapton’s performance.