Let it be known far and wide that James Vincent is one of my favorite people in the beauty industry. I’m not the only one who would proclaim that anywhere. He’s one of the most accomplished MUA’s I know, but if you know James, if you’ve met James, then you know that he is warmth…
Life
All About The Purple Purse! Why I Joined the Allstate Foundation’s Important Awareness Campaign
Bellas, if you know me then you know my love for the color purple goes back long and far. It’s been my favorite color since I could first say the word. It’s become my signature shade, in lipstick and in life. And now, I’ve found a new reason for loving and respecting purple. The Allstate…
9 Years of Afrobella! 10 Lessons I’ve Learned Along The Way
9 years ago, I changed my life. I didn’t realize it at the time, I didn’t go into it with intent. I noticed a void, I felt a lack of inclusion. 2006. Natural hair hadn’t yet become a movement. Plus size fashion was in some dark days. I wanted to read consistent information for me about…
5 Reasons To LOVE Baltimore, By Oyin Handmade’s Pierre and Jamyla Bennu
I’d say that Baltimore has an image issue. There are sweeping perceptions of the city based solely on news headlines and fictional representations in TV and film, that don’t begin to capture the complexity, the reality and the beauty of Baltimore as a whole. Baltimore clearly is a city with real issues that need to…
Happy Birthday, Bob Marley.
I was born in Trinidad and raised on Bob Marley’s music. Back in 2010, I wrote this homage that still is so true: When I was a toddler, my dad spent time in Jamaica studying for a master’s degree. When he returned, he brought what seemed like Bob Marley’s entire record collection with him.Uprising. Natty Dread.Burnin’. Survival. Rastaman…
New Year, New View – Realistic Resolutions to Improve Your Life
It’s 2015 and I’m still getting used to it. The holidays whizzed by me in a blur and now here we are, in a brand new year filled with promise and opportunity. It’s the season for vision boards and resolutions, a chance to dust yourself off and try again. January 1 is a natural invitation…
The Only New Year’s Beauty Resolution Worth Making
January 5, 2015. Day 5 of 365. We’re in the heady days of New Year’s resolutions. Everyone’s making a list, creating a vision board, and planning new ways to become better people in the next 360 days. It’s an exciting time. A time of promise. A time of self flagellation. A time of personal critique,…
All About Self Care. 30 Ways to Take Better Care Of Yourself
This particular year, this particular season, this particular time of year is proving to be rough on many of us for many reasons. Life is wearing us down. It can be excruciating, trying to balance the weight between your work, your personal life and what’s happening in the world. You can only shoulder the weight so…
RIP, Titi Branch. Please Pray For the Miss Jessie’s Family
The news started trickling through via social media yesterday and I’ll be honest, I didn’t want to believe it. Then people started tweeting me and DMing me and sending me private messages. I read the posts on Facebook, via NV Magazine, via Lipstick Alley, via the now-private video by filmmaker Andre Robert Lee simply titled…
The Christmas Conflict
Can I just lay down the beauty/hair/lifestyle blogger mantle for a minute and speak what’s on my mind? Quite frankly, I’m struggling to do what I’m “supposed” to do right now. I’m struggling to find the right words, and as someone whose livelihood is in words, it doesn’t feel good. It’s Christmas and there’s this…