Songs About A Girl Vol. 1

New music is pure bliss. I'm currently listening to Songs About A Girl Vol. 1 by Paris. It's a mix of R&B, Pop, and Hip Hop.  So far my favorite song is "Beatin' Like A Drum". This mixtape has a lot of songs worthy of being left on repeat!

Naturally Happy

Photo Credit: IMDB for Nana Hill

Photo Credit: Michaela angel Davis

Today is "Happy Black Girl Day", the internet holiday started by Sister Tojldah. I love the concept of "Happy Black Girl Day" and I also love that a lot of its supporters on Twitter have amazing natural healthy manes.

The time, money and thousands of different hairstyles we create for ourselves confirms that hair is a big part of our lifestyles as Black women. When it comes to Black hair we're almost like Zebras. We're all the same. But we all have different hair textures which results in different styles. The style I see the least and seems to get a bad rap is natural hair.

Although I personally love it, I will admit that I frequently dabble in the use of a hot comb, weave, and in my younger days braids.

 I recently went natural and even though  it was only for a few hours I loved every second of it. I felt free when my hair was in its natural state and missed my curls after they were straightened.

There's controversy surrounding natural hair. But it is beautiful. Since "Happy Black Girl Day" is here there's no turning back. This is the perfect opportunity to celebrate Black hair by shining light on those who wear it well. If you have any questions or the slightest bit of interest in natural hair KimmayTube should serve as a great catalyst.

Cupcakin' Part Deux

Just finished making my "Lemon Drop Mini Cupcakes"(pictured above).  They make me want to sing "Yummy Yummy Yummy" by Julie London :).

Ataui Deng Strikes Again

It's obvious Ataui Deng is striking. So much so that I blogged about her a few months ago. Little did I know the pictures posted at TBC would serve as inspiration for an amazing piece of work by Leigh Viner. She has an etsy shop, so feel free to visit!

Grade A Swag

Being a writer/reporter is big fun. One, you get published. Two, you get to meet interesting celebs and three you get great swag.

The most useful item I've received was from PETA's 30th Anniversary.  Out of all the things that were packed in the gift bag "Yes to Carrots: C Through the Night Moisturizing Cream" ranked the highest.

Once it's applied, the paraben free cream makes my dry skin feel like silk. It has a thick non greasy texture which allows me to use it during the day and night. And I can't get enough of the floral scent which reminds me of fresh Jasmine's.

If you're looking for a new night cream for a reasonable price ($14.00) try "Yes to Carrots".

The Social Network

I love Facebook. When a user isn't allowing their own privacy to be invaded it can really be useful. The Social Network is where I discover new music, funny videos, world news and pretty much all things relevant to my generation. Today I stumbled across a status from one of my artsy friends. It was centered around her new found love for Camila do Rosario. One response went something like this "just fell [in love]? sheesh catch up".

I don't like being the last person to hear about exciting news; so I had to figure out who this girl was and quick. Turns out she's a fashion student and a very innovative artist who is based out of Florianopolis, Brazil. If you're like us and our late friend from Facebook we've got a lot of catching up to do. Without further ado meet Camila do Rosario:

Find more of her work by clicking the link here.

People are BUZZaring about:

The Buzz around the viral neck of the woods is about Vashtie Kola and her Air Jordans. I love it, because I love Vashtie. The first time I saw her, online of course, was on the arm of my teenage crush Pharrell Williams. I don't know about Pharrell, but I remember she was wearing an electric teal dress embellished with fringe tassels. My first thought wasn't "Who is this girl with my boyfriend-in-my-head?". Because one that would be psycho and two for a few seconds Pharrell was irrelevant. I simply thought "Who is this girl?". Shortly after, my Vashtie fascination began. She's cool for so many reasons, but here's a few if you're totally unfamiliar with her.

She's a tomboy. It's very hard to pull off the dressing down thing. And Vashite does it like no other. If you Google her, more than a few images will come up where she's wearing a basic hoodie, t-shirt, and jeans combination. 

"She got her own". Video director and owner of the clothing line Violette. Vashtie is what most would call an independent woman. I find this admirable. Before she and Pharrell were an item, she was in the process of making a name for herself. See her work for Justin Bieber here.

 The girl has great taste in movies. Before I knew who the ladies of Grey Gardens were she declared their documentary as one of her favorites when she used it as an ad for her clothing line. 

 She throws wildly popular parties in NYC. Both Open which she throws with Q-Tip and "1992" which is thrown with her best friend bring out the greats like Maxwell, Kid Cudi, Mick Jagger, Patrick Ewing and more. Isn't name dropping great :)!

 She's the first woman to design a pair of Air Jordans. On Dr.Jays.com Vashtie mentions "Growing up in the hood. Nikes were king, but Jordans were a whole other level. They were so expensive and their price made them out of reach as a poor kid. As soon as I got old enough to afford them, I went in!". I think pining for a specific item, buying it, and then later creating your own defines success. 

If you think I left out any reasons that validate the Downtown Sweetheart's coolness feel free to add on. 

Trying Out for the Part of Susie Homemaker

Lately, I've been perplexed with the question "What should I do with myself?". I've just finished an amazing yet rigorous five month internship at Vogue and my undergraduate career is complete. Other college graduates have shared stories of their summer boredom with me, but I just blew them off.  I live for sleep-in-days, so I honestly thought anyone who takes having nothing to do for granted is insane.  I quickly found out that watching re-runs of "The Bad Girls Club" gets really old. I was craving a task to get my mind off the fact that if I don't find a stable job soon I'll be the female version of Tyrese's infamous character Jody.

So, I took it upon myself to try to get in touch with my roots.  Specifically my homemaker roots. Before someone had the genius idea of wanting to work and fight in the military, us girls had to learn important life skills such as cooking, cleaning, sewing, being creatively submissive etc. I  decided I wanted to incorporate a few of those gems, sans being creatively submissive, in my life.

Here's my progress over a two day span:

My sister's friend just had a birthday. Without her permission I decided to wrap the gift. Yes I  even sewed the button on top. I have a lot of time on my hands people! 

I call these little mini bad girls "Strasberry Cream Cheese Cupcakes".  Not only are they adorable they taste good too. And yes, I made these while wearing heels and a cute little apron. I just felt like it was appropriate. 

So to my college graduates, what have you been doing to kill the boredom?  While YouTube videos are mildly amusing, they don't count :). 

Pretty and Polished is Making a Comeback

While the grunge look is taking a back seat, Pretty and Polished is getting behind the wheel. Feminine dresses have always had favor with some of our favorite style mavens like Margherita Missoni , Keke Palmer, Zoe Saldana, Liya Kebede and Dakota Fanning. So we loved it when Vogue intern Julia wore this adorable dress. From her wavy hair to her matching red nails she fit all the requirements for the Pretty and Polished look.

Leonardo DiCaprio Covers Rolling Stone

Leonardo DiCaprio, who happens to be the star in this little movie called INCEPTION graces the cover of Rolling Stone magazine. Leo spoke to the magazine about what life was like for him growing up in Hollywood, dating, and how he managed to stay out of trouble despite his loud mouth. The magazine is out on stands now and we will definitely be picking us up a copy right away, because Leonardo DiCaprio is one sexy man.

- BY CANDACE REELS

There's Nothing Like Soul Train in the 70's

Soul Train in the 70's is something that can never be repeated. There's originality in the fashion, dances, and music. With the fact that it can't be done again is what makes it so awesome.

Inception: A Dream within a Dream

Inception is an epic movie, that we suggust that everyone should see. It's innovative, smart, thrilling and it's something that's never been done. It's a movie that includes amazing performances (especially by the one and only Leonardo Dicaprio), story, music and effects; what more can you ask for. We can't give away too much information because that would ruin the experience for you, it's simply a must see. So if you haven't seen it, go to your local movie theatre and check it out. If you have seen it please share your opinion with us, we would love to read it.

- BY CANDACE REELS

Free People is McTega'n My Dreams Come True

Not sure about you all, but I’m the biggest kid at heart. I go gaga for rocks, glitter, and basically anything shiny. We might be able to attribute this obsession to those cool shiny rocks I found as a child on the playground… you know the ones that reminded you of fool’s gold but were more similar to concrete (If you don’t remember it’s okay we’re moving right along). Mctega’s collection encompasses all of the above and more, which is why I became faint at heart and weak in the knees when I got a glimpse of this rock masterpiece at Free People. I wasn’t sure when I would see something so similar to the necklace of my dreams again without buying the real deal. So, we bought it, and by we I mean my sister.  There are many perks of being a little sister and borrowing a piece of jewelry until it becomes yours is one of them. Just kidding. I will be wearing it sparingly. What’s one piece of jewelry that you just die over?

"the ERICKA BUN"

BAZAAR TRESSES | the ERICKA BUN from Ericka Franklin on Vimeo.

Rant Rave and Praise for Teen Vogue and Atuai Deng

picture credit: Fashion Africa

Today we stumbled across the new issue of Teen Vogue with Amanda Seyfried on the cover. We loved how the editors transformed her into a modern pin up and thought her Mui Mui heels were to die for. At the same time we breathed "ooohs and ahhhs" we despised the fact that they had an advert for Huge, a new show about an over weight young woman on one page and on the very next there was the tiniest  bombshell in a two piece bikini. (You have to see this for yourself to feel the outrage). We immediately thought "Teen Vogue, what exactly are you trying to say to your readers?". And more importantly what about the poor girl who was featured in the letters to the editor section. She just admitted that the Unhappy Meal article helped her uncover her diets for what they really were... eating disorders. We hoped that little advertising faux pas didn't send her into a relapse. But at the turn of a page all of our thoughts evaporated... and we saw the ethereal beauty from Sudan Ataui Deng! Teen Vogue is known for featuring the "it girl(s)". So we weren't too shocked to see the brown toned model flashing her bright smile. However, we can say we got a flash of anxiety! We're enthused about what's to come from Ms. Deng. She's already modeled for Proenza Schouler and walked for Malandria. So we know she'll carry on with the likes of Lopez and Dunn in the near future. But for now we'll just admire her flawless skin, girl next door smile, and ridiculously long legs in the new issue. If you don't have it yet take a gander at Deng below

photo credit: fashion records