The Life of A Ladybug

From Michelle Obama to Chris Rock's "Good Hair": Black Women on Beauty and Bodies

On October 24, the New York Open Center, the nation's leading urban holistic learning center, will host a provocative and honest conversation with prominent industry insiders and image-makers to explore the complicated issue of beauty within Black communitues.  The panel will include: culture critic and writer Michaela Angela Davis, Senior Vice President of Corporate Marketing - Diversity for Estée Lauder Susan Akkad, Brown University professor Tricia Rose and supermodel Veronica Webb.

They will discuss topics such as:

• Who controls the image of Black women in major media?
• The politics of complexion and hair
• The underexposure of Black models in the fashion industry

For more information, please visit http://www.opencenter.org/from-hottentot-venus-to-the-white-house-black-women-on-beauty-and-bodies/.

Bobbi Brown FEED

When you buy the FEED10  pouch, you provide 10 disadvantaged women and their families with food and job training through the United Nations World Food Program.  In partnership with FEED, Bobbi Brown Cosmetics has filled this canvas bag, crafted out of sustainable materials using fair trade labor, with three of her favorite Lip Gloss shades: Petal, Rose Sugar, and Aubergine.

The World Food Program is an incredible organization that recognizes and answers the dire need among disadvantaged women for the most basic necessity - food.  WFP's Food for Work Program enables women to thrive by offering much-needed job training and work - and providing food in exchange.  This allows women to break the poverty cycle by alleviating their daily struggle to secure food for themselves and their families.  In return, they are able to invest time and energy in learning new job skills.

This is just one more reason for me to love Bobbi Brown.  The FEED10 Pouch will be on counters in October.

Three Custom Color Specialists' Marry Me Collection

 

Dum, dum, duh, dum!  The season for weddings is upon us!  I remember, as a little girl, how many times I played "bride" and how much I thought of my wedding day.  It is the chance to be a pretty, pretty princess and be the center of attention, which was the dream of my young heart (and still, is, really).  As a makeup artist, I've had the fortune of beautifying quite a few brides for their Big Day.  What I've found is that almost all of them say they want to look their best on that day - like themselves, only prettier than usual.  Natural beauty is in!  What better way to look your naturally bridely beautiful best than through using one of my favorite products - the lip/cheek stain?  And, of those stains, my faves are Three Custom Color's Lip/Cheek Stains. They have come out with a new one called "Marry Me" in both cool and warm options.  The Marry Me Lip/Cheek Stain is part of an entire "Marry Me" collection which also includes lip liner and lip gloss.  I love it.  It gives a wonderful pop of red to the lips and cheeks, which, when paired with a bronzer, a lined eye and some banging mascara, will have you looking elegant, classy and sex-ay!  And what bride wouldn't want that?

"I Am Not My Hair"

At work, I keep my iPod with me and I wear it during most of the day.  It keeps down distractions and I love having a soundtrack to my day.  This morning, I listened to India.Arie's "I Am Not My Hair" and it struck me how poignant the lyrics are.  They're words every woman, especially African American women, could stand to hear regularly.  Enjoy. (click through for the lyrics)

Michelle Obama's Inauguration Dress

  

Look at our new First Lady, y'all!  She is resplendent in a fabulous yellow dress with jeweled collar and matching coat, by Cuban American designer, Isabel Toledo.  And check out how she coordinated with deep forest green pumps!  To die!  This chick is so damn fabulous.  Here's looking forward to this intelligent and fierce Black woman as the standard of American beauty and fashion.  I can't wait to see what she wears to the balls!

Part 2 of my interview on Affrodite.net!

Hey y'all!  I hope you get a chance to read Part 2 of my interview with Ife on her blog, Affrodite.net.  This part of the interview focuses on natural hair - my decision to go natural, how that decision was influenced by my daughter, and the continuation of my natural hair journey.  Enjoy and let me know what you think!

http://affrodite.net/2009/01/12/tsm-interview-part2/

Toya's Tips: A new image of American beauty

This is our new first family, America.  Just let that sink in ...

I am so proud of you, do you know that?  I am so proud of all of you who stood in long lines and made the effort to do your civic duty.  Was it good for you?  Because it was fabulous for me.

It was an historic moment for America, one for the ages.  But, I'm not really going to delve too much into my personal feelings about the nature of this win ... at least, not on this blog.  If you want to read that, feel free to skip over to Makeda.  Instead, I want to talk about our new image of American beauty ... Michelle Obama.

Take a look at this chick.  She is all kinds of awesome, no?  I am so flabbergasted and grateful and awed that the new female face of America is this flawless Black woman.  Not since Jackie Kennedy has this country had a First Lady with such taste and style.  I'm wondering if as many people will want to rock her style as wanted to rock Jackie's.  They better recognize!

If you're one of the smart women out there who want to emulate Mrs. Obama's style, just slightly, here are my tips.

• Pick clothing with clean, simple lines.  Michelle Obama isn't known for the frou-frou.  She has impeccable taste and poise, but her outfits look very streamlined, playing up her long, lean figure.  But you don't have to be either long or lean to find simple pieces that flatter your figure, so make sure you're doing what looks best on you!
• Jewel tones.  Mrs. Obama picks robust jewel tones, which look wonderful against her brown skin.  But women of all shades can find a sparkling shade that make them look their radiant best.  Try yummy shades of red, purple, green, and blue.
• Sleek hair.  Instead of going for big hair, try to tame it down, just a bit.  That's easy for me to say, of course, as my hair is hella big - LOL!  But, even I can put my mane into a lovely pinned up style and so can you.  If you have shorter hair, try a slicked down look.  Longer haired ladies, pull it back into a sleek ponytail, an elegant chignon or just wear it down, but polished.
• Neutral makeup.  Michelle wears the sort of makeup that looks good with every outfit.  She always looks fresh-faced, but uber professional.  Neutral eye makeup - try Bobbi Brown's Shimmering Nudes Palette or Stila's Day to Night Palette.  Plum blush - try MAC's Beauty Powder Blush in Secret Blush or MAC's Blush in Plum Foolery.  Neutral brown lipstick with a bit of shine - any of MAC's Lustre lipsticks in a neutral shade will work.

This is a new time in American beauty.  I am so happy to see it and I can't wait to see how y'all rock it!

Too Faced Eyeshadow Duo in Betsy Baby

Too Faced's founder, Jerrod Blandino, created the Too Faced Eyeshadow Duo in Betsy Baby for one of his friends, Sephora's Betsy Olum.  In 2007, the Sr. Vice President of Marketing was diagnosed with breast cancer.  Betsy asked Jerrod if he would bring back one her favorite discontinued Too Faced shadow, Heiress.  Jerrod did and created the perfect highlighting-accent color.  Now, the duo has been named Betsy Baby in honor of her battle and triumph over breast cancer.

Jerrod committed that $3 per sale of each of these limited-edition duos be donated to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.  Both Betsy and Sephora have agreed to match his committment and $9 of each of the sales will go to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation!

Each duo retails for $17.

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Sephora BCA Pocket Brush Set (Breast Cancer Awareness Month)

For Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Sephora offers a purse-sized trifold case containing five essential brushes, the BCA Pocket Brush Set.  The case is small enough to slip into even the tiniest of evening purses.  The pink faux-leather case is cute and practical, with a magnetic closure.  Inside are five mini brushes - but they're not so mini that they're useless.  You will get a powder brush, eyeshadow brush, brow/liner brush, lip brush and concealer brush.

$1 from the sale of each set will be donated to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.  The set retails for $15 and you can get it here: http://www.sephora.com/browse/product.jhtml?id=P193322&searchString=bca%20pocket%20brush%20set.

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Melange Apothecary Body Cream (Breast Cancer Awareness Month)

Melange Apothecary will donate 30% of all sales of their Body Cream to the National Breast Cancer Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization that provides breast cancer screening and education to low-income women and women without health insurance.  This will include any of the scents online or any custom blend scent in the store.  Go to www.melangeapothecary.com for more information.

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