Cavalli is Coming….to H&M!

H&M is the best––getting top designers to pop in and design a collection, for an eighth of the price. What more could any clothes horse ask for? Next week, November 8th to be exact, Roberto Cavalli’s collection for H&M will hit their stores. I’ll be in line, probably before 8am, to get whatever animal print thingy they’ve got that looks good on me. In New York, you have to do this, otherwise you’ll miss all the good stuff.

The last time I waited in line, for Victor & Rolf at H&M, I scored a killer black, trench. I got the last one in my size––I was fortunate, because a few hundred people were in line ahead of me when I arrived at the crack of dawn. You guys who don’t live in New York are so lucky. You can breeze in at lunch on November 8th, maybe even two days later, and get what you like from Mr. Cavalli. Not so here. The stuff could be gone by end of day. These Big Apple fashionistas will not let a good deal pass them by. I'll let you know how it goes!

Let Me Tell You About Tela….

In every swanky New York hair salon there is at least one stylist that can beautifully turn out black hair. At Tela, a new boutique salon in the meat-packing district, that stylist is Dion Moore (that's him running his magical fingers through my hair).

My day at Tela started with an organic conditioning treatment––with papaya, sea kelp and soy––followed by a color-enhancing glaze (even though I have no color in my hair––one can still boost your natural color!). This was followed by a masterful blowout and curling session. I forgot to take the after shot––I was so pleased with the results that I skipped out of the salon without doing my proper blog thing. Anyway, trust, it was more than good.

Did I mention the fact that the salon is attached and affiliated with a chic bistro by the name of Atrium?

Due to this marriage, I was given a tea menu at the start of my salon visit, followed by a pot of tea, naturally. Then I had a tasty lunch, on fine china I might add, while my hair soaked in the nutrients.

Nothing beats a great day at the salon.

Tela is located on 31 Little West 12th Street. The number is 212-463-8213. Tell them I sent you and let me know how it goes.

Clamoring for CoverGirl

It’s always a good idea to point out really good beauty stuff that doesn’t break the bank. In the last week three different women (two friends and a neighbor) have shouted out their favorite CoverGirl products to me, so I thought I’d let you know that some truly discriminating sisters are huge fans of this drugstore dreams. Friend number one, let’s call her V, says the CoverGirl Queen Collection Compact Foundation gives her the perfect amount of coverage without looking like she has on a face full of makeup.
Friend #2, lets call her J, says the CoverGirl Lip Gloss, in Million Dollar Mocha is one of the few dark glosses that stays brown without, eventually, turning her lips red. And, finally, neighbor T says the Moisturizing Lip Colors are as rich in color and hydrating as her pricier department store
lipsticks. There, check them out. My friends aren’t easily impressed with anything.

A few weeks ago I was recently moved by the makeup. I was in Atlanta for CoverGirl, along with Roxanna Floyd, Queen Latifah’s makeup artist and collaborator on the CoverGirl Queen Collection. We were there to educate women about their makeup. I talked and Roxanna applied colors from the Queen Collection to hundreds of women. I was actually surprised at how the makeup disappeared into face after face after face. No matter what the skin tone or skin type of the woman. This display actually made me ask Roxanna for a foundation shade recommendation. The compact foundation is still in my bag now.

Let me know, what's your favorite CoverGirl product?

Send Some Love To Africa

I know it’s a bit early to start thinking about holiday gifts, but I want to put this gorgeous Simmons Jewelry Co. malachite, brass and diamond bracelet out there now as a holiday gift idea, for your trend-setting best friend, brother or sister. I spotted this bracelet initially in September during fashion week. A number of editors were sporting these after the Kimora Lee Simmons fashion show. She gave them out to her guests at her annual posh, after-the-BabyPhat-fashion show, dinner.

Anyway, what I like most about the bracelet is the fact that proceeds from each sale, $20 to be exact, support educational initiatives that empower people in African nations where diamonds are a natural resource. Russell
Simmons was conscious enough to start the Diamond Empowerment Fund, (D.E.A), , to counter the whole blood diamond thing and give back to communities that have been exploited by the diamond trade. The bracelet retails for $125. The diamond is rough by the way, in its natural form, which is kinda cool. Visit simmonsjewelryco.com for more information.
And now you can go ahead and bling, with a conscious.

Buddha Love

I was raised to be a good Christian girl, but that never stopped my fascination with Buddhas. As a child, we had one in our family room––a wedding present from my Godmother, according to my mom. Before I knew who Buddha was, I thought this small statue was a woman with an elaborate headdress––bronzy and serene.

I loved staring at the thing, so regal, so beautiful, so calm.

At brunch the other day, a PR friend of mine, Tiffani, had on an intricate long gold chain, looped a few times. Dangling just at her clavicle was a tiny pumpkin-colored Buddha charm.

“I love that,” I announced over our bacon and omelettes. “Buddhas just remind me of childhood and happy times.” Now that I understand a tad more about Buddhism, I can get, on a karmic level, why I was drawn to it.

Anyway, I’m not the only black girl that likes them.

It turns out that the maker of Tiffani’s necklace is a black woman, Nicole King Burroughs. She sells her Buddha jewels on her website buddhasoulstyle.com.

Above are a few of my favorite pieces, and here is a picture of Nicole, radiating a positive Buddha vibe.

Clever Cynde

Makeup artist Cynde Watson stopped by my office the other day. I'm so excited for her because she's got this great new makeup line, Color by Cynde Watson, which just premiered on HSN. Cynde just may be the only Black makeup artist out there with a cosmetics line on a national scale.

What's unique about her line? Pencils! Everything from foundation to concealors to highlighters, bronzers, eye color, lip color are all in pencil form and provide a smooth feel and glide. You'll hear more about her in our January 2008 Issue. For now, check her out on HSN.

Here's Cynde at my messy desk with ESSENCE Managing Editor Dawn Baskerville (seated) and Senior Beauty Editor Tasha Turner and Me. As you can see she had great colors for all of our skin tones.

Ooooohhhh, pretty!

Have you had a chance to check out Cynde's new line or do you have the perfect go-to brand for your skin tone? Tell me about it. Looking for a great foundation guide? Pick up the November issue of ESSENCE (on newsstands now) to see ours.

Check out Cynde's line on www.hsn.com

 

Where Are The Black Models?

On Monday night I attended a panel discussion on the virtual absence of black models in major fashion magazines and on runways everywhere. The packed event, at the New York Public Library, was spearheaded and moderated by Bethann Hardison, former model, agency owner and Kadeem
Hardison's mom––remember A Different World? Anyway, she misses the good ole days, the seventies and eighties that is, when we all saw more brown models on fashion page and runways. She wants change and is beginning such with dialogue and awareness on the subject. Her panel included: fashion designer Tracy Reese, stylist Lori Goldstein, casting agent James Scully and model agent David Ralph.

The audience was packed, and fortunately loquacious––the Q&A portion was the titillating part of the evening. Iman, Vera Wang, photographer Marc Baptiste, journalists Teri Agins and Robin Givan––were all there. You all should check out the piece in last Sunday's New York Times, which also highlights the subject.

Remember my post with Chanel Iman? I love her and her mom but she can’t be the only one.

New Love For Head & Shoulders

My apologies, really, for these posting delays. Blogging really is so much more fun than work. I won’t make you wait like this again. Anyway, I was cut off on my last posting due to the flickering of electricity at a spa in upstate New York. Head and Shoulders took a group of us (beauty editors) there to introduce us to their latest product launch. It’s not coming out until January so I can’t say but so much, but what I will say is that it’s something I would actually use. Rolanda, a scientist and sister from their research team explained to me how the new line treats both the hair and scalp––without leaving the hair in a fuzzy mess (here's a pic of the two of us.) She uses it, her hair looks smooth, so I let them try it on my head.

See my before and after. Anyway frankly, in the past, I’ve equated Head & Shoulders with brillo head. Now I’m wrong. If you’ve got scalp concerns and dry hair you can actually use their new shampoo and conditioner and treat both! Check it out in 2008––which is really right around the corner.

Scents and Celebrities

So in the event you live outside of the NYC metropolitan area, I'm going to let you in on two fab parties I attended in the last few weeks thrown by Diddy and then Usher for three fragrances--their fragrances naturally. It's certainly wise for celebrities to enter this scent market, fragrances make zillions of dollars and the fans get a relatively inexpensive piece of a Diddy, Kimora, Beyonce, Usher, or whomever's world, in a spritz. Diddy's party was at a refined townhouse/mansion off of Madison Avenue, upper East side. He apparently insisted on having the fete at a place that NY party goers hadn't been to before. The mansion is privately owned I believe. How he convinced the owners to leave and empty their home for this I have no idea. Money talks. So in the middle of this, literally, residential, block, they simply rolled out a red carpet, put up the velvet rope and called it a day. Well not exactly. The fragrance is called "Unforgivable Woman" so I guess that explains the virtually naked but very dolled up models that were propped on every floor of the four, or was it five? floor mansion---propped in racy scenarios with male models, in I guess, 'unforgivable' moments. In one of the bathrooms there was a half naked white woman and a half naked black man, super built of course, in the bathtub, about to get frisky. There was also an elevator scene, complete with the cameras outside for you to watch more half naked men in women begin, or shall I say imply the beginnings of some sexy acts. Humph, I just wanted a glass of champagne and a comfy couch. I got the former. There was of course a mega and well-dressed crowd, relatively calm, DJs on every floor. A few passed hors d'oeurves. Best part was the people watching.

I saw Eartha Kitt (Stephen Lovekin/WireImage.com), Zac Posen and Beyonce, although I didn't, at first, realize it was B, due to the new toffee colored mane. I thought she was a good Beyonce look-a-like actually. Jay Z was there as well, but I didn't see him.....Ah! The power just flickered. I'm in Hawley, Pennsylvania for a Head and Shoulders event, in the woods at a lodge. Not sure what's going on here. So I'm sending you this entry now before I loose it all. Stay tuned for Usher's party notes on my next blog. Until then, check out Diddy's scent. I'm sure it's at a department store near you.