So, what you think?

Black Women Stun the Oscars

Viola Davis and Taraji Henson were both snubbed from winning an Oscar, but at least they were looking FABULOUS

Queen Latifah
A side shot of the dress
I guess Beyonce thinks the Academy Awards is more important than the Grammys
Alicia Keys and Taraji...I am loving Alicia's dress, but she could have done without the wig

John Legend and his girlfriend

Labels: Academy Awards, black celebrity gossip, red carpet

posted by N. Taylor @ 12:25 AM 0 comments

Technorati Tags: black hollywood,black actors,black actresses,taraji p. henderson,john legend,beyonce,queen latifah,black celebrities,african american celebrities,black celebrity gossip

Beautiful Black Women (and men) at the Grammies

J. Hud looking FABULOUS

M.I.A. and her new edition

Jay Z. minus Beyonce
Snoop and his wife
Jamie Foxx and his daughter

Leona Lewis

Rising star Karina Pasian

Technorati Tags: black news,african american news,black celebrities,african american celebrities

Barack Obama Daughter Look-a-like sets the fashion world on fire

Ariel Binns is cute, smart, outgoing and looks remarkably like first daughter Sasha Obama.

Young model Ariel Binns, right, resembles Sasha Obama.

The similarity has not gone unnoticed by the fashion industry. Harper's Bazaar magazine cast the 6-year-old Brooklyn, New York, first-grader with model Tyra Banks in a photo spread showing an African-American family in the White House.

Binns, a child model, was peering out from under a big wooden desk in an image reminiscent of John F. Kennedy's time in office.

When it comes to fashion there's nothing like a powerful brand to boost sales, especially if that brand is a dynamic first family.

"Marketers are finally waking up to it -- you know -- black is beautiful," says global branding expert David Rogers who predicts African-American models will play a more prominent role in fashion photography as a direct result of the Obamas. "It's just going to become part of the fabric of the fashion imagery of pop culture, which is a great thing," says Rogers. Watch young first daughter look-alike model »

At Wilhelmina Kids, a modeling agency in New York for kids and teens, agents say there is increased demand for first daughter look-alikes.

"It's a trend because, what little girl doesn't want to emulate the first kids?" said Marlene Wallach, president of Wilhelmina, which represents Binns.

Unlike the Bush twins or Chelsea Clinton, global branding experts say the appeal of the Obama girls is unique -- and infinitely marketable. After the first kids appeared in their J.Crew outfits on Inauguration Day, the company's Web site got so many hits, it crashed.

Click to read.

Technorati Tags: barack obama,obama family,sasha obama,black news headlines,african american news,black news

Black Beauty: Controlled By Black People or Not?

Black beauty is not controlled by black people. Black women are among the biggest spenders in the hair care industry, yet black people do not own much of the profits that come from the sale of African American haircare products.

Aaron Ranen does a wonderful job in this documentary highlighting the issues with the black hair care industry. After watching this, you will be informed, enlightened and perhaps motivated to send your black daughters to business school so that they can teach their black husbands how to own a piece of the 40 acres and a mule that African Americans are buying, building and creating for other people.

Black hair is a fundamental part of a black woman's beauty standard. Perhaps we should also try to understand the norms and origins of African American haircare choices so that we can be better informed in the future.

The documentary on African American hair care is below:

Some of the Many Black Hair Care Myths

Over the years I have done a lot of hair and met a lot of people. With that has come some incredibly false information about how to take care of our black hair. I know the feeling, after a while we just don't know what to believe or what works. Well, here are at least 5 things you can be sure about:


Top 5 Black Hair Care Myths: True or False?

1. Relaxed hair will NOT grow.

- This is FALSE. Relaxing the hair does present a lot of chemicals that your hair may not be used to, but that doesn't necessarily hinder growth. Proper upkeep after a relaxer can maintain hair growth. By not applying too much heat (blow dryers, straighterners, etc.) and other chemicals closely after relaxing, you can prevent a lot of damage. Further help with relaxing hair will be featured in this blog soon.

2. Black Women should NOT wash their hair.

- This is definitely FALSE. Black women should NOT wash their hair EVERYDAY. Unlike our white friends, Black hair is much more dry and excessive washing can lead to excessive breakage. We should not wash it every day, but instead once every 3-7 days depending on your level of dryness. A mistake often made is not washing it for extended amounts of time, such as every 2 weeks, or even months while hair is braided or weaved. Instead, very dirty hair can slow down hair growth.

3. Herbs help hair growth.

- This is TRUE. Some herbs such as rosemary, chamomile and ginkgo are as good for the hair as they are for the body. Our friends at Kristen Lock detail the herbs myth on their site. (Check it out here: http://www.kristenlock.com/Herbal-Remedies-For-Black-Hair-Growth)


4. Leave-In-Conditioners DO NOT work.

- This is FALSE. Leave-In-Conditioners provide hydration and nutrients necessary for hair health. In fact, you can use leave-in-conditioners often without shampoo, especially after washing or quick rinses to maintain curls (for those of us with natural waves).


5. Massaging the scalp regularly stimulates hair growth.

- This is TRUE. Massaging the scalp regularly can stimulate hair folicles to grow. A daily 5 minute massage can help your hair grow (in addition to proper hair care), and make you feel better and calm while you're at it!



FEATURED PRODUCT: Motions Nourish Leave-In Conditioner.



This spray is easy to use, and leaves hair managable, fresh and detangled. It is about $5 at hair supply stores.



There are many myths, do's, and don'ts to black hair care, and I will make sure to tell you what I know, what works, and what just doesn't! Some of it will come from my own personal experiences with doing hair, and others will come from questions and comments, so feel free to leave some!