Everyone I know who has been, has fallen in love with the culture, the ambiance, the food, the romance of Paris. Someday, I dream of visiting and strolling hand in hand along Parisian streets with my husband. It isn’t my time – not just yet.

BUT – thanks to my friends at Black Atlas – it could be YOUR time!

This won’t be just any trip. It involves:

* Five nights’ accommodations at an historic hotel
* A private city tour
* A private walking tour of Paris including the literary Latin Quarter, artistic St.Germain-des-Pres, Champs-Elysees and vibrant Montmartre
* Dinner for two and a jazz concert

And this tour will be organized by Walking the Spirit Tours.

So how do you enter?? How do you win??

All you have to do is sign up on BlackAtlas.com. Submit a travel article about somewhere you’ve been and loved – it could even be your hometown! If the community votes your entry as the best, you could win a trip for two to the City of Lights.

Click here for all the details. And good luck to you!!

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1. Road Trip Beauty Must-Haves
2. The Perfect Road Trip Album (For the Roots Reggae Lover)

But last weekend was truly awesome. Last Monday was my birthday weekend. And my friends at Dove Visibly Smooth helped me celebrate! To help promote their amazing hair-growth-reducing deodorant, some of your favorite beauty bloggers have been invited to host Dove Visibly Smooth Girls’ Night Out events — click here to read about The Beauty Bunny, Clumps of Mascara, and This That Beauty’s Girls’ Night Out events in their cities.

I wanted to do something a bit different, since it was my birthday weekend. So instead of doing dinner or a lounge, I decided to invite some of my best blogger friends for a Girls’ Afternoon Out instead – at Allyu Spa, one of my aforementioned favorite spas in Chicago!

And here we are! From left to right:

Nikia of ChiTown Fashionista.
Aramide of The Sassy Peach.
Rae Lewis Thornton of RaeLewisThornton.com, a Diva Living with AIDS.
Brittany of Black is Breezie.
Karyn of The Fab Giver and The Red Pump Project.
Luvvie of Awesomely Luvvie, Luvv Divine, The Red Pump Project and prolly like 6 other random blogs LOL
me!
Jessica of Beauty Woo Me
and Courtney of Coco Cooks.

Allyu Spa arranged a beautiful room for us to hang out in, and we went in groups of three to get our manicures done.

Courtney is a food blogger extraordinare, and she advised me on what kind of spread to get with the ladies — fresh, delicious red grapes, strawberries, quince jam, pita chips to go with baba ganoush, and two different kinds of hummus. And to wash it all down, some large bottles of sparkling wine were in order!

So, the manicures. Many of us went with the “Blackberry bling” trend and had an accent nail on the fourth finger and thumb. I decided to go with two similar colors, but I really thought there’d be more of a contrast.

I used MAC’s latest matte – Studded – on my thumb and fourth finger. Click here to check out Karlasugar’s detailed post. It’s a matte pearl, very finely flecked gunmetal silver. I am gonna have to try this polish again on its own. My manicurist and I didn’t quite get that this was meant to be merely matte, and the addition of top coat made Studded shiny silver, but also brought out the black flecks in the polish.

On my other nails I used Orly’s latest Foil FX polish in Shine. These polishes are high shine foil finishes, and I have gotten SO many compliments on my nails since I got this mani! “Is that Minx?” someone asked me. No, it’s Orly FX, $7.50 a bottle! Haaaaayyyyy! Here’s an awful cellphone pic of the nails side by side for comparison.

Sorry about the awful photo – my camera’s been having battery issues!

Although I kept within the metallic family, I kept a close eye on the polishes my homegirls were getting! Allyu Spa uses Zoya polishes, and most everyone wound up using a purple polish! (Zoya has some GORGEOUS ones!)

Much love to Allyu Spa, my Chicago blogger friends, and Dove Visibly Smooth for the most fabulous pre-birthday manicure party ever!

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2. What’s a Piticure?
3. Nails of the Season

“She would always have a huge flacon of 4711, and she would dab it behind her ears and on her neck. Being a six-year-old, sitting there and watching her was so different and fascinating. Everything she had was beautiful. That’s how I remember her,” she told me.

Today my sister sent me a text.

“Can you send Dominique some lilac hand soaps? She loves the name and the smell. She is a mini you!”

Wow, how that took me back!

My niece Dominique is four years old (here’s a picture of her and little sister Isabella!) and right now Dominque loves the word, the color, and the scent of lilacs. Her earliest beauty memories are of me and my mom and her mom, I’m positive. We’re the most makeup obsessed of the family. She loves the rituals of beauty, and wants the products from such an early age.

All of this got me reminiscing about my first beauty memories. My mom always had a dresser cluttered with things I wanted to touch. But the clearest memory of my first beauty product came from going to a fashion and beauty event with my mother. The event was a product showcase and fashion extravaganza, hosted by a family friend, who owned a fancy perfume and makeup shop in the mall that my mother was always shopping in. At this event we had to answer a trivia question to win a prize. And according to my mother, this was the question.

What is the color of Elizabeth Arden’s famous door?

I answered “red”. And won!

I was seven years old!

I remember having to go on stage in front of everyone, and pick up my prize — a big bottle of Fendi bath gel. They don’t even make this product anymore — it came in a bottle that looked kinda like this.

After that, I established myself as a beauty rookie not to be underestimated! And oddly enough, the next Christmas our family friend asked my parents if I could be so kind as to help out at his store during the busy season. And my parents said YES. That’s how I wound up working in the mall, selling perfume and lipsticks and fancy bath and body sets to women at the tender age of eight.

Reminiscing about all of this is so strange, but explains so much about me today – I’ve been on this product obsessed, beauty loving path for a long, long time!

What are your first beauty memories?

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That’s why I am smitten with L’Ange, the silver grey rosette headband by Boutique De Bandeaux. This Etsy store specializes in “handmade couture-inspired headbands for straight, wavy, curly, & kinky tresses.”

Their model is SO adorable – love her hair and that her personality comes out in her photos. And I’m loving Boutique de Bandeaux! Finally a pretty floral headband that I know will handle my hair with gorgeousness and grace!

L’Ange costs $19.

* Want of the Week is a new series of posts, featuring a random hodgepodge of stylish and desirable items!

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Billions of Chinese people around the world aren’t wrong. There’s a reason that this admittedly off-putting practice of sticking thread-thin needles into key, corresponding points in your body has been so popular for this long. Quite simply, I believe it works. And having just tried it for the first time – I totally plan to try acupuncture again.

My first interest in acupuncture came in Miami, when a friend with chronic back problems swore on his life that acupuncture had healed him of his pains. “Dude, just try it!” he encouraged. But despite stress levels that led to high blood pressure, bouts of nausea, and an ulcerated stomach, I still never listened. I went the traditional route, and was prescribed medicine to treat my symptoms. I tried to eat healthier and well…my efforts at exercise never took root and truly became the “lifestyle” I keep hearing it has to become. But that’s another post for another time.

The first opportunity I had to actually try acupuncture came when I was on board Royal Caribbean’s cruise ship, the Oasis of the Seas. That’s where I met Alaric Toy, the licensed acupuncturist who has a constant flow of enthusiastic patients in the ship’s spa. He told me all about the popularity of the acupuncture at sea program, which is currently offered on all the major cruise ships. He spoke passionately about HR646, a senate bill that aims to get acupuncture covered by medicare. And he explained what acupuncture could do for me, to improve my own condition.

“There’s an old Chinese saying — where there’s pain, there’s blockage. Where there’s blockage, there’s pain. The US Air Force is using battlefield acupuncture right now, because it offers almost immediate results. It gives you a sense of well being that can’t be measured. You’ll start sleeping better, eating better, makng better choices for yourself. I’ve been able to resolve the problems of people with pain issues who have had chronic pain for 15, 20 years,” he said assuredly. But despite the opportunity literally staring me in the face – I wasn’t yet ready.

It wasn’t until just a few weeks ago, that I found opportunity staring me in the face yet again. Spa Week Daily wanted to send me to the spa to experience one of their $50 Spa Week treatments as part of SPA MADNESS. And lo and behold — amidst the vajazzling and Botox and facials and body scrubs…there was the offer for me to experience acupuncture at Chicago’s renowned Ruby Room. This time, I leapt at the chance.

The Ruby Room is not your typical spa. Oh sure, you can do typical spa things and get a facial, a massage, waxing, or a new hairstyle. They’ve got an amazing array of makeup and beauty products for sale, and you can get your face beat by a pro using lovely, high end cosmetics. The decor is clean, refreshing, and airy. There are absolutely stunning statues of Buddha everywhere. But then, you go up the steep red stairs, and the ambiance becomes more spiritual. The second floor of the Ruby Room is all about enhancing your internal beauty, and tapping into your spiritual center. There are crystals and tarot cards and Chinese herbs, and people there are ready to teach you how to apply those things to your life.

That’s where I met my acupuncturist, Pamela. Her approach was far different than the licensed acupuncturist I’d met on the cruise ship – he was more matter of fact, and the ambiance where he worked seemed almost clinical and spare – I felt very aware there that acupuncture is medicine, and it’s power is not to be underestimated. At the Ruby Room, acupuncture is performed in the same space where intuitives work with crystals and the general ambiance is very gentle and quite mystical. I found the contrast fascinating.

As a newbie to acupuncture, I found Pamela’s demeanor to be very comforting and nurturing. Before the procedure began, she gave me a detailed diagnosis, and in acupuncture that begins with a look at your tongue. Just from looking at the color and possible coat on your tongue, an acupuncturist can tell if there are graver issues taking place within your body. Pamela proceeded to explain some basic layman’s terms for what my issues could be attributed to. Chinese medicine is very much about achieving a perfect balance. There’s yin and yang, which just about everyone knows about. But there is also dry and damp – she sensed alot of damp within me. Pamela explained the Zangfu organs, and why she’d be putting certain needles in certain places. And then it was time for my treatment.

In general, I’m not particularly nervous about needles — unless I’m giving blood and I can see the blood filling up in a bag, I can block out the pain and fear of getting stuck. But I had reservations with acupuncture. Were these needles going to hurt? Would I wind up with needlemarks in my face? OMG, were there going to be needles in my face?

Yes. And I barely felt a thing.

The first needle went into my upper right ear, and I could hear it more than I could feel it. Acupuncture needles have teeny springs on the end, and I could hear the little zing as it went into my skin. The second needle went into my forehead. After that, I lost count. I know there was one in my right arm, one in my left hand, at least five in my stomach, and several in my legs and feet. But the only ones I could truly feel and felt aware of, were in my arm and my hand – that’s because I had to position them carefully and kept worrying they’d fall off the massage bed I was laying on.

If you want to get acupuncture and you’re concerned about needles hurting, please know that you shouldn’t worry. Quite literally, I fell asleep at the Ruby Room with a pincushion’s worth of needles sticking out of my face and body. Of course there were teeny drops of blood where I’d been stuck, but nothing hurt about this procedure. At all. In fact, just the opposite.

So let me explain the before and after. The morning before I left for my acupuncture treatment, I was more stressed out than I’d been in a really long time. I was so stressed out, I was nauseous. I took my blood pressure and it was indisputably high. I had to force myself to even relax enough to eat breakfast, take a shower, get ready, get on the el and head over to the Ruby Room.

After acupuncture, I immediately felt better. Restored. At ease. The issues that made me stressed out to begin with were still there, but seemed less oppressive and overwhelming. I came into the Ruby Room with zero appetite, and I left feeling ravenous. And maybe I even looked on top of the world, because three random strangers gave me compliments on the street when I left. So admittedly, I left my first acupuncture experience with a complete afterglow and the desire to return for more.

Of course, I was covering this for SpaWeekDaily.com –so I was sure to capture the experience on camera, and asked my acupuncturist some questions I got via Twitter.

Will I experience acupncture again? Definitely! It’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when. I hope my experience helps to answer any questions you may have, and if you’re in Chicago, I highly recommend the Ruby Room – 1743 West Division Street, 773-235-2323. Visit RubyRoom.com. If you’re not in Chicago, make sure your acupuncturist is licensed!

If you are interested in experiencing acupuncture – or any other kind of spa treatment! – you can start booking appointments March 15th, when the Spring Spa Week directory launches onSpaweek.com !

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Consider the look of forgotten legend Nina Mae McKinney, who was known as the Black Garbo back in the 1930’s. Flawless. Timeless. Click here to read my Black Voices homage to her.

And behold, my forever inspiration, Josephine Baker. Drink in the stunning photo I found on the amazing Flickr site Discover Black Heritage. To me, Josephine is the definition of gorgeous. I wrote about her for Vogue Black this week, and they’ve posted some amazing photos of her to accompany the article. Click here for that.

If Nina Mae McKinney had any one beauty trademark, it’d be a flawlessly manicured brow. I just got mine whipped into perfect shape at the B Bella Salon. It was one of those perfect walk-in afternoons, and Rosa threaded and waxed my brows into amazing shape! Two thumbs up for B Bella!

Lately I’ve been using MAC’s Brow Set gel to keep the brow situation under control. I hate an over manicured, over darkened, thin, harsh looking brow. That’s how they did it back in the day, but in my opinion, it doesn’t work in today’s day and age. Brow Set in Beguile perfectly matches the color of my eyebrows, and gives me definition without making my brows cartoonishly dark.

When I want a really defined cat’s eye for everyday, I love a bold, strong eyeliner. Right now Avon’s Glimmersticks Eye Liner is giving me everything I need. Rich pigment that doesn’t smudge, lasts for hours AND it’s on sale, so it’s less than $4! Score!

You can’t do Twenties glam without a delicious, dark lip. Right now I’m practically obsessed with Bobbi Brown’s Pot Rouge in chocolate cherry — it’s a deep red brown that manages to not be too bricky. And I just got my hands on Three Custom’s uber hot new Noir Sheer lipstick, and it’s just as gorgeous as I expected. This lippie looks black when you open it, but when you slick it on, it’s more of a deep burgundy plum that is sheer but buildable. It looks super pretty on, regardless of your skin tone — I’m here to testify that this lipstick is glorious on brown girls, but Twenties glam doesn’t have to end with us! According to Gouldylox, Noir looks equally pretty on pale Irish lasses, just so you know.

Twenties glam also calls for uber long lashes – so look out for a lashtastic post next week!

Got any makeup recommendations for Twenties glam, my bellas? Share with me!

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Today is National Women & Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. One year ago, Karyn and Luvvie founded The Red Pump Project — an enthusiastic non profit organization which has tirelessly worked to raise awareness both online, and with a series of awesome events around the country. Today marks the celebration of the 500 in 50: Rock the Red Pump campaign — where fellow bloggers are encouraged to be part of the movement and show solidarity by featuring a Red Pump badge on their blog. And to write about what National Women & Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day means to them.

When I look at the statistics of women and girls with HIV/AIDS, it terrifies me. And when I look at the women and girls who seem to live their lives completely ignorant to the ongoing threat of HIV/AIDS, it astounds me.

Every 35 minutes, a woman tests positive for HIV in the United States.

Black women make up 66% of all new diagnoses of HIV in women.

These are statistics that should resonate with anyone who’s reading this. So how can you support the cause, and do your part to raise awareness?

If you’re a blogger, you too can participate in the 500 in 50: Rock the Red Pump campaign – it’s not too late!

You can become a Red Pump Ambassador and help to raise HIV/AIDS awareness in your own community.

You can seek out local HIV/AIDS charities in your neighborhood and offer to volunteer time, money, or supplies.

Or at the very least you can wear your favorite pair of red shoes today, to show your solidarity with the movement.

I am so proud to be a part of this cause, and the Red Pump Project is becoming bigger than ever, y’all. Just this morning Luvvie and Karyn appeared on NBC here in Chicago!

And I sincerely hope to see many of you come out wearing your flyest pair of red shoes on Thursday March 25, for the Rock the Red Bold Fashion Awareness event. Click here to buy tickets. There will be cocktails, fierce fashion, and some of your favorite bloggers in attendance. Please come out for this amazing cause!

So. Are you rocking red pumps today? Tell me if you are!

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Every year I like to celebrate by hosting a giveaway. This year I’m a day late, but I’m truly psyched about this one. Bellas – allow me to introduce you to Fairwinds, a unique jewelry collection by Rachel Roy. The collection is a collaboration between Rachel and Fairwinds Trading. Every item has been hand-crafted in Africa by a female-owned business.

This clutch was made in Tanzania, using local fabrics.

These gorgeous earrings were made in Rwanda, featuring beads made in a paper layering process.

This bracelet is made from shredded woven paper, using traditional Rwandan techniques.

Right now, Rachel Roy’s Fairwinds collaboration is available at rachelroy.com and select Macy’s stores and macys.com, and the collection compliments Macy’s Rwanda Path to Peace collection of amazing baskets — which is also made by Fairwinds Trading!

I reached out to Rachel to learn more about the collaboration.

Afrobella – What inspired you to collaborate with Fairwinds? Was this a kind of collaboration you’d dreamed of for a while?

Rachel Roy: One of my goals has always been to help women achieve better lives through financial freedom and independence – that, to me, is about creating job opportunities. Partnering with Fairwinds was a natural choice and to be able to provide and sustain jobs in Africa is essential – the work that Fairwinds does is inspiring and it was a natural partnership.

Afrobella: So far there are three beautiful items from this collaboration – what’s next in store?

Rachel Roy: We will continue to offer seasonal items integrated into all product categories: Sportswear, Jewelry, Shoes and Handbags. Materials used will include handcrafted beads made from varnished paper and woven materials from recycled fabrics and cloth indigenous to different regions in Africa.

Afrobella: What are your hopes for the women of Fairwinds, and for this fashionable collaboration?

Rachel Roy: My hope is that this collaboration and my work with the organization will not only support these women and their families but raise awareness for women in Africa as well as the larger issues – nutrition, education and health care.

I’m delighted and honored to offer an exclusive giveaway of Rachel Roy’s complete Fairwinds collection — clutch, earrings, and bracelet!

All you have to do is leave a comment and let me know — which is your favorite Fairwinds item, and how do you plan to rock it? — comments will be open until March 12!

Good luck!

Oh and click here to join my Facebook fan page. And are you on Twitter? Click here to follow me!

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“When we look at you, we see a true American Cinderella, on the threshold of a brilliant new career. Precious is but the first of many adjectives coming your way. And they are all great. Congratulations, Gabby Sidibe.”

Even though Gabourey Sidibe didn’t win Best Actress tonight at the Oscars, I am sure she was thrilled to bits just because of what Oprah said. What an incredible moment.

And I didn’t see The Blind Side — so I’m unwilling to cast judgment on a film I haven’t yet seen. But I thought Sandra Bullock’s speech was everything an Oscar speech should be. Gracious, funny, touching, respectful, memorable. Well said, Sandy.

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This was an epic Oscar night for black actresses, and an epic Oscar night for plus size women. Before the ceremony much ado was made of Gabourey Sidibe’s Oscar dress possibilities — blisteringly and brilliantly covered by Erica Kennedy, author of the funny, fierce Feminista and Bling: A Novel. The phenomenal Kate Harding outlined Gabby’s red carpet history and her prospects. And tonight she came through in blue Marchesa festooned with diamond-like appliques.

I didn’t love the dress, but I think Gabby was resplendent and her MAKEUP was to DIE for. Whoever did the makeup, holla at a bella because I want the deetz!

Mo’ Nique also looked resplendent in blue. She wore blue as an homage to Hattie McDaniel — to read a beautiful tribute to Oscar’s first African American winner, read Rita Dove’s poem, via 55 Secret Street. And when she won, the tribute she gave to Hattie McDaniel was truly stirring. Mo’Nique had her face as beautifully beat as evah, and she rocked the hell out of that ruched dress.

The one-shoulder trend was big (I’m not a fan, IDK #shrug). Mariah worked it.

As did Queen Latifah — and I liked the blinged out baby pink look – Queen is always so regal. She just makes me smile whenever I see her on the red carpet!

Anika Noni Rose looked adorable and fresh faced as always, something about her personality just seems so approachable and endearing to me! She looked super pretty and worked the night’s other trend — strapless, with a lush, full skirt.

I MUST say, Zoe Saldana may have worn my second most favorite dress of the night. I am a fool for purple and that dress absolutely took my breath away when she came down the stairs during the ceremony. Look how excited she is to be wearing it!

For Oscar night, I love a little over the top drama. Which is why I loved Nicole Richie’s dress.

She looked fierce. Sleek. A little severe. Very Hollywood. Gorgeous!

But my FAVORITE dress of the night was worn by Rachel McAdams. Look at her. She knows she looks amazing. Beyond gorgeous!!

Who wore your favorite Oscar look of the night?

** all photos from Oh No They Didn’t

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