Naturalista Chicery at the CurlBox Meetup

Posted by twilliams on Jun 22, 2012 in Beauty, Hair | 5 comments

Karen Tappin and Myleik Teele, running thangs at their meet-up last night.

Hi girls! Last night, I found myself at what seemed to be the very epicenter of fab naturalista chic-ery — curlBOX’s soiree at famed Karen’s Body Beautiful in Fort Greene, BK. A little backstory: curlBOX, founded by my girl Myleik Teele, is a way to experience curly hair products at an insanely low price (for $20, subscribers received 5-7 samples a month). And Karen’s Body Beautiful spa carries a house brand of all-natural black hair products that are legendary among naturalistas (the Sweet Ambrosia Leave-in Conditioner is most coveted). Blended by the gloriously fro’d owner, Karen Tappin, the line is super-hydrating and restorative — and they smell divine.

Karen, Bobina and me! Funniest part of the event? A guy outside was banging congos -- and Bobina handed her doll to me so she could do a quick half-crump.

Naturally, I couldn’t wait to stop by — and I even brought my curly progeny, Miss Lina Bobina. I’ve covered a ton of natural hair meetups during my run at Essence.com, but I’ve never attended one as an almost-chemical-free chica, myself. I saw the whole thing with brand new, covetous eyes! There were hundreds of swaggy bombshells there, with some of the sexiest ‘dos I’ve ever seen — ringlets, fros, waist-length dreads, twist-outs  — and makeup game for days.

I meeaaan...

I saw two particularly stunning girls outside in the block-long line…and being me, I attacked them, demanding to know their beauty secrets.

Gorgeousness.

How CUTE, right? Here’s the tee from the chick on the left, Sherena, who’s been natural for a year and a half: “I’m wearing MAC Eyeshadow in Steamy…I thought the teal was a pretty contrast with the yellow. The lip is MAC Lipstick in Bubbles. And I make my own blend of shea butter, jojoba oil and coconut oil for my hair — I use it as a moisturizer and a twisting cream!”

The cutie on the right, Ingrid, has been chemical-free since ’09 and loves a statement lip: “It’s Wet & Wild Lipstick in Stoplight Red. I love the pop, plus I’m trying to keep it cost effective! And I’m a huge fan of Giovanni Direct Leave-in Conditioner and the Bee Mine Curly Butter.”

Sigh. Forget celebs and models, sometimes the most inspiring/aspirational looks come from the chick up the block. Ladies, what makeup and hair looks are inspiring you these days?

Bobina, finding inspiration at the meetup from her lovely new friend

A Naturalista’s Journey to the Met Ball!

Posted by twilliams on May 30, 2012 in Hair | 7 comments

Spoiler alert: This is not Tia Williams. I’m Simone, Vogue’s assistant bookings editor and an avid SYB babe like you! Tia asked me to share a super-glamorous hair story with you, and I can’t wait to gush – but first, I’d be remiss not to wax rhapsodic on what a fab full-circle moment this is for me! When I stumbled on SYB seven years ago as a beauty-obsessed teen, it was like discovering a gold mine. I couldn’t get enough of this gorgeous, smart, funny black girl’s take on what works on our skin and hair! Suffice it to say, those couple years without SYB were dark times.

But I digress.

And now, for the glamour! At Vogue, I book hair, makeup, and models for photo shoots. A sweet gig, especially for this fabulous perk: I got to attend the glitziest night on human record, the Costume Institute Gala — aka The Met ball. And it was everything!

Total Cinderella moment.

Never in my wildest dreams did I think lil’ ol’ Monie would walk those red-carpeted steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, swathed in a gorgeous pink Oscar de la Renta gown. I rubbed elbows with the brightest stars (including tete-a-tetes with both Rick Ross and The Wire’s Jimmy McNulty. I’m still swooning) and danced to a live performance by Bruno Mars in the middle of the Temple of Dendur. But ladies, the fairy tale almost didn’t happen.

I’m a nearly new natural gal. In an impulsive (and sometimes regrettable) move, I shaved my head about a year ago. These days I wear a low maintenance mini-afro, but I knew I’d have to step it up for the Met Ball. How, though? I’ll admit it: I’m a bad naturalista. I don’t do the pre-poos, the rinses, the stretching and all that other stuff I read about on the blogs. I want to, but I don’t have the time (I know, bad excuse). So I knew I wasn’t adept enough to create a glam ‘do befitting my glam dress! I needed a fro pro.

Eleganza!

The bad news? My go-to salons, Hair Rules and Miss Jessie’s, were both closed on the days I needed to be styled. But two days before the ball, I had a light bulb moment: You’re a hair and makeup editor! Use your resources, dummy! After some frenzied researching, I found natural hairstylist to the stars (and now me) Lacy Redway. She hooked me up! Using a mix of Carol’s Daughter Tui Hair Oil and Kinky Curly Custard Curl Gel, she gave me a shiny, defined twist-out the likes of which my half-assed natural self had never seen before. The twist-out kept its hold for the entire night (and days after), giving me the confidence and swag I needed on that gloriously fabulous night.

SYB Babes, how do you dress up your natural ‘do for fancy events? And pleeaaase share any tips on how to navigate the intimidating world of natural self-styling. Here’s to glam twist-outs!

xo, Simone