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Push: Based On A Novel By Sapphire was a winner of the 2009 Sundance Film Festival. Gabourey Sidibe who plays the main character Clareece Precious Jones has gained acclaim for her raw talent of taking on such a tortured character that has endured physical and emotional abuse at the hands of her mother who is played by Mo'nique and sexual abuse by her father who she is pregnant by for the second time. Precious is over weight, illiterate and because of years of molestation and abuse has little if any self esteem. The amazing part about this is this is Sidibe's first time acting and she brings a story that many would avoid because of its deep and dark topics to a place of hope and redemption.
Musician Lenny Kravitz joins actresses Paula Patton, Gabourey “Gabby” Sidibe and Mariah Carey pose for a pic at the ‘Precious’ Photocall held at the Hotel 314 during the 62nd International Cannes Film Festival on Friday May 15th in Cannes, France.
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Clarifying our hair is important to prevent build up and to encourage strong, shiny, and healthy hair. Clarifying cleansers and rinses do not have moisturizing properties in them and can be highly acidic so following up with your favourite deep conditioner is important. Clarifying cleansers that contain sulfates rid the hair and scalp of silicones and petro-chemicals. That said, I have talked about my search for an all natural clarifying cleanser and I am intrigued with the Aubrey Organics Green Tea Clarifying Shampoo. Currently I am using Organic Black Soap by Eli which is in liquid form. I picked this up from my local flea market and I am not disappointed. I have realized that my hair responds well to black soap as appose to castille soap. I wash my hair with the Organic Black Soap by Eli and than follow with rinsing my hair and scalp with Bragg Apple Cider Vinegar mixed with water (half & half). I have gotten good results without my hair feeling stripped.
I like to think of clarifying cleansers as a reviver for hair. They bring the pH balance back to a normal level and promote clean scalp which assist in growth. Keeping our hair and scalp clean is a must if we want to prevent breakage and knotting. Sometimes the residue of products is what is causing the hair to feel rough and look dull which if this is also true for the ends of the hair strand that translates into knotting and breakage. Try clarifying whether it be once a week, every two weeks or once a month, your hair will tell you what it needs. 
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Nneka born in 1981 as Nneka Egbuna in Warri, Nigeria is a Nigerian artist that has been compared to Lauryn Hill and her most recent album has been pronounced by critics as good as The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. That aside she is a force to be reckoned with that sings boldly about oppression in her native Nigeria and Africa as a whole. Her debut album Victim of Truth holds one of my favourite songs "Africans". I am so thankful to see her fearlessness and boldness. She is currently on tour promoting her latest album No Longer at Ease. You can visit her at her MySpace page here and purchase her albums from Amazon.com. Enjoy!
These beauties are Giuseppe Zanotti Design, with a 4 1/4 heel and 100% italian leather they are keepers. visit couture.zappos for more deatils.
I am so excited about the progress being made with many men and women embracing their natural hair. whether it be loose or loc'ed I am amazed at the page we are turning in our community. I do hope that it last and we can learn to love every aspect of our "Blackness." Black is beautiful, unique ... It is worth loving you and not loving what people view you as. Their is an emerging transformation taking hold throughout the African diaspora.Men and women around me for the most part have supported me in embracing my natural hair. I don't find it difficult to date with my natural hair and I do not run into any negative situations at my place of employment. I bring these two points up because many women use these arguments to discourage themselves from embracing their natural hair. The words "professional looking" and "acceptable" come to mind. I recently saw a woman in a nation wide broadcast on naturally kinky, coily and curly hair state that relaxed hair looks "professional." She was eluding to the belief that natural hair isn't professional and therefore a hindrance in the corporate environment.
The statement above is hogwash to be polite, don't believe the lies. Get up and love yourself. Education is important when faced with ignorant comments. Products are becoming easier and easier to find, alternatives are available to harsh styling products that are natural and/or organic. Products like shea butter, coconut oil, and castile soaps are easy to find if you look. Don't be discourage, what doesn't break you will make you stronger.
Happy Growing,
Natalie
Recently I hit up Wal-Mart, Zellers and Supercenter in Toronto just doing my regular shopping. I don't use Suave but I am very aware of all the regular hair care product lines sold in retail stores, so I immediately noticed that Suave products were missing from the shelves of these stores. So yesterday while in Wal-Mart again I asked a lady stocking shelves in the beauty department where are the Suave hair care products. She told me they are no longer carrying Suave ... so of course I asked why? She replied that she thinks they went bankrupt! Really, wow! This recession is really going to interrupt alot of naturals hair care routine. I don't know if what she said is true but every retail store I go to I'm noticing no Suave products. If any of you have heard about this or are noticing the same thing leave a comment.
Measha Brueggergosman is an accomplished African-Canadian soprano opera singer. She has performed with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Montreal Symphony Orchestra, National Arts Centre Orchestra to name a few and has gained acclaim with her many awards for her performances, to visit her go to measha.com. 
Kid Cudi is a young man from Cleveland, Ohio with big dreams. He has been producing, singing, rapping and mixing for a few years and his hard work is paying off, he is scheduled to release his debut album Man on the Moon summer 2009 on Universal Motown. With his unique style I anticipate his upcoming release. Visit him at kidcudi.com and enjoy!
These beauties are Skin by Nude King King Heels in Jade, Orchid and Black. Visit REVOLVEclothing.com for more info.
I was at work earlier this week and I had a discussion with a very nice man from Ethiopia and a lovely lady that I love to death, she is a sweet heart. We started talking about natural hair and how I love it and that as Africans and of the African diaspora we need to embrace our natural beauty and not be so consumed with relaxing our hair. I also noted that many women have no idea what their texture is. Case in point, a few weeks ago I was at work walking to the cafe and this younger lady came up to me and was like "oh your hair, wow you have curls? It's natural? ... what did you put in it?" Now I am sure that if she chose to stop wearing weave and relaxing her hair she too could achieve my curly hair-do which by the way was styled with Kinky Curly Curling Custard. 
The Big Carrot has a wide selection of products including produce, a juice bar, restaurant area, along with beauty and health care.
The Royal Caribbean Cafe has amazing food, you will not be dissapointed with their wide selection of caribbean dishes that is authentic and made with love, my favourite is the Fish and Shrimp Combo Dinner.
Royal Caribbean Cafe 1127 St Clair Avenue West, Toronto, ON M6E 1B1 416.651.9554
The Curl Ambassadors is a cozy salon/retail shop not far from the University of Toronto campus, The prices are reasonable and they always have a special. They carry product lines such as Curls, Carols Daughter, Deva, and Kinky Curly. The Curl Ambassadors 159 Harbord Street (west of Spadina), Toronto, Ontario 416.922.2888 
My hair is still recovering from my disaster with Aubrey Organics Island Naturals Shampoo, who knew that this shampoo would wreck havoc on my hair? I tried it a few times before and it stripped my hair so in the trash it went a week ago. This is the second all-natural organic shampoo/soap that did this to my hair, the first was Dr. Bronner's Castille Soap. I've noticed my hair has alot of knots and spilt ends, its like the shampoo just sucked every last drop of moisture out of my hair because the split end weren't there before. I did a protein treatment and am loading my hair with Herbal Essences conditioner every night than putting my hair into 4 loose bantu knots and tying my hair down. In the morning I fluff and put it in a puff.
If you don't know who Ryan Leslie is as yet, I suggest that you study him. He is a musical genius and I am not the first to declare it. A Harvard graduate with Bajan and Trinidadian parents he is a singer, rapper, multi-instrumentalist, composer and producer. He has worked with the biggest names in the industry and is only getting started. I hope you are as blown away by this young man's talent as I was, enjoy! Visit Ryan Leslie at his official site, click here.
These beauties speak so much about who I am - conservative yet sophisticated and bookish. This pair of Chloé Buckle Strap Wedged Shoes is so new-millennia-librarian, I love them! To see more details visit Browns Fashion here .
I think we can all agree that maintaining healthy hair does not take a lot of products to achieve optimal health. The techniques and styling tools can make a big difference in growth and retaining length. I have had many discussions with naturals both men and women and for the most part they rely on a few products, some of which contain sulfates, silicones and petro-chemicals and yet their hair is on point. Over the weekend I pulled out Aubrey Organics Island Naturals Shampoo to cleanse my hair, not because I like it but because I'm trying to use it up, it's not at all my favourite shampoo. I must say this is the worst experience I've had with a shampoo, I had knots and split ends for days that weren't there before using the Island Naturals and had to trim about a centimeter off plus dust my ends, my hair was also very dry. My point is this - AO is all natural and organic as appose to my favourite shampoo, IC Tea Shampoo that contains sulfates but would never do my hair like that, I get bouncy soft hair every time I use it. If a product works for your hair then why stop if you have healthy flourishing hair? 
Model Danni Scott is one of the new faces of Code Model Management. I expect BIG things from her. She is fierce and of course beautiful. To see more visit CODE.
These Tashkent by Cheyenne Peep Toe and Cut Out Ankle Boots are fierce for this Spring and summer, love them. Visit Tashkent By Cheyenne for more info and to see more beauties, just click here.
Clutter can hold us back in so many ways in our lives. We have dreams and aspirations but are distracted by what is around us and by what we think. Clutter can appear in relationships both professional and personal, by things we keep around us and in how we view ourselves. Having the goal of growing strong healthy natural hair is just one example among many of how we can clear clutter out of our lives in order to attain this goal. This is easily said than done, having positive relationships around us during transition and beyond is of course a solid way to avoid negative views of your choice to embrace your natural hair. This sometimes means communicating to someone that may be misinformed to the versatility of natural hair. Holding on to ideas of how you cared for chemically treated hair and applying it to caring for natural hair is a losing battle, you will not win. Clear your mind of the "old way" of taking care of your hair and research this new chapter in your life. These are all distractions meant to hinder your progress. "Old way" thinking such as "My hair wont grow if natural, relaxers help me to retain length"; "Natural hair is rough and is rarely soft"; "Its normal for my hair to break off and than grow back in cycles"; "Natural hair won't look good on me"; "If I see someone with healthy looking natural hair it must be a weave or she's mixed with something." I can say so much to address these excuses but I'll say this - they are all lies, don't believe them. You will or may have already heard them from people in your life. Educate them if appropriate and keep it moving. Don't compromise from your plan and let the growing begin. Natalie
The Kinky Curly Curling Custard and the Kinky Curly Knot Today are definitely going to be in my rotation. First let me discuss the Curling Custard, the custard is slimy in consistency with a sweet candy scent that is a joy to apply to my hair. It contains all organic and natural ingredients and that is a great bonus. The Knot Today also has a sweet scent that reminds me of Summer, sun and fun, both of the products actually do. The slip on the Knot Today is nothing spectacular and for kinky and coily textures of hair that may knot easily or that is thick this is not the greatest detangler. What the Knot Today does is it acts as a light leave-in conditioner, somewhat like Giovanni Direct Leave-In but in my opinion the Knot Today is better. It also assist in the curly or coily of the hair allowing it to be prepared for the Curling Custard application. 
Trying to do a shake and go: This technique entailed me doing a co-wash and just randomly applying the Curling Custard section by section and than shaking my head and finger styling my hair.
Applying a generous amount of product: The Curling Custard is deceiving, you only need about a nickle size to quarter sized amount for each small section. I once applied this product and my hair stayed SOAKING wet for days.
Using your Denman: I compared using my Denman to detangle verses my wide tooth comb and the wide tooth comb allowed my curls to hang more and clump. Okay, so as stated above you apply the Knot Today, detangle and than apply the Curling Custard. At this stage of applying the Curling Custard I brushed my hair with my Denman and the curls kind of shrank and no longer hanged the way they did before, you can try it and see if the Denman or wide tooth comb works better for you.
Substituting the Knot Today for a drug store conditioner as a leave in: I thought of this and said "why not?", well I noticed small white stuff all over my hair and a white film that would not disappear after applying the Curling Custard on top of my Herbal Essences conditioner. I usually leave enough conditioner in my hair that I can feel a slip and if I rub my hair while wet it will start to foam, this is too much conditioner left after a co-wash if using the Curling Custard. Rinse out as much as you can.
What I Think:
Curling Custard Performance: Consistent once you know what application works best for you, I really love this product. 2/2
Knot Today Performance: This is a light leave in conditioner that really helps to define my curls before applying the Curling Custard 1.5/2
Curling Custard Price: In Canada the price can range from 37.00 CDN to 40.00 CDN for 16 oz. Their is nothing like this on the market and you really don't need alot. I wouldn't mind picking this up every 6 months because I know its going to deliver. 2/2
Knot Today Price: 20.00 CDN to 22.00 CDN for an 8 oz bottle, this conditioner is okay and does what it is suppose to do when used with the Curling Custard. The reservation with this product is that aside from using with the Curling Custard I don't need it. I would love for it to have more slip so that I could feel comfortable using it year around and without the Curling Custard if I so please. You are just as good to use your Suave, Aussie, Herbal Essences, VO5, etc. than use the Knot Today as your leave-in. Save this stuff for the Curling Custard because you wont see any real difference with your hair when using your drugstore conditioners as appose to the Knot Today. 1/2
Curling Custard Ingredients: Botanical infusion of water, horsetail, chamomile, nettle and marshmallow, organic Aloe Vera Juice, Agave Nectar Extract, Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E), Pectin, Citric Acid, Potassium Sorbate and Natural Fragrance. 1/1
Knot Today Ingredients: Organic Mango Fruit Extract, Organic Slippery Elm, Organic Marshmallow Root, Organic Lemongrass, Cetyle alcohol, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Citric Acid, Phenoxyethanol and Natural Fragrance. 1/1
Kinky Curly Curling Custard 5/5 & Kinky Curly Knot Today 3.5/5
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