I don’t paint my nails often. They always seem to chip so easily. Seriously, I can simply glance at my nails and the paint will start to peel. Hence why I sport naked (a.k.a boyish) nails!
But for reasons unknown to me, I have inexplicably signed up to receive weekly e-mails from Essie . They inform me about the hottest trends in nail colour. I usually skim through the e-mail and then quickly press the delete button. But their last few e-mails have seemed to grab my attention. Instead of showing harsh garish colours like navy blue, black or the Incredible Hulk-ish green that I saw in seasons past, their spring collection consists of genteel, soft, pastel colours which I like. (*I’m even partial to their Wedding Collection)
I love their series of girly pinks, delicate lilacs, and baby blues. Those are the hues that I usually gravitate towards, so I was happy to know that they were en vogue.
Not one to be easily swayed(okay, that’s a total lie!), the Essie e-mails eventually got to me and I went out and bought myself a bottle of lavender nail enamel. Wore it this past week, got a few nice comments and planned to buy some more. Thanks for the e-mail, Essie!
We've been getting a lot of questions lately for our resident Rude Girl, Dear Angry Black Grrl. She gives no-nonsense advice on all topics related to relationships.
If you need some questions answered and can handle some tough love, send your questions to michelle@happygrrls.com.
Here's the latest question.
Dear Angry Black Grrl
First things first, I am not bitter and I am NOT jealous of my best friend. Cool, now here’s my problem. I loooove my best friend to death but there’s one thing that she does that pisses me off. Every time that we go out, she brings her boyfriend along. Serious. Every. time!
We could be going for coffee, lunch, dinner, shopping, anything, and his dumbass is there. I do like him, but sometimes I want to spend quality time with my bestie. What do you suggest I do?
Signed, three’s a crowd
Dear three’s a crowd,
Girl, I hear ya! It’s cool for all of you to get along and do things together, but if every time I saw my best friend I had to see her boyfriend, someone was getting cussed out. Her dude is cool, but dayum, seeing him all the time gets annoying!
There ain’t no easy way to tell her, but you might have to come clean and say that you want a girls’ night out or that you want to chill with her without her man. Maybe your friend doesn’t even know that it bothers you. But if it were me, I would let her know pretty damn quick that I wasn't feelin' being the third wheel.
I’m not too sure what your friend will say, but at least you’re being honest. Either way, good luck!!
I interviewed Laura Furtado of DivaGirl Fitness almost 6 whole months ago. After listening to her speak passionately about her love of dance and fitness, I promised her (and myself) that I would sign up for one of her classes. She didn’t have to persuade me too much because taking a dance class was something that I always wanted to do. It’s fun and it’s exercise, what’s better than that?
Although I promised her 6 whole months ago that I would take one of her classes.......I didn’t.
But as luck would have it, my employer provided all employees with a chance to sign up for a free 2 hour dance class as a part of staff appreciation. And guess who the instructor was...................?? Laura Furtado! I didn’t even have to think about it; I signed up for the session and eagerly awaited the class.
I was a little nervous when I walked into the gym. I don’t work out regularly (okay, I don’t work out period!), and I was a nervous about looking silly. But once I heard the heavy hip hop grooves and saw Laura’s bubbly face, all my anxiety left me.
Just to let you know, the class was freakin’ amazing! I had more fun than I imagined. We started off with some hip hop dance moves followed by some spicy Bhangra moves.
I had tons of fun while I worked out. I kept wondering why I never signed up for the classes before. I’m such a punk!
The last hour was spent on Bhangra/Bollywood style of dance. The intricate moves in this style of dance provided an insanely effective workout. It was fun, but I also felt that I was working out places that need to be worked out! Just like with the hip hop moves, during the Bhangra session, I envisioned myself in an elaborate Bollywood movie and it was the huge dance number. Yes, my imagination is way too active sometimes! : )
After enjoying the 2 hour session I went up to Laura and thanked her for the class and promised...again that I will take one of her classes. Something tells me that I won’t break that promise.
It’s funny how my new go-to lip gloss happens to be something that I got for free. It was a gift with purchase when I bought a bottle of Clinique’s Dramatically Different Moisturizing lotion a couple months ago (*btw, this moisturizer has been a part of my beauty regimen for as long as I can remember). I also received a mini version of their Lash Doubling mascara (this is also an exceptional product!), a makeup case and some eye shadow.
Normally the makeup palette in the bonus gifts doesn’t really go with my skin tone and I end up tossing it out or giving it to friends, but the sample size of Glamour-full full potential lips plump and shine lip gloss that was included, wasn’t a stark contrast to my complexion.
The colour itself is a mixture of muted pink and lavender hues. When I apply it, it gives my lips that glossy, shiny effect with just a whisper of pink.
My lips are quite full already, so I haven’t noticed a plumping effect (you might feel a slight tingling when you wear it the first couple of times). But other than that, this is a great lip gloss.
P.S. If the Clinique lip gloss is a bit too pricey and you want to try a less expensive brand, you should take a look at Barely Nude Infallible Lip Gloss from L’Oreal. It’s a great lip gloss (I bought this one too!) and the colour is as delicate as the Clinique lip gloss.
P.S S. Both lip glosses look fantastic when worn with a smoky eye.
There are only a handful of award shows that get me to drop everything and sit glued to the tube for extended periods of time—and the Grammys is one of them. I made sure to do everything that I needed to do by 8pm on Sunday, Jan 31st, 2010.
Even though the Grammys are extremely political (psst...sometimes the person most deserving doesn’t get the award, and it goes to an artist that is good, but deserved it ages ago), I can’t miss it because I love to watch the performances.
I viewed every minute of the 3 and half hour telecast and it was.....uh, okay. It wasn’t as fun and exciting as I would have liked, but it was alright.
Here’s my breakdown of some of the performances of the night. Let me know if you agree, disagree or think I’m too picky! LOL!
The Performances
Beyoncé- If I Were A Boy
I'm a Beyoncé fan, but her performance was a bit dry and boring. It was flashy, but it didn’t get me moving. I felt a sense of nostalgia during her “You Oughta Know” interlude (originally sung by Alanis Morissette), but it didn’t quite serve a purpose. I was waiting for Alanis to run up on stage and sing with Beyoncé, but that never happened. Oh well.
Lady Gaga- Poker Face I totally appreciate her energy and creativity that she brings to her performances. You can’t deny the bedazzled one that!
The first half of her performance was good. I even liked her costume. It was crazy, but I thought it looked cool! The second part of her performance kind fell flat. She played the piano alongside Elton John (it sorta reminded me of when Eminem performed with Elton John ages ago). It wasn’t a particularly bad performance; I was just anticipating something more electrifying.
P!nk- Glitter In The Air I know a lot of people with disagree with me, but I will say it. The P!nk performance was good, but I did not love it as much as everyone else. Am I the only one that remembered that she did a similar routine on another award show? Don’t get me wrong, it was good, and the woman is talented, but it seemed a little too familiar.
Jamie Foxx f/T-Pain & Slash- Blame it Call me ghetto, but I loooved this performance. I thought it was hilarious. Jamie and T-Pain got me dancing in my living room. They got crunk up in there!
Drake f/Lil Wayne & Eminem- Forever This is officially my song of the moment. I keep saying that I’m not a Drake fan, but I continue to write about his songs. Yes, I think I’m in denial (or a hater!) I think that I will be lusting over the man soon enough!
I liked this performance because it injected a little hip hop into the award show. It was also cute to see Taylor Swift (someone I don’t peg to be a hip hop fan) get her dance on to this song. Soo cute!
Well, that’s my take on the Grammys. Let me know what you think. E-mail me at michelle@happygrrls.com
I’m sure by now you’ve heard about the devastating earthquake that rocked Haiti on Jan 12th , 2010. Over 100,000 people are reported dead and the number is rising. Homes, businesses and government offices have been destroyed. The situation is quite bleak.
I’ve had the privilege of being in Haiti briefly, and I know that day-to-day living conditions were terrible before. I cannot fathom what it is like now. I wanted to say to our readers, please keep the people of Haiti in your thoughts and donate anything that you can to a verified charity.
It’s a few days into 2010, which makes it an opportune time to look back at 2009. My favourite part of reviewing the past year is compiling my list of the hottest songs. Check out my list of top 10 singles for 2009.
Turnin Me on, Keri Hilson f/Lil Wayne
This is the song that made me loooove Keri and her badgirl swagger. She’s so badass that she can easily hold her own against thuggish rapper, Lil Wayne.
Knock You Down, Keri Hilson f/ Ne-Yo and Kanye West
Just when I thought that Keri’s Turnin’ Me On single was the best thing ever, she released Knock You Down. Can’t tell you how many times I’ve played this song.
Lions, Tigers and Bears, Jazmine Sullivan
This song came out in the beginning of 2009 but was so impressive it was destined to land high on my top 10 list. It’s raw, emotional and heart wrenching. I identified with every word that she belted out. Check out the lyrics and let me know if it doesn’t pierce your heart.
Hot N Cold, Katy Perry
I.can’t.get.enough.of.this.song!! I will be continuously playing this well into 2010
Already Gone, Kelly Clarkson
I know that this song sounds EXACTLY like Beyonce’s Halo, but Ms. Clarkson released a better produced (and less annoying) song. It’s deep, introspective- everything you expect from her.
Blame it, Jamie Foxx f/T-Pain
How could I not like an ode to a-a-a- alcohol?
Successful, Drake f/Trey Songz
Still not a Drake fan, but I love this song.
Miss Independent, Ne-Yo
Would any year-end list be complete without Ne-Yo? Absolutely not.
Break-Up, Mario
The staccato beat of this song makes it sizzle!
Heartless, Kanye West
Just when you want to hate Kanye and his foolishness, he releases a great song and you forget that he’s a crazy, arrogant ass. Well, you almost forget. Still love this track, though.
Artist of the year: Lady Gaga
Say what you want about Lady Gaga—she’s weird, her music fluffy, she’s an attention whore…etc., at least she ain’t boring!!
Beneath all the flash, insane costumes and bizarre performances, she can sing. Which is more than you can say for some singers (ahem Britney Spears, Ciara, are you listening?).
Overrated Artist of the year: Drake
In a previous post I wrote that I liked one of his songs, and I even included one of his songs on my best of 2009. Buuuut, I have not embraced him the way others have. I think he has a loooong way to go before he earns the title of new king of hip hop.
Runner Up: The Dream
Don’t all his songs sound the same?
Worst song: Baby By Me, 50 Cent f/ Ne-Yo
There were tons of songs that I could mention (Boom, Boom, Pow, Black Eyed Peas, Right Round, Flo Rida, Crack A bottle, Eminem, She Wolf, Shakira…and the list can goes on!) but for some reason this song seriously rubbed me the wrong way. How ignorant can one song be? Sample line: “Have a baby by me, be a millionaire..” Fail!!!
Guilty Pleasures
Normally, I would never admit to liking some of these songs, but dammit, they got me.
I Hate This Part, The Pussycat Dolls
Kiss Me Thru The Phone, Soulja boy f/Sammie
Turn My Swag On, Soulja boy
You’re a Jerk, New Boyz
Mrs. Officer, Lil Wayne f/ Bobby Valentino and Kidd Kidd
Fave Video
Sorry Taylor Swift, but I agree with Kanye. I liked Beyonce’s video too. It wasn’t necessarily the most innovative video ever, but her infectious lyrics and dance routine had me dancing whenever I heard the song.
Runner Up 1: Hot N Cold, Katy Perry
This video is hilarious and I appreciate the nod to the 80s.
Runner 2: Paparazzi, Lady Gaga
She is a genius. This slightly murderous video is more entertaining than the average Hollywood flick. I heart this video!!
That’s my rundown for music in 2009. Feel free to let me know what you think.
