Bella In the City

This weekend we (Moody and I) went to a free concert given here in Philly featuring Deborah Cox and Kenny Lattimore. I really enjoyed myself! My daughter didn’t want to go so she went over grandmas while we went to the show.

Deborah Cox was really really good. Better than i expected! She sang a few tunes from her new CD and also some classics like Sentimental. I managed to take lots of pretty good pictures because we were right in the front by the stage, and got some good video.

I wanted to share this clip with you guys of her singing How did you get here, which is the song she is probably best known for. She ended her set with this one and the video shows her giving her final bow and exiting the stage.

We were right in front of super loud speakers, so the sound may be a little weird, but rest assured she sounded amazing live. Enjoy!

(Sorry I’m not much of a Kenny Lattimore fan, we kind of left when he came on..lol)

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Tags: deborah cox, how did you get here live, live, penns landing, philly, summer concert series

Ya girl is really tryna get her nail color swag back, so work with me! Seriously though, I have sooo much more to share, as well as soo much more to experience for myself as far as new colors coming out, different brands to try, etc. I’m showing today another one of the V.I.P. Nail Lacquer shades that I got from the Tacony Flea Market a few weeks ago. I know I said that not all of them have real names, but this shade is one that actually does. It’s called N11 Electryfying, and its a bright neon sky blue. Very pretty. It’s a creme shade which is my favorite!

This brand’s polishes are a little thin, so 3 coats were necessary to achieve bottle color. Seche Vite Topcoat was used. Enjoy!

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Tags: blue, creme, nail polish, v.i.p. nail lacquer

Every six weeks, we change to a new curriculum at school, and there is also a new start class as well as graduation. For each graduation, the school puts on a hair show! This was the first one that I experienced, and I must say I loved every moment of it. There is a showcase for the graduates, and also a couple competitions. I didn’t put a model in this show, but I intend to have a model in a subsequent show.

I tooks lots of pictures and video, but this clip came out the best. This is one of the graduates’ showcase. The stylist is wearing the black sequin vest and walks out first. Enjoy!

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Tags: empire, empire hair show, graduates, hair show, philadelphia hair show

I promised pics so here they are! The story is best told this way. We had a blast

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Tags: black pride, chicago, chicago black pride, gay, lesbian, LGBTQ, pride, rainbow, sherman park, travel, white party

I miss you guys! Frankly I have been very lazy with posting and blogging lately, and I am gonna try and get my mojo back. I’m gonna post a lot today to ‘catch up’!

I will be showing at least one new nail polish color, some pics from Chicago, my school’s Graduates Hair show, and my recent trip to Gay Beach (Rehoboth Beach, DE).

Stay tuned!

 Thanks for riding with me in spite of my lack of posts

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Historic Stonewall Inn

It’s important for us as a community to know our history. I’m ashamed that I didn’t know anything about this prior to today, and it has incited a thirst for more knowledge on my part. Today is an important day in LGBTQ history, and I hope you will take the time out to read the following passage that explains the importance of the day:

The Stonewall riots were a series of spontaneous, violent demonstrations against a police raid that took place in the early morning hours of June 28, 1969 at the Stonewall Inn, in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of New York City. They are frequently cited as the first instance in American history when people in the homosexual community fought back against a government-sponsored system that persecuted sexual minorities, and they have become the defining event that marked the start of the gay rights movement in the United States and around the world.

 American gays and lesbians in the 1950s and 1960s faced a legal system more anti-homosexual than those of some Warsaw Pact countries. Early homophile groups in the U.S. sought to prove that gay people could be assimilated into society, and they favored non-confrontational education for homosexuals and heterosexuals alike. The last years of the 1960s, however, were very contentious, as many social movements were active, including the African American Civil Rights Movement, the Counterculture of the 1960s, and antiwar demonstrations. These influences, along with the liberal environment of Greenwich Village, served as catalysts for the Stonewall riots.

Very few establishments welcomed openly gay people in the 1950s and 1960s. Those that did were often bars, although bar owners and managers were rarely gay. The Stonewall Inn, at the time, was reportedly owned by the Mafia. It catered to an assortment of patrons, but it was known to be popular with the most marginalized people in the gay community: transvestites, effeminate young men, hustlers, and homeless youth. Police raids on gay bars were routine in the 1960s, but officers quickly lost control of the situation at the Stonewall Inn, and attracted a crowd that was incited to riot. Tensions between New York City police and gay residents of Greenwich Village erupted into more protests the next evening, and again several nights later. Within weeks, Village residents quickly organized into activist groups to concentrate efforts on establishing places for gays and lesbians to be open about their sexual orientation without fear of being arrested.

 After the Stonewall riots, gays and lesbians in New York City faced gender, class, and generational obstacles to becoming a cohesive community. Within six months, two gay activist organizations were formed in New York, concentrating on confrontational tactics, and three newspapers were established to promote rights for gays and lesbians. Within a few years, gay rights organizations were founded across the U.S. and the world. On June 28, 1970, the first Gay Pride marches took place in Los Angeles and New York commemorating the anniversary of the riots. Similar marches were organized in other cities. Today, Gay Pride events are held annually throughout the world toward the end of June to mark the Stonewall riots.

-courtesy of Wikipedia.com

As a proud lesbian who is making the rounds around the country to celebrate her Pride, I think it’s important for us to realize that Pride isn’t just about parties and traveling. It’s really about us showing respect for those who paved the way for us to be accepted and respected in society (I encourage you to read the entire article - It’s truly eye opening). I realize we have a long way to go, but could you even imagine being arrested just for being gay? I know I couldn’t imagine it. HAPPY PRIDE!!!

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Tags: gay, gay pride, know your history, lgbtq history, pride, stonewall inn, stonewall riots

So, I was invited to another MAC garage sale! This time I was so prepared, and came super early. I was literally in makeup heaven for two hours last night! I went with a couple girls from school, and we all racked up. I ended up with 30 items. Can you believe that? It’s hard for me to imagine the amazing values that I received. In all, the items that I got at the garage sale retailed for some $460+, and I brought them home for much less than $100. Here is a breakdown of all the items that I have added to my collection:

 EYES (Retail prices):

Eyeshadow-Nocturnelle (14.50)

Eyeshadow-Charcoal Brown (14.50)

Eyeshadow-Electric Eel (14.50)

Eyeshadow-Deep Shade (14.50)

Eyeshadow-BlackBerry (14.50)

Mineralize Eyeshadow-Outspoken (19.00)

Paint Pot-Quite Natural (16.50)

Paints-Bamboom (16.50)

Eye Pencil-Black Funk (13.00)

Powerpoint Eye Pencil-Stubborn Brown (14.50)

LiquidLash Liner-Fuchsia-ism (16.50)

LIPS:

Lipglass-Ola Mango! (14.00)

Lipglass-Pink Poodle (14.00)<—This is for Glennisha.. I hope its not too pink for her!

Dazzleglass-Moth to Flame (18.00)

Prolongwear Lustre-Bedazzled (21.00)

Lipstick-Syrup (14.00)

Lipstick-Desire (14.00)

Lipstick-Touch (14.00)

Lipstick-Modesty (14.00)

Lipstick-Retro (14.00)

Lipstick-Fast Play (14.00)

FACE:

Select Coverup NC50 (15.50)

Studio Tech NC50 (29.00)

Matte (18.00)

Powder Blush-Prism (18.00)

Powder Blush-Harmony (18.00)

Mineralize Blush-Dainty (21.00)

Fix + (17.00)

TOOLS:

Foundation Pump (4.00)

Pencil Sharpener (5.00)

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Tags: discounted MAC makeup, garage sale, MAC, MAC sale, makeup

A couple weeks ago, I went to an outdoor flea market with Moody. I don’t think it has a formal name, but we refer to it as the Tacony Flea Market. It’s in New Jersey, just over the Tacony Palmyra bridge, which is just about 20 minutes or so from my house.

Of  course I managed to  find some nail polish there amongst the many many tables of clothes, shoes, rugs and furniture! I wound up with about 4 bottles, and they were a steal at just about $2 each.  This brand (V.I.P.) didn’t give all of the the shades real names, and this one was simply called N30. That didn’t take away from the beauty of the color though! It was a beautiful bright lavender/blue creme shade that reminds me of another shade, Cashmere Cardigan, but a brighter version of it. The pic shows 3 coats with Seche Vite topcoat. I started with just 2 coats and it looked OK, but I think the third coat helped to even out the color a little bit. Enjoy!

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Tags: creme, nail polish, purple, v.i.p. nail lacquer, vip