Michael Joseph Jackson

August 29, 1958-June 25, 2009

Rest in Peace

We'll Keep Dancing........

No. 1 songs:

"Ben," 1972.

"Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough," 1979.

"Rock With You," 1980.

"The Girl Is Mine," 1982.

"Beat it," 1983.

"Billie Jean," 1983.

"Say Say Say," 1983.

"Bad," 1987.

"I Just Can't Stop Loving You," 1987.

"The Way You Make Me Feel," 1987.

"Dirty Diana," 1988.

"Man In The Mirror," 1988.

"Black Or White," 1991.

"You Are Not Alone," 1995.

___

Solo albums:

"Got To Be There," 1972.

"Ben," 1972.

"Music & Me," 1973.

"Forever, Michael," 1975.

"Off The Wall," 1979.

"Thriller," 1982.

"Bad," 1987.

"Dangerous," 1991.

"Invincible," 2001.

___

Albums by "The Jackson 5," the family R&B quintet that launched Jackson to fame:

"Diana Ross Presents the Jackson 5," 1969.

"ABC," 1970.

"Third Album," 1970.

"The Jackson 5 Christmas Album," 1970.

"Goin' Back to Indiana," 1971.

"Maybe Tomorrow," 1971.

"Lookin' Through the Windows," 1972.

"Get It Together," 1973.

"In Japan!," 1973.

"Skywriter," 1973.

"Dancing Machine," 1974.

"Live!," 1974.

"Moving Violation," 1975.

___

Albums by "The Jacksons," which formed after the group — without older brother Jermaine — left Motown Records for the Epic record label:

"The Jacksons," 1976.

"Goin' Places," 1977.

"Destiny," 1978.

"Triumph," 1980.

"Live," 1981.

"Victory," 1984.

"2300 Jackson Street," 1989.

"We Are the World," a 1985 charity song co-written by Jackson and Lionel Richie. It reached the top of the charts, featuring the voices of Jackson, Richie, Stevie Wonder, Paul Simon, Tina Turner, Billy Joel, Diana Ross, Bruce Springsteen, Ray Charles and a host of others.

Face of the Day-FOTD

It's a lazy day here at the Kinky/Curly casa, so I'm playing with my makeup. This is a natural, I'm not wearing any makeup, makeup look. It's sort of my siggie. Perfect skin, bronzer and highlight, and some gloss. If you have small eyes like me, but love the drama of eyeliner, here's a tip: Line your top lids and only the outer corner of your bottom lids. Use a bright, shimmering shadow on the inner eye/tear duct to open up the eye area.

Get the look:
Brows- Maybelline Define-A-Brow (medium brown)

Cover Girl e/s brown smolder, using an angled brush

Highlight under arch with concealer

Eye shadow- VS Cream Shadow (bronze medal)

Used Loreal Decrease as a base, to prevent creasing, especially in the summer.

Liner- NYC Brow/Eye Liner pencil #921A, $0.99 yall!

NYX eye/eyebrow pencil, white, in the water line

Vincent Longo duo eye pencil, carnaby pink, on the tear duct

Mascara- Cover Girl Lash Blast, Blackest Black, the BEST ever!

Revlon eyelash curler

Foundation- I used three mineral powder foundations to build coverage for a natural finish.
Maybelline Mineral Power (Tan)
MAC Mineralize Skin Finish Natural (deep dark)
Revlon Colorstay Mineral Finishing Powder (Sunkiss)

Concealer
MAC Studio Sculpt NW 45, on blemishes

Blush
MAC Mineralize in LoveJoy, Sephora Blush Me in Corail Frisson

Contour using Iman sheer finish bronzing powder, Clay

Lips
Sephora lipgloss, Sweet Berry
The Body Shop sparkle l/g ? Sorry

Hair of the Day-HOTD

My Curly 'Fro:

12 2x twists all over

Applied whipped shea butter, Karen's Body Beautiful Hair Cream, and Carol's Daughter Healthy Hair Butter before twisting

Sealed each twist with Avocado Oil

Covered at night

Untwist in the a.m with Carol's Daughter Lisa's Elixir on hands (to prevent frizz)

Fluff into place with fingers, and G-O!

Kinky Curly Cutie-Jasika Nicole and Yaya DaCosta

Yes, it's a double feature.

Cleaning Your Brushes- Part 2

The hair grooming variety. A few tips:

1. Before you shampoo your hair, gather two hair brushes or one hair brush and one comb.
2. Wet the brushes/brush and comb under warm running water.
3. Apply a small amount of shampoo to the bristles of one of the brushes.
4. Pick all the hair out of the brush.
5. Gently scrub the two brushes’ bristles together. If you are cleaning a comb, gently scrub the brush’s bristles with the comb. For best results, scrub in one direction only.
6. Continue gently scrubbing as you hold the items under the warm running water until all the suds are gone.
7. Dry the brush(es) or comb on a towel. Don’t be rough with the brush’s bristles or they might fall out.
8. Try an alternative way. You can also clean a comb by soaking it in a mug full of warm water and a bit of shampoo. Or, you can try a mug full of white vinegar, which will remove oily deposits left by your hair. Rinse and dry.

Tip: If cleaning your styling tools with vinegar, be sure to add a drop or two of your favorite essential oil to reduce the acidic smell of the vinegar.

Rihanna-FOTD

Plus, an interview with her MUA, Mylah Morales, on how to get the look.
Because I love ya. Be fro-abulous, fly and fierce this summer. Until next time Curlies.........

Mylah: I’m all about skin! Right now my favorite foundation to use is Giorgio Armani Designer Shaping Cream Foundation SPF 20. Then I use La Mer The Powder. It gives a really pretty, glowy, natural look to the skin. And actually I always ask Rihanna to hydrate her skin well before any red carpet event. She uses Bliss Triple Oxygen Instant Energizing Mask. It works really well to energize and revitalize the skin especially since she’s always traveling, which dries out your skin.

A: I could see that. I have noticed that Rihanna always has a really pretty glow to her skin, a really pretty sheen. I have always wondered how you do that.

M: Yep, that’s how I get it. The Le Mer powder has a slight luminescence to it; it’s not matte. So, it gives the skin a really pretty glow. As for the concealer, I also used Kevyn Aucoin The Sensual Skin Enhancer under the eyes.

A: Can you tell me what you used on her eyes?

M: Sure. I used Cover Girl Exact Eyelights Mascara in Black Ruby. It’s got pigments in it that really bring out your eye color and it creates really long & lush lashes.

A: Did you use lashes too?

M: (Laughs) Yeah. But they're not a full strip. I cut them to look more natural on the eye. They’re by Red Cherry but I don’t remember which ones exactly. Maybe the #42’s… but I’m not sure.

A: Ok. No problem. Can you tell me what shadows you used? Do you use a palette or do you use specific shadows by brands like MAC or Make Up Forever?

M: You know what? I love using a palette by Dior. It’s a neutral palette. I have been using that a lot. You can use it alone or add a splash of color. Then on her cheeks I used Orgasm by NARS. Actually, it is called Super Orgasm.

A: I was wondering what that was! It’s so pretty. I heard that it shows up better on olive skin or golden skintones because the original Orgasm doesn’t.

M: Yep. And to contour her cheeks I used GlowFusion® Micro-Tech™ Intuitive Active Bronzer. It’s a really great bronzer.

A: So what color did you use on her lips?

M: It’s Cover Girl Trushine Lipcolor in Brillo Delilah**

A: Okay. I think that’s about everything. Oh, one more thing! What did you use on her brows?

M: I used Shu Uemura Hard Formula brow pencil to define them and then used an angled brush with brow powder to fill them in.

Source:Spektra.net

Keyshia Cole-FOTD

I think Keyshia's makeup in this photo is beautiful! This album is also one of my summer faves ("I buy my own liquor, I'm a go-getter. Thought you should know.")

What I would use to re-create this look, aka, shopping my stash:

NYX Jumbo eye pencil-Black Bean-all over lid
Vincent Longo Eye Shimmer Souffle-Argento-on inner lid
L'Oreal HIP Duo-Sculpted-darker shade in the outer crease
NYX eyeliner-Black
Sephora Blush Me-Rose Rebelle-applied lightly with MAC 187 brush
Lorac Sheer Lipstick-Nude
L'Oreal Colour Juice-Bubble Gum

Cleaning Your Brushes

Beauty Insider #3

Use a brush cleaner to spot clean make up brushes daily. Transfer the cleaner to a small 4 oz. spray bottle. When you're done applying makeup, spray a little bit on a paper towel, and a little on the brush. Wipe the brushes clean using swiping motions on the towel. I usually do this before bed and my brushes are ready to use in the morning. I deep clean brushes 2x month with baby shampoo and water.

Conditioner Only Method- Day 3 + Pics!

Sunday I used Yes To Carrots. Since I was 0 for 2 in the curl department, I added gel on top of my conditioner (still in the shower, hair dripping wet). I used Origins University of Mane soft styling gel and Herbal Essences Set Me Up gel.

The Verdict: WOW! My curls were poppin'! What 'ya know 'bout me? What 'ya what 'ya know 'bout me? The gel definitely helped elongate and define my curls. They dried crunchy, though. I guess I'll use this method as a last-minute, hop in the shower, be ready in 20 minutes, the show starts at 8, kinda hair style. My hair does not like wash-n-go styles. My curls tangle around themselves as they dry if they're not stretched. I have so many knots after this challenge I'm afraid to go near a comb.

Are you trying this method? Leave a comment and share your results. Stay beautiful. Until next time......

Conditioner Only Method- Day 2

Saturday I used Garnier Moisture Works. Same method as before.

The verdict: A little bit more curl def, but this conditioner dried a lil' crunchy. I still had major shrinkage. I don't think I'm making this my go to hair style any time soon.

Conditioner-Only Method-3 Day Challenge

Day 1: I said I was going to give this a try, and I'm a woman of my word. However, the skepticism is still lingering.

Last night I pre-poo'd with honey and olive oil (3 TB of each). This morning I co washed with HE Hello Hydration, then detangled. I shingled my hair with Naked Naturals conditioner, re-activated the product under the shower stream, then shook the excess water from my hair. I plopped with a t-shirt for about 20 minutes. My hair was still damp, but not dripping, and my hair absorbed all the conditioner.

I took the kiddies to the zoo, and my fro shrinkage was massive. To top it off, I had NO curl definition, just some nice clumping. It was just a plain 'ol fro, nothing special. I'm posting this at 9:13 pm and my hair feels great, it's soft, but my ends are tangled and I'll probably have some knots in the morning.

Maybe it's the conditioner. It's only day one. Needless to say I did not get the results I was looking for. Tomorrow I'll try the Garnier. Keep your fingers crossed.

Awwww!!!!!

I really hoped they would last. He represents Queens, she was raised up in Harlem.

The hip-hop pair has called it quits, but Kelis still has some of the best hair in the biz. Some vintage Kelis. Be inspired. Until next time........

Every thing 'Aint for Every body

Suave naturals coconut conditioner- It's gonna be a NO for me.

My hair felt like it had been shampoo'd, not conditioned. All is not lost, though. I'll slather this on my hair before swimming this summer. Just a little tip for 'ya- the conditioner will protect your hair from the drying effects of chlorine.

Needless to say, I won't be repurchasing.

Retail Therapy #3- Bath and Body Works Semi-Annual Sale

This sale is gonna bankrupt me and end my marriage in the process, LOL!

The sales are ridiculous if you're a fan of the brand and enjoy a good scented candle. It lasts until July 3, new sales start weekly, and the savings are up to 75% off ( stragglers are moved to 90% off towards the end of the sale, if you can wait. I used to work there :0)

A special Thank You goes out to my fave B&B Works specialist, Harrison, who schooled me to this home fragrance tip: Choose 2-3 complimentary fragrances and use 3 different mediums to scent any room in your home. He hooked me up with Cinnamon Stick scentport, Black Currant Vanilla home fragrance oil, and Sandalwood Vanilla room spray. These three together= Sensual Seduction!

What else is in the bag:
Vanilla Coconut scentport, $4
Home fragrance oils 2/$5
Strawberry Patch jar candle
C.O Bigelow Men's fragrance, BOGO free
Pink Grapefruit splash (classic), $2.62 HOLLA!

Get your shop on! Until next time.....

Tresses a la Teri

Everybody's doing it.

It's all over YouTube.

You don't know? Haven't you heard?

It's the Conditioner Only method, and after much skepticism, and extensive research ( read YouTube watching), I'm deciding to give it a try.






This hair craze was started by Teri over at tightlycurly.com. Check out the site for all the details.

Why the skepticism, you ask? Because all the recommended conditioners contained silicones. Tressemme, Aussie and Herbal Essences were the most popular products. I thought that was a Curly Girl no-no. Then I thought about it. You're co-washing your hair daily, rinsing away the conditioner and eliminating any chance of -cone build-up.

I have to say I'm jealous of the results that YouTube Curlies are getting with this method, search "conditioner only method". I'm using NaturallyNike's technique.

I'm doing a 3-day challenge to see which conditioner gives the best results- curl definition, minimal shrinkage, 2nd day hair, crunch-free lol! I will post pics. Yeah! I'll be using

Naked Naturals Shea Butter & Avocado, $7, CVS
Yes To Carrots Pampering Hair Mud, $8, Rite Aid, Walgreens
Garnier Fructis Moisture Works, $4, Walmart, Target

Get Naked, Honey!

I was at the mall today checking out MAC's Naked Honey collection. I swear I've seen these colors before. Maybe not from MAC (okay, yes from MAC) but also from other brands that I have in my stash. Here are some product shots:

l to r, She's a Star, Queen Bee, Buzz

I really love Queen Bee lip glass, Naked Honey Skin Salve, and Hand and Body Cream. The products range in price from $14-$22.50, so let's just say I left them at the counter. I think my Victoria's Secret Beauty Rush l/g in Lotta Colada is a nice dupe, and it only cost $7. Check out the limited edition collection for yourself and decide. Until next time.....

Kinky Curly Cutie-Tanika Ray

I absolutely love her hair. And the color. The shape is beautiful. To get this look I would use:

The curly fro technique
Setting Cream- Black and Sassy, Miss Jessie's, Homemade Curly Pudding
Set ends of 2x twists on rollers
Sit under dryer(to eliminate frizz)
Un twist using light hair oil- Carol's Daughter Tui Hail Oil smells great, and gives great shine
Fluff into place and G-O!

Beauty Insider #2

Keep a Beauty journal. There is so much information out there- on blogs, message boards and magazines. It helps to jot down notes, products to try, sites to remember, and keep everything in one place. This has helped me a lot. Buy one that's super cute and small enough to throw in your purse.

My Other Passion

Fly hair. Fly jewels. Get yours.
www.emeraldgreene.etsy.com

One More Again

When I was rocking my TWA, I was able to throw any 'ole condish in my hair. Now that my hair is 6 to 7 inches all around, not so much. But every Curly Girl at naturallycurly.com raves about cheapie conditioners! Suave, V-05, White Rain constantly come up on the boards as co-wash faves. Now that summer's here and I've increased my co-washes to 2x/week, I'm gonna give the $1 conditioner another shot. I just picked up Suave Naturals Tropical Coconut conditioner. I'll let you know if it rings my bell, or ends up in the product graveyard. Until next time......

Aubrey Organics Honeysuckle Rose Moisturizing Conditioner

Please believe me when I tell you that this 11 oz bottle of conditioner is the most a-mah-zing product I have EVER used on my hair! I will never be without it. I buy 2 or 3 bottles at a time. It's that awesome. I know I've mentioned it here before, but let me break it down, so it can forever and consistently be broken.

The Claim:

100% natural since 1967
Detangles & smooths for ultra-soft, shiny, touchable hair
For Dry, Brittle hair

The Ingredients:

Coconut Fatty Acid Cream Base, Organic Aloe Vera, Organic Shea Butter, Wheat Germ Oil, Organic Jojoba Oil, Organic Rosa Mosqueta® Rose Hip Seed Oil; Extracts of Fennel, Hops, Balm Mint, Mistletoe, Camomile, Yarrow, Chrysanthemum, Angelica, Forsythia and Magnolia; Honeysuckle Oil, Carrot Oil, Aubrey’s Preservative (Citrus Seed Extract, Vitamins A, C and E).

Organic shea butter and rosa mosqueta oil deep condition, protect and soften hair texture, organic aloe replenishes moisture and honeysuckle oil adds a soft, floral scent.

The Price:
11 oz/$10.39 at aubrey-organics.com
$7.69 at vitacost.com
$9.99 at drugstore.com
$10+ at whole foods market

I use this weekly as a deep treatment. I add other ingredients and a thinner conditioner to stretch my mixture. When my bottle is empty, I add distilled water, avocado oil, and vegetable glycerin to make my own hair milk. I'll also add a squirt to a water bottle when making my daily spritz.

I am not the only Kinky/Curly Cutie singing Aubrey's praises. If you are a newbie to natural hair I insist that this be your next hair purchase. You can thank me later :)

The Curly 'Fro

To keep my hair looking its best, I have to take care of it at every stage of the styling game. My nighttime routine includes dampening hair with my daily spritz, smoothing whipped shea over small sections, and re-twisting my hair in 12 twists. I cover it with a bonnet or silk scarf, and sleep on a satin pillowcase. The result: My glorious Curly 'Fro.

Here are a few videos that I watched to help me achieve this look. There are so many different techniques out there. Some people use flexi rods. You could also bantu knot, or curl your hair onto itself, using Lisa Akbari's method.

Gimme the Luscious

Consistent deep conditioning is the only way I can keep my 'fro juicy. Shiny. Thick. Soft. Luscious.
Here are a few ingredients that you can add to any commercial conditioner to kick it up a notch, taking it from average to A-mah-zing! And your hair will be oh-so-healthy, not 0h-so-krispy.

coconut milk
molasses
honey
oils- coconut, olive, jojoba, avocado
butters- shea, 100% cocoa (melted)
ayurvedic powders- 1 tb each amla, shikaka or brami
baby food banana
whole fat, plain yougurt
aloe vera gel
essential oil- 3-5 drops each rosemary, lavender, peppermint vegetable glycerin

Vocab: Sealing

Straight from CurlyNikki herself, certified KinkyCurly Cutie and one of my natural hair inspirations.

What is sealing?

"Moisturize and Seal- Moisturize with a water-based product and seal with a heavier-oil laden one, or oil. I moisturize with my conditioner of the day (DevaCare One C, Oyin Honey Hemp) and seal with Shea. My hair is shiny, moisturized and happy. Oils don't moisturize they nourish. Only water based conditioners and moisturizers hydrate the hair."

Lately, my conditioner of the day has been Yes To Carrots. It's protein and silicone free, which is hard to find in a conditioner. I also just ordered TWO bottles of Aubrey Organics and Desert Essence Jojoba Conditioner from vitacost.com. My hair is super dry and I'm going to try using this as a leave-in. I seal with shea butter, avocado oil, Vatika, or castor oil.

Beauty Insider #1

To really make your eye shadow POP!, apply white eyeliner pencil all over lid and blend. Using an e/s brush, Pack color onto lid using patting (not sweeping) motions. Build color to desired intensity. Blend harsh lines with a clean blending brush.

Summer-ize Your 'Fro

Sunday was wash day for me, and after a much needed DT, I had the softest, shiniest 'fro on the block. By mid-week, my hair was feeling a little fried. The sun can do damage to our hair as well as our skin. Some tips to summer-ize your 'fro:

Weekly deep conditioning treatments

Daily moisturizing with water spritz and/or water based product

Add a night time moisture treatment. Try shea butter applied to hair in sections. Braid, twist or pony (depending on hair length), baggy and sleep with a satin bonnet

Add a mid-week co-wash to your summer hair routine

Try wearing protective styles and keep twist-outs to a minimum

Cover up your locks with a silk scarf when out in the sun

Hope this helps! Until next time......

Learning From My Mistakes

School is out and there's sort of a buzz...It's summa, summa, summer time!

The fam and I kicked off Memorial Day weekend with a trip to NYC. I wanted to have an easy,breezy,beautiful time-which meant no hair hassles. I donned a bun (a protective style) and wore the front of my hair like the model pictured above. It was a great look.

What I didn't realize was that my beloved Trader Joe's conditioner and my fave IC Fantasia (alcohol-free gel) both contain PROTEIN! I bunned my hair while wet, using TJ as a leave-in, and using IC Fantasia for hold. I wrapped my hair in a silk scarf every night to keep the bun in tact. I moistened with water every day and added TJ and IC Fantasia as need. I did not take the bun down and I did not comb my hair. For a week! HUGE MISTAKE!

When I got home, there was hell to pay. My hair was dry from too much protein, matted from not combing, and it shed for three days. Detangling was a nightmare and I had to DT overnight to restore the moisture balance to my hair.

Curlies, please learn from my mistakes.

1. Some Curlies are protein-sensitive. You can have too much of a good thing.

2. When bunning as a protective style, moisturize with a butter or hair cream and detangle every few days.

3. Pay attention to your hair and what it needs. My hair benefits from an occasional protein treatment, but in this case, the balance of moisture to protein was not maintained.

4. New to natural hair? Check out this thread on naturallycurly.com

Retail Therapy #1- MAC Style Warrior Collection

Retail Therapy: an alternative to the word "haul" used on YouTube. Thanks GucciGyrl1229!

Let me start by saying that I am NOT a makeup snob. I love CoverGirl, L'Oreal, you name it, I've tried it. There's just something about MAC that makes my heart flutter.

The Style Warrior collection was refreshing, considering the collections of the past year have been sort of a snooze (Dame Edna comes to mind).

I purchased Bright Future e/s. It's a sunny yellow shade with a veluxe pearl finish. Shout out to my favorite MA's Brittini, Alex, and January! Check out the entire collection here.

Christine at temptalia.com has some amazing photos using yellow e/s. She was my inspiration for purchasing Bright Future after seeing the stunning looks she created using it and Going Bananas (LE). Please don't be afraid of this color, it's really beautiful on Brown Girls and I think it's a summer must have! To view Temptalia's yellow looks, click here. Until next time...

On the Check In

Thank you to my subscribers, and those of you who stop by once in a while. I'm lining up great articles, interviews, product reviews and rollin' out new columns. Splurge vs. Steal will compare two similar products at different price points, and I'll give you my honest opinion whether the pricey brand is worth the money. Beauty Insider will offer quick beauty tips and tricks that I have picked up over the years as a Beauty Editor (for Real Simple Magazine), Make Up Artist and Beauty Junkie.

I just returned from a family vaca in NYC and I have a story to tell 'ya about my hair. Let's just say a week old bun + protein gel = dry hair and excess shedding! LOL! No worries, though. An overnight DT and my hair is good as gold. I'll fill you in lata and tell you how NOT to make the same mistake I did.

Thanks again to all my loyal curlies. Spread the word, tell a friend. Until next time....