Lala Vazquez Anthony makes an appearance at a cosmetics launch event at American Airlines Arena on February 2, 2012 in Miami, Florida.

From Glamazons Blog: Beauty is a pastime most women share, but sometimes it can be fatally dangerous if we are not safe. We are sad to report that Atasha Graham, a 34-year-old Jamaican-born housewife who lived in England, died after suffering a major allergic reaction triggered by glue from her hair extensions.

After a night out on the town with her boyfriend, Graham collapsed, stopped breathing and could not regain consciousness. She was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead. Doctors surmised the hair glue or latex weave was the cause of her death after an autopsy revealed nothing was wrong with her organs and no toxins were present in her bloodstream. Graham’s is sadly not the first case of this kind.

(Continue Reading @ Glamazons Blog…)

Herve Leger has released an additional image from America’s Next Top Model alum Fatima Siad’s stunning campaign for the brand’s Spring 2012 collection. Photographed by Camilla Akrans, Fatima models a gold Herve Leger dress and knee-high sandals in an arresting pose against a desert backdrop.

What do you think of Fatima Siad for Herve Leger?

Source: Beauty Is Diverse

One of the biggest beauty nightmares I’ve ever had is getting a new hairstyle, and not knowing how to maintain the look on my own. When I big chopped two years ago, I found myself in this exact position. I was constantly playing a guessing game when it came to choosing the right products to use, as I quickly realized that no matter how many YouTube videos and magazine articles that I read about on how to treat natural hair, you really have to learn how about your hair on your own. That involves trial and sometimes error, and can be expensive and time-consuming.

Well, this process just got a lot better because there’s a new service called curlBOX that caters to naturalistas. With this service, 5-7 luxury samples of the latest and best in natural hair care are sent to a subscriber’s home, every month, so you can test products before you permanently add them to your beauty cabinet without breaking the bank.

“After taking on beauty clients that focused on solutions for women with naturally curly hair, I was instantly exposed to a plethora of products. I’ve been to the World Natural Hair Show and many of the meet-ups and the conversations I had with each person I met were the same, they want results,” said Myleik Teele founder and president of curlBOX in a press release. She adds: “Where do you begin? One thing that works on someone’s hair that looks JUST like yours doesn’t work on yours; curlBOX will give women the opportunity to try several products for the price of one!”

To get in on this glam deal, all you have to do is visit www.curlbox.com, enter your e-mail address showing your interest in the service, and you’ll be sent a free VIP invitation.

Is this service on your beauty radar? Are you excited to have the option of at-home delivery of the latest in haircare?

-Margaret Francois

Meagan Good attends the premiere of “Dysfunctional Friends” at Harmony Gold Theatre on February 1, 2012 in Los Angeles, California.

Diamonds may be a girl’s best friend. But, your handbag is one of the best friends you can ever have. Handbags, purses, or simply bags carry almost everything we need in our lives from cell phones to chewing gum. Many of us have a bag for every occasion. Many of us spend a considerable amount of money getting designer bags.

Question: How do we keep our bags looking fresh and spotless? Clutchettes, here are a few cleaning and care tips for every type of bag in your closet.

Leather Handbag Care
One of the most sought after bags in the world is the iconic Chanel bag. Most of the time, this bag is made from the finest leather. Taking care of a leather purse can be hard work if you do not follow the manufacturer’s instructions.

To clean a leather handbag, you should remove all of the contents and remove loose dirt by shaking your bag. Use a dry cloth to wipe out the interior of the bag. Take a slightly damp cloth and lightly dip the cloth in a mild detergent or soft soap solution and wipe the surface (front) of your handbag.

Dry your bag in a dark shaded location. Avoid drying under direct sunlight. Finally, apply a coat of leather protector in order to keep the bag’s sheen and softness.

If you bag is patent leather, you want to avoid applying a leather protector. Also, you can remove stains with chalk powder by crushing the white chalk onto the stain, let it sit overnight, and dust off with a clean cloth.

Nylon/Fabric Handbag Care
Make sure you read the instructions given by the manufacturer. You can fill a bucket with lukewarm water and mild detergent or cleaner and gently dip the bag into the solution.

Or, you can dip a cleaning brush with soft bristles into the and gently scrub on the surface (front and back of the bag). Then, leave it in a bucket of lukewarm water for a few minutes. Finally, air dry the nylon handbag in location of direct sunlight.

Silk/ Suede Handbag Care
You want to avoid taking your silk bag out in fog, rain, and snow because it can lead to water marks and stains. When cleaning a silk bag, you do not want to rub out stains because it wears out the silk. To clean, you want to make a solution of mild detergent and lukewarm water. Make sure you test it before dipping your purse into the solution.

When cleaning suede, you should use a suede brush to remove stains and apply suede cleaner.

Keep Germs Away
Your handbag can pick up germs from various places. You can use a purse caddy to hang your bag or you can use a handbag hanger to keep your bag away from bacteria. Basically, you want to keep your handbag off the floor.

You can use baby wipes or a fabric cleaner to clean your fabric handbags monthly.

Here at Coco & Creme, we believe maintaining a healthy weight is key and that is true for people that are overweight and underweight. Too often in Hollywood, plus-size actresses are criticized or ignored when in reality, most women are above a sample size. Though we are seeing more plus-size bodies in Hollywood, if when they are given roles, they can be typecast or considered “less valuable,” is it still a good thing?

In honor of full-figured ladies, check out our list of 5 women that are challenging the body standard in Hollywood.

“I think it’s a really special time to be a woman of color in this business. The landscape of who has the power is changing. We are in more influential positions and are able to have a say in the stories that are told. I feel very lucky to be in the business now…”—Kerry Washington for Essence Magazine’s March 2012 issue

Source

Bra shopping may seem like a trivial task for any woman, but when it comes to looking for that coveted nude-colored bra to accompany our many wardrobe choices, it has the potential to become somewhat of a nuisance and automatic let-down. I am a caramel-toned woman, but most of my “nude bras” are a few shades lighter or darker than my skin. I know it’s not feasible to capture every shade of brown that women of color come in, but when the darkest “nude” that’s available is ivory, that becomes a problem for those of us with darker skin. We even explored this phenomenon here on Coco & Creme with “Why Nude Excludes.”
Well, Tara Raines, a 31-year-old psychologist in Los Angeles, is fighting back with the “What’s Your Nude?” campaign. Besides, the obvious lack of available choices for the many shades that women of color come in, Raines was also motivated to start the movement after she found out that over the past 30 years her family and friends took a DIY approach and dyed their bras to match their skin.

Starting on February 1, which is the first day of Black History Month, Raines is encouraging women to be enforcers of change by becoming vocal about this issue. To get in on the action, “Like” the “What’s Your Nude?” Facebook Page (click here) and take initiative by contacting your favorite bra manufacturer or retailer via phone, mail, e-mail or social media (using the hashtag #whatsyournude). So far more than 500 people “ Like” the Facebook page, and celebs such as actress Holly Robinson Peete support the campaign and singer Chrisette Michele showed her support via a tweet in response to a tweet Raines sent to her about the issue, saying: “@WhatsYourNude lol! U know? Now that I think about it, you’re positively correct!”

What do you think about this campaign? Are you willing to contact bra manufacturers in the name of getting more nude lingerie options for women of color?

-Margaret Francois