Style Reads: Jada Covers July Essence

 Jada Pinkett Smith is the cover girl for the July issue of Essence magazine.

In this Issue: 
Cover Story: Jada on Why Black Women Should Celebrate Their Bodies & Skin Tones

55 hair & Makeup Tips to Beat the Heat

Diva on a Dime 

Music Special

Essence Music Festival Info

What Rich Women Know

Lena Horne: Woman of Grace & Fire

 

Essence.com

Style Reads: Salma Hayek Covers June Issue of InStyle

 InStyle - June 2010

Salma Hayek has a lot to be thankful for. She has a beautiful daughter, a fabulous career, and a hubby who can get her just about any luxury good she wants for free. Gotta love that!!

In This Issue:

Salma on Fashion, Passion & Family

What's Sexy Now! 

Easy Summer Hairstyles 

Jeans A to Z 

Don't Miss:

Summer Dinner Party Guide

Style Reads: Jill Scott Covers May Essence

 Jill's new groove.

Who is Jill Scott? She's the cover model for the May issue of Essence. Jill talks about her new music, her new film (she co-stars in Why Did i Get Married Too) and life as a single mom (and her son is too adorable for words).

Also in this issue:

Love Your Hair 

Celebrity Moms & Daughters

Relationship Face Off: Why Don't We Get Married?

Style Reads: Zoe Saldana Gives Essence a New Look

 Well, almost! Readers will be excited to see a new face on the April issue of Essence. Actress Zoe Saldana (who has never appeared on the cover before) looks absolutely stunning. Photographed by Yu Tsai in a BCBG top and J. Brand jeans, the beautiful startlet dishes the dirt on everything from A to Zoe!

EXCERPTS:

ON SEX: “Love it, love it, love it---can’t live without it! I love sex. I love skin. I don’t believe the body is something to hide. I think in American society we’re messing up our kids by taking away the education on awareness of sexuality and replacing it with violence, guns, and video games—we’re breeding little criminals.

ON LOVE: “Love is a birthright.”

"Power can be an amazing tool or a deadly weapon..."--Zoe Saldana 

Look for Zoe in the upcoming movie Takers alongside Idris Elba, T.I. and Michael Ealy. To read more of the Avatar star's engaging interview at Essence.com click here! 

Style Reads: Idris Elba Covers Uptown

It's quite refreshing to see one of, if not the most handsome men in Hollywood on the cover of Uptown, my favorite magazine for African-Americans. The Hollywood Issue has some great features that our well worth the read. This is the example of a quality magazine with refreshing content and different covers of people we want to see. Hopefully some other magazines will follow suit.

Reads Worth a Look:

Idris Elba - Our New Leading Man

Why Black Love Stories Aren't Making it to the Big Screen

Tyler Perry's Universe

Style Reads: Style Sample Magazine - Issue No. 5

Style Sample is a magazine all about fashion bloggers. Check out the latest issue. We were featured in issue #4!

Style Reads: Alicia Keys Covers Uptown Magazine's Holiday Issue

Uptown Magazine rounds out the year with it's usual classically elegant editorial. The December '09/January '10 issue features R&B songstress Alicia Keys on the cover and is packed with page turning info.


Must Reads: 

2009 Best-Dressed List (See next post) 

The Chef's Feast 

Culture: Nelson George

Music: Blame it on the Henny 

The Art of Giving 


check out Uptown Magazine online at UptownLife.net

Fashion & Style News: Prada Book to Hit Shelves

 

Just in time for the holidays, Prada is unveiling a 700 plus page book covering 30 years of the brand on fashion, art, architecture, cinema, and communications.

Prada Group CEO Patrizio Bertelli says Prada is about more than fashion. The book depicts how Prada expresses itself through a variety of mediums.

The book, aptly titled Prada, is published by Prada Progetto Arte will be sold in Prada stores worldwide, in select bookstores and on prada.com.

Style Reads: Steve Harvey & wife Marjorie Cover Essence

 

Alas, new faces on the cover of Essence magazine. Funnyman Steve Harvey and his wife Marjorie grace the cover of the December issue of Essence magazine. With the recent firing of most of Essence.com's staff, readers are wondering what's next for the magazine. Will we finally get some fresh content and articles on something other than money management and how to find/keep/lose a man? Will the so-called beauty editors who never seem to change their own appearances yet offer so much advice to readers every get new hairstyles?

Don't be shocked by what I am saying. If you have read Essence for the past decade, you know they recycle more cover "models" than people on the green initiative. How many times will we see Mary J. Blige, Will and Jada, Queen Latifah, Beyonce, Monique, or Gabrielle Union on the cover? Let's keep it real, a change is in order. The website is a start because it had more errors in a day than I've had on a writing assignment my whole life.

I have continued to support Essence because God forbid another black magazine go out of business. This is the only women's magazine black women have to turn to so forgive me for growing tired of seeing the same old people and the same old content. How many more times can you tell us how to manage our finances?let's come out of the dark ages Essence, and avoid going into 2010 with the same old same old. Maybe then you can see a profit and retain more subscribers. good luck.

At any rate, I breezed through the latest issue and found these gems:

-You're All I Need to Get By

-The top 40 Reasons to Visit Louisiana

-Your Ultimate Holiday Survival Guide

Check out the new Essence.com and feel to give us some feedback on what you think.

Style Reads: Mrs. O and Rihanna Do Glamour

 Mrs. O is well, red. 

Michelle Obama is the latest is all about Glamour--magazine that is. President Obama's lovely other half is featured on the November cover of the magazine for the Women of the Year issue. Pop star Rihanna who made blink-worthy headlines when she was assaulted by Chris Brown this year also made the cover cut.

Mrs. O who undoubtedly has been one of the most influential people of 2009, dishes on her life thus far as First Lady, why women should pay attention to the way a man treats his mother and how she still has a hard time saying that her husband is the President of the United States.
Miss Rihanna opens up on her ordeal with her former beau, domestic violence, the "Rihanna cut" and why its good to help other people.

Issue Must-Reads

-Women of the Yea

-Going Nude: It's a Do

-6 Love Talks That Bring You Closer

-Wear it Tonight

Fashion & Style News: Barbie Canoodles with Christian Louboutin

The original fashionista Barbie turned 50 this year and what better way to celebrate fifty years of fabulouslessness than to do it in a pair of Christian Louboutins? The "red-bottoms" as my male friends call them, are the mark of perfection for shoe lovers. Mattel, makers of Barbie partnered with Louboutin to commemorate the doll's birthday in style.

The commemorative project includes a customized Barbie doll and accessories collection by the designer and a diary filled with images of Louboutin and his muse is perhaps the most exciting part of the project. Included in the collection Barbie's pink Christian Louboutin shoe made its debut during her birthday runway show in February during New York Fashion Week.

The three dolls come in Louboutin shoes boxes with four pairs of Barbie-sized Louboutin heels. In December the Louboutin jewel-thief themed Barbie will debut, followed by safari-themed Barbie in February, and a Louboutin designed Barbie for the Cannes Film Festival.

The dolls will be sold through BarbieCollector.com and Net-a-Porter.com, which is Mattel's exclusive partner. Both sites will also offer a Christian Louboutin Barbie shoe collection for $40 a set.

The diary, My Year in Paris With Christian Louboutin is also sold separately for $40. Unfortunately, Ken is missing in action in the photos and Barbie refuses to comment on their personal life.

Career Guides: Girl on Top by Nicole Williams

Are you a girl on top of your game? Tired of spinning your heels in the same old career?

Why not apply the rules of dating to your career to get ahead. Author of Girl on Top: Your Guide to Turning Dating Rules into Career Success, Nicole Williams challenges you to do just that.

To see if you're a girl on top--or one who needs to be, take this quiz: Girl on Top Quiz.

Style Reads: Chanel Iman & Jourdan Dunn Grace Teen Vogue's November Issue

Check out these gorgeous Chocolate beauties, Chanel Iman and Jourdan Dunn in the latest issue of Teen Vogue. Jourdan and Chanel talk about their life as models, their rise to the top, and friendship. The Los Angeles born Chanel Iman Robinson signed with Ford Models at the tender age of 12, landed a Vogue cover at 16, and at 18 signed on to be a Victoria's Secret model, one of the youngest ever.

It wasn't until Jourdan Dunn stepped on the scene a few years ago, did Chanel Iman have some company as one of the most sought after Black models. Dunn was discovered in a department store in her native native London and became the first black model to grace a Prada runway in over ten years (shame on you Prada). The leggy beauty has been compared to another leggy beauty and fellow Brit, Naomi Campbell.

Jourdan and Chanel, now world famous models don't have their heads in the clouds though. The two remain the 'bestest of friends' and are very supportive of each other. With fierce competition since many designers only book "one black girl" it would be easy to allow insecurities to set in. Racism is apparently still alive and well in fashion but Jourdan and Chanel aren't sweatin' it. They take everything in stride.

See more of the Teen Vogue article here.

Style Reads: Marie Claire UK Edition - November Issue

 

Michael Kors Fall 2009 Ready-to-Wear; Alexandra Burke in Michael Kors

Alexandra Burke, winner of the X Factor (The UK's equivalent to American Idol), covers the November edition Marie Claire (UK). The beautiful singer talks about her family life, aspirations, and why you either love or hate her.

This Issue's Must Reads:

Alexandra

Straight Into Style

Why Should You Care What I Wear?

Do You Have Failed Potential Syndrome?

The Power of Flowers

Shape Shifters

Style Reads: Style Sample Magazine Fall Issue

Style Sample Magazine is an online magazine all about fashion bloggers. And guess who is a guest contributor in the latest issue? Your truly. Check out my must-haves for fall in the Trends section on page 14.

Style Reads: Nia Long Covers November Essence

The beautiful Nia Long is gracing the cover of the November issue Essence magazine. The beautiful starlet talks about 'Good Hair' and Black women's love/hate relationship with their hair.

For a sneak peak, click here.

Also in this issue:

Black Men Stepping Up and Saving Our Sons

Winter Fashion and Beauty

How to Get Great Skin

Parties & Events: Who What Wear Book Signing Tonight in L.A.

If you're in the Los Angeles area, drop by Live on Sunset between 6-8 PM to meet the authors of Who What Wear: Celebrity and Runway Style for Real.

The books authors Hilary & Katherine will be on site to sign copies!

Who: Katherine Power & Hillary Kerr 
What: Who What Wear Book Signing
When: Tuesday, September 29th from 6-8 p.m.
Where: Live! On Sunset

8801 W Sunset Blvd.

West Hollywood, CA 90069

310-360-1660

Style Reads: Janet Jackson is Back in the October Issue of Harper's Bazaar

Our other favorite Jackson, Janet is back. Exclusively in the October issue of Harper's Bazaar she talks about losing Michael, control, and what's next.

 

  

Top: Newsstand cover.

Bottom: Subscriber cover.

Style Reads: Mary J. Blige is Essence Cover Girl

Mary J. Blige is on a mission. In the October issue of Essence she explains her desire to help heal women from poverty and abuse. Also in this issue is a great piece on the sistahs behind Obama. In your mail box or on newsstands now.

Must Reads: 

Beauty|Strands: One Cut, Five Ways 

Fashion: Working Class 

The Cosby Show 25 Years Later 

Culture|Tribute: E. Lynn Harris 

Work & Wealth|Your Money: Get Free Money from the Feds

Obama's Dream Team: The New Black Power

Visit Essence.com for more of the October issue.

Giveaways: Reminder Enter to Win All 3 of Nina Garcia's Style Books

Chocolate Fashion Blog Readers & Followers the deadline to enter to win Nina Garcia's all 3 of Nina Garcia's Style guides is September 6th!!!!

-1 entry per person
-Facebook and Blog followers are automatically entered!
-Twitter followers can Tweet us a direct message with their name and email address

For rules and guidelines click here.

To send us your entry now click here. (Be sure to put NINA'S BOOKS in the subject line).