Team Rihanna

I really don't feel like going into the whole Rihanna vs. Chris Brown saga. But I WILL say that a man that beats on me is not only a stupid man, but a dead man. I'm team Rihanna because I doubt you'd lie about an abusive situation. Chris is a monster and no matter how much counseling and help he gets, he'll always be one to me. So, NO i'm not gonna buy his album. He's lost me as a fan. Shame. I mean, how could you NOT be Team Rih-Rih? Look at her:
Like I said in my previous post: You go girl. And perhaps I'm a little biased because Rihanna's a fellow West Indian. Am I? Oh well. I don't care. I'd support her anyday over the monster that is Chris Brown, thanks.

It's been a whiiiile!!! Rihanna's new hair

It has been wayyyy too long since I updated. But here we go :)

Dear Rihanna,

I know light-skinnedded (Yes, I meant to spell it that way) girls look good with light brown/blond hair. BUTTTTTTTT PLEASE dye your hair back to black or the nice red/brown hue that we Caribbean girls are born with. Thanks. Here's her new 'do:

I only approve it like this:

You go girl

In a later post, I will give my commentary on the whole Rihanna interview on 20/20.


Stay beautiful, ya'll :)

Reina

We Off That...♫♪

In light of the new leaked track, "Off That" from Jay-Z's forthcoming album, The Blueprint III featuring Degrassi alum and breakout rap artist, Drake, I've decided to do my dedication to things that we are indeed "off" of. The track includes lines like "Oversize clothes and the chains, we off that; Niggas still makin' it rain and we off that" and goes into further detail, defining which trends and customs that are of yesterday and no longer acceptable today. So what other things are we "off" of? Here's my list:

• Dressing like skanks and sluts in public. VERY few can pull this off. Rihanna is one of them. Call it stripper chic. But she's not always dressed like that. The key to dressing sexy is to not dress sexy, in my opinion. "What does that mean?" you ask? Society tells us that less is more, but I've learned that more is actually more. Skanky looking girls are a dime a dozen. Well dressed and stylish ladies are often hard to find. Be the latter.
• Excessively wearing designer labels. Ok. This one's a tough one. It's human nature to want to flaunt what you have by buying and wearing the most expensive threads that your money can buy. But I'll take a lesson learned from my upper-class high school (equivalent to Gossip Girl, but in the suburbs of Philadelphia, PA) and from F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby: Old money is classy, wealthy, chic, noteworthy, and has an overall look of importance without being as blunt as a fog horn. New money is flashy, rich, gaudy, shiny, insignificant, and for-the-moment. Yuck. Even if you don't fall into the tax bracket of the old money individuals that Fitzgerald was speaking of or my high school classmates, it is indeed possible to at least hold yourself to their superior fashion taste. There are BILLIONS of fashion lines out there. And a lot of people wear all of them. Right? WRONG. That crosses over into "gaudy" territory. Take it from me. I have some money. But you don't see me decked out head to toe in designer duds. The key is picking one designer piece per outfit and embellishing and dressing to accompany it. Ever notice that the best looking people wear a lot of things that nobody else does? Take a note.
• Getting excessively drunk...EVERY WEEKEND. That one kinda speaks for itself. It's completely ok to socially drink and enjoy the effects of alcohol. However, if you do it continuously, you not only suffer from health problems (your poooooor liver), but you become "that drunk girl/guy". No bueno. Be classy with it.
• Men in tight pants. Just say no. You are not Robin Hood, so leave the tights alone. Is it just me or was this ruled out YEARS ago when they found that tight pants resulted in low sperm counts in men? Though this might be an amazing idea for the trifling men who want to do their business and not have to worry about having children, look years down the line and ask yourself how you're going to explain to your wife why you can't have children. Self-emasculation is what I see it as, lol. *AHEM You're A Jerk video* LOL
• Tight baggy pants. This is the follow up to the one before. If you must wear tight pants *sigh*, commit to them don't wear those ugly sagging tight pants. Make a decision. OH!! one more follow-up---->
• Wearing baggy pants at the lower thighs WITH BELTS. Omg. I hate this trend. If you're gonna wear baggy pants, wear them. But it's downright ignorant to wear them damn near at your kees with a belt in the loops holding it on your body. THAT DOES NOT SOLVE THE PROBLEM!!! Just stop wearing them. Baggy or skin-tight; We off them. like 5 years ago. Make sure your pants fit, boo.
  
• Tongue rings. One word: TRASHY. We all know why women get tongue rings. I'm not gonna get into that. My concern is how are you going to go to a job interview or even on a date with someone and try to give them a good first impression when the tongue ring does it for you within the first couple seconds. "Hi. I'm a sexual deviant. Put yourself in my mouth." No gracias. Gross.
• Flats. Sorry ladies, who thing that flats are the best things since sliced bread. Flats are for kids who can't wear heels yet. Yeah, heels can feel uncomfortable and different at first. But that's why you keep wearing them to get used to them. Flats aren't sexy. They make women's feet look like boats. I'm 5'10" and an avid high-heel wearer. But you dont have to wear them high. you can wear them low, just enough to cushion the arch in your feet. Just throw the flats away.
• Every girl thinking that she's a model. You are not. Unless you have representation or have been in actual fashion shows, you are not one. You may think it's cute that you can walk in a straight line in heels and do all of the cliché ANTM poses, but no boo. You are still not a model. If you want to be one so badly, learn your craft. Go see and agent. Get your portfolio together. Get runway classes. Get actual fashion show experience. Do something. Don't just front like you're one. Be one.
• Being useless. Let me elaborate. Being one of the billions of up-and-coming _________ Fill in the blanks. This kinda goes along with the model one. If you're gonna be someone, be it. Do what you have to do to become whatever you want to be. If it means going to school, go to school. If it means logging in some studio time to be a singer or rapper, do it. Malcolm X said, "By all means necessary", and he was right. let nothing, especially overconfidence or laziness hold you back from who are what you want to be.

That's all for now. I hope you liked it :)

~Reina de Belleza

Men's fashion, anyone?

Sooo...I have come to the realization that when it comes to male fashion, I'm completely in the dark. All that matters is that the guy looks nice and fresh. But I'm not afraid to call on help when I need it. So if you have an interest in men's fashion, go to 'The Nautical Urbanite', courtesy of my best friend. Click here to jump.

Who's that Girlllll?♪♫

It's Mercedes Scelba-Shorte, aka
Mercedes Yvette
from ANTM Cycle Two. Where is she now?







STILL stuntin on them hoes....Still wondering why Yohanna House beat her out for the title. I don't get it at all. The girl is FIERCE!

Read more about her here

Attention Please!!! Thigh-High Boots are acceptable outside of the strip club!!! (lol)

Christian Louboutin
On the high-fashion runway

Rihanna
Paired with a Charlie Brown-inspired outfit
Ciara
Rihanna in Alexander McQueen
Victoria's Secret


I'm being serious---Thigh High boots are finally emerging into the world of high fashion. LOVE them. As long as we keep 'em classy, of course :)

STOP the madness!!!!!!!!!!!! No, Seriously.

So I've been meaning to ask: WHAT IN TARNATION (yes, I said tarnation) is up with the obsession with the ugly half shaved-half normal hairdo fad? It's reminds me of if Britney Spears became sane halfway through her shaving rampage. UGhhh it's hiddeous! And now one of my favorite style icons is "rockin" it too--Robyn Rihanna Fenty. Negative points for her. She's supposed to be a trendsetter, not following a stupid fad. I mean, it's not cute at all. Well, Rihanna's isnt bad. But Cassie, La La, & Fantasia--even Selma Blair--look a HOT mess!! Who's next?

Kelis, show 'em how it's done, girlll:

Thank you. (I'll ignore your shaved head slip-ups, though--the style in blonde is not for you, boo):


Yeahhh leave that bottle of bleach alone.

Featured Beauty Icon: K.D. Aubert

You may know her as Giselle from Soul Plane, Donna in Friday After Next, or as the original Red (Strawberry) Fantana (spokesmodel for Fanta), Nina. Some call her the Black Angelina Jolie because of her luscious lips and blatant sex appeal. All of these are true. And in my opinion, she's FAR too underrated. She's apparently coming out with music as well (not sure how I feel about that, lol), and with a look like that, she'll be hard to forget.
...and yes people, her eyes are green. Gorgeous. *girl crush alert!!!*

Weavy Wreck

Not being a hater but...What's really good with Bey's hair these days? NOT that ish, sorry. All that money, and you can't get a good wig or weave? She needs to hit up Brandy for some tips forreal. Like I said before, NOT being a hater. She usually looks fab, but recently, the hair has been killing me softly, lol

Shake your derrière...

...in your House of Deréon. I'm not usually a Beyoncé/Tina Knowles fan, but their high-end line, House of Deréon is that ish. Though they're out of my price range (or anybody's) and I haven't a ball to be the belle of in them, the designs are nothing short of genius and beauty. Check them out--it's well worth it. I know WHEN I make my red carpet debut, I'll be hittin up Mama Tina, lol (advice--I will NEVER admit this in public if you ask. So don't.)

Played Outtttttttt

Ok, so initially, I liked the whole Hervé Ledger phenom. But I think it's getting out of hand, and well, PLAYED OUTTTTTTTT. I mean, EVERYBODY has these dresses and everyone wears them to the same red-carpet events and it's redundant and becoming annoying. PLUS the Hervé Ledger collection is getting ridiculous. Check this swimsuit. I mean, really? All of her business is outside, and she's a size -3. I'm a size 12, and I laugh at the notion of someone like me (though I am very comfortable with my curves) wearing something as ridiculous as this suit. NOO thanks. 1) cover yourself and 2) the model needs a cheeseburger. ;-)

Baby Phat Going Under?

One of fashion's fiercest diva queens is facing the possibility of having to relinquish her crown and declare bankruptcy. Kimora Lee Simmons, creator of urban fashion line, Baby Phat (as well as her own high-end line KLS) is said to be considering the possibility of filing for bankruptcy due to financial problems like debt. The former model's fashion line is supplied by Kellwood, Co. and an agreement could not be reached so apparently, it's only a matter of time. God, I hope not...I love Baby Phat :)