Tuesday 16 March 2010

Erykah Badu























Erykah | Quick Facts
Erica Abi Wright better known for her stage name Erykah Badu was born in South Dallas, Texas on February 26, 1971. She is a recording artist, record producer and actress. She is also known as the "First Lady of Neo-Soul".

Erykah is a graduate of Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts and Grambling State University.

Erykah Badu is unique.

Erykah | Look Book
Afrozon Stylist:
The Unique, Eclectic, Sexy, Earth-mother, Queen of Neo-Soul, Erykah exudes 'super-stylish eccentricity'. Her trademark head-wraps and her body-wrap-style clothing inspired Vogue for African Clothing in the late '90s.

















In 2008, Erykah featured for charismatic designer Tom Ford’s new fragrance, White Patchouli, a distinctive eau de parfum with penetrating notes from white flowers including peony, rose and jasmine.



Erykah's ad is Confident, sensuous and strong.
Photography by Mert and Marcus

Erykah | Clothes
A lot of the pieces worn by Erykah are lightly avant-garde and have ethereal quality to them. They principally incorporate numerous African inspired styles including head-wraps and body-wrap style clothing.




















Inspired Clothings (Afrozon Selection)
















Pleat Front Top












Halterneck crepe scarf top

Erykah | Event - All Things African Inspired
Erykah and other noted celebrities like Alicia Keys, Solange and Beyonce are rocking the 'All things African Inspired' 2010 Spring trend by designers such as Box Kitten, ASOS, and Kimora Simmons's Baby Phat.






ASOS AFRICA Printed Jumpsuit. ASOS.com is the UK's largest independent online fashion and beauty retailer.



Boxing Kitten modelled by DJ Rashida
The vintage inspiration behind Boxing Kitten celebrates the spirit and lives of women who have come before, and the playfulness and vibrancy of each piece captures the women of today and the future... {stylehive}



Phat Baby is a premiere lifestyle brand for women who dare to be fun, flirty and fearless.

Erykah | Hair

The moment Erykah Badu hit the music scene in the late '90s she made it her duty to showcase her eccentric and unique style to the world. Badu made the African mile-high head wrap a trademark for her image and over the years she has switched her do so often no-one keeps count.












Just like her music, the singer's hair continues to change and evolve. Erykah's hair is all about 'natural flare', - from extra-long flowing braids to huge out-of-this-world Afro wigs to bright elegantly wrapped gele. Erykah's own hair is short and natural. She incorporates 'protective styling' methods of braids, wigs and wraps to protect her own delicate natural hair.


Afrozon Stylist | Taking Care of Natural Afro Hair tutorial links {Videos}:

Reasons for going natural
Natural Hair Journey
Co-Washing Natural Hair
Transitioning
Protective Styles


Erykah | Music
Badu's is best known for her highly acclaimed debut album – Baduizm which was released in early 1997 and debuted at #2 on the Billboard charts. Lead single "On & On" reached #12 on the singles charts in both the U.S. and UK. Baduizm eventually went triple platinum and, along with "On & On," won Grammy Awards at the 1998 ceremonies.




Erykah is set to release her fifth studio album, New Amerykah Part Two (Return of the Ankh) on February 23, 2010.

Erykah | Films
Badu has appeared in the films Blues Brothers 2000, The Cider House Rules, House of D, Before the Music Dies, and Dave Chappelle's Block Party. She is reported to have a leading role alongside Mos Def in the upcoming Indie film, Media:Bobby Zero.

Erykah | Charities
Badu’s own charity, Beautiful Love Incorporated Non Profit Development (B.L.I.N.D.), was set up in 2003 to provide community-driven development for inner-city youth through music, dance, theatre and visual arts.

Erykah also supports another charity, Artists for a New South Africa (ANSA). ANSA is a non-profit organization dedicated to combating the African AIDS pandemic and advancing democracy and equality in South Africa. ANSA also works to further civil rights and safeguard voting rights in the U.S.

Erykah | Quotes
As Erykah Badu, it has nothing to do with me, the way I look, my hair wrap, my style, it's about you and what you feel for my music. If I can make you feel like the way that
people who influenced me made me feel, that's completion.




Erykah | Stocklist:
Perfume:
White Patchouli

Clothes:
Asos Africa Printed Jumpsuit

Music:
Baduizm

Films:
Blues Brothers 2000
The Cider House Rules
House of D
Before the Music Dies
Block Party

Sources
Photo: Google Images
Text: Erykah Badu Online, Wikipedia, Grammys.

Afrozon Editor | Sandra Cann

Monday 15 February 2010

Oprah Winfrey

AFROZON FILE: RICH, INFLUENTIAL



















Quick Facts

Oprah Gail Winfrey is an American television host, producer, and philanthropist best known for her self-titled, multi-award winning talk show - The Oprah Winfey Show.


Oprah is also ranked the richest African American of the 20th century and beyond, with a net worth of $2.7 billion. Winfrey has been called "arguably the world's most powerful woman" by CNN, and "arguably the most influential woman in the world" by the American Spectator.

Buy: Up Close: Oprah Winfrey


The Oprah Style


Oprah's weekly Magazine,simply titled 'O', is host to a wealth of ideas and methods for every woman, it has been dubbed 'the personal growth guide for women'.
Subscribe: O, The Oprah Magazine (2-year)


Afrozon Stylist:
Oprah epitomises personal style, she knows what suits her and she sticks with it. She doesn't allow her style to be thrown by current trends but has learnt the art of emphasising and highlighting her key assets.

The Vera Wang Dress



"This is Vera Wang couture from the 2005 Oscars, when Jamie Foxx won for Ray. This was one of my prettiest days—and I knew it. As I hit the red carpet, my earring dropped. There are all these shots of me with my hand behind my ear. But I was just catching my earring." - Oprah [O magazine /03/10]

Afrozon Stylist:
Oprah is right to hold on to this beautiful dress. Her simple and clever use of body symmetry through colour is vital to her style. Her evening look is all about movie star glamour with the use of a 1 piece and block colours to draw the eye straight down, slimming her silhouette. This holds attention to her hair and make up,which is always classically high voltage.....our Oprah is not one to shy away from make up or big hair!

Oprah's Big Auction
Oprah's 'Big Auction' will start on March 1st and runs until March 11th 2010 on ebay.com. The proceeds will benefit The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa.

Beautiful auction pieces from Oprah's collection include:













The Barry Kieselstein-Cord Bag
Oprah's resident fashion guru Adam Glassman: In the '80s and '90s, everyone either owned or coveted Barry Kieselstein-Cord. With a simple suit or sheath dress, it will complete your outfit."














The Silver Booties
Oprah's resident stylist believes that: "Oprah is fortunate enough to get a lot of  gifts and hates to part with them. But in reality, I'm not sure where she can ever wear these booties."















The Brown Boots
Oprah's resident stylist believes that: "Oprah is fortunate enough to get a lot of gifts and hates to part with them. But in reality,I'm not sure where she can ever wear these booties."


Oprah's Beauty Masterclass - Make-up 101
Reggie Wells, Oprah Winfrey’s long-time makeup artist, is an Emmy Award-Winning makeup artist and the author of Face Painting: African American Beauty Techniques from an Emmy Award-Winning Makeup Artist


Reggie says most women —even Oprah— are clueless when it comes to the correct application of facial cosmetics. Reggie feels that the worse offences were: "wrongful shading" to "illegal use of lip-liner" to "failure to camouflage dark circles."


Reggie shows the proper way to apply concealer: down the centre of the nose and underneath the eye. Tap or push the concealer into the skin - don't rub as this causes inconsistencies. Blending is key. Thick applications of concealer are a bad idea if wrinkles are present.

We all know that well-blended foundation is flawless foundation. " Reggie says. "Don't overwork it." A loose dusting of powder sets the foundation and keeps the cosmetics in place


To create maximum drama with eye-shadow. Use a darker shade on the entire eyelid with a much lighter colour just above it. Don't forget to blend the two eye-shadows where they meet on the lid, to remove hard edges of colour. Sculpted eyebrows complete the look. Don't draw eyebrows - lightly fill in the gaps between the brow hairs to achieve fuller brows.















"You can't have an amazing lip with just one lip colour".  Reggie advises using at least three lip colours to define fabulous lips. The darkest of the three should always be used as the lip-liner. The next shade up should be used within the lined lips. The lightest shade should be used for the inner most part of the lip. Don't forget to blend.















Reggie's secret finisher is called: Model in a Bottle. A light mist of this product on your face will set your makeup flawlessly. Reggies says "Finisher sets the makeup, so that you can face the elements without fear".

Afrozon Stylist: Try these DIY Make-up Video Tutorials Links
Eyebrows
Mascara
Luscious Lips
Flawless Foundation
Concealer
Finisher
Flirty and Romantic Look

The Flawless Look
Reggie Wells Perfect Kit for creating a flawless look:
















Bare Escentuals
Beyond Skin Science
Bobbi Brown
CoverGirl
Estée Lauder
Haute Face Cosmetics
Iman Beauty
Lancóme
L'Oreal
MAC Cosmetics
Maybelline
Shu Uemura
SmashBox
Trish McEvoy


Other Oprah Interests

The Oprah Show
The highly influential Oprah Winfrey Show sometimes referred to as Oprah, is an American syndicated talk show hosted and produced by Oprah Winfrey. It is the highest-rated talk show in American television history, and currently the longest-running daytime television talk show in the United States.













On November 19, 2009, Oprah Winfrey's production company announced the show will be ending on September 9, 2011, due to a contract clause between CBS Television Distribution

On Facebook | Twitter | MySpace | YouTube | Show Tickets
Buy: The Oprah Winfrey Show: 20th Anniversary Collection

The O Magazine  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

The Oprah Magazine, sometimes simply abbreviated to O, is a monthly magazine founded by Oprah Winfrey and Hearst Corporation. Its average paid circulation was over 2.7 million copies, two thirds by subscription.


Oprah Radio



 











Oprah Radio is a talk radio channel programmed by Harpo and signed exclusively for XM Satellite Radio. Oprah Radio includes regular programming on topics such as current events, self improvement, health, nutrition, fitness and home.

Schedule | On Twitter | Contests

Oprah's Angel Network










The Angel Network was established to encourage people around the world to make a difference in the lives of others. Oprah’s vision is to inspire people to help others rise to their potential.

Web | Facebook | Their Work

Leadership Academy for Girls














The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls - South Africa is a girls-only boarding school that officially opened in January 2007 at Henley-on-Klip in Meyerton, south of Johannesburg, South Africa.


Book Club















Oprah's Book Club is a book discussion club segment of the American talk show The Oprah Winfrey Show, highlighting books chosen by host Oprah Winfrey.
The List | Kids List | Featured Videos

Sources:
Pictures [Oprah.com, mhpbooks.com, topnews.in, zimbio.com]; Text [Oprah.com, Wikipedia, nytimes.com, O magazine, ]