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By Noel Cody ·April 6, 2021April 6, 2021

Designed for Black women entrepreneurs in the skincare and scalp care industry, Aveeno® created the Skin Health Startup Accelerator program to provide access, education, and resources to help entrepreneurs grow their businesses.

Recognizing the potential of the solutions these entrepreneurs could provide to the industry, Aveeno® and ESSENCE set out to support women who are determined to make a profound impact on the health and beauty of all skin through this information destination and the Pitch Competition.

The CompetitionIn December 2020, Black female entrepreneurs with an innovative product, brand or technology that addresses Black consumer skincare needs were called to enter the AVEENO® SKIN HEALTH STARTUP ACCELERATOR. This pitch competition was designed to propel the business of an emerging entrepreneur by giving her a chance to compete for a $100,000 grant and mentorship opportunities from AVEENO® business leaders, industry experts and ESSENCE®.

The ProcessAfter receiving more than 100 inspiring entries, our panel of judges evaluated each brand’s pitch on their originality, innovation and thoughtfulness, and how they would advance the skin health of black consumers. Then came the live event when entrepreneurs pitched to the judges virtually from all over the country. The judges also took into consideration whether or not their product was different from what is already in the marketplace and how they were aligned with AVEENO’s values—leveraging the power of nature and science. And finally, the judges evaluated the brand’s strategy and business plan.

The WinnerAlodia Hair Care founder, Dr. Isfahan Chambers Harris, has been revealed as the first-ever recipient of the Aveeno Skin Health Startup Accelerator. Dr. Isfahan will receive the tools and funding necessary to grow her business including a $100,000 grant and ongoingmentorship and a feature in ShopEssence – ESSENCE’s e-commerce portal. Holding back tears and hearing her family cheering in the background, Dr. Isfahan said that, while we see just her, she stands on the shoulders of husband, her family and her customer base, “I’m so humbled and grateful for this opportunity, this is life-changing for us,” she says. “Just to have this validation means the world to us

As a trained PhD Scientist, Dr. Isfahan has used her expertise plus personal experience with damaged scalp and broken strands to launch Alodia Hair Care. The brand offers science-based hair and scalp products made with clean, natural ingredients. After speaking with hundreds of people about their hair care regimens, she saw a trend with textured hair types and scalp disorders, such as seborrheic dermatitis, eczema, psoriasis, and dandruff. “I’m honored to be the first Black women entrepreneur Grand Prize winner of the Aveeno® Skin Health Startup Accelerator program,” Dr. Isfahan says. “This is substantial in helping my company grow our business and fill a need that Black women consumers are searching for when it comes to scalp health. The support and recognition from industry-leading brands like Aveeno® and Essence is powerful and so important in building a more inclusive industry, which I’m grateful to be a part of.”

The SurpriseIn a fun and inspiring twist, AVEENO® also awarded a second grant to finalist Ariane Turner, founder of Look Good Live Well. She will receive a $100,000 grant in addition to mentorship session and a feature on ShopEssence. After battling stress-induced acne for most of her adult life, Ariane Turner transformed the pressure to present a flawless face into her skin care brand. Full of nourishing ingredients that support your journey to optimum skin health, these products are specifically for Black women. “I’m excited to use the $100,000 to collaborate with a team of creative Black women freelancers to catapult my business to the next level,” says Ariane.

The FutureLooking forward, AVEENO® plans to continue the Skin Health Startup Accelerator to bring forth opportunities for Black women with the desire to create meaningful change within the skincare industry. “This is only the beginning,” AVEENO® Senior Director, Suzanne Goldstein says. “There is unlimited potential surrounding the impact we can make within the skincare industry and for Black consumers, specifically. The passion Black women have for changing the course of representation in beauty is inspiring and our brand is proud to be able to support their journey.” Visit Essence.com/Aveeno to learn more about Alodia Hair Care and Look Good Live Well, in addition to more about the AVEENO® Skin Health Startup Accelerator, including resources and tools for all entrepreneurs.

The post Inside Look: AVEENO® Skin Health Startup Accelerator Pitch Competition appeared first on Essence.

Hi de Ho, folks! It's time for a new installment of The Grindhouse (this Sunday at 6 p.m. eastern) as powered by the Afronerd Radio "steam engine" and broadcasting on the BTalk 100 platform.  Join your "friendly neighborhood" AFROnerdist hosts as they wax about the following issues: regrettably and on April Fool's Day, no less, it has been  widely reported that the WB have canceled both the New Gods and The Trench projects, slated to be directed by Ava Duvernay and James Wan, respectively; legendary hip hop artist, Earl "DMX" Simmons suffers an overdose followed by a heart attack and is now in critical condition; and again, DMX's lifestyle choices/addictions should be a reminder that Black men are in dire need of a reckoning as it relates to health (especially in a post COVID-19 world);  factions within the Waukegan, Illinois Latino community are calling for a boycott of plans to rename a school after Barack Obama due to his past record on the issue of deportation;  the highly anticipated LaKeith Stanfield Netflix anime project, Yasuke gets closer to fruition via a new trailer hitting the internet:

The Space Jam sequel is on and poppin'......boy, does the WB have a lot of unmined IP:

Oh, and then there's the new and extended Black Widow trailer that was also released this week:

Marvel is now tackling Alien territory with the recent first release of their comic book adaptation from the famed film franchise; we must talk about the Robert Kirkman Invincible Amazon animated series and lastly, with Godzilla vs Kong tracking toward a 50M box office during a pandemic, does this mean that theaters might have a chance for survival?    

Call us LIVE at 508-645-0100. AFTER CLICKING ON THE HIGHLIGHTED LINK, GO DIRECTLY TO AFRONERD RADIO!!! 

or This link below.....
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Queen of the South’s pilot episode begins with a radiant woman in a white suit and huge black sunglasses walking from a helicopter in slow motion with a group of security guards dressed in black suits walking in V formation behind her. She ascends a square staircase encapsulated in glass, to her boudoir. She slips out of the suit and into a satin robe, opens the lid of a beautifully carved ceramic box filled with cocaine, dips a tiny spoon into the drug, lifts the spoon to her nostril, and inhales deeply. The rush brings a slight smile to her lips, all in slow motion with a voice over. She turns and BAM gunshot. A bullet pierces the window and slams into her chest knocking her to her back on the floor. A single stream of blood traces its way down the crease of her smile. From that moment, this Black Girl Nerd was hooked.

Alice Braga is Teresa Mendoza in this action-packed 21st-century rags-to-riches story of a woman on the run from Mexico who fights her way to the pinnacle of power at the top of her own drug cartel. BGN asked Alice Braga a few questions at the NBCU Entertainment Scripted Mid-Season Press Junket about the final chapter of Teresa’s story. 

I’ve been a fan of the show since the beginning. Lord, that episode with those freaky little girls with the masks in the jungle who were following you around saying in monotone, “What are you doing, Teresa?” I was like, “Girl… RUN!!!”

I’m so rooting for Teresa, all of the time, and I’m totally bummed that this is the last season. Will Teresa be able to keep her humanity as she rises to the top? Because now she’s a boss, in her white suits. But will she still have the values of that girl from Mexico who started so long ago in love?

I think that’s exactly what Season 5 guides her through. I love that you’re asking that question because it’s really, I think, where she is in her life at this moment. She loses her godson in Season 4 and that changes a lot for her because she’s driving the business. There is a mix of ambition, but at the same time a search for safety. The bigger that you are, the less people can affect you or can get to you because you have more power. There is that division inside her heart. Is it possible to keep on trying to do something, in this drug business world that is so wrong? Like, how can Teresa keep on going? Season 5 is going to be a lot about wanting revenge, about pain, and about understanding how much she cannot be pure, if she’s part of this business. She’s an anti-hero because she’s part of this growth, but at the same time, she’s a heroine of her own life and her own journey. She’s a survivor. She’s a girl that came from a harsh childhood in Mexico in Culiacán, who suddenly receives a phone call and is on the run for her life. She’s just trying to survive. Season 5 is the season that Teresa’s concluding that journey. Throughout the entire season, she’s facing those challenges and trying to understand. I’m really curious to see what the audience is gonna think about what happens at the end. I cannot wait for people to see it because it’s very connected to your question.

We saw Teresa’s end in the first moment of the pilot. So, is this really the end? And if so, do you think Queen of the South has achieved a satisfying conclusion for the audience?

It’s so interesting. I have never done TV before. Queen of the South was my first television experience. It was a dream that lasted five seasons. It’s such an honor to be able to play this character and to work with the studio with the network and to be, you know, a leader of a show for such a long time. That connection with the fans, is something I’ve never experienced in my life before because I’ve only done films and it’s a completely different experience. Having the relationship with the fans becomes part of your work because they’re so engaged in the journeys. They’re so engaged in storylines. I really hope they enjoy it. It’s a challenge because it is a journey. She goes from this girl on point A and becomes a completely different human being by point B. We see that beginning, and in these five seasons we show how Teresa got there. It’s very exciting. I cannot wait to see the reaction of the fans. We always hope that everybody likes it. We never know if everybody’s gonna like it. But I think it’s gonna be very interesting, very powerful.

You’ve got a fan over at Black Girl Nerds. Thank you so much for the fantastic work.

Thank you very much. I appreciate you saying that.

The final season of Queen of the South premieres Wednesday, April 7, 10:00pm EST starring Alice Braga as Teresa Mendoza on USA Network. 

Writer: Daniel Warren Johnson / Artist: Daniel Warren Johnson / Marvel Comics

If you’re here, you’re clearly about that Beta Ray Bill life. Before we begin, I need everyone to come to terms with all the emotions involved in stanning for the backup Quarterback. There will be strife. There will be hype. There will be suffering. But we all must hope, that in the end, Beta Ray Bill will have a chance to show exactly how worthy he is again.

Donny Cates has been doing the Lawds work on Thor for the last year and made quite a statement in the 5th issue where Thor served up Beta Ray Bill the beatdown of a lifetime (that makes this look like a slap on the wrist). Despite the loss, it really showcased the power he was capable of (with Stormbreaker) and shined a radiant light on the proud, honorable side of Beta Ray Bill. If only he got his own comic book, many thought!

Allow Me to Reintroduce Myself!

I didn’t have too many expectations going into Beta Ray Bill #1, but I loved the idea of Bill being Asgard’s “Master of War” and having to lead these people when it mattered most. Brought me back to the good ol’ Game of Thrones days of Grey Worm beating down slavers and freeing peoples all throughout Essos. Alas, Grey Worm and Bill are different people with different enemies and prep styles.

Deep inside Skuttlebutt, a fire burns inside Beta Ray Bill. The chants of “Rufio! Rufio! Rufio!” on the tube couldn’t take his mind off the loss of Stormbreaker and all the ramifications that come from its destruction. Unable to steal more time to dwell on shattered weapons, Asgard’s Master of War readies his men like Leonidas preparing his brave 300. Fin Fang Foom is knocking on Yggdrasil’s door and aint pullin his punches for anyone!

Bill Plans, Gods Laugh

The action in this book was graphic, gory and compelling. Foom make look a little doofy, but he’s got the bite to back up his bark. I didn’t mind Bill and Sif’s budding courtship in Thor, and then this book came along and managed to throw an inescapable wrench into the plans. Add it to the list.

Let’s get on thing straight; props to Daniel Warren Johnson for doing the writing and drawing on Beta Ray Bill #1, but there is certainly some room to grow. I don’t love the artwork, but there are plenty of dope, gritty panels to keep your eyes entertained. Oh, and horse face jokes? Please dial it down a few notches.

By the end of this first issue, Beta Ray Bill is knocked down, overshadowed, and emasculated in more ways than Marvel should allow in any one issue. On the bright side, it makes for one hell of a compelling comeback story.

7 Owed Drinks Out of 10

Reading Thor? Check out BNP’s other reviews here.

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The post Asgard’s Master of War: ‘Beta Ray Bill #1’ Review appeared first on Black Nerd Problems.