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https://www.essence.com/beauty/my-social-media-beauty-pick-of-the-weekend/
Every weekend as I’m scrolling through my feed and Insta-stalking the celebrities and influencers that I fangirl for, I come across something interesting and inspiring in the beauty space. From jaw-dropping transformations to drool-inducing hair, there’s always something that I can’t stop staring at or watching, and it instantly garners a double tap.
This weekend a (seemingly) simple blowout by Raynecia Simmons, also known as Razor on social media made my heart melt. With a natural hair journey that began just a few years ago, she’s blessed social media with a hair diary displaying her beautiful curls and their versatility. Just days ago, she posted a photo sporting the most gorgeous full blowout with a texture that I’ve recently tried to mimic with my lace frontal and sew-in.
The influencer, content creator, personal trainer and teacher based in the British Virgin Islands generously spilled the tea with ESSENCE on how she achieved the electrifying ‘do with just a few products and some hand skills.
?!. I’m itching to see the length. Ohhh and I’m a couple inches away from tailbone length 
. Whewww.. I’m probably going to go back to my old regimen because I’m tiredddd. Ohh and I’m itching to get braids soon. This caption is all over the place 
.What are your favorite curl products you use to get your curls so defined?
My fave curl products for definition are the TréLuxe Curl Supreme 4-in-1 Hydrating Creme topped off with Eco Styler Olive Oil Styling Gel. I also love Uncle Funky’s Daughter Curly Magic Curl Stimulator.
How did you achieve this blowout?
The blowout was super quick and easy. I started off with freshly [washed] and deep conditioned hair. I twisted it up while my hair was damp with Lemongrass Super Twisting Butter, my favorite moisturizer by Alikay Naturals. Then, I unraveled the twists one by one and blow dried each section with the Revlon One Step Hair Dryer and Styler.
What do you love most about your hair?
I love the versatility of my natural hair. It’s amazing how I can style my hair to look different every time whether I want to rock twists, blowouts, a wash n’ go, braid outs, the list goes on. Each style gives a different look.
What celebrities or influencers give you hair inspiration?
In the beginning of my hair journey I relied heavily on Kim Love @kimmaytube, Domineque Banks @longhairdontcare2011 (RIP), Whitney White @naptural85, and Chime Edwards for hair inspiration. Now, I’m my own hair inspiration for the most part. Ever since I did my big chop almost three years ago, I’ve been looking to my old pictures and videos for inspiration. I knew if I did it before then I can definitely do it again. This time around the goal is to achieve healthier hair. I’ve [kept] this hair diary to let people know that attaining healthy natural hair is possible and it’s okay to rock your natural hair regardless of what anyone says!
The post My Social Media Beauty Pick Of The Weekend appeared first on Essence.
Every weekend as I’m scrolling through my feed and Insta-stalking the celebrities and influencers that I fangirl for, I come across something interesting and inspiring in the beauty space. From jaw-dropping transformations to drool-inducing hair, there’s always something that I can’t stop staring at or watching, and it instantly garners a double tap.
This weekend a (seemingly) simple blowout by Raynecia Simmons, also known as Razor on social media made my heart melt. With a natural hair journey that began just a few years ago, she’s blessed social media with a hair diary displaying her beautiful curls and their versatility. Just days ago, she posted a photo sporting the most gorgeous full blowout with a texture that I’ve recently tried to mimic with my lace frontal and sew-in.
The influencer, content creator, personal trainer and teacher based in the British Virgin Islands generously spilled the tea with ESSENCE on how she achieved the electrifying ‘do with just a few products and some hand skills.
What are your favorite curl products you use to get your curls so defined?
My fave curl products for definition are the TréLuxe Curl Supreme 4-in-1 Hydrating Creme topped off with Eco Styler Olive Oil Styling Gel. I also love Uncle Funky’s Daughter Curly Magic Curl Stimulator.
How did you achieve this blowout?
The blowout was super quick and easy. I started off with freshly [washed] and deep conditioned hair. I twisted it up while my hair was damp with Lemongrass Super Twisting Butter, my favorite moisturizer by Alikay Naturals. Then, I unraveled the twists one by one and blow dried each section with the Revlon One Step Hair Dryer and Styler.
What do you love most about your hair?
I love the versatility of my natural hair. It’s amazing how I can style my hair to look different every time whether I want to rock twists, blowouts, a wash n’ go, braid outs, the list goes on. Each style gives a different look.
What celebrities or influencers give you hair inspiration?
In the beginning of my hair journey I relied heavily on Kim Love @kimmaytube, Domineque Banks @longhairdontcare2011 (RIP), Whitney White @naptural85, and Chime Edwards for hair inspiration. Now, I’m my own hair inspiration for the most part. Ever since I did my big chop almost three years ago, I’ve been looking to my old pictures and videos for inspiration. I knew if I did it before then I can definitely do it again. This time around the goal is to achieve healthier hair. I’ve [kept] this hair diary to let people know that attaining healthy natural hair is possible and it’s okay to rock your natural hair regardless of what anyone says!
The post My Social Media Beauty Pick Of The Weekend appeared first on Essence.
Writer: Kieron Gillen / Artist: Stephanie Hans / Image Comics
Seven issues in, Die still manages to be as captivating as its first issue. The unique blend of dark fantasy, psychological horror, and personal drama is unrivaled in its ambition and its ability to unravel a character in a chilling way. With the rules of the world firmly established, the Split the Party arc continues to showcase the talents of virtuosos of Gillen and Hans as they turn the spotlight to the Godbinder and the Fool.
Isabelle and Chuck are the focal characters of Die #7 and it’s a self described odd pairing. Isabelle as the Godbinder is constantly trading favors and incurring debts with the gods of the land, while Chuck as the Fool is doing whatever he pleases because he just doesn’t care about any potential consequence that could possibly happen. It’s a case study of contrasts, an analysis of calculated risk and sheer disregard for the world. Gillen’s pairing extenuates the other’s faults as the world of Die tends to do.
In the midst of all of the character development, we are also treated to new set pieces and new NPCs courtesy of Hans’s continually incredible artwork. As the fractured party traverses the vast tundra, the artwork continues to be an equally crucial part to the tone and surreal nature that is Die. This story works so brilliantly as a comic largely because as brilliant as the dialog and plot are, the visuals give it both a visceral and ethereal form that is necessary for it to be an effective story. Hans transforms the game into a living landscape of fantasy that captures the imagination every page turn, and every panel promises some new enticement.
I keep gushing about Die every month because it provides a fix that only it can provide. There’s no other piece of media, let alone comic, that’s able to synthesize elements of horror, fantasy, and psychological thriller is such a succinct and poignant manner. Every new issue of Die provides another chance for Gillen and Hans to showcase their adeptness at creating this enthralling world of monsters and magic, and every issue they knock it out of the park. This is as close to a perfect run of a comic in 2019, and if any of the listed genres interest, you need to read this series immediately. It’s unrelenting in how phenomenal it is.
9.8 “Lessons Taught” out of 10
Reading Die? Check out BNP’s other reviews here.
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The post Die #7 Review appeared first on Black Nerd Problems.
In the age of the millennial and the subsequent post-millennial generation, terms such as safe spaces and trigger warnings have become a normal part of an ongoing conversation. Some dismiss such terms, attributing their ubiquitous presence in our dialogue to the onslaught of political correctness and call-out culture. However, others have incorporated them into their lexicon because the meanings of these words serve a necessary function.
Consider the case of many LGBTQ folks who are black and of color. For many decades, the non-white members of the LGBTQ community were, and still are, visibly excluded in advertisements, media, films about gay and queer life, and were only visible when they were connected to a white character in some way—partner, witty best friend, or merely window dressing to give the illusion of Inclusion. While there has always been a decent cache of films highlighting the lives of black SGL (same gender loving for those who reject the Eurocentric connotations of calling themselves “gay”) men and women over the years, only a handful of them were able to garner the universal presence they rightfully deserved. In recent years, the visibility and stories of black gays and other non-black gays of color are on the rise. Films like the Oscar-winning Moonlight, Tangerine, Pariah, and others have shown once again that there is an audience. While visibility has increased, there is still a lot of work to be done. Where can black and queer people of color go when they want to see creativity that reflects them and their culture?
To assist in adding media spaces for black people to thrive, a young man from Minnesota recently launched a website that solely features the stories of black gay men, women, and other gay/queer people of color. The goal is to feature voices rarely heard with such openness and vulnerability. The creator of this media outlet is Ja’Mon Kimbrough aka AriesFireBomb, from whom the media website takes its name.
Ja’Mon Kimbrough aka AriesFireBomb
The Creation of AriesFireBomb
I met up with Kimbrough one warm summer day in Brooklyn to discuss what was to become AriesFireBomb. Standing outside of the bar in Dumbo with a camera around his neck, we greeted each other with a warm hug as if we’d known each in person for decades. As we sat down at our table and the drinks started to flow, he began talking about his passion project.
“The problem with LGBT media,” Kimbrough said as he looked at recent photos in his camera, “is that it’s still very Eurocentric. Quiet as it’s kept, or quiet as it used to be kept, white gay men sit at the top of the LGBT social chain. With shows like Pose and My House, we get a bit of representation but not a lot. Those are only two recent examples out of how many years? When it comes to media spaces, forget about it. You have to search to find them if they exist [at all] and the ones that are thriving wind up getting bogged down with trying to make their spaces “safe” for white readers and not safe for the black people they were supposedly created for. It can get hairy,” he explained.
“In response to the foolishness and absence of our visibility, I decided to stop talking about it and started doing something about it. I started Haus of Firebomb as a response to what was lacking and am building upon it. I wanted to create a site that was for us, by us, tells all of our stories with our slants, tones, idioms—all that make us beautiful and unique as a people.”
AriesFireBomb Content
“I struggled with deciding what to do with this website since its inception. How vast should the content be? What parameters should be put into place? etc. So over the last year, it’s changed a lot. It initially started as a platform to tell different kinds of stories. Now since the site launched, we are showcasing photography, music, podcasts, fiction, and nonfiction stories as well as short films, which is soon to come. The content is robust, uncensored, and unflinchingly tells hard truths about what it means to be black and gay, or trans, or nonbinary, or a straight man who loves trans women, which can be confusing for those who aren’t up on current gender norms. AriesFireBomb will highlight subjects without the sensationalism that often comes with these kinds of stories but with tender truth.”
An example is an essay written about Gemmel Moore, one of two black men who died in the home of Ed Buck. Buck is a wealthy white gay man with political ties who has a penchant for buying the time of black hustlers, getting them high on Crystal Meth by offering obscene amounts of money, and seeing how much their bodies can handle. It’s a visceral essay that speaks on addiction, sex work, and the dangers of the white gaze, something Nobel Prize-winning and recently deceased author, Toni Morrison, and many other black writers of today, have spoken about in-depth.
The website also features photography of all black people—straight, gay, trans, non-binary—and aims to attract the talents of other creatives looking for a platform to showcase their work. More can be found here.
(AriesFireBomb.com)
The AriesFireBomb website was created by black people as a platform to show the artistic endeavors of black artists. However, it is not exclusively for black creatives. Non-black people of color are also encouraged to submit their work. AriesFireBomb aims to cater to the entire LGBT spectrum of color: Asians, Latinos of all races, but with black artists taking center stage.
“We don’t get to tell our stories authentically or uncensored very often and no shade, the stuff that does get put out there isn’t really that great,” Kimbrough said with a casual shrug. “Ideally, if AriesFireBomb can help find the next James Baldwin-esque figure via the mediums we share, then my job is complete.”