Top YouTube videos and the internet my way

huffingtonpost

The TOP YouTube Videos of 2009: See Who Made The List http://bit.ly/7etkSk

Interestingly I haven’t watched any of the specifically mentioned top videos on the list but I have seen everything on YouTube worth watching vis a vis Michael Jackson and the Jackson family and have pretty much moved on from that pass time. My favorite YouTube subject matter now is fashion and beauty trends. I enjoy (shopping) “haul” vlogs when the presenter is good at it. It’s going on 2010 and yes you can be judged on the quality of your “haul” videos. I’m seconds away from being fashion jewelry haul worthy myself and this from an ex-jewelry snob who would not wear it if it wasn’t “real” except under sufferance. Now I can look back and say – what a boring way to live.

I also enjoy the “vintage” aka historical footage – all manner of things from Fats Waller, to Jackie Wilson to Donna Summer. It’s been a great evolution to go from the rather stodgy one set family sitcoms on the “boob” tube broadcast at you at 8 or 9 p.m. whether you liked it or not – to having it your way where you can pull in your own programming through virtual space. With all the trouble and strife in the world notwithstanding, this is still a wonderful world. YouTube’s not good for everything because I can’t find a decent clip of Louis Armstrong’s “What a Wonderful World” on which to end this blog – so fill in your fave sunny December day song instead.

Filed under: Style, haul videos, internet, youtube

Emailing tweet from: RevRunWisdom (Rev Run)

RevRunWisdom: dress code is very important.. People see what you look like before they hear what your thoughts r..
Original Tweet: http://twitter.com/RevRunWisdom/status/6464185895

Sent via TweetDeck (www.tweetdeck.com)

A pragmatic point of view from the owner of a fashion empire. I do have to say that my parents went through an anti-fashion phase when we first moved to the states and even seemed to get a kick out of being given the fish eye by bank tellers, etc., for being so shabbily dressed. I guess the game was watching people make assumptions. Now as a teenaged fashion afficionado I found my parents studied nonconformance annoying and embarassing, but they turned out all right after all. My point – fashion is nice but clothes don’t always make the man (or woman). And – speaking of the Simmons family fashion empire, I’m a new Baby Phat convert and love it.

Sent from my iPod

Filed under: Style, Rev Run

Soft Spike Curlers and the Blogsphere

I just ordered some Soft Spikes Curlers. These thingies have been all the rage in the Locked Hair Blog Exchange (I’m not a member, just an occasional browser) for a couple years, and I’ve been ignoring them as a styling option coz I don’t like the look of short curled hair for me, but what with my hair getting longer now and all and such, I feel the need to add “some interest,” to it, and while braids are the simplest way to go – no styling tools required, just your fangers (not a sp), I don’t care for braid outs (for me) either – so that leaves curls – an idea worth experimenting with. According to the blogging gurus at Technorati in their state of the blogsphere, this [type of post] is “self absorbed, inexpert” prattle that is no longer of value in cyberspace. I but I beg to differ with this since I pick up bits of knowledge from “inexperts” in the blogsphere and youtube all the time, and if you think you’re too good to listen to some people then maybe you’re not as smart as you think. And anyway if some people think that the only people worth listening to on the internet are “professionals” and “journalists” – you know the type who are getting paid by corporations, etc, to sell a particular point of view, then aren’t some people trying to defeat the purpose of having the internet as a true marketplace of ideas and information in the first place. Some people just can’t break away from old hat, fossilizing and fossilized institutional dogma if they tried, and some just never learn.

UPDATE: I received an email notification no more than 2-3 hours after I ordered that my purchase was shipped – so pointage for the speedy service. Now all that remains is to find out what the product is like, does it/do they work, and do I like the results.

Filed under: Style, blogsphere, digital journalism, hair, locks, Soft spikes

Tips for healthy natural hair

I got the Tyra Banks Show tweets about their show today on natural hair care tips.

I like natural hair best because when it’s healthy and well cared it is luxuriant and vibrant. I don’t like anemic hair if it can at all be helped. Natural hair works with any style and any look from artsy, to preppy, to glam, to sophisticated chic. It’s not a statement on anything except beauty. If you’re blessed with good health then maintaining natural hair is easy just follow the tips below.

1. Be healthy. Eat a healthy diet rich in fresh fruits and veggies. If you eat meat go light on it. Drink lots of water everyday. Keep sugary drinks to a minimum and exercise regularly. Take a multivitamin and a vitamin B supplement.
2. Use a good shampoo and conditioner. I’ve been using a boutique brand (Aveda) for the past 15 odd years, but that’s not a product endorsement. I’m stuck on Aveda because I don’t like artificial fragrance oils and they are the only product line I know of that uses real essential oils in their products. Of the drug store lines I recommend Herbal Essences.
3. Don’t use any product on your hair that contains mineral oil or petrolatum.
4. For hair moisturizer the following work the best. i) Use a small amount of regular hair conditioner on clean damp hair. ii) Use a small amount of pure unrefined shea butter. iii) A small amount of aloe gel mixed with shea butter.
5. Be light handed with products. A small amount means small! Use no more than a nickel to quarter sized dollop of conditioner as leave in. Use no more than a quarter to half inch pinch of shea butter. Melt it in the palm of your hand, then apply it evenly to your hair.
6. Your scalp generates it’s own oil so there is no need to oil it ever. Additional oil only serves to clog up follicles, can impede hair growth and even lead to hair loss. If you need to massage your scalp with something use aloe gel mixed with a drop or two of essential oils such as rosemary, peppermint, or sage.
7. Braids, twists, and cornrows and locks are great styling options because they protect the hair and prevent breakage. Whichever style you choose, be sure not to pull the hair too tight. This can lead to traction alopecia and you may never get your hair back. So if your stylist pulls too tight – speak up!
8. The best way to start locks is with braids. Don’t use beeswax or shea butter because it is impossible to shampoo out and leads to unsightly buildup.
9. If loose hair is your style, comb it gently starting from the ends with a wide toothed comb. Use conditioner for slippage. Avoid brushes with the exception of the rubber toothed ones which you may find useful for detangling wet hair.
10. Always cover your hair with a scarf when you sleep.

Filed under: Style, hair, natural hair care

Ooooooh Afrifashion!

To see a mélange of 21st century African beauty, click here.

BHF magazine is a contemporary African lifestyle magazine available to subscribers in print and digital format with a special focus on African couture founded by Washington DC based Geoffrey and Jennifer Olisa . Geoffrey explained that BHF came about because – the “Western magazines were wanting in their treatment of the African fashion genre especially as they did not have a desire to revolutionize the Africa fashion industry to enable it attain the standards of the international fashion industry”. So true this. African culture as interpreted through white fashion media is usually limited to pictures of white women in the foreground of savannic panorama with Maasai warriors in the backdrop leaning on their spears and gazing out across the Rift Valley. Maasai warriors are beautiful people, and my Maasai beaded cuffs are a permanent wardrobe staple, but we are way more than background props for Vogue photo shoots. It is however unrealistic to expect non-African media to have an ongoing agenda about celebrating African fashion. African fashion isn’t just clothing and accessories – it’s a multi-dimensional form of artistic expression. It’s dynamic, fluid, changing with the world around it. Telling this story plus spotlighting culture, lifestyle and other issues of interest to modern Africans is what BHF magazine is all about.

Filed under: Style, Africa fashion, Africa Magazine