Kickin' It: Dark & Lovely Au Naturale Launch Event

Last night in NYC, natural hair blogger and enthusiast Curly Nikki and songwriter/songstress Marsha Ambrosius co-hosted the official launch event for Dark & Lovely's newest innovation - the Au Naturale styling and maintenance product line for curls.

From left: Hydrating Soak Shampoo, Knot-Out Conditioner, Curl Defining Creme Glaze, Curl Moisturizing Souffle, Sheen Sealing Nectar, 10-in-1 Styles Gelee

Yes, it seems like every company under the sun is launching a new natural haircare line these days, but what I found so awesome about this launch was how adamantly natural hair icon Marsha Ambrosius felt about the line. That evening she was sporting her fierce mane in what looked like a textured bantu knot-out on blowout hair. She looked phenomenal. And she was as sweet as pie! She even remembered meeting me last June during the BET Awards (glad I have a memorable face!).

I chatted a bit with her about the new product line, her favorite beauty products, hair maintenance tips and what it means to be dark & lovely:

LoveBrownSugar: So I wanted to ask you about your natural hair! You're most definitely one of my natural hair icons. What do you do to maintain your style?
Marsha Ambrosius: What I must do, and it's imperative I do so, is brush it overnight, section it and bantu knot it. If I don't, when I wake up in the morning I'm not going to be able to comb through that thing! Even if I'm in the studio late, it's something I must do. The [Au Naturale] product line is great because it really infuses all the natural products that I use anyway into one thing. I have the mango oil, I have the bamboo milk, I put it in and it stays! I'm living proof that it works. My curls are absolutely temperamental. Sometimes they hate me, other times I think they're having a fight. So this product line - I really love it.

Is there one product out of the entire line that you can't live without?
The Au Naturale 10-ln-1 Styles Gelee. When I take the bantu-knots out, they'll be in my natural curl pattern anyway and I just take a dab of the Gelee and once I run that product through my hair, it stays. It's like a hair gel and an edge protector in one. Do you see these edges?! They never lay down like this!

Aside from natural hair, I really look at you as a beauty icon overall. Are there any beauty products that you swear by?
Drink lots of water! The simplest beauty products are the ones that God gave us. We overlook them sometimes. Like I exfoliate with honey sometimes, a little bit of natural oil, little things like that.

What do you think it means to be Dark & Lovely?
Dark & Lovely is empowering, it's invigorating, it's royal. I'm glad to be here to represent this brand.

After chatting it up with Marsha, I ran into co-host Curly Nikki and the fabulous Julee Wilson of Huffington Post Black Voices (remember her spotlight on LoveBrownSugar's Get Like Me series?). Two beautiful ladies indeed, with fierce natural curls.

Photo courtesy Dark & Lovely

The event was a blast. There were live hair demonstrations and tutorials. A super cute photo booth, where I took this goofy pic...

And of course there were amazing heads of natural hair at every turn! Kudos to Dark & Lovely for a successful launch event!

For more information about Dark & Lovely's Au Naturale product line, head to their website or become a fan of Dark & Lovely on Facebook for updates!

25 Days of LoveBrownSugar: Day 15

And we're back with yet another hair product giveaway! You guys are gonna have some luscious locks by the time this month is over. Today's gift pack is sponsored by Dark & Lovely. The SoftSheen-Carson product line released a new line of products in early 2011 called Healthy-Gloss 5.

The four Healthy-Gloss 5 products we're giving away today are designed to restore all five signs of healthy hair. The Healthy-Gloss 5 Haircare System is exclusively formulated with SatinOil, a breakthrough moisturizing oil that provides five times the conditioning power for strong, silky, shiny hair.

Here's what's inside the gift basket:

· Healthy-Gloss 5 Moisture Shampoo – Gently cleanses hair and scalp without stripping or flaking. Instantly transforms dry hair strands with more moisture and no build-up. Features panthenol and Vitamin B. (SRP $5.49)

· Healthy-Gloss 5 Moisture Conditioner – Penetrates three levels deep for more protection beyond the hair’s surface, while instantly transforming hair with knockout shine and silky-softness. Features Panthenol, Jojoba, Avocado, Olive Oil and Shea Butter. (SRP $5.49)

· Healthy-Gloss 5 Moisture Leave-in-Treatment – Instantly revives over-processed hair with nourishing moisture and advance conditioning. Adds tensile strength, moisture and softness. For use on wet hair only. (SRP $5.49)

· Healthy-Gloss 5 Moisture Hair Crème – Replenishes hair and scalp with intense moisture. Infuses hair with supreme shine and feather light softness. For daily use. (SRP $5.49)

Comment below for your chance to win!

Eligibility

1. You must be following @LoveBrownSugar on Twitter and/or 'like' LoveBrownSugar on Facebook.

Kickin' It: Dark & Lovely + Essence Event With Bria Murphy

 Last night LoveBrownSugar contributor Nike of MyModestMouth covered a fab event with Dark & Lovely. I blogged about their Fashionista Model Search with Essence Magazine on Monday. Hopefully some of you lovelies saw it and attended the live casting call in NYC! In case you didn't here's a brief recap:

Dark & Lovely Fashionista Model Search

NYC fashionistas, Dark and Lovely has partnered up with Essence Magazine in a nationwide search for the next “Dark and Lovely” Fashionista Model Search. They plan to kick off the search with a live casting call in NYC at the Metropolitan Pavillion on Wednesday, June 15th from 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM and it’s open to the public. Check out the deets below!