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!

Red Carpet Fashion: Black Girls Rock Awards 2012

Tonight BET Networks premiered the annual Black Girls Rock Awards and in true red-carpet fashion, our favorite females showed their support as well as their impeccable sense of style. Black Girls Rock is always one of my absolute favorite award shows, not just for the fashions but because these celebrities are supporting such an amazing cause. Empowerment of young females of color is so incredibly important so I make it a point to watch and support the show every year. Here are a few of my favorite looks from the red carpet:

Roc Nation songstress Bridget Kelly served it up on the carpet in a body-conscious black dress, statement jewels and her signature blunt bangs (done by celebrity hairstylist Keith Campbell)

Black was definitely the theme of the night. Lala Vasquez-Anthony showed up in a body-hugging Balmain black velvet number, a sophisticated updo and classic Louboutin black pumps.

Marsha Ambrosius was glowing in a fitted black blazer and statement belt, luscious curls, and rhinestone hoops.

Janelle Monae (who's a new spokesperson for Covergirl) looked amazing in her signature tuxedo "uniform" with a little diamond embellishment.

Taraji P. Henson broke the mold in a glittering gold DVF number. Super classy and well-fitted. Loved it!

Ciara went with an architectural silhouette and slicked back hair. Not gonna lie, I was a little confused by this look, but I'll let her live.

Meagan Good served a glowing post-wedding glow with tapered layers, a red lip and a full on black ensemble. She rocked a cropped turtleneck top and a flowing maxi skirt.

The hostesses of Black Girls Rock - Tracee Ellis Ross and Regina King pose with performer Keyshia Cole on the red carpet.

Per usual, Tracee Ellis Ross served a fierce face and a luscious head of curls. That berry lip is everything! Definitely doing a "Get The Look" for this one soon.

Who doesn't LIVE for Kerry Washington? I am here for her. Love this beauty look. She's giving a sophisticated updo, a red lip and a dainty beaded Marchesa cocktail dress.

For more pictures from the Black Girls Rock red carpet, head on over to LoveBrownSugar on Facebook. There are tons more. Leave comments and let me know your thoughts over there.

Photos by Shade Freeland of ShadedBlaque Photography

Which red carpet look was your fave? Soundoff below!

Celeb-Spotting at the BET Awards Ford Hotspot

So I told you guys all about my red carpet run-ins yesterday, but the real celeb spotting took place at the Ford Hotspot backstage, complete with the 2013 Ford Fusion as a centerpiece. Take a peek at all the amazing people I met and a few I interviewed:

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