CFF Charity Basketball Game

One of the charities I am involved with,The Circle of Friends Foundation will be hosting a charity basketball game on Saturday June 2, 2012 at YMCA. The purpose of the game will be to raise funds for the James F. Cooper School in Kakata. The game will begin at 1pm and will consist of an All-Star Team of players from the Liberian Basketball Association, the foundation's team, and teams from UNMIL and SSS. Admission is only $5 USD and snacks and drinks will be sold. Please see the flyer for any additional information. Come out and support a good cause. See you there!

Korto Momolu: A Timeless Fashion Designer

The other day I was watching re-runs of Project Runway and it just so happend that they were episodes of Korto's season. Watching her collection come down the runway at Bryant Park was the best reminder in the world of how MEAN (the good one) Korto is as a fashion designer. Let's all remember that this collection was from four years ago, and I believe that every single piece would still kill in today's fashion world. Korto Momolu, A Timeless (Liberian) Fashion Designer.

P.S. Does anyone know what's up with www.kortomomolu.com ? It's been down forever.

P.P.S. Shout out to Dani and Brianna (ANTM Alumni) loves them!

Liberian Naturalista: Elizabeth Rose Amidjogbe

1. Tell us your name and where you are from

My name is Liz and I'm from Liberia, although I've spent most of my years in the U.S.

2. What is your profession, and is your hair considered a positive or negative in your field?

I'm a lawyer. Funny enough, during law school we were always told that natural hairstyles COULD be considered negatively because the legal profession is very conservative. Most career planning/advising places suggest you wear your hair pulled back in an interview. However, working in the legal field, I think if your hair is neat (even if you're wearing a twistout), it probably won't be considered negative. Although in Liberia, I've noticed that many people are not fans of certain natural hairstyles like twist outs and wash and gos.

3. How long have you been natural?

Since my sophomore year of high shcool. So about 13 years! but I didn't learn how to care for it properly until much later in my journey.

4. How do you style your hair?

As of late, I think my signature hairstyle is going to be twists, kinky twists and two-stranded twists). I like cornrow combos as well, but I think that twists really suit my face and personality while giving me tons of versatility.

5. What is your hair regimen?

I try to wash once a week, but that doesn't always happen. I wash my hair in loose plaits so as to limit breakage and to make the process easier. i'll wash (with shampoo), deep condition (protein treatment) then detangle after the conditioner has been soaked up. I rinse out the conditioner after I've detangled. During the detangling process, I convert the plaits into smaller two strand twists. I air dry my hair using a bread towel (it's gentle on the curls and doesn't pull them; a t-shirt or micro-fiber towel would be just as gentle). While it's still damp, I moisturize with my favorit moisturizer (Hairveda's whipped cream ends hydration) and seal the entire length with castor oil (my hair becomes uber soft with castor oil; that's my hair's boo). Let it dry and then style it or call the braider to come!

6. How would you describe your personal style?

My style reflects my personality! I'm Liberian, but have lived in the U.S. and Spain. I'm a city girl who's eclectic and loves all kinds of music. I love western style clothes made in African prints! I love the lines, sleekness, and finishing of western style clothing, but I love the color and patterns of African print! I grew up seeing African print only with African gowns and lappa suits, so as an adult, I like to showcase my culture through African print business suits, sheath dresses, and pencil skirts!

7. What advice do you have for others that are considering going natural?

1. Do some research, the information out there now is so much more accessible than when I started my journey.

2. Moisturizing is the most important thing you can do. Moisturizing should really start with water. and you should add something(an oil or butter) on it so that it doesn't dry your hair out further.

3. Understand that you CANNOT treat natural hair the same as chemically straightened hair. They require different approaches. Please don't comb your hair dry. Please don't comb your hair from root to tip.

Hot Yellow

I picked up this amazing dress at one of the Marazetti Trunk Shows you all have been seeing me advertise from time to time. I wore it for a hot night on the town filled with tons of dancing and a lot more drinking :o). The statement necklace was also a fab find at the trunk show. I LOVE THIS NECKLACE. Since the dress is a show stopper its self I kept my accessories simple with stud earrings and a variation of silver rings on my fingers. I wanted to make sure my feet were comfortable so, I threw on my Jessica Simpson wedges. What do you think?

Dress and Necklace-Marazetti Trunk Show

Rings-Random Finds

Shoes-Jessica Simpson

Shea Moisture

I have been meaning to do a post on Shea Moisture for a while. The reason why I have been putting it on hold is due to the fact that the website is down, and I was unable to get ample information. I figure 4 months is a long enough time to put it off so here we go!

Shea Moisture was founded in 1912 by a Sierra Leone native named Sofi Tucker who later relocated to Liberia. The company offers all-natural, face, hair, bath, body, shave, waxing and baby care remedies, from age-old family recipes carried down through the generations. Thanks to CEO (and descendant of Sofi) Rich Dennis, Shea Moisture has swept the world and can be found at Target, Walgreens, Walmart and Duane Reade. Another one puts Liberia on the map!

Shea Moisture is heavily popular amongst the natural hair community and offers long lasting moisture, shine and definition to hair. I am a huge fan of the Curl Enhancing Smoothie, it does wonders for me.

Beauty: Dark Lipstick Trend

This is a cover of Liberia Travel & Life Magazine from a little while back. What I loved about this look is that Model Brenda Feeman is wearing charcoale on her lips and authentic gold dust on the face. Who knew you could get pretty by using these common finds huh? Her makeup was done by Liberian fashion designer, hair stylist, and makeup artist Love Martor.

I chose to feature this due to the dark lip trend that swept this year's Met Gala. If interested in trying the look,but black seems a little too drastic for you try a deep plum, it looks just as beautiful.

Zutin: Suakoko Betty

I absolutely love it when I find more Liberian designers and fashions. Today we are featuring Suakoko Betty which launched in 2007 by designer Charlene Bendu Dunbar. The name "suakoko" comes from the Kpelle Tribe of Liberia meaning "place of new beginning", and as far as "betty" we all watched "Clueless" right? The Atlanta based designer takes authentic West African wax and resist-dye prints and turns them into flattering and current dresses and separates.

I must say her collections are HOTT...I'm so in love...check out more by clicking here.

Red, White, and Teal

I wore this outfit to a friend's After Dark Birthday Cookout a little while ago. The top and the shoes were new so I decided to throw them on and call it a night. I got a couple of nice comments about the color choices, and I hope you feel the same. Love ya!



Top- Forever 21

Necklace- Vintage

Jeans- Lulu's.com

Shoes- Urban Outfitters

LIB Graces Big Brother Africa StarGame

"Its Our Tiiiiiiiiiiiiiime"! Yup its official Liberia has finally made it to Big Brother Africa StarGame. Out of the over 50 couples that were interviewed the above pictured Lukuly Dakinah 26 and Yadel Nimley, 22 were the ones who made the cut. With "Luke" being an entrepreneur and Yadel being an entertainer the two are ambitious in putting LIB on the map through this once in a life time experience.

I'll be honest this is my first time watching the show, and its only because Liberians are in the house. My opinion is that the show could use some editing. The fact that the cameras are rolling eventhough sometimes nothing is happening can get boring at times. The contestants can smoke weed on there which is kind of interesting...lol...either way big up to Luke and Yadel. Read the interview of the two at Front Page Africa

Purple Turban and Boyfriend Jeans

A while back I emailed some of my favorite bloggers and asked them to check out and critique my baby (this blog). All of them I pretty good and honest feedback (as I write this I am wiping sweat from my forehead). One piece of advice that basically all of them had was to do posts that feature me. The 4 Aces in particular told me that readers want to see you when they visit your blog. This allows them to get to know a little more about you as a person. With that said I have decided to start doing some style posts, so here we go!

 I wore this number a while back when going out to dinner with my boyfriend. My hair was in a 'Fro at the time so I decided to throw on a turban which I often love to do. I wore a simple yellow and white stripped tank and peg-legged boyfriend jeans (literally a pair of my boyfriend's jeans). The look was topped off with an authentic African snake skin bag and goldish sandals.

Turban-Vintage

Tank, Feather Necklace, Belt- Forever 21

Earrings- Beauty Supply Store

Jeans- My Boyfriend's Closet

Shoes- Jessica Simpson

Tru-Vision Clothing

 Liberian Native T-Shirt (Purple and Yellow) $24.99 USD

I came across Tru-Vision Clothing a couple of months ago when promoting one of my fashion events. This innovative clothing company was founded in 2010 by a Liberian native based in the United States. Josheph T. Mayah says his company was inspired by those who dare to dream. The designs are African contemporary and focus on detail trim and high quality t-shirts which are paired with extensive print techniques. I have chosen a couple of my favorites (of course all the Liberian ones) to share with you all. Leave comments and let me know what you think!

 Fyn Gal Made in Liberia $24.99 USD

 Tru-Vision Liberian Collection $28.00 USD

 Liberian Native T-Shirt (Gray and Yellow)

Fab Facebook Tag: Fun Times at Coopers Beach

Me, Kuki, Toushi, and Tania

A couple of my friends and I went to Cooper's Beach this past Sunday and trule\y had a blast. The beach has the Atlantic on one side and a beautiful lagoon on the other. We enjoyed wine, laughs, and made sure to take a quick dip in the ocean. The thing I love most about Cooper's Beach is that there is a large sand-bar in the water, so you can literally walk on the water while the waves hit you. It's awesome. This is why I will dedicate my life to promoting tourism to Liberia. We have so much to offer. Thanks for the tag Kuki!

This is video that was filmed a couple of months after I moved back to Liberia. I was still at RLJ Kendeja Resort & Villas at the time, and my then co-worker William and I were asked to give our views on living and working in Liberia. The purpose of the interview was to get the word out to the Liberian Diaspora about the joys and struggles of LIB living.

Hmm...I sure was smaller in August of 2010...Operation Lose Added Pounds is still in effect...Anyway hope you enjoy the video...more videos can be found here.