Denise White wasn’t thinking of the words strength, light, and bright when she decided to adopt the name Avery Sunshine. According to Sunshine, she now personifies all of those qualities.

When examining the arc of one’s artistry, what must be considered above that individual’s personal aptitude of his respective skill is the fact that you are a product of your environment. Terence Blanchard is an arc type for this principle, extracting the rich spirit of his New Orleans upbringing from his trumpet onto everything he’s touched: from his teenage stint with Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers to his stature as one of the most respected film composers of the last two decades.

With all of her accolades and accomplishments, she simply views life right now as purposeful. She acknowledges walking in your purpose and allowing others to do the same as one of the biggest lessons life has taught her. “You know, my current manager had no experience, but I gave him a chance,” said Angie Stone

We have all been in a low that drives us toward highly processed bad foods, which inevitably deliver that bitter sting of wanting or even more depression, followed by even more bad food.

Put down the blow dryer and step away from that flat iron…

This summer, hair in its most “natural” state is turning heads. Forget ironing your hair within an inch of its life; veteran hair stylist David Harrington says: let it run free!

Shinto Clinical is the latest endeavor of former model-turned-businesswoman Kimora Lee Simmons. Hailed as a cozy line of skin care inspired by the women in her family, Simmons got behind this mid-priced selection of cleanser, toner, moisturizer and treatments.

We’re all getting older. That’s just a fact of life. But getting old doesn’t mean we have to take it lying down. These days, there are many practices (and potions) to keep us looking young and vibrant, long into our sunset.

Using a makeup primer underneath the base is key. It allows the makeup to last throughout the day without slipping off or disappearing. Keeping things light is also important; opt for a tinted moisturizer with SPF instead of foundation, to keep skin looking translucent, bright and fresh.

I am proud to say that—minus the getting off the computer by eight in the evening—I have adopted these activities and routines wholeheartedly. In turn, my overall view and perspective of shopping for the “teeny-weeny bikini” has shifted.

When the verdict was read, that’s when all hell broke loose! South Central became the scene of riots, fires, and deaths. I remember. I witnessed it as a passenger in a friend’s car while on the freeway peering into the war zone, where violence and looting erupted almost instantaneously upon the broadcast news that four out of the five cops were found “not guilty.” The Blacks of Los Angeles had finally had enough!