LA EVENTS: Ebony Repertory Theatre Celebrates Black History

A Celebration of Black History

A Journey in Four Parts

 

Every SATURDAY in FEBRUARY

February 4    7:30PM – A Celebration of History

February 11   8:00pm – A Celebration of Love

February 18   8:00pm – A Celebration of Men

February 25   8:00pm – A Celebration of Women

Doors open one hour prior to performances

Purchase YOUR Tickets Now!

For tickets and information, contact Ebony Repertory Theatre  http://www.ebonyrep.org/   or 323-964-9766

Ebony Repertory Theatre is located in the

Nate Holden Performing Arts Center

4718 W. Washington Blvd

Los Angeles, CA  90016

 

Confessions: 7 Reasons Why Women Cheat

You’ve probably heard that men cheat for physical reasons, women for emotional reasons. Sure, there’s some truth to that, but when we asked real women around the country to share why they strayed from their boyfriends, we learned they had a whole host of explanations — from bad kissing to sheer revenge. Read on for the truth about why women have given in to temptation.

Reason #1: There’s no passion
“I had been with John for about three years — he was a really nice guy, and I enjoyed being with him, but there wasn’t a ton of passion. Most everyone we knew had gotten engaged, and though John would have proposed in a second, whenever he brought it up, I’d change the subject. I took a trip to Australia for work and while I was gone, I got together with a coworker to whom I’d always been insanely attracted. I had a fantastic trip, probably because for the first time in a long time I experienced that excitement I’d been missing. I broke up with John soon after I returned home and began dating the guy from the trip. Even though I’m not super-proud of my actions, things ended up for the best: after dating for a few years, the guy from the trip and I got married and we’re incredibly happy together.”
– Giselle, 30, Montvale, NJ

Reason #2: To delay a breakup
“Right before I was going to break up with my ex, Sean, he found out that he had to put his beloved dog to sleep. He was so broken up about it that I didn’t have the heart to end things, so I waited a month or so until he was in better shape. When things seemed to be better and I was ready, he lost his job, so I felt like I was back to square one! By that time I had met someone else that I really wanted to start seeing, so I went ahead and did it. I eventually ended things, never telling Sean about my extracurricular dating. I think I rationalized that I was trying to spare his feelings.”
– Stacy, 30, Lexington, KY

Reason #3: Because absence doesn’t make the heart grow fonder
“My boyfriend Greg and I decided to do the long-distance thing after I was accepted to a graduate program 200 miles from where we lived. The first few months were fine, but I soon found myself becoming extremely attracted to my lab partner, Henry. What began as innocent flirting eventually wound up with us getting physical. After the program was over, I returned home to Greg. Being with him was really difficult, but I didn’t break up with him initially because I was still attracted to him, too. I visited Henry a few times and realized that he was really more of a fling, probably done out of boredom, and that Greg was the one for me. I eventually stopped communicating with Henry. I never told Greg about what happened, which occasionally makes me feel guilty, but I chalk my cheating up to being young and silly. He and I are still together, four years after my program ended.”
– Tamara, 33, Portland, OR

Reason #4: To avoid being left out in the cold
“I began dating Eric shortly after I had been dumped by Dave, my boyfriend of two years. I was devastated and Eric was definitely a rebound thing. After Eric and I had dated for five months, Dave came back and wanted to give things another shot. I still really missed him, so I began seeing him, but never ended things with Eric. I think I sort of kept Eric around for insurance purposes, just in case things didn’t end up well with Dave. Dave and I didn’t make it on round two, and after Eric discovered through mutual friends that I had been seeing him again, he ended things with me. I definitely learned my lesson about dating two guys at the same time, not to mention trying to rekindle a relationship that’s just plain over.”
– Jen, 28, Oak Park, IL

Reason #5: To make a break from a bad relationship
“When I was younger, I dated a guy named Ethan who was really critical of me. He constantly made little snide comments about my weight, how stupid I was and how clumsy I was. For whatever odd reason, I was into him, despite the fact that all of my friends and family hated him. One weekend when he was away, I met Will at a party and we completely hit it off. He was the complete opposite of Ethan — kind, sweet and generous, yet completely cool and fun, too. We hung out all weekend and it was like a light bulb went off in my head: This is how mature, relationship-worthy guys act. I kissed Will the night before he left and broke up with Ethan soon after. Will and I dated for three years and now we’re married.”
– Allison, 30, New York, NY

Reason #6: To find that missing piece
“I’m from Florida, so I adore going to the beach and boating, but my former boyfriend, Chris, a total city boy, hated it. We always argued about where we’d take trips, and he always won. About eight months into our relationship, I took a trip to Key West with my friends and we chartered a boat for the day. The captain of the boat was this totally hot, complete ‘beach guy for life’ type, and I spent the whole day flirting with him. We met him out that night and spent time alone together. I never told Chris about it after I got home and I never felt guilty; I think part of me felt like that’s what Chris got for being so stubborn! Chris and I didn’t make it, and after we broke up, I made sure any future boyfriends loved the beach!”
– Lizzie, 32, Chicago, IL

Reason #7: To give him a taste of his own medicine
“My last boyfriend was a total player before we got together. I thought I could change him but I was wrong. I always heard rumors that he was seeing other girls while we were dating, but he always denied it. One night, I got a call from a girl he had been secretly dating, and she detailed their three-month-long relationship to me and told me about another girl she had discovered he was seeing as well. I was so mad that I went out with my friends that night, dressed to kill, and spent time with the most attractive guy; I felt like it was the least he deserved! I loved seeing the look on his face when I told him about what I did and that I knew about the other girls. And then I dumped him!”
– Ashante, 25, College Park, GA

Source:  Chelsea Kaplan via Yahoo

Makeup For Women of Color

I’ve recently developed a new appreciation for eyeshadows and lip glosses, and thanks to our new beauty editor, Erica Reed, I’ve learned which makeup lines create products that compliment the skin tones of women of color. I was pleasantly surprised at how much variety is available for us. I grew up watching my mom use Fashion Fair products, and remember vividly when that was about the only makeup line available that worked with our skin. However, the following lines are vying for our attention and have amazing products to offer:

M-A-C: Since M-A-C hit the makeup scene, it’s been a hit with women (and men) worldwide. The makeup is known to be a bit heavy, so it’s best used for those who want full coverage for their skin. Their color palettes for lips and eyes are vast and vivid and they have a myriad of choices to compliment every skin tone.

Black Is fav: Studio Finish SPF 35 Concealer. Comes in a range of colors and provides sunscreen – can’t beat that.

NARS: Nars has recently become my new favorite makeup line and what I love about them most are the unique colors within the collection and how pigmented the makeup is. Nars is bold and modern, and thought their color pairing sometimes seem odd, they go well together. Also, NARS is the home of The Multiple, a makeup stick that is multi-use for eyes, cheeks, lips and decolletage. Although the most popular color in this line is called “Orgasm“, I would suggest The Multiple in Malibu and South Beach for caramel complexions and deeper.

Black Is fav: Eyeshadow Duos and Palettes. If you can get your hands on a eyeshadow palette, grab it. You will have so much fun mixing and matching NARS’ beautiful colors.

Bare Escentuals: I discovered Bare Escentuals when I learned my old favorite, Prescriptives, was reduced to a website. What made Prescriptives so great was their ability to match your skin tone perfectly and create custom powders and foundations. Bare Escentuals is the next best thing, as they offer such a wide range of colors, you are certain to find something to work with your hue. Bare Escentuals is also a hypoallergenic makeup line so it works well on sensitive skin. Their foundation is actually good for your skin and blemishes go away much faster when using it.

Black Is fav: Bare Escentuals bareMinerals SPF 15 Foundation and makeup brushes. This powder-to-cream formula is easy to apply and barely noticeable. Sunscreen in the formula is a definite bonus. Their makeup brushes are made for the powder form the products come in. This helps with application of the products.

Smashbox: Smashbox is best known for one of their star products, the Photo Finish Foundation Primer. This primer feels like velvet and reduces the appearance of fine lines and pores.  The primer, tinted or clear, is oil free and can be worn alone or under foundation. It acts as a barrier between your skin and your makeup which is great for someone with sensitive skin. Another plus to using a primer is that you won’t need to use as much foundation because of the smooth shield that is protecting your skin.

Black Is fav: Smashbox’s line of best-selling lip enhancing lip glosses. They come in very complementing colors for our range of complexions, are very moisturizing and long lasting.

What makeup lines do you use? Tell us!