Welcoming myself back!!!

I've been away for so long, I'd forgotten that I haven't blogged here in months and months!!! I'm so sorry for neglecting this wonderful site! It's been a hectic few months, what with traveling overseas in the fall (Singapore for nearly the entire month of September), running my freelance writing business, the holidays, and then...drum roll...a move to one of the fastest-growing cities in the country -- and one of my two hometowns (the other being Manila), Dallas!

Yup, my husband and I decided to head back and be closer to our families again. He landed a good job at one of the most prestigious hospitals in the area, so we're back in the arms of the Big D and are trying to get our bearings once more. (We moved here about a month ago.) We're not completely settled in yet -- our new apartment won't be ready for move-in for another two weeks -- but we're getting there. In the meantime, I'm lining up my projects and am getting back on track with some that I've neglected the past few months, including Beauty in Mahogany!

I have a backlog of products to review and am planning to concentrate on that for the next few weeks. My plan of action is to review three times a week, not including shorter, more pithy posts about fashion, events, and other articles that may be of interest to stylish, gorgeous women of color. Now that I'm back in Dallas, I'll have even more opportunity to check out the latest and best in beauty and fashion, not to mention all the fantastic cultural events that this city has to offer.

I still miss the quiet life out in the rural West, but I'm adjusting back to city life. I guess I found out that I'm really a rural girl at heart, but I'm taking advantage of all that Dallas has to offer. So far, so good.

To those of you who've stuck by Beauty in Mahogany throughout its hiatus, thank you! It's so good to be back.

Back to our regularly scheduled program!

Greetings! Wow, I didn't realize I'd been neglecting this blog for as long as...oh, many months. :-)

I've been over at My Inner French Girl for a little while, beauty blogging over there as well as doing some commentaries on fashion, culture, films, books...the usual Francophilia stuff. However, I realized not too long ago that I was starting to cram too much into that poor little blog, and my posts were suffering for it. So I'm relaunching this one to focus exclusively on beauty and fashion and leaving the culture and art to My Inner French Girl. It makes more sense, no?

My plans for Beauty in Mahogany remain the same and true to its roots, though: beauty and fashion reviews for the beauty addicts and fashionistas among you, but especially geared towards women of color. That's my own particular demographic and the one I can speak to the best. We're the fastest growing audience in the country, mes amies, and the beauty industry is finally sitting up and taking notice!

So I deeply appreciate those of you who've stuck with me and have been patient while I work out the logistics of my blogging projects. I haven't forgotten Beauty in Mahogany. Au contraire, I've missed my beauty exclusives here and am so excited to be back in business. You'll find more posts about the latest in beauty and fashion around the country and the world. In fact, I'll be going to Singapore in a couple of months for three whole weeks, and you can bet that I'll be capturing the beauty and fashion scene in that dynamic and oh-so-sophisticated city for you!

In the meantime, I'm starting with a couple of beauty reviews for now. And if you want to check out some of other reviews I've done of late, feel free to visit My Inner French Girl and click on the beauty tag. That'll get you some juicy, in-depth and unbiased opinions about some of the latest products to hit the market. Enjoy!

Archaeological dig

I had to clean out my purse this morning to make room for more stuff and was surprised at how much I was/am able to cram into a satchel that's smaller than it appears. The activity reminded me of those articles in beauty magazines where celebrities are asked the contents of their purse.

So, while I'm not a celebrity (although I did get lots of requests for my autograph from kindergarten students when I was teaching English in Japan!), I'll list my purse contents anyway (as of 10am Mountain, that is):

• Guess checkbook/wallet with US$20 and more receipts than necessary
• Small brush
• Small, pocket-sized notebook
• Large (about 10"x5" spiral notebook)
• Planner (sized roughly the same as large notebook), stuffed with papers, mail to be sent, stamps
• Sony digital voice recorder (for interviews)
• Pack of eight unused AAA batteries (for aforementioned DVR)
• Checkbook with register
• Small tube of hand lotion
• 3 pens
• Mechanical pencil
• Travel-sized tube of sunblock SPF 35
• Cosmetic bag with: Pack of face blotting papers; pack of birth control pills (ya can never be too careful); small compact mirror from Sephora (my favorite accessory!), pill dispenser for the million medications and vitamins I have to take everyday; small bottle of contact lens rewetting drops; L'Occitane lip gloss in Cherry Blossom; Chapstick; Hawaiian Tropic Sport lip balom SPF 45; nail clipper; Neutrogena LipSheer in Sunny Berry; Neutrogena Healthy Skin cream powder makeup compact in Golden Bisque; and (for some reason) a Carnival Cruise Line pin.
  

Huh. More than I thought I could fit into my bag (a Michael by Michael Kors), but also more than I should fit into the bag. (Many days I also manage to cram a paperback in there when I know I'm going to be waiting in line somewhere.) Girls, if your bag is so heavy that your shoulders start to hurt (or if you suffer from chronic shoulder and/or back pain), you might want to think about ditching some of the stuff. Or consider a backpack.

Of course, I say that, but will I actually lighten my own load? Probably not. If anything, I have my eye on a Coach business tote, perhaps something like this. As a freelance journalist/writer, my "office" is quite often my bag, so I need something that can haul more than just my wallet and keys.

I've yet to succumb to one of those "stylish" briefcases with a pull-handle and wheels, though. I used to work with plenty of guys who wheeled those around (they were engineers and consultants who really did live out of their cars half the time), and while they're functional and can carry a ton of stuff, I'm not really ready to go that way yet. Practical, but definitely not stylish. At least, I haven't found any that are. Yet.