Interview: Celebrity Makeup Artist Tia Dantzler Shares Tips & Tricks of the Trade!!

I have admired the impeccable work of Celebrity Makeup Artist Tia Dantzler long before the inception of MTM. Needless to say, I was thrilled and honored when Tia granted my request for an interview. Read on to find out what brands of foundation Tia recommends for women of color, as well brand recommendations for beauties on a budget!

MTM: Tell me a little bit about your background. 

TD: My gift as a makeup artist has created a path for me both in the celebrity world to almost every form of media from tv, film and print to name a few. I've been in the beauty industry for eight years now and boy does time fly. I've had the pleasure of working with a diverse group of Politicians, Musicians as well as Actors who include President Barack Obama, Jennifer Hudson, Maxwell, Fantasia, Kanye, Gabby Sidibe, Lalah Hathaway, Chandra Wilson, Common and many more.

MTM: As a darker-skinned African American woman, I find it difficult to shop for foundation. Are there any brands out there you can recommend to make it a bit easier? 

TD: Yes, there are so many brands on the market now that cater to darker skin and I'm excited about it. Some of the cosmetic lines that offer a great color selection in my opinion are M.A.C., Bobbi Brown, Black Opal and Cover Girl Queen Collection to name a few.  Sometimes if one foundation didn't work for you try another foundation within the same cosmetic line because texture can make a huge difference.

MTM: Do you recommend using more than one color of foundation at a time, or would you advise the novices to leave the blending work to the pros?  

TD: Yes, sometimes I blend as many as 3 shades to achieve the desired tone I'm looking for.  It is certainly possible to have more than one skin-tone on our faces.  For everyday makeup I would stick with one shade and perhaps a concealer one shade lighter if needed. 

MTM: What are some quality drug-store brands you can recommend to beauties on a budget? 

TD: You can find some great products at the drugstore that give great color pay-off such as, Black Opal, Wet & Wild, Milani and Iman to name a few.  Cover Girl, Maybeline and Rimmell have some of the best mascaras too.

MTM: How often should we replace our makeup? 

TD:  As far as mascaras, I would discard after 3 months.  Some foundations can be used up to a year.  If you start smelling odors or the mascara starts to dry out that's a sure sign to toss out. Please make sure to tightly secure all tops on products to keep bacteria from quickly building up.

MTM: I love the look you did for Jennifer Hudson on the cover of Essence; what are some tips or ticks you can offer to get that red carpet flawless finish at home? 

TD: I'm big on maintaining a daily skincare regimen to maintain great skin.  I would suggest starting off cleansing and moisturizing before you apply foundation especially powder because moisturizer just helps your makeup lay pretty.  Achieving a flawless look can take some time and patience depending on your skin condition.  Primers are another sure way to prep and prepare skin for concealer and foundation applications.  I absolutely love highlighters which gives your skin a glow without the sun.  I love to place the highlighter just above the cheekbones for a fresh glow.

MTM: For those that are new to makeup, or the beauty mavens that just want to consolidate their makeup arsenal, what are four beauty products every woman should have? 

TD: Four must have products are: foundation to even your skin-tone, mascara to open up your eyes and bring definition all at the same time, Eyeliner to really make your eyes pop and to give them shape, and lastly a nice lip color that compliments your skin-tone.

MTM: And finally, what hues on the runway are hot right now that would translate on African American skin-tones? 

TD: The color purple ruled the runways this season which is a great choice because it comes in so many hues.  Another great reason to love this color is that it ranges from cool to warm tones so everybody can rock purple and look great.  Bold lips in purples, reds and deep burgundy were also a hit during fashion week.

Want to find out more about Tia Dantzler?

Website: www.tiadantzler.net

Facebook Fan Page: Tia Dantzler's FB Fan Page

Twitter: www.twitter.com/tiadantzler

Blog: www.thebeautyelixir.blogspot.com

 

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Divine Influence: My Interview w/Celebrity Stylist & Natural Hair Guru Felicia Leatherwood

 Felicia doing a demonstration at her New York Workshop

I am pleased to introduce you to Felicia Leatherwood. Founder of Loving Your Natural Hair With Care Workshop, Celebrity Stylist & Natural Hair Specialist with a knack for bringing out the best in your tresses. Felicia isn't just about giving you a funky style and sending you on your way, her styles are infused with love and topped with indispensable knowledge that leaves you feeling good not just about your coils, but about yourself as a whole. 

Felicia travels holding workshops that inspire women to love their natural hair while also tapping into their innermost beauty. Loving Your Natural Hair With Care will be at the Carols Daughter store this Sunday, September 19th at the Westfield Plaza, and I can't wait to hear her speak! If anyone is interested, details can be found here!

MTM: Tell me a little bit about your background as a stylist.

FL: My mom didn't know how to do hair at all, which is what prompted me to start doing hair. I started braiding hair when I was about 9 years old. 

In later years, Felicia states: 

I ended up at Millennium hair salon and a lot of celebrities would stop by there. I did Sanaa Lathan, Cedric The Entertainer, Anthony Anderson, Will Smith, Brenda Russell, Lala Hathaway and of course Jill Scott who I currently work with.

MTM: Has hair always been a passion of yours? And if so did you experience any roadblocks along the while trying to pave your own path? 

FL: Hair has always been a passion for me, I didn't really experience any roadblocks, everything has pretty much been divine order. No one really helped me get in, I just picked up a comb and brush and just started doing it. I would always do my own hairstyles, and people would just always ask me about my hair. It just started from there.

MTM: Are you exclusive to natural hair, or do you work with other styling options [such as thermal styling, relaxers etc]?

FL: I don't do relaxers, I do blowouts and I do flat iron. However, I'm mostly a natural hair stylist. For me it's easier to deal with natural hair because if something starts to happen with the hair, I can pretty much tell if it's the diet or the product. When you start dealing with relaxers, it's really hard to tell if the person's hair starts to break-off or shed because of the chemical, stress, or PH [PH Balance] is off. It's such a hard call. 

MTM: What's the number one misconception when it comes to African American women and their hair?  

FL: I think the number one misconception is that our hair is so-called 'hard to deal with'. However it isn't hard to deal with, it just takes patience, and I think that's why it's on our head. God gave us this hair so that we could learn patience, and just really to learn how to take the time to love ourselves. That's what I believe anyway.  

 Felicia at her Los Angeles Workshop

MTM: What are some of your favorite products [or product line] to use on women [and men] that want to wear their hair in it's natural state?

FL: I have been loving Jane Carter Solutions! I love her shampoo, her conditioner, her leave-in, and her Curl Defining Cream which is really nice. The Curl Defining Cream is similar to Miss Jessie's except it's not heavy and there's no parabens in it. So I've really been digging Jane Carter lately. My other favorite is Karen's Body Beautiful. Karen makes a really good hair milk called Sweet Ambrosia, I also love her Jojoba Oil with the Vanilla Lavender scent. So those have been in my tops. 

I actually recently started using Carol's Daughter Hair Butter, I like that too. It's nice and light and doesn't clog up the pores, so I'm digging that as well. 

MTM: What is your definition of natural beauty? 

FL: My definition of natural beauty is when someone feels organically beautiful. When you meet someone and you are talking to them, and you can see that they are in their organic state of being. Their happy with themselves, they love the way they look, without make-up, without being dressed up and their really just in love with themselves; I call that natural beauty. I like when someone is naturally beautiful, just rockin' their own naturalness.

 One of my favorite Felicia Leatherwood creations; modeled by the beautiful Tomiko Frasier-Hines

MTM: Do you feel that "going natural" prompts you to take better care of yourself as a whole? 

FL: One might think, but not necessarily. It is a doorway into taking better care of yourself and eating right and working out, but not necessarily. Sometimes people just like the look of natural  hair, but they still eat junk food and drink Kool Aid, so I don't know about that. I talk to a lot of women about their diet and working out in relation to their hair, and some of them still haven't put all three together. 

MTM: What is the single most important piece of advice you can give a transitioner? 

FL: Patience, you have to have patience. Don't compare yourselves to others, you are uniquely you. You just have to be patient and enjoy the ride. 

MTM: I know a lot of women that use extensions and braids to help them during their transition, do you have any advice for them? 

FL: I love when women use extensions and braids to transition. My advice is to be very mindful of the hairline. Black women are the only women that have issues with their hairline being pulled out from hairstyles. I always suggest if you are wearing extensions or braids to get a hold of Temple Balm by Organic Root, it's great stuff. In 6-8 weeks, your temples will grow back, and it works wonders; I like that. They have a few other products like it on the market, but that's the one I know works, I have been using it for years on some of my clients.

MTM: What's your opinion on natural hair and the use of heat from flat irons, pressing combs, blow-dryers etc?

FL:  I think it's fine, sometimes you just want to do it for a different look. I wouldn't use a blow dryer that's over 1875 watts because sometimes when you straighten the hair it won't revert back to it's kinky state, it will be straight on the ends. The solution to that would be to double-strand twist your hair, and use the perm rods to curl the ends, until it's ready to revert back. Some hair will revert back, and some never revert back and they have to do the BC [Big Chop]. I'm not really a fan of the big chop, I think you can do a lot of other styles to train the hair to go back into it's natural kinky state, but you know; to each their own.  

 Felicia does an array of styles! - For more photos, check out her FB page here

MTM: What prompted you to start the Loving Your Hair With Natural Care Workshop?

FL:  I saw the need for women to love themselves beyond their hair. I feel like were really just punishing our hair, and it's really not all about the hair. There are things going on inside of us that we're just not dealing with, and we're using the hair as an excuse not to deal with these things. So we keep trying to change our hair, change our clothes, put on makeup; but really it goes beyond the hair. We have to love ourselves. 

The workshop is about empowering ourselves through our hair. It's about using the proper products and doing what it takes to keep the hair in it's natural organic state so that it's just less stress to the hair. I really, really love doing the workshops. It really just empowers and inspires women to love themselves and their hair in it's kinky, curly state. 

MTM: What type of information can we expect to gain from attending? 

FL: The information is amazing. You learn anything from how often you should trim your hair to how often you should wash your hair, what happens when you're wearing a weave that mildews from perspiration, what happens when your locs mildew, dealing with thinning from pregnancy and menopause, or alopecia, dealing with dry scalp, how long you should wear braids and weaves. We also talk about your diet and certain foods that really aid in hair growth. I also talk about the mind, body and spirit being one. 

I talk about exercising, not only being mindful about what goes on your hair, but what goes in your body. We also talk about how we love ourselves. You really get a lot of great information from the workshops. I've been getting amazing feedback, great reviews on the workshops. You get more than you bargained for and you can ask questions. We have so many questions about our hair and we don't know where to go. A lot of us don't feel like searching YouTube or searching the internet just to get these questions answered.  

 More of Felicia's work - I'm really wanting a funky up-do after seeing these pics.

MTM: Where can we find out more about you and your workshop?

FL: You can find out more about the workshop at www.lovingyourhairwithnaturalcare.com or, you can go to my Facebook Fan Page [Loving Your Hair With Natural Care Workshop] which is very interactive, I am on there all the time.You can come there and ask me anything, I post updates, where I'm going to be, and what I'm doing. I'm also on Twitter @LovingYourHair

MTM: Are you available for appointments? 

FL: My salon is privately based on the bottom floor of my home, so I am available by appointment only. I don't have a lot of people waiting around to get their hair done, that makes me nervous [laughs], so it is by appointment only. I travel a lot, so when I am in town I try to take care of all my clients. You can send me an email if you're interested in a consultation at lovingyourhaircare@gmail.com 

MTM: Finish this sentence, in ten years Felicia will be....

FL: In ten years, wow. I hope to be in Spain doing workshops on the internet. I hope [not hope, but I will] I'll have a list of products out under Loving Your Care or Felicia Leatherwood. So I'll have products, I'll be living in a really nice peaceful country, I'll still be empowering men and women of color, and children as well to love themselves and go beyond their hair. To appreciate who they are, not to make comparisons. This is my life's work, this is what I'm doing

Photo Source: Felcia Leatherwoods - Loving Your Hair Facebook Page

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Divine Influence: My Interview w/Lisa Price of Carol's Daughter

 [source:]

Good Afternoon Dream Chasers!

Yesterday I had the honor of interviewing who I deem the Godmother of All Mixtresses; Lisa Price of the wildly popular Carol's Daughter brand. Lisa surprised me with her down-to-earth friendly demeanor, and willingness to divulge her recipe's to success. Lisa's honesty was truly refreshing, and her business acumen impressive; so it's no fluke she's landed coveted partnerships with HSN, Disney, and Sephora.

Read this interview and get inspired, empowered, and uplifted! -

MTM: Tell me about how Carol's Daughter started?
LP: Well, it started out as a hobby; initially I was making fragrances for myself, I have always been a fragrance lover and still am to this day. When I first started to do this as a hobby, I decided I was going to make my own fragrances because I didn't want to smell like everyone else on the train [laughs]. I found a place to buy oils, and I started blending fragrance oils, then I found essential oils, and I mixed those in with them. And initially I would put the oils into things that I would buy at the drugstore; bottles of lotion, baby oils etc. I would just shake the bottles up and try to make products with them, because fragrances last when you layer them; when you put the moisturizers on, when you use the shower gels, then you spray the perfume on, that's how it [fragrance] stays with you. I was trying to recreate that layering experience, yet it didn't always work when I was buying these pre-made things; they weren't always that moisturizing, and I always had dry skin so when I started, I started making body products, and adding my fragrances to them so that I could layer them.

My mom suggested that I sell at a flea market that her church was having one Saturday, and that was the beginning of it. I started by selling at flea markets and craft fairs, just earning some extra cash; then eventually my hobby started to turn into a second job. Through going out and doing these flea markets and craft fairs, women started to ask me for hair care products, and at first I didn't have any. Everything I did initially was body and fragrance related. I couldn't even get them to stay at the table; they would ask if I had hair care, I would say no; and they would leave. So then I said; "well at least if I make some hair care, they'll stick around a little bit longer" [laughs], so I started to make hair care in order to get the customer to stay.

MTM: How did you make the transition from mixing scents and products on your kitchen table to having a full fledged operation?
LP: Well, that took a lot of years, it started out with me in my kitchen making things. Then it grew from me making things by myself to having someone help me, then it grew from two somebody's, to three somebody's, to four somebody's; and at one point I think I had 10 people working in my home. Then I got a warehouse in order to produce more effiencetly, and I set up an industrial kitchen in the warehouse to have more space to produce bigger batches and have more people involved.

Eventually we outgrew the warehouse space, and we had to outsource the manufacturing of the product. So we started off with a certain number of products at a time, and over a two year period we were able to outsource everything. At the time we started outsourcing, the only preservatives that company's would use were parabens, so it took us a while to get the manufacturers to agree to alternative preservatives which was kind of like pulling teeth then [now it's a lot easier] because they didn't have enough history with alternative preservative systems. Once we started the outsource process, it was just a matter of time to get the fragrances perfected, and get the recipe's perfected; it took about to years to do that. 

MTM: Once you realized you could turn passion into profit, did you have any fears along the way? If so, how did you work to overcome them?
LP: I definitely had fears along the way, and still do to this day; they just change shape, change color, and change form. What I find is, as you overcome each one, it makes you stronger for the next time. Sometimes the challenges, and the fears becomes stronger as well, however in the end it all goes towards making you a stronger person. For me, I feel like my journey in entrepreneurship has been one that's been very, very personal; it involved me becoming a more stronger person, and more confident person then the person that I was before I started doing this. However that's isn't necessarily everyone's story, I think there are some people who go into entreprenuership and are extremely confident, and whatever it is that they are supposed to learn from their business is different. For me it has definitely about building confidence, because most of my obstacles are driven be me; my own fears, my own insecurities, my own doubts, and each time I overcome them I am better equipped to handle the next challenge. 

MTM: What were some of the challenges you faced initially?
LP: Learning things! You don't really get a manual per say when you start a business; you make accounting mistakes, you make employee mistakes, you didn't know about the Worker's Comp that you were supposed to pay for, so you get a letter, and have to pay a fines etc. Sometimes I wish there was a kit that arrived in the mail with all the boxes that you have to check because if you don't know, you don't know [laughs].

I remember I had a really funny conversation [well it's funny in retrospect] with a potential wholesaler, and she said; "we would love to carry your line, and I just need to know if you have insurance". I said; "insurance?" and she said: "yeah, do you have insurance?", and I said; "well, I have home owners insurance". I really didn't know what she was talking about, and she finally said; "General Liability Insurance, like for your products, in case someone sues you, you don't have insurance?". I was like 'Oh My God' [laughs], I got off the phone with her and I called my insurance agent to find out more about general liability insurance; and 10,000 later, I had insurance [laughs]. 

MTM: How involved are you in the Carol's Daughter operation today?
LP: Extremely involved, I am more involved in a creative sense, and in a product development sense; I am also in the office everyday except for when I'm traveling. When it comes to marketing the product, my team always comes to me for the story behind the product; they want to know why I picked particular ingredients, why I pick certain fragrances etc. I'm not necessarily involved with operations on a day-to-day level because that's not my area of expertise, so I can't tell you what happens when an order goes into the system; however I can tell you the ingredients in our products, why they're in there, and what we're going to be selling next spring. 

MTM: What is the Carol's Daughter Philosophy?
LP: We have few philosophies. However what first comes to mind is providing products to people that just make their lives better. A lot of times people think that someone in my business lives at the spa, yet I never get to go to a spa. The closest I get to a spa is our Hand & Foot Spa in Harlem to get manicures and pedicures, however going to get a salt scrub, or a hot stone massage; I never have time for that kind of stuff.

Whatever I can do in my own bathroom to have a spa experience, is so important to me. My shower is my spa experience, and I am sure there are tons of women just like me whether it's because of time and or finances that just don't have time to pamper themselves. Sometimes that 5-10 minutes that it takes to apply a salt scrub/sugar scrub, deep condition your hair, or apply a 3-step process on your face, represents that 'me time'. I thinking having 'me time' makes you more sane when you go out into the world, you are better able to function. To me that's something that's hugely important, because if you don't take proper care of yourself, you can't take care of anyone else.

MTM: Your story is very inspiring to a lot of us out there who wish to create our own destiny, what advice do you have for those future entrepreneurs out there?
LP: Finding that very delicate, and sometimes precarious balance between knowing what your vision is, and at the same time being open to change and direction from other places. Sometimes as entrepreneurs we can get very stuck in how we feel, and were not necesarily relevant with the rest of the world. For example; I'm 48 years old, I could care less if I tweet, but I know that tweeting is something that is important so I tweet, not as much as I should, but I'm getting better. You have to be open to the way that the world is changing, and what's going on so that you can remain relevant. You can have who you are at your core, but you always have to remain relevant within the world or eventually your brand will die.

MTM: For those of us that are new to the Carol's Daughter brand, what are some of the must-have products to get acquainted with the line?
LP: Our haircare is most popular; and most loved in haircare I would say is the Black Vanilla Shampoo & Smoothie, and the Hair Milk Lotion [this is the number one sku and has been for the past two years]. On the body side, I would say the Body Jelly is extremely popular; it's a non-petroleum, petroleum jelly. There's no petroleum or mineral oil in it, but it serves the purpose that a petroleum jelly would serve without the bad stuff!

We also have a Peppermint Foot Lotion that's very popular, and a bath salt called Body Ache's Bath Salt that's also very popular.

MTM: Do you have any advice out there for women who are natural or transitioning?
LP: Yes, we sell two products that together form this recipe we call the oil infusion. Right now if they went to the website they wouldn't find oil infusion, but we're working to change that. The oil infusion is Khoret Amen Hair Oil and Khoret Amen Smoothie, you apply them to the hair as a pre-shampoo/pre-conditioning treatment, and it really helps to improve the elasticity and moisture level of the hair. By doing this oil infusion process, your own hair grows in a bit softer while you're transitioning. It isn't going to relax it or take the kink out, it's just a deep conditioner that hydrates the hair, makes it easier to detangle, and easier to manage.

MTM: Carol's Daughter has a new product solution on the market [The Hair Milk Curl Collection]; Tell us a little more about it!
LP: The Hair Milk line is one of the biggest launches we've ever done, and definitely one of our most successful launches to date. The Hair Milk Lotion was one of the products I made for myself to define my curls, as I have always worn my hair curly but didn't necessarily have a product that helped me achieve a great look everyday. Hair Milk has been in our top 5 products for over 15 years, and we knew we could build a franchise out of it. Since the original Hair Milk Lotion was tailored to curls, we really wanted to explore the whole curl market. This also gave us an opportunity to get the product to more people because when you think of curly hair, it doesn't just pertain to African American hair, it can be anyone who has curly hair.

When we were working with the chemist to create the line, we wanted it to be sulfate free, we wanted it to detangle, we wanted for the conditioner to really boost the curls, as well as hydrate and detangle the hair. I got to test it for about 6 months before it hit the market and I loved it; even though I have always worn my hair curly, and people know me in the market for my curly hair, my hair is even easier to maintain having the system vs just having the lotion. My curls just keep longer, it's easier to revive them, and when I fall asleep and wake up in the morning my hair isn't as destroyed as it used to be. I also like co-washing with the Hair Milk Conditioner because I don't like to wash my hair a lot, and the conditioner makes a nice co-wash.

MTM: The Carol's Daughter brand is already associated with major companies like Disney, HSN, and Sephora respectively, where do you see your brand 10 years from now?
LP: Oh boy! It's always hard for me to say that because whenever I say where I think it's going to be, the brand surprises me, and surpasses that. What I always like to say is; "where I see it in the future is still relevant" which I think is really, really important.  I think we have done a really good job at continuing to evolve and grow, so I see us being around, still relevant, and with more legs.

This year we got to launch a sub-brand with Mary J Blige and the My Life fragrance, so My Life is it's own brand within the Carol's Daughter umbrella. It has it's own shows on HSN, it broke all kinds of records, [it launched on July 31rst on HSN], it's the first time that a fragrance was launched on television, and a celebrity fragrance at that. She [Mary J Blige] sold close to 52k units in one day, so it was a tremendous success. It was great as small as we are, to be able to launch a brand under our umbrella.

In November on HSN we'll be launching a line called Lisa's Kitchen which will be at home kits where you can make your own products. So I see us having more legs, where we aren't known just for one thing.

Airtight's Revenge: One on One w/Bilal

Photo Courtesy of: The Top Shelf Company

I got a chance to catch up with the Philly-bred enigma who they call Bilal, on the steps of The California Plaza this past Friday. To my surprise, our 45 minute interview felt more like a conversation catching up with a good friend versus what you would expect from a such an accomplished, innovative artist. We talked about love, label entanglements, J-Dilla, and of course his highly anticipated album which drops September 14th, titled Airtight's Revenge.

Nikole: Do you think growing up in Philly helped shape your sound? And if so, what were some of your early musical influences? 
Bilal: Definitely. I grew up in a dual family; my mom was a single parent and very much into church, so she had me singing gospel at an early age. As far as my pops, he was this big jazz cat, and his best friend owned a lot of jazz clubs. When I would visit my pops, he would take me with him to the jazz clubs, and let me sit in the coatroom. As early as I could remember I would say, "man I want to have my own band, I want to play in a club, it's gonna be dope".

Nikole: What was the inspiration behind Airtight's Revenge? 
Bilal: This album came about at a time when I was doing a lot of personal music. - Initially it started off as me doing music for myself, then it turned into an album. I just wanted to make music about topics that was on everybody's minds, that wasn't necessarily about love. Although there are a lot of love tunes on this album, I just wanted to talk about whatever came to mind. A lot of my major influences like Bob Marley, and Curtis Mayfield would do that; they would just talk about a lot of different stuff.

During the time I was making these tunes, I would have a lot of questions on my mind, and I would just use the music to answer them. I talk about a lot of different things, one of them is confusion of religion; like my moms is Christian, and my pops is Muslim, so I grew up with a lot of questions [laughs]. 


Nikole: Wow, the mix of religions is definitely a different dynamic. Would you say that now you are Spiritual more so than Religious?
Bilal: Yeah, definitely.


Nikole: How do you feel you have changed from 1st Born Second, to this album?
Bilal: I would say that it is more so of a progression, more than saying I totally changed. I'm still soulful, but I have more elements to me now. I have rock elements, blues elements, along with soul and jazz.

Nikole: You worked with a lot of heavy hitters on your debut album, how did that come about?
Bilal: That was crazy man, I just put a list together in my head of all the people I wanted to work with, and I didn't know I was going to work with them all on the same record. It kind of rings true, like whenever I go to that special place inside myself and say, "this is what I want", I don't know if it's God or what, but eventually it comes true.

Nikole: So what do you want right now?
Bilal: I don't know, I couldn't tell you. That's how it works I think...[laughs]

Nikole: How was it working with J-Dilla, do you feel you learned a lot from him?
Bilal: Hell yeah! How could you not! J had this way he would approach the music that made it look so f**king easy you thought you could do it. You would think, "damn this sh*t 'aint hard"! I remember one day we were chillin', and he was walking around and talking to us while he was picking out records, and in 10 minutes, he had the beat to Reminisce. The baseline to Reminisce was like three different records. J's house looked like a library he had so many records, it was like he had a million records and he knew them all.  J had it in him; he was just so fluid, he wasn't just a chopper, he could also play instruments, he was a real musician. When I found out that his pops was a musician cat who played on a lot of albums, I was like, "oh I get it, that's why he's so effortless".

Nikole: Where does Bilal go mentally when it is time to create an album?
Bilal: I like to go chill in my moms basement, but every song comes in a different kind of way. I kind of try to steer away from formulas, because when I stay away from the formula, it feels like I am discovering something new every time.

Nikole: What was the inspiration behind the song "Soul Sista"?
Bilal: Maybe I was thinking about my girlfriend at the time. It really kinda came about like a freestyle, then I worked with James Mtume on the writing, and he really helped me bring out the lyrics. I got to work with a lot of cats that taught me hot to carve songs out.

Nikole: I read in a recent interview that you dislike the term "Neo-Soul"; what genre would you put yourself in? 
Bilal: Yeah I do. I hate the term Neo-Soul. I don't like genres; that's my whole concept, I want to make music that is totally genre-less. I want to confuse the computer when I make my music [laughs].

Nikole: I know Love For Sale [slated to be Bilal's sophmore album] was bootlegged, however you got a lot of gigs from that. How do you feel about that entire situation in hindsight? 
Bilal: I did get a lot gigs off that, it was a Catch 22. But really, I was mad as hell because I put a lot of work and arguments into that album. I was really arguing heavy with my label, like doing crazy stunts and sh*t, you know what I mean? Then for it to get bootlegged, it was f**ked up.

Nikole: What was going on between you and the label?
Bilal: I was really trying to get out of writing a bunch of tracks and sh*t. I was like, "I wanna write songs man", I just wanted to sit down at a piano, make a tune, and then get some producers to  come in, and help me make a track from the song I wrote. My label at the time was finally like, "'aight, we'll give you one week at Electric Lady Studios". When we finally completed the record, and pressed play for the label, they were like, "this sh*t is wack, this sounds like some dark, bluesy, muddy, weird sh*t". I was like, "no this sh*t is hot". After that I took it to another music exec and after he listened to it he was like, "oh you're not really singing, it doesn't sound like you can sing all that well". I just lost my mind after that, and the next thing you know it was bootlegged, and I was like f**k it, I'm not even doing music anymore. I went on strike. - Then people were like, "naw somebody put that sh*t online, and a lot of people liked that sh*t".

Then it really rang true to me that from now on, I'm just gonna do sh*t from my heart, I'm not gonna listen to mutherf**kers anymore. If I really feel something and go with my heart, and with my gut, people like it.

Photo courtesy of: Michael Britton Photography

Nikole: What happened to the locs? Why did you cut them?
Bilal: I was watching Maury Povich one day, and a commercial came on, and I just chopped that sh*t off [laughs].


Nikole: [laughs] So there was no rhyme or reason behind it?
Bilal: I had dreads in high school, and I always knew it was for some stylistic sh*t anyway, it wasn't for no deep sh*t.  I grew locs because I saw this cat on the train, and he had some nice locs, and I was like, "he's pimpin' that's nice"! So it wasn't anything when I cut them, I just did it.

Nikole: What's in your iPod right now?
Bilal: I been listening to a lot of Led Zeppelin, and then the obvious soul sh*t everybody expects me to listen to [laughs], you know like Prince, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, all that good stuff. But lately I have been listening to a lot of other stuff like Frank Zappa and Howlin' Wolf, just stuff like that.

Nikole: Good stuff. Do you watch TV, or are you anti-television?
Bilal: I go through phases, but I watch a lot of TV on mute, TV is so funny when you watch it on mute. You can see the funniest sh*t, you can literally see all of the bloopers when it's on mute [laughs]. If you watch 106 & Park on mute, you'll be like, "oh noo such & such looks mad uncomfortable" [laughs].


Nikole: Do you still watch Maury Povich [laughs]?
Bilal: Hell Yeah! That sh*t is VERY funny on mute!


Nikole: But every show is a paternity test! 
Bilal: Yeah, but it's hilarious! [laughs]

[source]

Nikole: I know you recently launched your own column with Madame Noire about Love & Relationships, tell me how you feel about the state of "black relationships" today? Also, what's your opinion on the topic of black men dating outside their race?
Bilal: I think we should just all love each other. Relationships as a whole are f**ked up because people want to stay young forever now, it's like as soon as you can't get hard anymore, it's time to go [laughs].

Nikole: So do you feel that in this day and age it is still possible to find someone to grow old with?
Bilal: Sure it is. You just have to know what you got when you got it, a lot of people take things for granted.


Nikole: What is the definition of love to you?
Bilal: I can't describe it. That's like asking what's God? - I mean I think it's just about being mature, and being there for somebody. I'm only 30, so I'm still figuring it out.


Nikole: Have you been in love?
Bilal: Yeah I have been in love. But it's so delicate and strange, that a lot of times love is not based on your concept of it, but how it's projected on to the person that you love.


Nikole: Finish this sentence; In 10 years, Bilal will be..?
Bilal: In ten years Bilal will be; making more music, yeah...making more music.

[source]

Nikole: So the album Airtight's Revenge is dropping September 14th, what kind of things can we expect to hear?
Bilal:  A nice mix of a lot of different sounds and genres, I'm talking about a lot of different things. It's epic. A lot of stories, some of them have good endings, some of them have f**ked up endings, but that's life.


Nikole: Did you put a lot of your personal experiences into this album? 
Bilal: Yeah, I'll take some sh*t that happened to me, and flip it how I wanted it to go. Or I'll also people watch and listen to other people's sh*t that they go through, and write a song about it; but I'll change it so they aren't like, "why'd you write a song about me"? [laughs] I wrote songs about my kids, I wrote songs about the trickle effect of money, there's a lot of personal sh*t in my music.

Nikole: Ok so last question; if you had to leave just one message to the world, what would it be? 
Bilal: Let's all view each other from the present, lets see each other at face value, and not based on stereotypes.


Nikole: Do you feel that you have been judged based on stereotypes? Is part of that message you wanting a clean slate? 
Bilal: Yeah. Hell yeah. As a musician, if you are successful at one thing, they expect you to be able to do it over, and over again. But if everyone would experience my stuff for the first time, they would be open to what it actually is, and not what their mind is telling them it should be.
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A big thank you to Bilal, his publicist Myleik [of Art of Facts PR], Michael of Michael Britton Photography, and the entire staff of Grand Performances for accommodating me. It was an experience I will never forget!

Interview with Jane Carter of The Jane Carter Solution

Recently I had the pleasure of interviewing Jane Carter, creator of the Jane Carter Solution. Jane's down to earth demeanor was like a breath of fresh air in this superficial industry; and her extensive knowledge of hair, and product formulation was impressive to say the least. Jane definitely knows her stuff, as she is a veteran stylist who immersed herself in numerous formulation chemistry classes, and stands by her philosophy that we shouldn't over complicate hair care.



MTM: What inspired you to start the Jane Carter Line?
JC: There were two reasons; I started the line about ten years ago while I was working as a stylist. I owned my own salon at the time, and I was also doing the hair show circuit as a Color Educator almost every weekend. During that time, I was also a Director of Education over at Avlon [they make relaxer]. Due to working around hair care products regularly, I developed an allergy. It was from that point that I couldn't work around any products that contained alcohol, dimethicone, petroleum, and mineral oil. Those four ingredients were in every single product line that I used.

My clients ran the full gamut from high-lift blonds, to clients with locks, extremely curly hair, and everything in between. Because of my diverse clientele, I could never find a product line that addressed the needs of every consumer. I would find myself taking two products from this line, and one product from another line, just to give my clients an at-home regimen.

I took an Essential Oil course, and from that point I developed my first product, which was the Hair Nourishing Serum. This product was made from vitamins and pure essential oils, and I as well as my clients was mesmerized at how well those natural ingredients worked [which led to them requesting to purchase the serum]. Even my clients that had extremely coarse hair, or hair that couldn't go a week beyond when they were supposed to relax without experiencing breakage, had instant results. All of a sudden it was almost like different hair, this was the first time I used a product that produced those types of results on extremely coarse hair. I knew other finishing products were needed [leave-ins, sculpting lotions etc], and a full product line seemed like the next step.

"Ultimately, we really wanted to create a product line for everyone that was completely plant derived, and wasn't harmful to your body"

MTM: What is the philosophy behind The Jane Carter Solution?


JC: We feel we have a social responsibility to put products on the market that perform well with really good ingredients. One of the tag lines that we use is 'Hair Care for Humanity', meaning you should really be able prescribe 4-6 of the same products to anyone who walks through your door no matter their hair type. I really oppose the fact that we fit into a category, because we don't. I believe that hair is hair, and it isn't really that complicated. Ultimately, we really wanted to create a product line for everyone that was completely plant derived, and wasn't harmful to your body.

"The number one reason for hair loss in women is inflammation. If you have a dry, itching, or flaking scalp, that is inflammation and there is a potential for some hair loss."

JANE ON THE USE OF PETROLEUM: The residual effects of using petroleum regularly on your scalp is pretty scary. Petroleum has a large molecule, and it creates somewhat of a moisture barrier. So if you use products that contain petroleum on your scalp, [especially one that is dry or flaking] and you perspire, you now have a moisture barrier with dead skin, which is a prime breeding ground for bacteria. The number one reason for hair loss in women is inflammation. If you have a dry, itching, or flaking scalp, that is inflammation and there is a potential for some hair loss.
I formulated a product called Scalp Renew which is a pre shampoo treatment formulated with pure vitamins and essential oils that helps cleanse, and exfoliate the scalp. Scalp Renew contains Lavender Oil, which soothes the scalp, eliminates dead skin, and gently cleanses the follicle of sebum. A pre shampoo is necessary because shampoo is water-soluble, therefore shampoo will not melt sebum or dislodge toxins from your follicle. I sent my clients whom had scalp conditions home with Scalp Renew, as well as our Revitalizing Leave-In to moisturize their scalp twice daily, and their scalp conditions disappeared. Scalp Renew is also good for people who have eczema as well! Instead of using synthetic products to cover up problematic issues, we really need to deal with them holistically.

MTM: What tips do you have for women who are transitioning out of a relaxer, and what products from Jane Carter do you recommend?

JC: Our Hair Nourishing Cream is a good product to use on your regrowth if you are going to continue to flat iron your hair during the transition process. Hair Nourishing Cream can also be used as a good detangler post conditioner, which is also important because hair is very fragile near the line of demarcation, so having a good detangler on hand is essential.
Misting the Revitalizing Leave-In a few times during flat ironing is also good for women who are transitioning, because it cuts down on the amount of heat needed to get the hair straight. A lot of times women experience hair that has been "relaxed" due to excessive heat from flat ironing.

MTM: What do you think about the "natural hair movement"? Do you think natural hair is more of a trend or a lifestyle?

JC: I don't think it is a trend; I feel that once you wear your hair natural, you will never relax your hair again. You have the ease of being able to wear it smooth, or wear it natural, so I think it is the best of both worlds. As you evolve, and use more natural things on your body and on your hair, then you start to read labels a little bit more and you start to pay attention; it is definitely a lifestyle. Natural products have a higher vibration than synthetic products, so ultimately you feel better when you put natural things on, and in your body.


JANE ON NATURAL INGREDIENTS: I truly think the molecule in natural ingredients were all designed in perfect order, and I believe that there are vitamins, herbs, and oils really have the ability to heal. I think that with being designed in perfect order, that the natural place for us to look would be the earth. To me it just seems like a given, we don't have to man-make things, as there is a reason why natural products are more effective. They're just more expensive which is why most cosmetic companies tend to formulate with synthetic ingredients.

MTM: I hear Jane Carter will soon be available in Target stores, can you tell me more about that?
JC: We are taking part in a 90-day test with Target, and it is a really big deal for us because it really increases our distribution power by giving us the opportunity to get our products to more consumers.

JANE ON THE NEW CURL DEFINING CREAM: The product is designed to reduce shrinkage, lock in the curl, and it won't take your hair forever to dry. This curl cream is formulated with essential oils, more importantly there aren't plastic polymers in this product so it doesn't flake, and it dries really clean. We work very closely with Certified Organic Essential Oil Labs, which ensures that we don't get a grower that uses pesticides, because that is very important.

MTM: What can we expect from the Jane Carter line in the future?

JANE: Well, I want to continue to serve my purpose here. I really like the idea of being able to be a resource, dispel myths, and just be available in my community. I went to Atlanta a few weeks ago to meet with a Facebook Group, and it was about 80 of us on a Sunday having a dialogue on natural hair. I am not really a foo-foo kind of girl so it really took me a while to find my space as a product manufacturer, but I prefer that type of environment over that of the shallow stuffy department store cosmetic counters -

To find out more about The Jane Carter Solution, click here! -

Review of Jane Carter's products coming soon :-)