The Sophisticate Chronicles

By now you all can tell we are faithful to Essence.com and view it just about every day.  We try our best to bring some of the most vital information from the site as well as just a few things we enjoy.  Ladies . .Paul Carrick Brunson aka "The Modern Day Matchmaker" has complied a list of things so we will no longer ask ourselves the question "Am I dating a Boy or a Man?" After this you will know weather you need to drop that Zero and Move on to the next one. Fellas it's vital for you as well. Are you stepping up to the plate when it come to being a Man. .or are you trying to hang out on the playground and continue to be a Boy? Check this OUT. . Written By: Paul Carrick Brunson for http://www.essence.com Sometimes, ideas for posts come to me in conversation, sometimes based on what I read, and other times I get inspiration from the real situations of my clients. My all time favorite source for ideas is Twitter. I find the social media platform to be the best

No words needed for this one. .All we can say is "Mmph"!! Our "Throwback"Jam for the day is LL Cool J feat Boyz II Men "Hey Lover"!! Enjoy~*

Keyshia Dior has Blown up overnight. .Literally. This chick is more than a Pretty Face and BaDD body. In this YouTube exclusive from KeyshiaDiorTV she talks about Building her brand and most of all how she used "Video/Artist" modeling as a platform to make HER dreams a reality aka KA'OIR Cosmetics. A lot of young women who are interested in the "Video/Artist" modeling industry could truly benefit from hearing what Ms. Keyshia has to say. We love the lipstick line and will definitely be supporting this budding entrepreneur . Visit http://www.kaoir.com/index.php to check out everything that KA'OIR has to offer and of course SHOP!! @TNBeautyQueen

The cold season has presented itself, but there is more to come. It is only Fall and Winter has yet to show it's colder and uglier side. During the cold season we dress in layers, we double up on clothing, and then we put on outerwear; which consists of wool coats, wool hats, and scarves. A wool coat, scarf, and hat may be good for keeping us warm; but it is detrimental to African American hair. Here's my story: During the winter months of 2010 I started noticing how so many strands of my hair would end up on the back of my pea coat. After a while, I also noticed the hair at the nape of my neck breaking off. Last, I noticed my hair getting shorter at the crown of my head. I figured that the coat and hat that I was wearing was the cause of my hair breakage, but I didn't know how to prevent it. It was like fighting a losing battle. Though my hair was breaking, I had no choice but to continue wearing this coat and hat because it was protecting me from the cold. Later I

We often have conversations about "The Rules". It can be almost similar to walking on egg shells sometimes when it comes to dealing with one of your "Girl's" man. I tell you we have all had issues over the years when it has come to this topic but here is everything summed up in 10* simple rules from one of our Favorite Essence.com contributors Charli Penn!! Check it Out!! There can be a very thin line between best friendships and romantic relationships and crossing it will almost always cause unwanted drama. It's important to know where you stand. .ALWAYS!! Whether you're both in a relationship, or one of you is still looking for love, these rules always apply. Do you know the rules? Leave the Exes Alone If she ever loved (even liked) him, you shouldn’t even consider him romantically. (The situation will only turn out to be messy and eventually you might loose a friend) Give Them Their Space If a good friend is in a serious relationship and havi

I can't do anything but "LoL"!! The other SophistiKat's know I @TNBeautyQueen LOVE this man!! So I bring you a "Dose of Soul" for your Sunday afternoon from NONE other than the THEE "R&BNeoSoulHippieRockStar". . Mr. Raheem Devaughn!! Here is "You" from his FIRST album "The Love Experience".  If you don't have his albums (God Forbid) visit iTunes http://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/raheem-devaughn/id5781104 and Cop them. Thanks ;") Enjoy Your Sunday~*

For the past year everyone has been keeping up on the latest trend for lip color. RED has been at the forefront but this Fall another shade is making its way into the mix. . Coral !! A fantastic shade for all skin tones it can be taken from a neutral day time shade to a glamorous evening shade easy.  Here are a Few of our FAV orite SophisitKat's and our own personal Coral Fav's. Kerry Washington Milani Color Perfect Lipstick "Coral Bora Bora" $2.99 (Ebay) http://compare.ebay.com/like/300613457624?var=lv&ltyp=AllFixedPriceItemTypes&var=sbar Milani Crystal Gloss "Pucker Up" $5.49 http://www.milanicosmetics.com/p-16-crystal-gloss-for-lips.aspx Ashanti  Nars Sheer Lipstick "Love Devotion" $24.00 http://www.narscosmetics.com/color/lips/sheer-lipstick/love-devotion Solange Knowles Fashion Fair "Ole'Orange" Lipstick $15.00 http://shop.fashionfair.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=LIPSTICKS Fashion Fair Lip Teasers "

Kelly Rowland is back with another HoTT hit showing us yet again why she is the "IT Girl" of 2011. Rocking sexy body suits and showing off her nearly perfect size 2 frame. .She didn't leave out the eye candy for us Ladies!! She delivers with the video "Lay It On ME" featuring Big Sean. Enjoy

One our FAVorite Soul Sistah's is back with her second single/video off of her latest album "The Light of the Sun". ."So Gone (What My Mind Says)" featuring Paul Wall. This one is Sexy, Sultry, and has a Southern twist. Ms. Scott has delivered yet again!! If you don't have the album "The Light of the Sun" cop it from iTunes http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/the-light-sun-deluxe-version/id435260991 Enjoy~*

To celebrate their 25th Anniversary, Fox is bringing back one of it's MOST successful shows. .none other than everybody and their mama's favorite "In Living Color"!! Keenan Ivory Wayans will produce 2 half hour specials this seasons.  If the specials are a hit (i.e. ratings) the actual show will RETURN next year as apart of the Fox 2012 Fall Line Up.  Wayans has yet to say if any of our favorite's Jim Carrey "Fire Marshall Bill", Jamie Foxx "Wanda", or the clown we could never get enough of "Homie" Damon Wayans will make any cameos.  It has been stated that their will be a BRAND NEW cast for the new season. .So you know what that means? Maybe the Sexy NEXT generation of Wayans will be taking the reign's. .Damon Jr. .Damian. .Hmm. .Either way. .We are READY!! We will keep you posted on when the specials will air. .So we can get the ratings they need. .So we can have one of our FAVorites back

Our FAVORITE QU EE N B EE is BACK!!! Beyonce   premiered her new video for the club jam and ladies anthem "PARTY" today. While showing of her newly announced baby bump, Beyonce represents for ALL the Sexy ladies out there, who LOVE to kick it with their girls! The video also brings a little flashback of 90's flavor with all the vibrant colors and 90's throwback attire. So... " KICK OFF UR SHOES and RELAX your Feet !!!" as u v i b e to Beyonce's "PARTY!" ~ ENJOY!!! ;-) @LuvMarsPinkKiss @TheSophistiKats

R&B Diva sensation, Monica is back, premiering her new video off her upcoming album, "New Life". The video stars Monica as herself. Also featured in the video, are two of our FAVS , actor Brian White (Stomp The Yard, Men of A Certain Age , Trois:3) and actress Malinda Williams (The Wood, Soul Food: The Series, Daddy's Little Girls). The two portray a married couple with child, who are dealing with trouble in monogamy and cheating. TRULY a life lesson. The message in the song is "You Don't Know What You Got Until its Gone" which introduces us to the title of the Song, "Until Its Gone". Check out the worldwide premiere of Monica’s new video for "Until Its Gone"   Enjoy!!! And REMEMBER don't take your LOVE ones for granted! ;-)

1892* In New Orleans, 25,000 Black workers strike, 1892 1923* Department of Labor said some 500,000 Blacks had left the South in the preceding twelve months. 1935* Italy invaded Ethiopia. American Blacks held mass meetings of protest and raised funds for the Ethiopian defenders. 1935* The first Black-authored play to become a long-run Broadway hit, Langston Hughes' "Mulatto" opens, 1935 1948* Birthday of Rep. Kweisi Mfume who was born Frizzell Gray in Baltimore, Maryland. In 1996 Mfume became president of the NAACP. 1964* Zambia proclaimed independent. 1972* Death of Jack Roosevelt ("Jackie") Robinson (53), first Black in major leagues in twentieth century, in Stamford, Connecticut. 1994* President Clinton presented Dorothy Porter Wesley with the Charles Frankel Award from the National Endowment for the Humanities

A few weeks ago "Lifeclass"  premiered on OWN (The Oprah Winfrey Network). The HARDEST working woman in television has been sharing with her nightly audience different things that  inspired her, challenged her, and changed her view on life and experiences over the past 25 years from the Oprah Winfrey show. She shared lessons learned from Maya Angelou, Terry McMillian, Jim Carey, and Iyanla Vanzant. Check Them Out. . Be true to yourself: You can’t begin to love yourself, or even be true to yourself, unless you know who you really are." Oprah recalled how author Terry McMillan had finally let go of her anger towards her gay ex-husband, Jonathan Plummer. “Letting go of what has happened to you, and being able to live with what is happening to you right now, is how you access the power that we all have within us,” she said. Every situation is a teachable moment: “If you’re in a bad relationship, you’re a student of how to have a better relationship,” said Oprah

Written By: Paul Carrick Brunson "The Modern Day Matchmaker" for  http://www.essence.com  Last week I taped a special one-hour episode of Dr. Drew’s Lifechangers (due to air soon) about the state of Black relationships. Throughout the show we covered many topics, and as you’ll see, at times it got very tense on stage. That said, the overall point I made was that we need to be informed about relationship facts in the Black community. There is no brand of love more tarnished than Black love, and the way we change it is first by understanding the truth. The following are facts that are very rarely discussed, but serve as a good jumping off point for a positive conversation about love in the Black community. Black Women Find Love Online According to recent interviews I conducted with CEOs of 2 of the largest online dating sites, black men and women are registering on dating sites at rates only behind baby boomers. This is positive news, given that online dating sites a

FINALLY!! Verse Simmonds puts out the video for "Boo Thang" featuring the "IT" Girl of 2011 Ms. Kelly Rowland!! Everyone is not a Fan of this song. .but it gets love from the all the club DJ's and of course US. .The SophistiKats!! Enjoy

1859* Byrd Prillerman, Co-founder of Virginia State College was born on this day 1870* Republicans swept South Carolina elections with a ticket of six whites and TWO Blacks : Alonzo Ransier for Lieutenant Governor and Francis L. Cardozo for Secretary of State. 1870* First Blacks elected to the House of Representatives. Black Republicans won three of the four congressional seats in South Carolina: Joseph H. Rainey, Robert C. Delarge and Robert B. Elliott. Rainey was elected to an unexpired term in the Forty-first Congress and was the first Black seated in the House. 1936* Johnetta Betsch Cole (The First African American Female President of Spelman College and former President of Bennett College for Women) was born on this day. 1943* On this date, Paul Robeson opened in Othello at the Shubert Theater in New York City.  The show ran for 296 consecutive performances. 1944* US Navy started to accept Black Women 1960* Martin Luther King Jr. arrested in Atlanta sit-in and ordered

Keeping the Theme of welcoming in one of the most favorite seasons of the year Fall. .Here is a twist on a traditional dessert for this time of the year.  A light yet easy to make treat brought to you  courtesy of Sunny Anderson of the Food Networks: "Cooking For Real". Something to warm your insides and give you that SWEET fix. . Mini Pecan Pumpkin Pies Ingredients Nonstick cooking spray For the dough 1/4 cup pecans 1/4 cup sugar 1/2 teaspoon salt 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for shaping dough 6 tablespoons butter, ice cold 2 to 3 tablespoons ice cold water For the filling 1 egg, plus 1 egg yolk 1/2 cup dark corn syrup 1 tablespoon sugar 1/2 cup canned pumpkin filling 1 teaspoon vanilla 1/4 cup pecans, chopped plus 24 halves for garnish Special equipment: 2 (12-cup) mini muffin tins Directions Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray the bottoms and sides of the mini muffin tins with cooking spray. For the dough In a food processor, pulse pecans with the sugar,

From singing in the choir at 21 Century Prep to now being one of the Hottest and Most Anticipated artist this year Miranda Brooke is definitely a STAR on the rise. Signed to World Affiliated, Buvision, and Island Def Jam this Chattanooga, TN native not only has the Beauty but the Brains and Vocals to BLOW YOU away. Check out her new video/single "Hater" 

In the Spirit of Fall (and Pumpkin season) we bring you a cocktail with just enough spice to get you in the mood and relax.  The Pumpkin Martini!! Ingredients 1/2 oz Sylk Cream Liqueur 2 oz Vanilla Vodka 1/2 oz Pumpkin Liqueur or Pumpkin Spice Syrup 1 tsp Whipped Cream 1 Cinnamon Stick for garnish Preparation Pour the Sylk Liqueur and vodka into a shaker filled with ice *Shake well* Add the pumpkin liqueur or syrup *Shake again* Strain into a chilled cocktail glass Top with a teaspoon of whipped cream Garnish with a cinnamon stick Now you are Ready to Sip and Enjoy

Friendship is a vital part of Life. As we grow we meet new people. .and experience new things together. A dear friend of mine and I chatted earlier today and the topic of how few and far between it it for black women to sustain relationships. .let alone friendships with other women being at the top of the list. God blesses us with Real and True friends til the end. .but we have to work at it just like anything else in our lives. I found this list by one of our favorite writers for Essence.com Charli Penn and felt it was vital for me to share. We are all at fault at some point in time of 1 or more of these things. .so here's something to give us a boost to do BETTER and be thankful for our lifetime treasure. .Our Friends Written By: Charli Penn for Essence.com Have you fallen behind on your return phone calls and emails? Ever caught yourself asking for more help than you’ve given out? Do you owe a friend a favor? If you just answered, “yes” all around, let’s face it, you could

The Oh SO Beautiful Nia Long is gracing the November cover of Ebony magazine in all of her Chocolate glory.  One of the most candid interviews that she has ever given.  She discusses her life as an actress, her West Indian heritage and reconnecting with family, being a mother to a 11 year old son, her boyfriend Ime Udoka (a former NBA player with the San Antonio Spurs and father) and preparing for a new baby.  Long said "Society tells us ‘Get married before 30…’ I think if we just take our time as women, and do what comes natural to us and for us, we would make fewer mistakes," Long tells Ebony.  We are excited about this issue and expect all are SophistiKats to go out and cop one or two.

Another FAVorite Soul artist Ledisi is back with her 2nd Single "So Into You" off of her new hit album "Pieces of Me". To purchase the album visit http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/pieces-of-me/id439116602

It's a COLE World!! Here is J Cole's latest single "Can't Get Enough" featuring none of than Trey Songz aka "Mr. Steal Your Girl" ;") Enjoy

1856* Timothy ("T.") Thomas Fortune was born on this day. 1904* Mary McLeod Bethune opened Daytona Normal and Industrial School in Daytona Beach, Florida.  In 1923 the school merged with Cookman Institute and became Bethune-Cookman College. Seventy-six Blacks reported lynched in 1904. 1935* Ethiopia, one of the only two independent African nations at the time, was invaded on October 3,1935 by Fascist Italy under Benito Mussolini. The Italians, seeking revenge for their prior humiliating loss to Ethiopia over 40 years earlier, committed countless atrocities on the independent African state. Poisonous gas, aerial bombardment, flame throwers and concentration camps were all employed against the ill equipped Ethiopian people. Black outrage throughout the world was unified. The League of Nations, forerunner to the UN, was criticized sharply for supplying weapons to Italy and not to Ethiopia. Such actions confirmed Black suspicion that the war was of racial motivation and s