Rita Ora braved the frigid New York City weather as she stepped outside in an Ermanno Scervino Spring 2017 Blush Pink Lace Dress:
The Blush pink, long sleeve silhouette offers a romantic feel with ruffles and a sheer lace detail throughout the dress.
Rita paired her dress with an off-white over coat and nude, strappy sandals.
Such a dainty, feminine look. I love that Rita can switch it up from glam to rocker chic, to girly. Hot!
What do you think? Do you like Rita’s ensemble?
Happy Monday, Bombers and Bombshells!
This past Friday, I was blessed to be the keynote speaker at the first annual Superbold Conference, presented by Motions, Martini & Rossi, and Sam’s Club:
Marketing executive Nicole Coleman welcomed ambitious women and men to the St. Regis Hotel to fellowship, network, and honor women who have made bold moves in their careers.
Superbold Awards recipients included radio personality and TV host Devi Brown, Danita Jones, the Principal of Sean Combs’s Harlem Charter School, Samantha Selolwane, the Vice President of Promotion for RCA Records, Marketing Executive Tracey Jennings, and lawyer and entrepreneur Demetra Liggins. I was honored to be in such distinguished company!
For my keynote, I told of the lessons I’ve learned over the past 10 years as a journalist and digital influence. The key message surrounded perseverance, and continuing to push forward even when met with significant setbacks and adversity!
After giving my speech, I met Houston Bombshells and signed copies of the Bomb Life!
Houston Bombshells are about as fly as they come! I can’t wait to come back for Cocktails with Claire: Houston this summer!
Next stop on the Bomb Life Book Tour aka Conversations with Claire will be Philadelphia on March 19th.
I will update TheBombLife.com and @ClaireSulmers with info.
Smootches!
*Many thanks to Nicole Coleman for having me take part in such a wonderful event!
Today’s Fashion Bombshell is Michelle from London:
She writes, “My name is Michelle Hung, I’m from London, UK and work on advertising as a producer.”
More here:
Michelle, your style is simple and chic, I love that coat girl!
For more on today’s Bombshell, check out her Instagram @virgosandkisses.
What do you think?
Fashion Bombshell of the Day is a feature showcasing the singular style of Fashion Bomb Readers. Send your name, location, a description of your style, and 5-10 clear, unfiltered, head-to-toe pictures of 5-10 different outfits (no collages) to Bombshell@FashionBombDaily.com. Images submitted will be featured on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or any of our social media platforms. Comments can be harsh, so bring your A game! Please be advised: once published, pictures will not be removed or taken down.
To continue our Black History Month series, where we are paying homage to those making waves behind the scenes, we got a chance to catch up with celebrity makeup artist, Ashunta Sheriff.
Ashunta has worked with clients such as, Taraji P. Henson, Jay-Z, Beyoncé, Sanaa Lathan, and Tika Sumpter (just to name a few). With a roster of this caliber, we had to know how this girl from Harlem-who also has her own beauty line-got her start.
Sheriff describes herself as, “a nerdy black girl”, who attended boarding school and college on scholarship, and strived to excel in science and mathematics. She went on the complete a degree in cultural anthropology from Howard University.
Though she did not see a creative future for herself, Ashunta recalls watching her mother, an aspiring vocalist at the time, get prepped for shows, and remembers being fascinated by the glamour of it all. She would get in trouble for getting caught in her mother’s YSL make up case, time and time again.
Ashunta admits that she always had a knack for creativity; she was involved in dance, theatre, and much more. It was her religious lunch breaks at the MAC counter, that later made her give in to her creativity. With no professional experience, she decided to interview with MAC cosmetics, and soon declared herself a makeup artist.
She vividly remembers the moment she got her big break. It was when makeup artist, Stacy Gray, complimented her on her work, at an event, and asked for her business card. Weeks later, she received a 4:00am call from Stacy, asking if she was available to be on location within an hour and a half, to work a 112 video shoot. With little time to spare, Ashunta asked her mom to babysit her then 9 month old, and went on her way. She notes, “When you are trying to build, and trying to work and establish yourself as a hard worker, you need to always be readily available. So I would say, keep your phone ringer on and keep it by your pillow.”
Consequently, Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs was a fan of her work on the set, and she was contacted by his assistant to do his makeup for his appearance on the Regis and Kelly show. She had to borrow money from her mom, and then boyfriend, to purchase $1100 worth of product for the gig. From there, she began to be consistently booked, and the rest was history. She says, “If you are pushing yourself towards your dreams, you have to have a good support system. Get everyone on board with your plans, so that you can end up giving back to them tenfold because of the help they gave you at the time.”
When asked how black history has impacted her and how she feels it’s influenced her work, Ashunta attributes her awareness of culture to her mother and stepfather, whom she says, fueled her with “intense books that celebrate black culture”. In reference to her aesthetic as an MUA she says, “I don’t’ want to change my skin tone, I don’t want my neck to be a different skin tone from my face. I celebrate that difference that we have, that’s what makes us unique. As a race of people, we literally can look Asiatic, we can look Latino, we can look European; we’re really chameleons, and I think we need to celebrate that a lot more.” She goes on to say that much of her inspiration is drawn from anything tribal.
When asked if she thinks the beauty industry has done a good job creating products that represent all shades, she says, “Now, I really love where make up actually is. It’s an oversaturation, but it’s needed; you can never have too much.”
Sheriff credits MAC as being the catalyst for diversity within the industry. She describes the Herald Square MAC counter as “the United Nations of women”. Ashunta believes that this catapulted the industry to the point where brands were starting to take notice and create campaigns with “beautiful brown girls, with real black woman features”.
Her advice to those who aspire to be in the industry is:
-Never turn down an opportunity; find a way to make a way
-Fake it ‘til you make it, but once you make it, be sure to educate yourself i.e. set protocol, creating an invoice, and how to appropriately price jobs
-Take the time to research the “who’s who” within your respective industry
-Connect with others; you never know who will turn up later on
So what’s next for Ashunta, you ask? Her Ashunta Sheriff beauty line will be expanding in the fall available at ashuntasheriffbeauty.com. She is also set to release a book soon (can’t wait!), chronicling her journey as a single mother. We certainly wish her all the best!
In the meantime, you can keep up with her on IG @ashuntasheriff.
Thoughts on Ashunta Sheriff? Any others you’d like to see featured in our Black History month series?
Olivia Culpo celebrated at the X Adaptation Party in LA, outfitted in a $805 IRO Black Leather Tinah Skirt and $430 Gianvito Rossi Black Patent Leather Boots:
Her black leather skirt was made in India. It features a mini length, wrap-around belted waist, and lace-up front.
Her paneled patent leather boots boast an ankle length, 4.3″ heels, an almond-toe silhouette, and side zips.
I live for her style!
Get Olivia’s skirt here and boots here.
What do you think?
Keke Palmer stopped by AOL in a $695 Alexander Wang Black Floral Lace Top, $595 Alexander Wang Black Lace-up Pencil Skirt, and $149 Isa Tapia Black Gigi Mesh Ruffled Pumps:
Her black lace top features ladder stitching, a bustier under layer, stand collar, and three quarter-length sleeves.
Her black pencil skirt boasts lace-up detailing and a curve-hugging fit.
Her sandals are made in Brazil. They feature ruffle detailing, a peep-toe silhouette, adjustable buckled ankle straps, and 4″ heels.
Cute, no?
If you’re up for the splurge, get Keke’s top here, skirt here, and sandals here.
Thoughts?
Ok! I’m not much of a sports fan, but I’m from the A, and I was kinda peeved the Falcons couldn’t bring it home!
But honestly, who am I kidding? I was more into fashion while watching the game, and was plugged in to Lady Gaga’s Performance!
The songstress tapped Atelier Versace to create custom looks for her performance. She opened with an iridescent jumpsuit and matching embroidered boots…
She continued to kill the stage in a full embroidered gold jacket.
She closed her performance a pair of fully embroidered hot-pants and a cropped sculptural white jacket which mimicked the look of a football jersey with shoulder pads.
Work!
She certainly looked HOT!, but reviews of her performance were hmm…
What did you think?
Images: Getty
Keke Palmer promoted her book, “I Don’t Belong to You,” wearing the same Baja East Spring 2017 Python Dress that Alessandra Ambrosio wore to the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund Show and Tea event in LA:
Keke rocked red braids pulled back into a ponytail with a pair of Stuart Weitzman open toe sandals.
Alessandra wore tan pumps and a tan coat over her python-print dress.
The white slip dress from the Baja East Spring 2017 collection features a python block down the middle with a thigh-high slit up the front.
Hot!
Alessandra’s overcoat adds flare to her dress. I also like the simplicity that Keke offers in her ensemble. It’s a draw for me!
What do you think? Who wore this Baja East dress better?
Top model Gigi Hadid strolled through New York City clad in a $297 Tommy Hilfiger x Gigi Shearling-Collar Military Peacoat:
I love this coat! Definitely on trend and worth the splurge.
Agree? You can purchase here for $297.
What do you think? Would you splurge on Gigi’s coat?
Allison Williams demonstrated the power of the LBD at the 2017 NFL Honors in a $2,320 Victoria Beckham Black Mesh Paneled Crepe Dress:
Her crepe and mesh LBD was made in the UK. It features a front mesh insert and slender shoulder straps.
Simple and chic! Though, I would’ve preferred simpler shoes here.
Get Allison’s LBD here.
Thoughts?
