I Love the Sun! Thrifted Ensemble…

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Wondering how to wear your NON-FANCY thrift store finds? Check it out. … and if you haven’t ever visited this blog, be sure to check out the ABOUT page aka Details tab at the top.

I love when the sun is out! I live in Midwestern United States where it is cold at least 9 months out of the year. So, when the sun decides to show its face, I am like, here I am, shine down on me! I have to be careful because last year I got my very first sun burn and it wasn’t fun at all! So remember everyone if you are going to be in the sun, for even just a few minutes, rub shea butter on your skin because it is a sun block. You may even want to use something else along with the shea.

My first day in the sun… I bought this outfit from second hand stores.

Clip-on earrings $1.99 from Icing by Claires

Shirt- light-weight sweater material- $4 from Platos Closet

Shirt- Amnerican Eagle Outfitters from Platos Closet $4

Bone bracelets $25- Festival vendor

This denim skirt is from the thrift store for $3. It is a brand I only see at Target. I think it’s cool that it has pockets.

Claires sales ankh rings!

Ankh ring- Claires (clearance price $3.75)

I love this ring, but it’s cheap!

The bone ring on my right hand is from City Buddha of Cleveland Heights. It was $3.95.

I am not sure if you can tell, but this is Revlon black nail polish which I really like. To give it a matte look I used China Glaze matte top coat. It was on sale at Sally’s for $2.50. I got 2 bottles. I am impressed. It is a good top coat. I went without chipped polish for at least two whole days. I’m rough on my hands!

Let me say, I just cut my hair, yet again! I love short hair. It is auburn-colored. I am going to stop using chemical dyes soon and switch to henna dye which is now sold at Whole Foods. I got a cheap $4 dye from Sally’s Beauty (who is Sally?, lol).

SHIRT by American Eagle Outfitters via Plato’s Closet. It is blue and a light-weight sweater material – $4

SKIRT by Mossimo which is a brand only sold at Target via Thrift Store – denim with pockets $3

SANDALS by Kohls – $10

FEATHER EARRINGS from Icing by Claire’s – $1.99

BONE BRACELETS- African street festival – $25

BONE RING- City Buddha in Cleveland Heights, Ohio – $3.95

ANKH RING- Claire’s (in the mall) – $3.75

FINGER NAIL POLISH- Revlon Knockout Color 731 from Walgreen’s – $4; top coat is Matte Magic by China Glaze from Sally’s Beauty Supply – $2.50 on clearance

… these little details won’t matter to the men, but women ask, so there it is!

Peace and Love,

Queen Duafe for African Essence

P.S. Need a good book to read? Check it out…

The crazy cats around me love the sun too!

Bibi is my tabby cat

This cat is so cool! My neighbors cat

Scaling the side…

Perched, distracted by a bird

Having a Good Day the Tantric Way – Who is YahZarah?

Posted on June 20, 2013 by Shila Iris

If you haven’t ever visited this blog, be sure to check out the DETAILS page.

Jambo! I hope you are feeling good today. If you are not, there is still a chance to turn your day around. It starts with you. I suggest using sounds and smells to heighten your senses and lift the vibrations around you. The vibrations around you are the levels of good or bad energy. The higher the vibration, the better off you are. What DO I DO to turn my day around and lift my vibrations? I am glad you asked! My checklist goes like this:

Light some incense- even my friends with asthma use incense. If you are able to find a good brand such as Wild Berry, HEM, or Tulasi- you are in luck. These brands release the longest lasting smells that can linger for hours.
Try having a positive conversation with someone- only talk about the good things that are going on in your life. Try NOT to talk about anything negative and offer no complaints. I love calling my friends that live in other cities. I can have a fresh experience talking to them without having to tell them about anything bad.
Eat a well-balanced meal. I find that eating good food really lifts my spirit. I like spicy fish and veggies, Indian and African dishes, smoothies, coconut ice cream from Trader Joe’s, some meats (not fried). I LOVE GOOD FOOD! Steamed broccoli with garlic and lemon really gives me energy as well as brussel sprouts and kale sauteed in olive oil with garlic and capers. Go green if you are really feeling down.
Get some plants. I find that looking at them lifts my mood. I got some beautiful plants from a garden center. It’s best to go to a real garden center if you are looking for a mature plant (not Wal-Mart or Home Depot). These are my plants:

Golden Pothos- Requires little light and watering only once every 10 days.

Mature Pothos like this look great on top of book shelves.

Sansevieria (aka snake plant) is the easiest house plant to care for, requiring very little attention. This one is very mature.
GOOD MUSIC- if you can find an old album that you really like, listen away! If you want to try something new. Go to YouTube and type in the names of your favorite artists. On the right hand side of the screen, YouTube lists recommendations. A lot of times these recommendations are great! YouTube tries to find other artists that are similar to the one you typed in. I type Sade or Nneka and I get great results. I love 90s music so I type 702 or TLC, and get great results too.

And this brings me to YahZarah! I am so excited to share the music of this wonderful lady. She made her mark performing as a background singer for Erykah Badu (I just learned this). She also sang with a music group called the Foreign Exchange (I remember this). I heard her album The Ballad of Purple St. James and I loved it! The first song is the most inviting. You can use it for various occasions to get a party started! It just makes you want to get up and dance. This is YahZarah:

HAVING A GOOD DAY THE TANTRIC WAY? Check out this video. Pay attention to her altar. Change your day by listening to vibes like this! This made me feel good at a time when I was experiencing a lot of fatigue. I ended up finding it on YouTube by mistake. I watched it 10 times! I was so high. I love it! Furthermore, I am doing research on the Goddess Kali and in this video YahZarah has an image of the Goddess over her altar. Awesome! I admire her movement and confidence. I do not consider her energy strictly sexual. It can be a whole lot of things.

Peace and love,

Queen Duafe for African Essence

P.S. Looking for more information on Tantricism? I found this book to be useful.

The Tantric Way by Ajit Mookerjee and Madhu Khanna

Spring Fashion on a Budget

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Hello! Jambo! (Swahili welcoming)

This year, I am exploring longer (maxi) skirts for the Spring. I like them in this weather because they protect me from the changing elements that come with the season. For example, where I live, the mornings can be a bit chilly. Then by 1 pm, the weather will warm up. Wearing a lengthier skirt allows you to be prepared for all weather as well as various social situations such as work, lunch dates, or after work shopping. They are more versatile than shorter skirts because they are widely accepted and normally help women to appear more elegant.

Maxi skirts look beautiful as they have the tendency to scream maturity and feminine softness. You should try them!

floral maxi skirt from a local boutique; clearance $10

Sandals from Marshalls for $20

Leather bracelets from City Buddha

This nail polish is one of my favorites: Spanish Moss by Revlon

This is a faux leather wedge sandal that actually feels really good. Got them maybe 3 years ago… they were cheap. They are by Guess… I believe the line was G by Guess

I normally don’t dig floral designs, but this skirt stood out for me. I like it a lot and have been wearing it since 2009. It flows in the wind, making it very “queen-like.” You will love it! I encourage people to spend as less money as possible on clothes. You can have a nice wardrobe for cheap. If you like challenges, try dressing for less. Save your money and buy a passport or passports if you have a family, and travel the world.

Queen Duafe for African Essence

P.S. Need some music? Check out my QueenPlayList for Saturday…

Heartbeat by Nneka, Valley by Nneka, Fellowship by Me’Shell Ndegeocello, Neon Valley Street by Janelle Monae, Do You Like the Way by Santana f/ Lauryn Hill and CeeLo, and How Many People by Ayo.

Other artists to explore…

*Note: Depending on the speed of your browser, the photos may appear different. Also, I really appreciate you visiting African Essence! People are asking why they can’t comment and/or like the posts: the thing is, this is a wordpress hosted blog which in this case means that you can comment and like posts if you are logged in to your wordpress account. However, you can comment and follow the blog using your email address. Please do! You can also share the posts on Facebook and Twitter by clicking on those icons at the bottom of each article. I could always use the support.

Peace and love

5 Artists Too Awesome for Mainstream

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Many great vocalists settle for small careers in music. I’m with it, but I have to say I wish their music was circulated more than the superficial junk we hear on the radios. I have heard so many great albums where it wasn’t just one song that was good, the whole CD, every lyric and every beat was good! I don’t often get that with mainstream artists. The vibrations in each of these artists music was so high, I got chills down my spine! The music feels so good, I just float away!

This is my list of artists that I recommend you get to know. If you have any to add, please comment. Peace and love.

How I Do by Res… MOST LISTENED TO SONG ON ALBUM: Let Love

Transient by Gaelle… MOST LISTENED TO SONG ON ALBUM: Fade Away

The Once and Future by the Jazzyfatnastees… MOST LISTENED TO: Let It Go

Love Rain Down by Conya Doss… MOST LISTENED TO SONG ON ALBUM: Sign

Breath From Another by Esthero… MOST LISTENED TO: Breath From Another

Although I listen to some songs more than others, when I say every song is good, I mean EVERY song on each of these albums is good! It’s real emotions and real music. It doesn’t even matter when the album came out because they are all FRESH TO DEATH! It doesn’t stop there, they have other albums that are great too so go on Amazon and search if you are interested.

Queen Duafe for African Essence

P.S. Need a book to read? I recommend African Holistic Health by Llaila O. Afrika. This a good companion to have at home, so you may need to buy it if you believe that herbs heal… they do, I am a witness.

Juneteenth Celebration in Cleveland, Ohio

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Hello my PEOPLE!

Happy African American Music Appreciation Month

Words connect and music unites us! Check me out on

Saturday, June 16 from 12-5 p.m. performing poetry with The Griot Project and Umojah Nation Reggae Band

@ the Art & Soul of Buckeye Community Park located on Buckeye Road @ East 118 Street, Cleveland, Ohio.

Peace & Love,

Queen Duafe for African Essence

www.warriorspulse.com

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This is some advertising I am doing for this great website www.warriorspulse.com.

The creator is a native of Memphis, TN who is now residing in Cleveland, OH. He is an “acting” community activist, aspiring philanthropist, professional librarian specializing in community advocacy, digital archiving, and library management and collection management, a fun-loving and entertaining dad, a professional drummer of over 20 years currently jamming with Umojah Nation Reggae Band and a djembe player with Passport Project. He plays drums, djembe, and percussion for The Griot Project and is a writer and scholar always growing and always mentoring and advocating for the youth as well as men.

The symbols you see are african adinkra. These symbols are wonderful and if you would like to learn more about them, click above. This is a great book you can order if you really want to learn:

Product Details

The Adinkra Dictionary by W. Bruce Willis

In the ad, I am bowing down to the warrior. I believe in submitting to great men. It does not mean you become weak, it means you become stronger, knowing what your natural role as a woman is. It’s a level of respect that I strongly follow. I want my man to be strong. In the words of the late great Amy Winehouse:

“You should be stronger than me.”

Tell me what you think.