I watched a trailer for an upcoming documentary called Behind Those Books on urban novels. The general consensus was that since most of the plots involved sex, drugs, just general explicit content was not appropriate for young people to read since it glorified the hood.

The directors interviewed authors such as K’wan, Teri Woods, Omar Tyree and Terry McMillan on the issue. Most of the authors (and this is based off of the 13-minute trailer) was that black people want to read things they can relate to and will be interested in, even if the subjects are hypersexualized.

And as long as people are reading, we should be happy, right? It’s not that simple. Check the clip.

I agree reading something in any form is great. We feel like the younger generations are too dependent on electronics, whether it be smartphones, iPods, or video games (hey, we even have e-books), so to see a teenager actually flipping through the pages of a book is wonderful. Despite the recycled plot lines, there’s a LOT of typos in these books. Sometimes the mistakes, if there’s a ton, take away from the actual content of the book and enjoyment. Think about it: if your child is reading a book that is laden with poor grammar and misspellings, how do you think they will perform as a writer in their everyday life? I’ll tell you, they’re going to be the ones we laugh at and go in on Twitter, when they say things like, “flaming young” versus “filet mignon.” *Sigh*

One of the points made by Queen Pen in the trailer was that black people can’t identify with some white books like the Harry Potter series because black people can’t identify with “warlocks.” Umm… am I missing something? Last time I checked, I didn’t see any white warlocks walking down the street. That’s a poor excuse. Lack of imagination is abundant in urban lit. You have the creative control to create anything you want to, yet you choose to do the same thing over and over again. How can you grow as an author?

Most importantly, I don’t think is a problem if someone reads nigglature at all. However, if that’s all you read then there lies the problem. I believe we should all be well-read in order to get a wider scope of life. If you read B More Careful by Shannon Holmes , then you should have read Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurton as well.

Just think, if you read five books that have the same basic plot, what are you getting out of it? Would you even recommend it? “Yea, girl, you should read [insert cliched title here]. It’s just like every other book I ever read. Mmhmm. I’ll let you borrow my copy.” Uhh, I’ll pass. Imagine if you read a play, like Raisin in the Sun, or a nonfiction book, like Immortality of Influence, or even one by a non-Black author such as The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri. There’s a wide variety of stories that someone might not have known about that they may be interested in. They’re great to bring up in conversation.

All I’m saying is try to expand your readings. You just might like it.

This year is already full of new things for me. I haven’t set any New Year’s resolutions. It’s not my thing. Instead, I’ve just been making small goals for myself, and things seem to working out… just fine.

It’s a new year in a new city with a new job. (Seriously, how much more new could I possibly get?) I honestly couldn’t ben happier in this moment.With Armoire Chic, I’m planning on giving you a deeper insight into who I, Ariel Cherie, am (but not too too deep, I don’t know y’all like that! Lol) and turn this website into a more personal blog for 2011. There will be less gossip, more commentary, more humor, more me.

In addition, my friends and I are starting a whole new blog together for women in their 20′s, called Roaring Twenties — it’s your guide for living your 20′s fearlessly. I don’t want to give it all away — we launch on 2.1.11 at roaring20sblog.wordpress.com. It will be rich content that you have been waiting for, a site like no other.

Don’t forget the date for Roaring Twenties is 2.1.11! And always check Armoire Chic in 2011, you know, for obvious reasons. :)

So ladies, you may realize that you only have a few minutes to get ready for work or class. You want to put on make up but it seems like you don’t have time. But there’s always time to add a like something to your look. Here are the steps to apply a five minute make up face that can have you from the shower and to the door in no time.

Step 1

Apply concealer.

Take your concealer and place it on any dark under eye circle and unwanted blemishes that you may have. This can be done by using your ring finger and patting it in (not rubbing) or a small concealer brush. Be sure to blend.

This step will help brighten and make you look fresh and awake.

Step 2

Apply powder.

Take a fluffy powder brush or use a cosmetic sponge and quickly apply the powder over the places you applied concealer to prevent shine and smearing. Also apply the powder to the t-zone; which is your forehead, down your nose, and the cheeks. These areas are prone to get oily through out the day.

Step 3

Apply eyeshadow.

You may not have time to get fancy with the eyeshadow so just stick to one color. A soft brown color is recommended because it looks natural and compliments any skin tone.

First apply a eyeshadow base, if you don’t have one get your concealer and place a little on your eye lids. This will allow your eyeshadow to stick and not fade through out the day.  Take a brush or those little sponge tip applicators and place color on the lids and crease of your eyes.

Step 4

Apply mascara.

You may not have time to try to get you eyeliner on perfectly, so just apply one or two coats of mascara.

Step 5

Finish with the lips.

Just put on your favorite lip gloss or lip color. Don’t put on something to bright in color because you’re going to work, not out to a club.

Skip foundation if you don’t need, and blush is also optional but good to add a little life and color to the cheeks. And there you go, the steps to a natural five minute face that will get you out the door on time.

Remember, make up is not used to create beauty, only to enhance it. Have fun ladies, stay beautiful and of course, chic.

Sooner or later every celebrity will have an issue with another. It was Tupac and Biggie, Nicki Minaj and Lil Kim, and now it seems to be between Chris Brown and former member of B2K, RazB. Wednesday, December 29, 2010, Brown and RazB were going back and forth on Twitter insulting each other.

RazB appeared to have started the argument by sending  comments to singer Rihanna, mentioning Chris Brown. This was clearly done for attention,in my opinion, seeing that RazB is working on a new solo album. Chris Brown was continuously called a woman beater and RazB was accused of being a homosexual due to his alleged molestation by Chris Stokes, ex- manager of  the groups B2K and IMX, formally known as Immature.

Some very disrespectful things were said to each other and both singers should take the blame. But now some people think Brown is homophobic. Yes, his comments were hurtful but I don’t think it was meant towards his fans, just to shut RazB up.

Now according to Necolebitchie.com, Chris Brown has now apologies for his behavior! I don’t believe it’s fair that he’s taking the entire blame once again.

Tell me what you think about this twitter beef.

Click on the link above to read Chris Brown’s apology.

I just saw this book, The ELLEments of Personal Style: 25 Modern Fashion Icons on How to Dress, Shop, and Live,  at Barnes & Noble yesterday, and it looked pretty cool. Apparently, it came out back in October, but this was the first time that I even heard of it.

The book took new style icons such as Christina Hendricks of Mad Men, new favorite Lea Michelle of Glee, Alicia Keys, and Diane von Furstenberg (plus more), and it displayed their style inspirations and fave items they can’t live without.

What I loved about it was that they actually featured Tracee Ellis Ross whom I love, love, love! Ellis has clearly been influenced by her mother, Diana Ross, who she credits as being her fashion icon. I feel like we haven’t seen Tracee much since her Girlfriends days, so it was cool to see her featured in the book especially since she has oh-so-great style.

ELLEments of Personal Style also had chapters on singer Estelle and choreographer Fatima Robinson. I’m glad to see that ELLE . It’s definitely worth checking out.