Sanaa Lathan

Sanaa Lathan arrives at Verizon Wireless' exclusive launch party for the Blackberry 8330 Pink Curve at Intermix on August 27, 2008 in Los Angeles, California.

Who says beauty is pain? Well, rarely does dressing sexy evoke feelings of comfort. Between the 4 inch heels, tight skirts that won't stop riding up and double-sided tape that fails to adhere, your night can quickly turn into a test of the wills. That's why I adore this look! Sanaa Lathan looks sophisticated and confident and I'm loving the fact that she doesn't kill this outfit with too many accessories. Full-length jumpsuits are all the rage right now (see Victoria Beckham). Scroll down to see how to duplicate Sanaa's style.

Steal Sanaa's Style...

Jumpsuit: Strapless Stretch Wool Jumpsuit, $450, www.intermixonline.com

Heels: Martiny, $149.95, www.stevemadden.com

Clutch: Prezzo Metallic Snake Clutch, $49, www.endless.com

Earrings: Gold and Black Fringe Earrings, $25, www.shop.guess.com

This jumpsuit from Intermix is the actual jumpsuit Sanaa wore. Note how the waist of this jumpsuit is nipped-in but the hips have a little bit of volume to create the illusion of shape (not that Ms. Lathan needs it). Jumpsuits are meant to be extra long so you can actually get away with wearing comfy and perhaps not so elegant heels underneath. A trendy clutch and statement earrings complete the look but I would have probably opted to wear my hear slicked back into a perfect ponytail - hair off you face gives the look a sharper edge.

Best of the Rest...

Left to right: Karen Millen Jumpsuit, $320, www.asos.com; One Shoulder Jersey Jumpsuit, $60, www.asos.com; Halter Jumpsuit by Alice Olivia, $440, www.shopbop.com/

Left to right: Bandeau Jumpsuit, $90, www.topshop.com; Wide Leg V-Neck Jumpsuit, $29.80, www.forever21.com; Sea Pleated Front Jump Suit, $197, www.pinkmascara.com

Jumpsuits for every budget! Just be sure to pick a pair that's long enough for you and tight in the appropiate places.

Maximum Impact, Minimum Effort

Gabrielle Union attends the 'Style Villa' at the Sagamore Hotel on August 28, 2005 in Miami Beach, Florida.

Beyonce Knowles and her boyfriend Jay-Z lunch in a restaurant with friend in Upper East Side, New York, NY on July 29, 2006.

Sanaa Lathan attends Jordan Brand Parlor 2007 held at the The Shave on July 11, 2007 in Beverly Hills.

Halle Berry strolls along the beach in Malibu, California on September 12, 2007.

The “maxi” dress is the easiest and most comfortable way to look elegant in an instant. Whether you’re off to lunch or just taking a casual stroll along the beach, a maxi dress will never fail at making you feel feminine. Since maxi dresses flatter all shapes, the key is not so much finding the right fit as it is finding the right colors and pattern. See below for some tips...

Nia, Sanaa & Gabrielle Cover Essence...

They look great as per usual. Read what they had to say below about working in Hollywood as black actresses and dealing with all the gossip blogs... Pick up a copy now!

ON BEING IN-BETWEEN JOBS AS A BLACK ACTRESS

Essence: What kind of year has it been for you?

Sanaa Lathan: I’m happy to have gotten a job this year. You know one of the things I decided early on in my career—especially because I only have me to take care of—is that I don’t want to do anything just for money. As a result, I can be very annoying to my agents and pass on everything. To a fault. But something came along that I’m really excited about. I’m playing a Senegalese woman, and it’s the first time that I’ll be able to do some real accent work. It’s a small, really beautiful film. Other than that, I’ve just been living my life. Living the life that you live as an actor between jobs, which is…

Nia Long, Gabrielle Union: [Immense laughter]

Sanaa: You know, at this point in our careers, we’re all in our mid-thirties. There’s an art to being an actress, especially being a Black actress. And the truth is, to have persevered as long as the three of us have, you have to have some kind of philosophy about being in between work.

Essence: Because that’s so much time, right?

Sanaa: So much time.

Nia: No matter how long you’ve been in it, there is no security. So you have to really do sort of that internal work to just say I’m going to stay true to who I am, and also to have your heart open enough to be happy when other great things are happening for other people who do the same thing you do. Because that can be difficult if you’re not in the right place. I think having that helps to attract your highest good to you.

Gabrielle: That’s a tough lesson we all have to go through. It’s like, no matter how much you hate on somebody, it doesn’t change your life. I mean, you feel kind of okay in the moment as you’re dogging somebody, and then at the end of it you feel [bad] —and you still don’t have a job.

Nia: And you won’t get one because you’re putting all that negativity out there!

Sanaa: I truly believe that. And you know the thing is also, because we are artists, we feel. We have to nurture that sensitive side of ourselves, so of course we’re going to get jealous and envious. We’re human. But the key is to have the emotion, recognize it, deal with it, and move on. That’s what being an adult is. I think in life you have to work on yourself, but it’s almost like being an actress in Hollywood is double the stress.

ON GOSSIP

Essence: How do you deal with the 24-hours-a-day gossip that comes out on the Internet?

Gabrielle: Just last week somebody gave me a baby. This isn’t Perez Hilton or the White gossip people, these are women of color, specifically Black women who, for whatever reason, don’t like the company I keep.

Sanaa: She’s talking about the gossip sites.

Essence: The blogs.

Sanaa: That are run by Black women.

Gabrielle: And now because everyone is clamoring for celebrity tidbits, the bigger gossip sites and even mainstream entities are picking up on it. No fact-checking, no nothing. And in one week’s time, there were like five different dudes, a baby—I’m a homewrecker. In literally seven days. I can’t point the finger at the White media. They don’t care about us. Paparazzi are not staked out in front of any of our houses. They are not going through our garbage because they don’t care about us in that way. So when you hear crap about us, it is coming from our own community, which hurts.

Nia: We are some of the few Black actresses whose passions are rooted in our community.

Gabrielle: There is this idea that there is integrity in journalism; if it’s written it has to be true. But that’s not the case. When blogs or any of the magazines get it wrong, there’s no accountability. In the next breath, they’ll complain on the blogs that we don’t have enough Black stars. Well, you rip us to shreds every two seconds from our nose to the weave to the clothes to the shoes to the ashy ankles.

Credit: Thank you Essence for the pics and interview.

A Black and White Affair…

Thandie Newton and Eva Mendes attending the launch party for new range of bags created by Mulberry for Giles, at Harvey Nichols, London in January 2007.

Angela Bassett attending the ceremony honoring Oscar-winning actor Forest Whitaker with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame earlier this week in Hollywood.

Cassie posing backstage after her appearance on MTV's Total Request Live last September in New York City.

Sanaa Lathan at the Cosmopolitan Magazine launch of Bebe Sport with Eva Longoria last March.

Kimora Lee Simons posing in the lobby during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Fall 2007 in New York City.

Kelly Rowland with designer Tracy Reese backstage at the Tracy Reese Fall 2007 fashion show during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in the Promenade in Bryant Park this February in NYC.

Sorry the posts have been slow this week I’ve been busy with papers and then blogger was acting up. Anyway, monochrome prints are going to be hot this summer but if you don’t do pretty patterns opt for block colors. Black and white stripes like Cassie and Thandie’s give this look a harder edge.

Style on the Go...

Tia and Tamera Mowry attending Eduardo Lucero's Fall 2007 collection at the Los Angeles Theater on March 17, 2007 in Los Angeles, California.

Sanaa Lathan at the Fred Segal Beauty & Smashbox Artists Dinner last week.

Vanessa Williams posing as she receives a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame March 19, 2007 in Los Angeles.

Garcelle Beauvais at the Kevan Hall Fall 2007 fashion show during Mercedes Benz Fashion Week held at Smashbox Studios on last week in Culver City, California.

Too much fabulousness last week! First up are everyone’s favorite twins, Tia and Tamera. They were spotted during LA fashion week at Eduardo Lucero’s Fall 2007 show. Love the green on Tia and her shoes are hot!

Also attending Mercedes Benz Fashion Week was Garcelle Beauvais looking typically radiant. I heard the Kevan Hall collection was fresh and elegant. Love his dresses!

Congratulations to Vanessa Williams who recently received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Can you believe she was once amidst a Miss USA scandal? She’s come a long way. Vanessa’s dress was perfect for the occasion but what was up with her hair?

Sanaa Lathan is too cute! This outfit is so, “I’m fabulous but not ‘cause I’m trying to be!” I just caught “Something New” on cable and fell in love with Sanaa even more… classic beauty!

Credit: Juicy News and YBF for pics.

Statement Blazer + Favorite Pair of Jeans = Perfection Everytime!

Of-the-Season Blazer: Beyonce at a Dreamgirls’ Photocall in January this year in Berlin.

Men's Blazer: Halle Berry arriving at the opening night of the new production of "Wicked" held at The Pantages Theatre last month in Hollywood.

Cropped Blazer: Jennifer Hudson appearance and interview on XM Satellite Radio on January 10, 2007.

Stand-Out Blazer: Kerry Washington attending the newly opened Oscar de la Renta Boutique in November of 2004 in New York City.

Fitted Blazer: Sanaa Lathan arriving at the premiere of New Line's "King's Ransom" last April 21, 2005 in LA.

We’ve all been in this situation. You have just half an hour to get ready and you haven’t even decided what shoes you’re going to wear out that night. Desperate times call for fail-safe measures. Whenever I want to look polished and chic but don’t have the time to spare, I grab my favorite pair of jeans and a tailored blazer. This spring invest in a jacket or blazer and team with either a simple tee (Kerry and Sanaa) or a fitted shirt (Halle and Beyonce). Alternatively you could go with a cropped jacket a la Jennifer Hudson. Also consider statement accessories like a chunky necklace and statement belt like Sanaa. Oh and don’t forget the killer boots! ;)

Note: Also check out Rashida Jones.

Double Edition: What Say We?... Yay or Nay?!

Sanaa Lathan at Cavern Wallpaper and Kidada Jones for Disney Coutour Celebrate Their New Collections last month in Hollywood, California.
Tyra Banks arriving at the 2007 Clive Davis Pre-GRAMMY Awards Party last Friday in Beverly Hills.

I don’t know folks, this hairstyle on Sanaa Lathan is looking a little busted and the dress didn’t need the tights. I think it’s a ‘Nay’ although she still looks cute like only Sanaa could. Look out for Ms. Lathan in the TV adaptation of “A Raisin in the Sun.” She'll be starring alongside the recent Broadway cast which includes Diddy, Audra McDonald, and Phylicia Rashad. I actually helped promote and watched this play when it debuted on Broadway back in '04.

Meanwhile Tyra needs to stop the persistent madness. A woman this beautiful must really be messing up to look this bad. Let’s begin with her hairline which consistently shows the lace from her wig. Then how could you miss the fake eyelashes that look like spiders on vacation. She’s wearing entirely too much makeup and the dress is not flattering her curvy figure. Is the lace part of the original dress? Who knows? A big fat NAY!

The Eyes Have It…

Inner & Outer Corners: Both Nia Long and Alicia Keys chose to concentrate their eye shadow color in the inner and outer corners of their eyes respectively.

Under the Eye: Ashanti and Rihanna prefer to leave their top eyelids bare and let their bottom lids do the talking.

Top Eyelid: Christina Milian and Jada Pinkett-Smith prefer the conventional approach and opt for color above the eye.

Smoky Eyes: Garcelle Beauvais and Kerry Washington perfect their red carpet pose with smoky eyes and nude lips.

Nude Eyes: Sanaa Lathan and Danielle Evans keep things simple with a nude eye and a dash of eyeliner.

First of all my apologies, I’ve been so busy since the beginning of the year and I've not been posting as often as I should but as soon as things settle down the site will be back to normal.

If you’re anything like me then you’re probably on a life long quest to find the ultimate mascara or the perfect, ever illusive smoky eye - Garcelle what’s your secret? Her secret is probably her makeup artist but don’t despair, we mere mortals can huddle together and come up with some tricks of our own! I picked five of the most popular red carpet looks and they’re all achievable. Note: Any makeup artists out there should feel free to drop a little knowledge ;)