Glamspiration: The Life Advice Erykah Badu and Ledisi Gave Us #EssenceBeauty

Glamazons,

I never miss an opportunity to attend an Essence Magazine cover dinner. Remember how touched I was by Janelle Monae‘s speech at the one I went to last April? I was inspired again at the #EssenceBeauty dinner last night to celebrate Erykah Badu, Ledisi and Solange‘s covers.

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Not only were the cover subjects (minus Solange, who couldn’t attend) inspiring, but the women in the room at The Park Penthouse in downtown NYC made me feel proud to have a seat at the table.

There were so many dynamic and extraordinary ladies present including our Glamazon Godmother and beauty icon Mikki Taylor, Essence Editor-In-Chief Vanessa Bush, Entertainment Editor Cori Murray, Danielle Brooks (“Tastee”) of “Orange is the New Black,” the cast of OWN‘s “Love and The City,” Ursula Stephen, Franchesca Ramsey, Necole Bitchie, Demetria Lucas, Christina Brown of LoveBrownSugar, Essence.com Hair and Beauty Editor Deena Campbell, Felicia of ThisThatBeauty and Julee Wilson of Huffington Post.

Danielle Brooks (“Tastee”) of “Orange Is The New Black”

Necole Bitchie and Demetria Lucas of “Blood, Sweat and Heels”

All accomplished, genuine and inspiring women!

The ladies of the hour, Erykah Badu and Ledisi, went out of their way to make us all feel welcome. Erykah even walked around to everyone’s table and took selfies:

I can’t begin to describe the shock on my face when I got tapped on my shoulder and turned around to see Erykah Badu, one of the greatest soul singers of our generation, like “hey girl hey!” Her spirit is so beautiful and kind. I think she took a picture with everyone in the room and never once was annoyed or bothered, just gracious and warm.

Ledisi, who is one of my favorite singers EVER (remember how crazy I went over this note she hit during “Black Girls Rock”), made a point to tell everyone how beautiful they were. I’m talking about complimenting our looks by breaking down each of our outfits from head-to-toe. Being in this business, I can tell you, it’s rare to see a celebrity that’s so humble and thoughtful that they take the time to genuinely notice and compliment someone else’s style.

These two women are just jewels! And their friendship and love for one another was palpable. After the delicious three-course meal and meet-and-greet, they sat down with Essence Magazine‘s new Beauty and Style Director Pamela Edwards to discuss their “Journey to Beautiful” (they also opened up about it in their cover stories which you should totally read in the May 2014 issue!).

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Here are a few gems I got from their conversation:

Erykah Badu on Beauty:

“Beauty is your smile and your smell. And in order to be smiling, you have to be smiling inside. Beauty is our mothers and their elegance and the exquisite way that they carried themselves when they were dressed up. They way they popped their gum, or painted their fingernails. That’s beauty to me.”

Ledisi on Other People’s Opinions:

“Once I stopped worrying about what other people thought, my whole life changed.”

Best Beauty Advice Ledisi Has Ever Received:

“Drink water and put yourself first as a priority.”

Erykah Badu on Taking a Compliment:

“When someone compliments you, say that’s what I love about myself.” 

Erykah Badu, Ledisi, Essence Beauty Style and Director Pamela Edwards and EIC Vanessa Bush

The Advice Erykah Badu Would Give a Young Girl:

“Be honest. It’s not a race. Take your time. What other people say is none of your business. Choose happy.”

The Advice Ledisi Would Give a Young Girl:

“You’re beautiful. And when you grow, you’re beautiful there too. Just like my Mom said to me. ‘You’re so pretty, chocolate little baby.’ And she says it even now. So I hold onto that. […] Be fearless. Just go for it. Evolve. Be honest with yourself about what love you deserve. Don’t settle. Don’t forget about you first. You deserve the best because you’re the best. That’s what got me here. Whatever this is now, I wouldn’t trade it for the world. I’m so freaking happy right now.”

Ledisi on Changing Herself and How That Led to Happiness and Success:

“When you love yourself first, and you understand your lane, your purpose and the calling on your life and you embrace fully what that is, it is the best feeling in the world. All the things that you see happening for me: that cover, Mikki Taylor giving me words, Erykah Badu being my friend forever, those things don’t happen to everyone. So when they happen, it’s because you did something, you changed something. No one can change me but me, that’s what I learned. And when I changed myself for me, not for a record or audience, just for me to feel happier and let go of all the things that were weighing me down…I thought I had let it go with the book but it wasn’t done yet. I still had more to go. And it’s going to always change. When you accept that fully, it’s the greatest feeling. Anything you want, it will come.”

So many of their words spoke to me but especially Ledisi‘s quote about letting go of things that weigh you down and Erykah‘s advice about completely dismissing what other people say about you. As I prepare to celebrate a birthday, those are the things I’m keeping in mind so I can live more fully. Like Ledisi said “no one can change me but me,” and I’m fully committed to changing and evolving to get to that place of peace and growth she spoke about.

And if that sound life advice wasn’t enough, the two ladies treated us to impromptu performances. Erykah Badu recited the most beautiful poetry about joy, necessary pain and personal growth, and Ledisi sang “Alright” at Erykah‘s request. Here’s a quick Instavid of that moment:

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P.S. remember when I mentioned that Essence Magazine gave us two months of consecutive afros with Solange and Erykah Badu in May and Prince in June? Well, their celebration of different hair textures is spilling over into the digital realm too. Today, they’re re-launching Essence.com’s Hair Channel which focuses on four different hair journeys: relaxed, natural, transitioning and wigs/weaves. Love the diversity of content!

You can customize your experience based on your hair texture/style of choice, and get content (tips, how-to videos, blogs) tailor-made for your specific hair journey.

I’m excited to see tips from Johnny Wright, the genius behind First Lady Michelle Obama‘s perfect hair and also the Artistic Style Director for Softsheen-Carson and blogs from my faves Afrobella, Cipriana of Urban Bush Babes and Chime Edwards.

PLUS the hub will feature readers’ hair stories and pictures too as part of the “My Selfie Journey” campaign. Sometimes, I get the most inspiration from posts and images from the everyday women I encounter on social media, so I’m glad they’ll have a space for readers to share their hair stories too. Speaking of social media, you can get more beauty inspo at the #EssenceBeauty hashtag (including more photos from last night’s event!).

I have to say I’m really proud and excited about where Essence is going. They’re evolving but still staying true to the core message of empowerment and diverse beauty that I saw in the magazine when I read it as a child. What do you think about their new hair channel? And did any of Ledisi and Erykah‘s advice speak to you? Tell me in the comments.

Kisses,

Glamazon Jessica

Images: Yours Truly, Debra L. Rothenberg/Picture Group