Like Jennifer Williams, Shontelle and Selita Ebanks, you may have found your perfect party dress, but are you ready to wear it? Losing the last five pounds to slip into your dream dress may not be as hard as you think! Marcus Williams of BlackDoctor.org has crafted some quick tips to lose weight – and inches – on your tummy and thighs. Check them out and get inspired to look fit and fabulous.

Step 1: Cardio Confusion
Do one hour of cardio four times a week. Try different workouts, from elliptical to running to spinning, but try something new every day for 2 weeks and your body will experience cardio confusion, which results in your body burning more calories each workout.

Step 2: Sexy Sculpting
Take one hour of sculpting ballet, light toning exercises, yoga or pilates class twice a week. This form of exercise will create a feminine and sexy line of lean.

Step 3: Eat Right
Be sure to eat lean protein and lots of veggies and other lower glycemic carbs. Drink at least 8 to 10 glasses of water, and try to avoid all soda, even diet. Also, try to eat the majority of your calories during the day, and not at night.

Sample 7-Day Workout Plan
Day 1: 60 minutes of walking/jogging on the treadmill or outside
Day 2: 40 minutes on the elliptical machine, plus 20 minutes on the treadmill
Day 3: 60 minute sculpting class
Day 4: Rest
Day 5: 45 minutes of a spin class, plus 15 minutes on treadmill, plus 20 minutes of ab work
Day 6: 60 minutes on the elliptical machine or 60 minutes on the treadmill
Day 7: Sculpting, yoga or Pilates class

This year saw its share of some truly fabulous makeup, skin and hair product launches! From a vampy collection of matte lipsticks to a miracle body cream, here are the ten beauty products we lived for this year.

1.Denim eyeshadow shades were all the rage this year, and no one did it better than Estee Lauder. Their Blue Dahlia Palette ($42, nordstrom.com) came with five complimentary blue hues in a variety of finishes, including: matte, satin, shimmer and metallic.

2.MAC’s new Studio Sculpt Foundation SPF 15 ($29.50, maccosmetics.com) does everything but your taxes! The satiny base erases fine lines and dark spots, never smudges or fades, and leaves the most natural, “is she wearing makeup” finish ever.

3.This year, Maybelline managed to improve upon their already-legendary Great Lash Mascara with a bigger, better version: Maybelline Great Lash Big Mascara ($3.99, target.com). Now spiked with super-volumizing ingredients, the mascara comes with an oversized brush that gives you incredibly lush lashes.

4.Nars Pure Matte Lipstick ($25, narscosmetics.com) was one of 2010’s most popular new launches, and it’s no mystery why. The deeply pigmented lipstick not only gives a vampy, velvety finish, the hues stay put for hours on end. We’re wild about the Terre de Feu shade, a rich brick red.

5.Moroccanoil Oil Treatment ($15, folica.com) revolutionized the hair industry this year! A favorite among celeb hairstylists and their A-list clients, the lightweight, leave-in moisturizing treatment leaves hair of all textures looking and feeling healthier than ever.

6.This year, were were obsessed with Clinique’s new Even Better Dark Spot Corrector ($49.50, clinique.com). This gentle gel not only corrects dark spots and hyperpigmentation (the bane of every Black woman’s existence), it leaves the complexion looking positively radiant and luminous.

7.Sonia Kashuk Circle of Hope Kabuki Brush ($12.99, target.com) is a multi-tasking miracle worker! This soft, fluffy brush is just the thing for applying powder (loose or pressed), blush, or mineral foundation.

8.Cover Girl ShadowBlast Smoky Shadow Sticks ($8.50, drugstore.com) were an instant hit this year. The portable wands each come with two complimentary eyeshadow crayons, one for the lid and one for the crease—perfect for creating a sexy smoky eye. Kudos, Cover Girl!

9.Kiehls Imperial Body Balm ($42, kiehls.com) was our favorite body moisturizer of the year! Blended with sea buckthorn berry oil—an ingredient lauded for its replenishing effects—this rich balm moisturizes even the dryest, most winter-worn skin, keeping the ashies away for good.

10.When Beyonce’s “Why Don’t You Love Me” video came out last winter, everyone was instantly obsessed with her wintergreen-meets-robin’s egg blue nail polish. Within days, Essie’s Mint Candy Apple Nail Polish ($4.25, amazon.com) became the hottest mani shade in the land. So pretty with brown skin!

The article was first published in Essence

• Gifts for everyone in the party (Guests may bring their own Christmas Gifts)
• A Long Customized Story

• Make all of your guests sit in a circle
• You can either give out gifts you have bought randomly or ask them to hold their own gifts.
• Narrate the specially customized long story with words ‘Right’ or ‘Left’ coming often in it. An example of such story is given below.
• Every time, the word ‘Right’ is uttered, everybody has to pass the gift they are holding to the right and every time the word ‘Left’ is uttered, everybody has to pass the gift they are holding to the left.
• Everybody gets to keep the gift they have at the end of the story.
• Everybody can then open their gifts and enjoy.
• Here is an example of the story that you can use for the party:

Singing carols, gorging on delicious cakes and party delicacies and even exchanging gifts and opening them may not keep you busy the whole evening and your great, grand Christmas Party may have its dull and boring moments between the events. To fill out the time, planning for a few party games is always the best idea. Here we have come up some of the funniest yet sober party games that can be enjoyed by people of all ages. However, kinds will perhaps like ‘Find The Santa’ and ‘Stocking the Stockings’ best while ‘Spying Them All’ is best suited for a small office party or an event where everybody know each other or at least, have a general idea about their nature. ‘Draw the Carol’ is for people of all ages.

‘Best Gift‘ will keep your guests from grumbling about what they get and comparing them with others while ‘Share The Gifts‘ is just another innocent game to give out Christmas Gifts in an interesting manner. We have chosen Christmas party games that are easy to arrange, suited to all budges – from low to high, are sober and related to Christmas theme. There are scores of other Christmas Games that you can find on net or that can be invented by introducing little variations on the popular kid games such as a variation of ‘Pin Up Donkey’s Tail’ can be introduced in a Christmas Kids Party as ‘Pin Up Rudolph’s Nose’. Variations of dice games and card games can be introduced in the Christmas Party for Adults to win the Christmas gifts kept for the purpose.

Trimming long hair regularly, every 6 to 8 weeks, will help to maintain its length and keep the hair smooth and sexy. Because trimming the hair frequently will lessen the chances of split ends appearing half way up the hair, it will not have to be cut short to remove the split ends. Special care needs to be taken when long hair is exposed to the sun or a lot of swimming. Use a hat or a sunscreen hair cream to help protect it from UVA which could potentially dry it out and damage it. Similarly wear a plastic swimming cap to protect long hair from the chorine in the swimming baths or the salt in the sea.

Leona Lewis

Leona Lewis’s warm wool beanie is an ideal fitted, versatile shape that can top off any casual or dressy outfit with style during the winter months.

Lisa Bonet

The queen of bohemian mode,Lisa Bonet, looks effortlessly cool in a khaki, slouchy newsboy hat.

Beyonce

Beyonce wears her lightweight, open knit beret further back on her head and uses her hair to frame her face.

Mary J. Blige

Mary looks snugly warm in a thick, winter white, cable knit brimmed hat.

Halle Berry

Halle Berry’s stripped newsboy hat is the perfect headwear to complete her casual, urban chic ensemble.

Rihanna

Could there possibly be a warmer stylish hat than a real or faux fur trapper? We think not. Rihanna dons her fox fur trapper with the ear flaps down for maximum warmth.

Erykah Badu

Pushing the boundaries of fashion has long been Erykah Badu’s M.O. when it comes to her personal style. The eccentric singer’s top hat may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it’s undeniable how cool it looks on Miss Badu.

Alicia Keys

Take a cue from Alicia Keys and dress up a comfy, crochet beret with gold earrings and soft curls.

What do people do?

It is traditional for families and groups of friends to get together for a large meal. This often consists of a turkey, stuffing, different types of potatoes, cranberry sauce, gravy and maize and other seasonal vegetables. The meal also often includes pumpkin pie. Many of these foods are native to the Americas and were not available in Europe at the time of the first settlers. This adds to their symbolism of giving thanks for a good harvest in a new country.

Thanksgiving Day parades are held in some cities and towns on or around Thanksgiving Day. Some parades or festivities also mark the opening of the Christmas shopping season. Many football games are played and watching them is a popular activity. Some people have a four-day weekend so it is a popular time for trips out of town and to visit friends and family.

Public life

Most government offices, businesses, schools and other organizations are closed on Thanksgiving Day. Many offices and businesses allow staff to have a four-day weekend so these offices and businesses also closed on the Friday after Thanksgiving Day. Public transit systems do not usually operate on their regular timetables.

Many families and groups of friends get together for Thanksgiving so it is one of the busiest periods for travel. This can cause congestion and overcrowding. Seasonal parades and busy football games can cause disruption to traffic locally. Some states, such as Maine and West Virginia (among others), have an extra day for the Thanksgiving holiday. The following day is known as Thanksgiving Friday in these states.

Background

There are claims that the first Thanksgiving Day was held in the city of El Paso, Texas in 1598. Another early event was held in 1619 in the Virginia Colony. Many people trace the origins of the modern Thanksgiving Day to the harvest celebration that the Pilgrims held in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1621. However, their first true thanksgiving was in 1623, when they gave thanks for rain that ended a drought. These early thanksgivings took the form of a special church service, rather than a feast, as is common now.

In the second half of the 1600s, thanksgivings after the harvest became more common and started to become annual events. However, it was celebrated on different days in different communities and in some places there were more than one thanksgiving each year. The celebrations often included prayer and fasting and so were quite different to the modern holiday. George Washington, the first president of the United States, proclaimed the first national Thanksgiving Day in 1789.

Since 1863, Thanksgiving Day has been an annual holiday in the United States. A more recent tradition started in 1947. Since then, the president has been presented with a live turkey, which he ‘pardons’. The turkey then spends the rest of its life peacefully on a farm.

Not everyone sees Thanksgiving Day as a cause for celebration. The European settlers had a massive destructive effect on the Native American peoples and their culture. Each year since 1970, a group of Native Americans and their supporters have staged a protest for a National Day of Mourning at Plymouth Rock in Plymouth, Massachusetts on Thanksgiving Day.

Storm

Storm, a member of Marvel’s X-men, is by far the most popular of the female black superheroes. Recreate this sexy, Halloween costume idea for black women with white, wild, curly hair, a black, tank-top style body suit with gold trim and black leather boots. If desired, toss in a black cap with gold trim, a black headband and gold cuffs to complete this sexy, homemade Halloween costume.

Catspaw

Featured in the Legion of Super-Heroes, Catspaw was both human and feline, with cat-like reflexes, retractable claws and an ability to see in the dark. The sexy, black superhero wore a full-body, gloved black bodysuit with yellow and black stripes racing through the middle. She also wore a thick silver utility belt, featuring the Legionnaires logo. Her long, brown hair was wild beneath a brown v-shaped head cover.

Vixen

Vixen, another DC black heroine, was an African and a model, whose powers came from a powerful totem. Recreate this sexy, Halloween costume for black women with a short black fro with a strip of brown dyed through the middle, an orange halter-style bodysuit, gold hoop earrings and orange cuffs. Her orange boots will be hard to come by, opt for black boots tucked beneath the bodysuit.

Amanda Waller

If you’ve got curves, Amanda Waller is the superhero for you. Dr. Waller, although lacking special powers, was ranked the 60^th Greatest Comic Book Villain of All Time by IGN and was featured on the hit TV show Smallville,played byPam Grier.This Halloween, recreate her look with a white lab coat with insignia, blue pants, a small fro (crew cut style would be ideal) and black boots.

Rocket

Rocket, a DC superhero and partner to Icon, is a teenage crime fighter and single mom. A former gymnast, she gains power from her flexibility, experience in crime fighting with her partner and her inertia belt. To recreate this homemade Halloween costume idea for black women, you’ll need a blue, full-body bodysuit, a red pair of boots, a red jacket, white gloves and short, straight red hair.

Ladyhawk

Ladyhawk is the alias for twin sisters Rosetta and Regina, daughters of a crime lord who vow to fight crime in Marvel’s Spider-Girl series. To recreate this sexy, homemade Halloween costume idea for black women, you’ll need a full-body green bodysuit with orange accents, an orange and green face mask and a short black fro.