UPDATE: FOUND ! : 13yearold breana hernandez

UPDATE: breana returned safely last night, saturday, january 21! her friends&&family are grateful and thank you all for spreading the word and keeping breana in your thoughts! 
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one of our girls has been missing since thursday, january 19.  breana was last seen at northwest high school in germantown, md at about 12:30 PM.  breana is just 13yearsold and her friends and family are very worried about her.  please contact the numbers in the photo if you think you have seen breana! 


brenda michelle . sends thoughts&&prayers to breana and her family, and hopes for this princess' safe return.

more than revenge : how to win a fight in 2012

2011 was the year of girl fights. kimbella&chrissy, tammy&meeka, the bad girls&all of new orleans.... these girls made it look too easy-- they buss some heads, did a quick interview, made a name for themselves, and got to do another season of their tv shows. nice, right? while you're thinking about how teen mom's jenelle rocked that girl in the front lawn, think about 3 more girl fights in 2011:

happy birthday, first lady!

today is [First Lady Michelle Obama's] birthday !!! president obama has asked us all to wish our First Lady a happy birthday, so click here to sign her birthday card !

"no person has the right to rain on your dreams." : thank you, dr. king.

"Those who are not looking for happiness are the most likely to find it, because those who are searching forget that the surest way to be happy is to seek happiness for others."

today, we celebrate the life & legacy of dr. martin luther king, jr. we celebrate his courage, his faith, his perseverance, his service and so, so much more.  today, we take the time to thank dr. king, because if he did not take a stand, we would not be able to flyy.

brenda michelle . [hearts]: stacy t. smith

who doesn't want to feel beautiful every s i n g l e day ?? well, stacy t. smith has set out to make sure that we feel & look beautiful all of the time with her skin and hair care company, I Design Beauty.  with some determination and creativity, stacy

very kinky curls: [asha] is a teen with natural hair !

i [heart] girls who [heart] their hair ! lately, tons of black girls have been turning down relaxers [a.k.a. perms a.k.a. the creamy crack] and wearing their n a t u r a l kinks & curls [remember ms. safiya ?]-- and 15-year-old asha is one of those girls [she's also one of my darling younger cousins :) ] !  asha was curious & brave enough to see what her hair looked like without a relaxer and

thought you were just another romeo : [elle varner] at howard university in dc this weekend !

elle varner is performing in dc this weekend for all my girls in the dmv area ! she and chrisette michele are putting on a show in howard university's cramton auditory on saturday, january 14 at 7PM.  i've seen chrisette in concert and she is a great performer and i LOVE elle's song w/ j.cole. this could be a really fun weekend activity ! for information on tickets

hop up out the bed, turn your [swag] on: how to wake up feeling refreshed

if we want to stay pretty in black, intelligent too, a socialite, living the good life, AND run this , we have to get our beauty rest ! sleep feeds our brains and our bodies, and enough of it takes us one step closer to being queens. we look better, are less moody and are able to function better in [school, sports, dance, work, etc.]  WAKA works for this little guy, but

brenda michelle . [hearts]: coco && breezy

i can't even put these twenty [20]-year-old twins from minnesota into words, but i'll give a try... fierce? not good enough. bawse? still not quite there. how about... ruthless? that''ll have to do. coco && breezy had a vision to bring their one of a kind sunglasses, bracelets, necklaces, rings and other accessories to the masses,

not too late to be a college girl ! 13 colleges still accepting applications

have you ever heard that "if" and "when" were planted and nothing grew? "i'd apply if i knew when it was due" or "i'll apply when i look at the website."  guess what? i've got that covered for you, so it's time to stop procrastinating and putting it off, because

chain so big can't pop my collar ! : necklaces that make a statement

your look isn't complete without a big, flashy, look at me now [in my breezy voice] necklace !  think necklaces like the women of the maasai tribe in kenya... ok, those might be doing too much for high school [although i would definitely rock one of those bold pieces], but these

brenda michelle . [hearts]: drea dashiell

i. love. desserts !  and i love girls who make a businesses outta desserts.  therefore, i love drea [gov'ment: andrea dashiell], founder and owner of honeecakes bakery.  drea and i went to the university of delaware together, where the whole campus knew about her baking.  she's been hustlin cakes and pies since she was sixteen [16] and she hasn't ever

classroom swag: bawse notebooks

if you're going to take the time to write down detailed, quality notes, they deserve to go in a flyy outfit. check out these super cute [and cheap !] notebooks for you to keep the classroom swagged out.

the itis: bomb snacks to try this weekend

if you're anything like me, you love snacks. yummy, sweet, salty, delicious snacks.  during the winter, we tend to get these yummy snacks in all the wrong places, so i wanted to share a few simple ways to get the yummy, sweet, salty, deliciousness in

but daddy, i LOVE him !!!!: when your parents hate your boyfriend

at this age, it's very unlikely that your parents, older brothers, cousins, uncles, etc. will like any boy that you're dating [if you're allowed to date at all]. no one is good enough for the princess.  so how do you know when their instincts about your boo are right? consider these tell tale signs that it may be time to cancel that dude...

less is more: video make-up tutorial for an everyday fresh face

alright girls, we're at that age where we want to start wearing make-up, and that's cool, but we want to make sure we do it right. clown faces are not hot.  black girls have beautiful skin, our complexion, our tone, our texture, so we don't want to cover it up too much.  but sometimes

brenda michelle . [hearts]: ashley russell

i went to undergrad with an amazing young woman named ashley russell, one of the few black lacrosse players i've ever known.  since graduating, ashley has made it her mission to get more young black girls to dare to be different and become involved in the sport that she loves so much.  ashley's story is truly inspiring-- she had to overcome heartbreaking obstacles that some of you girls may be able to relate to-- and

chillin out, maxin & relaxin all cool: reducing stress before a test

high school is stressful. on top of sports, clubs, friends, and looking cute, you have to worry about those pesky grades. but stress isn't good for our pretty brown skin. so let's think of a few ways to chill out before a test so you can keep your skin pretty and perform well on your exam.

• don't worry about how other people are studying. we are unique in every way, including how we learn. what your best girlfriend is doing might not be best for you.

snatched OPI and a fragrance too

guess who's trying to keep our nails pretty in black?

na na na diva is a female version of a hustla: 5 side hustles for extra $$

tell me somethin: where ya bawse at? ... just look in the mirror.

there's nothing better than being your own boss and making your own money; that's hustlin.  it's tough for young people to find jobs right now, so instead of depending on someone else to hire you-- hire yourself.  every last one of you has a hustle, because every last one of you is good at something.  it may take a while to figure out just what your hustle is, but that's what brenda michelle . is here for -- to get your creative juices flowing!  consider these 5 [side] hustles (because school comes first!) that could lead to your very own small business.

staying cute & cozy in the winter

yea... no.  the next morning she had a snotty nose and a frog in her throat. that ain't hot.

the girl in the picture had the right idea with her accessories, she just went about it all wrong.  it is possible to stay cute and warm in the colder months with 3 must-have accessories for the winter:

5 ways to make winter fun!

just because we're fabulous black girls doesn't mean we can't have fun during the colder months! get out of hibernation and try one of these 5 really cool ways to enjoy your winter.

OMG, becky look at her butt! being healthy & curvy

if that ain't the pot calling the kettle black...

some fool in wisconsin had the nerve to talk about our fabulous First Lady (and this blog's namesake).  apparently, the man is uncomfortable with the size of her booty.  first of all, our First Lady's hind parts are none of his daggon business.

brenda michelle . [hearts]: keke palmer

did someone call for a triple threat? that's right, not only does 19-year-old keke palmer act (look for her in Joyful Noise this month and she has her very on show coming out on Nickolodeon this summer!) and sing (she's on the soundtrack!), but

oh you a college girl?: scholarships and grants just for YOU

"...a good education is another name for happiness." -- Ann Plato

college is the place to be.  it was the best four years of my life (getting away from home, meeting new people, feeding my brain, learning more about myself as a young black woman... i could go on forever) and every last one of you can and will have the experience if i have anything to do with it.

BUT it's expensive and money don't grow on trees!  it's never too early to start planning for how you will pay for school.  there are generally 3 ways to pay for college:

less is more: t-shirt fly

nothing says "effortless chic" like a fun but simple t-shirt.  pair it with colorful skinny jeans, a cardigan, and  a beanie and you'll be fresh to death, dressed to impress, ready to [party, study, chill, etc.].

check out a few tees below.  click on the photos for pricing. (ps. my favorite: the cheetah X-- it's hotttttt!)