The dust may have settled, but the lasting impression of Halle Berry's Oscar was not the crying or the speech (please, no more lazy comparisons with Gwyneth; Halle's tears weren't just for herself but for all the black women sidelined by Hollywood), but the morning after. Seeing a glamorous black woman basking in the limelight the next day made me giddy. I usually feel lucky (or worse, grateful) if any black women are included in the "who wore what" round-ups, but this year it was the white women who languished on the inside pages, tucked behind Halle, Denzel and Sidney.

And, as is so often the case with black women, it all came down to the hair. Forget the Jennifer (it was never going to work anyway). Forget, even, Alicia Keys's zig-zag braids (my friend Yazmin had them first). As of Oscar night, the only hairstyle worth having is the Halle.

"This is no doubt the next big thing for black women," says twice winner of the Afro Hairdresser of the Year award, Errol Douglas. "If you find afro hair difficult to manage, going short is a great option." And, says Desmond Murray, winner of this year's award: "Berry has been a great ambassador for hair for years. Black women have always been very apprehensive of cutting their hair, but she's broken down those barriers."

Of course, when it comes to make-up, Berry is spoilt for choice, given that she is one of the faces of Revlon. According to them, the eye make-up stayed in place, despite a good watering, thanks to Colorstay Waterproof Lashcolour in Blackest Black. For the shimmer effect, Berry used skinlights Powder in Golden Light across her razor-sharp cheekbones. Lips were kept beautifully natural with Super Lustrous Lipstick in Iced Mocha, lined with Revlon's Colorstay Lip Liner in Cocoas. And the secret to her trademark radiant glow was the skinlights Diffusing Tint in Caramel which "contains flaw-diffusers to cover imperfections and micro-fine minerals to reflect the light" - although exactly what imperfections they are covering remain to be seen.