Springin' It

YAAAAAAAAAASS it's finally warmmmmm! And nobody can be more excited than me! I LURVE warm/hot weather so all this cold and rain was killing me. So of course on the first really nice day I kicked out the wedges, florals and color The following look is an ode to all things warm :)

Super simple look! I used a green eyeshadow, black kohl, MAC's Vegas Volt lipstick, Fulfilled pushglass and La Femme blush in Coral spice. Isn't Vegas Volt bew-ti-ful?!!! It made me want to buy like umpteen backups OMGGGG! Also, I love looks like this because they don't look overdone, can last well in the heat and are very fresh faced and spring forward!

Overall, I've been keeping myself busy. Just trying to make moves. Been slightly lazy with my hair (wearing it in protective bun). I've also been going out to eat quite a lot (one of my favorite pastimes lol) This week since it was so nice, a friend and I went to eat at City Tap House since they have an outside roof deck to eat on. It was great. We went for lunch so the menu was slightly limited but the burger I had was great and I nearly inhaled the fries! Yum!

I was in New York for the week previous and I meant to do a post on all the great places I ate when I was there.... perhaps it'll happen eventually hehe. How do you make your shift to warmer weather?

xoxo. 

FOTD: Fire & Brimstone

So, in celebration of me actually being able to post after 6pm here's a look :) Since last week I've been crazy fake busy. I just got back from a week in New York celebrating one of my best friends college graduation and I'm excited that I may have some fun news to share soon. Hopefully all is well with everyone else! Anywhos...

Face => Revlon PhotoReady foundation in Cappucinno, MAC MSF Natural in Dark, Blunt blush for contour, La Femme blush in Golden rose

Brows => MAC eyebrow pencil in Spiked, concealer in nw45

Eyes => MAC Black Tied and Peppier eyeshadow, Inglot eyeshadow for highlight, #2 Lashes

Lips => MAC Vino lip pencil, MAC Toxic Tale lipstick (LE: VV collection), MAC 3d 

So, no plans for a Saturday night although I had several offers I'm finna sit at home sleep, eat rice krispie treats and catch up on some missed shows :) 

xoxo.

Coral Nails: Essie's Tarte Deco

I've been doing a lot of on the go makeup so I haven't posted anything. But my Rite-Aid has started selling Essie polishes so I bought a few ($8 each! Sheeeesh). Unfortunately its been nasty and rainy, but this particular color is bright and perfect for the spring. It's called Tarte Deco. I've gotten so many compliments and I believe it to be a color that fits a wide range of shades. My only complaint was that it went on a bit streaky but that may be avoided with a base coat. It took two coats for ne to get it fully opaque. I was on my neutrals for a bit but I can't get enough of this pop of color. If you're into the whole lip/eye coordination it'll go amazing with MAC's Vegas Volt :) What's your go to nails for the spring?

Candy Yum Yum, Revisited

And this time I love it! I was determined to feel the hype that everyone else felt when wearing it, and after this time I did. I paired it with magenta liner and a smokey eye and I was set to go. This lippie definitely deserves a warning sign because it is neon pink and as far as I know there aren't any other ones exactly like it. It's definitely an attention grabber as people could not seem to be ALLLL up in ma face when I was wearing it! Lol. Anywhos...

And since my phone seems to capture color better...yup. it's THAT bright. :)

What products have you written off and then loved upon second examination?


xoxo.

Sassy Neutrals: Interview Mode

So I tried posting this yesterday but it seems blogger was down. I had an interview the other day and a lil bulb went off like hey, why don't you do a quick post on it. So here ya go! :)

Eyes => Inglot matte brown, WnW black h2o liquid liner, Stiletto lash mascara

Face => Revlon Photoready in Cappuccino, MSF Natural in Dark, La femme blush in Sienna

Lips => Lined lightly with MAC liner in Spice, MAC Bright and Perky lipglass (Tartan Tale LE)

My Top 5 Interview Do's:

1. Set out clothing down to the shoes the night before! Also double check to make sure your alarm is set and set extra ones. This ensures you won't be late (BIG no no!)

2. Review whatever company/business you're interviewing for. I try to review general company information as well as what's generally going on in the industry. Prepare yourself and research questions you could expect and jot down reminders in the small notebook you'll carry.

3. GROOM! Appearance is everything nowadays! Do the eyebrows, have well maintained hair, clean manicured nails. For certain positions, make sure there's no visible piercing/tattoos. Ugh, people really pay attention to little shit like this... 

4. Print out extra resume copies and make sure you have your purse packed. Typically my interview purse consists of a folder with my resume, phone, gum (remember to throw out before), company's contact info, small notebook, directions, pocket mirror, makeup, keys, wallet, cash, PEN, and I.D.

5. Stay positive! Always keep a smile in the face of adversity. Never look or feel defeated. I always feel if I'm not hired for a certain position, it wasn't meant to be. I'm a firm believer in energy balance and as long as you rebuke negativity, positivity and opportunity WILL always find a way to you :)

Yall know I find neutral looks boring, but unless you're interviewing for a "makeup friendly" job I think it's necessary as one wouldn't like to "turn" anyone with brash bright colors! As far as my hair I usually comb it out for a big hair look but for this particular interview I kept it "tame" and used curling lotion and holding spray to define the curls back down to a "normal" volume. Lol, also as you can see I take out my facial piercings as well as not to "offend" anyone (nose ring fully removed, backings off only on surface piercing) and I typically wear a watch on my wrist to cover up my tattoo. As you can see from my immense use of quotations, I am not a fan a hardcore fan of certain changes I make to myself in order to work because I feel that it is a misrepresentation of who I am. I always feel muted because I am that bold eye bright lips, in yo face accessories, high heeled type chick but most places don't find these things acceptable. But hey *sigh* the things we do for money...  Lol, have any of you ever felt like jobs hindered your swag?

xoxo.

Bright Liner, Bold Lips

Hey loves :) So I'm here with a quick FOTD. Since I'm so damn lazy typically my photos are a few days behind so this look was actually worn on Sunday. I had recently went to Rite-Aid and picked up two of the lip perfection lipsticks, in Divine and Embrace. The funny thing is that I almost brought Up the Amp on my trip to MAC the day before and I'm glad I didn't. Divine is definitely an amazing dupe (it's brighter but I wore a dark liner). All in all I'm extremely impressed with these covergirl lippies. Although I'm not a big fan of Embrace color on me they are long wearing and long lasting. Like scrub scrub scrub to get off your lips lasting! I do plan on going back and getting some more. But anywhos...

Face => Still trying out foundations, I'm wearing Black opal in ? color here. MAC MSF in Dark, Blunt for contour, La Femme Blush in Purple Passion

Eyes => Only MAC Black Tied in crease, Wet n Wild liquid liner in 862 (blue), black kohl on waterline, Stiletto lash mascara

Lips => Jordana lip pencil in Deep purple, Covergirl lip perfection in Divine, MAC Superglass in Fab Frenzy

YAY! I finally got around to taking some pics in daylight *pumps fist* It definitely makes a major difference as far as color!  Have any of you tried the Covergirl lippies? Any recs? Oh, also here's me and my mom. She loved her gift. I bought her a Vera Bradley watch :) I hope that everyone had a great weekend and a late Happy Mother's Day to all the mommies out there!

xoxo.

Quick Weave for my Budget Divas and Sad Goodbyes

I'll begin with the good...So I decided to put another quick weave in my hair and I was really pleased with the results. This time I used Say Me Deep Wave, which came in 1 pack with four different lengths of 8, 10,12, and 14 inches. This is great for those beginner weavers who aren't really good with layering hair (although it isn't 100%. I still believe in shaping the weave for your face. I used a hair razor for mine) :) The only difference between this style is that I did leave a bit of my hair out at the top. I used a heat protectant and flat irons to tame it. My hair does tend to get a little fuzzy but that's okay with this hair since it's curly anyway. I never flat iron more than once or twice a week, so I make sure to wear a scarf whenever I'm laying down. This hair is verrrry curly, but I prefer a fuller look so I use my denman (finally, its good for something! lol) to brush out the curls.

I'm not sure if yall can see the price, but this weave was $17.99. AND you only need ONE pack. ONE pack. YASSSS a whole hairstyle for under $20!!! I live. And the results...

So far, this feels like great hair. I've used the Say Me brand straight hair before and HATED it, but I'd definitely cop some more of this! Curly hair is so great for natural girls to wear especially because it never looks too bad if your hair gets bushy or wet, etc. I was going out so that's whats up with the full face of makeup :)

I can't tell you exactly what I put on my eyes yall. I got disheveled later in the evening (keep reading to learn why) although I know it was all Inglot eyeshadows. Also on my eyes is MAC 3d gold in the outer corner (VERY much amazing in person but not too noticeable in the picture) La Femme blush in Russet and MAC lipliner in Chestnut and Stealing Kisses lipglass (Tartan Tale LE), blunt blush for contour. For my face, I used the sample of MAC's pro longwear foundation that I got from MAC. I'm on the fence about it, it looks AMAZING in person but it photographed weird on my digital camera and the wear after leaving the club left a lot to considered. I may use it again to come to a full consensus. And now to the not so good. Out of all the unbelievable things that happen to me I'm never really surprised at the oddities that occur in my life anymore. This weekend's fuckery consisted of....

Yes folks. That is was my beloved Evo. Unfortunately the one you see above was my 5th one due to manufacturing and personal breaks. Anyone who has a evo knows how difficult it is to crack this screen. This phone can handle multiple drops, throws, whatever. So what does it take for mass destruction of my screen?Crazily enough my evo was ran over by a car. A CAR. Of course I was heartbroken. So RIP Evo #5. Insurance has constantly been a godsend for me. Apparently the 3rd nor 5th time was the charm so lets all cross fingers for the 6th (because I'm probably out of claims anyway lol)! But to end on a lighter note...

Luna always sits in front of my computer when I'm watching shows or doing something interesting. Look what caught her eye this time. Hehehe. In other news, has anyone been keeping up with CSI (the Las Vegas one)?? Man, this season has kept me so intrigued with the Laurence Fishburne and Haskell drama! Sheesh! 

xoxo.

FOTD: Russian Red and Go!

So, I typically don't do wash and goes because I don't really care for them between certain lengths of hair, so I haven't done one since about August 2010 since I first BC'd. However, I was in a rush trying to make a final then an appointment after so I didn't want to look a total wreck so I decided it couldn't hurt to try. In the end I was EXTREMELY pleased with the way it turned out! Like really. It was about that time for me to shampoo so I shampoo'd using Herbal Essences Color Me Happy 2 in 1 (started using because I found it at my Rite-Aid for $1.12 YES and now I LOVE it) then I conditioned with Tresemme Naturals conditioner. I typically let my conditioner sit in for about 5 minutes or however long it takes to wash my face whichever is the longest. I shake shake shake then lightly towel dry. I used a oil/leave in mixture before using Cantu Shea Butter leave-in conditioning cream. I then put whatever headband I plan to use on (this day I wore a shoe lace, don't judge me) and use Eco styler gel to lay down my front and a toothbrush to brush it into a nice shape. I then took some gel (not a whole bunch) and put it on the tips of my hair. I then used the tips of my fingers to rake the product on my tips. Since I didn't want to walk around with wet hair I used my blow dryer on a cool setting to get it mostly dry before leaving out. Results:

I'm definitely more likely to wear wash and go's on a more regular basis now, especially since it's warmer and I loved the results. My hair did not feel crunchy at all and was extremely soft and defined. I felt like I could have stretched it for a few days but  later the next day I did another weave (post coming soon)

Face => MSF natural in Dark, Blunt for contour, La Femme blush in Red (higher on my cheekbones) and Sienna (on the apples)

Eyes => Black glitter liner (from my $1 store haul!),  Maybelline Falsies mascara

Lips => MAC lipliner in Brick, Russian Red lipstick, Clear lip gelee

*sidenote: All clothing and accessory items seen in pictures came from H&M.*

In case you need any particular reason to absolutely LURVE Russian Red like I do, #1 *drumrolls* Your teeth will never look WHITER! Everyone knows about the blue based trick! It's real! lol I tend not to wear anything on my eyes when wearing a bright lip but like I said before, you can never go wrong with a glitter liner! Overall, it was a lovely day and I received several compliments on both my hair & lipstick. What is a staple product for your wash n gos?


xoxo.

FOTD: Athena's Kiss

Finally got around to wearing  the supa dupa lipgloss I brought from Wonder Woman collection. I'm actually a big fan of the huge doe foot applicator as I have bigger lips and I can coat them with just one dip with the bigger applicator. Oh, and I finally got a new camera. I'm still playing around with the settings and what not so be patient with me! And if my eyebrows look weird its because I couldn't find my brown brow pencil so I used a black eye pencil o_0. Yeahhhhh.... I was in a rush lol 

Lipglass in Athena's Kiss

I lined my lips with MAC Vino liner, then filled in with Athena's Kiss. To be fair this picture doesn't do the gloss/definition too much justice so I have yet another crappy cell phone pic! yay! lol....hopefully this shows the color better :)

So I'm all types of late with this. It literally sat on my dresser since I bought it. I was wondering if I missed out on anything in the WW collection. I lurve Athena's Kiss. Pretty color, great wear, goes on easily. I really couldn't ask for more out of a MAC lipglass. If you bought anything, you may have gotten quite some usage out of it by now. In your opinion, what were must haves?



xoxo.

Small Haul: Milani Baked Blush and NYX lipstick (Swatches)

Last week I went past Walgreens and I picked a few things up. I was highly upset that I missed the Shea Moisture buy one get one a few weeks before but I still picked up a container of the curl enhancing smoothie (review once I use it). My Walgreen also had Milani FULLY in stock and also WnW lipsticks and polishes were 69 cent. Unfortunately 69 cent must attract too many people because the WnW selection was not large so I only picked up two. I decided to finally grab a Milani baked blush to see what the hype was about and I ended up not being able to choose so I got two. 

The first color is 521A and the second is 549A

As you can see they both have great color payoff. The pink is very pretty and I feel that it is very similar to Show Orchid by MAC. The brown would probably make a great nude. I can't think of any dupes off the top of my head. These lipsticks are nice but they definitely don't wear as long as most but for 69 cents I can't complain. 

I loved the casing that the Milani Baked blushes came in and I was even more delighted to get home and discover that there was a mirror and a small brush underneath. I picked up blushes in Red Vino and Corallina. I believe they were around $7-8 apiece.  

All I can say is, these blushes swatch LOVELY. Milani products are worth all the hype they receive. I used Red Vino the other day and it literally takes almost no product to give your face a great colorful glow. I have not worn Corallina but it is a BEW-ti-FUL peachy shimmer shade and I think it'd go great with a lot of spring/summer make up looks. I don't even like shimmer in my blushes and I'm loving em. These are looking like WOC must-haves...idk...Milani is the best thing happening at drug stores for me rightna. GEEEESH, now I want more!

Also, I went into a local DOLLAR store and I found this quite amusing. Shit is real out here. lol.

What are you Milani recommendations?

xoxo.

Why I'm Never Tweezing My Eyebrows Again

So, I typically tweeze my own brows because I hate paying $5-10 for something I can do myself in a short amount of time. My tweeze time consisted of me, a mirror and my tools and some tissue to catch the watering eyes from the plucks. Never again.Now call me crazy because I've known about this item before and NEVER used it. Mainly because I knew this girl who used to use one for her brows and they used to look scary lol. BUT NOW I AM A BELIEVER! I'm almost mad I didn't try it sooner or have someone convince me too. Lol, yall gon think I'm simple for this one but BEHOLD...

The Eyebrow Savor Razor

Yeah one of those little color sticks that I walk past every time I'm in my BSS and I am KICKING myself for not trying this before, because I literally cleaned up my eyebrows in under 3 minutes. Really. Painfree, quick it doesn't get any better than that for me. It's so easy that even if your hair grows back quickly you won't mind touching them up at your leisure. I would recommend to be very careful with them those because one wrong swipe will have ya ass with no => sparse brows! Lol Have any of you ever tried this before? If not I'm telling you to! Don't sleep on thisssss!!! (Disclaimer: I am not responsible for lost/misshapen brows due to incorrect usage) I've honestly never given myself such a clean close arch...and for the cheap price of $1.29 (and that was at my "expensive" BSS). Fuck you tweezers, I found a new jawn. 

xoxo.