So I thought I was going to take a break from purchasing pink polishes. That ship sailed when I shopped around the elf website a few weeks back. Though I'm still shopping my stash, I planned on grabbing elf's new HD blushes a while ago. And since I had a half off studio coupon, I decided I could stand to add a new polish or two to the mix. One of the polishes I purchased was Bubblegum Pink. The color looked so beautifully vibrant in the bottle, I quickly moved on from my obsession with Sinful Colors polish in Soul Mate and decided to give Bubblegum Pink some play.
While I really love this color, I felt like it was missing something. I haven't had any sparkles in my manicure for a few weeks now, so I decided to use my O.P.I. Servin' Up Sparkle from the Serena Williams Glam Slam Collection for an accent nail.
What color is your manicure this week? Does it sparkle?
Some of the most inspiring makeup looks I've seen for the fall season have incorporated beautiful plum-stained lips. Being a fan of deep, statement making lip colors, I decided to trade in my summer lipsticks for some fall-favoring purples as well. In this post, I will be sharing with you five lipsticks that I believe will translate nicely into fall. These choices I consider to be my "starting five" as I will be grabbing for them the most this season. They are all different brands with different finishes and price points. Below, all of the lipsticks are pictured with flash. The descriptions following are ordered from left to right.
1. Wet n Wild Megalast Lipcolor in Sugar Plum Fairy: You may remember this lipstick being featured on the blog this week here. This plum lipstick is the only one in the bunch with a matte finish. It is very-long lasting & a definite must for those grown & sophisticated makeup looks you're going to wear this fall. Sugar Plum Fairy retails for 2.99 at stores such as K-Mart, Walmart, CVS, and Walgreens.
2. Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Violet Frenzy: This lipstick is a deep violet with hints of shimmer in it. It has a pearl finish and goes on a bit sheer compared to the other lipsticks. Violet Frenzy's even, sheer application make it the easiest shade to wear in the daytime. It retails for $7.99 in various drugstores.
3. CoverGirl Lip Perfection Lipstick in Embrace: In the tubing, Embrace looks strikingly similar to Revlon's Violet Frenzy. Embrace, however is much more pigmented. It retails for $6.99 and can be purchased at various drugstores as well.
*An added bonus to this lipstick is CoverGirl states that lips become noticeably smoother with 7 days of continuous use. I haven't used any lipstick ever for 7 days straight, so I haven't tested this theory yet. Have any of you? If so, what were your results?
4. MAC Pro Longwear LipCreme in Seasoned Plum: This lipstick is a favorite in my collection. Seasoned Plum has a lavender tint to it similar to that of MAC's Up the Amp, without the glossy application. While Seasoned Plum goes on creamy, it stays in place with a "settling" effect. It doesn't transfer and is pretty long-lasting. Seasoned Plum is a limited edition lipcreme from the Daphne Guiness Collection and has been discontinued. MAC Pro Longwear LipCremes retail at $18.00 on the MAC website.
* For a similar plum lipcreme, check out MAC's Goes and Goes
5: Makeup Forever Rouge Artist Intense Lipstick in Pearly Violet (#15): This lipstick is a vibrant shade of purple with a beautiful pearl finish. I shared about this lipstick before here. It retails for $19.00 and can be purchased at Sephora or the Make Up Forever Website.
Stay tuned for makeup looks featuring these lipsticks!
Imagine finding a soul mate in the drugstore beauty aisle! That happened to me recently! Well, sort of. Let me tell you ladies all about it:
I've been looking for a pink polish to wear during the fall season. While fall may bring the opportunity for us to wear new, bold colors in our manicures, I still love having a shade of pink to fall back on. I just love pink nail polish like that! Anyways, while perusing the aisles at my local CVS, I glance over at the Sinful Colors display. As you may know from earlier Pink Wednesday posts, I love Sinful Colors nail polish. They have such a variety of colors, the applications are long-lasting, and the prices are very affordable. That's when I found the polish of my most recent beauty dreams. Soul Mate, from the Pretty-in-Pink Collection, instantly caught my eye. Looking at the bottle, Soul Mate appeared to be a shade that could easily pass as every day nail wear. So I rushed to the counter with that baby, checked out, and brought it on home with me!
As I applied this polish, I notice Soul Mate to be a muted pink shade. It even appears to be a bit mauve in low light. I gave my nails two quick coats of polish and was impressed with the results. The color isn't loud, so it doesn't pose as an image-related distraction for my professional divas. But it still gives off that soft, feminine vibe I like in a pink manicure. Check it out with and without the flash below:
What do you ladies think of this shade? Would you wear it?
Yes, ladies and gentlemen. It looks like it's about that time again! I hope everyone is having a Happy Tuesday thus far, and is ready to ride the wave of today's playlist. Will it be something old, something new, something to bring back a happy memory? Maybe so. Let's check out the vids and see what we have here:
Here I Am by Rick Ross- I love starting my playlist with an upbeat song. "Here I Am" is one of those upbeat songs that remind me of 4 sun-streaked summers ago. I would dance in the mirror nearly every morning as my being absorbed Avery Storm's sharp, mesmerizing vocals in the chorus. "Every superwoman needs a superman," he said and I agreed. Sure, Rick Ross and Nelly deliver verses about being all of that for one special lady. But it was the way Avery Storm sang the notion in the chorus that makes this song everything for me.
Doo Wop (That Thing) by Lauryn Hill- Ask me any day about my top 5 albums and The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill will come up every time. On this album, Lauryn was truly speaking that real, so it was no surprise that "Doo Wop" would appeal so greatly as a single. Listening to this song makes me feel like Miss Lauryn took her time to school me on my wrongdoings. With music she offered a life lesson about where we women were going wrong with our images, our displays of self-worth, and our materialistic ways. And not only was she suggesting that we as women get it together, she read the men as well. This single, along with the entire album, gave us a dose of medicine and a reality check we so desperately needed. Perhaps, this reality check is even more necessary nowadays.
Sitting Up in My Room by Brandy- Who does not remember hearing this song on the Waiting to Exhale Original Soundtrack while snapping their fingers and singing along? I'm just saying, that's what a Brandy single will make you do! Brandy's sugary sweet adolescent vocals on this track takes me back to the innocence of my youth. It stirs memories, thinking of childhood crushes and how I used to sit up in my own room and wait for that cutie from 4th period to give me a call. Don't act like this wasn't you as well! You remember when you couldn't enjoy anything else because all you could think of was dude, right? Like Brandy, I was a "mess with a thang for YOU." Those were the days, indeed.
It's a Shame (My Sister) by Monie Love- Tesha M, if you are reading this, I want to thank you for putting me on to so much good music in my early years! I listen to this song and reminisce on a time when I had the coolest chick ever as a babysitter and she let me watch music videos against my mother's wishes (sorry mama). One morning while watching along with Tesha, I remember Monie Love speaking the realness about how we as women should govern ourselves in affairs of the heart. Monie suggested that we take care of our own emotional needs following a breakup and never let a man see us sweat over them. "Get it out your system, don't be another victim," she advised. Rappers such as Monie Love gave women a voice in a male-dominated arena such as rap, and I admired that. And you know what I'm gonna ask next, right. Where is Monie Love these days?
Love is Stronger Than Pride by Sade- Listening to Sade in the early morning feels like lounging at the beach on a cool summer night as the waves of sparkling waters rush the shore. It's refreshingly beautiful and serene, and nearly indescribable. Her voice is one of a kind: soulful, raw, and deeply emotional. Sade sings soul-stirring testimonies of love that others are rarely able to articulate. "Love is Stronger Than Pride," my favorite Sade song, tells a page of my story that I wasn't able to articulate before. It also reveals a page of the next woman's story. "I can't hate you, though I have tried," is something we've all felt before. That moment when you realize you can't just wash your hands of someone you love so much can be overwhelming. In Sade's case, it translates into beautiful music. Have you ever felt this way?
Hey ladies! I hope your week is off to a beautiful start! As for mine, so far so good. I've been pulling out my dark lippies to prepare for the quickly approaching fall season. After applying Wet N Wild MegaLast Lipstick in Sugar Plum Fairy this morning, I realized it's the perfect matte plum to get a lady geared up!
To give this lipstick the spotlight, I chose the minimal makeup approach today. The only other prominent color I added to this look was my beloved Milani Baked Blush in Fantastico Mauve.
Though the Wet n Wild Megalast Lipstick is a matte formula, it isn't drying at all. In fact, it doesn't look totally matte in the photos, either. The Wet n Wild Megalast lipstick is among my favorite lippies, as you may have seen in my previous "DUPED" post. They are very affordable, at $2.99 each, can be found at many drugstores, and have great lasting power. So if you're looking for the perfect fall lipstick with a low price point, Wet n Wild Megalast Lipstick in Sugar Plum Fairy is the perfect lipstick for you!
STAY TUNED FOR MY FALL LIPSTICK LINEUP LATER THIS WEEK!
Hello my fellow beauty lovers! I have a serious question for you today. How often do you find yourself collecting beauty products, purchasing more before you can use the ones you have? When I started organizing my spaces this summer, I realized that I was a makeup hoarder. It's not extreme, but I did notice that I have several eyeshadow palettes that are similar. So in an attempt to control my "makeup collecting" I have been shopping my stash and using some of the products I rarely use.
Once upon a time, I had an obsession with collecting eyeshadow palettes. And one of my favorites to collect were the L.A. Colors 5 Color Metallic Eyeshadow palettes. They were a steal at $1.50 each, and they had so many colors to choose from. I ended up scoring several of these palettes and now I rarely use them. So today, I decided to pull out the "Lollipop" palette and work it out. Check out the eyes, guys:
Here is the entire list of products I used for my face of the day:
Face:
e.l.f. Mineral Infused Prmer
Avon Healthy Makeup Concealer
Avon Pefect Wear Foundation in Beautiful Bronze
(Flush of Blush) La Femme Blush in Purple Passion
Eyes:
Ruby Kisses Eyeshadow Primer
L A Colors 5 Color Metallic Eyeshadow Palette in Lollipop
Avon Super Extend Liquid Eyeliner in Black
e.l.f. Studio Mascara Primer
Avon Super Extend Mascara in Black
Lips:
MAC Lipglass in Culture Clash
Since I wanted the eyeshadow to stand out and be the main attraction, I decided to pair this palette with a neutral, shimmery lipgloss like MAC Lipglass in Culture Clash. It is also another product that I was in love with when I first got it, but sort of got moved to the back burner. It's amazing what treasures you'll find shopping your stash!
Have you tried any of the L.A. Colors Metallic Eyeshadow palettes?
My fondest memories exist in the back of my mind, complete with blistering bright visuals and smooth soundtracks of music with the likes of Total and other girl groups of the 90s. One particular memory comes to mind, involving an old friend of mine and I, enjoying a cool autumn night on the town. We began our night's journey as he popped Kima, Keisha, and Pam(adorned with his initials scribbled with slick black sharpie marks) into the truck's disc changer. Little did I know, listening to the Kima, Keisha, and Pam album today would allow me to look back at that cool autumn night in retrospect, smiling. Listening to this album also sent me into a wondering state of mind asking myself, "What ever happened to Total?"
Like many other young women my age, my membership to the Bad Boy trio's fan club began after their first single dropped back in '95. It was titled "Can't You See" featuring Notorious BIG. I grew in awe as I watched Vita's sister Kima Raynor, beside members Pamela Long and Keisha Spivey rock it out in the video. It wasn't long before I was begging my mama to buy me Right On! magazines in the checkout line at Walmart so I could hang their posters on my wall. I loved their sound, I loved their style, and the love grew over the years. But hen one day, it all stopped. I heard no more Total on the radio. I heard nothing more of the group. Other than news of Keisha Spivey and Omar Epps getting married in 2006, I've still heard nothing. Where are these ladies?
In the meantime, let's take a listen at some of my favorite songs by these ladies here:
