My Top 5 Lippies: Spring Edition

I recently posted my top 5 accessories for Spring so to keep along that theme I wanted to post about my top 5 lip products (lippies) for Spring as well. Here they are (in price order):

• Wet n Wild Megalast Lip Color – ‘Sugar Plum Fairy’ – $2.29
• Wet n Wild Megaslicks Balm Stain – ‘ A Stiff Pink’ – $2.99
• NYX Mega Shine Lip Gloss – ‘Dolly Pink’ – $5.00
• Maybelline Color Sensational – ‘Brazen Berry’ – $7.49
• Mac Cosmetics – ‘Heroine’ – $16.00

Swatches Left to Right:

‘Heroine’, ‘Brazen Berry’, ‘Sugar Plum Fairy’, ‘Dolly Pink’, ‘A Stiff Pink’

If I had to pick 1 favorite out of the 5 it would be hard because I’m a sucker for purple. I know it’s Spring and dark lips are more fall, but I think for a night out ‘Sugar Plum Fairy’ would be perfect. ‘Brazen Berry’ and “Heroine’ are very close in color, but ‘Brazen Berry’ is a tone lighter not making it an exact dupe. I did a First Impression on the Wet n Wild Balm Stains and ‘A Stiff Pink’ was my favorite out of the 3 I reviewed. I have tried other light pink lippies on my lips and none of them work except for this one. To give it more pizzaz than it already has, add ‘Dolly Pretty Pink’ on top. As for my fav, I’ll go with my most worn ‘Brazen Berry’.

What are your fav lippies for Spring?

Stay tuned next week for my top 5 nail polishes.

OOTD #2: Easter [4.20.14]

HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE!

I decided I’d share my Easter outfit of the day. I hope that you all enjoy your Sunday and are ready for the new week! Be sure to check out my Casual OOTD from yesterday here. Also be sure to click the links within the pictures.

I had initially planned on wearing this:

Dress: JCPenny
Shoes: Charlotte Russe

BUT since the weather would below 50 degrees I decided on a pants & blazer ensemble instead and keep the accessories/makeup I had originally planned.

Blazer: JCPenny
Shirt: Forever 21
Pants: Unknown
Shoes: JustFab, ‘Lorient’
Nail Polish: Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear, ‘Lacey Lilac’
Watch: New York & Company

MAKEUP DETAILS:

Brushes – E.L.F., Sonia Kashuk, MAC 187
Mac Studio Fix NC45 ($27)
E.L.F. Translucent Matifying Powder ($3)
Revlon Lip Butter ‘Fig Jam’ ($7.49)
Revlon Colorburst ‘Peach’ ($5.07)
Benefit Bad Gal Lash ($10-$19)
Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear ‘Lacey Lilac‘ (2.99)

 

OOTD #1: Casual [4.19.14]

HAPPY SATURDAY EVERYONE!

I want to incorporate more OOTDs (outfit of the days) here on my blog and I thought since I don’t work today I could give a glimpse of what I wear on a Saturday when I have a few errands to run. I spent the earlier part of my morning blogging and I will be going to the mall soon on the hunt for a lavender outfit & a pair of Converse. Hopefully I’ll be successful in getting what I’m looking for. Anyway, I wanted to share my OOTD so here it is. I

So not pictured I have on leggings from H&M that I will feature in a future haul and a basic black tank from Forever 21. I like to keep my outfits as simple as possible when I have nowhere important to go. Be sure to click the links under the pictures.

Earrings – Wet Seal                                                Lip of the Day (LOTD) –                                       Wet n Wild Balm Stain, ‘A Stiff Pink’

Shirt – Gap

Shoes – GoJane

Purse – Joyce Leslie                               Makeup Bag – Gifted                                 Wallet – Betsey Johnson

Bath & Body Works– Beautiful Day                          Jordana – ‘Eggplant’            Revlon Lip Butter – ‘Fig Jam’    Wet n Wild Balm Stain –‘A Stiff Pink’                                                Sephora Compact Mirror (w/ light)

Products I Regret Buying (Beauty Edition)

There are many beauty products that I have purchased for one of 3 reasons: impulse, YouTube, and sales! Each one of the products I REGRET purchasing fall into that category and after downsizing my makeup collection I have become more conscious of what I want/need to buy if anything at all. I have broken down the products in 3 categories: eyes lips face, but I will be doing additional installments to this series beyond beauty so stay tuned.

EYES

When I first got into purchasing makeup I went for what was affordable and could not justify spending over $5 on a product. When it comes to makeup I will say to choose quality over quantity and that it’s better to have one great palette to begin with than a bunch of mediocre eyeshadow just to say you have a collection. ELF is one of the most affordable lines and I have a lot of their products in my collection. Overtime I will say that their shadows have gotten better. I’m still ready to try out the baked shadows, but with ELF it seems that the more you pay the better the quality. These larger palettes are just the worse for me personally. The colors don’t really show up and I’m not just talking swatches. I’m just not a fan at all.

The next quad that I have is from Revlon and it’s called, Coffee Bean. I’m really big on neutral shadows. Similar to that of the ELF palette I purchased I absolutely hate it. Reason I bought it? CVS 75% off sale. I snagged this for no more than $3. The only good color I could work with was the copper color, but for me only to like 1 shadow out of 4 is a waste for me. I’ve been holding on to it hoping that I’d get some use out of it, but I’m not so lucky. I’ve been letting my younger sisters dabble in these two palettes. Personally, they’re of no use to me.

LIPS

I showed product in a beauty haul and this is something I regretted buying after it didn’t apply to my lips. The swatch color was amazing, but ABSOLUTELY nothing showed up on my lips. The product glided on my hand and the applicator was that of a fine tip marker. Unfortunately nothing showed up on my lips at all. No color and it was a waste of $2 for me. This product is not worth saving. In the trash it goes.

FACE

I’m so used to my Mac Studio Fix and it was worth every penny, but the FIT ME products that I purchased were all based from YouTube. YouTube is a good and bad obsession. I’m always inspired and excited to share blog posts here and redesign different rooms in my home, BUT I will say that I’ve purchased a lot over the past 2 years based off YouTube. The Maybelline FitMe Foundation happens to be one of those. I spent about $8 on the foundation which was no problem. It was the first Liquid Foundation I had purchased. In my lifetime I’ve only purchased 3 foundations, this one included. This foundation was just too cakey on my skin. When I swatched it, it matched my skin but upon application it was just bleh. Not a fan. The same thing goes for the blush. That was a mix of an impulse buy and YouTube. I was just wanting a blush to try out, but nothing too crazy. I thought this one would give me a hint of color on my cheeks, but it just looks more like ash than anything, Not a fan and I will be tossing this. As for the foundation, it’s of no use to me so I will unfortunately be tossing it as well.

Although the 5 products above I regret buying it was worth a try and you’ll never know how something is until you try it. No love lost with these I just don’t recommend them.

Lipstick Tag!

I’ve become a huge lipstick junkie and I’ve decided that there’d be no better way to start showing my collection than to start with this tag. This is a combination of both lipstick tags I found on YouTube.  ENJOY!

1. How many lipsticks do you own? 41

2. What was your first ever lipstick? Revlon Colorbust Lipstick, Peach (075)

3. How old were you when you started wearing lipstick? 17/18

4. What is your most worn lipstick? Revlon Colorbust Lipstick, Peach (075)

5. What is your favorite finish? Cream

6. What is the last lipstick you bought?

• Wet n Wild, Think Pink
• Wet n Wild, Dollhouse Pink
• Jordana, Raspberry
• Jordana, Eggplant

7. How many lip products (including balms & glosses) do you currently have in your handbag? Revlon Lip Butter, Fig Jam & Vaseline.

8. What lip product do you use to rock a red lip? ELF, Fearless

9. How do you store your lipsticks?

10. Most expensive / inexpensive lipstick(s)? NYC / Mac

11. Favorite lipstick of the moment? Mac, Heorine

12. Show a lipstick you use to stand out. Mac, Hautecore

13. What lip products are you currently lusting after? Anything from the RiRi Hearts Mac Collection & the Nyx Lip Butters.

 

My Beauty Corner (Vanity Tour)

Since I’ve moved rooms in my house recently and have had to downsize since I was moving into somewhat of a smaller space. I now have an office and I have downsized from having an entire room as my closet. My bedroom now houses my clothes, accessories, and my beauty corner which I’ve been wanting to share. It’s to my liking after finding the right, practical organization over the past week and I’m in love with it.

I’ve never really wanted a vanity because I know I’m not going to sit down and do makeup every day. It’s very rare that I wear makeup and I’m more of a lipstick girl. Anyway the drawer system was something I knew I needed and the system I have is the South Shore Chocolate 5-Drawer Dresser from Walmart.

Time to zoom in on the organization & decor.

First up in this built in shelf that’s been  in this room for as long as I can remember. It’s an older house and a lot of things are pretty permanent, but I used this shelf to add a bit of spring and to display my academic achievements. I have my college graduation book that I made on Shutterfly. (My phone is covering my name.) I also have my graduation picture which is right next to my Marc Jacobs Daisy perfume that is empty, but I love the packaging so much I don’t want to throw it away. On the other end I have a flower pot from an Edible Arrangement filled with fake flowers from Dollar Tree.

As for the top of the dresser I tried to keep it as minimal as possible. I do have two organizers that I purchased from Target. The desk organizer holds mascara, a few eyeshadow palettes, and eye pencils. The drawers hold my surplus of eyeshadows and a couple blushes. Both containers cost me no more than $6. The lipstick holder I purchased on Ebay and it holds my Mac lipsticks, Revlon, Wet n Wild and one RImmel. The bottom container holds the rest of my lippies and it was in a Color Workshop set I received. The rest of the stuff on my dresser are the lotion and body spray I use daily along with my mini perfume collection, hand sanitizer, and mirror.

Time to move on to the drawers. My first drawer holds everyday products such as body wash, fascial scrub, brush cleanser, razors, etc. I organized the drawers by the frequency I would reach for something.

The next drawer holds all of my surplus lotions and body sprays. I’ve purchased most of those on sale and I am currently on a NO BUY of those products no matter how much of a sale because I want to use what I have.

The 3rd drawer has like nothing inside of it. It’s my candle collection that I’m working on. I will say that the next time a candle sale happens at Bath & Body Works I do want to stock up on my favorite scent Pineapple Mango.

The 4th Drawer holds my nail polish and hair stuff. Nothing really major. I’ve recently downsized on my nail polish and I hope to downsize some more. One container is a great size compared to me once having 3 full containers of that size.

The last drawer just holds some of my blankets which I’ll use more in the summer & football seasons. The purple one is crocheted and a birthday gift from my grandmother. The leopard one was a Christmas gift from a friend. The other side of the drawer is my Steelers section which has 2 blankets & my Terrible Towel.

Well that’s my beauty corner and I really couldn’t be happier. I do not plan on downsizing anymore or purchasing, unless it’s candles ^_^!

Sunday Rant (V.9): MMF Update

It’s been a while since I’ve done a Sunday Rant. This one is just another MMF update. I’m back on track with my schedule and I have some new editions and ideas that I’m excited to share here on the blog this Spring. I will most definitely be doing more networking and getting ready to collab with other interested bloggers. Here’s my schedule as of right now:

• Motivational Mondays
• New Music Tuesdays
• Wellness Wednesdays
• Throwback Thursdays
• Fashion Forward Fridays
• Spicy Saturdays
• Sunday Rants

For the most part I have stuck to that schedule. I have been doing a lot of music news as of late, but no worries I will continue with the original content. Music is posted on a daily basis as for beauty/fashion that’s primarily on Fridays/Saturdays. A new series I will be adding on Sundays is called Original v. Cover where I will be comparing one song, the original and cover version. From there I will be picking my fav from the two. First up in that installment is A Great Big World’s, ‘Say Something’ followed by Beyonce’s ‘Drunk In Love.’

The entire month of April I will be breaking down some of the categories, voted on by the fans, for the iHeart Radio Awards which will air in May. My favorite category is Best Song Lyrics so that one will be up first.

Also, expect more home decor and ideas from various rooms in my home.

I’m excited for whats to come with this blog and I have no plans of slowing down. Stay tuned for DAILY POSTS!

Beauty Showdown #2 — NYX v. Wet n Wild

In my first ‘Beauty Showdown’ I reviewed the various lip crayons I had tried out. In this Beauty Showdown it will be NYX Soft Matte Lip Creams v. Wet n Wild Megalast Liquid Lip Colors. I will be reviewing both products, giving my pros and cons, comparing similar colors between the two lines, and in the end giving you my take on what was worth the buy.

The NYX Soft Matte Lip Creams are $5.99 and are available at Target, Ulta, and from the NYX Cosmetics site. The product comes in 22 shades ranging from nudes to dark purple. There’s even an orange. The colors are named after international cites. The four colors I picked up were: Tokyo, Addis Ababa, Amsterdam, and San Paulo. The best place to get these would be Ulta because you can buy one and get one half off plus there’s always a $3.50 coupon floating around. Here are the swatches:

The colors I purchased were;t thought out. I just purchased what I thought was nice based off the selection at Ulta. I would recommend buying these online to guarantee the color you want because the stores are sold out making the color quantity limited or the color selection you want is just not available in that store.

As for the packaging of this product I love it. It’s sleek, no mess with application, and the applicator is a doe foot (my favorite). When applying I will say I wasn’t impressed. I really had to build up the color, but it’s a great thing that the color is buildable. Based on the packaging versus the swatch verses the color on my lips I will say that it is true to packaging. The consistency no the site is described as:

Neither lipstick nor lip gloss, this matte lip cream is a new kind of lip color that goes on silky smooth and sets to a matte finish. Soft Matte Lip Cream is surprisingly durable and, unlike some matte lipstick formulas, also moisturizing.

I would have to agree. Due to the fact that its a soft matte it would be more moisturizing. Upon initial application it does look shiny and dries over time. I wouldn’t say it’s “surprisingly durable” because you’d have to reapply several times (or more) throughout the day based on how much eating/drinking you’re doing.

Moving on to Wet n Wild‘s Megalast Liquid Lip Color, I am going to start off and say how DISAPPOINTED I was after putting this product on my lips and the STRUGGLE it took to get off. The product is sold at local drugstores and grocery stores and the price is $2.99 (depending on location). I picked up these two colors during at sale at Walgreens and they were 2/$3. The colors I picked up were ‘Red My Mind’ and ‘Back To The Fuchsia.’ Here’s what the site describes the product as:

Intense liquid color with built-in moisturizer provides one-step application for weightless, ultra-conditioning wear that lasts up to 8 hours. ElastiSilk™ formula combines flexible color adhesion with silky-smooth pigments for transfer-proof, even application. Paraben-free formula conditions and moisturizes with vitamin E that helps promote anti-aging, protects the skin’s moisture barrier, and balances the lip’s natural hydration for a healthy-looking, plump pout all day.

I do agree that the color is intense and it’s true to packaging. As for the “built-in moisture”, the product is extremely dry. It’s like a fake, pasty feeling completely different than that of NYXs Soft Matte Lip Creams. The other downsize aside from the non-moisture I was semi-expecting was the hassle to get this product off. I scrubbed my lips with a baby wipe and it took me nearly 10 minutes to completely remove the product. After researching on YouTube I found that oil was the solution to my problem, but to wear this product and reapply and carry around oil for a seamless application after wear off, no thank you. If I’m running an errand that does not involve me stopping for food then yes I would wear it. I will agree with a “healthy-looking, plump pout” because it looks GREAT on. It’s just the way it dries is like someone is putting glue on your lips. Not a fan off the extreme dryness of it, the messy application, and the hassle to remove it from my lips.

Coincidentally, two of the colors I had from NYX matched of the ones I purchased from Wet n Wild. Here are the colors side by side in packaging and swatched.

When swatched the Wet n Wilds stuck to my hand instantly. I touched and rubbed to see if the product would budge and nothing. The NYX product on the other hand came right off regardless of how ‘soft matte’ it says it is.

Overall I would purchase the NYX Soft Matte Lip Creams again because of the color selection and application. The price, as I stated above, can be easily altered with the constant sales at Ulta. As for Wet n Wild this can be a GREAT product if it were easier to get off. How dry it was really didn’t bother me, it’s the fact that I had to scrub it off. In this case I do say go for he $6 lippie over the $3.

My Hair Routine / Hair Journey

In my younger years I always took pride in my hair. I had great length, it was strong, long, and I could style it however I wanted. At the age of 10 or so I got my first relaxer, Just For Me Kids. Even after my relaxer my hair was still always in a protective style of braids. I know that you should take breaks with braids, but my hair wasn’t always braided with extensions. Most of the time my  natural hair was braided. I would go months on end without a relaxer. I was never on a schedule and it always boiled down to me never unending one because my hair was primarily braided. During my freshman year of high school I got my first haircut and I absolutely hated it. Being that I did I stopped caring about my hair and I felt like I couldn’t control it and style it like I once had. As time went on I stopped taking care of my hair and resorted to half wigs. It gave me the length, automatic style, and low maintenance that I wanted, but I did not protect my natural hair underneath.

I went on throughout college still relaxing my hair and rinsing my hair, adding tracks here and there, wearing braids occasionally and experimenting more with wigs. At one point I completely gave up with my hair and would just twist it, put a wig on, and go about my business. One time I did not untwist my hair and just left it there and when I went to take it out I could not and I had to cut my hair and it was cut really low. I’ve never had my hair cut that short and I was insecure at first, but I understood what people meant when they said it was liberating. It was low maintenance and I could wash and go whenever I pleased.

During this time I started to use DooGrow products in hopes of my hair growing faster and though I don’t feel that the products helped immensely with the growth I absolutely loved the deep conditioner.

It took no time for my hair to grow back and once it did I became stuck again on how to style and wear it so I resorted back to wigs and braids which I wore throughout my last year of college. With a new year I wanted something different and I decided to ditch the natural lifestyle and relax my hair. I posted in a ‘Beauty Haul’ back in January the products I bought and I’ve been happy ever since.

I’m currently using TRESemme shampoo and conditioner. I do leave the conditioner in for about a half hour and once I wash it out I have begun to use the Organix argon oil in my damn hair before blow drying.

I got the argon oil in the Moroccan Argon Oil 3 Step Kit. It came with a shampoo, conditioner, and the argon oil. The set was so tiny, but the oil goes a long way. I do need to stop by Ulta and pick up the full size because it’s one product that I want to continuously use in my hair even if I do change shampoo & conditioner.

Once I’ve blow-dried my hair I spray the TRESemme heat protectant, flat iron my hair after sectioning it off, and once I’m done I spray oil sheen. I’ve recently started using Motions. Before I cut my hair I had been using Olive Oil hair spray.

When it comes to oiling my scalp, especially with braids, I’ve been using this product called ‘hair food,’ I have noticed that a little goes a long way and that there is no need to saturate my hair with the product.

I do need to research and find more of a permanent hair routine, but the one I’m currently working with is great. I wash my hair every two weeks and lately I’ve co-washed in between. I only flat iron my hair every two weeks. If it’s getting crazy I just pull it back into a low ponytail (since it isn’t long enough yet for a long one) or twist it back and throw on a beanie. I love winter because you can get away with wearing a hat all day every day.

I do need to find a leave in conditioner and I do want to try out other shampoos and conditioners along with hair masks every now and then. For the most part I’m very happy with my hair routine, but I’m not fully content. For now, it works.