Just wanted to give you an update on Dark and Lovely's Honey Blonde dye. This picture was take this summer (the little girl is my cousin Kennedy). As you can see, I only dyed the top portion. I colored it in April and the color has faded into such a brilliant and pretty hue.
I love Gwen Stefani's style and I couldn't wait to smell her new scent L. The scent is lovely, not exactly as complex as I expected it to be, but I really, really like it. It's kind of a really simple smell, but I couldn't stop sniffing my wrist all day. Like she says in one of her songs, I was feeling "yummy head to toe." L "has top notes of sparkling green freshness, leafy water hyacinth, white freesia, fresh pear and violet leaves; a heart of jasmine petals, rose, lily of the valley, sweet pea and orange blossom, and a drydown of frangipani blossom, peach skin, heliotrope flower and sensual musk." I'm sure tons of people will be wearing this, as it's a celebrity scent, but I will definitely be adding it to my collection anyway.
Overrich creamy silver pink with white pearl (glaze)
Out To Shock soft metallic coral with silver pearl (frost)
Vivacious sheer mid-tone pink with silver pearl (lustre)
Pomposity bright raspberry with silver and pink pearl (frost)
Lip Gelee
She-Boom! creamy magenta (cream)
Lil’ Sizzler metallic peach with pink and white pearl (frost)
Mega soft metallic lavender with silversparkle (frost)
Sugar Shock sheer red berry (cream)
Eye Shadow
Eyepopping soft lime green with gold and yellow pearl (satin)
Wondergrass intense kiwi green (frost)
Big T intense aqua with green pearl (frost)
Fab & Flashy mid-tone orange with gold pearl (frost)
Bang On Blue royal blue with pink pearl (frost)
Romping Rich magenta with pink pearl (frost)
Passionate bright clean red (matte)
If you're like me, you're always looking for ways to inject a little bit of glamour into your daily life. Even if that means doing something as simple as applying lipstick instead of lipgloss or, of course, there's the more mundane task of shaving. A brand named Whish is helping to make shaving not so much of a chore with their line of glam shaving products that include Shave Crave shaving creams, Body Brushes and Shave Savour (an after shave for the ladies). The luxurious, pre-foamed shaving cream comes in yummy scents (pomegranate, lemongrass and almond) and the brushes are Swarovski crystal bedecked and to-die-for (not to mention they're handmade in England)! Use the brush with the Shave Crave to exfoliate the skin and to transform the cream into a rich texture. After you're done shaving, apply the Shave Savour (it comes in the same scents as the Shave Crave) which contains natural antiseptics to help soothe irritated skin. Of course, glamour doesn't come cheap- these products are definitely a splurge. The brushes alone are $105 or $180 depending on the style.
A make-up bag is unique to every individual- that's what makes their contents so intriguing. So here it is: I open up the contents of my Chanel make-up bag to you. 
Willing to share the contents of your make-up bag? If so, email me a picture at kmaury7453@hotmail.com with the subject line "Make-up Bag" and tell me why you love your products. I will feature your make-up bag on my blog. Can't wait to hear from you!
I went to Bath and Body works with my 5-year-old cousin and she wanted to try this product (Bath and Body Works Sparkling Mousse in Sunset Mango from their Temptations line). It wasn't something I would usually be attracted to but I'm so glad she pointed it out. After the first try, we were addicted and we kept going back for more: I thought to myself, 'Wow, I'm acting like a 5-year-old kid...I have to get this stuff.' The appeal of the mousse is that when applied it gives you an incredible icy cool sensation. I must admit, I bought this product more for novelty than for anything else. It's far from perfect: it's a bit sticky, it has glitter in it and the mango scent may be a little too candy-like...But the icy sensation it gives is fabulous and oddly entertaining- perfect for a hot day when you're lounging on the beach and you need to cool down. For $10 I hope it lasts, but knowing me, I'll run through the can in one sitting.
My friend introduced me to liquid eyeliner several months ago and after my first application I thought 'Wow, I can't believe I haven't been using this stuff the whole time." Black liquid liner is the easiest way to add some drama to your look- it simply does what a pencil can't do. I've been using the cheap $1 versions at the drugstore but I figured I wanted to upgrade so when I went to MAC yesterday I asked for one. Well, the MAC guy enthusiastically introduced me to Fluidline and I'm sooo glad he did. Fluidline is a gel formula that comes in an ultra cute little glass jar. You put it on with a slanted eyeliner brush and- VOILA!- amazing eyes. For people who aren't used to using eyeliner brushes (like myself) it may seem a bit intimidating at first and it may require some practice but it's much easier than applying regular liquid liner plus it's easier to get a more dramatic look. Most importantly it's smudge-proof and long-lasting. It's $14.50 and it comes in 15 colors. I bought Blacktrack but I'll be investing in other shades soon.
Out of all the drugstore foundations I've tried, this one is my favorite by far. It's not exactly cheap ($12.99) but I keep going back to it so I may even prefer it over most of the department store foundations I've tried. Not to mention, Halle Berry endorses it. This foundation comes in two formulas: one for combination/oily skin and one for dry/normal skin. It provides medium to full coverage and it comes in 20 shades (including a range of shades for women of color)- Toast is my perfect match. I suggest using a foundation brush to apply it. Revlon claims that the makeup will stay looking fresh for 16 hours. I'm so thrilled with the look and feel of the makeup that I haven't paid much attention to how long it lasts, but since I just bought a new bottle I'll keep that in mind tomorrow. UPDATE: This really does last for up to 16 hours. I didn't have to do one touch-up...SOOOO much better than MAC.
Let me preface this by saying I generally hate hairspray and avoid it at all costs BUT I make an exception for Paul Mitchell's Freeze and Shine Super Spray. This is the only hairspray I will use. Although I rarely use the spray (because the alcohol in hairsprays will dry your hair out), there are times when it's necessary. I'm a broadcast journalism major and I've had to go out on extremely windy days to shoot stand-ups for class. The picture you see above was taken in November after I trekked through campus on one of the windiest days of the year. The wonderful thing about Freeze and Shine is that my hair still has movement after I apply it. So it'll blow in the wind, but it'll just fall right back into place. Also, it's not sticky, it smells nice and it doesn't leave icky white flakes- in other words, it doesn't make me feel like I have to wash it out of my hair. You can apply as little or as much as you want depending on what you're trying to do. For maximum hold, don't hold back- spray, spray, spray!
To minimize heat damage from flat irons I use Redken's Smooth Down Heat Glide. It's a protective smoother for very dry or unruly hair. It contains macadamia oil and it smells so good- like a professional salon product. The directions say to apply 1-2 pumps to towel-dried hair but because my hair is so thick I do 3-4; you have to be careful not to overdo it or it will weigh your hair down. After you blow-dry apply 1 pump to your ends. The 5 oz bottle costs me $15 but it lasts forever. I've had it for over a year and I have more than half of the bottle left.
I haven't tried this product yet but I'm loving the concept. According to the website http://www.cargoplantlove.com/lipstick.html: "PlantLove™ is a collection of eco-friendly lipsticks. The lipstick case is a revolutionary innovation made entirely from corn. What's more, the box the lipstick comes in grows wildflowers when planted! This bright idea has even inspired Hollywood to go green: five of the lip hues were designed by celebs, who individually collaborated with CARGO to create their ideal lipstick shades. With PlantLove™, you can feel great about planting one on Mother Earth.
I bought this product because the ingredients are great for conditioning black hair (olive oil, sage, rosemary) but the scent is way too strong. It smells very minty and I prefer my hair to smell sweet and clean. I'll continue using this because I'm sure it does its job but I'll just use it before I wrap my hair up at night or on days when I have nowhere to go because the smell is so overwhelming.
