October 2010 – Page 4 – Sometimes Yaya

MAC Rain of Flowers

Sometimes when you see something, you just have to have it. Such was the case when I saw MAC‘s Rain of Flowers nail polish. It looked like it had purples and blues and I was on a “Lions, Tigers, and Bears” high.

If you hold the polish in your hand, it mixes from blue to purple to a dark violet black. When you apply it?

It’s a bit of a downer. The blue and purple shimmer only comes out when you’re twisting and turning your fingers like a beauty pageant queen doing the hello wave, and even then it’s not as great as your imagination might make you think. For the most part, the polish looks like a very dark, almost black violet. Reminiscent of OPI‘s Lincoln Park After Dark.

It applies pretty well with two coats. When you do only one coat, it looks violet and not dark at all, but you wouldn’t really be able to keep a one coat mani because of the streak factor.

The verdict? I’m a bit disappointed but I still like looking at the bottle.

What’s on your nails?

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Jennifer Hudson’s Slim Braid

Jennifer Hudson was looking regal in purple as she performed for the Andre Agassi Foundation for Education’s 15th Grand Slam for Children benefit concert held at the Wynn Las Vegas. Her purple Michael Kors gown hugged all her slimmer curves to a T. Sure the neckline and shoulders looked a bit plain, but the bright purple made up for all errors.

Photo Credit: HollywoodLife

The singing bird had a subtle smokey eye with a neutral glossy lip and a matching mani. Her nails looked like they could’ve had China Glaze in Grape Pop on. Right before she went out the door, she must’ve taken a quick look in the mirror and seen how great she looked, so she made sure her hair looked fab as well.

A severe side part with a sleek wave into a braid on one side and some wispy waves on the other end. Want to do it yourself?

Brush your hair and style as usual (use either a curling or flattening tool to create subtle waves).
Create an uneven part, taking about 80% of the hair to the side you want the braid on. The remainder will be your sultry wisps.
Use the rest of your hair to create the braid. Start braiding at the nape of your neck, shifting in a diagonal to the front.
Use a color similar to your hair color to secure the braid.
As always – use some shine spray to keep it glossy (my favorite is Palmers).

Do you like it enough to recreate it?

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Fergie’s Pink Hope

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. That wasn’t news, right?

What used to be a hard job to promote and to educate has now become well known facts. The gentlemen battling it out on the football field as I munch on chips and dip and yell at the screen have pink gloves, sneaker soles, and everything else their Reebok and the rest of the sponsors thought of, including items you can bring home (scrubs, ornaments, bracelets; you name it – NFL shop has it).

Other brands and stores are overcome with pinkmania in support of the cause. It can be deduced that mankind is quite fond of the breast!

If you have a hard time choosing where you can allocate your funds best for optimal use, look no further than Fergie’s partnership with FFANY.

QVC‘s FFANY Shoes on Sale event starts on October 15th 7-10pm ET (this coming Friday), with soles for the giving soul. All shoes’ proceeds will go 100% to leading hospitals and research organizations, but better yet for you – they will be half off their retail price as well.

Fergie‘s Hope shoe from her Fall 2010 collection will be joining the crowd of the shoes donated to QVC for the cause, and will be selling for $45 (half off the original selling price).

How will you be supporting the cause?

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MJB Pulls Dirty Diana on Ebony

Mary J Blige was one of the many celebrities on hand to celebrate Ebony magazine’s 65th anniversary. The magazine is now old enough to be considered a senior citizen, but it needs no life support.

Photo Credit: CoverAwards and Ebony

The anniversary project called for numerous celebrities amongst whom were Samuel Jackson, Nia Long, Omar Epps, Samuel Jackson, Yolanda Adams, Mrs. Mary J Blige, and plenty more. The stars were outfitted to reenact iconic covers with unforgettable names, such as Diana Ross, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Muhammad Ali, Duke Ellington, and more. All the cover shots are spectacular, so when the magazine hits newsstands later today, I urge you to get one (or two) in your possession ASAP (but in the meantime, support and discuss online!).

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Socks and Heels – Do or Don’t?

The pros and cons of fame are known to many. Sure you have money and all the good stuff, but then there’s the lack of privacy, and constant microscope that you’re under. What you eat, text, and read becomes a matter of public speculation. So it’s only right we limit our interests to their closet. Fashion, it can be argued, is a take no prisoners

Photo Credit: HotCelebsHome

Enter into the courtroom: Rihanna. The lady in red attended the Miu Miu Spring ’11 show in London with an ankle length dress, a fur stole (probably faux). As is given with RiRi, she had her fab red hair (pinned back with a sideswept bang), bold accessories (yellow hoops with embellishments), fiery red nail polish, and pumps.

But the socks! Sure she picked a dress with a red, white, and black, and sure, all the red (hair, lips, nails, heels) extras pull out the red in the dress, but there was no need to pull the blue from the dress as well. Most certainly not with socks. Almost looks like Dorothy went to see the Wizard.

Sorry RiRi. The judgement for me is very much guilty.

What’s your verdict? Do or don’t? Guilty or innocent?

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Hayden’s Alpha Hair

London’s screening of the 3D movie, Alpha and Omega brought out leading voice Hayden Panettiere with a furry friend in tow.

The story about two wolves trying to make their way home, stars Justin Long and Hayden Panettiere as the female and male wolf. In the beginning, they are not fans of each other at all, but the rest requires watching.

Photo Credit: HotCelebsHome

Hayden showed up to the London premiere looking casual and super chic with all the attention on her furry date and her hair. She had on a sequin, oversized tunic, gray skinnies, neutral pumps, and a gray clutch. Everything in the outfit is blah compared to the hair.

The new haircut was old pixie cut mob news for me until I saw this ‘do. It looks as though she used gel and texturizing putty to make several strands stand out, and the rest sit by and invite the spotlight.

This hairstyle seems genius for both the quickness in which you can accomplish it, and the way it can apply to both long and short hair.
MyOwnJudge - Hayden Panettiere at London
To copy the look:

Brush your your hair like normal. Brush some gel through your hair with something that hold it great like Tresemme Gel Clean Hold – Extra Hold or Tresemme Gel Mega Hold Sculpting Gel. Use it sparingly so that you don’t start looking like you are emulating the male cast from the Jersey Shore.
Separate the bang area from your right side, above the outer corner of your right eye. Make it one to two inches thick so that you can split it up.
Separate the remainder of hair on your right side, from the part you made, all the way down to your ear. Twist this bunch, applying some putty (I recommend Phyto Matte Texturizing Paste or Phyto Fiber Paste). Pin this piece a bit under the rest of the hair in the back so that the twist disappears flawlessly.
Twist the bangs similarly as in step 3, this time separating the hair into two horizontally. Try to use the paste sparingly so that you have some softness and movement in the style. Twist it until you reach above your left ear and reach it back under the rest of the hair again.
Finish the look with a bit of oil hairspray (try Palmers Olive Oil Formula Hair & Scalp Conditioner Spray 5.1 oz. – it’s less than five bucks!). All the gel and putty you used is going to harden a bit, so some oil sheen on the top will soften the hair and add some natural shine.
Voila!

http://www.alphaandomega3d.com/embed_player.swf
I’m a sucker for kids movies. Remember when Happy Feet was in theaters? Yup – saw that three times in the theaters and then bought two copies on dvd. Don’t judge me! If you live with a young crumbsnatcher or are a fan of kids movies, this seems like one to check out. Hayden‘s look? I think that’s worth a re-enactment as well!

Will you be trying this hairdo?

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PurpleLab NYC has Your Lip Luvah

When companies create beauty products, there are a lot of factors that go into the creative process. The color, consistency, and look are one thing, but what about the scent and the flavor? Does it have sunscreen in it, or maybe a plumper, how about pheromones and aphrodisiacs? Maybe mint to freshen the wearer’s breath, or should it last longer than the 9-5 and act as a stain? Most of the time, the wrong combo is created and you have a great looking product on paper that smells like animal musk (not in a good way) and sticks to your hair in the wind and your teeth at all other times, and then of course, companies get it right.

Purple Lab‘s Luvah is “… laced with aphrodesiacs, Complex OO (two plumpers), ylang-ylang, and a kissable vanilla/mint fragrance. There are two shades, named after all the types of guys there are to date! Mama’s Boy (rich nude) and Rich Jerk (a pop of berry).” (source)

The compact comes with two colors, a brush applicator, a mirror with the cutest SWAK (Sealed With A Kiss) accent, and the packaging is purple! Not sold?

My favorite feature of the duo is how thick it is. Not on the lips, only on application. I was a bit lazy and used my finger to apply instead of the brush, and was surprised at how little I scooped up with my finger dip. Usually, products like these let my finger dip all the way down to the pan and I end up wasting my money at lightning speed.

http://widget.shopstyle.com/widget?pid=uid4724-679582-60&look=2193726&width=1&height=1&layouttype=0&border=0&footer=0

More Clothing…

The stain is a bit lighter than the gloss. The gloss is packed with plenty of shimmer. As mentioned previously, the gloss isn’t uber thick, and is of a comfortable consistency. This has no goopy application that I dread from some of my previous purchases, and won’t hold onto your hair should the wind send it that way.

My favorite part of this gloss is that it smells like a great candy. I don’t think I’ve had anything that is similar to the smell, so I can only call it candy.

I’d recommend purchasing this gloss for the variety of lip looks – a subtle lip stain, a gloss, or if used together, a “3D” lip. The best pro for this compact is the purple packaging. You won’t ever miss the purple square in your handbag, and thus, you’ll always have your Luvah handy!

What’s your lip love?

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Perfect Formula NOTD

Remember the introduction to Perfect Formula nail polish? The bottles are super fabulous with an interesting glass shape and the colors are all sorts of purple and gray fabulous. They look like old school whiskey bottles, and they have a square top for the brush. Solid shapes like these are so easy to use for application, especially for when painting the opposite hand (I’m a righty, so painting my right hand with my left feels like an elephant is learning to write). The two shades I buy on a regular basis, trying to cover every degree of variety there could ever be in the world.

At the time being, I am suffering with a stuffed nose and a questionable throat situation. My nails aren’t feeling the funk either, as they are looking tiny and stubby. I had to pass on the natural nail swatch and used some falsies as the canvas for these nail polish creations.

Avant Gray is a gorgeous gray to look at. There is no shimmer, no hype, no nothing. Just the good gray stuff. From trying these colors out, I’ve found that Perfect Formula likes to approach polish with no nonsense. Just how I like it.

Futurist is a light lilac with a mix of gray in it. Does that make sense? It looks like it has shades of blue in it too. I know you’ve heard it all before, but I mean it this time, the same as I do each time I say it: I don’t have any color like this!

Post Moderne is – okay I’m not going to lie. I feel like I have seen this shade before. Even still, is this necessary to own? I think so.

The overall consistency for the polishes is the same throughout. It takes two to three coats depending on what kind of coverage and application you’re into, but the colors last long and look like melted butter when on. They’re just so smooth!

What are you rocking on your nails right now?

Disclaimer: This product was sent to the author for review by the manufacturer/PR. All reviews on MOJ remain unbiased and unpaid. For more info, feel free to contact the author.

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Lipstick Queen – Jean Queen

What cosmetics do you wear with jeans? Sometimes we pile everything on, being that denim has become as universally flattering and accepted as the color black has. Poppy King, Founder of Lipstick Queen has been asked which lipstick and gloss matches denim so often that she decided to create a product that did exactly that, the Jean Queen.

The lipstick and lip gloss come separately. Both are a rosy and sheer color with darker undertones. From a glance they seem to be the color that can flatter any skin tone because it is a light wash, and because it has the pink hint that is natural to the human lips.

The pink is meant to offset the blue tones from your jeans, as well as light up your face. The shine in the lipstick and the gloss is also meant to juxtapose the matte nature of most denim.

The roles are reversed, as the lip gloss is of a thicker and a bit darker consistency than the lipstick. For the $18 price tag, if you can’t get both, I’d say it’s smarter to get the lipstick. Just seems like you’d get more wear out of it, thus making your money work harder. The sheer wash of the lipstick can be layered for a bit of a deeper tone, or the two can be paired together.

The lipstick is at the top and the gloss is below. Doesn’t the lipstick look like an adult’s version of a chapstick?

http://widget.shopstyle.com/widget?pid=uid4724-679582-60&look=2188081&width=3&height=1&layouttype=0&border=0&footer=0

More Lipstick Queen…

What do you wear with your jeans?

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Grass Is Greener Across the Atlantic

The American men’s collections during fashion week are usually full of casual and sportswear. There is no drama, no flair. Just cute boys and clothes. Guys almost always get a natural look, some ruffled hair (or super quaffed) and bam, enjoy the runway. In Europe? They dress them up in flowing capes, tight cardigans, Chaplin hats, and scarves that verge on being called headpieces. Where’s the love?

Photo Credit: WWD

Majorly impressed with three (notorious for great shows) brands, as well as a new name to my vocabulary, the Parisian men’s shows (Jean Paul Gaultier, Dior Homme, Boris Bidjan, John Galliano) were more than just eye candy. This was real fashion; equal opportunity style.

Which country’s style do you prefer?

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