Breakups to Makeup

img_0876Over the last couple of years there has been an influx of sassy phrases appearing on makeup bags. The bag that originally sparked my interest was the ‘Losing You‘ makeup clutch (it’s sold out. Sorry?). The phrase was on a canvas bag (also a trendy swoon component) and said ‘losing you hurt but losing my makeup bag would be a tragedy.’ Humor and sass to compensate the feels for the win.

Breakups to Makeup (B2M) was created by makeup artist Angelique Velez.

 “As makeup artists, makeup is our form of art, it is our outlet and release.  No matter what we are going through in life it’s the reason why we get out of bed.  Makeup is a true form of art that let’s us not only express ourselves, but also makes others happy,” says Angelique. Personally, going through a difficult time in my own life (ahem, a breakup), makeup literally saved me and served as my outlet to devote my time and energy.  Many people don’t understand how powerful makeup truly is and I wanted to spread that message in a quirky yet enlightening way, hence the birth of B2M!” source

I’m not going to say outright that B2M was the trailblazer for makeup pouches with sassy phrases on ’em. I’m sure that from the moment T-shirts had phrases on them people started printing words and phrases on anything, that a makeup pouch was free game, but in my little bubble, B2M felt like it snowballed it into a viral item and now I see them everywhere. Continue reading “Breakups to Makeup”

In Case You Need A Reason to Shop…

If you find yourself unable to resist the urge to swipe some plastic for any (or all…) of the upcoming sales, make sure to use a coupon code or two while you’re at it. Click on the images to be redirected to the respective sites. Sales away!
ShopBopSephoraSmashboxKarmaloop

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Sephora VIBs get extra time

MyOwnJudge
Are you a Sephora VIB? Today is the last day you can use code ‘VIB20‘ to save 20% off your order. This is no different from the family and friends sale, except this time not everyone gets it. Only the big spenders! Not a VIB? I’m sure you know one or two. We can even work on something, you and I ;).

Getting anything?

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Sephora Family Friends Almost Over

Sephora
Sephora‘s friends and family sale is going to come to a close shortly (November 3, 2010 11:59pm PST), and I’d hate for you to miss the 20% discount. Use code ‘FF2010‘ to get 20% off your entire order.

As is customary, shipping is free after $50 and you get three free samples.

Let me know what you get!

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Search & Win

Fashion’s Night Out

The inbox is bursting as events keep popping up. I have taken to Facebook to asking for help in covering the events or creating clones. My only payment for this help at the moment is cookies. Any takers?! 🙂

Check out the events coming up below, and let me know where you’ll be!

Norma Kamali

Check out the rest of the events happening after work hours. Almost all stores are open as late as you never thought they would be. Take advantage!

Nine West
Laura Geller Lulu Guiness
Brooklyn Style
Assouline
Sephora
Fashion Central
Fashion Central
Coach
Victoria's Secret
ASOS and Teen Vogue
Lord and Taylor
Piperlime
Where will you be?

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Tart Kisses

MOJ - Tarte Natural Lip StainsUpon my last visit to Sephora, I saw what I was looking for plenty of visits prior. The Tarte Natural Lip Stains have arrived. After I saw these babies in People Style Watch, I was so excited I could have ran up and down the street and told everyone about it a la The British are coming!

Are you guys familiar with Tarte Cosmetics? The ecofriendly cosmetics line rocks my socks with the quality of products they continue to put out. There is not a single stinkin’ season that they spare me and my wallet of any wants or needs (and there are plenty of both). Truthfully? The guys and gals behind Tarte can sell me a lemon of a car (that’d be a very poorly working car) and I’d buy it in a jiffy. The honest truth? They’d never do such a thing! They stand behind their products and I’m happy to as well.

The colors look like this:
MOJ - Tarte Natural Lip Stains


Some tech talk from the site:

What it is:

A natural lip stain that is clinically proven to increase lips’ moisture content by 6000%.

What it does:

After 10 years the wait is finally over. These much-anticipated natural lip stains are an extension to the best-selling and award-winning cheek stains. Just like the iconic cheek stains, each emotive, peppermint-infused shade smoothly glides on lips for a natural flush that will stay all day. So say goodbye to reapplying your lip color throughout the day and say hello to a gorgeous pop of color and hydration that lasts.

What it is formulated WITHOUT:

– Parabens                                       – Sulfates

– Synthetic Fragrances                     – Synthetic Dyes

– Petro-Chemicals                           – Phthalates

– GMOs                                          – Triclosan

What else you need to know:

The old meets the new with the infusion of our high-performance natural LipSurgence™ technology which is clinically proven to increase moisture content by an astonishing 6000%. This proprietary blend effectively increases skin’s water content for a ‘plumped up’ appearance leaving lips defined, smoothed, and hydrated. The result is naturally fuller, healthier lips without any irritation or stinging. Like the cheek stains, each shade of these natural lip stains will leave a natural hint of tint that will last throughout the day. These shades are great to wear alone or pair with your favorite tarte lipgloss. This product is free from gluten, animal testing, formaldehyde donors, oil, talc, MEA/ DEA/ TEA.

Sephora.com, Inc.
Now… the only problem is that I cannot find any store that is fully stocked with these babies. I swear I will be turning into a Tarte junkie, sleeping outside of a Sephora waiting for a new shipment to arrive.

From the reviews I read on the wide web, a lot of people are fond of the product (did I mention they smell great?), but take up with the title of ‘lip stain.’ After coming in contact with these, I have to say they are not strictly a lip stain. The fact that they moisturize, and by doing that, add a bit of gloss makes me want to call this a hybrid of a tinted lip balm and a stain.

My swatches come courtesy of the testers on the counters of Sephora, and I will be reporting back as soon as I have a few of these babies in my lip product family.

Anything from Tarte getting you excited?

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Nina Garcia at Sephora

Photobucket http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=myowju-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&m=amazon&f=ifr&md=10FE9736YVPPT7A0FBG2&asins=0061834017Combining a lot of favorites, this past week I got to meet Nina Garcia from Marie Claire. She was signing copies of her new book, The Style Strategy: A Less-Is-More Approach to Staying Chic and Shopping Smart, and in the meantime, the first 100 (I was #5… clearly I was serious!) got $10 off their purchase and a copy of Marie Claire!

Didn’t hear about the event? I almost missed it myself had I not read my Google Reader updates in time. Check out the Sephora blog daily so that you don’t miss the special events either! (Case in point? Tomorrow, 11/12, all VIB’s will be able to partake in the exclusive shopping event to get some goodies for themselves & possibly friends at a discount.)

http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=myowju-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&m=amazon&f=ifr&md=10FE9736YVPPT7A0FBG2&asins=0061664618When I first walked into Sephora, I was told that I was the second to come in. I must’ve been misplaced, because when they gave out wristbands mine said #5. No matter though. I just wanted to be in the 100 (which is coincidentally Nina Garcia‘s other book title: The One Hundred: A Guide to the Pieces Every Stylish Woman Must Own). In the time spent wandering, I found plenty items to give out as presents (but did not buy yet) and fell in love with two new polishes from Sephora by OPI. Perhaps you read my Twitter feed and saw me raving? The fab colors are Absinthe Makes the Heart, and Worth My Weight. Both the titles are a little off from what I’m used to, but are adequate in that you can imagine what the color is without seeing the bottle. (Green & Gold) Yes?

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Guess who!
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My favorite Toledo illustration in the book!

There are few polishes that make me grab my phone after testing and compel me to let everyone know that I found a zinger. No, really. I walked around with my nails in alternating colors just marveling at the upcoming holiday appropriate glitter on my nails. And when I came home? Wore each polish for a day. (All images are maximize-friendly)

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…gifts for moi?! 🙂
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If you’re better at keeping money in your pocket than in someone else’s register, they’re great as stocking stuffers or mini gifts as well, with their present ready gift tags.

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Disregard any indents on the nails. I was way too happy to photograph and caused many a dent before the polish dried. Oh and the short nails? I need to get my calcium appetite up because my nails have gone to the wayside…

Went nuts with the China Glaze Matte Magic top coat as always.

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Just as fab with matte coat.

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I preferred this one shiny, but the first two fingers from the left are with matte coat in case you can’t see the difference.

What do you think? Like ’em? Have any new favorites?


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Nailing NYFW

PhotobucketIf there’s anything that NYFW teaches you, is that fashion doesn’t stop at the end of the runway. The audience and crowds contributed to plenty an ooh and ahh, whether they were celebrity or not. My camera was often pointed equally to someone’s clothes and shoes, as it was to the models and garments.

I even felt the kick under my heiny to step it up and rocked out with bright lipstick for days. But today’s not about that – today’s nail day!

The pasttime that I can always commit to is doing my nails and toes. I usually do this before I do anything, as I can aid drying time that way. I also am tempted to try a new polish nearly every day (though that is half blamed on my penchant to peel my polish and half because of my constant new purchases). For NYFW, I didn’t want to be a one color girl, so I enjoyed some fancy mattes, suedes, creams, and a Konad for days.

I wanted to mix it up for Fashion Week, as I didn’t want to run through all the fabulosity with a mere one color. I tried to do a fresh nail every other day.

First one was a cream color that struck my eye immediately when I came into the Beauty Supply store. It was a sherbet melon/orange type color, and I could attest that I had none to even so much as mimic it. Plus the color was around $2. The brand was one that I never tried before, but as it’s name says itself – I was curious Quirious!

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Though I liked this color, the polish took a bit too long to meet my expectations. The picture here is after roughly four coats. The first two coats made it look sheer as all goodness and that actually made me pout. I like the finished effect, but it takes too long to achieve it. Regardless, though… given the price, I’ll forgive em & probably showcase more of their colors soon.

Next two colors that I tried are pretty new to the nail market and I didn’t want to wait too long to try them out. After spotting them on websites and nail blogs alike, my heart was beating fast in the material sector. First one was OPI Suede in Russian Navy.

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The little note attached to it says the same thing as the ones on the Mattes as I posted here. They tell you not to use a base or top coat, that they wear differently than other polish, and not to use lotion.

Just to let y’all know. I haved used a base coat with all my matte polishes and that hasn’t changed anything. I have seen that the one time I followed directions and didn’t use a base coat, the matte made my nail yellow. Yaya doesn’t like that one bit.

The Suedes are fabulous guys. They have this silver underlayer that makes the top coat shine. It’s hard to explain. The pictures show you that I have a top coat on my ring finger to show you what it looks like with a top coat. I like the color both ways. I also noticed that upon removal, you can actually come across the middle layer that is invisible to the eye when applying or wearing.

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Coooooool. Right? 🙂 This is when I was removing it, so excuse the chip. Mattes and Suedes wear a lot more sensitive than creams, so they tend to chip at the ends within one or two days.

Next one was OPI by Sephora in Metro Chic Matte. This was an ultra cool matte, that had the best application of any of the mattes I have ever come across. Case in point: most mattes, if you apply more than two swipes on one nail in succession start to clump up. This one did no such thing.

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flash on the left and no flash on the right
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pinky has a top coat on it. Looks almost identical to Metro Chic cream

The color is a little different with flash and no flash. Neither shows the color perfectly. It is a bit in between the two if you can imagine. I tried to add a little Holo pizazz with China Glaze on the thumb and ring finger.

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Photobucket PhotobucketI also love that this polish is extremely true to bottle color. Most of the mattes – it is just too hard to convey that.

My last mani was my last hoorah inspired by my girl Brit from ClumpsofMascara. She was tweetin’ and YouTubin’ with a fab houndstooth Konadicure, and I took her as inspiration to rock my plates out. I used a Sally Hansen Insta-Dri polish that I just got from Walgreens on sale, and used bows and fishnets to rock out the rest. I used my black and white Konad polishes and then mixed some of them to see if I could get gradient colors.

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After a nail or two, I realized I was mimicking my fave Betsey Johnson mini handbag.

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What y’all think? What are you rocking on your nails?


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Fall Makeup for 2009

PhotobucketIn the midst of all this Fashion Week madness, one can’t deny the change in the air. The streets aren’t as warm anymore, there are more sleeved fashions paraded about town, and scarves are coming out.

To me, scarves are the epitome of Fall and colder weather in general. When scarves came out as a trend for summer as well, you could find me looking all bewildered at everyone and their momma because it didn’t make sense. Scarves are an accessory with both an aesthetic and physical function. It serves as a great neckpiece, converts great into a shawl, or even a bow tie, but it also has the potential to keep you warm.

Something else to usher in the fall? Makeup! Now, I’ve briefly covered trends for the fall, and will definitely revisit the topic, but I’d like to share what some companies are ushering in for the new season. As we all know – seasons come with different colors, and wearing neons and bronzer may not be the most appropriate look for when the thermometer starts to dip.

Check out some of the other new products for fall in makeup and nails below. These include great ones from fan (and my) favorites from Too Faced, Stila, Benefit, Smashbox, Korres, etc.!

http://widget.shopstyle.com/widget?pid=uid4724-679582-60&look=1174909&width=4&height=2&layouttype=0

Anything you’re falling for? 🙂


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New at Sephora

Our favorite haven of products, cosmetics, and more has come with the Boom Boom Pow for 2009. No kidding.

With their opening of the new Times Square location in NYC, came a plethora of brand partnerships. So many that one is left to stand in a corner and try their best to contain their excitement.

These partnerships and/or contract acquisitions are nowhere near as “average” as when your local drugstore agrees to carry Snickers (although that to me is serious business too). No – these are products and companies that all have significant weight, or carry products instrumental to our product addiction advancement.

In no particular order, I bring to you:

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Lauren Luke, also know to many YouTube fans as Panacea- one of the few well known makeup tutorial gurus now has her own line of makeup. She put together several crafty palettes for customers & she created tutorials to go with the palettes as well.

While I have yet to try out the palettes, I am head over heels in love with the packaging. It is too cute – with pink post-it like notes with her quotes. I also love that this is basically a backroom kind of business. There were no credit investors and all of LVMH involved – just lil’ ole’ Lauren. Don’t get me wrong – I realize plenty a business meeting went into this, but I see this as the equivalence of MySpace changing around the way music artists got signed – a lot less middleman interaction.

Check out the Sephora product page here and her tutorials here!

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Illamasqua is a UK brand who, to ladies across the pond, doesn’t need an introduction. To me? I heard murmurs and whispers, but it took all of Sephora to educate me.

According to their motto, Illamasqua is a makeup brand for your alter ego, and it comes in a large array of bright shades from your cheeks to your nails.

Check out their Sephora product page here, and my introduction post about them here!

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Curly girls in the house rejoice!

I don’t know if I’ve educated you on my curls, but here we go again. I got ringlets. I got frizz. I got it all and I love it.

When I was little I used to look at girls with straight hair and I would fill up with envy. Why did I have to wear braids (which by the way – my grandfather did for me) to keep my hair tame, and these girls could mimic hair commercials? I was a hater.

With the tough love that is legendary in the Yaya household, my mother always told me if I didn’t like my hair, she could easily shave it off for me. That surely was traumatic at times. But then one day – I used gel. And another – frizz serum. The list went on, and I was never the same. Now I smile when people tell me how lucky to have such curly hair, I laugh when they ask me if I get it chemically curled, and I smirk when they tell me to straighten it.

Ouidad (who I always thought was pronounced Oooh-weeee-dad) is as kind to curly hair as I am to mine now that I’m older and wiser. Except now – I can get my Sephora Beauty Insider points to reward my curly kindness.

Check out their Sephora product page here.

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Bringing everything to your house, begins with flawless beauty. You no longer need to worry about spotty foundation or concealer. Or bronzer or anything!

Take the airbrush system into your diva home-quarters – and yes, the price is hefty, but the amount of uses and the end result you’ll get far outweighs all costs.

Check out their Sephora product page here.

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Now this is the one that I’m pinching pennies for y’all! I’m brown bagging it for days until I get this bad boy in my house and in my embrace!

Excited much? Yes! Who doesn’t want to free themselves of all the creams, razors, and wax appointments? To go beyond to do laser hair removal will have me eating peanuts for days and I don’t know if I can do it like the elephants can.

And do you know how often my smooth legs can walk into the Loboutin store post Silk’n SensEpil purchase and buy me some red soles for my soul?

Check out their Sephora product page here.