Sometimes Yaya

Peep Those Booties!

Do you ever think that some trends out there are only for the fashionistas and famous folk? Don’t get me wrong, I am almost always watering at the mouth for the latest, most expensive, and obnoxious fashions (in a good way), but I just have to admit sometimes that some items look best on my magazine pages and not on me.

My most recent vent victim? Peep toe booties. They are the most impractical concept in my mind. Why? Because the weather that I live in will either fry my toes while the rest of my foot is covered (like a slow cooker), or will freeze them as the rest of my body remains bundled up like the Michelin man. No, this trend I can admire from afar. On the girlies with no worries of below zero temperatures or those who only have to walk a handful of steps from car to door and vice versa.

And you Ladies and Gents of the Jury? What’s your verdict?

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With the ELF’s help…

Not long ago I found out that Santa isn’t the only one with an elf in his life. Already familiar with E.L.F cosmetics and their efforts to keep up with the demands of a beauty on a budget, I was unsure of how great they were with face products. Matching powder or shadow to your desires? Pretty easy, even if a bit tedious. Finding a good concealer? Now we talking tomfoolery.

I often have to find something that matches my skin tone but also does a great job at making the dark spots lighter. I want to do this without having ghostly circles around my eyes. So how could three buckaroos keep me satisfied?
The corrective concealer comes with four cream concealer shades, for reducing redness, dark circles, etc. Pocketbook friendly, this is a bit bigger than a credit card and probably as wide as a cellphone. Part of the studio line, it comes in new snazzy all black packaging.

From the site:

“Conceals under-eye darkness, blemishes and other skin imperfections with customized coverage. Brightens under-eye circles and neutralizes redness. Convenient size for on-the-go travel.

Directions:
Use the nude and beige shades to conceal problematic areas. Use the green shade to neutralize redness like that of acne and the lilac shade to brighten yellow tones.“

The studio packaging looks a lot like NARS.

Left swatch with flash, right without. Click on images to see larger image(s).

The lighting in this photo isn’t as great as the following after pictures, but it shows the point. The only area I used the corrective concealer was around the eyes. This is my problem area and I normally don’t use concealer/foundation anywhere else. You can see that I have darker pigmentation on the lids, below the eyes, and on the sides of the nose (from wearing glasses and lack of sleep).

Tada! If you’re not amazed with how great this works. That’s okay. I am. It’s pretty smooth with application and doesn’t take too much product to get the job done.

The negatives? This corrective palette does not work for all skin tones. I used the darkest shade on the right as a spot concealer for a FOTD for a friend (photos to come) and it worked, but the rest made her skin look ashy. Also, the concealer palette comes with a brush but you most definitely do not need it. Application with the brush will make you think the product is streaky and poor in quality, when in fact it’s not.

Use your fingers to determine the correct amount of product and pressure when applying.

The verdict? If it matches your skin this is the only one you need (and it costs less than a $5 footlong!).

Have you tried the E.L.F corrective concealer? Anything from their studio line? Let me hear it!

Disclaimer: This palette was purchased by the author. All reviews on MOJ remain unbiased and unpaid. For more info, feel free to contact the author.

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Talk It Out – Winterize Me Cap’n!

I can sure babble about something right? So the topic (obviously) is the shift in weather. I want to know how y’all are dealing with your skin when the weather changes.

I can actually feel my skin get dry more and more as it gets colder, so that means I double up on the amount of times I lotion up. That and I go to bed with socks on. This gives me a perfect excuse to have soft toes and heels as I’ll slather on my thickest lotions and put on fuzzy socks with polka dots and such (that never see the outside of my house).

Is your skin stable enough that you stick to the same routine? Do you moisturize more or less? What’s your secret?

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Red, Bright, and Winter Blues

Ever since I was little, colder weather meant stern-er clothing. Break out the bleak and the dark. Maybe it was a daylight savings time phenomenon, but the all black uniform applied more often when the sun was less social.

Me? Give me a reason to wear (or purchase and let it sit in my closet for years before I notice it) a neon lime sweater and I’m all ears. If you don’t have the acquired taste for neons and brights when the weather sends your knees a-knockin’, take cues from favorite mags for December and January on wearing colors not as loud, but with just as much voice.

Granted, the magazine shoots are done months in advance, but you can’t help loving the pop of brightness in each photo. This makes me concede to blondes having fun, well – at least in these photos. Take that military jacket in red instead of black when you shop, and try on a sunny yellow tunic for a snowy day.

Have you injected a bit of color into your winter wardrobe? Plan to? Let me know!

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Bah Humbug Frizz!

The weather outside is frightful the songs blare. Well… I don’t know about that. If you wear enough layers, you can keep your fears at bay. But our skin and hair are always victims of drastic weather changes.

What to do? I’m a big fan of using every hair product on every shelf until you find the one that’s right for you, but I never go too far from my Organic Root Stimulator Anti Frizz Olive Oil Glossing Polisher from Walgreen’s (I buy one for every house I stay in – i.e. mom’s, aunt’s, etc.). It adds a soft sheen without a crunchy texture & doesn’t dry my hair out. Plus it has this faint fresh smell. It’s good for straightened, frizzy, freshly washed, etc. hair.

But enough about me, let’s hear more about me, lol! Miss Yaya has a guest editorial about winterproofing your curls on the curlytop fave NaturallyCurly.com. Be a dear and check out the article here. Even if your curls come courtesy of a hot iron, a braid, or even a dream – you might enjoy the read (and even pick up a tip or two)!

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Beauty Blunder No More

I don’t know if the readers have heard yet or not, but the yaya-meister has caught the travel bug. I will be venturing out of the American borders for sunnier and warmer times. I am Barbados bound!

As I get ready for the Caribbean climates (can’t wait to hide my jacket and boots!) I have reverted back to packing soft fabrics, slinky sleeves, tank tops, etc. But the space in a suitcase is limited, and the needs and wants are never.

Enter Miss Oops Holiday Survival Kit ($18). The miniature set is perfect for travel, and is packaged cute enough for a gift.

The set includes:

Miss Oops Mishap Tape
Miss Oops Rescue Sponge
Miss Oops Lint Roller

First of all, I am a sucker for packaging. So it is no surprise that I was head over heels for the simple packaging (slightly reminiscent of the Tiffany’s blue) with Miss Oops herself looking slightly worried.

All of the items are perfect for on the go (great for travelling or fitting into your handbag) and tackle the smallest but most often repeated offenders. The tape is for keeping your too open shirts together a la Jennifer Lopez with her down to there gown and not Janet Jackson or Tara Reid with their wardrobe snafus. The tape is hypo-allergenic so you can stick it to other fabric or skin! I do recommend adding a safety pin or two just in case your clothing is extra stubborn (you can never be too safe!). The sponge helps remove powder and deodorant stains. Use it by buffing the areas dry – or lightly wet. The sponge is great when trying to get into nooks and crannies like near buttons, zippers, pockets, or corners. Last but not least, the lint roller is perfect for removing lint, but also stray hairs and dust that tends to attach itself to you as the day rolls by. Perfect for visiting family with pets who are inconsiderate to your trendy fashions! 🙂

A tip? Cut your Rescue Sponge in half to use one for removing deodorant stains, and the other to use with a little bit of soap to clear smudges from shoes (don’t do this on suede or leather!). You might not have to use soap, but will want to wet it (i.e. when removing street salt from your boots), and it’s always best to separate what you use for clothing & shoes (no street debris on my shirts please!).

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

What’s your secret to a hassle free holiday?

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Footlocker Friends and Family!

Everyone needs some sportswear or sneakers in their life. I know my feet need some of that cushion after a rough week (or day) of running around in heels. Check out Footlocker‘s Family and Friends sale going on this weekend to catch up with some deals!

Use code FF9CV236 to get your goodies, and don’t forget to get something with good ankle support!

If you plan to use this coupon in person, click on the image to see it full size (or right click and press ‘view image‘) and print!

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NOTD – the cheap nail

The return of the nail! My adventures with nail polish and new ones (almost) every day continues. Check out the photos of all the cheapie polishes (none of these cost more than $3).

LA Girl Matte in what Forever 21 calls Magenta – as you can see, nothing beats a matte like the China Glaze Matte Magic top coat left two fingers with top coat, right two fingers

LA Girl from Forever 21, this is such a gorj color, and probably should have a crazy name, but of course, 21 calls it Blue.

I love how it looks as a matte.
I finally got my hands on some KleanColor nail polish in colors that I liked. Blue Satin has a party inside of it! Confetti and glitter, but in a very not too loud way. 🙂 forgot the name of this color peeps, but if you ask, I shall find! left is no flashI tried to do a finger with Blue Satin over the purple, but it wasn’t spectacular This is Pearl Jungle, a green I honestly don’t think I have come across before (left no flash, right w/flash)
Tried it with a matte top coat, but this is the first color that I can safely say would do without any matte-ifying effects.

How ya like ’em?

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MOJ writes for Clumps of Mascara

Depending on what climate you live in, you have already reaped the benefits of a jacket friendly breeze or perhaps have even cussed out a storm too many. But your closet – olde faithful is not a match for the trees, as it refuses to shed it’s colors and light layers. The summer stays it says.

So what do you do when your teeth start to chatter and give that light tank the side eye? Check out my guest post for Clumps of Mascara, that’s what! That and layer it on! This image here illustrates that everything but the knit on the left is available in your summer fashion vocabulary. Easy right?

Check out my article here and let Britt know just how much ya love it!

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Get a fresh deal!

The holidays are beating down my door right now. I am the type to start shopping for people in June, so this year, my not so activeness (due in part to mounting bills!) is getting me closer and closer to a shop breakdown. What am I going to get everyone?!

It’s so hard to get the perfect something for someone while maintaining the perfect something price for you. When you look at one site, another site with a discount is passing you by. Ever have the moment where you press ‘submit order’ and you get a discount in your email seconds later? Yeah that.

So I’m passing along some knowledge to ya peeps. Fresh to my internet savvy-ness is Fresh Deals. The price lookup site not only shows you price comparison for the products you want (or finds products that you can’t find), but they also let you interact with each other. Post a question up, connect it to your facebook, and wait for the answer!

Example: You come across shoes that might as well have your name on then. But it’s a new brand. You want the shoes, not the drama, so you post a question about them running large or small. And that’s all it takes.

I’m lovin’ it for helping me out with my holiday list. My mom requested fleece everything for the holidays and is getting antsy for some fleece leggings. I think she expects me to become a millionaire and relocate her to a climate where it never hits freezing temperature. But enough about that, where the heck do I get fleece leggings? I’ve only come across those in children’s stores. So I type in fleece leggings and voila! Who knew there were so many e-tailers anxious to make my momma happy?

As I mentioned before, the site is also splendid at finding things you and single retailers may call ‘unfindable’. When I was posting the Stila tutorial yesterday, I mentioned that the Salome Eyeshadow Duo was sold out everywhere and that y’all kiddies needed to get your google on. But type in ‘Stila Salome‘ and you get a load of em!

I’ll be using Fresh Deals as my cheat sheet for the holidays. What’s your secret?

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