Mani favorites

Wanted to go for baby blue nails and decided why not for for princess baby blue? 

Opi nail lacquer in Int'l Crime Caper 

Sinful colors in Blue Lucite 

The base coat is my all time favorite formula X for sephora. 

All time favorite top Coat is from inglot in UV

Colourpop: Ultra Matte Lip

My colourpop ultra matte lips came in!

So excited to wear these babies 

Sugaring Wax

Okay, so I officially refuse to allow anyone else to do my eye brows until they are back to normal from a disastrous eye brow threading at the mall! 

I used to over tweeze them when I was younger and I ended up looking like the grinch who stole Christmas! Thanks to my friends that didn't love me enough to tell me I was all jacked up by the way. Besides that, it too forever for me to grow them back to normal. 

I found that sugar waxing is a lot easier for me to control. With endless brow tutorials, I learned how to do it myself. The way I like it. 

This DIY sugaring wax is natural, and gentle on the skin. Can be used anywhere on the body. You can use wax strips to remove the hair, cloth or simply apply enough while it's tacky and pull the end of the cooled wax and it'll wax the brow as well. 

Ingredients to make sugaring wax:

Lemon (1/4 cup)

Water (1/4 cup)

Sugar  (1 cup)

Place lemon juice into pot, follow up with  the water. Pour sugar and mix. Allow mixture to boil until a honey brown color.

Pour into a jar and allow to cool BEFORE you place it on the body! Please for the love of life DO NOT USE WHILE SUPER HOT. 

 

Braids: moon buns

I couldn't resist! I've seen this style done and every time I see it, I think about Sailor Moon and Sailor mini Moon's buns. So cute and can be worn for any occasion. Stylish. Practical.

Thanks loves xoxo

Alaskanbombshell 

New Matte lips stains!

So joining in on the race to becoming the best new lip stain product comes ColourPop cosmetics! It's still a fairly new makeup line but it didn't take it long to become the makeup artist go to. 

(Photo credit: ColourPop Cosmetics)

ColourPop first began as an affordable,  cream based eye shadow brand. More product, amazing texture, high quality, LOW price!

 

Since it's launch, ColourPop has taken steps into launching more and more products, such as:

Lippie stix, and pencils

Blushes

Bronzers 

High lighters 

Sets

And now, most anticipated, ultra matte lip stains!

The chaos lasted literally HOURS! It didn't take long for makeup junkies to feel the itch, and go completely insane when the site began crashing and having tons of glitches. To add more rage, Youtubers and Instagram popular accounts were showing off swatches of the lip stains hours, even days before the launch. Freebies and luck for them, just adding craziness for us norms. 

While those lucky enough to have all 25 shades to post pictures, or videos, sharing their love of the new lip stains, many of us were wondering, "why the hell is this site not letting me update my cart?" Or "how can it be out of stock and I've been trying to add it for hours BEFORE it was gone!?" People were leaving angry remarks under ColorPop's photos asking questions and demanding answers. Many even threatening to never shop there again!

Here's the plus... It's a permanent line ladies and gents. It may be out of stock now, but it's not gone forever. So calm down! I won't lie, I too was annoyed and highly upset that I didn't get the shades I wanted and it literally took me until 4:00 am to finally get some. Never again will I shop during the hype. I can laugh it off but, to some of you die hard makeup junkies... Don't kill us please. 

 

I bought what was left and luckily it were a few I really wanted. And the runner ups. ColorPop even had a promo code, 5$ off to be exact. Hell that's a free product, or cheaper shipping for some. 

As crazy as it got for its launch, I want to congratulate ColourPop! In my book, I'd shop here forever, regardless of what I miss out on now and then. Why? They have wonderful customer service, personal even! Shipping is fair, prices are great, and who can say no to this fresh fun brand! I love them. Keep up the sick work ColourPop.

Keep calm... And ColourPop on every one! They are worth the money and wait!  

Xoxo

Buns Hun

Decided to try a different look today. I haven't worn my hair in buns in such a long time. It's one of the go to hair looks for natural hair. Cute, simple and no heat needed. 

Makeup used today: Nars luminous foundation. 

Too faced chocolate bronzer 

Mac mineralized duo, Sharon Osborne collection 

Eyes: too faces chocolate bar palette in semi sweet. 

Nyx pigment 

Anastasia Beverly Hills dip brow in chocolate and brow powder in chocolate 

Skin care: Nerium

So I was lucky enough to try out this Nerium line thanks to my friend Julius. These photos are not filtered at all. I wanted you to see my skin as raw and honest as possible. I wasn't to sure if this skin care would work for me. We've all heard it before, selling us dreams not results. This worked for me. It wasn't heavy, my pores shrunk, my blemished got smaller and fine lines I've noticed, were gone! 

It's easy to use, on cleansed skin apply am Nerium moisturizer. 

Same for night time, but it's better to exfoliate first, then apply night Nerium moisturizer. 

Granted this is more so for smoothing and evening out the skin, yet it still gave me some added goodness by making my blemishes looks smaller too!

It's worth a try! 

Site: juliusfig.nerium.com  

Bantu results

Welp here you have it. My first random, yet successfull Bantu knot out. I can say that the products used kept my hair soft and hydrated. I'm very pleased with it!

  

Steps to do Bantu knots are in a previous post.

Xoxo thanks loves.

Bantu knots

What do I do when I can't sleep?

Bantu knots! Actually no I don't normally do my hair at 3:00 in the morning but I was up and bored and decided, eh why not? Or should I say knot? No? Never mind ha. 

I came across some Softee hair curling product in our bathroom. Months ago my moms friend gave us tons of hair products. We never got around to using any of it. I gotta say, she gave us real goodies. 

1. I sprayed my Aphogee leave in conditioner on my already dried curly hair. 

2. I used a wide tooth comb to detangle my hair (I just took sections of my hair into random parts, you can use a comb to part your hair perfectly, I chose not too)

3. It's not pictured, but I went ahead and brushed through my hair with a cent brush to smooth my hair out a little more.

4. I proceeded to use the Softee curl product. I add product differently all the time. I started near the roots and worked my way down this time. 

5. I went back over my sectioned hair with the product in it, with the vent brush to make sure I didn't have any frizz or knots. (The tiny teeth comb was just for the very ends to keep them smooth)

6. I proceeded to twist my hair, starting from the top all the way to the end. Eventually it becomes easy to create a little bun. 

7. Secure it with bobby pins if you like. How you secure them is up to you. 

8. You can chose to wrap your hair or sleep on a silk pillow over night.

So far I can say I'm loving the way the Softee feels! It's not sticky and didn't leave my hair feeling like it caked with gel. Smells really good and actually hydrates the hair. 

The Oyin home made burnt sugar pomade I used for my edges. Granted this whole "edges" or baby hair thing is new to me. So we shall see how it works for me. But the pomade smells like cookies! And it's got a waxy feel to it, but it's not thick or tacky like a wax is. It also adds a shine too. 

Well we shall see how my hair turns out!

Thanks loves xox

Naturals be like...

My go to hair care items:

Granted, being natural, you already know I have far more products. Every day is a new day to find and learn about new products. As of now here's what I'm using. Not including my oils.

Aphogee Pro Vitamin Leave in Conditioner:

- I use this baby on damp hair after washing and conditioning. I often use it to refresh my hair as well. I started using this product years ago when I had decided I wanted to stop using perms on my hair. When you're going natural it's essentials to pay attention to your hairs needs. Personally, this was the boost my hair took in when my hair was growing. I guess along the years I fell off using it. Now that I'm trying to regain healthy growing hair I went back to what works for me. My curls love it. I literally use it just about everyday to refresh my curls. 

Shea Moisture Jamaican Black Castor oil line: Though it smells like play doh, this is great for heat damaged hair! I'm guilty of the flat iron. I bounce back and forth between curly and straight hair. I've seen great results with this line. My hair becomes softer and gets its bounce back. The masque, and leave in are miracle workers when I abuse my hair. The shampoo isn't so bad, I'm just not over the moon in love with it like my conditioners. It's great to cleanse the scalp. 

Tresemmé Smooth and Silky conditioner: I normally use an cheaper brand for my co-washing, or to make hair masks. Before being introduced to Shea Moisture or Carols Daughter, Tresemmé has been my ride or die for conditioning. The bottle is massive and inexpensive. It's worth a try if you're looking for a decent and affordable conditioner you can use often. 

Saturday Nails.

It's time for clean new polish.

I can honestly say I'm obsessed with Inglots Techno UV coat. My nails last longer and gets a professional coat finish. It's a winner as a nail favorite.

Just something new

It's been officially four weeks and I can say I've found me a new favorite foundation. 

Nars All Day Luminous Foundation: Pleasantly light weight, gives full coverage with very little needed to do so. Like most of Nars face/body products, this foundation blends well with just your finger tips. It's light to the touch, almost water like, slighty heavier. I have oily skin, and it doesn't give me a greasy look at all. The claims are that it's meant to allow you the appearance of natural skin and I can't say that it's wrong. This time around I feel like it was easier to find my shade and for the first time, I've actually found that this foundation doesn't oxidize on me. A huge plus! No more being orange by the end of the day.

 I set this foundation with my makeup forever HD setting powder, allowing my makeup to last much longer with no greasy, oil face. 

Verdict: winner. 

Can find at sephora, sephora.com, Nar boutiques. 

Maybelline: Fit Me matte pore less foundation

And the Verdict is:

I surprisingly like it a lot so far.

I bought the foundation and baby skin primer yesterday at my local rite aid. I was so excited that I found they had it in stock (no where else had it in stock. Not target, Walmart, no where!) and luckily they carried every shade. 

I finally went ahead and bought the foundation, and to make it even better of a buy, it was buy one get one 50% off on maybelline products. 

Foundation Pros: Lasted all day for me.

Light weight, great medium, buildable coverage. Non sticky, or greasy. An actual matte formula, without the flakey cake look. Affordable!!! Although the deepest shade wasn't there just yet, it does include a wide range in shades.

Cons: As of right now.. None on my end. I really think I hit the jackpot for an affordable foundation.  

I'll be going out for a birthday party tomorrow night so I'll get a chance to see how it looks in photos. Over all it's a winner 

Babyskin primer pro: light weight. Non greasy, non scented, clear so works with all skin tones. Makeup lasted all day. Smoother foundation application. Feels better than benefit primer. Affordable.

Cons: I have large pores, I didn't seen that much of a difference. 

And there you have it. I like both products. I'm genuinely surprised by the out come of them. So I guess it's worth the hype. And quality makeup for an inexpensive price. I'm all for it. 

Super Gorgeous April: skincare

Lately, I've noticed my skin has gotten a lot better now that I chose to use products that are more natural or as close to natural I can get.

I often get compliments on how soft and smooth my skin is, which of course I get super excited to share what I use whenever I'm asked. I love skin care beauty. Especially affordable, multitasking products.

 I have blemish, oily, acne prone skin. The last thing you want in your twenties. I found that the main ingredient in most acne treatments are salicylic acid and that's too harsh for me. Acne treatments can be so difficult to try out. It's frustrating buying a million things only to find it doesn't work or worse, causes a major freak out in your skin. I really wanted to try natural items before giving up and going back to my dermatologist. Although he grately saved my skin, I wanted to investigate some things on my own before paying for a new prescription. 

Boscia clear complexion cleanser has quickly become one of my favorite light, fresh, clean scented cleansers. It removes all the impurities in the skin, leaving it soft without drying. I often use this when I have mild breakouts and just want a refreshing cleanse. ( $26 at sephora or http://www.sephora.com)

Murad clarifying toner makes you feel refreshed. It tightens the pores and reduces shine. I normally use this after rinsing my face (after the official cleanser, I always rinse a second time with cold water) and then tone. You get a rush of cooling sensation. Please avoid eye area! ($22 at sephora) 

I ONLY use my Clarisonic once a week! Everyone's skin reacts to it different. Personally I've found that using it everyday and even every other day was too much for my skin. So I cut it down to see what happened and the results was much better. I normally just use my boscia with it. (Can purchase from sephora prices range from 125 to 299 depending on the make and promo. Can also get special deals on qvc)

Lushcosmetics has an amazing mud maks I'm obsessed with called Mask of Magnaminty, and so far it's my holy grail mask! I loved my glamglow but again the salicylic in the product eventually was too much for me as badly as I wanted to keep using it. Mask of magnaminty is not only a minty yummy scented mask, but once it's dried, it exfoliates also. I have no complaints at all! 

Last for my ance products I've come across African Black Soap. When I was younger it turned me off because to me at the time, it looked funny, smelled not like the typical teenage girl lollipop scents we loved and was a mommy favorite. Anything my mother loved and recommend, I would refuse to use! Why? I wasn't sure. I suppose it was the stubborn teenager phase I was going through. Never the less, upon reading reviews and editorials, one day I came across a favorite YouTube guru of mine (ulovemegz) and she mentioned the African black soap and how it cleared up her body acne! Still a little reluctant, I wanted to try murads acne solution product first. Did it clear up my skin in 72 hours? Nope! Did it break me up more? Yup! So I broke down and used my mothers African black soap for the next three days and guess what? 

My skin cleared up! My back cleared up my chest and slowly but surely my face! I found something that's been working and I'm thrilled! It's definitely drying, so in the morning I use my Ole Henriksen Truth Serum Booster and at night my Josie Maran light Argan oil. And I am so happy! You can get large containers of this soap at flee markets, African shops and organic shops as well. But African shops or flee markers sell it to you for cheap for a whole lot more product. 

For my body, Virgin Coconut Oil is my go to for everything. For my shaving, my hair, my moisturizer and makeup remover. It's my all time favorite. Coconut oil saved my hair the last two years and I'm hooked forever. I bought my coconut oil from the military commissary for 10 dollars and it lasted me a year and a half. You can find it a whole foods, in the organic cooking section and other places I'm sure. I'm telling you, best shave ever if you use it! Haha. 

I love me some Shea Butter! Amazing moisturizer and it's also nice to melt and combine with my coconut oil for hot oil treatments. My mother (although I hate admitting it to her) was definitely right about natural products. She bought the Shea butter in the picture above for 3.50 at our flee market. It feels so so soo good! And yes I stole it from her. 

 

The last item is my Algenist Eye Balm. It's 65 dollars I believe for the jar, but I got mine as a perk from Sephora and it's half the size of the full sized one! Can you say steal? I think so. I love it. It's the only eye cream/balm I've ever used DO what it says it does! 

And ladies and gents that is my April skin care faves. Again everyone has different skin. Some things may work and some may not. It's all trial and error. At the end of the day you are beautiful regardless. And all the matters is your happiness and what makes you comfortable in your skin. 

Love you darlings xo

Steph.