Plastic Surgery - Plastic People

Hola Chicas & Chicos!! Today's post stems from a show I watched on VH1 about the top celebrity plastic surgeries. It really got me thinking...why is plastic surgery such a trend in Hollywood? And as I look around, I see that it's become more prominent in middle class communities too! It all comes down to people's own "body dysmorphic disorders". Well all have this to some degree. We all look at ourselves and see something that we wouldn't mind improving (or changing altogether). Those that obsessed with changing that physical feature are the ones that end up opting for plastic surgery.  

We live in a world that not only sends subliminal messages about beauty, but one that blatantly emphasizes what "the perfect woman" should look like...she should have long flowing hair, a cute little nose, long eyelashes, full and pouty lips, high cheekbones, boobs that defy gravity, and the perfectly curved boo-tay! Men should have a nice chest and 6-pack abs to die for! Sadly, some people have gone to such extremes in plastic surgery that they no longer "fit" the image of a "real" person!! And they actually expect the "Average Joe" to try and live up to the standard that they've created (literally). Let's go through some examples of some perfectly fine people, turned PLASTIC:

This is Joan Rivers BEFORE plastic surg. She was gorgeous!

And the AFTER...

We all know what Lil Kim looked like when she FIRST came into the game...

And here is the AFTER, plastic barbie look.

MJ's change was probably the most drastic I've seen.

Nicki was beautiful before...but she's had a wide range of surgeries to create an image of herself that she sees in her mind.

Check out her new nose.

She's also had several silicone implants including boobs, butt, and hips. None of her actually belongs to her!! It urks me sooo bad when I hear guys say how "fine" she is...ummm, NO. She manufactured herself, literally!! 

Clay Aiken, Mr. American Idol himself, his face is now tighter than a virgin's...do I really have to say it??

As you can see, plastic surgery has become "the norm" in the lifestyle of many celebs. Unfortunately, that trend is starting to filter down to "everyday" people. When I see a woman in the gym working out, and her boobs are standing at attention IN A SPORTS BRA, that's an obvious sign that she's been under the knife. Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with wanting to look and feel better about yourself. What I have a problem with is the extreme that people go to in order to achieve perfection, which is a false perception within itself. That's why most people that have plastic surgery to "fix" one thing will end up doing it again, and again, and again. In their eyes, they will never be perfect because it's a psychological problem, NOT a physical problem.  

And just a thought, if you're going to have a relationship with someone that's had plastic surgery done, be sure to ask for a picture that shows what they USED to look like! You don't want any surprises when the kids come! Okay, I'm done! Hope you enjoyed this blog as much I enjoyed writing it. By the way, please comment & let me know your thoughts on the subject. Do you agree with plastic surgery? Have you had plastic surgery yourself? If so, why? Are satisfied NOW? I'd love to hear from you!  Ciao bellas! ♥

"Skressed Out??"

I love the title of this blog! I think it's a nice play on words (skin and stress)! LOL! Just wanted to get that out of the way. Now, down to biznazz. A couple of weeks ago, I asked some of my followers for some suggestions on what they'd like to read about. Not to my surprise, the biggest area of interest was skin. I posted a blog earlier this year about basic skin care, the 3-step process and so on, but today I'm going to dive a little bit deeper.

What do you do when you're doing the 3-step process (you may even be doing a 4 or 5-step process), and you're still getting breakouts?? You may want to ask yourself one question...are you stressed out?? I think most of us know & believe that the mind and body are directly and closely correlated to one another. There is actually a name for it now, called psychodermatology (the impact of your emotions as it relates to skin). A chemical reaction happens in your body when your mind tells it that you're stressed. A hormone called cortisol is released and causes the skin to increase oil production...which causes pimples of course! That can lead to more stress because now you're worrying about your physical appearance. It's a vicious cycle, I know! So, how do you stop it? Or at least slow it down?

The obvious answer is to stop stressing, right? But that's not always easy. However, there are ways to tackle this skin-villain at its root! Here are a few tips you can do to de-stress throughout and at the end of the day (in no particular order):

• Exercise! This is the BEST way to destress! Exercise actually decreases the release of the stress hormone (cortisol) and promotes the release of endorphins (the body's "feel good" hormones...the same ones released when you have sex, just to give you something to identify with).
• Meditate! Take some time at the beginning & end of your day to think about about absolutely NOTHING! Especially at the end of the day. Why lay in bed thinking about all the things on your to-do list for the next day? Ya can't do anything about it until the next day anyway! It cuts in on your sleep time and affects how well you sleep.
• Listen to your fav song REALLY loud & sing along! This always makes me feel better & extra energized!
• Breathing exercises! Its always helpful to take a few minutes out of a stressful day to just breathe! Sit in your car and take some deep breaths in and out, and clear your mind at the same time.
• Positive self-feedback! It may sound crazy, but I dare you to look at yourself and the mirror and give yourself every compliment you can think of!

Those are a few tips for you to relieve some of the "skress" in your life. I did an earlier blog post about "Aging Gracefully". I recommend reading it because it has other info on how stress is also related to aging. Here's the link: http://beautybyvirtue.blogspot.com/2010/02/aging-gracefully.html.

And here's the link on the basics of skin care blog post. I called it "Gimme Some Skin". :-)

http://beautybyvirtue.blogspot.com/2010/01/gimme-some-skin.html

We all have things that stress us out a little, but its soooo important not to let that stress overtake your emotionally to the point that it starts to have a negative effect on your physical body. Control the controllables ladies & gents! :-) Manage your stress, don't let it manage YOU! Until next time chicas & fellas, take care & take charge (of stress that is)! LOL! Muah ♥

To be, or not to be Nicki MaNOT

Hey hey! Hope you all had a wonderful weekend...mine was fantabulous! Anyway, I wanted to blog about hair today. I was thinking about 2010 fall hair styles and thought about a particular hairstyle that has been BUGGING me since a particular artist emerged on the music scene. Not sure who I'm talking about??? Hmmmm, let me give you hint.... how about, Nicki Ma-NOT!! It really bugs me to see so many ladies taking on her "identity". Not only that, but the hair style she wears isn't for everyone; if you don't have the right face shape, it doesn't really fit you (although a lot of ladies force it). If you don't know who Nicki Manaj is, here's a pic for reference:

The long weave with blunt cut bangs are a trademark of her image, but a lot of ladies started wearing their hair like this after she came out as an artist. Sadly, many still are rocking this style. My advice is to find a style that fits YOU, that fits your personality and fits your FACE! If you're unsure which way to go with it, here's a helpful list of tips:

• First, think about your wardrobe. What style clothes do you normally wear & how do you normally put your outfits together?
• Is cutting your hair an option? Cutting your hair is a major decision. Believe it or not, some of us are emotionally tied to our hair, and the thought of cutting it is gut-wrenching.
• Experiment with wearing your hair different ways to help you see what looks best on you. If your hair is long, pin it up to see how it would look short. If it's short, add a few tracks to see how it would look a little longer. Wear buns, ponytails, bangs, etc.
• Talk to a professional hairstylist. Most of them offer free consults and they're experts at determining face shape, hair texture, etc. Sometimes, a certain hairstyle won't work with a particular hair texture. Make sure your hair texture and face shape can support your new look, and a professional stylist will be the best person to help you figure that out!
• Don't chose a style so "trendy" that it will be hard to change once that style goes OUT OF style! (I think this is what led to the evolution of the quick weave and sew-in, lol)

So, bottom line is whatever style you choose to rock, make sure its a style all your own and that it fits YOU. Soooo, with that being said, if you're reading this blog you have NO excuse to wear a Nicki MaNOT hair style. Would you go and buy an outfit that you saw the girl next door wearing??? Of course not! So why do that with hairstyles? I'm just saying! I hope my tips can help you find the right style for you. Until then, chao bellas! Muah!! ♥

HoneyGirl Boutique Photoshoot

Hey ladies!! OMG, what must I say?! I know, I know. I have left you hanging for so long. BUT, I've been working on a few things and had to put the blog on the back burner for a minute. I have a LOT to share with you (not all right in THIS blog entry though!) :-) I'll start with what I'm most excited about first! I recently partnered with my friend Candice to bring you HoneyGirl Boutique!! We have everything you need to become "divafied" (yeah, I just made that up, lol). Serioulsy we have clothing, shoes, rings, bracelets, handbags, shoes...everything! What's unique about us though, is that we make our service very personal. We offer private wardrobe/image consulting, style parties for you & your friends, and makeup! We can dress you for any occasion head to toe, because we have partnerships with other professionals.

A little over a month ago, we had our first photoshoot. Our photographer was Antonio Cleveland. I must commend him on his work for this shoot. He was a great coach for our models, and the RAW pics were flawless! Here are some of the pics from the shoot...wish I could post them all! Everything you see the models wearing (EVERYTHING) is available from HoneyGirl.

This is Kasey. I recruited her to model for me at the gym! When I saw her, she was wearing no makeup and dressed in gym clothes, but I saw a natural beauty! We styled Kasey in our navy and white asymetrical shoulder dress. We're big on transitional pieces, so we wanted to create TWO looks with the same dress. Changing your shoes and accessories is the best way to give an outfit a totally different look and appeal. I must say, the look with the red shoes is my FAV in this dress. On the other hand, the white gladiator sandals, belt, and color-striped cluth gives a more casual, day-out type look. Both looks are totally ROCKABLE! Of course I must mention the makeup, done by me. Here's a closeup (unretouched):







LOVE IT!!









Kasey's next look was a swimsuit. We paired it with a light-weight, kelley green cardigan (tie-front) and styled it with a beautiful pearl & gold-chained necklace. Sexy!

Our next model is Amber. We also gave her 2 looks for the same outfit, easily transitioned from day to night. Its a yellow, tunic-style dress. For the day look, we paired it with orange accessories and nude pumps, For the night look, electric blue sets it off! And in case you're wondering, the blue umbrella is a parasol, an Asian-inspired accessory. It'll definitely turn some heads, for sure! I put in a closeup of her makeup too (unretouched)! Please forgive me for the layout of the pics & format of this blog! For some reason, everytime I edit it, it goes back to being all jacked up! By the way, for you taller ladies, the yellow tunic-dress can be worn as an acual tunic, just throw on a pair of tights or jeans and you're ready to go!

Proper Lash Care!

Hey ladies! I'm back with another post today, inspired by a conversation I was having with a fellow "beauty buddy". We were discussing lashes! I don't know about you, but I've had a bad experience with individual eyelashes, meaning when I decided to take them off, a lot of my own lashes decided to come off with them!! It was one of the scariest moments for me! Well, after talking to my beauty buddy about it, I found out she had a very similar experience, as well as several other women I've talked to since that conversation. The major question was, "do eyelashes grow back?" Hence, my blog post on lashes today. So I'll answer that question, and I'll talk about how to care for your lashes. As a matter of fact, I'll start with that.

Proper Lash Care:

• Always remove your mascara at the end of the day. Use a oil-free makeup remover to remove ALL TRACES of mascara. Your lashes need time to "breath" and regenerate.
• Always use the proper remover when taking off individual lashes, and never try to snatch them off! (That would be unbelievably painfull anyway!)
• Never pluck or pull your eyelashes. Just like some of us have bad habits of biting our nails or chewing on our lip (like me, lol), some women have a bad habit of pulling/plucking at their eyelashes. You wouldn't sit there and pluck strands of hair from your head, so why do it to your eyelashes. This disrupts the growth cycle of the lash.
• Use an eyelash conditioner at night. There are some companies that manufacture lash conditioning serums and creams, but they can be fairly expensive. An alternative is to use olive or almond oil. Use a q-tip and swab on some of the oil at night, right at the base of the lash line. Gently wipe off the excess with a tissue and off to bed you go!
• Be careful when using eyelash curlers! Press gently!

So, to answer the question, "do eyelashes grow back?" The answer is YES! The growth cycle of an eyelash is about 30-45 days. You can help facilitate this process by taking proper care of lashes, as I dicussed above. Oh, another tip...when have your lashes done, ask what kind of adhesive is being used, and about the removal process (a lesson learned for me!)...especially the removal process. That seems to be where most women have the most trouble. You might also want to ask the opinion of some other clients of the artist you're considering.

Lashes are a part of the focal point of your face--your eyes. So, to sum things up, proper lash care is easy to do and your lashes will possibly grow in fuller and longer if your take care of them the right way! Until next time chicas, take care & take charge! :-)

My Official Website Is Up!!

Hey Chicas! Soooo sorry for not posting in a month! I've been working on some other aspects of my business and had to kinda put the blog on the back burner for a minute. Let me share one of the things I've been working on since my last post; I FINALLY got my official website up and running...aaaaaand I did the whole site by myself!! Which is probably why it took so long to get it completed! But I just couldn't see myself paying someone a few hundred bucks to do something I could do on my own. It took me about 2 days to get a good foundation that I could go ahead and publish to the web. And I've tweaked a few things here and there in the meantime. It got to be quite frustrating at times but it was well worth it. Here's the link to the site:
www.beautybyvirtueonline.com

Check it out and let me know what you think. I'll be adding a calendar and events section as well, and I'll be adding some music (as soon as I figure out what song I want to upload). Leave me comments on the blog and let me know what you think of the site, and if you have any ideas or suggestions!

Stay tuned for my next blog post on my latest ventures, including the May Makeup Artists Social, and my experience meeting the lash & brow expert, James Wealthy!! I'll also have some pics from my last photoshoots! :-D
Later chicas!!

Beauty by Virture

Hey ladies! Wanted to share with you a promo video my friend/designer Markieus Coley put together for me. It's awesome. I think I'm gonna start calling him "Man of Many Talents"! Check out the link attached to this blog!


Beauty by Virture

Wedding Pics from Last Month

Hey chicas! It's been a while, huh?! LOL. I decided not to post so often since I had accumulated several blog postings over the past couple of months and I'm still not up to where I want to be on my followers. More followers = more posts so make sure you follow and tell your friends to, too! Tonight I wanted to share with you the pics from the photographer for a bride I did last month. You'll remember her from a previous post once you see the pics. She was kind enough to email me the pro pics her photographer took on the day of the wedding. I'm glad she caught a few of me working so I can post them in the "behind the scenes" section of my official website! :-) Take a look (remember I said before she wanted to look natural). She also had some dark marks on her shoulders from her bra straps that she wanted to conceal. I used my Graftobian Hi-Def Creme Foundation Palette and it covered up really well! You can't even tell there's makeup there!

St. Patty's Day Inspired Dramatic Look!

Hola chicas! A few weeks ago, I was on FB asking for suggestions for upcoming blog posts, and one of my friends had a great idea--a St. Patrick's Day inspired look! I thought it would be fun to do, and I really wanted it to be dramatic and over the top. I tried 2 variations of the same look, one was completely matte, and for the other I added some glitter to give it a little more glam. Check out the pics:

don't mind the imprint from my glasses on my nose. I had to go somewhere right after doing this look & I need my glasses at night! :-)

Makeup Artists of Atlanta Networking Social

Hey Chicas! Wow! Things have been absolutely hectic for me lately! I'm a little overwhelmed actually. Anyway, Sunday I had the priviledge of attending a networking event for an awesome organization coordinated by Kat Flynt, one of Atlanta's premier makeup artist. It was great fun, great beauty tips, and awesome door prizes and giveaways, and not to mention great makeup artists. I think there may have been about 60 ladies (and a few guys) there. Here are some of the pics from the evening:

Kat Flynt & one of the lucky winners of a giveaway prize!

that's me just winning a giveaway! A set of brushes from Mary Kay!

Great information on the makeup industry & material to take home!

Door prizes for the early birds! Can you see my name on the white bag?? :-)

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention they had food. I've learned how to eat and still look cute, lol!

A couple of the guest speakers. Linda Dupree was absolutely gorgeous! And she is rockin that blonde hair!

I'm really looking forwrad to the next social event. It feels great to be an official member of Makeup Artists of Atlanta. To be among th caliber of artists like Kat Flynt and Synthe was really an honor. And I made some great contacts with other artists!! Feels great to be a part of such an awesome organization! Until next time chicas, take care & take charge!

Wedding Makeup Pics

Hola to my faithful followers! Happy Hump Day! It really is happy for me cause I'm off work today...YAAAAY! :-) Today's post will be brief. I had a bride on Saturday and wanted to go ahead and post the pics on how her makeup turned out. Her sister wanted to give her the gift of makeup so I actually got the gig at the last minute, not even a week before the wedding. I was a little nervous because I didn't know what the bride looked like, and didn't know what type of makeup she was looking for. On the day of the wedding it took a little longer than normal to get things done because I had to talk to her a few minutes before I got started to find out what she wanted to look like on her special day. Here are a couple of pics (sorry I don't have a before):

































She was happy with the way the look turned out and so was I considering I didn't get a chance to a consultation with her prior to the wedding, and near the end I had to rush a little bit. Before I went on my way, I took a few minutes to check out the church & the reception area. And let me tell YOU...it was gorgeous! The reception area was actually a gym and the wedding coodinator did an awesome job at transforming it into a beautiful reception hall!! You would have never know that it was a gym. I was sooo amazed. I've actually worked with the wedding planner she had before so I knew what kind of work she could do, but I still blown away. I'll be featuring her in one of my upcoming "Feature Partners" blog posts so stay following to get more info. Until next time chicas, take care & take charge! :-)

I Used the Sugar Scrub on my Lips!

Hey chicas! I just wanted to do a quick blog post to share something with you. Remember my blog post on the Sugar Scrub For Soft Hands & Feet? I just posted it last week so go check it out if you haven't had a chance to read it yet. I even give you the recipe on how to make it at home. 

 

Anyway, last night I used it on my lips. I noticed I had a little peeling and my regular chapstick wasn't getting the job done. So, I went in the fridge and pulled out my ziplock bag with the rest of the sugar scrub...thinking to myself, "let's see if this will work for my lips too." Well, it did! And I loved it!!! I just pinched a little bit between my fingers and gently rubbed it back and forth across my lips, really focusing on the area that had the peeling. I wasn't too concerned about getting any in my mouth because its made from sugar, olive oil, & grapefruit juice. After about 1 minute I rinsed with warm water and patted my lips dry. Wow! What a difference! My lips are super soft! I can't stop rubbing them together. I must say, it's even a more noticeable difference than when I used it on my hands.

 

Well I just wanted to share that with you. So if you've had a chance to make the sugar scrub and had some left over, you can try it on your lips too. I will definitely be using it on my lips once a week now.

 

I'll be back tomorrow with an "actual" blog post. I had to do a bride's makeup on Saturday so I'll be uploading the pics from that. Later chicas & thanks for reading!

 

Oh yeah, don't forget the become a follower and the GIVEAWAY CONTEST is still on!

 

The Benefits & Importance of Eye Cream

 

Hola Chicas! The weekend’s over and it’s back to the grind. For some reason, I feel a bit refreshed this morning. Normally, Mondays are a drag for me because its the first day of the work week. Hopefully my energy lasts until Friday! An-te-way, today I wanted to talk about the importance and benefits of using an eye cream or serum, especially if you wear eye makeup on a regular basis. It is really important to take special care of the skin around the eyes because it’s the thinnest, most delicate skin on the face, which means it ages and looses elasticity faster. Using a good eye cream/serum at least twice a day proves to have many benefits:

 

• Moisturizer: using an eye cream will keep the skin around the eyes hydrated and moisturized. I’m sure we all know how important it is to keep our skin as least thirsty as possible! Dry skin is vulnerable skin, so always keep it protected. 

·        Prevents/helps eliminate dark circles: Concealer is great, but there are days when I go without makeup. Reducing or eliminating dark circles under the eye will give a woman the confidence to do this!

 

·        Minimizes wrinkles & crow’s feet: serums that contain collagen are really good in this area. The collagen fills in the fine lines and wrinkles, and restores skin’s plumpness (elasticity).

 

You should choose a serum that is specific to your needs. For example, if your issue is fine lines & wrinkles, purchase a product that targets that type of problem area (i.e: something with collagen). If you issue is puffiness, purchase a product that contains ingredients to reduce puffiness & swelling (i.e: products that contain cucumber and/or green tea); most of time, the primary use of the eye serum will be printed on the packaging and will make it easy for you to decide which product is best for you. That way, you don’t have to go through the cumbersome process of learning different ingredients and what they’re for. However, it’s still a wise practice to look at the ingredients in beauty products to become familiar with them and also to avoid allergic reactions. Over time, you’ll learn the products that contain certain ingredients that work well for your skin type. You know your favorite foods, right? Well, why is that? Because you’ve tried different types of food and you know what tickled your taste buds. It’s the same process for the skin. If you can’t afford to go to a dermatologist or other skin care specialist, you may have to try different products until you find what your skin prefers the most, which will be the product that works the best. This can be a daunting and expensive trial & error phase, but very worth it once you find the right product! I personally use the Oil of Olay line of eye creams/serums. I go back and forth between the Eye Lifting Serum and the Regenerist Eye Cream. But again, find the product that’s right for you.

 

You may not see a noticeable difference once you start using an eye cream if you don’t have obvious wrinkles, puffiness, or bags. But with continued use you’ll be able to prevent these things from happening, and have younger looking eyes in the long run. Always think of the long-term results if you’re not seeing any immediate results! That’s my number one beauty rule to keep myself motivated! A lot of younger women think they don’t need to go that extra mile because they’re not showing obvious signs of aging, but remember…the best way to fight the signs of aging is to take measures to prevent it early! Don’t wait until you see disaster striking! That’s like going to war and waiting until the enemy starts shooting before you put on your combat gear! So make sure you’re taking those preventative measures to off-set the signs of gravity & aging. When you’re 50, you’ll be glad you did! :-)  Take care & take charge until next time ladies.

 

P.S. Thanks for following my blog. Comments always welcome!

 

 

 

 

 

SUGAR SCRUB FOR SOFT HANDS & FEET

Hola chicas! Happy Friday indeed! I sure am glad this work week is over! I have been so stressed. Last night I did one of my stress-relief activities...took a hot bubble bath (added bath salts, and stress/tension relief oil), lit candles all around the bathroom, turned the lights off and just relaxed in the tub for about 15-20 minutes. I slept like a baby! I have to go buy some more of that stress relief oil--it works wonders! I can't remember the brand name though; I'll get back to you on that for those of you who may want to try it. Anyway, about today's post...

I was looking at my hands the other day and thinking, "Wow, my hands could use some work." What I mean is they could look a lot more youthful, and be a lot smoother & softer. So I started looking online at things I could use to start conditioning them. I decided to try a homemade sugar scrub. Store bought scrubs are expensive, so I chose to make it myself! All you need it sugar & olive oil (or whatever body oil you use), and grapefruit. Grapefruit is the key ingredient and let me tell you why:

• Natural antioxidant: Antioxidants fight off the free radicals that our skin is exposed to everyday and cause us to age quicker; this means grapefruit is detoxifying. Antioxidants also slow down the process of aging, keeping the skin looking youthful.
• Natural exfoliator: the citric acid (which is an alpha-hydroxy) serves as an exfoliator. This loosens up dean skin cells and reveals a fresh layer of skin, making the skin softer & smoother to touch!
• Aromatherapy: the smell of grapefruit is very uplifting, and good for easing anxiety and depression! I imagine it would be good for stress relief as well.

To make the scrub, all you do is combine the sugar, oil, & fresh squeezed grapefruit juice in a bowl. I would only do enough for one or two uses though--the remainder can go in the fridge for next time. Mix all the ingredients with a wooden spoon or spatula. You can add more sugar and/or oil until you get the mixture to the consistency you desire. Take a small handful and gently scrub your hands (both sides) for about 2-4 minutes. Rinse with cool or lukewarm water and notice the difference! Pat your hands dry with a clean towel and follow with your favorite moisturizer!

This is definitely a routine I'm going to start doing on a weekly basis. I notice a lot of women that may look young, but their hands tell their age and I don't want to be one of those women. Besides, I work in an industry where I use my hands 100% of the time so I need to give them special attention. SIDEBAR: I just broke a nail! Darn it! Oh well! Anyway chicas, hope you all have a wonderful weekend! My brother is coming to visit and I'm excited about a fun-filled weekend of hanging out with him! Until next time, take care & take charge

P.S. Don't forget to become a follower of this blog & the GIVEAWAY CONTEST is still running!! :-)

My First Photoshoot

Hey chicas! Sorry this post is up so late but I was so preoccupied at work today. I'm trying to plan a benefit fashion show for later this year (between customers) and I was getting the sponsorship package together. I'm praying everything pans out cause I'm really excited about it! I didn't have a post planned or thought out due to my busyness so this will be a last minute quickie, hope ya'll aren't too disappointed!

I wanted to post pics of my first photoshoot. There's no way I'm gonna remember what I used though because this shoot was done exactly a year ago! I'll post pics of the before, halfway through, and after! Check it out:















































I also had to do her eyebrows. Here are the before & afters:

My model was Falana, who is gorgeous without makeup so I just wanted to enhance her beauty with some splashes of color. Hope you enjoyed the pics! Until next time ladies, take care & take charge! :-)

The Little Things: Ways to Jazz Up Your Style!

 

Hola chicas! How was your weekend? I will say that mine was a little too short, but it was good. I was definitely NOT looking forward to this Monday morning!  

 

This will be a fairly short blog post today (although your definition of short may not be the same as mine, lol). I wanted to give you some quick tips on things you can add to your look to jazz it up a little bit. Sometimes the simplest additions can make a major difference. First, let’s start with the face. There are a couple of things you can do to add more drama and step it up a notch. I’ll do this in list form.

 

FACE:

• Use eyeliner to lengthen or change the shape of the eyes. By extending the liner past the eye, you can make your eyes appear longer. And when lining the bottom, try applying the liner just underneath the lashes instead of directly on the water line, this will make your eyes look wider.  You can also make your eyes appear slanted by angling the eyeliner upwards on the corner.
• Use a brow pencil or eye shadow to fill in and shape the brows. You can shape your brows almost any way you want to. You can make your arch higher, lengthen the brows, make them appear closer together, or change the shape of the brows completely. You’ll be surprised at how you can change your face and gives yourself a totally different look!
• Give yourself a beauty mark, Marilyn Monroe style.  Use a black eyeliner and place the mark just above and off to the side of the mouth; whatever side you prefer is fine.  Just make sure to set it with sheer powder!! You don’t want it smearing or smudging as the day goes by. This is also a great technique to use to cover up pimples, actually one of the oldest tricks in the book!

 HAIR:

• Add hair clips or pins to accent your hairstyle. You can make a simple hairstyle look very classy & sophisticated by adding decorative pins.
• You can also accessorize with headbands and clip on flowers (which are especially good for spring/summer looks). Anyone that knows me will tell you I love to put things in my hair. It’s one of the easiest ways to change your style without going overboard.

WARDROBE:

• Belts are great! Putting a belt around your waist is one of the most popular ways to transform the look of your outfit. Try using a color that compliments your outfit and not one that matches exactly. If you’re gonna do this though, make sure you have on other accent pieces (jewelry, shoes, scarf, etc) that match the belt. Adding the belt also draws attention to the center of the body and makes your waist look smaller!
• Scarves can also work wonders for your wardrobe. They are sooo versatile. When you buy them, most of time they’ll have picture diagrams showing the different ways they can be worn…around the next, around your head, around the waist, tied to a belt loop on your jeans, etc.
• High heels/pumps can add flare to a simple pair of jeans and a t-shirt. Skinny jeans seem to be what’s hot these days, and pumps go great with them because not only can you rock the jeans, but you get a chance to show off your shoes! They give you a completely different look; try this, put on a pair of jeans and a form fitting t-shirt with a pair of sneakers…now with the same outfit, put on a pair of heels and maybe some bangles to accessorize. See the noticeable difference? I’m sure you do.

So, to sum things up, there are always easy and inexpensive ways to add some spice to your personal style. I have found that you can pretty much use things you already have at home. Get creative and have fun with it! I’m always recycling things I buy and using them for something else. See what you have that you can make use of as an accessory! And as always, questions and comments are welcome. Take care & take charge! :-)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hey there chicas! Congrats on making it through the week! I’m so glad its Friday (although I have to work in the morning). Sooo, today I wanted to blog about prepping & priming the skin for makeup application. This is especially important if you have oily skin. I can get away with not priming most of the time because my skin is dry-to-normal, but I do always set or fix my makeup after I’m done, which I’ll explain later.

First, let me explain what it means to prime/prep your skin. I’ll explain it the way I do to all my clients (I always try to put things in simple lingo so people can understand and relate better). When you paint a room in your house, you don’t just slap your color on the walls right? Any painter will tell you the first thing you have to do is put up a coat of primer. Just like when you’re painting your nails; you put a clear coat on first. This priming process helps your color go on more smoothly. When you prime your skin before applying foundation, it helps the makeup go on more smoothly by filling in fine lines and pores, which also means oil control. If you have oily skin, you’ll find yourself looking less shiny throughout the day. There’s a third benefit as well: priming the skin helps your makeup to last longer and have more staying power. Here are some face primers I have used and recommend:

*Too Face Foundation Primer: this has the consistency of a lotion/moisturizer. It has a peachy color to it, but that disappears when you rub it in.
*Ulta Foundation Primer: this is a silicone based primer and feels great going on the skin. It’s very light and airy feeling if that makes sense.
*Rimmel Foundation Primer: this has the consistency of a moisturizer as well, but I find it doesn’t work well for brown/dark complexions. This is because it has a peachy tint, so it makes darker skin look ashy. It works best for fairer skinned women.
*MAC Prep + Prime: this is a translucent powder. It looks chalky white but the powder is so fine that it disappears when you apply it. This can actually be a multi- use product. It’s also great for setting cream concealers and for blotting/touching up to minimize shine throughout the day.
*MAC Fix +: I use this to set my makeup in place. I think of it as a finishing touch.


Now let’s talk about priming the eye. Of course it serves the same purpose as priming the face, but in my opinion it’s far more important! Have you ever seen someone wearing eyeshadow that’s started to collect in the crease of the eye??? I hate that! Primer will solve this problem. If you can’t afford to get primer, using your foundation can serve as an alternative. If you’re wearing eyeshadow, you need to wear a primer…period! These are the ones I use most often for myself and for my clients:

*Urban Decay eye shadow primer: kind of like a lotion; this is my go-to primer when I have a client with oily lids [insert pic]
*MAC paintpots: these are great because they come in different colors, which can be used to contrast/brighten your eyeshadow [insert pic]
*Cream Foundation/Concealer (use a powder to set in place so it doesn’t crease): as I mentioned before this is a good alternative if you can’t afford to purchase the primer. I know they can be pricey.

So to sum things up, primers are used to create a smooth surface to work with, filling in lines, cracks, and pores. They also make it easier to cover up imperfections. You may like me and can get away with not using primer under your foundation, but you should ALWAYS prime your eyelids before you put on eyeshadow! Only your dress slacks should have creases, not your eyeshadow!

If you have any questions about any other primer brands other than the ones I mentioned in thsi blog, you can send me an email or comment on this post. Take care & take charge chicas!

*The name brands mentioned in this blog are my personal opinions. I was not paid by any company nor am I an affiliate of any of the companies mentioned.

Naturally Me: My Decision to go Natural

Hola chicas! I’m really hoping this blog post makes sense today cause I’m super tired! I was up until 2:30am this morning and I had to get up at 7am for work; I’m hoping this extra strong coffee I made does the trick. Anyway, today I wanted to do a blog post that’s a little more personal so this one won’t be about makeup or skin care tips. I really want my readers to get to know and understand me as a person, and not just a Makeup Artist. So from time to time I will be posting blogs just about me and my life in general—gotta put some excitement in here for you some kinda way, lol!

I titled this entry “Naturally Me: My Decision to Go Natural” because I get sooo many questions about why I cut my hair; sometimes it’s a little annoying but I do understand it was a drastic change for me and people have to adjust to that. I had long hair all my life and that’s how people were used to seeing me. When I cut it, I got jaw-dropping reactions from friends, family, and co-workers. No one could believe I had cut off my long, beautiful hair. And honestly I haven’t really missed it! Here’s a pic of how long it was before:














So, why did I do it? Well, I started thinking about going natural around May of last year. I was going to make a slow transition and let it be a gradual process, so I decided to not perm my hair for a while. I believe the last perm I had was around the start of June. I knew I had a pretty good hair texture so I was able to deal with a few inches of new growth. My plan was to let a few inches of new growth come in, then cut of a few inches on the ends, and so on and so forth (I read online about transitioning to natural hair before I made up my mind to actually do it, and it seemed this was the most recommended way if you’d had long hair all your life).

Well I was going through this whole process, and had actually just cut several inches of my hair off at the beginning/middle of August—I cut it just above my shoulders. I would just straighten the roots with a flat iron sometimes. Check the pic:
















(this pic is from 2007 but it had grown all the way back since that time, and I cut it this length again)

Unfortunately, life doesn’t always go according to planned. At the end of August, I found out my mom was terminally sick with breast cancer. I won’t go through all the details, but just three weeks later she passed away (September 12th). My life was turned upside down and inside out. It was then that I decided to chop my hair completely off; I did it four days after my mom’s death, September 16th. My stylist was afraid to cut it cause he thought I’d wake up the next morning hating the decision I made and hating him for cutting it, but I had my mind made up. Here I am after the "big chop".















I guess doing the “big chop” versus the transition to natural hair was an expression of what I was going through emotionally at the time. And I don’t regret it at all. I love my natural hair. I love the little spirally curls. I love the fact that I don’t have to be afraid to walk outside in the rain without ruining my hair. I love it that I no longer look like what our society tells us women should look like! So now you know why I chopped off all my hair. Hope this gives some clarity to some of you who were too afraid to ask me why I cut it, LOL. I’ll leave you with a recent pic to show you how it’s grown since I cut it in September:

So there you have it! That's the story behind me chopping off my hair. Sometimes its challenging because I'm having to learn my hair and what works for it all over again, but I love it! If anyone wants any tips or how to deal with the big chop decision you just made, email me or leave me comments and I'll be happy to share more. Take care & take charge ladies!

GIVEAWAY CONTEST EXTENDED!!!

Hey ladies!!! Just a quick blog post to update on the giveaway! I'm extending the contest until March 15! Check my blog post "Giveaway For a Lucky Follower" for all the details! Basically, you have a chance to win some FAB prizes and you all you have to do is become a follower of this blog! Yup, just that simple and easy! Let me just remind you of the prizes:

-Mac cosmetics kit (eyeshadow, lipstick or gloss, blush)
-Essence of Beauty travel size brush set
-FREE 30 minute beauty consultation with me, tailored to your individual needs & concerns

Just click "follow" to become a follower of my blog and leave me a comment saying why you want to win! It could be one sentence as long as it's a comment. So good luck to all of you! I'm looking forward to giving away these awesome prizes! Until next time chicas, take care & take charge.

Stay tuned for my next blog post where I'll be talking about my decision to go natural with my hair! :-)

Tone It Down: How to Determine Your Skin’s Undertone

 

Hey chicas! I hope all of you had a great Valentine’s Day. Mine was…awesome! I got a beautiful card, roses, dinner cooked for me (this was the day before Valentine’s Day), and surprise tickets to Tyler Perry’s play Madea’s Big Happy Family (with great seats—I would post pics but I wasn’t supposed to be taking any and I don’t want any trouble from TP Studios, lol)! I really enjoyed my entire weekend. I hardly had time to think about what I was going to post today. I finally decided on discussing skin undertones. This is a key factor is choosing the right foundation shade and eye shadows. If you find that a certain color looks better on someone else than on you, then that probably means that color doesn’t compliment the undertones to your skin (this applies to your wardrobe as well).   So, what exactly are undertones? Your undertone is the pigment under your skin that picks up and reflects light.

 

There are two basic types of undertones: warm and cool. An easy test to determine your undertone is the t-shirt and paper test. Put on a white t-shirt and hold a piece of peach paper next to your face (do this without makeup on); then hold a piece of blue paper next to your face. Which looks better? If the answer is peach, then you’re a warm tone. If it’s blue on the other hand, then you’re cool tone. If the t-shirt and paper test seems to be a bust for you, then just have fun experimenting and playing with different colors. That’s actually the way I learned what eye shadow colors compliment me the most—peaches, golds, yellows, pinks, purples/plums/violets all look fab on me. But blues, dark greens, silvers & grays don’t look as great and sometimes depending on the depth of the color is a no-go, period! I’m a warm tone for sure! I find that most women of color have warm undertones. This means that foundations that are yellow-based in color look best. You’ll need to figure out whether you’re warm or cool toned in order to choose the best makeup to compliment your skin.

 

A great way to test your foundation match is to apply a little bit of the color on one of your cheekbones. Some people say to apply it to the inside of your forearm, but I disagree with that because your forearm is typically a couple of shades lighter than your face (probably because its part of the body that’s not exposed to the sun). Try different shades and blend them into your skin with your fingertips until you find the one that seems to disappear. For those of you who never wear foundation and don’t even own a compact, this may be a pricey trial-and-error process.   With eye shadows, warm tones should stick with what I mentioned for myself…cool tones can go in the opposite direction, those silvers/grays and blues will look great on you. You may find that experimenting with colors may come in handy because colors vary in depth and pigmentation. For example, you may look good in light green, but dark green throws things off a bit. So a little trial & error will help you see where to draw the line, and that line is different for all of us.

 

Here’s a color wheel to help you out…find your undertone on the wheel, the colors that compliment you will be the opposite of that color (I’m warm toned, which means there is yellowish pigmentation under my skin, so that’s why the violet/plum colors work well for me).

 

 

 

 

Hopefully this helps you understand what undertones are and how to figure out on what side of the spectrum you fall. However, with makeup, experience is the best teacher so if at first you don’t succeed…try, try again. Leave comments & let me know how you fare with the process. I’d love your feedback! And don’t forget to follow my blog! Take care & take charge chicas! :-D