FOTD: Berry Burst

In case you’re wondering, I am trying my best to post my backlogged FOTDs in the order they were taken (hence the retroactive dates). I apologize for any confusion this may cause. 😉 Enjoy…

PRIMER: Mary Kay Eye Primer

BASE: NYX Jumbo Pencil in Cherry

SHADOW: I applied a matte pastel pink e/s (from the Wet N Wild Lust palette) to my tearduct area.  I blended the light pink into Neon Red (a matte pinkish red e/s) from my Coastal Scents Hot Pots palette. Then I used my Sonia Kashuk large crease brush to apply Maroon Berry (a matte burgundy e/s, also by CS) to the outer portion of my lid.  Finally I used Puce (a matte pinkish tan e/s, also by CS) to highlight my browbone & blend out the reds.

OTHER DETAILS… I used CoverGirl single e/s in Smolder to define my eyebrows & L’Oreal Collagen Mascara in Blackest Black on my eyelashes. I defined my upper & lower lashline using L’Oreal H.I.P. cream liner in Teal.

CHEEKS: Black Radiance sheer finish blush in Soft Honey

FACE: Estee Lauder pressed powder in Deep (05)

LIPS: Lancome Le Rouge Absolu lipstick in Pink Diamond + CO Bigelow lip gloss in Pink Mint

Weekend shenanigans & FOTD: Soft Sable

I went to the movies & had dinner at Panera Bread Co with my mama (she’s the best)! I absolutely LOVE scary movies, so we saw The Woman in Black. My thoughts? It wasn’t nearly as scary as it could or should have been (hence the rating of PG-13) *YAWN* As I sat in the theater munching on my contraband trail mix (because movie theater snacks are ridiculously expensive & high in both fat & sodium) I noticed that there was an overabundance of people half my age, giggling, play-fighting & playing musical chairs all up in the theater. What the &*%@?! We purposefully attended the matinée show to take advantage of the lower-priced tickets & the vacant stadium seating, but no… the darn TEENAGERS were there to see their beloved Harry Potter all grown up. I feel so old right now. *SIGHS* Anyway, I’ve been experimenting with smoky eyes lately & this is what I came up with…Subtlety is not my strong suit, but today’s look is a simple, dark brown smoky eye. The flash from my camera made the brown appear lighter than it did in person. This is a more accurate depiction. My shiny happy wig is the result of finger coils, created using KCKT & organic extra virgin coconut oil. Do you see those 2 twists on the right side? That hair WILL. NOT. COIL. I don’t know why, but no amount of  baby talk, gel, water, kind words, conditioner, oil or sweet nothings will make that hair curl. *WHOMP WHOMP*

PRIMER: NYX HD e/s base

BASE: NYX Jumbo Pencil in Milk

SHADOW: I applied matte dark brown from the Wet N Wild Vanity palette over my entire lower eyelid. On my crease I used matte brown from the CoverGirl Coffee Shop palette (a slightly lighter shade than the first one). For a softer, more natural look, I used Estee Lauder pressed powder in Deep on my brow bone.

OTHER DETAILS… I used CoverGirl single e/s in Smolder to define my eyebrows & L’Oreal Collagen Mascara in Blackest Black on my eyelashes. I defined my upper lashline & waterline with Wet N Wild cream liner in black.

CHEEKS: Black Radiance sheer finish blush in Soft Honey

FACE: Estee Lauder pressed powder in Deep (05)

LIPS: E.O.S. Honeysuckle Honeydew lip balm+ Lancome Color Design lipstick in Trendy Mauve

FOTD: Zeta Love

“I looked out over the ocean. I looked out over the sea. I saw some blue & white, it was shining so bright, I heard it call out to me…”

To commemorate 92 years of service, scholarship, sisterly love & finer womanhood, I decided to to a royal blue & pure white FOTD. S/O to my sorors! I hope you had a Zetalicious Founder’s Day!

PRIMER: NYX HD e/s base

BASE: NYX Jumbo Pencil in Milk (inner two-thirds of my lower eyelid) & Black Bean (outer v)

SHADOW: I applied matte white e/s (from the Wet N Wild Pride palette) to the innermost portion of my lower lid, stopping right before the outer v. Next I applied Milani Baked e/s in “Blue My Mind” to the outer v & blended that into the crease. After that, I used both aqua & cerulean shades of blue from the Black Radiance Retro Chic palette to blend the royal blue into the white, creating the gradation effect. Then I used matte peach e/s (WNW Greed palette) to highlight my brow bone area.

 

OTHER DETAILS… I used CoverGirl single e/s in Smolder to define my eyebrows & L’Oreal Collagen Mascara in Blackest Black on my eyelashes. I defined my upper lashline with Wet N Wild cream liner in black & my waterline with Sephora waterproof cream liner in The Deep End. I also used Black Radiance Complexion Perfection Undereye Concealer (in CA8010 for light to medium complexions).

CHEEKS: Ulta single e/s in “Sparks” on the hollows of my cheeks

LIPS: Carmex + Lancome Color Design lipstick in Trendy Mauve

FACE: Estee Lauder pressed powder in Deep (05)

Stay tuned for a video tutorial of this look…

FOTD: Mystique

If you’re not familiar with the X-Men comic book series, this look may not make sense to you, but because I enjoy exposing you to awesome things… I’d like to introduce you to Mystique (or Raven Darkhölme), the infamous shape-shifter of the X-Men franchise. Like most of my FOTDs, this was meant to be my interpretation of her overall look. Mystique’s mutation enables her body’s cells to morph at will. She impersonates other people from their hair, to their clothes, to the sound of their voice. They say a pic is worth a thousand words, so this is what she looks like in her natural form. If you haven’t seen them already, I HIGHLY recommend that you check out the X-Men movies. In addition to being entertaining, they’re also socially relevant; dealing with topics such as political unrest, patriotism, discrimination, diversity, terrorism, anti-semitism, loyalty & honor. Enough of that, let’s talk makeup…

 

PRIMER: NYX HD e/s base

BASE: NYX Jumbo Pencil in Milk

SHADOW: I applied matte navy blue e/s, from the WNW Pride palette, to the inner & outer corners of my lower eyelid. Then I used a frosty, lime green e/s to cover the center of my lower eyelid. I used matte peach e/s (WNW Greed palette) to highlight my brow bone area. For a pop of color, I used my pencil brush to apply NYX Ultra Pearl Mania e/s in Jade under my lower lashes.

OTHER DETAILS… I used CoverGirl single e/s in Smolder to define my eyebrows & L’Oreal Collagen Mascara in Blackest Black on my eyelashes. I defined my upper lashline & waterline using Wet N Wild cream liner in black.

CHEEKS: Ulta single e/s in “Sparks” on the hollows of my cheeks & Black Radiance sheer finish blush in Soft Honey on the apples.

LIPS: Lancome Color Design lipstick in Trendy Mauve + CO Bigelow lip gloss in Magenta Mint

FACE: Estee Lauder pressed powder in Deep (05)

Stay tuned for a video tutorial of this look…

FOTD: Tis the season…

This is me practicing my surprised face for Christmas morning…

PRIMER: NYX HD e/s base

BASE: NYX Jumbo Pencil in Milk

SHADOW: I covered the inner third of my lower eyelid in matte white e/s from the Wet N Wild Pride palette that I’m finally getting around to using. I blended the white e/s into a red mica powder that I made myself (using ingredients from CoastalScents.com). I call it “Red Hot”!!! Next I used my crease brush to apply matte grassy green e/s (Shany 120 palette) to the crease area. This wasn’t dramatic enough for me, so I used my pencil brush to apply my favorite shimmery, dark green e/s (Wet N Wild Snow Sprite palette) along the border between the red & green, to cut the crease a little harder. I used a clean brush to blend the green into my brow bone area & then applied matte peach e/s (from the Wet N Wild Greed palette) to my brow bone.

  

OTHER DETAILS… I used Wet N Wild Arch Envy brow wax & CoverGirl single e/s in Smolder to define my eyebrows & L’Oreal Collagen Mascara in Blackest Black on my eyelashes. I defined my upper lashline with Wet N Wild cream liner in black & Wet N Wild pencil in white on my waterline. I used a pencil brush to smudge green mica powder just below the waterline. I also made this e/s using products from Coastal Scents. I call it “Envy Me.”

CHEEKS: Ulta single e/s in “Sparks” on the hollows of my cheeks

LIPS: Carmex + L’Oreal H.I.P. lip gloss in Inviting

FACE: Nada

Stay tuned for a video tutorial of this look…

You thought I was gonna post “Deck the Halls” didntcha? PSYCHE! This song is waaay better. It gets you in the Christmas mood, even if it’s 70° & pouring rain outside! SN: Have I ever told y’all how in love I am with Brian McKnight? He’s my old man crush! 😉 ENJOY…

I almost forgot… Shout out to my FB friends, who also helped me name this FOTD.  Thanks for all the input, feedback & support! *SMOOCHES*

FOTD: Winter Fairy

In light of the fast-approaching winter solstice, I decided to do another winter themed FOTD. This time I used royal purple & icy blue to convey the crisp, cool feeling of this season. Special thanks to my FB friends who helped me brainstorm names for this look. YOU ROCK!!! 😉

Whilst performing “winter fairy” research, I stumbled upon this amazing photography print of hydrangea leaves. It was too beautiful not to share…

PRIMER: NYX HD e/s base

BASE: NYX Jumbo Pencil in Milk

SHADOW: I applied a matte pastel blue e/s (from the Shany 120 palette) to my tearduct area. Then I covered the remainder of my lower eyelid in Frigid by Urban Decay. I used a clean brush to blend the purple into my crease area, then I used matte peach e/s (from the Wet N Wild Greed palette) to highlight my brow bone.

 

OTHER DETAILS… I used Wet N Wild Arch Envy brow wax & CoverGirl single e/s in Smolder to define my eyebrows & L’Oreal Collagen Mascara in Blackest Black on my eyelashes. I defined my upper lashline with Wet N Wild cream liner in black & my waterline with Sephora waterproof cream liner in electric blue.

CHEEKS: Black Radiance sheer finish blush in Soft Honey

LIPS: Lancome Color Design lipstick in Trendy Mauve + Powetic Treasures lip gloss in Pink Passion

FACE: Estee Lauder pressed powder in Deep (05)

FOTD: 80s Baby!!!

It’s flashback time! What did you love about the 80s? My favorite 80s phenomena (in no particular order) are:

• NEON COLORS (obviously)
• Molly Ringwald movies
• Pre-surgical Michael
• Pre-crack Whitney
• Slouch socks!!!
• Stirrup leggings
• Ghostbusters
• Fast Times @ Ridgemont High
• Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
• Dirty Dancing
• Prince
• Fat Luther

Ahhh… as fun as that was, I know you didn’t come here to reminisce, so let’s talk about makeup! 🙂 For this look I used NYX Cosmetics Ultra Pearl Mania in Orange Zest Pearl… NOT to be confused with Orange Pearl (see Thanksgiving FOTD). They appear similar but Orange Pearl (left) is a coppery, metallic orange, whereas Orange Zest is (right) a peachy orange speckled w/ gold glitter. Orange Zest is very sparkly w/ TONS of glitter fallout. The fallout doesn’t bother me enough not to wear it, but if you’re wearing a full face that day (concealer, foundation, etc.), you might wanna do your eyes first. NOTE: Milk was used as a base for these swatches, but they are extremely pigmented, so any flesh-colored base would work just as well.

PRIMER: NYX HD e/s base

BASE: NYX Jumbo Pencil in Milk

SHADOW: I covered my entire lower eyelid in NYX Ultra Pearl Mania in Orange Zest Pearl. I used my crease brush to apply matte fuchsia e/s to the crease & blended that upwards into matte peach e/s (Wet N Wild Greed palette). Finally I used matte plum purple e/s (from the Wet N Wild Lust palette) to deepen my outer v.

   

OTHER DETAILS… I used Wet N Wild Arch Envy brow wax & CoverGirl single e/s in Smolder to define my eyebrows & Maybelline Volume Express “Falsies” Mascara in Blackest Black on my eyelashes. I defined my upper lashline & waterline with”The Deep End” waterproof cream liner by Sephora. I also used Black Radiance Complexion Perfection Undereye Concealer (in CA8010for light to medium complexions).

FACE: Estee Lauder pressed powder in Deep (05)

CHEEKS: I used Ulta single e/s in “Sparks” on the hollows of my cheeks & Black Radiance sheer finish blush in Soft Honey on the apples.

LIPS: Carmex + L’Oreal H.I.P. lip gloss in Inviting

What are your favorite 80s moments/ trends/ music/ phenomena?

FOTD: To Egypt

Modern-day athletes have been known to smear eye black across their cheeks to keep the glare of bright stadium lights from impairing their vision. This practice can be traced all the back to Egypt, where they wore thick dark eyeliner to reduce the glare of the sun. Although glamorous chicks like us employ hata blockas to do that job, we can still appreciate the beauty of Egyptian inspired makeup.

This look was RIDICULOUSLY simple. I only used 2 different eyeshadows. The “Egyptian flair” comes from winging the tips of my eyeliner. If you haven’t already, you should consider purchasing a cream or gel eyeliner (black) & a good liner brush. Kohl pencils are great, but they won’t give you the boldness of a cream liner. This look can also be recreated using black liquid liner, but the drawback with that is that you can only use it on your upper lashline. Liquid eyeliner + your waterline = frustration & black tears all over your cheeks.  Just don’t do it to yourself, LOL!

PRIMER: NYX HD e/s base

BASE: NYX Jumbo Pencil in Yellow

SHADOW: I covered my entire lower eyelid in NYX Ultra Pearl Mania in Yellow Gold pearl. Finally I used matte camel e/s (from the Wet N Wild Vanity palette) to highlight my brow bone.

    

OTHER DETAILS… I used Wet N Wild Arch Envy brow wax & CoverGirl single e/s in Smolder to define my eyebrows & Maybelline Volume Express “Falsies” Mascara in Blackest Black on my eyelashes. I winged my upper lashline & defined my waterline using Wet n Wild cream eyeliner in black.

FACE: Estee Lauder pressed powder in Deep (05)

CHEEKS: Black Radiance sheer finish blush in Soft Honey

LIPS:  COBigelow lip gloss in Pink Mint (from BBW)

________________________

SN: I’ve been rocking the same curly fro since last Tues or Wed! Most nights I sleep in about 8 twists at night. Some nights, my curls have stayed intact without even having to re-twist. In the morning I just separate fluff & go. I love the volume & the ease of this style. Giovanni & I are deeply in love & yet I’m dreading hairwashing day… LOL! What’s your wig doing this week?

Thanksgiving FOTD

I haven’t done an Autumn inspired FOTD yet, so I felt that Thanksgiving was the perfect opportunity to embrace the colors of this season… ENJOY!

PRIMER: NYX HD e/s base

BASE: NYX Jumbo Pencil in Milk

SHADOW: I covered my entire lower eyelid in NYX Ultra Pearl Mania in Orange pearl. To create the cut crease, I used my pencil brush to draw a line along the crease of my eyelid in shimmery, dark green e/s (from the Wet N Wild Snow Sprite palette). Then I used my Coastal Scents Italian badger hair crease brush to blend that line & fade the dark green e/s into a lighter shimmery green (Verdigris by Ulta). Finally I used matte camel e/s (from the Wet N Wild Vanity palette) to highlight my brow bone.

   

OTHER DETAILS… I used Wet N Wild Arch Envy brow wax & CoverGirl single e/s in Smolder to define my eyebrows & Maybelline Volume Express “Falsies” Mascara in Blackest Black on my eyelashes. I defined my upper lashline with Wet n Wild cream eyeliner in black & my waterline with Ruby Kisses HD gel liner in “green shimmer”.  I also used Black Radiance Complexion Perfection Undereye Concealer (in CA8010 for light to medium complexions).

FACE: Estee Lauder pressed powder in Deep (05)

CHEEKS: Black Radiance sheer finish blush in Soft Honey

LIPS: E.O.S. Honeysuckle Honeydew lip balm + Liplicious lip gloss in Brown Sugar

FOTD: Mean Green

So I’m a little behind on my faces of the day… blame it on intense holiday preparations. Mama had me working like a Hebrew slave this past weekend, LOL! But we are ready for Thanksgiving! How about you?

PRIMER: NYX HD e/s base

BASE: NYX Jumbo pencil in Rocky Mountain Green

SHADOW: I covered my entire lower lid in teal green e/s (frost finish) from the Shany Cosmetics 120 palette. Then I applied Java Bean (a shimmery brown e/s) by Milani along my crease & blended it upwards. Next I used matte peach e/s from the Wet N Wild Greed palette on my brow bone. I also added a touch of matte dark purple to my outer v for added depth.

OTHER DETAILS… I used Wet N Wild Arch Envy eyebrow duo in brunette & CoverGirl single e/s in Smolder to define my eyebrows. Then I used Maybelline Falsies mascara in blackest black on my eyelashes. I defined my upper lashline & waterline using Wet N Wild cream liner in black. I also applied Wet N Wild eyeliner pencil in turquoise along my lower lashline & applied the same frosty teal & dark purple (from my eyelid) to my under eye. Then I used Black Radiance Complexion Perfection Undereye Concealer (in CA8010 for light to medium complexions).

CHEEKS: I used Ulta single e/s in “Sparks” on the hollows of my cheeks & Black Radiance sheer finish blush in Soft Honey on the apples.

LIPS:  E.O.S. lip balm + Maybelline Shiny-Licious lip gloss in Peach Sortbet

FACE: Estee Lauder pressed powder in Deep (05)