Young and Natural: Shopping For Make-Up

I didn't become interested in make-up until my junior year of high school, and all I wanted was to doll up my eyes. There's nothing special about them; I've just always loved their shape, their dark color and my lashes. I started with using kohl and then experimenting with eye shadows in college. I began going to make-up counters at Macys, MAC and Sephora which I'll admit made me nervous because I've come across people who acted like my skin tone was too difficult to find products for (one of my sisters experiences this sometimes as well, we just have really reddish-brown skin *shrugs*) and I'd run to SP with questions; but eventually I became comfortable asking and found make-up artists who were very helpful. I'm by no means an expert on make-up, but I've been having fun searching for different products I want to use.

I read this article from Coco & Creme "5 Things You Should Know Before You Hit the Make-Up Counter" and I think it's very useful, especially for those who are dabbling with make-up like I still am. I used the suggestions in the article to make my recent purchase. Whenever I'm shopping for something at the make-up counter, I already know what I have in mind because I do a little research beforehand. For instance, when I went to Ulta I knew I wanted to try a powder, with light coverage and for "combination skin" - meaning it can be both oily and dry. I was starting to really notice how shiny my forehead and nose get (or T-Zone) and I had read a pressed powder would help and I also wanted my face to look more even and smooth. So I went to the counter and told the make-up artist about my concerns. The first thing she asked was what kind of skin I had and what kind of coverage I was looking for. We tried two different mineral powders and then I thought about much shinier my face might look in the heat and humidity this summer and since my face is relatively clear, I was interested in trying a matte mineral powder which led to my current purchase. I've been using BareMinerals Matte SPF15 Foundation for two weeks and so far I have no complaints (funny I've always been afraid of using foundation because I expected cakey, gross skin with use, but I stand corrected) Last summer it was all about tinted moisturizer and I think the powder will be a nice change for this one.

These days I'm also experimenting with blush and lip colors. I use a pink blush from ELF purchased last summer, but I'm ready for something more high end - I tend to experiment freely with low end stuff first before I give up my money. I've been eyeing NARS for both lip and cheek:

So here's my intro to some beauty posts. I'll be sharing more of my newbie make-up shopping adventures and reviews soon. Tell me, what are some of your favorite make up brands?

Today's Style: Twisted Up With Red Lips

Just a quick check in YAIS! Over the weekend I washed my hair and re-twisted, this time while soaken wet which I rarely do. I used TreSemme Conditioner as my leave in and sealed with Extra Virgin Olive Oil (SP's post about moisturizing is reminding me to become a little more diligent with my hair). The shrinkage made my twists appear shoulder length and prompted a couple of co-workers to ask the inevitable "Did you cut your hair" which I always think is funny.
Anyway, it's windy today and I decided to just tuck in my twists with some bobby pins. Also, I'm enjoying the splash of red on my lips and the headband, so for your viewing pleasure:

I forgot to mention this before, but I bought this lip tint from Lush a few months ago that I absolutely adore, and tend to wear when the weather is cloudy and gray to cheer up my look a little. I'm pretty sure I bought this right before Valentine's Day. It's a kind of matte lip tint, so it can be drying, but I use chapstick or something under it before I put it on and it works for me. I wish I had a better camera on me just so you can see how bright and bold this color is; I have a very dark upper lip and this tint still spreads pretty even. Have any of you shopped at Lush? I love that store so much!

Twisted and Braided TWA Updo + Fun Makeup!

Yes, another video, and this one was actually filmed within 6 months of posting, lmfao.
I've been sick for the past couple of days with a cold, and not only have I been physically sick, but i've been sick of detangling, single strand knots and dryness, so with my scratchy throat and runny nose, I decided I couldn't take it anymore and got to styling... 

I had no specific style in mind, although I would say I was inspired by Curly Film Chick's many 2-strand twisted hairstyles which is what had me starting with the twisted bang area. The rest I totally freestyled, keeping in mind that I didnt want any hair hanging, and the back of my hair is soft and would slip out of twists. This updo was done on an old twist out that was picked out. I parted my hair into 5 sections, one for the bang area, and then 4 equal sections, with 4 flat twists in both front sections going inward towards the back/middle of my head. The back sections consist of 4 cornrows on either side, going inwards towards the middle/back of my head. Once all braiding and twisting was done, i twisted all of the braids and twists together, tucked where ever needed, and used booby pins to secure the style. I wasn't crazy about the bang area hanging but i love the way it looks with it pincurled in a pin-up sort of way.  One thing I did think of when doing this style was versatility and i like that I can take the bang area out and wear it as a twist-out or even put in regular 2 strand twists!

I only used 2 products while doing my hair: Shea Moisture Curl Enhacing Smoothie and Herbal Essences Split End Mender (which i quickly flashed in the video). I plan to keep this in for about a week and I'm hoping I actually stick to what I say this time! 

A shot of my makeup before I started doing my hair

Blue-La-La!

Well, I will say Fall has sure let us know it's here in NYC... and for some reason, there seems to be something  about me and blue this fall. Not a bitter blue, but an optimistically bold blue.

I didn't go outside like this... yet.

Coincidentally, within the past month I've rinsed my hair blue/black, fell in love with the Nars Outremer eyeshadow (yes, it's blue), and for some reason I channeled a blue lip the other night. I think her Majesty up there is actually the one channeling all the blue around here because it's looking good with her (you know we're talking about my hair right? lol).

What's your new fall inspiration?

iLoVebeingCoLoRed!

So again, i was supposed to go out the other night for Fashion Week but this adorable little outfit i pulled together, ended up looking like hot trash by the end of the night so i didn't go :( 

I was so upset because i put a lot of time and effort into my makeup and look for it to suck but whatever...

Color w/ flash

Color w/o flash

I went to Sephora in search of a new lip color to wear out for the night and instead stumbled across this beautiful new eye shadow from NARS called Outremer and I'm in love!!! It was costly at $23 for the one palette, but i love the color, the little case it comes in, and the fact that it includes a mirror. It goes on like a dusty navy if you apply lightly, and if you pack it on it gets as bold as it looks. The image below is the ad for the makeup itself and where i decided to draw inspiration from. I didn't want to use the same exact colors as her, as i had a bit of a different view in mind.

The Starting point of the inspiration...

Below is the finished look, lashes, lightly filled in brows, and everything included and i must say i'm quite pleased with the way it turned out... even though i didn't go anywhere.... lol. I'm not really one to wear much makeup, as I feel like black liner is my go to for best accentuating my features, but I plan to start dolling it up a little bit more from time to time.

This color is looking awesome with my new Blue/Black Fro so this might be my color for the winter!

What do you think?