Kreativ Blogger Award!!!!

I was awarded the Kreativ Blogger Award by Chanel of Hip Candy and Kenn of Swagger Style!!!

1. List 7 things that you don’t already know about me.
2. Name 7 other blogs to receive this award.
3. Leave a comment on each of the blogs I nominated
4. Thank the person who gave you the award.

So first, the 7 things you may not know about me:

1) I was named after my grandmothers...Jamie ( Ida Jane) and my middle name is La'Tina ( Modestine)

2)I hate Chapstick, lip balm...any lip moisturizer...makes my mouth feel GREASY...yuck.

3) I only apply lipstick or lip gloss once day, the first time I put it on. When it wears off, I don't reapply. It feels funny when I do.

4) I'm seriously very uninteresting but everyone thinks I'm the live entertainment when I'm around. I swear I've been invited to parties and get togethers for that reason only. Then people get mad when I'm sitting back chillin. I'm not your personal clown. Get a personality!!

5) I'm very quick to cut people off. Even after years of friendship. Even blood. So what. If you make no sense in my life then you gots to go. I'm not 18 and I don't need a million friends or family members holding me back from happiness.

6) I'm a former pageant girl!!! Yep, did couple of years of show pageantry( no talent, all looks) then I set my eyes on some scholarship money pageantry. I liked it, actually. My mother hated it. If I had a little girl, I would let her do pageants only if she wanted.

7) My greatest wish as a parent is to be supportive and open. I never want my boys to think that they can't come to me to talk. I never want them to think that they can't be what they want to be. My parents were/are products of segregation and the Deep South mentality. I could only be a teacher, a doctor, or lawyer but only if I was smarter than the white kids I went to school with. I never want the Bruhs to be limited in thought and passion. I also want them to know that I got their back. There have been many of days that I know my parents didn't have mine just because I wasn't doing what they wanted me to. That's hard reality when you are 10,19,23, 26, 0r 32.

Jamie

Rural Glamour Reviews...Nu Gro Products....

After using the Conditioner, Oil Free Spray, and Moisterizer for 30 days...I 've a review on Nu Gro...purchased by me at my local BSS....enjoy!

Nu Gro Reviews:

Nu-Gro Conditioner $4.39 ( my BSS)

Pros:

-I liked the smell. Sweet, garlicy

- looks wholesome, very natural with its texture and herbs

Cons:

- Watery, you have to shake it up every time you used it

- Too light for a deep conditioner

- The garlic smell might be too much for some

Consensus:

There better drugstore conditioners. Its softens, of course its does, that’s what conditioners do. I wasn’t impressed.

Nu-Gro Super Hair Oil ( $5.99)

Pros:

-full of herbs. The ingredient list is impressive except the first ingredient is Petroleum.

-lot of product in a jar. I used it for 30 days and got over half the jar left

Cons:

-Strong garlic smell but has a fake underlining sweet fragrance smell

-greasy. Its basically grease. I wasn’t comfortable putting it on my scalp

Consensus:

This product would be great if it was a loose oil that had to be shaken or if it mixed with shea butter instead of petroleum OR a spray oil. See? I could reinvent this product for Nu Gro

Nu Gro Hair Gro Spray-Oil Free ( $4.39)

Pros:

- a light spray. With a Oil it would be a great water based moisturizer.

- Spray convenience is great

Cons:

-The 2^nd ingredient is Isopropyl Alcohol. What? Why. Why make a oil free spray that potentially drying….I don’t understand

-However, it does have oils… Jojoba, Olive, Safflower. Confused yet?

-Lasted approximately 30 days. I used it once a day and ran out on day 30.

Consensus:

-I would actually buy this again. They make a Spray with Oil. The smell of garlic is strongest in this product.

ConclusionJ

I found that separately, the Nu Gro products I used are not worth a damn. But used together as a regimen….it actually works. My hair took a turn in two weeks. It got so thick so quick that I actually had to move my 20 wks trim I planned up to 18 wks. My new growth and relaxed ends got to be too much. My hair actually grew. Even my left side temple, that has been thin for years, filled in more than has in years. The right temple side did not grow as well. I believe my hair loss on that temple is permanent from years of relaxers on my very fragile sides.

I choose to skip buying the shampoo because I didn’t like the reviews I read on it. I didn’t want to waste my money. However I might review it later. I’ve actually moved on to a new regimen. I liked how all the products worked together but I’m perplexed on them individually, leaving me very confused. Lol!.

Jamie

Diary of Nouveau Nappyhead: The Early Big Chop....

Yep... She's back!! The natural hair is once again gracing the earth again after over a year of suffocating in a relaxer. I didn't feel liberated or stronger when a BC'd it...but relieved. That damn relaxer was hell to keep up, even at my cheapest tricks to do it.

I chopped about a month early than I promised myself. I said the first of the year but when I washed my hair Saturday and looked at those busted relaxed ends, I said "enough!"

This the first BC I've had that I actually have length. The previous three or four I've done have been straight low fades but through the help of the info on blogs and hair boards I was able to transition out to some length and cut it off by myself. I think that made a difference too. I went to my own head with the scissors, so cut off what I wanted to.
Sunday night, I did some small double strands twists with gel and my oil mixture( shea butter,olive oil and coconut oil) and it gave me this cute textured look.
I'm pretty happy with it....i will occasionally throw that wig back on on a bad day, though. Still looking for new wig for good measure.:)

Jamie

NOTD: NK ( Nicka K) Lime.....

Happy Monday!!!

Today I'm wearing NK ( Nicka K) Lime( cost $1.00)...loving it:) Two coats and its completely opaque....( with flash)

Without Flash.....
With final design on the ring finger:)

Jamie

Shoppin My Stash: VS Sexy Vice and Beg Me.....

I felt like being " too much " today...Putting on alot makeup and stepping out in the world. I dug up VS Sexy eye shadow in Vice and VS Sexy lipstick in Beg Me....

I have no idea why I never used Vice. Its a matte dark purple. Fucking awesomery.:)
The lips are Beg Me. It goes on creamy with bit of shine but then it gets matte. I'm rocking every look with Beg Me this weekend. I guarantee my mother will want this lippie. Its right up her alley.

Jamie

Wishlist: Heidi Klum Eye Shadow Palette and Powder Gems....

I can't get my mind off Heidi Klum for Victoria's Secret Powder Gems and Eye Shadow Palette. I saw them two weeks ago at VS and fell crazy in love with both!!

The Powder Gems are gorgeous. I've never own anything like that even though various beauty companies have made something like this. Physician's Formula used to make a bronzer in that form that never got.

And this palette....Lord!

All I can say that the palette is only $24 for 5 shades ( pretty good deal, eh) Then, the black shade is like coal soot, it was so black when a swatched it. All the colors when crazy pigmented.... I probably can dupe them all but I want this.

Jamie

Diary of Nouveau Nappyhead: 20 weeks post relaxer...

Happy Monday!!!

So, I thought I would update on my transition out of my relaxer...yet again. This picture is 20 wks post relaxer with about 1 inch of relaxed ends cut off. Parts of my hair are fully natural now( my crown to almost my nape) . But, the top of my head, I have alot to go before I'm ready to cut off the ends. The nape is tricky. My hair at the back is a 3b texture, so I actually don't know what's relaxed and what's natural.
This how I prep my hair for my wig. I braid it in two 'plaits'. LOL!

ALSO, I have a Nu Gro review coming up....:)

I hope to cut those ends off and full natural by Jan 2010. I plan on still wearing a wig as a protective style til' at least March or April.

Jamie

Review:Santee Plus Palette in 03....

****I seriously didn't want these pictures THIS small BLOGGER...but I'm not going to reload them again.****

Okay, I picked this Santee Palette up about a month ago at the favorite hometown spot, Almost Pink. $3 they was......

In this look, I practicing my 'cut the crease'. Still on my makeup technique grind....learning and things of that nature...
They are all 'satins'. Wish that white and tan were mattes but that's what you get for $3, ya know.:)
I used my UrbanVibe liner in black and Nicka K NK HD shadow in #3021 to 'cut the crease'....
messy....still gotta work on it.....
Like the side view, though....thoughts, help?

Have great weekend!!!

Jamie

Rural Glamour Real Talk: Keeping Your Makeup On...

There is not a week they goes by that I get this question:

How do I keep my makeup on all day?

Wellllll....I could say, "Try XXX primer or XXX blotting paper... XXX foundation will hold it up" But truth of the matter is that if you want you makeup to last from the time you wake up in the morning til' you take it off at night....well, that fantasy's not going to happen.However, you can possibly get til' mid afternoon "all day makeup". Here's how, plain and simple....

STAY ON TOP OF IT

What I mean by that is... pack your blotting papers, translucent powder, compact mirror and lipgloss and check your face to see if its 'sliding'. If it is, then get to work on it. Blot,powder, gloss.

You have to stay on top of your makeup if you want it to last all day. Primers, long lasting lipsticks and glosses and foundations only give you so much time then you are on your own.

Just like your hair, if it looks out of place, you touch it up, don't you? Expect to do the same to your face.

You can check my current handbag on any given Friday and find 10 or more different lipglosses. Why? Because, I reapply gloss often. I also have two to three packs of blotting paper in there too. Why? Because after 1:00pm my face gets shiny, so I blot the oil off.

I have a friend who has dry skin and it looks like she is 'untouched' all day. I thought it was her dry skin that held her makeup on. Wrong. She carries a compact of translucent powder and Evian mini spritzer with her to touch up. She told me blot papers dry her out. So, she sprays, lets the water dry then reapplies the powder. She STAYS ON TOP OF HER MAKEUP.

So that's my magical answer to that question. Go ahead and buy the primers and foundations, pack it all on and hope for the best, if you don't believe me. But trust, you will have to touch ALL that up....

Jamie

PHOTO: www.eluci.com

N.O.T.D. Hard Candy Frenzy....

Today's NOTD is Hard Candy Frenzy. I've had this for a couple of weeks...just looking at it in the bottle. lol!
With a lil' nail design....
Without a flash....Its very opaque. One coat would have done the trick but I did two for good measure. Love it!

Jamie

NK HD Questions for Jamie @ Rural Glamour!!

Question #1 from my girl, Elle:)....

"I saw the Nicka K shadows at my local BSS...they all looked to tempting, which ones do you recommend to start?"

I would recommend my first five colors that got me hooked!!!

Top row:#3008, #3037 #3020

Bottom row:#3021 and #3023

The black and the vanilla colors are good basics( brow bone color and the black as a darkener in the outer corner or an eyeliner). The jewel colors are basic primary colors that can be worn alone or in a look...

Question #2: Which colors of the Nicka K HD eyeshadow would you recommend for a neutral, everyday look?

I recommend the six neutral colors I own...( above) top row: #3008, #3037, and #3009 bottom row: #3018, #3016 and #3005

Here's a neutral look I created with #3008, #3016 and #3009.....

I did #3009 from the inner corner to the mid-lid, #3016 from the mid-lid to the outer corner into the crease and blended the #3008 onto the brown bone down into the crease...

Any NK HD questions? Let me know!

****Disclaimer: I don't work for NK. I don't own all the NK HD colors...yet:)****

Jamie

N.O.T.D. UrbanVibe Midnight....

Last week, I ventured into Wet Seal and ran upon some of their makeup that was now maked down to $1 a piece. I picked up a couple of things and one of the nail colors I picked up was Urban Vibe Midnight.

I played around with it, Milani Day Dreaming( the gray color) and some nail design....Fun...Midnight is three coats for full color and holds up well...interesting.:)

Jamie

Review: Maybelline New York Blissfully Blue Trio....

Happy Monday!!

I picked up another one of those Maybelline Popmistic Trios...this one in Blissfully Blue...

The blue shade in the trio is like nothing I own. Initially, I thought it to be like MAC Blue pigment, but after swatching the two together it was not. The color has to be builded in order to get the intensity in the trio, which was disappointing....

The taupe-gray 'crease' color was a bit of failure too...it blended too well in the blue, and wasn't dark as it looks in the trio either...ehh....

The silver brow bone color was the worst. Spotty texture, like it was old or something. Maybelline could've left that color out!

But...the weird part is that the look wasn't all that bad...I added a blue line at the top and it looked good.lol! Three wrongs make a right???? Okay, Maybelline.

Jamie

SALE!!!: Fashion & Beauty Books!!!!

Hey Everyone!!!

Okay...I thought I would do a fashion and beauty book sale to rid of some of books....just doing to Fall purging of my guest room where I keep the books!

Instructions:

-PAYPAL ONLY

-US ONLY

-CONTACT ME AT RURALGLAMOUR@YAHOO.COM, IF YOU WANT TO PURCHASE.

-I WILL 'PEND' THE BOOK TIL I RECEIVE PAYMENT

-DELIVERY CONFIRMATION IS INCLUDED. ONLY SHIPPING US POSTAL

SERVICE

-ALL BOOKS ARE 'GENTLY USED'

-SHIPPING IS $3 A PIECE FOR ALL BOOKS!!!

The Beauty Bible:The Best of Beauty Products 2007-$2( PICTURE ABOVE)

Beauty Confidential and How To Be a Budget Fashionista---$5 a piece

Frumpy to Foxy and The Lingerie Handbook---$5 a piece

The Handbook of Style--$6 Daily Candy A to Z---$6

The Modern Girls Guide To Life---$8 The Pocket Stylist----$7

THANKS!!

JAMIE

Review:Cover Girl Lash Blast Length...

Equation to start off the post:)

Cover Girl Lash Blast Length 8.99-($2.00 extra bucks back when you purchase)=$6.99-$2.00 off( a CG Lash Blast coupon in November People Style Watch Magazine)=$4.99.....

Because $8.99( at CVS...its a bit cheaper other places) is not going to be spent on a mascara...today.

Pros:

-Its a 'useful' layering mascara. Sometimes I wear two mascaras at the same time.CGLB would be great top things off.

-gives natural look. But I like big black fluttering eye lashes.

Cons:

-Not enough product is on the brush

-Not black in color enough for me

-didn't see any dramatic change in length

-Seemed dry in formula.

Consensus: I didn't like it. It seemed dry and light and it just wasn't my type of mascara. I could wax on and off about it but its not necessary.

Jamie

Shopping My Stash:MAC Cork....

The unearthing of MAC Cork has been the highlight of the last couple of days. I used to be a die hard MAC Chestnut fiend but I was introduced to Cork when I went to the MAC counter in 2005 or 2006 trying to make NARS Orgasm lipgloss work for me. Orgasm never worked but Cork stayed. Uhmmmm.....this is the original liner from that visit.....:)
Currently, I've discovered a great nude lip on me. Its NK lipgloss in Beige( $1.00 at the BSS) and MAC Cork.....
Glorious.....love my Cork and Beige....sounds like a paint color.

Jamie

$1.99 Mascara??....Ruby Kisses SuperMascara in Black Black....

The mascara game on some real insanity ish right now. Companies, drugstore to prestige pumping out mascaras like it ain't nothing. Every month its something newer and supposedly better.

It drives me nuts. I just want a mascara to:

Curl my lashes

Alongate my lashes

Blacken my lashes

Plump lashes

All at the same time.:)

I was on my weekly trip to the BSS when I picked up Ruby Kisses SuperMascara for 1.99. Yep 2.00....
Pros:

-the formula is soft. It doesn't dry hard

-Its Black Black. love that.:)

-the brush is soft. like a soft bristle brush

-its was 1.99. If it hadn't worked then I would not been upset....and broke.

-it plumps and lengthens at the same time. two coats did it.

-Waterproof.stays on til' you take it off.

-Comes off easy

Cons:

-Feel like I need a new tube already. But I tend not to screw the top of mascara on tight, so that's probably my fault.
Consensus:( pic of me wearing Ruby Kisses SuperMascara)

-Best 2.00 spent. on mascara. makes my heart pound:)

****Question: Would you buy $1.99 mascara? Why? or Why Not?****

Jamie

Double NOTD: Sinful Colors Dream On and I Miss You....

Happy Monday!!!

I thought I would double up on the NOTDs today with Sinful Colors in Dream On( a matte!!) and I Miss You( a glitter).....

I like both colors...just not on the same hand. LOL!

Jamie

NOTD: Halloween Fail NOTD....:(

My attempt at a Halloween NOTD...done outside on the porch while my kids rode their bikes. I don't even remember what I used, I just know I hit the acetone polish so quick.....FAIL!!!

Jamie