~Natural Hair~ I Colored My 4C Hair With Clairol Texture & Tones In Flaming Desire.....

Hey Everyone.:)

I decided to re-color my hair last Tuesday. I used the same shade and brand I used over a year ago, Clairol Textures & Tones in Flaming Desire. Here's a LINK to that very popular post!

 I sectioned my hair so I was only coloring the top half, just like I did last year. I almost did a mohawk-ish color job, but decided not to. 

 Here's the color after. This is what I did:

-I FOLLOWED the instructions on in the box. Why? Because most of the time, they are right!

-I applied the color from tip to root, so that the color would take better on my hair. That's what the instructions suggest you do.

-Then I sat under a hooded dryer for 30 minutes to allow the color to really bloom. I read and watch so many posts from natural hair women who color their hair and not sit under the dryer. I learned that step from a hair stylist and it works.

 -Then I washed the color out with Pantene Naturals Clarifying Shampoo and Co Washed with Pantene Natural Co Wash, applied Ouidad Leave In and got ready to style my hair. I didn't deep condition because I DC'd the Sunday before.

- Because some of my hair in the front is heat damaged, I twisted then perm rodded the front while finger coiling the rest of my hair with  regular black/brown gel.

Some spots in my scalp did not get colored but that's ok. Once my hair dried, you can't even see those spots, because my scalp is so dense, even though the strand of my hair is thin.

 As you can see, the back in dark and the front is colored.

 I use the clips to keep my coils and curls from being all over the place when I sleep. I gave my hair a couple of hours to dry before I went to sleep, so I did the color and coiling wayyyyy ahead of going to bed.

 Here is the finished result the next day!!

Here's how I've been wearing it all week. I love this color and it came out just as great as the first time. One day, I'll be brave enough for the whole head!! Stay tuned on how to take care of colored treated natural hair!

Budget Friendly Lip Gloss: Favorites and Buys!

Hey Everyone!!

Happy Fourth of July!

A week or so ago, I was chatting with a blogger friend about her love of MAC gloss. She was pretty peeved at them, the price of the glosses had went up and she was considering some cheaper options. I gave her a couple of ways to still get her beloved MAC in a less expensive way ( post soon!) and promised that I would do a post of my favorite cheap/budget friendly/drugstore glosses.

I'm not a big gloss wearer but when I do wear gloss, I look for high pigmentation because I have dark lips. I also look for less than $10 price range, texture( no sticky, goopy gloss) and the applicator in the gloss. Talk about being picky!!! But, when I wear gloss, I want to wear something I love! 

Here are some of my favorite glosses:

 Maybelline ColorSensational Lip Gloss

These have to be some the most pigmented, easy to wear glosses in the drug store/mass market store. They feel great on the lips and look good as well. The quality can be easily mistaken for expensive $14, $15 gloss. I just wish Maybelline  would do more colors like they do their lipsticks in these glosses.

 N.Y.C.  Big Bold Plumping Gloss

Do not worry, these glosses have no plumping effect at all. Matter of fact, they smooth the lips and fill in fine lines, so I think that might be the "plumping" action. The pigmentation is awesome in these glosses as well, giving me full color, almost like a lip lacquer or liquid lipstick.

NYX Round Lip Gloss

These lip glosses are some of NYX original products and they are just as good now as they were when they  first came out. Again, I love the high pigmentation and its easy on the gloop. Round Lip Glosses also have a wide variety of colors available.

What are your favorite glosses? Let me know in the comments!

~BB Creams~ Favorites and How to Wear BB Cream on Oily Skin.....

Hey Everyone!

I have oily/acne prone skin and one of my favorite products is BB Cream. Traditionally, BB Creams are not formulated for Oily Skin. They are packed with a generous amount of moisturizers, so wearing one on oily skin would not normally be a good idea. I have even seen certain companies with warnings on BB Creams like "Not for Oily Skin" or "Not for Acne Prone Skin". However the product works great on me and I have figure out a great way to wear BB Cream without looking like a bottle of Olive Oil!!

First, let me introduce you to some of my favorite BB Creams!!

( left to right)

Kiss New York Aqua BB Beauty Balm, mark. Got The Goods  Multi-Benefit Foundation Lotion, and Iman Skin Tone Evener BB Creme.

Kiss New York Aqua BB Beauty Balm- This product is why I love Instagram! I didn't know it existed until I  saw it in someone's picture and it was right down at my local beauty supply store. The coverage is phenomenal! Its a medium coverage, higher than most BB Cremes I have used.

mark. Got The Goods Multi-Benefit Foundation Lotion- Its called a "Foundation Lotion" but its benefits listed sound like a BB Cream. Thisis another good medium coverage cream. Plus, it has a SPF 15 broad spectrum sunscreen.

Iman Skin Tone Evener BB Creme- I did a review on this one about two months ago and even though I didn't like the price point, the product has grown on me. Its perfect for light coverage days and it also has a sunscreen SPF 15.

Tips On Wearing BB Cream on Oily Skin

-Even though this product is a "moisterizer", if you are oily and you want it to last and not look super oily....you MUST wear a primer. Primer is essential to bring the shine down . Apply the primer first, then the BB Cream.

-Build the coverage that you want. Don't start off with alot of product. Apply a layer, then if you want another layer, apply another layer to build the coverage you desire. I've found in my experience with BB Creams is that too much product will make me look oilier quicker.

-Set the BB Cream with a translucent powder. I use N.Y.C. Smooth Skin Pressed Face Powder in Translucent and dust it over my oiliest prone areas like my t-zone and the upper parts of my cheeks. Along with the primer, the powder helps with keeping the oilies at bay. The oiliest I get during the day is little sheen after a couple of hours.

Hope these tips help!!! What is your favorite BB Cream?

~June 2013 Beauty Favorites!~

Hey Everyone!! 

I had a fun month of beauty in June, so many new products and  new releases. This summer has been great for the beauty addicts and its only July!!

Here are some of my favorites from the month of June!

 I found Kleancolor Smokin' Cream Cream Eyeshadow at a beauty supply store in a neighboring city for $.99 a piece. When applied on top on eye shadow primer, by itself, Smokin' Creams stay on ALL DAY. Perfect, simple wash of color for a great price!

 Acne medications that work are few and far between. Burt's Bees Herbal Blemish Stick actually works. I love it!

 Sally Hansen Powerful Acrylic Gel is one of the products I used in my DIY Shellac Nails experiment. Even though the DIY didn't work on me, the Acrylic Gel works on my nails, making them hard and helping them against all the washing and pushing I do to my nails on daily basis.

Listen. I tell my sistas of color, there is no excuse when it comes to finding great products at a low price for our skin tone. Do the work. Do the research. Black Radiance has been doing an awesome job at creating trend worthy colors and products lately. I'm currently loving BR Lipsticks in Pink Dahlia and African Violet and BR Lip Gloss in Violet and Pale Rose.


What were your favorites this June? Let me know!

Rock That Red!! 11 Red Lipsticks to Wear: High End and Drugstore Brands...

Hey Everyone!!

It's no secret that I love red lipstick! I've done a handful of posts featuring red lipsticks and glosses over the years that proves that point. lol!  Anyway, I'm sharing my all time favorite red lipsticks with you. I'm more of a red lipstick wearer than a red gloss wearer because I like the  opaqueness of lipstick. Plus at the end of this post, I will list some of my favorite red lipstick video and tips: how to pick a red, apply it and rock it!

 My favorite red lipsticks are a mix of drugstore and high end......

 ~High End~

(left to right)

MAC Riri Woo

tarte Glamazon Lipstick in Fierce

tarte Glamazon Lipstick in Wild

Laura Mercier Red Amour

Nars Jungle Red

 (left to right)

MAC Riri Woo

tarte Glamazon Lipstick in Fierce

tarte Glamazon Lipstick in Wild

Laura Mercier Red Amour

Nars Jungle Red

 ~Drugstore~

(left to right)

Milani Red Label

L'Oreal Infalliable in Beyonce's Red

Cover Girl Hot

Rimmel Show Off in Big Bang

e.l.f. Matte Lipstick in Rich Red

Kate by Rimmel Lipstick in Kiss of Life #111

~Drugstore~

(left to right)

Milani Red Label

L'Oreal Infalliable in Beyonce's Red

Cover Girl Hot

Rimmel Show Off in Big Bang

e.l.f. Matte Lipstick in Rich Red

Kate by Rimmel Lipstick in Kiss of Life #111

~Tips~

-I don't pick a red lipstick based on a skin under tone, like blue based reds or orange based reds. I just eyeball it and know what I like. If you are looking to pick a red lipstick based on skin undertones( cool, warm, or neutral undertones), This VIDEO is chocked full of info on that.

-Matte red lipsticks are my favorite texture but known for being dry. Apply lip balm first then lightly blot it off so that your lips are moisturized but not disturbing the actually texture of the lipstick.

-If a red lipstick is too glossy, I lightly blot with a tissue then apply a dab of translucent powder on top to bring down the shine.

-If you are afraid of wearing red lipstick, start slow with a red gloss or apply a red lipstick lightly, so that you have more of a stain of color, than full on color, and work up from there. EVERY WOMAN can wear red lipstick, you just have to use patience to find your shade!!!

Let me know your favorite red lipstick in the comments

Disclosure: Some of the products listed were sent to me for consideration for review. I was not paid for this post and all views and opinions are honest.