xoxo

photo source

Of course I know it's Tuesday, but this outfit was a steal and I keeping a blog of your clothing is a great way to reference what you want versus what you need when shopping for essentials.  Remember, trends come and go but style is personal and it should reflect you and not what's "in" or "out."  This little number was found at dd's and it cost $9.99!  What is dd's?  I don't know the history of the store, but imagine you take TJ/TJ Maxx and Marshall's, merge them into one and then take their overstock and that is what dd's resembles. It felt like a thrift store, in that you have to look around and some of the items look like they were on the floor and put back on a hanger and marked down.  That's not a bad thing if you are good at removing stains and the price is reflective.  However, don't buy something you have to tweak too much unless you simply cannot live without it.  Because it's been so cold I paired it with a black blazer (summer dress to winter style) and also had a pea coat from Old Navy with a scarf and a smart pair of shoes also at discount (details to come) and it works to make a proper outfit for work. 

Notice the face :(  I truly don't like Mondays, especially when we have a short work week.  Hope this will inspire others to realize YOU wear the clothes, the clothes don't wear you, whatever your shape, budget, or brand, you ultimately put it together to make the total look.  Work it!!!

xoxo

I truly don't like this time of year.  Total pity party.  My bloke's in Iraq, mum is terminal, dad is devastated and I'm just pretending to get by day by day. 

It feels so good to be back on track with my little blog.  I never knew how good it felt to get things from one's head  to the cosmos.  I don't know why I didn't keep up with this when I first started a year back.  I noticed when I do keep up with posting, I become more creative.  This particular outfit was inspired by my a video I had watched from Juicy Tuesday.  I  don't know why I keep getting sucked in to YouTube.  I have a love/hate/love/hate relationship.  It's a huge way to waste my time.  I learn some tricks, but I think it's me just being nosey.  Regardless, I seem to feel something whenever I watch them albeit anger at myself, the "guru", or the comments.  At times just the idea of watching people so absorbed with themselves leaves me feeling filthy.  I mean, I'm watching someone get ready to go out, I swear I'm not a peeping Tom.  Maybe a Billy NoMates, but I am blown away by how much time and effort it takes to make videos.  Shane Dawson is really epic.  I am guaranteed to get the laugh when his character Shanaynay makes an appearance.  I digress.  I was watching Juicy Tuesday and she had mentioned people had slagged her weight for posting her outfit of the days.  I love those tutorials the best!  I think I've sorted out how to (insert icon, celebrity, cat eye, smokey eye, red lips, flawless face) looks for several lifetimes.  But, my wardrobe could use a bit of help and I am not short on clothes, but short on ideas, so these how to nails, hair, shoes, purse, videos are really the business for me.  Teresa *aka Juicy Tuesday* has a womanly figure.  She has that hourglass and whilst I'm no where near as lovely or gifted, I quite like having curves and seeing other women who have arses as well. 

I got this skirt from F21 for $14.80 USD!  It was on clearance and I initially thought it was a blouse.  I liked the corset in the front and thought it would look great with a pair of jeans to go to a sporting event that has still yet to happen :/  Well, I was looking for something one day and this was in a pile with the tag on it so, I was curious to see if it would fit or go with the "recycle" stack.  I noticed the tag read skirt and got quite nervous.  I know my hips have grown, but ah well...I put it on with the corset design in the front and it had a tag (medium) so, I turned it and fell in love.  Sort of...the corset is the cutest detailing; however, it does scream "look at me" in the lower region.  The place where I carry my weight most.  So this was the look

I paired it with my trusty Mary Janes, black opaque ribbed tights, and a shirt I bought at the Crossroads.  It's less than $20, total, but I neglected to accessorize appropriately.  Odds are my jewels are in my coat but I was too lazy to put them on. 

xoxo

I never thought the color red would work for me.  I believe 90% of my clothes are black, and I'm challenging myself to incorporate color.  Color is something that gets you noticed, it says, "I'm here!  Look at me!"  Although the demure black is quite sophisticated, I'm tired of the remarks if I'm honest.  So, here is day one and rather than sport the black camisole with a blazer, I scored a $12.00 long sleeved blouse with french cuffs (my fave for my long arms) at Ross to go with a pencil skirt I got at F21 last season.  I did wear black opaque tights with my Mary Janes (also Ross) because it's cold in the morning when I'm catching the train to work. 

The jacket was a great deal at Buffalo Exchange, it's by BeBe and is a petite so the french cuffs make a good detailing for it. I think it was 1/2 price on $15.00 so for $8.00 it has been a great piece I can wear with jeans or pair with skirts for work!

The last bit are these cool fake nails I bought at Walgreens on sale!

I have always thought of myself to be one of the most patient tolerant people.  I accept everyone regardless of race, religion, sexuality, carnivore, vegan, atheist, et al.  I have learnt I don't.  I temper my views and opinions and have chosen to remove any person, place or thing which causes me anything other than positive experience, or a negative but learning experience.  Well...I guess the more I eliminate and detox from the more critical I am.  I don't enjoy this about myself; however, I do feel the need to explain.

I have spent a LARGE part of my time learning new skills, techniques, terminology, styles etc when it comes to all things beauty, fashion and hair.  If there is a forum, I've either joined or perused it at one time or another.  I've always been open to learning.  But, lately I have no tolerance for these social outlets.  I find there to be a lot more b.s. than previously.  If not, I must have been oblivious.  I have gotten to the point where I don't log on to YouTube (which babysat me when I moved to California), most forums unless it's for pictures, sale info. or product reviews, and now I'm not interested in many of blogs.  I don't subscribe to thousands, but I do love to learn from others and think it's a great way to (again) challenge myself and my learning curve. 

I don't know what to do...I don't condone some of the rubbish (hater vs. non hater vs. criticism, gurus who are full of crap, themselves or both and the racist, homphobic, and ignorant comments many gurus deal with.  Seriously, I read Pixiwoo's disclaimer re: black skin and thought, "Can we not say black, white, ...skin anymore?"  Not that I have an account, but it's not fun anymore.  Not to mention the shilling, competitiveness and backbiting gurus do to each other.

I ran to forums and most topics were slagging and dissing other peoples style, makeup, technique, shape, etc. and it all got too much for me.  I guess the internet is something I may have to rethink.  I'm truly blessed to have learnt so much from people I have never met in my life who spend a lot of their time doing things to my benefit, but seriously calling a man a "f*gg*t" for educating people on makeup application, telling a black woman she's an "ugly n*gg*er" or a forum post just to gossip about someone else who we don't know seems so pointless.

Speaking of pointless, so was this post, but I need to vent every now and again.  I cannot change the world, but I can acknowledge things I wish to change.

Yay, I am still a work in progress in my skills with camera and photography, so if anyone reading this needs better swatches, please leave a comment.  I purchased some of those daylight blue tinged bulbs, and I'm going to get a book on picture taking...On with what matters.  I didn't label them so I will give the names from left to right:  Glimmer (Metallic), Pop (Radiant), Pixie (Radiant),Whimsy (Radiant), Spirited (Metallic), Moody, (Radiant), Star (Radiant), Soiree (Metallic), Love (Radiant), Glimpse (Metallic), and Celestine (Metallic).  To be quite honest, these were not what I expected.  I love eyeshadow bases.  I knew these weren't going to be crease proof, so I wouldn't be disappointed for any sort of creasing which may or may not occur.  That said, the tube reminded me more of a lipstick than an eyeshadow cream.  So, when I opened the tube (see below) I was a bit put off.  I like applying either from a pot or stick, but usually the sticks have a pencil shape so I can get to the tear duct area of my eye.  This bit I can sort, but ...I thought, "It would annoy and take more product to use a brush, but I cannot just swipe it from the tube...or can I?" In addition, there is a very creamy consistency to the finish, therefore, if you have really oily lids, I would not recommend this product unless you don't mind the extra work of layering both under and over this creme. 

They aren't very pigmented, so it takes a few swipes against my complexion (dark) so be advised of that.  Overall, I would not recommend this with the exception that Glimpse is a dupe for Sharksin Shadestick by MAC.  I have high and low end creme eyeshadows, and the Maybelline ones at the Dollar Store are better quality than these for those who are budgeting.  If you love Hard Candy and want to have these in your collection, go for it, but you may not reach for them often.  I do love the variety of colors and the creme vs. shimmer finishes, but in terms of practicality, I'd prefer better packaging.  I will say if you lay these with any of the shadows from the 88 palette, you will love the result, but again, don't expect to go a whole work day without creasing.  I hope this is helpful.  Love yourself and remember you are the most beautiful person you have seen today, and your attidude will surprise you and those around you!

xoxo

In the spirit of the upcoming holiday season and the passing of Halloween, I was thinking about how pretty some of the looks were in an effort to celebrate ghouls and gobblins.  So many vampires, so little time. A friend was enquiring about there not being any eyeshadows that would look smart on brown skin.  Well...not so fast!  I found three in a manner of seconds which can all be seen and are quite pigmented.  From left to right I swatched the red from the 88 shimmer palette, bright fuschia (MAC) pigment, brash and bold/bold and brash? (MAC) pigment, and basic red (MAC) pigment and each of them show up against my dark skin, so let not your heart be troubled brown girls, there is enough color in the world for all of us :)  I know, I know, MAC!! But, the 88 shimmer palette is EVERYWHERE ('scuse the shouting), and it's quite inexpensive.  Other brands I've seen with red include: Ben Nye, Bloody Mary, and Kryolan.  I believe all of the mineral makeup vendors: TKB Trading, Fyrinnae, MAD, et al, will also carry samples with the color red.  Enjoy your day!

xoxo

I truly may be a fool, but I am so tired of people slagging Jordan, but this group has really got brass ones.  Katie has had a horrible year, in my opinion, and whatever people may think about her she doesn't deserve to be made a fool for other's gain.  An estimate of 10,000 people are going to watch an effigy of her nearly 30 feet tall burn at Edenbridge Bonfire Society tomorrow.  In their defence, this has happened to others, but would you want to be categorized with  people like Saddam Hussein, John McCririck, John Prescott, and Diana, Princess of Wales' former partner, James Hewitt?  Those, all men, are the others who have endured such humility in the name of "publicity" by the organizer Charles Laver.  I think this story is old, but I just got hold of it here and felt really bad about this.  Sometimes people can go to far in the spirit of "well celebrities get a lot of money and they put themselves in the public, etc..." and sure Katie *aka Jordan* isn't an angel, but she doesn't pretend to be.  Whatever, happened in her marriage is her and her former husband Peter Andre's business.  There are children and family members involved.  H*ll, I'm no saint and I'd be pig sick if I saw people cheering an effigy of me in any fashion.  People have gotten to "okay" with bringing other people down or doing things to get ratings, publicity, money, etc. and there has to be a point where people feel they've gone too far.  I truly think she's having a setback from her depression and all this is going to push her over the edge.  I hope there aren't people out there who really think this sort of thing is acceptable.  Then again, if there weren't there would not be Klu Klux Klan members and their followers still in existence?  Sorry for the rant, I will adjust my attitude in time to watch the World Series :)

xoxo

I don't know why I have b*tch face in this pic, other than a) I'm at work, b) I'm in the loo cam whoring, c) I am hoping no one will walk in, d) bad lighting, bad hair day, or e) all of the above?    If you picked (e) ding! ding! ding! You are RIGHT! I have said I'm not a photographer, I have a new camera and I'm painfully uncomfortable taking photos of myself.  I have never thought I was soooo damn interesting that I should create anything centered around me.  It's not been my personality.  As a makeupartist, the goal was always to make others look and feel there best or create an illusion with colors, textures, props and the like.  I hated looking at myself in the mirror when I was heavy and primping my hair until recently was not fun.  I had to learn so much about me I didn't know what my best features, angles, colors, etc. were but I could do it in a New York minute (fast) for others.  So, now I have found blogging to be an outlet where I can keep a journal all about me, and maybe, share with others, whilst learning from others. Well, I was telling a co-worker she

didn't have to spend a lot of money for new fall clothes.  If one gets creative enough there are loads of options with what you already have.  The above is a summer dress, as you can see it's quite short. :)  I paired it with a blazer, tights and Mary Janes and voìla! 

Blazer:  BeBe from thriftstore $ 8.00

Tights:  George @ Walmart    $ 5.00

Dress:  Ross  $11.00

Shoes:  Steve Madden @ TJ Maxx  $24.99

Always remember to add accessories for that personal touch and for a bit of character!

xoxo

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makes Halloween and costume party's so much fun.  We can dress however we feel without fearing judgment by our peers.  It's too bad we can't get away with it more often, but that's what you do with partners to keep the "fire" burning.  Dressing like a flapper, cheerleader and other ideas are great ways to keep that spark going and to have fun with clothes and makeup, two things we love!   Embrace your alter ego loves, life is too short to sit on the sidelines :)

xoxo