Showing posts with label beauty. Show all posts
Showing posts with label beauty. Show all posts
source: Google Images
Lately, I cannot seem to get away from women commenting about other womens' hairline. It's quite annoying because *leans in* NOT EVERYONE HAS A THICK HAIRLINE!!!
When lace fronts were really popular around 2006-08, people were learning to "thin hairlines" on their wigs so that they resembled a natural hairline. I was born with a thick hairline, but it came with the 4 Z very coiled, wig like hair. I hated it, and thinned it as much as possible. If I didn't my hairline would blend into my eyebrows. I was thinking about my hairline the other day and wondered how many people think I have a love lorn possum or wig on my head. It's so thick it sometimes feels like I look like those cut outs at theme parks that you put your face in the whole and take a photo as someone else. Like a painting of Popeye and Olive Oil, but if you put your face in the hole it's you as the caricature. I walk around like that 24/7 so I have been looking into laser hair removal. It's expensive, but I'm so insecure because of the rise in sensitivity towards the care and density of women's hairline.
I understand the discussion about the supermodel with a balding hairline and I sympathize because her photos are splattered on social media, unlike when they used to put the black rectangle to hide the identity of the fashion, hair or whatever faux pas victim we just put people on blast.
There are things that can be done to regrow the hairline but if it's not in one's genetics, you're most likely buying snake oil.
Here are a few things that don't work. I would go so far as to say these are things that may be exacerbating the problem.
  1. Stop laying your edges! I know that it's the in thing to do, but why are all my naturals trying to have smooth relaxed looking edges? You see women tying their hair down to the point they cut the circulation. Leave them alone, stop putting products, brushing, and tying them down.
  2. Baby hair! We are bringing back 2009, and obsessed with baby hair again. I know of a few women who relax their edges to get the baby hair but how can you have baby hair and thick hairlines? 
  3. Stop the braids! You need to ease up on the braids, this is called traction alopecia. If you must wear a protective style, then get a wig or wear a turban or wrap long enough to allow the circulation or you may cause follicular damage to your hairline and that's not easy to undo.
There are some things that are easy, inexpensive and will help to recharge your hairline and, with patience, a few suggestions, you can have a thicker hairline by next season.

  1.  Massage your scalp! Scalp massage will stimulate circulation and help the blood flow back in the areas that were obstructed. You can do this in the evening prior to going to bed and if you can't find or afford a massager, use your hands. I've known some people to get success buy putting their head down and massaging whilst upside down.
  2. Massage Oils! Tea tree oil is said to be good if you have any follicular damage, infections, or scalp issues; however, there are oils that stimulate circulation such as cinnamon, pumpkin, avocado and other oils. Do research oils for hair growth/stimulation and understand it's trial and error so what works for some may not work the same for you.
  3. See a dermatologist or trichologist. There's nothing worse than trying to fix something that is broken. It's like when someone has a headache and they take aspirin only to find out they have migraines, or other serious head trauma. It's wise to see a specialist rather than play doctor. I cannot stress that enough! All the tips and tricks won't work if there is a serious underlying issue.
  4. Get a full check up! Have some tests run. I am severely anemic and require iron transfusions and medical shots because supplements don't work for my levels. You may have an hormone imbalance or something that causes your hair to fall. In addition, you can catch any illness early on if you choose to have a check up, and your body and mind will thank you.
  5. Hydration and silk. Water, water and more water. If you drink coffee, you're depleting your body of water, so for every cup of coffee have two waters or double the amount of water to whatever diuretic such as beer, alcohol etc. Protect your hair with silk as you replenish your body with water.
The process may seem  futile and there will be days that seem hopeless, but the construction and rebuilding of any foundation should be strong, sturdy and short of quick fixes. You can go the Minoxidil or Nioxin route, or take supplements like B Complex, Biotin, or whatever vitamin cocktail popular on the hair forums, but you will still need to modify your current habits to preserve any repair/regrowth.

Please let me know how you get on, this is something I am quite passionate about. For centuries black women have been lead to believe our hair was inferior, nappy and won't grow; we've been fed a lot of fallacies, but our hair grows, it has various densities, curl patterns and growth rates, but it's good and when taken care of, it's beautiful!

xoxo
Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , ,
There's nothing worse than when I get clients that have been given misguided information and it results in their face looking like they let a child colour on their face. We'll call her Jane Q. Citizen. Jane comes to me with her makeup done stating she wants to look "more polished." I often ask clients to bring a photo that captures the look (not the model) they're going for. For instance, is polished, natural as in little make up or clean as is minimal but bold blips? "Like this girl" she says pointing to a well known Instagram makeup poster. "Huh.... so you want to look like you're wearing makeup?" She looks perplexed so she shows the video that she followed to obtain the look she's currently wearing. As we watch, I hand her a makeup wipe to remove the Spackle so we can start fresh faced.
I ask her if she brought her products which she did and we start. What people say isn't always what we hear. Jane didn't realise that many terms aren't synonymous. For instance, if you are concealing something, you never get a shade two lighter than your own complexion. You want your complexion and depending on what you are concealing you will have a peach tint if it's a dark spot. The only time you want to get any foundation that is lighter than your skin tone is to HIGHLIGHT!!!! Most people walking around don't need a highlight. If you want your features to stand out, you can play them up but you don't need a highlight to accent your eyes, lips or any feature. Great brows? Leave them alone a la Cara Delivigne. Nice Lips? Exfoliate and moisturise and experiment with lip colours. Nice eyes? Mascara! Nice eyes, no lashes, demi lashes and a kitten flick!
I understand the trends but they are simply that. Trends! The only time contouring and highlighting makes much difference is in photographs or low lights. Having dinner with someone special? Of course the highlight will look major when it's reflecting from candle or dim lights. Taking a head shot? Highlight will look like the sun just kissed you there, but if you don't know what you're doing, you're going to have a face full of streaks.
Take what they say online like you would a rumour. There may be truth to it, but don't count it as fact or a scholarly source depending on the person. There are a lot of things like, "clean up my brow" or "conceal my eye bags with a concealer two shades lighter than my face" You clean your brows when you pluck the hair that's stray or you conceal your bags by using a salmon based concealer and then applying your regular foundation. When a person says anything and it ends with "like a pro" don't be fooled. All the "pros" do things differently and it's based on skin tone, texture, elasticity and purpose. You can watch "How to get a flawless face" all day every day but no one has a flawless face, so if you want a one dimensional face with no textures or tone, be my guest.
Just because people have a large following, does not mean they have what it takes to make you look your best. They don't know your skin, your undertones, your trouble spots so the most they can do is give general direction.
Jane and I spent a long time working on her look. Not because she was in need, I rarely advocate the need for makeup as opposed to the love for experiment. It's not good or healthy to feel one needs makeup to be attractive. Jane simply needed to learn about her face so she could have more knowledge when selecting products to enhance her natural features. Cool undertones with warm makeup shades can make her look dirty. Her hair is too warm for the pink in her porcelain skin so that's the beauty of makeup. You experiment, and by that you learn. What didn't work today, a few tweaks and tomorrow she can wear that colour but effortless is always the goal.
If you have beauty questions, aren't sure about a product, drop me a line, I love to help!!

xo
Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , ,
The beauty world didn't seem fun. I went from a starving student, a working professional, and now just starving.
I used to love coming home and wasting time watching people enjoy the same things I enjoyed on YouTube. Makeup, fashion, hair, dating the whole lot. Then things changed. It wasn't just money and sponsorship but a lot of information I didn't want to know but partook in.
It was tempting to get gossip from forums about social media personalities. But now it's making looking and feeling good a source of negative.
Back to just having fun, making mistakes and living.

Back to Basics

by on 11:40 AM
The beauty world didn't seem fun. I went from a starving student, a working professional, and now just starving. I used to love comin...
Posted by at No comments:
Labels: ,
Here we go again...I'm going to just post "ditto" when this happens. I don't like to blog like before...it's like being in a cult. The level of animosity, cattiness and backstabbing I see at events makes me less interested in sitting down and having fun posting photos of all the cool goodies.
Not only that, I'm really struggling with being in the beauty field now that I'm a bona fide adult. I will always enjoy primping, and looking at magazines for inspiration but when I look at social interest I feel vain, egotistical and .... UGLY!
I never knew I was unattractive until I saw all these beautiful women who were giving advice on how to be confident, how to look good when you're sick, how to pose for pictures and I don't feel comfortable posting on Instagram because I don't use all the filters so I see every single flaw. Each flaw that I don't really focus on is x1000.
I like to practice different looks and techniques to do hair, nails, eyeliner, and diys, but posting them feels vain. It feels like I'm saying "Look at me aren't I pretty?" but how do you enjoy writing about beauty and share your experience if you can't get past it?
Honestly, it's hard to feel good when your world is falling apart. I guess I just have to force myself to do it anyway, so hopefully, you will join me on this journey of getting out of our comfort zone! We got this! Right?

Anybody Home?

by on 9:11 PM
Here we go again...I'm going to just post "ditto" when this happens. I don't like to blog like before...it's like be...
Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , ,
I've been watching Celebrity Big Brother, UK and there is a woman called Alicia Douvall and she really made me think.I look at her and wonder if she sees what I see. I see a woman who can barely move her face and whose eyes seemed surprised as a result of extreme cosmetic procedures. It made me really think when she revealed she had 18 breast augmentations and still needed and wanted more work done.
I wanted lipo for my thighs, and breasts but in the time it took for me to gather the courage, I realised that I was being selfish. Right now there is a woman who's just been told she has breast cancer and I'm worried about looking perky whilst naked. My breasts are small and they don't sit like they used to but I'm getting older every day, I've lost and gained weight and the elasticity in my skin has played a major factor in my flabby bits. If saggy breasts, loose skin and all my other flaws are my greatest problems, I am very blessed and shall quit whilst I am ahead. Sure I may not attract a celebrity or even someone physically good looking, but in the experiences I have had, high profile people and I don't work. All that glitters isn't gold and I would take a simple, humble relationship with comforts of simplicity, than the "you're only dating them because..." That's another post.
What worried me, was when Alicia stated she could not live without her breast implants. She wants to walk in a room and have people want to "f*ck her" rather than be powerful and "fear her" and that is really sad. She has to realise she's more than that; however, have you watched YouTube videos? The beauty gurus used to speak about confidence, embracing flaws, and using makeup to create new looks and feel pretty. Now there are so many young vloggers who are having several cosmetic procedures such as: nose breast, fillers, Botox, and rhinoplasty. There are predominately young gurus under age 30 and have a following of girls as young as ten who look up to them. It's not their job to parent other people's children, but it's hypocritical to promote natural beauty, embracing imperfections and partake in these procedures. If you are blessed with a platform where others are stating, "you're my role model" because you accept your flaws but in reality, you don't it's not fair to misguide others. There's no shame in owning your flaws and having cosmetic procedures, sharing that helps prevent deceit. It's fine to say imperfections are a  part of life, but I had a procedure on my nose because I had been telling myself I was okay with it, but in reality each day it makes me feel self conscious. It isn't going to make me perfect, but I want to feel less preoccupied about my nose when meeting people or having interviews and not feeling like my nose is the focal point. I guess that women are our worst critics. We expect others to accept themselves but we comment on their flaws to feel relate-able. Then when they alter their appearance we call foul.
We can't stop ourselves from aging; but, the duck lips, frozen face, and encapsulated breasts make the process  more difficult. It seems that it becomes its own addiction and women can't see how they really look. Think about what Big Ang would look like if she left herself alone.
Accepting flaws still has to be done in order to prevent this obsession from becoming a lifestyle. Not one of these women seeking fuller lips have obtained that Angelina Jolie bee stung lip. The more one aims at perfections the further their goal as it's a moving target. All the procedures in the world won't help until one accepts they will never be perfect and we all get old if we're blessed to live long enough.


xo
Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , ,
I wish there was a way to discern whether or not products work prior to purchase.  There are samples such as those in magazines, or offered when purchasing online. Sephora do this often; however, there isn't time enough for you to judge the quality and efficacy with a pea sized amount
Recently, I saw an advert on telly about the "beauty graveyard" which is similar to the "products I regret purchasing" for everyday people.
I'm struggling with dry hands right now and it seems that nothing I do is enough. I drink loads of water to the point it's disrupting my sleep; however, I've been using Vaseline, nursing creams, water resistant lotions, etc. They work, but I don't like that my hands look old. I know it's shallow and superficial, but I have long, thin fingers with visual veins, I am happy to have hands, but they look like they belong on someone else's wrists.
I was looking at a quite popular bloggers photos where she was showing her beautiful and luxurious handbag; however, I didn't realise that the hands holding the Celine, were hers! I was shocked as she's quite young, but her hands looked like they were those of the Queen.
Back to the point of this post. I have so many skin care products that made promises to plump, hydrate, minimise pores, eliminate sag, and I've got cleansers which proposed the same.Why not use these on my hands?
Think for a moment, they are mostly meant to be good for the face so they can't be too harsh, and if they are supposed to be meant to assist with the superficial problems with my face, why not try them on my hands?
So many people are using the fillers, injections, etc, but they aren't doing anything to their neck or hands which are tell tale signs of sun damage, dry skin, aging skin and other issues in the beauty realm.
I'm going to give it a go tonight by exfoliating my hands and then using one of my skin creams on my hands and checking back in a few.

xo
Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , ,
giggle
Don't you just love Instagram? I mean where else can you go to feel like you live in a fishbowl? I used to be very motivated by what I saw. Now, I look at these girls and wonder, "Where the hell are you going looking like that so early?"
I see more thirst from the attractive women that it concerns me. I don't like getting all made up unless it's a special occasion, but I'm talking about girls with their "girls" out, dresses the length of baby tees and spiked heels. I will never purchase Christian Louboutins! When a certain caliper of people are sporting a brand that's when I know it's time for me to keep moving. It's like when Ross and TK Maxx began carrying Marc Jacobs and Yves St. Laurent. It feels ratchet.
After watching a bunch of over caffeinated self entitled beauty gurus on the Internet. It's always fun to see someone complain about not receiving free gifts on time from public relations brands. It's interesting how people can be so selfish during a time of year that we are meant to be celebrating the birth of Christ.
blackout
So, I played around with some indie brand lip lacquers. I would not recommend them, but I will notify the person that there are a few tweaks, but the packaging, and colours are really nice. It's a difficult time to be starting a new makeup company but I do enjoy playing. She didn't send it to me, she wanted me to try it and host a party. I'd love to but I'm out here on my own and haven't made any friends. I was thinking about what I would have started as a small business right now. There are so many things I enjoy but I cannot keep up with all the new palettes, lipsticks, new brands, hair extensions, and boutiques. What would you do if you had an idea for a small business? Beauty? Hair? Clothing? Share with me...


xo
Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , ,

Today is hitting me hard. I am really wondering if black lives matter? I want to go, but where? Back to Africa? I was told to go there most of my life. Sadly, the minorities are in control there as well. I wonder if people will believe that racism still exists or nah?I feel like crying, but I don't know if it's because I'm feeling defeated or that I feel like black lives don't matter even among ourselves. There are people in power whose words can make a difference, but they are concerned about numbers. Sales of their albums, clothing line, or whatever their "brand" markets to say anything, unless it's something bad about another black *Charles Barkley* person.

I'm sure I will anger many just by saying, "I don't get the Zoella hype!" Why is this woman in a teen body the next J.K. Rowling? Of course, her being white, immature and pulling dumb faces helps. I watched her videos and don't see how she is an icon for anything.
I am biased but I looked at my homepage and the first article was about Eric Garner and then it just hit me. They don't get it. I have been falsely accused of things, guilty before due process many times, and each time the result is the same. #lose But I want to believe in my faith, I want to believe this isn't about race, but...
I sometimes see that I fold under the justice system, I have heard each time I'm fined, "just pay it, if you don't win you're f*cked" but I'm still screwed right? Doing nothing or standing for something, the fault will be on the "system's" side.
I want to see a change, but even Obama hasn't been promising. I know this is temporary, I'll be back to my self, but I don't see how I can think about anyone than the families of these victims and the checks these officers are collecting beyond retirement.
#blacklivesmatter

 xo

Blogmas: Unjust

by on 9:51 PM
Today is hitting me hard. I am really wondering if black lives matter? I want to go, but where? Back to Africa? I was told to go there most...
Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , ,
I hate to sound like I don't care, but it's a bit annoying to hear about another YouTube personality or ten, that have broken the trust of their followings. So now that people are anxiously awaiting the next move from #TeamJason, #TeamLaci, and #TeamSam, let's look at the big picture. I bet before I finish this sentence several hundred tweets, a dozen or so videos and multiple, including this one here, posts will be written about the "latest" hot mess some social media star has gotten into.
I don't pick sides, but I damn sure don't condone sexual assault of any kind on any gender.
Rather than talk about what happened as well as some things that may have happened just not been found out, let's discuss what to do about this.
It should not be necessary to educate anyone over age five that you "don't touch" without permission. I guess my mum made it crystal clear when at the stores, if I even reached toward an item, her stare alone was enough. When I was a training coordinator for a legal office, they had mandatory trainings, one of which being sexual harassment. Attorneys don't need to be trained for that? Yes! Because if a woman files a claim, the company wants to eliminate itself from any litigation so they have their arse covered. "We told you, you acted, we're out of this."
I don't know what shocks me more, the level of loyalty people have for their idols or the things they are willing to do to not make them upset. I'm a grown woman, I get the pressure to give in or feel obligated in the "moment" and realise that what occurred didn't feel right. There's nothing worse than feeling unrequited emotions by someone you adore, and posed as someone who felt the same in order to get something and then throw you out like stale Chinese food.
Why isn't this discussed at the executive level? Are their managers, agents, publicists not putting clauses in their contracts? Is Google not afraid of the potential lawsuits which may involve them based on the current allegations?
I know people are concerned about the victims, but is there a committee set forth to help them? Victims advocacy is crucial at a time like this, not only to educate, but prevention and awareness. The victims have a long, scary, and intense journey ahead of them.
They will be getting exams, tested for STIs, giving statements, signing forms, getting direction from lawyers, family, law enforcement, even the perpetrator. What's more, who will be with them in the times that they feel alone, scared and that they are somehow at fault? Who can they look at in a courtroom that will simply nod in affirming they are their for support and that he/she is doing the right thing? What about all the harassment from this person(s) peers or supporters? Who will let them know they aren't alone not only with words but actions?
It's all well and good to offer support during the height of the scandal but when people move on until the next exposure occurs, who is going to continue to offer support?
I hate to say that this won't be the last and that people have learned from this and we can expect better; however, I'm sure someone is getting a direct message right now.
Young people given the spotlight, lots of money and access to things they never dreamed of in a short span is a set up. Many of the people who are huge in social media, are admitted nerds who had no friends or suffer from mental illnesses that compromised their social skills greatly. They go from virtual no one to internet stardom followed by a rabid fandom in rapid succession.
I hope that the promises of support and the call to action will be heard. I offered support to as many creators possible and have heard nothing. Maybe that is because they are busy tending to those who are taking them up on their offer of help during this difficult time.

xo
Posted by at 22 comments:
Labels: , , , , , ,






Personalities don't take good pictures.
This was my Sunday. I was a right mess. Note to prospective makeup artists: When you are between jobs, pick up a hobby!
So next week I go back to work. I cannot wait. When I got a text today my face was like
 



▼


  

I spent Sunday binge watching American Reality Television. I am an avid TOWIE girl; however, I got a chance to watch all the trash television I wanted!
My downfall is not focusing on "reality"  so, of course none of it is scripted. At hour 3 I went from 

▼

to            


I had fun watching most episodes due to the over the top anecdotes; however, between the two Kim's (Zolciak and Kardashian), I was on an emotional roller coaster. It was funny to see the way some families interact. I come from a very rigid and structured family. We look like we have guns to our heads and if we even flinch "boom" so seeing a family joke and prank each other is foreign. I don't think I joke with anyone. I have dry humour and use a lot of sarcasm, but spanking my mum on the bum, or calling my father by his first name? Nope, that's the fastest way to find myself looking for my teeth. 
I think it all got too much when the Kimye wedding preparation was on. 
Kim is by far one of the most self absorbed, extremely narcissistic personalities; however, how many people can turn a sex tape into an empire? It seemed like God had favourites from my view.
  1. Not one, not two but three weddings the last two being over the top? She wasn't even a virgin but these men, companies, stylists, et al pulled out their best for this woman.
  2. Considering the "tape" how many men would have created a dream wedding and paid homage to his bride to the point of renting stadiums, historic buildings and have a room of people telling stories of how in ♥ your fiance is with you and all the professions and declarations of such for several years. 
  3. Who needs friends, when you have a huge family? Seriously, how does one get bored or lonely when you have access to everything? Not to mention, the people in your circle have the same ability so there's no, "Girl, can we get a hook up or on the guest list, I didn't get my check?" or "Let me see if I can get a sitter..."
  4. Cars, clothes, shoes, money, homes, food, friends=amazing!
  5. You are famous for nothing. No creation of an app, no cure for cancer, no world championship anything, no graduating with a doctorate in neuroscience, not even a book.
Any other day, none of that bothers me. Something about yesterday had me over the top in my feelings. I celebrated by stuffing myself with watermelon and rice cakes. Eff me! I didn't even have ice cream or cronuts, it had to be whilst I had purged my flat from unhealthy foods and beverages. I didn't have any resources, not even for takeaway. 
I would have punched anyone who told me, "Beauty is only skin deep" or "Money can't buy happiness" and "All that glitters isn't gold." Let me say something. The Kims on their worst day, is better off than me emotionally, financially, and physically than me on my best. Kim Zolciak has a man that takes her, her wigs, her two teenagers, and more when I meet people who are constantly telling me all the things I don't need to hear. I know I don't need to wear make-up. Yes, I don't need fake hair because I have a lot of hair, but I like versatility. If I could just "get out of my shell" so easily, I would not being writing in this journal right now.
As much as we don't want to admit it, people like to see how the other half lives. Or, the 1% lives. People like attractive people. We like to look and inspect things that we find pleasing. I admit this, and it took me awhile to accept that things like youth, beauty, health, etc. It's funny how few magazines there are like MORE as opposed to Glamour, InStyle, etc. or the number of videographers who specialise in mature skin or are over 30 and act that way.
I have more thoughts on this, but for now, it's okay to be in that moment, but staying there is unhealthy and that will be an upcoming post!

xo
Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , , ,
Please sit still!
This has been one of those time to dial 1-800-NOW-WHAT ? I've been working on a film with two directors that are extreme perfectionists and Type A to a T.
I really don't understand film sets. I haven't seen a movie since Moby Dick was a minnow. So, the faces look the same to me. "Newsflash" I don't have a Jay Z, Beyonce, etc. album. I listen to my own playlist because I don't like hearing the same song 10 times in the span of an hour.  Not because my taste in music is so elite; rather, I can listen to trance and want old school right after.
So, I usually have my headphones on, and get yelled at and bossed around. I told them to their face they need to treat me better. Now that I am still, I need to treat me better. We  teach people how to treat us. When this director went on about how educated, connected, and how many films she helped write and box office hits, in my head she's


 

editing whatever she's saying which I only see her mouth move and a frustrated looking expression.  Today was bad. I have been working 14 hours and my work is done in a routine. I am very precise in what I do. But after everyone has their face done, they talk, the lights are very hot, and you can see your reflection on their forehead, and the lipstick is absent because they talk so much. As we called it, equipment guys were leaving, people were going there separate ways, or to some place for "drinks" <~ yeah right! When I told them I had a flight cross country, she wished me well, but....
Google
 IT HAPPENED !!!!!!!
She called me, "whatshername" I will work for you, deal with your mood swings, listen to your stories, keep your secrets, but don't. ever. call. me. that.  That's a deal breaker and I didn't turn around, but I felt so small.
I didn't go to the wrap party, I'm not going to the premier, and all of the emails that post production sends, which is A LOT, asking if our name is spelled correctly, and if we've submitted our contracts. So, being a baby, I stated my name was, in fact, wrong. I stated my real name is "whatshername." Later, I wrote her an amendment and told her that for this show, I'm three months on, maybe a break and then it's go, go, go and since we spend so much time together, it would be nice to know my first name. Maybe she was tired, or too many things on her mind, but trust and believe she knows my name, and face quite well.
We teach people how to treat us from the moment we interact. It's difficult and uncomfortable, but one must always feel they are equal to not less than. You don't have to believe it, but in time, you keep saying that you deserve better, it will radiate and that's the energy you will put out in the universe.


 xo
Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , ,