As we transition from cool to cold weather, I’m often faced with decisions about how to bring liveliness back into my personal appearance. I find that the chilly gray days give the entire landscape a dull cast that I feel is inadvertently absorbed into my aura. So, I do a lot of things to try to make sure that I’m not visually dull or boring.
The best way for me to do this is through my clothing and makeup. One of my goals for this year was to find an inexpensive, wearable red that would be very appropriate for a variety of occasions. I knew that I was getting close to reaching this goal when I stumbled upon 3 Revlon lipsticks at the Dollar Tree.
As a woman of color/Black American woman (particularly one with dark skin), we’re often encouraged to avoid colors that are too bright: red definitely falls into that category. However, I wholeheartedly believe that there is a shade of red for everyone. I also believe in a little act of rebellion here and there, and defining beauty for myself is a big part of that. I tested my “red is for everyone” theory by trying the three following shades of red: Rosewine (shade 225), Wine with Everything (shade 525), and Revlon Red (shade 730). You may be able to find the colors at your local Dollar Tree or drugstore; alternatively, you can pick them up on Amazon (I’ve already inserted hyperlinks for your convenience).
But I went a step further and filmed the lipstick try-on for you all. I hope you enjoy!
It’s been a while, but I was overdue for a beauty product review. So, I picked up one of the eyeshadow palettes I’ve gotten in a previous Beem Box (I reviewed that box here, and I’ll also insert the video below), and decided to give it a try.
The palette is by Kara Beauty, a woman-owned cosmetic company that products cruelty-free and vegan products. I received the “With You” palette in my Beem Box. The palette has 8 neutrals, which can be combined in numerous ways to make some “perfect for every occasion” looks. At first glance, I thought that the colors weren’t dynamic enough; however, as I thought more seriously about it, I realized that these shades are actually perfect. Each color is easily interchangeable with another, and are perfect as transition, highlight and intensifying shades when combined with a more colorful palette.
if you have warm undertones, these are all very flattering shades. The packaging is pretty standard: it’s made of lightweight cardboard material, has a magnetic closure, and also has a mirror. The shades are as follows: Baby, Always, Garden Date, and No Doubt on the top row, Your Smile, Magic Portion, Two of Us and Soft Hug on the bottom row.
Now, for the real test: I swatched the shades so you can see how they show up on brown skin. Here’s how that went:
Needless to say, I’m disappointed in most of the shades. I take no issue in the shades that went invisible on my skin due to them being so close to my skintone, but what was really frustrating was how many layers I had to apply of No Doubt, Your Smile, Two of Us, and Soft Hug, just so it would show up in the picture. The deeper tones are definitely patchy, and I wouldn’t use them unless I was pressed for time and didn’t want to find another palette/comparable shade. I noticed that the website has rave reviews for this palette, but I’m assuming that’s because the reviewers have lighter complexions. On my skin, it takes a lot to make these colors show up, which is why I’m not enamored with the product.
Another concern I had was with the shimmers (Garden Date and Magic Portion). These are gorgeous in the palette but they don’t work well if you plan on applying with a shadow brush. The shimmers are definitely best for finger applications: when I applied them with my fingers, I had much better intensity. I tried this with the deeper shades (specifically, Your Smile and Soft Hug), but again, it came across patchy.
My final thoughts on this product is that I’m not a fan of it. I wouldn’t be opposed to trying other products from this line, but I just don’t think that the eyeshadows were great. I’ll probably end up giving it to my daughter so she can play with them (I already have similar shimmer shadows, so I don’t have to hold onto the palette just for those two shades).
Have any of you tried Kara Beauty’s products before? I’d love to hear your reactions in the comments below! Also here is my video when I give my first impression. I thought the product would perform better when I took the time to do a proper swatch, but I was incorrect (as I’ve already explained). I hope you all enjoy! Take care, and I’ll talk to you all tomorrow.
You all are aware of my undying love for The Ordinary skincare. But, when the company strays away from offering skin actives, things tend to go left (as you may remember when I reviewed The Ordinary sunscreen).
Well, I decided to try their foundation and concealer. It wasn’t my first rodeo with their foundation, but since the line has expanded its offerings, I figured I could find a better color match now. I was incorrect. However, the concealers weren’t too bad: I liked the color, texture and the coverage. For the price, it wasn’t a bad experiment overall (the products are very affordably priced). I bought the following items:
Coverage Foundation in shades 3.0Y, 3.1R, 3.1Y
Serum Foundation in shades 3.1R and 3.1Y
Concealer in shades 3.1Y, 3.2N, 3.2Y
(photo courtesy of The Ordinary)
The Coverage foundation is formulated for oily skin, and the Serum foundation is for drier skin. The concealer is formulated for all skin types. I swatched the products and did a whole YouTube video on it. You can watch it here:
Have you all tried any of The Ordinary’s color costmetics? What were your thoughts on them? I’d love to hear all about it in the comments below!
Happy Tuesday, friends! I had some last-minute changes to my schedule last week, so I had to push my posts ahead to this week. As always, I’m delighted to be back and writing per usual.
Today’s post is a review of a clean fragrance brand that I initially disliked, but, as I started experimenting with the fragrances, the scents started to “grow” on me! The brand is 7 Virtues, and the sampler set that I purchased is the Peace Blend Box.
The 7 Virtues Peace Blend Box contains 7 clean, vegan perfumes that can be combined in order to create a signature scent. I had my doubts about the smells, because they initially seemed a little strong and not quite what I usually go for. I decided to review the scents on my YouTube channel, so I’ll post the video shortly.
As the video goes along, I start to warm up to the fragrances. It’s funny: you can literally see me change my mind from ‘meh’ to ‘maybe’, then from ‘maybe’ to ‘I think I like it’! The set contains the fragrances that use essential oils from various countries. The scents are as follows:
Orange Blossom from Afghanistan
Rose Amber from Afghanistan
Vetiver Elemi from Haiti
Grapefruit Lime from Israel & Iran
Patchouli Citrus from Rwanda
Jasmine Neroli from India
Vanilla Woods from Madagascar
The company gets a thumbs up from me, due to the fact that it centers ethical sourcing and fair trade commerce. Yay for good products that support good work! According to 7 Virtues, every purchase serves their mission to “provide dignity and meaningful employment in communities rebuilding after war or strife.” This is such an important cause, as many countries affected by domestic conflicts are left devastated economically as well as culturally. It means a lot to me, to know that I, in my own little way, can support the work that 7 Virtues is promoting.
Without further ado, here’s the video:
If you want to check out the 7 Virtues brand, click here. Let me know if you’d try this brand, or you have any other clean fragrance recommendations!
Happy Tuesday! Today I’m sharing a fun new subscription box with you all, that I think you’ll really enjoy if you have brown skin.
The Beem Box is a bimonthly beauty subscription service that offers products that are customized for your skin type, skin routine, makeup preferences, and complexion. The color cosmetics offered in each box are selected especially for your skin tone, so you never have to worry about whether the shades will suit you. The box is priced at $45, and the items included in each box exceed the sticker price.
Hi friends! I hope you all had an amazing weekend and a great Monday so far. The weekend was a whirlwind for me, so I’m taking it easy for the next few days so that I can restore my energy.
Today’s post is a really quick review of The Ordinary’s Mineral UV Filter Sunscreen. I’d usually hyperlink the product so that you all can check it out for yourselves, but in this case, I have to refrain. I was not please with this product AT ALL. I know, I know: I’m usually such a huge fan of The Ordinary’s products. But this was a big FLOP. As it turns out, I wasn’t the only customer that was displeased with this product. More about that later: let me tell you about this sunscreen.
In my attempt to try every single product made by The Ordinary, I purchased the Mineral UV Filter Sunscreen. I wear sun protection pretty much every day (even when I’m spending the day indoors). So, out of curiosity and to meet the minimum amount for free shipping, I decided to try the sunscreen. I received the product and decided to try it in place of my usual sunscreen. Imagine my horror when my face turned BLUE in reaction! I realize I had on all of my serums and potions, and I applied sunscreen as my last step (per usual). I experimented with using the sunscreen on top of bare skin, and, while I got a better result, I STILL turned blue. Here’s my video reviewing the product – it has a lot more details about my experience:
In conclusion? This is big NO. I’ll use it as a sunscreen for my arms and legs until I use it up, but I can’t use it on my face UNLESS I plan on staying indoors, where no one will see my blue face!
That’s all for today’s post. See, I told you all it would be short! Take care, and talk to you all tomorrow!
I love candles. I’ve never reviewed candles here on this blog, but I have quite a collection. It’s funny: something that is such a BIG part of my daily relaxation routine has never been featured here before. But, then again, I didn’t have any candles that completely resonated with my essence.
Until now. Recently, I came across some candles on the page of one of my Facebook friends. I’d intended to invest in more luxury candles, but other than Diptyque and The Clean Candle Company (I did a review of their candles here), I was stumped over which candle to purchase next. I’d planned to try Trudon’s Josephine candle, but the company has consistently sold out of the size I wanted to purchase. And so it goes: fate conspired to make me amenable to other suggestions.
This company crafts candles themed after literary and cultural figures from the Harlem Renaissance period. And the candle that most intrigued me was Josephine, named after the bronzed goddess herself, Ms. Josephine Baker. I also purchased two other candles – Speakeasy and Ellington – in both the regular and travel sizes (respectively).
These candles are lush, complex and timelessly elegant. I love the fragrances that the company offers, as well as the charming backstories that explain the inspiration behind the scents. The company also ships their products quickly: it took me only a few days after purchasing to have my candles in hand. I enjoyed these candles so well that I made a YouTube video about it! Please check out the video, and give it a thumbs up if you enjoy it.
That’s all for today. I’ll talk to you all tomorrow. Take care!
As part of learning more about this brilliant woman, I read a bit about her and found that there are many things that she’s done to position herself as a woman of status and influence. I made a video highlighting five of those qualities.
The qualities I discussed are as follows:
Learn a foreign language
Take up a luxurious hobby
Eliminate or reduce meat from your diet
Wear blush
Start a blog
By engaging in one or more of these activities, you can live a little more like Meghan.
Do you have any Duchess-worthy tips? Let me hear about it in the comments below!
As promised. here is my review of the Kandi Koated Glaze Illuminating Lip Shine. I purchased it at the same time that I purchased the concealer. The packaging is the same gorgeous rose gold hue, and the applicator features a doe-foot tip. I purchased the lip shine in the color Corset (I don’t think this shade is currently available).
According to the Kandi Koated website, the lip shine is described as, “Ultra-rich lip gloss that can be worn alone or layered over your favorite lipstick for added color and gloss! Delivers a bright and beautiful shine.” The description is correct: the lip gloss is shiny and adds a brilliant tint to your lips. This product has a lovely iridescence that looks both pink and purple at the same time.
Swatch of “Corset” by Kandi Koated Cosmetics
I love that the product is non-sticky and unflavored, so it can be easily layered with other lip products, but it’s lovely enough to wear on its own. This product is lightweight and VERY wearable.
Would I recommend it? Absolutely! It’s reasonably priced and performs well. I’ll certainly purchase it in additional shades in the months to come (I have to use up some other products before I can justify buying more makeup!).
So . . . A few weeks ago, I took a little trip to the Dollar Tree and spent WAY too much on cheap makeup. As you all know, bargain beauty items are my kryptonite, so I find it hard to say no when the products are so cheap and fun to try.
I saw that LA Colors has recently released a line of lip colors, and the name of the products intrigued me. LA Colors Velvet Lip Mousse promise to deliver “velvety matte texture” and, I’m assuming, vivid color. I bought one in each shade available, because even if the color was “off”, I was confident that I could finesse it into a more flattering hue.
Lip Mousses in (l to r) Rhapsody, Souffle, Silky and Whipped
The shades I purchased are Rhapsody, Souffle, Silky and Whipped. Rhapsody is a deep berry shade, Souffle is a peachy nude, Silky is a vivid cerise, and Whipped is a bright crimson with orange undertones. Kudos to LA Colors for creating lipsticks to flatter both warm- and cool-toned girls.
Color swatches (l to r) Rhapsody, Souffle, Silky and Whipped
Silky mixed with Crucifix
The colors apply smoothly and don’t have any flavor or scent. I wore Silky paired with one of my favorite lipsticks – Crucifix by Kat Von D – and I loved the combination. The lipstick has a matte finish but doesn’t feel drying, which is nice. The Velvet Lip Mousses appear to mix well with other lipsticks, and, while not smudge-proof, they do last a long while. I ate and drank while wearing Silky, and I didn’t have to reapply. I haven’t tried pairing these with glosses, though I’m assuming that could be a pretty look, too.
My thoughts? These are a great inexpensive product and certainly worth trying. If you want to experiment with a different lip shade, or if you like low-cost cosmetics, this is a winner!
Have you tried this product? Let me know your thoughts below!
Bronze Butterfly 