All posts in category Beauty

Going from Day to Night with Mary Kay

The summer season is kicking off this weekend and this the time to start simplifying our beauty routines. We trade in all of our heavy foundations and powders for light bronzers and tinted moisturizers. It’s also a time to have fun with color, whether it’s bright eyes or bold lips. So how can we rock these beauty trends without spending a ton of time (and products)?

This is where my friends from Mary Kay come in. Marissa Nemes, Mary Kay’s Glam Squad Celebrity Makeup Artist, gave me some great tips on getting the perfect summer look. Inspired by the runways of this past Spring’s Fashion Week, she focuses on dewy skin and long lashes for a natural daytime look, adding scarlet red lip color that takes the look straight into evening. Armed with her product recommendations (and a few tweaks of my own), I put her tips to the test.

Daytime Look

Marissa Says:

Create a beautiful canvas by highlighting and lightly concealing the under eye area with the Mary Kay Facial Highlighting Pen
Define and contour the face using Mary Kay Mineral Bronzer in Canyon Gold then illuminate the highest plains of the face by applying Mary Kay Mineral Highlighting Powder in Pink Stardust to the cheekbones, bridge of nose, forehead and chin
For beautiful, angelic lashes, use an eyelash curler and then apply Mary Kay Lash Love Mascara in a zig-zag motion to evenly coat every lash
Finally, spritz on Mary Kay Makeup Finishing Spray to keep makeup in place and provide a dewy finish

My Thoughts

I really wanted to use the highlighting pen but the sample I had wasn’t a color match for my skin. So I improvised with my own concealer, not only concentrating under the eyes but my eye lids and nose as well. It’s the area of my face that’s the darkest and just doing that instantly brightened up my face.
I find that my face doesn’t need too much contouring, adding a little of the bronzer right under my cheek bones and on the sides of my nose. I liked the subtle sparkle it gave my skin as well as evening it out. Normally I would need foundation and press powder for that! As for the highlighting powder, also too light for my skin so I had to skip that.
All I needed was the Mascara to get the long lashes her look called for. I loved the tiny brush because it picked up every lash.
The finishing spray felt light and dried up quickly, helping my makeup stay put. I didn’t see much of a dewy finish though.
I also needed a lip color because I can’t just step out of the house without it! To keep with the natural look I had going on, I put on Mary Kay’s Downtown Brown. It’s a nice brown color with a touch of shimmer.

Night Time Look

Marissa Says:

Touch up your daytime look, if necessary, and re-illuminate the highest plains of the face using Mineral Highlighting Powder in Pink Stardust
Apply two more coats of Mary Kay Lash Love Mascara to lashes to build volume
Sweep Mary Kay True Dimensions Lipstick in Sizzling Red on lips for a gorgeous bold pout with subtle shine
Reapply Mary Kay Makeup Finishing Spray to freshen up skin!

My Thoughts

I kept my look as is, not needing to reapply the bronzer, though I did add one more coat of mascara.
The lipstick is a-mazing! The packaging is sleek and modern, unlike any I’ve seen. The lipstick itself goes on soft and smooth with great pigmentation. The color is the perfect red, not too bright or too deep that I couldn’t wear it during the day if I wanted to.

Marissa tips were great and I learned that just some concealer and bronzer can give me the same results as my tinted moisturizer and powder. Definitely saves me time and keeps my skin light in the sweltering heat. Product wise, the mascara and the lipstick were by far my favorites. I can see them both becoming a part of my beauty routine this summer!

Are you a fan of Mary Kay? What are your favorite products?

FTC Disclosure: Products mentioned in this review, except for the lipstick in Downtown Brown, were received as free samples for review.

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Fierce Natural Hair: All Hail the Afro

One of the first goals I had when I decided to stop relaxing my hair was to have big and bold hair. I wanted people to see my hair before they saw me! I could never achieve that before and when I was finally able to rock an afro, you couldn’t tell me nothin’! I don’t know what it is, but when I have my hair all fro’d out I feel free, rebellious, and extra confident. It could be the historical significance of the Afro that long stood against conforming to discriminatory norms. In a lot of ways that still applies -the natural hair trend is breaking down impossible industry images of what beauty is. I’m all for breaking down those walls and letting women celebrate who they are instead of wasting their time trying to be something they can’t.

So in celebration of the movement against industry ideals, we are paying tribute to the fro. (Right on!)

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2 Comments

by MJ on May 20, 2013 • Permalink

Posted in All About the Hair, Beauty

Tagged Afro, Beauty, Black Hair Care, hair, Hair Care, Hair Styles, Natural Hair

Posted by MJ on May 20, 2013

http://getfiercestyle.com/2013/05/20/fierce-natural-hair-all-hail-the-afro/

Causing a Scandal with Rimmel London Cosmetics

Happy Monday!

Yeah, I’m dragging today too but what talking about makeup always puts me in a good mood (that and a good cup of coffee!) Today, I’m having fun reviewing products from Rimmel London, most notably their ScandalEyes collection. I know you’ve seen all the commercials and their products in the cosmetics aisle that you stalk every time you go into the drug store (or is that just me?) I was very curious to see if these products lived up to the hype and could be added to my list of drug store favorites

Look #1: Purple Reign

{Glam Eyes Quad in Purple Reign, ScandalEyes Waterproof Kohl Kajal in Black, ScandalEyes Show Off Mascara}

I loved how the colors in this palette created a soft beauty look while making a statement at the same time. While the packaging is super cute, it’s not practical. Getting the highlighting shadow is easy (the big cross of color in the middle). Getting to the other ones however are more difficult unless you have a thin brush (and then it takes longer to get the shadow on.) The liner glides on smooth and has great depth of color. I could’ve used the same liner in purple for an even bigger effect (next time for sure!) The mascara gives great volume sans clumping and using the tip of it made my lashes even longer.

Look #2: Gossip Green

{ScandalEyes Eye Shadow Stick in Gossip Green, ScandalEyes Waterproof Kohl Kajal in Black, ScandalEyes Show Off Mascara}

Back on the bold eye color train with this look, using the Eye Shadow Stick in Gossip Green. It glides on super smooth and the depth of color is great! The black liner and mascara made my eyes pop even more. Big thumbs up for this one!

Look #3: Blackmail

{ScandalEyes Eye Shadow Stick in Blackmail, ScandalEyes Show Off Mascara}

I wanted to see if the eyeshadow stick could double as an eyeliner and I was pleasantly surprised! It gave me the thick, winged eyeliner look I was going for with just a swipe. The mascara gave me the volume and a red lip was all I needed to complete my retro glam look.

You can probably tell I had a lot of fun test driving some of Rimmel’s products! They did what they promised, gave me an assortment of looks I could create with just a few products, and delivered on the color I’m always looking for.

Have you tried Rimmel’s ScandalEyes collection? What did you think?

FTC Disclosure: Products mentioned in this review were received as free samples. All opinions are my own.

Photos courtesy of: Rimmel London

2 Comments

by MJ on May 13, 2013 • Permalink

Posted in Beauty, The Make-up Bag

Tagged Beauty, Cosmetics, Makeup, makeup tips, Natural Hair, Product Reviews, Rimmel London, ScandalEyes Show Off Mascara

Posted by MJ on May 13, 2013

http://getfiercestyle.com/2013/05/13/causing-a-scandal-with-rimmel-london-cosmetics/

Beauty Look of the Day: Aqua Flash Eyes with Avon

It’s official. I’m on the bright eyes train this summer. After the last BLOTD, I was hooked and I’m looking for any and everything that screams color. When Avon contacted me to review their Glimmerstick in Aqua Flash I was all in. I’ve used their liners before in more subtle colors like silver and black so I already knew the product itself was solid. Their easy to use, glide on smooth, and have great staying power. The true test was the color and when they say flash, they really weren’t kidding! It’s so bright and bold, it can be worn alone which is exactly what I did. Some makeup artists may say that colored liner outside the entertainment industry is a no-no but I’m all about becoming a beauty rule breaker! I also got the chance to review their SuperExtend Infinite Mascara and their Totally Kissable Lipstick. The mascara gave the right amount of volume for a day look with no clumps. The lipstick felt smooth and soft, though I wasn’t crazy about the color on me. I thought it was too pale of a pink for my skin tone but I am interested in trying out any other colors they have that are right up my alley (Makeout Red and Berry Smooch look gorgeous!)

Face

Avon Cream to Powder Foundation**
Sheer Cover Concealer**

Eyes

TooFaced’s Heaven brushed all over the eyelids and brow bones to lighten things up.
Avon Glimmersticks in Aqua Flash along the upper lash line*
Avon SuperExtend Infinite Mascara in black*

Lips

Avon Totally Kissable Lipstick in Lovey Dovey*

Hair

You may recognize the hairstyle from last week’s outfit post. I wanted to do an updo but didn’t want to go with the usual puff. So I gave my hair a little side bang action and scooped up the rest into a high ponytail. Easy peasy!

Are you going bold with eye color this summer?

*These products were received as free samples for review

**These products were received previously as free samples for past reviews.

Beauty Blast: Ouidad’s Botanical Boost Spray

One type of hair product that I’m still searching high and low for is a moisturizing mist. The weather is getting so much nicer (and hotter!) and being outside a lot more can leave my hair super fried! I need something that can refresh my curls, leaving them just as soft and moisturized as when I left the house. When the folks over at Ouidad gave me the opportunity to review their Botanical Boost Spray, I was all over it! Now, I must confess, I wasn’t the biggest fan of their products. I tried some of them in the past and wasn’t too thrilled. This time around though, my hair is different from the transitioning days so it was worth a shot!

A little about the product – it’s a moisture infusing and refreshing spray with ingredients like Aloe Vera and other botanical extracts. It promises to preserve moisture, eliminate frizz, and make detangling a breeze. You can use it right after a shampoo or in the morning to refresh your curls before heading out. The spray itself is lightweight with no oils or waxes that can weigh hair down.

After a month of using the Botanical Spray first thing in the morning or midday, I thought it was okay. The spray nozzle, which is one of the first things I check out with a hair spray, helps distribute the product easily. The 8.5 oz bottle is perfect to put into a travel or beach bag when you need to take it on the go. The spray itself is light, absorbing into my hair quickly and not leaving it greasy. My curls did feel soft and brought them back to life. However, it didn’t last too long though, only a few hours and I needed to retouch my hair again. In the morning I couldn’t completely ditch my regular moisturizer either. As for the detangling aspect, my hair is way too thick for this mist to handle in that department so I didn’t even try!

All in all, I think the spray is perfect to touch up hair on the go or right after a long day on the beach if you’re not going straight home. If your hair isn’t as kinky and coily as mine, I have a feeling it would stay moisturized a lot longer (the site recommends this for wavy and curly hair). So with that said, I see packing this in my beach bag for a day on the sand and not part of my everyday hair stash.

Have you tried any products from Ouidad? Are there any I should try?

FTC Disclosure: The product mentioned in this review was received as a free sample

Photo courtesy of Ouidad.