Tag Archives: beauty

It’s a Natural Thang Summer Meet Up 2015

Natural hair group It’s a Natural Thang held their Summer Meet Up Saturday, July 25th. The theme of the meet up was Generations. Attendees had the opportunity to bring their children and parents to share in this experience. There was also Little Miss Natural for little girls to showcase their natural hair styles.

Goody Bag

Goody Bag2                                      Goody bag with samples of Taliah Waajid™ haircare products.

Sweethearted raffle win                                                                     Won this cute hat in a raffle. Hat courtesy of Sweet Hearted.

Sweet Tee Purchase                                               Purchased this natural bug repellant from Sweet T’s Beauty All Natural Bath and Body Products.

Shea Butter Purchase                                                              I couldn’t resist purchasing the Vanilla Sandalwood Butta from Good Body Stuff Body Scrubs Body and Butters.

Shea Butter Purchase2

Little Miss Natural         Participants in Little Miss Natural.

Little Miss Natural2

July 2015 Birchbox

July Birchbox

July Birchbox2

July Birchbox3

July Birchbox4

The contents of my July Birchbox are:

  • LA FRESH® Eco-Beauty® Waterproof Makeup Remover
  • Davines MINU Shampoo
  • Benefit Cosmetics They’re Real! Push-Up Liner-Black
  • Stila look at me liquid lipstick – Bella
  • Dr. Jart+ Ceramidin Liquid™
  • Davines MINU hair serum
  • Davines MINU Conditioner

July Birchbox5

July Birchbox Swatch                      Stila look at me liquid lipstick – Bella

July Birchbox Swatch2                Benefit Cosmetics They’re Real! Push-Up Liner-Black

 

International Natural Hair Meet Up

The International Natural Hair Meetup Day was held Saturday May 30, 2015. Various locations throughout the world held this event. I attended the International Natural Hair Meet Up that was held in Pittsburgh, PA. The Pittsburgh based natural hair group It’s a Natural Thang sponsored this event  In addition to having wonderful vendors, this event concluded with a special presentation. The presentation was called “International Hair, The Diaspora Edition: The drum, the braid, the dance.” The presentation documented the story of African descendants and gave an account of hairstyles/headwraps and dance traditions.

Hair Even Purchase

My purchase from the Ujamaa Collective located in the Hill District neighborhood of Pittsburgh, PA

Hair Event Purchase3  E-MA’s Green Hair Food and Black Soap

Hair Event Purchase2  Creative Lady Hand Crafted Hair Accessories purchase

Hair Event Goodies  I received a goodie bag for being one of the first 25 people who purchased a ticket to the International Natural Hair Meet Up.

Hair Event Goodies2  🙂

June 2015 ispy Bag

June ipsy

June ipsy2

June ipsy3        BioRepublic Skin Care Sheet Mask Trio

  • Aloe Rescue
  • Green Tea Detox
  • Cucumber Breeze

The contents of my June ipsy Bag are:

  • treStique Mini Shadow Crayon – Venetian Gold
  • J. Cat Beauty Liptitude Hydrating Lips Stain – Blow Your Mind
  • Smashbox Cosmetics Photo Finish Primer
  • Key West Aloe Mango Moisturizing Lotion
  • BioRepublic Skin Care Sheet Mask Trio

June ipsy4

June ipsy swatch                           Cat Beauty Liptitude Hydrating Lips Stain – Blow Your Mind                       treStique Mini Shadow Crayon – Venetian Gold

June 2015 Birchbox

June Birchbox

June Birchbox3

The contents of my June Birchbox are:

  • Sienna Naturals Moisturizing Leave-in Conditioner
  • Dr. Jart+ Dermaclear™ Micro Water
  • COOLA SPF 50 Sport – Mango
  • Marcelle Waterproof Eyeliner
  • Emi Jay Hair Tie
  • Skyn Iceland Hydro Cool Firming Eye Gels

June Birchbox4

June Birchbox Swatch Marcelle Waterproof Eyeliner – Indigo

May 2015 ipsy Bag

May ipsy

May ipsy 2

May ipsy3

May ipsy4

The contents of my May ipsy Bag are:

  • Amie Morning Dew Matte-Finish Moisturizer
  • Briogeo Rascaro Milk ™ Reparative Leave-In Conditioning Spray
  • Bellapierre® Cosmetics Waterproof Mineral Gel Eyeliner Pencil – Ebony
  • Luxie Beauty Tapered Blending Eye Brush 205
  • Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Lip Pencil – Ozone
  • Bonus Revolution High-Color Lipgloss – Failbait and Bittersweet

May ipsy5May ipsy Swatch  Bellapierre® Cosmetics Waterproof Mineral Gel Eyeliner Pencil – Ebony

May 2015 Birchbox

May Birchbox

May Birchbox2

May Birchbox3

May Birchbox4

The contents of my May Birchbox are:

  • English Laundry Notting Hill Femme
  • Living Proof. ® Restore Instant Repair
  • W3LL People The Expressionist Bio Extreme Mascara
  • Living Proof. ® Restore Shampoo
  • Living Proof. ® Restore Conditioner
  • Smashbox Cosmetics Photo Finish Primer Water
  • Naombay Oxygenating Cream Moisturizer

May Birchbox5

Survived Another Cold Winter

I live in the Northeast section of the United States. I would have to say this past Winter was one of the coldest on record. At least I was prepared when it came to my beauty routine. The first day of Spring doesn’t matter much in my area either. It’s still get cold. March and April do have a few warm teaser days yet I’m still using my Winter beauty routine. My furnace came on earlier this month too. LOL!

  • Coastal Scents Unrefined Shea Butter
  • Jamaican Mango & Lime Jamaican Black Castor Oil with Rosemary
  • Shea Moisture Jamaican Black Castor Oil Strengthen Grow & Restore Leave-In Conditioner
  • Urban Decay Vice 3 Palette
  • Maybelline Lash Sensational ™ Full Fan Effect Mascara
  • NYX Butter Lip Gloss – Devils Food Cake
  • NYX Butter Lip Gloss – Raspberry Tart
  • Elizabeth Mott You’re so Fine Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner – Glitterati
  • MAC Pro Longwear Concealer – NC50
  • MAC Mineralize Skin Finish Natural – Dark

Winter Shea  I am not surprised I used the entire tub of the Coastal Scents Unrefined Shea Butter. This shea butter did a great job of protecting my skin from the bitter cold. I needed that extra layer of protection from the wind too.

Winter Castor Oil  In the past I have used shea oil to seal my ends after washing my hair. This time around I used the Jamaican Mango & Lime Jamaican Black Castor Oil with Rosemary. The JBCO made my ends less prone to breakage and helped maintain the length of my hair. I also used the JBCO as a massage oil for my scalp.

Winter Conditioner  The cold temperatures and the dry heat from the furnace are the main culprits as to why my hair and scalp are so dry. The Shea Moisture Jamaican Black Castor Oil Strengthen Grow & Restore Leave-In Conditioner will be a staple in my haircare routine.

Vice 3 Palette4  I purchased the Urban Decay Vice 3 Palette during the Holiday season. I really love this palette. It has a nice mix of neutrals, bold colors, mattes, and shimmers. Most mornings I finish doing my makeup and work. This palette is travel friendly.

Winter Mascara  The Maybelline Lash Sensational™ Full Fan Effect Mascara delivers on making my lashes long and thick. I don’t feel the need to wear false eyelashes whenever I use this mascara.

Winter Gloss  NYX Butter Lip Gloss – Raspberry Tart, NYX Butter Lip Gloss – Devils Food Cake

If you don’t already know the NYX Butter Lip Gloss is fantastic. I am never disappointed when I try a lippie from NYX. The Butter Lip Glosses have great color payoff and leave the lips moisturized.

Winter Eyeliner  I actually received the Elizabeth Mott You’re So Fine Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner in Glitterati in the November 2014 ipsy bag. I really like the brush on this eyeliner. It was really easy to apply the eyeliner close to the lashline. I was seriously rocking the winged liner.

Winter Face Makeup  MAC Mineralize Skin Finish Natural – Dark, MAC Pro Longwear Concealer – NC50

Being pressed for time in the mornings I wanted something that would even out my skin tone quickly. The MAC Pro Longwear Concealer and MAC Mineralize Skin Finish was my go to combination. The Pro Longwear Concealer provides great coverage and a little goes a long way. The Mineralize Skin Finish gave me a nice healthy glow.

Nature’s Shea Butter Purchase from HauteLook (the love affair continues)

Hautelook Shea

For me it makes perfect sense to purchase Nature’s Shea Butter products whenever they are on HauteLook. This line support fair trade and the shea butter is of high quality. The affordable prices on HauteLook are hard to resist.

Hautelook Shea2

Hautelook Shea3  The Lavender Vanilla Unrefined Whipped Shea Butter is one of my favorite scents from Nature’s Shea Butter.

Hautelook Shea4  I also purchased the White Tea and Shea Bundle. I really wanted to try the White Tea & Shea Anti-Aging Facial Cream. I am already using the Argan Oil from Nature’s Shea Butter as a part of my skincare routine. The face cream will make a nice addition. You can’t go wrong with the handmade soaps either. I really like these soaps since they don’t dry out my skin.

Mother’s Day Purchase 2015: Lush Fresh Handmade Cosmetics

Each year I make it a point to buy myself something really nice for Mother’s Day. This year I splurged on Lush Fresh Handmade Cosmetics located inside the Downtown Pittsburgh Macy’s. I was already planning on visiting Lush to buy more Aromaco Deodorant. I decided to try a few more items.

Lush Purchase

  • Sandstone (sample)
  • Aromaco
  • Avobath
  • T’eo
  • Stepping Stone
  • Love Lettuce

Lush Purchase2

Lush Aromaco  I am already pleased with the effectiveness of the Aromaco Deodorant.

Lush Teo  With the weather getting warmer in my area I wanted to try T’eo.

To be honest my feet aren’t quite Summer ready.LOL!

Lush Avo Bath  Megan in the Lush store recommended I should try the Avobath as a foot soak.

Lush Stepping Stone  She recommended the Stepping Stone as well. This combination will not only sooth my feet but soften them too.

Lush Love Lettuce  In the past I have used the Fresh Face Mask in Cupcake. The Lush I visited was completely sold out in that mask. I managed to get the last one of the Love Lettuce.

Lush Sample  Megan also gave me a sample of the Sandstone soap to try.

Thank you Megan for all of your assistance. 🙂