There are many things that you should keep in mind when you're attending a sporting event but even more so when you're going to a football game.
I hope you beauties had an amazing Friday. So I've been off and on all week trying to edit videos and create new social images/animations for work. Have you tried doing that while keeping up on all of the beauty news simultaneously? Yeah, it's time for some wine. So the biggest news to hit the market this week was the release of the lipkitbykylie.com for $29. Each kit includes a lip liner and a matte liquid lipstick. Now I understand that liquid lipsticks are life right now - I mean have you been following me on Instagram? - but the hype around this launch was insane! The colors are cute, but to me, they just didn't stand out enough for me to say "Oh ok, here you go Kylie Jenner." Needless to say, this woman of color did not purchase any of the kits but instead, I took to glam room and found a few liquid lipsticks in my stash that could compare.
Here are swatches of three liquid lipsticks by Coloured Raine which remind me of the colors from Kylie's lip kit! And guess what? Each of these liquid lipsticks only costs $17 and are in stock right now!
So what do you guys think? Let me know in the comments!
Hi love bugs! It's time for the November Essence Beauty Box! Now before you guys kill me, remember that I'm in the process of working on a few new projects, revamping the blog, moving content over, photography classes, social media classes etc etc etc...tons of stuff in the works to be a better content creator for you! :-)
Whew, I feel a little bit better getting that off of my chest. Now, onto the November Essence Beauty Box. Last month, I introduced you to the Inaugural Beauty Box and explained how important this was for women of color. It's a beauty subscription box that is specifically curated by a team of African-American women with African-American women in mind. This couldn't have launched at a better time for me because I've been playing back and forth with my hair and trying to decide if I should stop flat ironing it all together for a while. So let's jump into the box:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7yM4d-MipQ
Happy Sunday guys! I'm working on a few holiday pieces for you guys and I wanted to show you a sneak peek of these berry holiday lips.
I used Mac Heaux and topped it off with clear water lipgloss for the glitter/shine! Let me know what other lip looks you want to see!
I didn't realize how much I would grow to love blue lipstick but as all things beauty...I got sucked in and now I'm obsessed. I initially posted swatches of the new Rockstar liquid lipstick by Coloured Raine ($17) and I immediately received requests to compare it to Paint by Anastasia Beverly Hills ($20). So while we work through the rest of the lip swatches, here's a comparison of both blues. 
Paint by Anastasia Beverly Hills Rockstar liquid lipstick by Coloured Raine
As you can see, ABH Paint is a more true blue based metallic lipstick whereas CR Rockstar is a purple blue metallic lipstick with glitter. I'm sure there are those are of you that are wondering what the heck I just :-) The easiest way to think about is to look at the undertone. CR Rockstar has more of a vibrant shine to it since it's mixed with purple and blue as opposed the ABH's Paint.
ABH Paint
My favorite of the two? Definitely CR Rockstar. I absolutely love the purple blue based toe to it! What do you guys think?
Normally, I would put this in my "As Seen In/Featured In" section of the blog but when one of your photographs gets picked by a BuzzFeed editor to be featured in an upcoming article...well...let's just say that all of the OMG's make it worthy enough to have it's own blog post.
Yes, that me and my lipstick #makeupporn product shot. The full article can be found here. Thank you so much for the photo feature Nina Mohan!
*Update: July 22, 2016 - This blog and I do not support Jeffree Star and/or Jeffree Star Cosmetics. This is my personal choice as I choose to feature and support brands that I believe in. I encourage you to search google for any relevant information on his brand if you would like to research his cosmetic line. Xoxo. - Cynira* Be warned before you look at this post. The new Jeffree Star Cosmetics liquid lipstick Holiday Collection might become your new obsession.
Swatches in direct sunlight from left to right:
Hoe Hoe Hoe, Mistletoe, Drug Lord, Doll Parts, Androgyny
First, let's take a closer look at the coveted Androgyny:
This is the best picture that I could get to capture the true color of Androgyny on my lips. The color is beautiful! It is an amazing mauve shade that's not too pink or too nude for women of color. It wears incredible well and is very soft on the lips. Now when I say it took me a while to capture the true color on my lips I say that because it's a very natural color on me and it's hard to pick up the mauve undertones in the picture.
Next, let's look at Hoe Hoe Hoe:
This liquid lipstick is a deep red with hints of metallic red and purple in it. In the pic on the bottom left, I tried to leave the focus from being straight on my lips and a different angle of lighting so you can get a better look at the sparkle from this lipstick. It's going to be great for holidays!
Next is Doll Parts. This is a soft cool toned pink, more like a baby pink on my skin tone. I tried to shift the focus and lighting so you can see how it performs in the images to show the true color.
Here, we have Mistletoe:
Last, is Drug Lord:
Now I know that I made the title of this piece overly dramatic but come on...it's Halloween! The thing that I love about Halloween is that the make up gods come out to play! This is truly one of the few times of the year that you can stun everyone with your make up artistry skills and hey, if you're like me and just want to have fun, it's the perfect time to try out some new looks without looking crazy. So I decided to do some fun lip art! I tried my best to capture it for you guys by my lighting wanted to suck!
[embed]https://youtu.be/s91J30bXhBs[/embed]
To do this look, I used MakeupForever's black lipstick rouge artist intense in 50 and Violet Voss's glitter in Paige for the purple topcoat.
What fun make up looks did you guys try for Halloween?
She's finally here! I have been stalking the Sephora website like a maniac waiting for the Becca Cosmetics Champagne Glow Palette to launch. I know they gave us a specific day and time (Tuesday, October 27 at 12:00pm EST) but you and I both know how friendly I've gotten with the refresh button - umm a new F5 button please. So I was at work Tuesday morning, with my eyes glued to my web browser because I wasn't going to miss this launch. Jaclyn Hill snapped (snapchat) a few days earlier that Becca told her that they only made close to 80,000 units of this palette and I freaked! 80,000 units is not a lot of product - especially during holiday season and hello, have you heard of the JacAttack? Yeah, so I was on it. And it's a good thing that I was because it launched early! I checked out around11:37 with my two new beauties on the way.
Let's take a look shall we...
Can't you hear Stevie Wonder singing Isn't She Lovely right now?
This is a limited edition palette with 3 shimmering Skin Perfector pressed shades (0.084 oz each) in Pearl, Blushed Copper, and Champagne Pop x Jaclyn Hill. It's sold exclusively at Sephora and costs $34.00.
Pearl is a new beautiful luminizer in pale linen white. At first, I was a little weary of how this shade would perform on women of color but I saw a few Youtubers swatch the product and they sealed the deal for me. Champagne Pop which I've tried in the full size version is a soft white gold with pinky peach undertones and Blushed Copper is a beautiful warm copper luminizer that is infused with rose gold tones.
I will have more blog posts and features of me wearing the luminizers coming up but make sure you pick this up (at least one) before it sells out! Don't say that I didn't warn you.
Move over ComicCon - let's stop and talk about the event of a lifetime; a beauty lover's dream; the Mecca of fashion and beauty conferences - BeautyCon NYC! BeautyCon is the world’s premiere fashion, beauty, wellbeing & lifestyle destination for fans, brands, and content creators and last week, and we had the amazing opportunity to cover this event for you! Are you ready to start fangirling?
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First up was the More Than Makeup Panel that was led by Jay Manuel himself - the expert from America's Next Top Model, who taught us how to bring our inner fierceness out to the runway. He led beauty gurus and influencers Niomi Smart, Lo Bosworth, Nikki Phillippi and Chloe Lukasiak in a discussion that helped us discover who we are beyond just makeup.
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Also, let's just say that we weren't surprised to hear that Lo Bosworth's favorite beauty item in her bag is her fragrance! Your signature scent makes you stand out in a crowd without having to put a drop of makeup on, so everyone should find a scent that captures who they are.
After watching a few of the creators and panelists speak, we got to spend some time shopping! Honestly, we love the feeling of picking out some new beauty products and fragrances!
As the day was winding down, we got to hang out in the Media Room and spend one on one time with some of your favorite stars. Oh you know, just some influencers like Sprinkle of Glitter, Jackie Aina, Chloe Lukasiak, Teala Dunn, Niki and Gabi, Naptural85 and even Angel Merino. Did we mention that we got to hang out with singer and celebrities Jojo and Chrisette Michelle? We told you. Fangirling.
Despite being on the edge of OMG every second, we walked away feeling inspired and humbled by the words of every creator in there. No matter who you are or what you want to do, remember to find the beauty within yourself and once you do, your confidence will shine through.
Thanks again #BeautyConNYC for the event of a lifetime.
What do you do when the Shoedazzle and JustFab Press and Social team come out to New York? Why, you party in pink of course!
First, can I tell you guys how much I missed you?! I'm so happy to be writing for my blog again! It's been such a crazy transition and adjustment over the past few months but you know that I'd never leave you for too long. Now back to business - you know everyone has a beauty box now right? I think it's great because it's the best way to try out new products and introduce new brands to the consumer. However, as a woman of color, a lot of the products that are curated for these beauty boxes aren't really done with us in mind - and I mean that with no shade at all. It's just having a certain skin tone; having different undertones; having a different "type" of hair, I need products that are really curated to women of color.
So I was very excited to hear about the news that Essence was coming out with an Essence Beauty Box that was specifically curated by a team of African-American women with African-American women in mind. These are editors who have years of experience in the fashion and hair industry so I immediately knew that I needed to jump on this.
So before we dive into this inaugural box, the subscription is $15 a month and there's three different subscription plans that you can choose from - you can do a monthly payment plan for $15 per box and you'll be charged monthly; you can do a 6 month plan for $90 and you're charged upfront (still $15 per box) or you can do a 12 month subscription which comes to $165 and you're charged upfront (it comes to $13.75 per box). In each box, you're going to get five luxe beauty products. If you sign up, please use my referral code 992-4D8B-00F2!
So now let's get to it - you see what happens when I don't write for my own blog in forever and just live on social? I end up talking and talking and talking just because I missed you guys so much. But you'll see why I took a few months off...I needed to learn a few new tricks ;-)
So this first box includes five products it includes:
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dl8xRy-E4Fg[/embed]
1. The Eden BodyWorks Coconut Shea Leave-In conditioner which is described as a daily conditioning treatment to improve manageability. It's a sulfate free formula that is supposed to be safe for color-treated, chemically treated, curly or straight hair. - Update - This is holy grail out of this entire box. I loveeee me a good leave in conditioner and it's coconut. I rub this on the end of my hair every night before going to bed. #Lifeismade
2. The Curls Crème Brule Whipped Curl Cream is a cream styler that will define, de-frizz, and moisturize your tresses, leaving soft curls without hold. - Update - I still love saying this name. Crème Brule. So sexy :-) Anyway, this is my second favorite product. I've been using this to tame my frizzy hair. I'll give you a better review once I keep my hair in a wash and go style.
3. The L'Occitane Shea Butter Hand Cream which is a cream that is enhanced with 20% shea butter which is specifically designed to penetrate quickly in order to protect, nourish and moisturize your hands. - Update - Ok, this stuff is amazing and is the perfect travel size lotion. I love that I'm able to keep it in my coat pocket to keep my hands moisturized while I'm out. remember ladies, your true age will always show on your hands and your neck so it's best to keep them moisturized!
4. The Calvin Klein Eternity Now fragrance which is a bright addictive floral fragrance that features succulent fruits and radiant flowers that is enveloped in a soft cashmere veil. - Update - Full size bottle is already on my holiday wishlist! Do I need to say more?
5. Lastly, the Tarte Brow Architect which is an all-in-one brush, pencil and underscoring concealer With this tool, you can shape, line and define your brows with one simple tool. - Update - This is a really fun product that's great to travel with. Right now I'll be honest, I'm letting my eyebrows grow in because one looks like an evil twin. #NotCute
And are you ready for this? Here's a quick video of me styling my hair using some of my favorite hair products along with the Eden BodyWorks Coconut Shea Leave-In conditioner and Curls Crème Brule Whipped Curl Cream - which I've been using for about 3 weeks now and I am in love!
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQ9wabiwpI0[/embed]
Overall, I'm really impressed with this box because they are including well-known brands along with new brands and it's great for exposure. Let me know in the comments what you guys think! Don't forget to use the #EssenceBeauty so we can talk!
Hello? Spring? Are you there?
Hi, it's me Cynira and ummm..I was just wondering when I would be able to start wearing my open toe sandals and maxi dresses again? Oh and by the way, waking up to a sheet of ice on my car towards the end of March isn't fun. -_-
Seriously, I am so over winter and it's not even winter anymore! -Insert dramatic sigh- For now, the only thing that I can do is wear brighter color lipsticks and pretend that it's 60 degrees outside.
What color lipstick do you have on today?
Even though the temperature is being extra sensitive this week in New York, I think it's officially time to bid winter adieu.
"So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, goodbye"
Before I officially chuck the deuces up to winter, I asked my oldest niece, Little Miss Ally, how she wanted to say goodbye.
"I want to rock out and wear my gold FabKids sequin fuzzy boots!"
Rock out?
"Yes Auntie! Play it loud, just like a rock star! Shout it out, just like a rock star! Come on everybody let me hear you say, you feel just like a rock star hey, hey, hey!"
Oh. The Fresh Beat Band...Gosh she makes me feel old.
Shoe details: Available on FabKids.com Material: Synthetic Fit: Runs half a size/full size small
"It's always best to start teaching them young!"
In this case, I had to put that motto to work with my oldest niece and show her the true meaning of shoe love. She's only 4 and a half years old but I can already see stilettos and high heels in her future.
Until she's ready, I let her shop around FabKids.com so she can pick out her own boots and outfits. Here, she wanted to model her FabKids Glitter Fuzzies that she just had to have in every color!
"But Auntie, if I don't get the pink and the gold ones I'm going to be SO upset! And I need to get the pink dress, and the pink bows, and the pink book bag and the-"
Umm, so no more shopping for her.
What have I done?
Shoe details: Color: Pink Glitter Material: Synthetic Fit: Runs half a size/full size small
Get ready loves! I'm working on my next color story with Specktra and it's all about nudes! If you're looking for something to wear for Valentine's Day other than red/pink/purple then you want to make sure you catch this piece!
Spring...oh how I wish you were here now and would never ever leave again. Unfortunately, I'm a native New Yorker so I'll be singing this same tune once winter leaves and circles back again at the end of 2015.
The only thing getting me through this blast - the exciting sneak peeks of the upcoming Spring launches of some of my favorite companies! Yesterday, I quickly reposted this photo taken by @rachelaschenbrandpsw, fashion editor at @peoplestylewatchmag, of the #StyleWatching preview of JustFab's spring launch.
So yeah, you can pretty much say that I'm ready for Spring! Start saving up those credits ladies and stock up on your favorite winter items now before their gone. Click here to shop online at JustFab.
The official #GirlBoss herself has given up her role as CEO of NastyGal. Sophia Amoruso - the founder and creator of the Los Angeles based online fashion retailer took to Youtube to explain why she stepped down as the company's CEO and promoted Sheree Waterson in her place.
Briefly, Amoruso explains that she wants to focus on connecting with the brands customers and she can't do that while being in the office all day. Head to Youtube to check out the full video.
What do you think about this decision? Honestly, I think given some of the recent negative press Sophia Amoruso has received about laying off pregnant women, this might be a good PR move for the company all around. Let me know what you think!
Why couldn't they have made these in actual women's sizes?!
These girls Air Jordan 4 Retro "Fuchsia" sneakers are set to launch this Saturday, January 17th on select websites but only in size 3.5Y - 9.5Y.
Ever since 2011 and Maya Moore's deal with Nike's Jordan Brand, I've been looking forward to some fashionable Jordan's that I could add to my street style wardrobe but so far nothing has hit the mark for me.
What do you ladies think? Will you be ordering a pair this weekend?
Photographs and information first reported on Nike.com
Normally, I try to avoid doing this when a new year rolls around but I figured this year would be the one and only exception.
For the past few years, I've been going through this transition with myself physically, emotionally, spiritually, financially (have I used every -ly word that I can to describe this change?). What I'm trying to say is that it took me a long time to find myself and basically what really made me happy as a person. Just me. Not anybody else. Not my boyfriend, not my parents, not my family, not my friends, not my boss. Just me.
While I'm sure I haven't fully figured that out 100% yet and I'm still trying to find a balance for myself in the real world, I am excited about the progress that I've made so far and everything that I have planned for myself, my career and for you all!
So with that said, here's looking at 2015!
