Melt Cosmetics Dark Matter and Love Sick Eyeshadow Stacks Review and Swatches

Melt Cosmetics has released the ultimate matte eyeshadows that are packed together in a clever and magnetic four eyeshadow stack with an accompanying mirror. The stacks are available in two color themes: the Dark Matter Stack and the Love Sick Stack.

Dark Matter and Love Sick Eyeshadow stacks

The Dark Matter stack ($48) features four warm and rust matte eyeshadows that were combined together to create the most beautiful chocolate smokey eye.  

The colors are:

BLURR - a soft beautiful blending/eraser shadow UNSEEN - a cool-medium delicious caramel brown ENIGMA - a beautiful rusted red-brown DARK MATTER - the most pigmented pitch-black

The Love Sick stack ($48) features four bold accent eyeshadows that were combined together to create a bold look.  

The colors are:

PROMISCUOUS - a beautiful color changing violet-blue FIXATED - a gorgeous matte grey AMELIE - a perfectly peachy gold LOVE SICK - a beautiful ultra-matte burgundy

The best thing to do is to order both of these stacks so that you can create your own perfect palette! I also used the Urban Decay Anti-Aging Eye Shadow Primer Potion as a base for the shadows to really make them pop. Try pairing the colors for some bold eye looks that you can translate over to a fun lip look or even a pop of color on your cheeks!

Kami Cosmetics Lipsticks Review and Swatches

Today, I want to introduce you to Kami Cosmetics - a luxury beauty brand that has been designed for the sophisticated and chic woman in every skin tone.  The line, which is symbolized by a butterfly, was designed to help every woman on her transformative personal journey to find products that help her feel as beautiful as she does free. It features lipsticks, eye shadows, palettes and face wear in highly pigmented shades, that are cruelty free, non-comedogenic, hypoallergenic, allergy tested, fragrance free and paraben free.

Let's learn a little bit more about the brand and the lipsticks shall we? Here, we have their moisturizing creamy lipsticks in the colors Glamour, Costa and Rich Girl that are packed with Vitamin E to soothe and heal your lips. When I first opened the packaging and saw the colors, I was very excited. I kind of felt like a kid getting one of those pastel ice creams for the first time from the ice cream truck. The colors are probably the most vibrant pastel colors that wear very well on a woman of color and they are going to be great this spring and summer.

Glamour Lipstick (in-depth) $20

Costa Lipstick (in-depth) $20

Rich Girl Lipstick (in-depth) $20

Sangria Lipgloss (in-depth) $15 The one thing that I really enjoyed about these lipsticks is the application. Not only do they glide onto your lips and leave them feeling soft and hydrating, they have an incredible building power to them so it's kind of like you're getting two lipsticks in one. You can apply one coat for a sheer tint on your lips or build up the layers for a more pigmented color that lasts for hours.

There are a variety of products to check out so make sure that you head to Kami Cosmetics to pick out something new for Spring!

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How to Get Fuller Looking Lashes with Pür Cosmetics Mascara

Sometimes I look at my nieces eyelashes and I swear I want to snatch them straight off of their eyes. They're 5 and 3 years old - for heavens sake what do they need with lashes that full already? Luckily, there has been a rise in lash-enhancing products that range from lengthening mascaras to vitamin infused serums that can help you to achieve the fashionably faux look that you desire with your own natural lashes. Let's take these two mascaras from Pür Cosmetics: the Fully Charged Magnetic Mascara and the Big Look Mascara.

The Fully Charged Magnetic Mascara comes in a 0.52 oz tube and is described as an "anti-aging mascara formula that contains a revolutionary positively charged matrix that attracts to each individual lash to strengthen, thicken, lengthen and separate for unparalleled performance." It is fortified with vitamins and biotinoyl to help condition and strengthen your natural lashes to prevent lash loss. If you take a look at the bristles, you can see that it is a traditional brush with multiple bristles stippled together so that it can easily coat each lash. For me, it added a ton of volume and lengthened my lashes without clumping together.

If you have sparse and tiny lashes, try the Big Look lengthening mascara by Pür Cosmetics. The Big Look comes in a 0.17 oz tube and is fortified with argan oil to envelop your lashes in nourishing, knockout color that adds an endless build and a natural dewy sheen to your eyes. 

I tend to use this brush on my lower lashes because of its densely packed bristles. When you have a smaller area with less lashes, you want to be able to use a large, rounded wand with densely packed bristles that are tight enough to grab each lash and coat it with mascara.

Now let's try them out! For today's test, I decided to use the Colourpop eyeshadows in Stereo and So Quiche on my lid, Mousse from the TooFaced Semi-Sweet Chocolate Bar palette as a transition shade and the Pür Cosmetics Cease Crease Eye Shadow Primer. As the liner, I grabbed the Inglot Matte Eyeliner Gel 77 in black. For my face, I prepped with the Tom Ford Traceless Perfecting Foundation in Sienna, the Pür Cosmetics Cameo Contour stick and set everything with a setting spray from Model in a Bottle.

I applied the Fully Charged mascara to my upper lashes and lower lashes and then added the Big Look mascara to my lower lashes.You can see the difference in the volume and length of my lashes between the two eyes as I left one eye completely bare and untouched.

Here is a picture with the flash on.So don't stress yourself about wearing false lashes everyday. You can lush up your natural lashes in the blink of an eye and feel comfortable all day with the right mascara.

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Pop of Color by Kristen Taekman Liquid Matte Lipsticks Review and Swatches

"Bright and bold. A comfortable liquid matte lipstick. Vegan and cruelty free." These are the three things that drew me into the Pop of Color by Kristen Taekman Liquid Matte Lipstick line.

Last year, you followed me on Instagram as we visited Ricky's NYC for a special preview of the Kristen Taekman nail polish line so it's no surprise that the launch of these colorful liquid lipsticks would be next on their radar.  Colors from left to right: Change of Habit, Reconsider Baby, A Little Less Conversation, Rags to Riches, Kiss Me Quick, It's Now or Never!

Inspired by the greatest city in the world, each Pop of Color liquid lipstick applies a bit glossy and then dries to a rich and velvety finish that leaves your lips with a vibrant lip color that is way too comfortable to really be calling it a matte liquid lipstick. 

Change of Habit

Reconsider Baby

A Little Less Conversation

Rags to Riches

Kiss Me Quick

It's Now or Never 

All of these applied onto my lips with such a breeze. I was able to layer these liquid lipsticks and I had to do so with the brighter neon colors (the bright pink and orange) for true color payoff and coverage. Please keep in mind that the doe foot applicator was a little bit smaller than most brands so I had to dip it back into the tube a few times in order to get enough to cover my lips.

You can buy these in-store at Rickys NYC or online here for $14.99 each.

-PR Sample-

NARS Cosmetics Summer 2016 Collection

Oh well hello NARS Summer collection 2016. I'll have one of each and a back up please! AVAILABILITY: Available April 15, 2016 at NARS Boutiques and Narscosmetics.com. Available May 1, 2016 at Sephora, department, and specialty stores.

For Summer 2016, NARS makes a getaway with this limited-edition collection—high-fashion moments steeped in exclusivity and ease. New, rich Lip Covers saturate lips with coastal color, while Dual-Intensity Eyeshadows transform sheer tones and glistening shades for eyes. Dual-Intensity Blush completes the look with a touch of the sun – an insatiable rush of blush.

François Nars’ love of the lens meets the glamorous glare of the French Riviera. Inspired by the sensational whirl of an editorial photo shoot, each lush vignette captures the wit and wonder of his behind-the-scenes world. Original illustrations by contemporary artist Konstantin Kakanias bring each moment to life on covetable, limited-edition packaging. A total departure in every aperture.

LIP COVER: $28

Overheated Deep Dusty Rose

Do Not Disturb Vivid Orange-Red

Get Dirty Desert Rose

Members Only Crimson (Members Only is available exclusively at NARS boutiques and on Narscosmetics.com)

DUAL-INTENSITY EYESHADOW, $29

Deep End Shimmering Teal-Green

Tan Lines Rich Hazelnut

Topless Seashell Pink

Pool Shark Iridescent Periwinkle

Liberation Left: Shimmering Light Pink Right: Caramel Rose

Sexual Content Left: Sandy Peach Right: Soft Raspberry

-Press Release-

I Adore Lipstick Collection Review and Swatches

The beauty industry has always favored innovative lines that are bold enough to push past the current trends to make their mark in the business. In an effort to keep myself on my toes, I'm always keeping my eye out for new brands that are trying to forge a new path whether it be in product development or color options. So in keeping with that theme, today I want to introduce you to the I Adore Collection. The I Adore Collection features six matte lip shades ($15.99 each) in the colors Vintage Love, Lovesick, Adore, Fancy, XoXo and Classy. They are made with antioxidant vitamin E - which helps the lipstick to go on smooth and creamy - and they have a hint of a vanilla scent to them.

I received the color Adore to review. 

Adore is a beautiful red (creamy) matte lipstick. The application glides on easily and doesn't tug at your lips like other matte lipsticks that dry down to a complete matte do.

Just so you can get a better idea of the true color, Sophia from LipstickJunkieForever and I swatched this lipstick on both of our skin tones for Love Your Shade. As a reminder, she is NW20 and I am NC50 in MAC Cosmetics foundation.I really enjoyed testing this lipstick line out and having a chance to play with it. It was so comfortable to wear all day that I decided to create some lip art with it as my base color.I used the e.l.f. eye liner in black #6551 ($3) to line the outer corners of my lips and blended it in with the Sephora Pro Angled Lip brush in #84 and then added a touch of Stila Patina in the center of my lips just to brighten it up.

-PR Sample-

The Fragrance Foundation Consumer Choice Awards 2016 - It’s Time to Vote!

If you would have told me when I first started blogging that I was going to become the fragrance aficionado that I am today, I probably would have laughed at you. But here we are...some hundred bottles into my collection later... :-D As you have joined me on this journey, we have explored some of the most designer and niche fragrances and now is the time where we as the consumers get a chance to shine the light on some of our favorite scents. That means that it's finally time to vote in the The Fragrance Foundation Consumer Choice Awards for 2016!

Beginning on Monday, March 28, 2016, you will have the power to vote in the following categories: Men’s, Women’s Popular and Women’s Prestige fragrances that launched in 2015. The nominees are: 

Men's - Dior Sauvage; Prada Luna Rosa Sport; Ralph Lauren Polo Red Intense. Women’s Popular - ARI by Ariana Grande; Victoria’s Secret Forever Sexy EDP. Women’s Prestige - Jimmy Choo Illicit; Marc Jacobs Decadence; Versace Eros Pour Femme; Yves Saint Laurent Black Opium.

So there are only two ways that this could get any better. For one, all voters will be entered to win select fragrances from each category in a random-selection sweepstakes (32 of you will win)! Secondly...well you know we have to dive into all nine of those fragrances before the voting period ends right? That's right! So from now until May 27, 2016, we are going to be diving into all of them as a group and as an individual fragrance to find out the story behind the scent. So why not get to know them a little bit more intimately before voting?

What can I say about Black Opium from Yves Saint Laurent that I haven't already? This fragrance literally took over my life from October 2015 to the start of the New Year. Seriously, I think I gave everyone this fragrance for the holidays. And everyone thanked me because of its addictive notes of rich coffee accord, orange blossom and sensual vanilla.A little bit of elegance, a hint of class and a blast of decadence. Marc Jacobs Decadence is a woody eau de parfum with hints of bulgarian rose, jasmine, liquid amber, papyrus woods, iris flowers and vetiver. The glamour of combining all of these notes together in such a stunning bottle design is what really made this fragrance my winter scent. ARI by Ariana Grande is one of the newest fragrances to my collection and I can tell you that I was first drawn in by the bottle. This is a sweet and soft scent that I'm looking forward to wearing more this spring as the notes remind me of a fruity and floral explosion. They include: crispy pear, pink grapefruit, juicy raspberry, soft muguet, rose buds, vanilla orchid, blonde woods, creamy musk and marshmallow - yum!

I'll be honest and tell you that I never smelled Jimmy Choo Illicit until the announcement of these awards. I cannot believe that I let such a good fragrance pass me by for so long too. Illicit is an alluring fragrance with noes of ginger, feminine sambac rose, turkish rose, bitter orange, honey-amber and sandalwood. I absolutely adore how rich the scent is and how it settles into my skin.

Versace Eros Pour Femme is a powerful floral fragrance with hints of citrus that has notes of Sicilian lemon, Calabrian bergamot, pomegranate accords, lemon, sambac jasmine absolute, jasmine infusion, peony, sandalwood, ambrox, musk and various cedars.Created with golden thread of Amber, Forever Sexy by Victoria's Secret is as beautiful as the lingerie. It has warm juicy notes of belladonna orange, creamy gardenia petals and warm golden amber.Prada Luna Rosa Sport is a flanker to already popular Prada Luna collection. Just an FYI - in the fragrance community, we normally refer to a newly created fragrance that shares similar attributes of an already existing fragrance as a flanker. These similar attributes may include the bottle design, the packaging, the name or even similar notes that were taken from the pre-existing fragrance.

Prada Luna Rosa Sport has citrusy notes with a tart blend of ginger and leads into the sweetness of juniper berries. The heart notes are enriched with lavender while the base notes of tonka beans and vanilla warm up and smooth out the fragrance.

Ralph Lauren Polo Red Intense is a fresh and spicy woody fragrance for men with notes of blood grapefruit, cranberry, lemon, saffron, ginger, coffee, sage, lavender, amber, red cedar and leather. This is definitely more of a concentrated and masculine scent than its predecessor Polo Red.

Dior Sauvage was created for a daring man who loves the outdoors. It was created with carefully selected natural and fresh ingredients of Calabria bergamot, ambroxan, precious ambergris and cedar.

Don't forget to click here to cast your vote and remember to come back every week to talk about one of the featured nine fragrances!

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MAC Cosmetics Announces MAC Star Trek Makeup Collection #MACStarTrek

Spanning half a century, Star Trek and its loyal fans cross generations, influencing ideas and aesthetics of gender, race and intergalactic potential. As the sci-fi saga continues, M·A·C and Star Trek’s latest cinema generation join forces in an exclusive makeup collaboration of cosmically charged hues. "Star Trek is an iconic pop culture phenomena whose storylines pushed gender and racial boundaries. For its 50th anniversary, we celebrate each of Star Trek's powerful women in a transcending, transformational makeup collection.” -M∙A∙C Senior Vice President/Group Creative Director James Gager

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Collection Details: 25 multi-product collection including Lipstick, Lipglass, Pressed Pigment Eye Shadow, and Studio Nail Lacquer. Coming September 2016! #MACStarTrek

 

-Press Release-

NARS All Day Luminous Weightless Foundation Review For Cadiz and Macao

How many of you struggle to buy a new foundation online? Yes, brands do their best to provide high resolution photos of the shades in their true form alone (liquid, cream, powder) however, most of the time, the images that are used online are product images (packaging) or CGI images.

Let's take the NARS All Day Luminous Weightless Foundation as an example. This foundation comes in a 1 fl oz (.30mL) glass bottle and is a full coverage and luminous/natural looking foundation that is very light weight on the skin. On Narscosmetics.com, Cadiz and Macao are shown as: While on Sephora.com, they are shown as:

This can get kind of confusing right? As a woman of color, it's already hard enough to find a foundation to suit my skin tone along with my undertones but now, I have to fight against stock photography. So I wanted to show you live swatches of Cadiz and Macao to help you.

  First, make sure that you shake each bottle very well before using it. The foundation is a very loose liquid which may cause it to run on your hand and waste product if you do not shake it up well.

Cadiz is described as a medium-dark foundation with caramel & red undertones while Macao is described as a medium-dark foundation with yellow undertones. Neither of these foundations match me perfectly because I have more golden undertones, however, I can mix these two shades together (by adding one pump of Macao to 2 pumps of Cadiz) or just wear Cadiz on its own and warm up the perimeter of my face with a bronzer or my contour shade. 

So you guys can see exactly what I'm talking about and to see live swatches of these two foundation shades in action, make sure to watch this video:

[embed]https://youtu.be/J4TAbyJw8Y8[/embed]

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Rose Splendide by Annick Goutal Fragrance Review

Oh why hello Spring? Are you there? Please meet one of my friends from my collection, Rose Splendide by Annick Goutal.Imagine that you were getting ready for a summertime date. Expecting it to be a warmer night than others; you put on a bit of BB cream just to give your face a bit of color and brighten it up, along with a slight hint of nude eyeshadow and a tinted pink lip balm. To finish off your look, you reach for your bottle of Rose Splendide.

This romantic Eau de Toilette is centered around the intense aromatic combinations of Centifolia rose, musk, magnolia and pear. It opens up very "green" on me which was surprising because I assumed the sweet rose and fruity pear notes would overpower the rest. After about an hour, it gradually mellowed out into the pink petal nirvana that I was initially expecting - perfect for a summertime date.

The 100ml glass bottle is very elegant and adorned with a romantic pink bow and gold cap. The spritzer is a standard spritzer and you will only need about 4 to 5 pumps of this on your pulse points to release the notes throughout the day. If you are interested in some additional charming and delightful rose perfumes, then check out the remaining rose collection by Annick Goutal. As you can see in the pictures, I still have a few more to review for you. ;-)

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Too Faced Cosmetics Melted Matte Liquified Long Wear Matte Lipstick - First Review & Swatches On A Woman of Color

I swear TooFaced is trying to take over the world. Last week, the new (and now highly sought after) Peach Palette launched on their website along with a few new blushes and a new Better Than Sex Waterproof Mascara. Of course, it had to launch in the middle of the night (3am EST) and I woke right up out of my sleep to place my orders. #Beautygirlproblems

About 10 minutes later, Sephora broke the internet and released the new and exclusive Too Faced Melted Matte Liquified Long Wear Matte Lipstick's. So I grabbed 4 colors that I thought would look nice on my skin tone to test these out for you. I did some arm swatches in artificial light and outside in the daylight to show  you the truest color of the lipsticks just because I wanted to get this first impressions review up as quickly as possible. The colors that I ordered were: Lady Balls, Queen B, Bend & Snap and Cool Girl.It comes in 7 mL/0.23 oz clear glass tube with the words Melted matte embossed onto it.  - Lady Balls is described as a matte true red, however, this one isn't a blue-based red so in direct sunlight, you can see how bright it is with undertones of orange. - Queen B is a matte soft mauve (pink with very minor hints of brown to soften it up). - Bend & Snap is a matte deep raspberry; a very good pink with hints of purple undertones. - Cool Girl is a matte true nude; this will be a great nude  for women of color as long as you pair with a lipliner (try MAC cork).

First Impressions: So I wore Cool Girl for 8 hours (without a lipliner) and I'm happy with it. Normally, when I hear a liquid matte lipstick, I'm already expecting to have to overly moisturize my lips so that they don't dry out due to the liquid lipstick. However, these are more of a creamy matte that do not hurt at all. You can expect to get through an entire day of eating, drinking and talking without having to worry about reapplying. They kind of remind me of the new Satin lipsticks from Colourpop Cosmetics but with more staying power - TooFaced liquid lipsticks do not smudge.

Overall, I recommend trying these. They are not limited edition so feel free to order one and test it out before committing to the entire line. I will have an updated and more thorough review for you with pictures of them as well.

Update: 4/18/16 - Instead of doing a separate blog post with lip swatches, I wanted to add these in here along with my thoughts on them after wearing them for a few weeks.

Lady Balls - Lady Balls is described as a matte true red, however, this one isn't a blue-based red so in direct sunlight, you can see how bright it is with undertones of orange.

Queen B - Queen B is a matte soft mauve (pink with very minor hints of brown to soften it up).

Bend & Snap - Bend & Snap is a matte deep raspberry; a very good pink with hints of purple undertones.

Cool Girl - Cool Girl is a matte true nude; this will be a great nude  for women of color as long as you pair with a lipliner (try MAC cork).

I've worn each of these for 5-8 hours each and it is safe to say that I need as many colors as possible. They do not dry out the lips or crack throughout the day, which again is rare for a matte liquid lipstick. To me, they do not dry to an ultra matte, so there is still a shine to them ever after drying completely.

Click here to purchase these for $21.

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Creed Royal Princess Oud Fragrance Review

Creed has described Royal Princess Oud as "a statement of modern elegance and sophistication in a bottle." If there was one fragrance in my collection that could truly boast about this, then Royal Princess Oud would have to be it.Creed really lived up to its name and created this one with luxury in mind. It's a perfect romantic scent that is geared more towards their younger feminine audience which is why I gravitated to it. The notes include top notes of Bitter Sicilian bergamot, rose and sweet violet; middle notes of Jasmin, vanilla, patchouli and iris from Tuscany and base notes of Benjoin Siam, a sweet gum resin from Thailand, Mysore Sandalwood and Styrax, an ancient resin extracted from bark of shrubs in Asia. Personally, I've worn it well over 10 hours and at first, it started off as an intense floral scent but as the day went on, it dried down into a subtle powder and vanilla woody scent.The bottle has a clear to red gradient color design with an embossed logo in the middle of it to showcase the passion of the scent. The cap is gold with the embellished red logo etched into it as well. The nozzle is a standard creed nozzle with a powerful "spritzer" so you really only need to spray this 3 to 4 times on your pulse points. Ladies, think high fashion and couture when you think about this scent. It is a bit pricey but this is one of those times that I can really say that you get what you pay for. And hey, all you really need to do is throw on a bold lipstick and this fragrance and you're good to go for date night.It's available at the Creed Boutique and Nordstorm's in a 1.0 oz and 2.5 oz.

Six Green Fragrances To Wear for St. Patrick's Day

St. Patrick's Day is finally upon us so it's officially time to pull out your favorite green accessories and beauty products to celebrate. Around this time, everyone pulls out their favorite green t-shirts, green hoodies and even green shoes in an effort to avoid getting pinched but what about the beauty girls? Well you know we have to put our on twist on things ;-) . Cue the takeover of green inspired eye shadow looks, lip ombres and 4 leaf clover nail tutorials but why stop there? In honor of St. Patrick's Day, here are six green fragrances worth trying:Bvlgari Mon Jasmin Noir L'Eau Exquise is an exquisite Spring fragrance that is light and airy (perfect to wear in the office for St. Patrick's Day). Its sparkling femininity is captured in a stunning bottle and filled with notes of jasmine, white tea, pomelo, almond anchor, musk and cedar. You'll tend to notice the citrusy scent and grapefruit notes more and more as it dries down.If you're looking for a floral fragrance with a bit of a punch to it, try Amouage's Epic Eau De Parfum for women. It's described as a spicy floral oriental with top notes of cumin, pink bay, cinnamon; heart notes of Damascene rose, tea, geranium, jasmine; and base notes of amber, musk, guaiac wood, orris, frankincense, oud, patchouli, sandalwood, and vanilla. I'll be honest, when I smelled the first spritz of it on my wrists, I wrote it off as being way too strong and spicy for me. As the night went on and the fragrance notes started to open (the heart and base notes), I really began to enjoy the warm rose and sweet sandalwood scent. If you order this fragrance or even go to test it out, make sure that you give it a few hours to settle before judging it.Dolce by Dolce & Gabbana is everything that you want in a romantic fragrance. The packaging is designed as a petite glass bottle topped with an ivory and pink marzipan flower. It opens with a soft and sensual blast of floral and citrus notes. You can immediate smell the freshness of the neroli leaves mixing together with the papaya flowers. Later, the fragrance mixes into it heart floral notes of white amaryllis and white water lily and finally settles into your skin with a soft cashmere and musk opening. I recommend this is your looking for a light, and floral romantic scent. Plus, the bottle is a cute vanity topper.Un Jardin Après La Mousson by Hermès pays homage to the spices and precious gems of India. It is a very warm and spicy eau de toilette that houses notes of ginger, cardamom, coriander, pepper and vetiver. This is one of those abstract fragrances that wears well on both men and women because of its pull on the freshness of cucumber spiciness, peppered cantaloupe and fresh rain water.We all know the feeling of falling in love. The butterflies and excitement that comes from a first date and the endless possibilities of what the future may hold. A floral and romantic eau de parfum with passionate overtones and sweet seductive undertones, Live in Love by Oscar De La Renta perfectly captures this feeling and emotion in its elegant bottle. It has notes of rose, sparkling ginger orchid, jasmine, lily of the valley, bergamot, african orange flower, white amber, musk and sandalwood.And the crème de la crème, Creed Green Irish Tweed. I remember how stunned I was when my boyfriend first opened his new bottle of GIT and sprayed it on his wrists. The fresh opening of the florentine iris and the explosion of violet leaves left me smiling because it reminded me just how close to spring we really are. Literally, every fragrance that is described as "fresh" and "green" is secretly aspiring to hit the mark that Green Irish Tweed has. It has notes of iris, lemon verbena, violet leaves, ambergris and mysore sandalwood. 

What scent are you wearing to celebrate and bring you luck today?

How to Get Rid of Hyperpigmentation and Get Glowing Skin with Murad

Today, I want to talk to you about hyperpigmentation and how much it sucks. I know that's a little bit more candid than I normally am but if you suffer from skin discoloration, dark spots or color imperfections then you know how much of a struggle it is. Hyperpigmentation is the darkening of the skin due to the overproduction of melanin and or pigment. Melanin is a class of pigment that produces color in the body in places such as the eyes, skin, and hair. Hyperpigmentation affects women and men of all ethnic groups and will show up on your skin as tan, brown or black spots.

Causes of hyperpigmentation: - Hormones - Genetics - Sun damage - Picking at the skin - Hormonal changes (pregnancy; birth control pills) - Medications such as antibiotics, hormone treatments, and anti-seizure drugs - Inflammation and skin injuries

This is a lot of information but I want to make sure that you understand the backend of hyperpigmentation before we jump into skincare. Even though the majority of these causes are due to genes or other factors that are out of your control, there is one thing that you can do to protect your skin and help to repair it if you're suffering from hyperpigmentation.

First of all, you need to use sunscreen or at least SPF 15 everyday - yes, everyday. If you don't have a sunscreen in your routine already, I recommend trying the Murad Invisiblur Perfecting Shield Broad Spectrum with SPF 30. Second, make sure that you take care of your skin. Discoloration can sit on top of dead skin cells on your face so make so that you exfoliate at least twice a week - try AHA/BHA Exfoliating Cleanser. Lastly, you want to start a brightening treatment regime that is designed to treat this condition, minimize the dark spots and lighten the appearance of it. Cue the Murad’s Rapid Lightening Regimen.

Step 1: Cleanse with the Murad Essential-C Cleanser The Vitamin-C rich Essential-C Cleanser removes skin-dulling impurities to renew your skin’s radiance.

Step 2: Treat your skin with the Murad Rapid Age Spot and Pigment Lightening Serum The Rapid Age Spot and Pigment Lightening Serum contains 2% Hydroquinone which lightens dark spots and skin discoloration.

Tip: You can pair the Rapid Age Spot and Pigment Lightening Serum with the Intensive-C Radiance Peel and the Advanced Active Radiance Serum for maximum results.

Step 3: Hydrate your skin with the Murad Essential-C Day Moisture Broad Spectrum SPF 30 The Essential-C Day Moisture Broad Spectrum SPF 30 | PA+++, rich in Vitamin-C and antioxidants, revitalizes and protects your skin from further damage.

All of these products have a subtle citrus fragrance to it. You will notice it immediately when you open the product and squeeze it out. The scent does diffuse and die down once you apply it to your skin.

When you order, you will receive a rapid lightening tracker that will help you measure and track your progress as you use the treatment. 

Overall, I'm so excited to have found this regimen because I have severe hyperpigmentation and dark circles.

 Photo taken indoors

Photos taken outside

My dark circles are hereditary and my dark spots have pretty much just been popping up as I've gotten older and alas from sun damage. I'll admit it. In the past, I wasn't as proactive and aggressive in using sunscreen or skincare as I am now so I'm paying the price.

I'll report back over the next few weeks on my results so you can see! You can read more about the Murad Rapid Lightening Regimen HERE or HERE.

*PR Sample. Products were provided by BeautyStat for an honest review. All opinions are my own.*

Anastasia Beverly Hills Liquid Lipsticks Catnip and Soft Lilac Swatches & Review On A Woman of Color

I can't even begin to tell you how excited I am that Anastasia Beverly Hills is now available on Ulta Beauty and Sephora. Can you imagine the amount of points that we're going to rack up? Hellooooo freebies! To celebrate the brand launch in these two iconic beauty retailers, I wanted to swatch as many of the Anastasia Beverly Hills products that I personally own and give you my thoughts in one set space (the blog) to help you shop your favorites better. Here are swatches of the liquid lipsticks in Soft Lilac and Catnip.

Soft Lilac is described as a pale violet.

Catnip is described as a soft plum.

These are $20 each and are currently in stock on Sephora.com, Ulta.com and the AnastasiaBeverlyHills.com.

And here is a live swatch of the lipsticks on my arm. I'm providing these swatches through photos and videos so you can the true color and the coloring with flash etc. I hope it helps!

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Make sure that you let me which kind of swatches you like best and want to see more of (photos, live video etc).

Marc Jacobs Genius Gel Super-Charged Foundation Review: Cocoa Light, Cocoa Medium and Cocoa Deep

Marc Jacobs Beauty - a luxury beauty line that still has a long way to go - as far as women of color is concerned. Don't get me wrong, I love the majority of the products in the Marc Jacobs Beauty line: the lipsticks are amazing, I love the new Velvet Noir Major Volume Mascara but as far as the range in the selection of foundation - well there's not much to be desired. Let's take the Marc Jacobs Genius Gel Super-Charged Foundation as our example. This foundation is described as a "breakthrough gel foundation that easily builds from natural to full coverage. The Buoyancy Gel™ technology enhances the performance of this long-wearing, anti-aging formula, which includes antioxidant vitamin protection." Sounds great right? You want to try it out right? Awesome! Let's head online to shop.

Hmm...there's only 16 shades? It looks like there are 3 made with African American women in mind...I think? Maybe?Cocoa Deep is the darkest that it goes?

So that's the problem. There is this remarkable foundation that you may want to try but unfortunately, there is not a lot of shade range to choose from. However, I wanted to review the 3 darkest shades in the line - Cocoa Light (Color 82), Cocoa Medium (Color 84) and Cocoa Deep (Color 86) -  in hopes that it may help you decide on what to do. So let's dive right on in...

Cocoa Light (Color 82), Cocoa Medium (Color 84) and Cocoa Deep (Color 86)

This foundation is a gel like formula that is designed to melt into your skin and not settle into your facial lines. It comes in this sleek glass bottle in 1.0 fluid oz and comes with a pump. It is a light to medium coverage which is great because you can lightly wear it to go out and run errands or you can build upon it for maximum coverage. It does has a light fragrance to it, so please keep that in mind if you are sensitive to smell - it is not a very powerful though.

Cocoa Light will be well suited for you if you have neutral, light golden undertones. Cocoa Medium will be well suited for you if you have golden/orange undertones. Cocoa Dark will be well suited for you if you have red/deep red undertones.

And even though I give you guys as many swatches and review comparisons as I can, I always recommend going to the store and swatching these for yourself if you are able to. Don't forget to swatch any foundation that you're testing out on your jawline and let it settle in for about 5 minutes before making a decision. Also, make sure that you swatch a range of 3 colors so you can get a better idea for the color range and the one that finally disappears into your skin is the one that you want to go with.

If you're not able to make it to the store or you're just shopping online, make sure that you watch this video below so you can get the best view of the foundation colors on my skin tone under different lighting.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g3BxmjzXsRM

So what do you think of the shade ranges in this foundation line? Let me know below!

Shoedazzle Evi by Madison Pump - A Review and Shoe Comfort Tips

Marilyn Monroe said it best. Give a girl the right shoes and she can conquer the world.

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That's literally how I felt when I tried on the Evi by Madison pump. If you guys remember, earlier in the month, I did a introductory post on Evi just to introduce it to you and make you aware of it's launch before it sold out. It's basically a redesign and relaunch of the Lulah pump from 3 years ago.

MATERIAL: Fabric. Imported. COLOR: Blue Multi FEELS LIKE: 4.5″ OUTSIDE HEEL HEIGHT: 6.5″ PLATFORM HEIGHT: 2″ FIT: True to size INSIDE HEEL HEIGHT: 5″

Oh high heels, how I've missed you! I wore these for about 8 hours over two days (once on the weekend and then during this photoshoot) and they are insanely comfortable. I always get so many questions asking how can I possible wear a 6 inch heel for so long without cringing and my number one tip to you is that it takes a lot of practice. Honestly, I used to wear sneakers every day of the week until I got used to wearing high heels and the only way that I was able to master them was to constantly wear them around the house and practice. And, as any master knows, there are always little things that you can do to make anything easier. For example, if I'm in the market for high high heels, I always look for a pair that has a platform on it so that it can balance out the height.

Another tip that I can tell you is to make sure that you have a steady supply of Foot Petals on hand. Foot Petals is a brand that creates the most comfortable shoe cushions for high heels and flat shoes. I literally have boxes of their tip toes that I slide into the ball of my shoes before putting them on. These make my feet feel like I'm wearing nothing at all, especially when I walk so it gives me the ability to rock them all day long. There are so many different inserts that you can try depending on what your preference is: tip toes, softspots, technogel, you just have to figure out what kind of comfort you're looking for.

Besides looking for comfort, when I wear high heels, I always pair the bottom of my shoes with these Sole Stopperz to add some pre-made traction to them. You won't catch me out to dinner slippin' and slidin' in 6 inch heels on your shiny waxed floor. No sir!

All you have to do is take the petal-shaped stick-on, pull off the adhesive backing and press it firmly onto the bottom of your shoes. Make sure that you step down on it firmly a few times to secure it in place.

Now you're all set to rock some sky high stilettos and feel like you're floating on air.

Essence February Beauty Box Review: Soulful. Colorful. Beautiful.

  Hello lovebugs! It's time to reveal this month's Essence Beauty Box! This months theme was designed to have you "Shine Like a Star" so let's dive right on in shall we?

First up, let's take a look at the Soak it Up Oil Cocktail from Dark & Lovely. The Soak it Up Oil is the 2nd step of the Moisture L.O.C. regimen, inspired by the “O” in the LOC Method. The LOC method is a natural hair care routine that you can use to moisturize and protect your hair and then seal in the moisture with a hair butter or oil, so that all of the moisture is locked  in. The "L" stands for Leave-In, the "O" stands for Oil and the "C" stands for Cream. 

This Soak it Up Oil from Dark & Lovely contains blends of 5 Oils: Sunflower oil, Apricot oil, Coconut oil, Avocado Oil and Moringa Oil that's great for hydrating your hair and nourishing curls and coils.

While we're talking about hair care, let's jump right on into the next product: the Coily Custard from Miss Jessie’s. The Coily Custard is a slippery emulsion that coats each frizzy strand with a dose of super moisture and shine that enhances and defines your curl pattern, reduces frizz, and fights curl shrinkage. It's best described as a wash-n-go styler. I'll update you in a few days once I test this out.

Next, the box included a set of Looks So Natural Lashes by KISS. These are soft and tapered false lashes that are designed to blend seamlessly with your natural lashes. My box also included a clear strip lash adhesive.

Do I need to say anything about this CoverFX sample? I mean, IG fam, you guys know how I feel about this brand -holy grail-. Well, since we are here... This is the Mattifying Primer with Anti-Acne Treatment by CoverFX. It's a lightweight gel primer that imparts an instant matte finish as well as extended shine control while minimizing the appearance of pores and preventing & healing acne blemishes. This clinically tested primer is vegan and free of the Inflammatory Five: gluten, mineral oil, fragrance, parabens or talc.

Lastly, there is a sample lipstick from IMAN Cosmetics. Apparently, the box this month alternated between a lipstick or a lip shimmer and I received an orange-red lipstick. It's a luxurious and creamy semi-matte lipstick, however, it's another lipstick in a color that doesn't suit me. We talked about this during last month's box so I'm really hoping that the preference center starts working on the Essence Beauty Box website because I feel as if I'm wasting my money on lipsticks that I'm not going to use again (after swatching for you guys of course).

And lastly, they decided to surprise us with a travel size sample of Optic White Toothpaste by Colgate.

Overall, I'm impressed with everything in this box except the lip color. I'm really excited to try out this lashes and hair care products so I'll let you guys  know what I think after giving them all a thorough test run.

What did you think of the February Essence Beauty Box? Are you subscribed yet?

ColourPop Cosmetics Trust Me Matte X Lippie Review and Swatches On A Woman of Color

Hi love bugs! Today, I wanted to formally introduce you to the new ColourPop Cosmetics Trust Me Matte X Lippie Stix ($5).

This is a vivid true blue based red matte lipstick that is uber comfortable and not drying on the lips.

And because we're always trying to find the perfect dupe, I went ahead and made a quick YouTube swatch video of some of my favorite matte lipsticks in my collection that I thought was similar. Check it out and let me know what you think:

[embed]https://youtu.be/CY-veWvytbI[/embed]

Happy Valentine's Day With Guerlain's La Petite Robe Noire

Happy Valentine's Day love bugs! I was trying to find a way to celebrate with you guys and it took me a bit to figure out how I wanted to capture this moment in an image. You know...photographer problems. :-)

As I was getting ready for my date, it finally hit me. What's the one thing that I have in my collection that could truly capture beauty, fashion and love in one shot?

My new bottles of La Petite Robe Noire by Guerlain.