Ridiculous Deal: Finally a dream I can weave myself

I've been looking for affordable clips for a long time. Who knew that I would've find them in the hood? DIY hair extensions are the effing bees knees. Not only do they look natural, Dream Weaver extensions are easy to install and mantain.

Available in so many different colors and lengths, I'm impressed with this product. 

Halloween 2011: Year of the nymph.

This is the result of much procrastination meeting the desire not to wear something old.

Wings started the outfit. (Target)
The skirt & shoes? Lace. Shoes from decoulanges, skirt from Macys.

Top also from decoulanges. One size fits all. I lost a size because of the top too.

Makeup is as always the ever dependable Urban Decay.

Hair: I can finally run again.

As this article states (http://t.clutchmagonline.com/clutchmagonline/#!/entry/2-out-of-5-black-women-avoid-exercising-because-of,51a88760c5f0cf15b374e76f) I am one of those black women that avoid workouts to preserve my hair. I've tried several sweat absorbing headbands but some just don't get the job done. 

This is one of the best purchases I've ever made in regards to my hair. My hair comes out super soft and dry after using it. I've used it for various physical activities (from yoga to running) and it's phenomenal. In the past, it was a nightmare going to the gym and it felt like I had to chose between my hair or fitness but now I feel as if I can do both! 

Great investment if you're wary about sweat when it comes to your hair. The only downside was hunting this down. Apparently Target only carries this product in areas with an ethnic demographic.  

Also available at Sally Beaty Supply, http://www.sallybeauty.com/on/demandware.store/Sites-SA-Site/default/mProduct-Show?pid=SBS-543779

Walmart, http://mobile.walmart.com/m/phoenix;jsessionid=6F782D3E9D68E8DA862B57C272FB535B#ip/Dri-Sweat-Edge-Women-s-Active-Wear-Headband-Black/15724231

And Amazon. http://www.amazon.com/Dri-Sweat-Edge-Womens-Headband/dp/B004DJUCBQ

Here are other reputable suggestions for sweat absorbing headbands. http://www.fitsugar.com/Workout-Headbands-Soak-Up-Sweat-During-Workouts-19090648

http://longing4length.com/2013/07/hair-accessories-for-working-out.html

Review: Dead sea Ahava products

The advantages of working at a spa are the magnificent discount on things people usually pay an arm & a leg for. I purchased a couple of Ahava products from our retail shop because that alligator look on my legs isn't cute. My total purchases included the Hibiscus & Fig wash, the body cream & the dry oil . 

Fig wash. Hydrating, milky and worth the money. It smells amazing but at the at time, it's not too fruity or overwhelming.

Body Cream. Light, but hydrating. Uses minerals from Dead Sea water. It literally smells as clean as dove soap. My only company is that I have to slather it on. I think next time I'll try the Sorbet. 

Dry Oil. (which hydrates like a mother) Uses minerals from Dead Sea plants. I use it right after drying off before using the body cream. The only thing I'm not nuts about is if I miss & rubbing it in. But then again, I've never really ben a fan of oil either.

Review: Urban Decay All Nighter & Primer Potion

Urban Decay has been a staple in my makeup design for the last 9 months, & I appreciate the light years they have afforded my skill... you can do a lot of damage with a great product.

I decided that I would see what else they had to offer. Looking in the primer section, I saw a spray I'd overlooked so many other times- their All Nighter spray. This spray is designed to be applied after applying full makeup... which I found weird bc it was the opposite of primer... I guess it had the same concept as hairspray.

I went into Sephora because the Eyeshadow Primer that I received with the Book of Shadows III is on its last leg. I had the um... 'caucasian' shade of ridiculously light beige- the BOS default- so I decided to switch it up & get the bronze one this time something a little closer to my natural color. Upon noticing the new packaging, I noticed that it featured 10% more product included. Score. The eyeshadow primer is amazing. It holds shadow overnight, makes cheap eyeshadow last and makes prestige eyeshadow more vibrant.

Urban Decay All Nighter & Primer Potion

Primer Potion looks amazing alone too!

After hours of wear at work, All Nighter has kept my makeup flawless.

The pictures of my face are after nearly 7 hours of wear. My foundation- the same one I always use & swear by, MAC StudioFix & by now I would've had to reapply twice already. This is not just after 7 hours of wear, but after taking the Mover, the metrobus, & working at the spa in the locker room, running around & getting flushed.

The only thing I've noticed is a little sheen from the oily parts of my combination face. Furthermore, the skin on my face doesn't feel heavy, weighed down or stiff. Sweat hardly effected me. My eyes look completely untouched. That's impressive to me. A small $11 spray bottle will extend the wear of and in turn save my pressed powder. Yay! I wonder how it will stand up against kickball activity though...

Lookbook: vamping up the place

I simply love the classic pinup look. Enough said.

Lookbook: I wanna be your superhero

Season Finals for WAKA was no exception for Purple Rain & our crazy costume antics. My brother in law who plays on the team came up with the idea to dress up as superheros & I gotta say for once in life, I agreed with him. My first challenge was the mask since I couldn't see myself ruining & catching in one... & I wanted something very Batgirl & Robin. I decided to create the look with makeup so it would be both vibrant & easy to play in. Enter Urban Decay. superhero makeup - Google Search My inspiration. My team is Purple. That was the basis for color. I also wore blue tights so it was only appropriate to use that as the other color.

My "Mask" using Urban Decay Book of Shadows III

Dead on Look of Mask.

OOTD: She said my shirt was scandalous

Give me lace any day & I'll die happy. Especially a versatile piece like this. I saw it in Macy's & thought it would be a cute addition to my wardrobe as I could wear it on both the hottest & coldest day of the year. Plus, it fits the bill for my racerback fetish and it would triple as lingerie. The challenge was to wear it to work and get away with it. I almost got away with it. So I brought out my trusty infamous black cardigan, undeniably the best $13 I ever spent in any Target store. That covered the goods to a certain extent which was pretty awesome. I paired it with black skinny pants & nude pumps as well for a romantic feel & here we are. Ash, a friend of mine saw the true nature of my tank on lunch break & she said my shirt was scandalous. I prefer Risque.

Nailed: More fun with the stamper

This is the result of not wanting completely nude nails.

OOTD: Good girl v. Bad bitch

Vamped up pinup girl with a razor sharp edge. More of that, please. I love wearing things just for the sake of being outrageously pretty & ridiculously vain. How's that for a modest opening? I love days when I bring a polished look to the outfit of a bad girl. This fusion is one of my favorites. Bad bitch elements include faux gauge nail earrings (hot topic), tease me w kisses tee (plato's closet), skintight stovepipe jeans (pac sun) & sky high pumps with metal detailing (charlotte russe). Classic elements are the red lipstick suitable for a '50s housewife (infallible), ponytail with pinned bangs & cardigan (target). Love this look.

Lookbook: A patriotic tribute.

This is my Fourth of July getup for kickball. The lovely part is that I'm posting in October. The star earring were perfect for the occasion. I forgot I even had them. Rouged lips were a must. I used the blue on my eyelids as the cherry on topic of a very patriotic sundae.

OOTD: All Aboard!

My fascination with the pinup image boggles me. As I've said on previous occasion, rouge lips, pinned back curls , black cateye liner & all fashion referencing 1920-1959 is the f*cking bees knees. Give me pearls, a-lines & pumps any day & I will die happy. I wore this outfit to work ... I'd recently lost some weight & had been dying to wear this vest for Months. Pairing it with red lips & the slimmest for jeans I own (a pair of david bitton jeans I've had a relationship with since high school) I finished the look off with a very feminine blouse with puffed sleeves & ankle boots that most certainly kick ass.

OOTD: Spin on a blazer & pumps

I love tee shirts & tanks. Seriously I love wearing them all the time.. Even on a Monday morning to work. This is how I do it.

OOTD: Miami uniform

I swear, I live in one of the hottest cities in the continental US. it's difficult some days to get vamped up & put on all the trimmings because it's so damn hot out. My failsafe

Review: Physicians Formula Felt Tip Eye Marker

I had a coupon for Physicians Formula. Seeing how I'm the coupon  lady & needed mascara, what better time than that to try theirs? It was a great purchase. I close Ultra Black since my eyes are really dark brown. You apply it the same way you would with a felt tip marker. The line can range from a thin, fine tip to a thick, bold line. It dries quickly. The only thing that would make it perfect is being water proof. I love the variety it brings to the table.

Review: Milani Runway Eyes

Drugstore makeup is what starts us all out. It's simple. It's easy. You dont have to cry if you lose the item & you certainly don't wind up crying at the register either. Milani is one of my favorites. They have bold, vibrant colors. I was a frequent customer with their nail polish. Anything in my collection that is not OPI or Essie ods a Milani color. I have purchased lip glosses & eyeliners from them but this is my first eyeshadow palette. The Runway Eyes collection features a six color palette that equips you with several different looks. This is perfect for & I will be taking this on vacation. I saw several that I was interested in trying, but chose to buy the Glamourous Gems palette since green & brown are my go to colors for any occasion. I believe this palette could look good on anyone that tries it due to the earthy tones.

Ridiculous Deal: VS Pink Swim Separates for little & nothing.

These swimsuits were a last minute decision while walking through Pink. It dawned on me- VSSemi includes Pink!
Looking at buckets of swimsuits right for the picking, I dove through the S bottoms first as I knew that would be harder to find. When I looked at the price tag sewing prices like 5.99 & 7.99 on the swim separates, I knew I would try for more than one. The girl working in Pink told me that she only wears black bottoms & just buys different tops for her swim collection. I thought that was interesting. I've thought about wearing two non matching solids, but never pattern & solids. That creativity should've  dawned on me ages ago since I need to be beach ready 85% of the year here in Miami. Scoring two solid black bottoms (one being a low rise string bikini, the other appeared to be the bottoms to a bandeau style swim set), I could now look for tops. Since I've never really had the simple black bikini, I looked for & found a medium top, which finally fits bc I lost weight. I wanted a fun top too & found the cheetah one in the large section. For swim separates for 32$ in VS made me glad I didnt pay more than that just for one pair of bottoms. I win.

Review: SmashBox Lash DNA

A trip to Macy's allowed me to come across SmashBox's cosmetics stand. I have raved in the past about their mascara- that I tried thanks to the Sephora mascara sampler. I inquired out of curiosity to see how much a full sized Lash DNA. The sales woman informed me that it had been discontinued so I realized that I should purchase since I might not have that opportunity again. I bought a tube of Jet Black.

This mascara is amazing. Not only does it give lashes a thicker, lengthened appearance, but it doesn't flake. You're also able to accomplish daytime & nighttime looks. This mascara is a great choice from the higher end. I'd reccommend it to anyone.

Review: Victor & Rolf's Flowerbomb

A good friend of mine, one who vicariously enabled my spending habit in between classes in college, introduced me to this scent. She showed it to me one day when we were walking through Saks on the hunt for Christian Loubuitons.
When my boyfriend got deployed, I wanted my letters to be connected to a scent that I would wear the next time hesaw me. Scent recognition. This scent is so distinct. It has sweet notes with light hints of a floral nature.
On one of our other shopping trips we came across a travel sized FlowerBomb set. At the time it was an affordable $25. Anyone could afford that to sample it. God bless Sephora.

Ridiculous Deal: Victoria's Secret Semi Annual spoils Part One.

I swung by the Victoria's SemiAnnual to see if I could find anything worth merit since their store card was burning a hole in my wallet. Needless to say in two trips to VS my card was maxed out. This is the equivalent to having a crackhead going down to the trap. I need professional help. Having said that, here are the spoils of trip one.
I have spa days from time to time so the 3 for 11$ bubble bath was worth it. I'll have enough to last until the next VSSemi in January. Vanilla Lace (2), Strawberries & champagne (1) were surprisingly on sale... Two of my favorites. At $3 each I couldn't leave them there. They looked lonely.
Eau de toilette in Costco size from Victoria's costs an arm & leg or your first born child. I walked away with a giant Love Rocks eau for a grand total of $10.  It usually retails $45. Score.
Holiday sets usually go on sale during this time as well. Though I couldn't get a jumbo sized bottle of Bombshell (my favorite eau from their collection) I did find a stocking stuffer size, perfect for my purse, and the box set also came with a lotion that TSA would have no problem with.
I also purchased four swimsuits separates that I will do a separate post on. But, i'll have you know the retail value is worth more than what I paid for all this.

That about wraps up trip one to my downward spiral of debt.

Ridiculous Deal: Victoria's Secret Semi Annual spoils Part Two.

*pictured: Noir Love Me body splash, Vixen body splash, makeup brushes, VS Beauty lipstick in Wine.
Visit two was pleasant due to the fact that VSSemi is 10$ cheaper for Gemini & Capricorns. I fall under the former. I reevaluated what I really needed at that point... being a colored lipstick & makeup brushes.

I found some brushes that i'll probably end up leaving in my suitcase. The quality is nothing to rave about... My EcoTools brushes do a much better job & are environmentally friendly- and they were cheaper! The quality on these brushes make this a sad case of retail regret.

I've mentioned in prior searches for lipstick & lip color that I literally go to the end of the spectrum to choose a color, and this case was no exception. I saw what looked like a deep dark purple color that comes across as a vibrant fuschia on me. Sold. I bought it. Everyone always compliments it when worn.

The body splashes are both discontinued the the world of VS. Vixen (the pink one) is fruity. Noir: LoveMe (the clear one w the black top) is clean scent.

I think I might just check the merit of this coup.

Jeans are 50% off throughout August at Abercrombie & Fitch and Hollister (08/30) ::Links:: (Abercrombie & Fitch) - http://thecouponsapp.com/go/3g (Hollister) - http://thecouponsapp.com/go/3h ...via TheCouponsApp.com

Ridiculous Deal: Birch box

B turned me on to this. I’ll be receiving it soon a definitely blogging about it.
Birch Box, a sampler paradise. (We all know how crazy I am about sampling.) The basic concept is to received things that you've never tried in the form of a monthly 'grab bag' where you are privy to the products until you open the package.

The only thing that makes me apprehensive about subscribing is the fact that they may not take under consideration that opening the box each month to beige samples may make this a waste of money.
They say that it is 'customized for you' but I'm not sure how much I trust that. I just put myself on a waitlist for the gifts so we'll see how that goes. Maybe I'll use my Secret Santa money to get a 3 month subscription.

OOTD: Fuschia & Lace

There are two things I've been dying to put into play... One being this shirt I scored from G by Guess for 12$ USD, and the other a fuschia lipstick that is too bold to wear with color by way of VS Semi Annual. I chose to steer away from color because I'd start looking too festive & nobody wants that. I figured that Monday morning was as good a time as any to debut my latest wardrobe acquisitions. I wore black pants so that I didnt look too casual with a sleeveless top in the office. The pumps I wore had a white snakeskin relief & were ivory like my top. Makeup was kept simple not to overpower my lipstick.

Hair & Makeup- Clean, Simple & Classic