Black Friday Weekend shopping list - Style

Well, I managed not to buy anything for anyone other than myself this weekend.  And I barely got a discount on the stuff I ordered.  Actually, I am mulling another beauty order, but I made a deal with myself that I can only get it if I cross off someone on my Christmas present list.  Anyway, let's get on with what I got for my wardrobe. 

I made a mytights.com order with these Lurex Back Seam tights by Aristoc.  Hot, yes?  I am hoping that I will be able to wear these under thigh high socks so you can only see a hint of back seam between the socks and a mini skirt or winter shorts (whatever the hell those are, lol).  I am just wondering if the stones will punch holes through any over-the-knee socks.

Next up is the Gennifer merino wool blend tights from Trasparenze in blu.  The composition is 70% Wool, 15% Microfiber , and 15% Elastane.  I already have this style in this color, but I love it so much, I had to get another pair for back-up purposes.  The color is nice and dark, but still visibly blue.   Although they are wool, they are not itchy! 

Next up are these Jennifer wool blend hold-ups from Trasparenze in black.  The composition is 70% Wool, 15% Microfiber ,15% Elastane.   I have large thighs, so I hope that these fit comfortably!  I usually find that a lace top fits comfortably when getting thigh high hosiery, so hopefully these will work, I already love the full tights from this company.






pictures courtesy of mytights.com

Makes me so happy

I was watching a special video  that Elessa from Pursebuzz made in honor of her 3 years on Youtube and as Pursebuzz.  Pursebuzz was probably the first Youtube channel which I subscribed to - she must have been the first person to make video tutorials.   If you follow any blogs or Youtube channels, you know that most people do not talk about themselves, they concentrate on their purpose.  In this video she talked about her personal history, and the purpose of Pursebuzz.  She didn't get into specific details, but she did reveal that she battles with depression.   This was a surprise because in most of her videos and posts online, she comes across as a very cheerful person.  I still believe that she is a happy person in general, but she said that she has her "sad days" where she has to stay in bed and sleep.  Although she has her low days, she has a lot of things that make her feel great which includes makeup and interacting her followers.  She has used playing with her makeup as her therapy - yes, it is superficial but fun should be... fun, right?  We all need something to be enthusiastic about and most importantly to keep with it.  She is a great example of doing what you love, even if it is a hobby and it doesn't pay the bills!  She makes a good point to eliminate negative energies, people, and situations from your life in order to become a happier person.

 One small thing that makes me really really happy is exfoliating! So what is that stuff in the lead pic?  This is my favorite soap for exfoliating, it is Tadé's Turkish Black Soap (otherwise known as Savon Noir).  This stuff is friggin amazing and Turkish/North African bath houses are the place to go when you want to be scrubbed within one inch of your life.  It is traditionally composed of olive oil, rhassoul, and laurel oil and should not be confused with Sub-Saharan African black soap, which is shea butter-based.  After a few minutes in shower and my skin gets warm and damp, I put on some exfoliating gloves, grab a glob of the black soap, rub in between my hands until I get a little bit of lather, and work out my problems! Sometimes my skin gets to the point where it is bright red, maybe it is because I think hard about whatever and just work out my thoughts with my hands.  Superficial, but still very therapeutic.  I actually had to re-order this on Friday because I am all out!  I can't wait to get it, I have some stuff I need to think about :-)

Do something little this week to make yourself happy .




picture courtesy of luckyscent.com

Wishlisted! MYHoneyChild's Honey Hair Mask

With winter approaching in addition to color damage, my hair craves moisture. I was looking at the 30% sale section in Curlmart, but didn't see anything too exciting.  So I went on MakeupAlley to check out reviews for hair treatments that got the highest ratings and saw  this mask with five 5-lippie reviews.  I went back to Curlmart to look at the details, and saw that is it silicone-free and protein-free so that must mean moisture galore with no build-up!  I can't wait to try this.

At $10 for 8 ounces, the price is most certainly right! The ingredients are: Unfiltered Raw Honey, Shea Butter, Coconut Butter, Mango Butter, Coconut Milk and Honey essence oil.

photo courtesy of curlmart.com

The Usefulness of the Internet

You can look up ingredients online.  Thank God!  I was browsing the beautyhabit sale, and thought the realhair real masque seemed pretty good! It boasted moringa, red seaweed, and babassu as some of the ingredients as well as other natural raw ingredients. But darling, I am a professional product junkie. Off to google I went before decided if this thing is worth $88 (on sale!, without the 20% code).    I surfed on to their website and woo-hoo, they listed the ingredients! I approved of the babassu and moringa oils being toward the top of the list, as well as other natural ingredients.  Then I saw sodium hydroxide close to the bottom.  And I thought to myself, "hmmm, isn't that what is in relaxers? can't be... this is a hair mask"and then I googled "sodium hydroxide" and yep, it's lye.  Since it is at the bottom of the list, that must mean there is a low amount in this product, but I assume it was put in to smooth the hair, but over time, it would probably destroy the health of your strands, right? 

Check the footage starting 54 seconds in about sodium hydroxide:



Get the fuck outta here! I am supposed to put a product with RAW sodium hydroxide on my head? NAH! I stopped using relaxers more than two years ago, mostly because of the strong chemicals that compose them.

Foolishness.

photo courtesy of beautyhabit.com

Happy Thanksgiving!

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!

Review: butter London Artfull Dodger

Love! Artfull Dodger is a gorgeous teal shade, unlike everything else I have.  It is of a thin consistency, but it has a lot of pigmentation.  What you see there was achieved with two coats.  I have 5 polishes from bL, and I would say that this is my second favorite after La Moss, a vampy red.  When shopping for butter London lacquers,  check out amazon.com or drugstore.com for accurate color pictures. 

Review: Dr. Hauschka's Cleansing Clay Mask

 The short of it:

• comes in powder form, so you have to mix it
• works wonderfully
• as it dries, it makes your face feel tight
• decreases pimples and bumps

The long of it:

The only negative I with the Cleansing Clay Mask is that is dries very tightly, which is not comfortable.  But that is how clay masks that come in powder form roll.    So whatever you do, do not apply it on your delicate eye area.  A good technique when applying masks is to put on a gentle cream or oil around your eyes to protect the area.   Anyway, I tried it first in the Daily Face Care Kit,which is great if you are new to the line and is very useful for traveling.   The mask has extracts of witch hazel and nasturtium and is supposed to be best for oily and problematic skin.  Dr. Hauschka recommends steaming your face with the Facial Steam Bath first, and then mixing the Steam Bath with the clay mask and applying it to your warm skin.  After running out of the Steam Bath, I didn't rebuy and I think it works well with just water.  But I do steam my pores open with a few drops of tea tree oil in hot water beforehand.  I do think this improves the texture of my skin with every use.  I use this once,  or maybe twice a week since my skin demands it be treated gently, so I don't want to overdo the tightness before I piss off my skin.  It is not my favorite facial mask, but it is great.  When I run out of it, which may be a year from now, seriously, I will see if I want to buy the refill (cool, huh?)

picture courtesy of drhauschka.com

Agent Provocateur in Bad Romance video?

Love her or hate her, Lady Gaga is on top of her lingerie game.  No lie, if she put out a lingerie line, I would check it out with a quickness.  The lobster-claw and the alien Alexander McQueen  shoes that came straight off the runway stole the fashion show in Bad Romance, but I also noticed and loved the black lingerie set she wore in the middle of the video.  The scalloped edges, lace, and delicate straps made the look very romantic and soft, even in the metal revolving contraption.  Lady Gaga often says that she likes to show another side of sexiness.  Instead of the typical over-sexed woman-trapped-in-girl's-body, I think la Gaga is bringing a more avant-garde and kinky sexiness to pop music.  And what is more sexy than being confident and comfortable in one's own body?

I was making my rounds online, and saw the Love collection from Agent Provocateur - it looks like what Lady Gaga was wearing!  I think she wore the demi bra ($160) and the briefs ($100), what do you think?

A closer look and more options after the jump...

Step over, argon oil

Is Rahua the new South American hotness?

Or are they riding on the success of Ojon?... and then argon oil? Well, I don't expect the reviews to come in a flood, the elixir that this company is selling is going for $175 for one ounce.  That is like, wow.  REALLY expensive, so people probably won't run out and get this product until a celebrity says they can't live without it.  From my impression after reading the Beauty Counter entry on style.com, it is a new line so we have to wait for the new adopters to give some glowing reviews before this newly discovered (to North Americans) raw material gets some steam.  The line is 100%  natural and offers a shampoo, conditioner, and  styling product,  at, yes, much more reasonable prices!  The conditioner is really interesting to me, I love that they list the ingredients on the page! The honeysuckle and green tea hydrosols probably make it smell great, and my hair loves aloe vera, vegetable glycerin, jojoba oil, and proteins.

I will be keeping my eye out for this one.  Quite simply, I already have some more things to add to my hair wishlist!

picture courtesy of amazonbeautysecret.com

Review: Zoya Ultra Glitter in Nova

Let’s just get one thing out of the way – ZOMG GLITTTER!!1!!!1

The short of it:

• It’s not just glitter, it is ULTRA glitter 
• Amazing staying power 
• Three coats for great opacity 
• Glitter is suspended in a sheer, colored liquid

The long of it:

Zoya produces nail polishes that are free of the toxic chemicals toluene, camphor, formaldehyde and DBP (dibutyl phthalate).  I have to talk about the staying power of Nova first.  I usually get tip wear after the first two days – not only do I work with a computer for my day job, but I don’t use gloves while washing dishes (I know, I know).  Anyway, 5 days later and there is barely a sign that I have worn this polish for more than a day.  I painted it on four nails, and they are in slightly better condition than my pinky nails.  Fab.  The glitter is a cool, dark pink suspended in an orchid-colored sheer base.  The base makes the glitter pop, and it doesn’t take ANYTHING away from the color.  Some glitter formulas just mean some colored glitter in some clear liquid, which can leave your nails looking sparse if not used over a coat of a colored polish.  Not this Ultra Glitter, darling!  It packs a punch with three coats (I usually use two for all other polishes). 

Two enthusiastic, sparkly thumbs up!  Let’s hope they expand this line like they expanded the Velvet Matte line. 

Curlmart sale

Uh oh! The shopping section of naturallycurly is having a sale! 30% off selected brands, and other specials such as free shipping with $60 purchase. 

Nail Polish Week

When it comes to beauty products, “I can resist anything but nail polish.”  Nail polish is my biggest downfall for a few reasons: it is a (relatively) cheap cosmetic product, doesn’t require any of my limited time getting ready in the morning, and it is an effective pick-me-up.

Soon after Zoya twittered about a promotion this Friday I got an e-mail from butter London!  Yikes, my two favorite brands! During their Green Friday (for 24 hours from 5p.m. November 26), Zoya will send you six complimentary greens polishes with a $20 purchase and use of promo code "GREENFRIDAY". Hot!  With over 200 colors from which to choose, it shouldn’t be hard to pick out $20's worth! Compliments fly at me left and right when I wear Midori, the only green polish that I own.  If you haven’t been privy to the 30% code for butter London in the November issue of Lucky mag, butter London sent out a 30% code to its e-mail subscribers.  "VIP1109" will get you 30% off your entire purchase until November 29.  The Lucky mag code is "luckybreaks11" and expires on November 30. Butter London’s formula is absolutely fantastic – it dries quickly and is true to the bottle color.  I have my eye on Minger and HRH, and La Moss is my vamp color of choice, so I do need to get another bottle! In all honesty, I can actually resist nail polish this time around – I really and truly have too many.  But about that special my nail salon e-mailed to me for this week only… well that’s another story!

Midori and Artfull Dodger are pictured.

Review: Aveda Deep Cleansing Herbal Clay Masque

The short of it:

• dries quickly, but doesn't hurt when it dries
• doesn't dehydrates my skin
• great value
• doesn't irritate my sensitive skin
• doesn't decrease the size of any pimples/bumps
• I will not be buying it
  

The long of it:

In order to rule my skin's health and appearance with an iron fist, I have to stay on top of needed maintenance.  I am not a huge fan of facials, I have only gotten a few in my lifetime and have mostly been underwhelmed, so I tend to my skin.   I have sensitive acne-prone skin that I majorly keep in line through supplements and diet, but once a week or so I do a little treatment.  First, I dip a clean washcloth in a bowl of hot water that has a few drops of tea tree oil in it and then apply it to my face to warm up my skin and open the pores. Then I apply a mask to my skin after gently exfoliating, leave it on for about 10  minutes, and remove it with a clean washcloth.  Lastly, I follow up with my regular night cleansing routine. 

I have been to several Aveda salons (Georgetown Aveda is my go-to for bikini waxing) and I have used many Aveda products and they are usually hit or miss.  I love the tea, I am undecided about the paddle brush, the Botanical Kinetics Exfoliant is great, I hated the Dry RemedyMoisturizing Treatment Masque.  I got a sample of the clay mask the last time I was in the store about two months ago.  The sample size is 15 mL (.5 fl oz) and I have used it almost 10 times, yet I still have 2/3 of the jar left.  A little bit is all that you need! The sales associate told me to a very thin layer for any parts of my skin that were break-out prone and use a thicker layer elsewhere.  

I like it, but I have two masks that work much better for my skin's needs.  For now, I will just use it to travel with or if I sweat a lot or have been exposed to a lot of pollution during the day. 

Wishlisted! Christophe Robin's Masque Au Germe de Blé

Obvs, I have been spending too much time on beautyhabit.  Next on my wishlist is this deep conditioning hair mask composed with wheat germ oil.  Christophe Robin was a bit of a wunderkind - he has been doing professional campaigns since he was 19, opened his treatment- and color-dedicated  Parisian salon at 24, and is currently the expert colorist for beauty giant  L'Oreal Paris.  He is an expert in hair color, and an expert is what I need right about now to care for my color-treated locks.  The Masque Au Germe de Blé is supposed to protect hair color and to nourish and moisturize your poor strands .   I am currently on my second hair color in about 4 months, and I am still not happy with the color, so I will be unleashing some more  red fury on my hair soon!  My hair was in a pretty healthy state before coloring, and even after the first time, but I think I was processed for too long the second time because my ends soon felt straw-like.  I have already been deep conditioning weekly with Karen's Body Beautiful 's Luscious Locks Hair Mask (love) but I wonder if this is the most nourishing treatment available.  I wear my hair in its naturally curly/kinky state most of the time so I won't damage it much further. 

Some of his advice on his website and on L'Oreal's:

• maintain the brightness of your color by rinsing with cool water and a few drops of lemon juice
• for an intensive treatment, combine a little of the huile à la lavande with the hair mask for about 30 mins  before shampooing
• flat iron only on dry hair to prevent frizz and color fading
• use a deep conditioning treatment after any potentially damaging situation: after a long (and dry) flight, following sun exposure, and the day after coloring
  

Haute Cuisine in Spain

I caught a part of an episode of the Made in Spain series on PBS, and I had to go straight to google to find out about this restaurant in Roses called elBulli.   José Andrés is not only the host of the series, but he has quite a few restaurants in the Washington, DC area.  I liked Jaleo, I LOVED Café Atlántico, and I can't wait to go (sooner or later) to minibar.  The restaurants  he owns have the most exciting menus in the area.   Andrés studied under elBulli's chef Ferran Adrià, and the dishes he tried on the show looked absolutely amazing.   From what I gather, minibar is sort of an ode to elBulli's multiple bites that experiment with texture.  If you are a real foodie, you need to go directly to elBulli's general catalogue, which spans 1983-2005 and check out all of the pictures!   The post picture I chose was a Fresh Snack from 2003 and is the "deep-fried red mullet fishbone with its soup."  Other past dishes include monkfish with garlic, winkles and black trumpet mushrooms; scrambled egg with black truffle jus; popcorn cloud; fennel flower in tempura; crisp raviolo of soursop with coffee and lime; lamb’s brains with sea urchins and sea grape; baby monkfish with lemon-scented egg yolk, daisy buds, pine nut oil and hazelnut butter.  The list goes on.   I am the worst foodie in the world ( I hate soup, tomatoes, most cooked vegetables) but I do not find Olive Garden to be exotic and the concept of food as art is quite fascinating!  I think I will enjoy a trip to this once-in-a-lifetime restaurant.  One day...

In the mean time, check out a course-by-course review at amateurgormet.com.

Lace Hosiery

I have to admit, I am really not into lace tights. But I did fall in love this style, Dentelle, from Le Bourget.

When the weather started to reflect the Fall season, I went onto one of my favorite tights online retailer, mytights, I came across these and they stuck in my head - the back seam detailing is probably what did me in. I am a sucker for a back seam. I didn't really dedicate any brain power wondering if I should get them or not, but all of a sudden the desire to HAVE THEM LIKE, RIGHT NOW hit me about a month ago. Much to my chagrin, they were off the mytights site. I googled and googled, then wrote to the mytights who informed me that they were discontinued. I believe they were marketed as a summer style, so that is probably why I couldn't track them down anywhere on the internet.

Le sigh.

I have found some potential second-bests:



First, from mytights.com, Jonathan Aston Sweet Roses



Second, from sockdreams.com, Hot Sox Fern Lace thigh-highs



Third, from asos.com, Aristoc Lace Tights



So far, I am leaning toward the Fern Lace thigh-highs, I mean how marvelous is the lace band? I also really like the Aristoc Lace Tights, but I have only had one experience with Aristoc, and I not too impressed. I got their Crystalli Tights, and did not get what I expected, which was a few spaced out crystals making a back seam. Instead, the tights had silver rectangle decals that didn't span a lot of the length... not what I was expecting at all.

Like I said, I am not too much into lace tights, but I suppose I should jump on the ones I actually like before they escape my clutch.

By the way, does anyone know how to glue a few crystals to some hosiery? :-) I can be a DIY-er when necessary!!



P.S. how awesome are these House of Holland for Pretty Polly tights? Too bad I don't have the legs for them...and I am not the party girl type :-)

Pictures are from

http://www.mytights.com/
http://www.sockdreams.com/
http://www.asos.com/

Wishlisted! Leonor Greyl's Huile de Palme

If you haven't guessed by the name of this blog, I am battling a beauty product addiction. I suffer from product junkie-ism. Whatever you want to call it. So this beauty just made it onto my wishlist. 95 mL retails for US$42, and is available at Leonor Greyl's site and at beautyhabit. I have heard great things about using an oil as a pre-shampoo treatment, but olive oil and amla oil didn't do much for me, and coconut oil made my hair pretty soft, but I that felt it wasn't strong enough for my thick, kinky/curly hair. According to Leonor Greyl's FAQ, the palm oil is superior to olive oil because "Olive oil will coat your hair but has no nourishing value and offers no protection from UVA/B rays." Hmmm, interesting. This treatment combines several botanical oils in a palm oil base.

Other products that use palm oil you may have heard of include Ojon, but they use the American species of palm, I am not sure where the Leonor Greyl's palm oil comes from.

The picture is from  http://www.leonorgreyl-usa.com/

Vanity in Primates

Every Sunday during my late breakfast, I visit the NY Times online to look at Bill Cunningham's weekly street style feature called "On the Street." Every episode is just MAH-VE-LOUS, and this week's, "Hues," is about the colors New Yorkers are wearing to reflect their environment beyond the thosands the grey buildings. Other than your typical autumn foliage colors of red, yellow, and orange, Mr. Cunningham has been spotting shades of purple. And he pointed out, as always, an enthusiasm and a sense of pride in one's appearance. I love him! His advice is always just to throw on what you like because it will make you feel good and to just "have fun with it!"

Afterward, I can across a series that is in the Science section named "The Science of Skin" and watched the video "Vanity" that was recorded in 2007 on how a human being's vanity is very similar to a chimpanzee's. Anthropologist Nina Jablonski discusses ageism and cosmetic surgery and their implications on today's Western society. Right around the part where the interviewer asks about the Angelina Jolie equivalent to the primate world, I had a good laugh, and just goes to show, we are not the only vain creatures on God's green earth.

If that video is not the end-all to the evolution debate, I don't know what is :-P

Take care.

New Shoes!

I was very habitual in the ritual of buying shoes - I used to buy at least twice a month. Never anything too expensive or too "for decoration purposes only." But boy, it still feels good to buy new shoes that you need, that you've had your eye on, that are SURPRISINGLY comfortable. I passed Max Studio in Tyson's Galleria last week when I was on my way from where I parked to the store I wanted to check out when I saw them: Ikram in black. They didn't have my size, but because I was in the Galleria, I got some great service! They ordered a pair from another store and rang me up when they came in. I had Friday off so I took advantage of the Capital Beltway during the mid-day (and how sweet it was) and went down there to try them on. They were a bit big, so at first I was prematurely disappointed, but from the years that I worked in Nine West and from the countless pairs of shoes that I have bought over the years, I know you gotta get up and walk around and really test them out. So I did just that, and they did not rub me the wrong way and my feet were not sliding all over the place. I will give them a full day test during the work week, but so far, I count this as a major score! I am so picky, what can I say.

But I must confess, they are not my ideal black cut-out shoe/bootie. That honor goes to Dior Tejus. I fell in love with that shoe when I saw the Autumn/Winter 2009 presentation (that I saw online, ahem).


I went to my local Dior boutique to see them person and to check the price (expect to pay around $1400!!!!) and they are just so beautiful. The heel is just a work of art. I am not sure if John Galliano designs the leather goods as well as the clothing, but the attention to detail is amazing. And it is great to see Dior applying the importance of detail to all facets of the luxury brand. As it should be, am I right? But can you believe the price? On sale, they will probably still be out of my price range, sadly.

I am happy with Ikram, I have been looking for a gorgeous platform black shoe that will be great for the colder months, and so far I am very pleased... and for 1/10th of the Tejus price.


pictures from http://www.maxstudio.com/
and from http://www.style.com/fashionshows/detail/F2009RTW-CDIOR