NARS Outremer e/s & Pretty Blue Feather Earrings

Initially I was going to pass on this e/s until I saw the earrings. $1 US from ethnic beauty supply store.
SCORE!

Collective Nail Polish Haul (With Swatches)

I've acquired several polishes over the past few weeks.
I work hard to catch them on sale.

Milani (Buy $10 worth, get $4 Bonus Bucks)

Techno Red (It looks more pink than red in real life. Gorgeous! Can't wait to put it on my toes Visible Nail Line still present after 3 coats)

Revlon (Rite Aid Buy 1 Get 1 50% off with $4 Up Rewards)

Gray Suede 705 (A interesting color, I thought to be sickly gray with the 1st coat, it improved with each additional coat. I ended up doing 3 to get it to look the way I wanted)

Opulent Pink 904 Warm Baby Pink with subtle Gold Shimmer (Backup ...one of my faves)

Posh Pink 912 (Slightly Frosty Bubble Gum Pink Visible Nail Line still present after 3 coats)

No Shrinking Violet 790 (Slightly Frosty Dark Bluish Purple - Wow, opaque after just 1 coat)

Sinful Colors (Walgreens $.99 each)


Soulmate

Rise & Shine

Nirvana

Which of these shades do you think would best compliment your skintone?

Collective Earring Haul/REVIEWS (BeautyOnBlast101,Mrs.ConversationPiece,TheILLlines)

I have taken a serious break from makeup. I suppose as women, we go through different phases.
I have been hauling jewelry in the meantime.
First up are these lovely beauties I procured from Antoinette of
conversationpiece (via artfire).

Left to Right
Green Goddess ($5), Moroccan Mama ($5),
Miss Rosalie ($5), The original Woman ($5), Carribean Kiss ($8) *this pair was a gift.

They were neatly packaged and arrived in excellent condition. I ordered on July 2nd & received my earrings on July 21. Antoinette let me know she is working to improve shipping times. Antoinette has modified the backs. Instead of stainless steel backs, she is using silicone earring backs.
She also updated the layout of her website. It seems easier to navigate.
I have a couple more pairs of earrings from her site on my wish list.




Next, I purchased earrings for my Middle School daughter from beautyonblast101.com

Crystal Curved Heart Tip Post Earrings ($5/pair): (Blue, Clear)
Rhodium and ceramic plated 1/2" pair of curved heart earrings, sapphire/clear crystals.
Post backs. Lead and nickel safe.













My daughter's school requires that they wear uniforms. There are strict policies regarding jewelry.
The earrings cannot be hoop styles. Nor can they be larger than 1".
She had fun selecting two pairs. The earrings arrived wrapped in bubble wrap and in a cute hot pink poly envelope. Shipping time was 3 business days. I was impressed by the speed of Selima's shipping, as well as her personal handwritten note on my receipt. I am looking forward to purchasing other accessories from her site in the future.

Lastly, I purchased 2 pair of Ice Cream Bamboo earrings
for my High School daughter from TheiLLLines
(via etsy).

Indoor Indirect Sunlight with Flash

No Flash

Her school requires that they wear uniforms, however, they are not as strict regarding accessories.
We decided to get the earrings in Orange and Navy. The microbeads are beautiful! The photos simply do not do them justice. I was impressed by the courtesy of the owner, Marcus Earl. He treated me like he truly valued my business. This seems to be a lost art. The pairs of earrings were individually wrapped and protected by bubble wrap inside of a bubble wrap mailer. The total with shipping cost was $15.99.
Shipping time was about 5 business days via 1st class mail. As a courtesy to me re: a Customer Service issue, Mr. Earl sent me a complimentary pair of the Ice Cream Bamboo earrings. I selected a green pair.
I am eager to purchase more of the Ice Cream Bamboo earrings as well as some of the Swarovskis at a future date. If you are interested in ordering anything from his site, he has generously provided a coupon code for your convenience. The code is "savvyshpr". It entitles you to 10% off of your order.

This is an honest review. I purchased all items unless otherwise noted.
I am not being compensated in exchange for a favorable review from the business owners.
My opinions are my own and genuine.

What about you? Have you purchased any jewelry lately?

From BSL Texlaxed to Short and Natural - I Big Chopped (for the 3rd Time)

I was frustrated struggling with 3 different hair textures.
I have been admiring many locked men and women for the past few months.
I decided to cut my hair yesterday.
I was almost BSL. *shrug*
It's just hair & it will grow back.
I missed my natural hair.

Shrinkage is the Devil!

I'll still be rocking my lacefronts and
full caps for "corporate America".
I just started a new job and not everyone embraces the concept of natural hair on women of color.
This is INSANE to me. Seriously, people think you're going to "Set It Off" or something.

I feel so liberated from the struggle of detangling 3 textures.




I'm excited!

Mirrored Jewelry Armoire (Updated with Price Comparisons)

I had been dreaming about this for several months.
I finally was able to purchase it.
Overstock.com sells it for $109.99 US.
However, it goes out of stock quite often.
I purchased mine from getorganized via
ebates. I got 7% back.
My grand total minus discount plus sales tax was just over $117.
It shipped to me in five business days.
It was very well packaged. It arrived undamaged.
I was very excited to fill it with all of my baubles.
Unfortunately, my bangle collection could not be contained in this unit. I have alternative storage for them.




Photo Credit: ShopGetOrganized

Over-the-Door Mirrored Jewelry Armoire Features:


36 hooks for necklaces

100 holes for earrings (holds 50 pairs)

12 compartments for watches, bracelets and more

91 ring slots

Interior mirror

Comes ready-to-hang with included hardware

Measures approx. 14"W x 48"L x 4" Deep

Made of wood, glass, plastic, wire and foam

Made in USA


There is a full length mirror on the exterior as well as a small mirror on the inside.

It only took me about 10 minutes to screw in the hooks to hang it on my door.
If you prefer to mount it on the wall it comes with a template, anchors and screws.

I had fun filling this. It took me more than an hour.

Hanging earrings
close up.

There is a mirror
between these
2 sections.

I love this organizer.
How are you currently storing your accessories?
















How does ebates work? ....Price comparisons
The link to ebates is simply for the referral.
(You will get $10...gift card & I will also get $5 credit)

http://www.ebates.com/rf.do?referrerid=MlligMjDC%2FOeTiq91TzIsQ%3D%3D

1.Once you have signed up,
2. then you type in the store you want in the right hand top search bar.
3. Any coupons for that store will pop up.
4. You simply click on the deal you want (e.g. 15% off, or free shipping or whatever)
5. Next ebates will redirect you to the site.
You can start shopping & you will get credit for your purchase.
6. If you connect to that site in a different window you will not get the credit through ebates.

e.g. of stores that sell the armoire...
csn stores (jewelry armoires direct)
get organized (shopgetorganized)
hsn
Walmart

(All of the stores I know of actually buy from csn stores, or some ship from csn stores).

7. After you have navigated to the store/coupon of your choice, you need to then go to the search field of that website & type in "over the door mirrored jewelry armoire".

I chose shopgetorganized b/c I did the math & 20% off (plus $14.98) total shipping & (8% tax) got me the armoire for like $117 & some change total.
With my credit, the armoire cost me $111.00
$129.98 Regular Price
$119.98 Sale Price
-   24.00  (20% discount)
-----------
$  95.98
$  14.98 shipping
---------
$117.62
      6.72 ebates credit (cash back to be paid August 15, 2011)
---------
$111.00

$That 20% off coupon expired. But they do have a 15% off coupon. Generally through ebates, the free shipping will not apply to the purchase of the armoire at get organized b/c it is a "W" or "D" item. W=weight, D=drop ship.
get organized ships the armoire from a warehouse closest to your geographic location.

If you shop the get organized store through ebates by clicking on the 15% coupon (expires 7/31/11),
the link will take the price down to $112.
You need to add $10.00 for shipping because of the weight. That takes it to $122. Your local tax needs to be applied as well. That will be your grand total. You will receive 7% credit ($7.84) to your ebates account in 2-3 days after your purchase. The armoire is backordered until 7/30/11 on getorganized.

I do believe you can still lock in the discounts/pricing etc if you "preorder" b4 the coupon expires.
You might want to call to confirm this. They only have the armoire in black on this site.

csn stores offer "free shipping" on the armoire, but the cost is $136.99 plus tax.
on their site, the colors offered are Black, Silver, White and Gold.
The return if purchased through ebates is 2.5% ($3.42)

Walmart also offers "free shipping" on it but the price is also $136.99 plus tax.
The return to your ebates account if purchased through their link is ($3.42)

hsn offers free shipping. But the cost is $149.99. However their color range is greater.
They have Silver, Leopard, Black & Cherry. They also offer the option to break up the payments 2x.
If you choose to purchase the armoire from hsn through ebates, you get 2% of your purchase price ($3) credited back to your ebates account in 2-3 days.

Overstock.com does not currently have any deals through ebates. Your shipping costs will be $2.99
Overstock does offer you free shipping & 5% back on your purchase if you are a part of club "O".
(It cost $19.95 to join)
The armoire is $109.99 in Black on the site. ($112.98 plus tax)
$125.99 in White. ($129.98 plus tax)
$129.99 in Silver. ($132.98 plus tax)

I believe the armoire is also available via acouple of  sellers on ebay
($129.95 plus tax  and $151.97 plus tax , available in Black, White, Silver, Leopard),
however you do not get any return for your purchase.
I hope this has been helpful.

NK HD Eyeshadow Collection - with some MAC dupes

3001 frosty creamy white


3002 blue based pink (discontinued)

3003 frosty baby pink

3004 punchy matte reddish coral

3005 dark plum – MAC Heritage Rouge pigment dupe

3006 shimmery turquoise –
         MAC Parrot/L'Oreal hip Showy dupe with     better texture and color payoff

3007 matte powder blue

3008 matte light tan

3009 deep warm brown with gold undertones

3010 pale shimmery green

3011 frosty mauvey pink-ish purple

3012 frosty lavender (silver based)

3013 frosty tan (silver based)

3014 frosty gray-ish brown (silver based)

3015 deep red based brown (gold undertones)

3016 shimmery dark bark colored brown (gold undertones)

3017 shimmery light champagne (gold & silver undertones)

3018 frosty khaki greenish brown (silver based)

3019 frosty Periwinkle (silver based)

3020 metallic gold based blue –

         somewhere between MAC Deep Truth and Freshwater

3021 shimmery off black (silver based)

3022 shimmery yellow-green

3023 shimmery hunter green (gold based)

3024 pink/blue duochrome

         like MAC Stars and Rockets/Pink Pearl Pro pigment, but with a less blue

3025 matte blue based dark magenta - MAC Hepcat dupe

3026 shimmery yellow -

          pretty close dupe of MAC Bright Force/ slightly more payoff than Crest The Wave

3027 shimmery light terra cotta

3028 shimmery yellow gold

3029 shimmery bronze gold

3031 mid toned purple shimmer

3033 silver

3032 silvery light pink

3034 satiny turquoise - MAC Haunting dupe w/ better payoff

3035 shimmery light turquoise (gold undertones)

3037 matte black/ MAC Carbon dupe

3039 satiny electric hot pink (gold undertones) –

         Dupe of MAC Bright Fuchsia Pro Pigment

Display in my local ethnic Beauty Supply Store.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
Have you bought any of these eyeshadows yet?

NYX s119 Nude On Nude Palette with Swatches on Dark Skin

I purchased my palette from
porkdaisy.com.
Price
It cost me $22.50. Shipping was $4.
I selected the least expensive shipping option, First Class Mail. The package was labelled with a neon orange fragile handle with care sticker. Despite this,
my envelope was ripped because of the weight of the palette.
It was enclosed in a bubble wrapped padded mailer. The shipper should have reinforced the end of the envelope. This resulted in a two day delay in the shipping. The USPS re wrapped the package an included a letter of apology for delay. I contacted porkdaisy about it. They apologized & said they would notify the shipping department of what transpired. Fortunately NYX made the palette so sturdily, that it arrived safely.




On to the swatches!
The palette comes with a hidden drawer of 10 lip colors.
I found these to be quite sheer. They would be perfect over a lip pencil or a lipstick.
They remind me of a waxy lip balm. Only three of the colors really showed up on my skin.

Lip Product Row

Bottom Eyeshadow Row

Top Eyeshadow Row

Packaging

The palette also comes with two tiny double-ended applicators.
One is a double-ended sponge tip applicator.
The other is a double-ended lip brush.

The casing is made of sturdy plastic. The palette contains a small mirror.
It is easy to open.
I think it would be very convenient for travel.
I agree with fellow YouTuber Traycee (KissSeventySeven)and think it would also make a nice gift for someone new to makeup or someone who loves neutrals.

Performance
The palette has a balanced number of matte, satin and shimmery eyeshadow shades.
I have not yet had the opportunity to experiment fully with all of the colors.
However, they are quite pigmented.

Some have asked whether or not this is a duplicate for the Urban Decay NAKED palette.
I would have to say, "No." There are a few colors that are similar, however none are exact duplicates.
Each palette stands on it's own merits. I have used them together to create neutral looks.

I am still playing with the NYX Nude On Nude palette.
With twenty eyeshadows, the combination of looks is endless.

My Thoughts
I would give this palette four out of five stars.
I would definitely order from porkdaisy again.
Despite the delay in the delivery of my package, their prices are reasonable,
and Customer Service department was professional.

Do you own this? Is this something that looks appealing to you?

Accessories Haul - Beauty Supply Store

I want to go back to buy more feather earrings. There are two colors I am missing.
I love unique wooden bracelets.
The gold and silver hoops are staples for my collection.

All items were $1.

Do you have a beauty supply store in your area? Do they sell jewelry?

Other Blogger's GiveAway - Sigma F80 - (MyPureBeauty)

Please click the link for details.

MyPureBeauty.Net

Nails Of The Day - Revlon - Lilac Pastelle

Soft Pink Lilac
Creamy.
A little streaky.
This is 4 coats!
I do not mind "suffering" for beauty. *smiles*

Do you own this color?

Nails Of The Day - Revlon - Tropical Temptation

Lovely Coral Jelly.
This is perfect for Spring.

Do you own this color?

Nails Of The Day (NOTD) - Revlon MINTED

I am loving Revlon MINTED!

It reminds me of creamy sherbert.

I am so ready for Spring.

This formula was a little bit streaky after two coats. I used three for it to appear opaque. The result was a little bumpy because I was eager to get it opaque. I put too much polish on the brush. I was watching Celebrity Apprentice in my living room, so my lighting was not the best. Energy Saver bulbs are great for the enviornment, but terrible for painting nails.
I didn't realize it was bumpy until this morning. UGH!

Overall, I'm enjoying the color. The next time I use this I will take my time.

Indirect Sunlight Indoors No Flash

I think the colors create an interesting contrast against my brown skin.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Indirect Sunlight Indoors With Flash
 
 

Would you rock this shade in the Winter?