I have been loving this African headwrap! I bought it recently from a lovely Haitian woman Paola and she is the owner of the company Fanm Djanm. My particular piece is 100% Dutch wax fabric from Tanzania. The edges are finished and it’s a large rectangular piece. Honestly, I don’t remember how I tied it. And I love that it is so bright and colourful and I can keep my makeup at a minimum. Here I had a little black liner on my lower lashline. Mascara top and bottom lashes, a little matte chocolate brown eye shadow in the crease. On the skin, only facial oil. All about that glowy, summer skin!
just some facial oil, minimal eye makeup! Glowy skin!
By the way, Paola will be at the Sugar Hill Market in Harlem this Sunday, August 17. This market is held once a month, in various locations around Harlem and it features a host of talented artisans showing their handmade creations. There’s food, clothing, crockery. So check out their website for more information, Sugar Hill Market.
What do you think? I need to find different ways to tie it. Any suggestions?
Laters!
FTC Disclosure: Products were purchased by me Noire Tropical Beauty. All opinions expressed are 100% honest and my own. I have not been compensated for this review. For more information, please see my Disclosure Policy.
What’s happenin’? How has summer (or winter below the equator!) been?
Mine has been pretty busy. In New York City, it becomes even more active and vibrant. A plethora of cultural events, concerts, exhibits and outdoor activities. I love it here at this time of year!
So what am I looking forward to this weekend? Well for one, it’s my blog’s anniversary on Saturday! Yup, 6 years! Wow! I have not decided if or what special thing I am going to do. Maybe a little retail therapy!
While you are at it, check out some of my older posts!
I love shimmers and glitter polishes, but I appreciate a really vibrant, pigmented cream. Holding on to every bit of summer that I can, I have been loving these brights from Zoya’s Tickled Collection for summer 2014, especially as pedicure colours!
Tickled collection by Zoya
In general, I used two coats of polish for each shade. These are all very bright. I would even call them fluorescent or neon. I think they would look good on all skins tones, especially those with a deep tan or darker skin. They will really pop! The formula contains no shimmer, and it is a little thick but it’s not difficult to use. I also got good coverage on the nail for most of them. All Zoya polishes are Big 5 Free, and available for purchase at US$9 each.
Kitridge
Kitridge – a bright bubble gum pink. A light neon pink. It also was a little thicker than the others and applied a little streaky. I think one has to apply slightly thinner coats. It looks great against my skin tone but I am not a super fan of it. I think my issue is that there is pretty much a bubble gum pink in the last 3 Zoya summer collections. One may be a little brighter that the other, but pretty much the same colour. It’s nice, but eh…..
Hey! So I recently posted about the release of a new formula of eye shadow by Milani, the Gel Powder Eyeshadow. I was anxious about trying these out, so I picked up just one at my local drugstore.
This year, I have been all about that gorgeous skin and bright lips, more of a minimalistic, glowy look. I bought colour 04 Bella Caffé, which is a satin matte shade.
Milani Cosmetics Gel Powder Eyeshadow in Bella Caffé 04
The packaging is basic, sand-coloured plastic that feels quite sturdy.
The product itself is domed shaped and reminds me of baked eye shadows. There is the tiniest hint of a sheen, or shimmer, but the pieces are so small, they are barely visible. Bella Caffé is a beautiful medium taupey brown. The swatch on the Milani website is a lot darker that what it is in reality.
Swatch, Bella Caffé 04
It reminds me of a brighter, slightly lighter version of M.A.C.’s Wedge eye shadow. It is very smooth to the touch, it feels quite velvety and finely milled. This shade is pigmented but not intensely pigmented, and that might have to do with the fact that it is a lighter colour, but I did not have a problem building it up on my lid. It still did not look chalky or flaky and remained smooth. It also blended quite well. I will get a couple of the deeper and brighter shades to test how pigmented they are. Bella Caffé also got a little ‘dusty’ but not overly so. On my skin, this is just a couple of shades lighter, so it evens out the skin colour on my lids and it not shiny at all. I got about 6 hours of wear without a primer on my lids before I saw a little bit of creasing.
I have been wearing this on my eyelid as my everyday, work-appropriate, neutral barely there makeup look. Just a little matte brown shadow to define the crease, gel liner and mascara. I also sometimes pair it with a bold lip and some facial oil (more about that soon!)
This is a really nice colour, and these shadows are definitely worth checking out. Really great quality for a drugstore brand and at about US$3.99, you cyah go wrong! There is about 1.4g of product, which is pretty standard for eye shadows. Find them at CVS or online at milanicosmetics.com
Overall Grade: A-
FTC Disclosure: Products were purchased by me, Noire Tropical Beauty. All opinions expressed are 100% honest and my own. I have not been compensated for this review. For more information, please see my Disclosure Policy.
I love using makeup wipes. I find them a lot more convenient to use than liquid makeup removers and cotton rounds. I have tried a lot of wipes out there, but many of them are okay, they don’t take off professional-level waterproof makeup. Or they may sting my eyes. And many removers are too oily for my liking.
A few months ago, I received a box of CLEANSE by Lauren Napier Luxury Facial Cleansing Wipes.
By the way, I had the opportunity to meet Lauren, and she was super nice!
Lauren Napier and me!
The wipes come in a box of 12 that are individually wrapped.
1 wrap
This is fantastic! Makes them ideal for travel! I love that! You can literally throw a couple of them in your makeup bag or carry-on and you would not have to worry about them spilling in your bag or drying out!
Each wipe is larger than the size of your hand and it is soaked (but not drenched) in mix of cleansers, hydrators and skin-soothing ingredients, like aloe and cucumber. The surface of the wipe has a slight texture but it still feels soft against my skin. I decided to test this product out on a day that I had a full-on face on! HD foundation, gel liner, cosmetic glitter, mascara, matte lipstick, everything! I was able to get rid of everything off my face, and it felt refreshed and there was no slick residue. All with one wipe.
A box of 12 costs US$18, which might be cost-prohibitive for some to use on a daily basis, but you could get this for special occasions. They are ideal for your summer getaway and perfect for dancers, performers and artists in your kit.
They are available online at laurennapier.com and in NYC at the New London Pharmacy.
Overall Grade: A
FTC Disclosure: Products were provided by PR or brand for consideration for review. All opinions expressed are 100% honest and my own. I have not been compensated for this review. For more information, please see my Disclosure Policy.
