Haul time! I bought some more items from ColourPop recently plus some refills of my favourite Oyin Handmade products and I wanted to share with you. It’s summer and I am on the lookout bold lips and long wearing ability. I actually filmed a video unboxing of what I got.
If you love video, check out the unboxing below:
Here are the pictures and swatches:
Haul: ColourPop Cosmetics
I picked up 3 eye shadows, 5 lip colours, including their recently released Matte X formula and 2 of their new eyebrow pencils. Lets see how these swatch on dark skin. Links to the products will also be included.
Have you ever been moved by nature? Inspired by the beauty of warm weather? Well…that happened to me recently. I love when the calendar changes to spring and the temperatures start to rise. NYC does a great job beautifying the neigbourhoods, replanting trees and grass and planting vividly coloured flowers in hundreds of varieties in the parks. So one day while at lunch, I was awestruck at the gorgeous, bright-coloured varietals of tulips that were dotting the park. They were so stunning! I love tulips and I had never seen many of the different types of tulips. Some were monochromatic, some contained two colours, some were variegated and there were even some that had heavily ruffled petals! Nature is an amazing source for colour inspiration and combinations! It really inspired me to do a spring makeup on my dark skin.
Here is some of what I saw…
This one has monochromatic variegation
This one has duochromatic variegation – red & yellow!
I was inspired by the colour of this particular flower that was pink and orange.
See how it is pink on the outside and orange on the inside of the petals. Image by me.
Also, while at The Makeup Show (you should check out my blog post on that here), I saw a gorgeous pink eye kohl pencil from Black Up Cosmetics and this was ideal for the look! Waterproof in a pretty warm reddish pink colour. I created a simple spring/summer appropriate look. Great with a cute summer dress. Clean, natural skin, bright, but not too bright eyes, and nude lips. I also used two other new products that I was testing out, the new BECCA Shimmering Skin Perfector Luminous Blush and a newly discovered black woman owned lip colour line, that’s vegan called The Lip Bar. I will be doing a separate review on them at a later date.
Last week, Sephora had it’s biannual sale for all it’s Beauty Insiders. Since I am VIB status, I was able to get 15% off of my entire purchase. If you don’t know what the Sephora Beauty Insider programme is, check out this link. It is basically a rewards programme that allows you to accumulate points to redeem samples of new or popular products. I am #TeamSkincare as they say ‘black don’t crack’, but you still have to put in the work and I am trying to stave off the effects of aging as much as possible! So I have a Sephora haul and even did a video about it!!
This is major news! Sundial Brands (the company behind SheaMoisture and Nubian Heritage) is launching a prestige haircare line, Madam C.J. Walker Beauty Culture, that will be available at Sephora on March 4th! This is a big deal considering that even though the options for natural hair and those with kinky/coily/curly textures have increased dramatically over the last 5-10 years, most of the products are not considered prestige. They are not the kind of products that are considered ‘luxurious’ enough to be found at a salon or a specialty retail store (although, I don’t know why??)
Anyway, this news makes me quite happy as it brings together the legacy of Madam C.J. Walker, who is the America’s first self-made millionaire, with the modern desire to have high-quality natural-based products for persons of colour.
(All information via PR):
Sundial Brands, a leading skincare and haircare manufacturer renowned for its innovative use of high-quality, culturally authentic natural ingredients, today announced the company’s first prestige haircare launch – Madam C.J. Walker Beauty Culture. Building on the life, legacy and impact of the ground-breaking Madam C.J. Walker – visionary entrepreneur, philanthropist and America’s first female self-made millionaire – the four-collection, 25 SKU line launches exclusively in Sephora stores and on Sephora.com on March 4, 2016.
Serving today’s woman according to her specific hair texture needs, Madam C.J. Walker Beauty Culture’s product solutions contain all new formulations created with the highest quality natural ingredients – including first-to-market dual oil encapsulations – and performance-driven innovation to inspire every woman to be unapologetic in the expression of her individual beauty – whether kinky, coily, curly, wavy, or straight/heat-styled. The treatment collection is designed for all hair types to help restore and maintain health.
“Madam C.J. Walker was the first person to devise and scale a business model that addressed the haircare and beauty needs of women of color, while also challenging the myopic ideals of the beauty industry at that time,” said Richelieu Dennis, CEO of Sundial Brands. “Today, Madam C.J. Walker Beauty Culture is poised to challenge those same ideals in the prestige category with our revolutionary new products and cutting edge formulations that provide women with any hair texture with a new standard of beauty – their own. In partnering with Sephora, this launch represents another step forward in our rich history and continues Madam C.J. Walkers’ legacy to help every woman feel confident to embark on the life she desires.
It’s also a dream come true not just for us, but for the millions of women who have been touched by the legacy of Madam C.J. Walker and the millions more who will be inspired to reach their own levels of greatness by hearing her story. We aim to give this brand back to the world in the elevated, iconic mannerdeserving of a woman who defied the limitations of her time and accomplished what no American woman had done before – in haircare, beauty or business. That spirit of audacity, inspiration, empowerment and ingenuity still lives in women today and is reflected in every part of this brand.”
“Greatness begins with confidence. Powerful. Beautiful. You.”
Image via NARS PR. The look: Creatures of the Wind FS. That hair too!
All info via PR
THE INSPIRATION
“I was inspired by a young Hispanic girl in New York. She’s really confident and likes herself – she doesn’t entertain all the makeup tricks “contour, foundation & powder” she goes straight for a strong lip. This is a sophisticated update on the heavily-lined lip from the 90’s. I played with the color and application on the lips, kept the rest of the face clean and bare, and brushed gloss through her brows to keep it young. It’s beauty with attitude.”
—Mark Carrasquillo for NARS Cosmetics
