Operation Black Vote 'Black Britain Decides' event
As a politics junkie and a Londoner,
this Thursday marks the end of the recent Mayor campaigning in London and a
return to the normal Punch and Judy action of the Prime Ministers Question Time
*sad face*. I’m a strong believer in excising
my right to vote and am proud to say that I have never missed a major election
since turning 18 years old.
At the beginning of this month my
Bessie and I made the journey north of the river to Kilburn to attend Operation
Black Vote’s (OBV) Mayoral hustings at their ‘Black Britain Decides’ event and spent the evening listening to the main candidates
discuss their key policies as they appealed for our votes. Overall the evening was
a success for me as it allowed me to be confident in my selections and it
warmed my cockles to see so many like minded members of my community come out
to send a message to the mayoral candidates that the ‘Black Vote’ is substantial.
Apathy is something I come across a lot when discussing politics
and it always saddens me, as a pragmatic optimist (no this isn’t a juxtaposition
of terms) I strongly believe that whatever your political leanings it is
important to go out and make your vote count.
There is a saying that a journey starts with one step; I
strongly believe that change begins with my vote!
I look forward to waking up on Friday to see the results. :)
I recently posted about my purchases from Poundland and should have included these lipglosses.
They are from the Sally Hansen's Natural line. I like these glosses as they are lightweight and non sticky in texture, so get two thumbs up from me.
Fresh is a semi nude / peach colour
Berry is a raspberry colour
Lush is a light baby pink colour.
All can be worn sheer or over a gloss
My overall opinion is that these glosses are a welcome addition to my collection. I despise the glunky feel that some glosses can create and live in fear of the dreaded white line that I have experienced with some products.
My lips welcomed the glossess and didn't react to the glosses in the way that they have previously. With some glosess I have to make sure that I place lashings of Blitex before applying, this was not the case with the Natural Lip Butters and after removal my lips weren't overly dry.
The only negative I have is that I didn't come across any other colours to purchase in this range. I will be keeping my eyes out for more in this range.
At the beginning of this month I took my regular
trip to Brixton to get my hair done, I had arrived obscenely earlier for my
appointment and as per my usual routine popped into Morley's for a quick
look see.
Over the last few weeks I have noticed that the MAC
counter had been empty of late and the Iman counter had been getting some
serious attention by the black folk. I had some time to spare and so began
playing around with the foundations and the lovely assistant offered to match
my foundation. Now to set the scene, I had just come off the bus looking like a
goon (thug) with my black hoody and blacked out clothing rocking my
Poundland bag of supplies for the three hour hairdresser stint I was in for:
drink / book/ sandwich :) and she STILL offered to match me, I nearly died of
shock but quickly recovered to make use of her offer.
I was left impressed by the professionalism of this
makeup artist who, despite being on her own, managed to match me and complete
purchases for several customers. The fact that she managed to act with aplomb
whilst dealing with a rude, vicious woman who came over to express her dissatisfaction
that there wasn't anyone serving on the non-Iman counter, left me in awe. I had
to applaud her because I could not believe this woman’s audacity.
Not only was I matched, a through explanation of
the brand, it's products and demonstrations of how I should apply each item was
given.
I am now a fan!!!!!!!!!
I sit firmly within the Earth range due to my
colouring:
Earth 5 in the Cream to Powder
Earth Medium in the Cover Cream
Earth Dark Powder
There was a equisite array of blushes and I will definitely
My thanks to Beverly, the Iman makeup artist who
served me in Morely's. I had to
write a letter to the store to express my appreciation of her excellent
customer service. If anyone from Iman Cosmetics reads this I would suggest that
you recognise this young woman as she knows her stuff and is making you money
at that counter.
Background:
Brixton
For those of you not familiar with the area
Brixton is situated in the South of London and considered to be one of
the areas populated by many West Indian who immigrated in the early 20th Century,
unfortunately this area used to have a strong black population but this is increasingly
under threat as the area is halfway through it's regeneration (read gentrification
/ eradication of black population) and the local residents are increasingly
being priced out of the area. *jumps off of political soapbox*
Morelys is an old department store, popular with the older
heads' (south London slang term for older black generations, lol)' but with the
clever placement of a few key brands such as Iman has seen a revival in popularity
among younger customers.
Last week I went into Poundland for supplies
(decent makeup sponges anyone) and stumbled across these lipsticks. Recognising
the brand name of Sally Hansen I thought I'd give 'em a whirl and purchased six
lipsticks.
Now I
don't know who Carmindy is but these lipsticks from Sally Hansen are the
business, so kudos to her.
Since
opening the packet I haven't looked back!
Unfortunately,
due to the nature of Poundland the colour choice was limited. Most of the
colours I picked up fell in the pink / plum / red family.
Sally Hansen Natural Beauty Inspired by Carmindy Lipsticks
The colours:
Sally Hansen Natural Beauty Inspired by Carmindy Lipsticks swatches
Garnet is a nicccce sophisticated blue
red.
Rosy
Brown is a
brown based pink that has fast become my nude colour of choice and have worn it
out several times since.
Pink Blossom
was a tab
bright and so I had to use a lot of brown liner to make it wearable.
Rose
Bloom nice rich
pink colour
Plum Rose is a deeper blue based pink
Berry
Wine is a
deep pink colour
All of
the colours are wearable with liners etc but the selling point for me is the moisture
and longevity of the lipsticks.
I wore
Garnet to church as a stain (tired to be respectful in church with red
lipsticks) and it didn't move, once.
The packaging isnt anything to write home about but who cares, it's what is inside that counts.
For my UK
ladies I would strongly recommend that you pick up a few tubes if your lucky
enough to come across one.
Before La Femme I was a big fan of NYX's blushes. NYX was the first US brand that I formed an obsession over; I used to watch countless YouTube videos and stalk out reviews before finally placing an order via ebay.
When my order arrived, some six day later, I could hardly contain myself; skipping all the way to the Sorting Office with my red card out, ready to claim my prize.
Again I used ColouredBeautiful/ AfricanExport for help in selecting colours and their recommendations were spot on! Thank you ladies xxx The Colours:
Coca: Red brown colour is my go-to blush.
Desert Rose: Lovely deep pink blush, looks super on deeper woc.
Cinnamon: Nice yellow / orange colour, I have to confess that I don't reach for this blush as much as I do another similar colour I have in a NYX kit I randomly stumbled across in my Local TK Maxx. That said, it is a good colour for woc to have and but I tend to have to build it up. Glad I purchased it though.
NYX Blushes
Copper: When I first tried this blush I was like, it is a golden shimmery mess but now I find myself making peace with it and using the golden colour to highlight the tops of my cheeks and eyebrows.
Pinched: Similar thoughts to Copper, shimmery mess, but has come in useful as an alternative peach / pink colour highlight.
These blushes last for a good eight hours on my cheeks and the colour pay-off is very good. I am glad I made the purchase and am hoping to try the cream blushes soon.
If you have any suggestions for other colours in the powder or cream blush, drop me a line below.
There is a LOT of hype surrounding these blushes on the
Internet and I first stumbled across them via Youtube -
thanks Colouredbeautiful / DestineyGodly / AfricanExport.
La Femme is a professional makeup brand popular in the US for the quality and price of it's products, in particular, blushes. With a MAC (powder) blush costing anything from £17.50 ($28.10 USD), having a product that is on sale for $2.50 (£1.55) online (price varying if in an individual pan or refill) certainly pique my interest.
La Femme is not a brand readily available in the UK and having decided
that I wanted to try these blushes I was disappointed that there was an
absence of swatches online, particularly on Black (women of colour /
African - Caribbean) skin. Eventually I deiced to act on the
suggestions that the aforementioned makeup gurus on YT and placed on
order for six via MakeupMania. I opted for the individual pans as I
dislike bulky and cumbersome makeup palettes (I am not a professional
and so do not want to carry around twelve blushes when on holiday).
I managed to get my hands on the majority of the colours I wanted with the exception of Russett and Orange.
La Femme Blushes Swatches (natural light)
Colours: Sienna: This redidy brown
blus is a must fave for women of colour. If I can't decided what blush to
wear, then I know I will look good with this on. Recently I have opted
to wear this on with NYX's Cocca for added colour depth and it is
amazing. Magenta: Lovely vibrant blue pink (similar to Sleek's Santorini for those of us in the UK) Cinnabar: Lovely golden colour, I tend to wear this in the summer months. Golden Sunset: Rich coral red colour, again an excellent summer colour on woc. Bordeaux:
Now this purple/ plum colour looks very blah in the pot and in
swatches online but Ebony, of ColouredBeauitful, waxed lyrical to the
point that I took a risk and I am glad I did as it is gorrrrrroeous on!
You can see from the swatch that there is a lot of shimmer / glitter but
on my cheeks this absorbs into my skin and takes my look up by several
notches Framoseia: Almost neon in it's brightness pink with shots of glitter, definite staple for my deeper skinned ladies.
La Femme Swatches (Flash)
Products:
The products lived up to their hype, extremely pigmented, long
lasting and excellent finishes. You only require a small amount-
seriously; what ever you normally use halve it, then halve it again as it
you will not need all of that product and then tap off the excess. The blushes have a tendency to appear powdery and may bleed
into other colours if in a pan without a suitable cover. However, the pigmentation means that you can use them on the lips and
eyes to.
The only negative I have about the product is that there was a
absence of UK companies that sold the brand but this has changed since I
last purchased my blushes 18 months ago.
I will definitely be repurchasing La Femme Blushes and would like some suggestions on which colours I should get.
Last week Friday marked the
beginning of the new financial year and for those of us in the UK, the introduction
of the incumbent government’s ‘austerity’ plans for our economy – changes that
will radically affect our way of life. I
had planned to blog about these changes but this evening came across a recent
video from one of my favourite YouTuber, Shirley of Meek n’ Mild(Blog) / Shirleybeniang
(YouTube) called “...my finances & My top 5 Budgeting Tips”
and thought that it was a sign.
Check out the ever wise Shirley and her approach to her finances.
I am a regular viewer of YouTube
and avid readers of blogs; over the last eighteen months I have noticed an
increasing trend for people to post ‘hauls’ and without throwing any shade, I
am often astounded at the sheer volume of items particular people purchase. Now I do not claim to know the financial
affairs of anyone (and nor do I wish to), but a quick check this evening and I have found
at least three different vlogger(s) /blogger(s) over the last month who have posted
goods I calculated at totalling well over £220 each on items. Now I’m sure
these ladies can afford these goods but Shirley’s video got me thinking about a
particular phenomena I keep coming across, 'I see it, therefore I want it’ or
for those of us born pre 1990, ‘keeping up with the Joneses’.
We are constantly bombarded by
adverting on different platforms of TV and magazines, we are now entering a
world where our searches are logged and adverts on the internet (Google plus,
Facebook) / Supermarket (Tesco’s club card, Boots Advantage card) are tailored to
our perceived preferences. No longer content with selling us products;
companies now sell us ideas of how our lifestyle should be, creating particular
brands and associated tribes. Whilst I could blog all day on the psychology behind
this and this disturbing, emerging phenomenon, I accept that for today’s
consumer being able to ‘live within one’s means’ is no easy feat and so have
complied a few points below that I hope will help.
My
Story:
When I was a university I got
a great big overdraft and developed a habit for all things DKNY / Jimmy Choo (they were the brands of the moment). My room in
halls became known as the yellow room as it was always covered with the
distinctive yellow Selfridges bags as Oxford ST was a hop skip and a flash of
my Oyster card away. I never had cash on me and swiped my cards (yes cards – plural)
so hard that I had to order replacements every six months. I battered them –
hard! So please understand me when I write that living within one’s means for
many is not easy. It’s not. I should also confess at this point that I came
from a household where my parents didn’t mess with credit and as a
working-class first generation child, I should have known better. I strongly
feel I got caught up in the hype of being an ‘adult’ away from home and lost myself
to the world of shopping, raving and flossing. Things got so bad that in my
final year of uni I used to go ‘shopping’ back home, raiding my mother’s fridge
and cupboards for food with my Waitrose plastic bags to keep up appearances. So
please take what I have written as advice from a friend, not someone looking
down on anyone as I am not that way inclined (and apologises if you feel that I
am). I merely wish to save someone else from the mess I got myself in.
Some tips:
That dreaded B word.............
(Budgeting)
Budgeting isn’t hard. If you
think about it, we all budget on some level – ultimately, when it’s gone, it’s
gone. What I am referring to is setting an amount and sticking to it.
1.Know
how much you have coming in (Income)
Know what
date each payment hits your account and where from, just in case things go
wrong).
2.Know
how much is going out (Expenditure / debtors)
The amount;
the day it leaves your account and the name of the organisation it goes to. As
I said in my comment on Shirley’s video, in the UK everyone’s primary concern
is their rent / mortgage and Council Tax. I cannot stress enough that what ever
happens these two bills MUST be paid before all others. I cannot sleep until I
have paid my rent and don’t F*** with the Council. Non payment of council tax
can (and often does) can land you before a magistrate who in turn can issue you
with a County Court Judgement (CCJ), prison stay and with a criminal record– it’s
taken that seriously. The Council will often send in bailiffs and trust me,
having a grown person come through your front door / window
(they are legally allowed to enter through any open point) to take away
your TV or tow away your car can never
look good to the neighbours.
All other
bills should be listed next; using your last three bank statements should help
you see who takes money and when monies are deposited into your account.
3.Set
an amount
A weekly budget
is often the easiest. Find out how much your net (the amount that is physically
paid into your account after tax and other deductions) each month and add it up
so that is appears weekly. I tend to
follow the Citizen’s advice Bureau (CAB) method as it was the first method I actually
understood.
Monthly amounts
(Salary / Benefits) X 12 (the mount of months in a year) then divide this by
the 52 weeks of the year.
If I wrote
it as a formula it would look like this:
Once you
have this you can then divide it further by seven to find out how much you have
each day. Don’t worry if you’re not a
maths wiz, a simple search on the internet will reveal a range of sites that
have free software that will help you. If this doesn’t work for you, don’t worry, the
most important (initial) outcome is you find out the total of what comes in and
what goes out.
4.Stick
to it / Cash is King
Get your
bank to set up a standing order to pay bills each week or month. Contact companies to change
direct debit dates to when you get paid or to spread payments throughout the month
–what ever is easiest for you. I know it’s
easier said than done, but keep trying. If all else fails, take out cash and
you will quickly slow down.
5.Get
YouTube / Bloggers to work for you
If I see a
product I usually investigate it first before deciding to make a purchase. I
will read reviews, check out videos and if possible, look in store before
making a commitment. It has taken me a while to get to this point, but after
much training, I am Zen. It helps that I’m not an avid follower of a particular
beauty brand.
6.Expensive
isn’t always best
Trust me, as
someone who was raised in a household on Marks & Spencer’s, Clark shoes and
C&A (really showing my age today) it has taken me a while to come to the
realisation that expensive isn’t always the best. In this age of Primark and
Supermarket clothing I know that there is always a tribute (copy) out there. That
said, there are some exceptions to this.
7.Know
your Level
There are some things I choose to splurge on
and other I couldn’t care less. I have eczema and so will not mess with my body
lotions. When I first started out wearing make up I refused to spend over £30
on foundation as I knew I wouldn’t wear it that much; but as a black women, I
was fully aware that the colour choice wasn’t really there. I waited and saved up for my purchase and used
every last drop of that bottle! When it comes to mascara’s I am proud to say
that I have never spent more than £10 on one. Brands such as MaxFactor / Maybelline
produce excellent ranges and I can change the tube each month without denting
my account. (Check out Clumps of Mascara as Brittany’s blog really helped me).
That’s all for now.
I will no doubt add to my blog
over the upcoming months but hopefully this has helped someone.
Check out the video see if you
agree with Shirley’s approach.
I would love to know what your experiences have
been.
* Without going into too much
detail my day job involves working with people who are often fairly removed
from traditional financial intuitions / products in the UK. I should like to
state that I am not blogging as a financial adviser and so will not and do not
provide advice to anyone on the state of their financial affairs.
This is the second lipstick purchased by me in the 'Two lip products for £9.99 / £10' in Superdrug's and Boots last month. This colour was something of a surprise to me, completely unexpected. Looked pleasent in the tube so swatched as an afterthought, but then.......pow! Oh my, the colour -the colour! At first I thought it was the trick of the store lights and so rushed outside to take a look in natural light, promptly running back to make a tube mine.
Revlon Rosy Nude swatch on my skin
The light pigmentation means that I can wear it as a subtle pink nude or build it up over concealer based lips to bring out its true colour.
I think it suits every skin tone and recomend it to all women of colour to try.
I had to write an entry to this top coat as it has been tried an tested by me over the last three months - I am already on my second bottle!
Seche Vite with my kiss of approval
This product appeared on my radar after reading a number of reviews. Having run out to purchase OPI's Rapid Drops (and found it lacking) to say I was sceptical would be an understatement.
However, in January I ran out of top coat and had gone in a mini spree in the nail store, seeing a bottle on the shelf I added it to my basket. At the checkout the sales assistant did everything he could to dissuade me from purchasing this top coat, but curious about the product I stood firm.
It took a week before I tried it and the verdict was- my nails were dry within one minute of application. I could not believe it. Since overcoming my initial shock I have been making regular use of it, whacking on a different nail colour before running out of the door.
Company's patter:
Seche Vite™ dry fast top coat is widely acknowledged as the world's
finest top coat.
Specially formulated to penetrate through nail lacquer to the base coat
forming a single solid coating over the nail plate for a much more
durable finish. Guaranteed not to yellow while leaving nails silky,
stronger and resistant to chipping and peeling.
Pro's
Touch dry top coat within three minutes of application.
Super shiny finish
No longer need to carry a bottle of nail polish for fear of chips whilst out.
Negatives
Doesn't last past two days on my brittle nails.
Price - I but direct from a supplier so this isn't a factor for me but a quick search on the web allowed me to see that once again, UK consumers are being rippled off on an overseas product.
Verdict:
Having purchased my second bottle I am a fan. I make sure to spend time on applying the colour let this air dry for around five minutes before putting on Seche Vite et voila, touch dry nails. I can understand why the sales associate wasn't impressed, there are better top coats on the market, but none as quick drying as Seche Vite.
In the 'spirit' of resurrection this post shall feature a discontinued product by a brand it would be great to see back on shelves.
Ruby & Millie Coral Cheek Gloss
Background
Ruby & Mille was a British makeup brand created by Ruby Hammer & Millie Kendal, both renown figures within the cosmetics industry. I rediscovered this product after attempting to move some of my stash into boxes I bought in IKEA two weeks ago. Unfortunately I have learnt that the brand has been discontinued but wanted to post about this cheek gloss as it was one of the first makeup purchases I ever made and since rediscovering, have fallen back in love with this cream gloss.
Product
This multifunctional product was designed primarily as a cream blush but it's pigmented texture allows it to be used on the lips too. I tend to use it as a cream blush by itself or to anchor other, weaker, cheek products. I have found it to last a good eight hours and loooove the colour pay-off. I have C5 in Coral. It looks superb on women of colour but I caution you to use with a light hand.
Ruby & Millie Cheek Gloss C5 Coral Swatched
Packaging
I was always a fan of the packaging of this brand. I have a green eyeshadow that slides out from the side and used to marvel at the sheer genius of the design - why other brands haven't copied this I do not know.
Loving the case
The case encompasses everything I like in a well designed product; it's clear see-through case allows for the user to see how much is left and a simple sliding tab allows for easy access to the product.
I'm a fan of the lipliners LA Colours. Sold at 99p in the UK, they are a cheap but effective alternative to other liners on the market.
Forever Red has fast become a firm favourite of mine, I usually use it with my red lipsticks but recently have started to use it by itself as a stain and matt lip colour.
As usual, this shot has been taken without any makeup on.
Have you any favourite lipliners that are good enough to be worn alone?
A Cat Eye is my go to look of choice. I wish I
could be as creative as others when it comes to my eye makeup but as I usually
wear glasses the will to do so kinda disappears. However, catch me when I'm out
with the girlies, rocking contacts - different story, I become the Queen of smoky
/ Arabic look. As such I love a good liner and have displayed three of the
liners I have been using of late.
Eye pens of choice
Primark - This liquid liner is the business. For a whooping
£1 I get a liquid liner that produces an almost vinyl effect on my lids. Aside
from the price, I love the way the liner stretches to form 'rubber waste like
resin' allowing for easy removal and longevity. This is on constant repeat
purchase for me however, I must provide the following caveat, the other liquid
colours are not up to par so please, do not your hard earned £1.
Barry M - This pen applicator allows for even a novice
liquid linear to achieve brilliant results. You can manipulate it so that
a nice thick line is created a la Miss Winehouse (may she rest in peace). My
only gripe it that the black colour isn't as dark as I like on my eyes. That
said, it is used far frequently than other liners.
MUA - A brand that keeps being worthy of a mention on
this blog as it keeps producing superb products for as little as a £1. The
designers of this kohl deserve a round of applause as they have they have
clearly taken time to think about this product. In each liner MUA has provided
the user with a sharpener, affording the user to determining how sharp they
want the pencil to be. The colour is deep and rich, great for a simple and
dramatic look. I love the fact that it is multi functional: can be used wet
with a little Fix + for a liquid effect, used as a base all over the lid,
blended using fingers and a brush for smoking or use in my water / tight line without
irritation.
