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.
