Viva Glam Gaga and Cyndi are here!!!

Ok, this mini collection kinda has the same hype that Hello Kitty had last year.  People are super psyched about this limited release!!! It’s going to be one of the coolest Viva Glam campaigns (I still think that the coolest one was the RuPaul/KD Lang campaign for the original release of VG I back in 1994).  The From Our Lips collection is now available on the M.A.C. website which probably means that it’s going to the released is stores on Thursday 11th February.

I think it’s time that I get my first Viva Glam lipstick and I am sooooo looking at VG Cyndi, which is described as ‘a light reddish coral’ and it’s in a lustre finish so its sheerish and super creamy!!!!!!!!!!! The packaging alone has me sold!!! Deep metallic red on black with the black signatures.  These are going to be collector’s items for sure!!!!

Looking for natural hair products in T & T???

So, I’m walking down the street, enjoying the blazing hot sun, and I stumbled across a little jewel on Ariapita Avenue.  Tucked across the street from Veni Mange is a new store called Body Beautiful on D’Avenue.

Finally, quality natural haircare products at a reasonable price.  They describe themselves as ‘Your One Stop Shop for Natural and Organic Bath, Body and Hair Products and Accessories….’. Right now they carry two lines, Nubian Heritage and Kinky Curly (I almost passed out when I saw this !) They pretty much the full line of products from these two lines and they even carry shower massage brushes, 100% natural Shea Butter, aromatherapy diffusers, oils and candles.  I spoke to the manager/owner and one of her hopes is to continue bringing in other brands like Jane Carter’s Solution.  This, to me, is exciting news!!

Ladies and gents, check them out at:

Body Beautiful on D’Avenue

#62 Ariapita Avenue

Woodbrook (opp. Veni Mange)

Republic of Trinidad and Tobago

221-6439/496-0628

bodybeautifultt@gmail.com

It’s Carnival Time!!! Part II

Hi folks!!

I’m here with another look for Carnival 2010.  This time I chose yellow as a theme and again went back to Tribe for my yellow selection of choice.  Xi Ling Shi is Tribe’s offering and according to the website, Xi Ling Shi ‘was a legendary Chinese empress and the wife of the Yellow Emperor who discovered silk and invented the silk loom thousands of years ago’.  Again, gorgeous costume!!

Xi Ling Shi, image courtesy of CarnivalTribe.com

Xi Ling Shi, closeup, image courtesy of Carnivaltribe.com

Island People Mas also has an offering in yellow from their 2010 presentation, Kutchela.  Theirs is called Mudra, which ’speaks of the importance of non-verbal communication among people’.  Island People’s explanation continues, ‘ With its clinical meaning given as hand gestures, it is the essence of what is captured and related through use of the limbs that is in its profoundest meaning- that of the story of life’.

Mudra, Female Frontline, image courtesy of IslandPeopleMas.com

And here’s my look!

Anniversary Collection: M.A.C.’s Spring Colour Forecast

Image courtesy specktra.com

So I’m kinda mad that I’m missing M.A.C.’s Spring Colour Forecast launch party that’s happening tonight (I think!!) all across the U.S. This is a MASSIVE collection, falling on the anniversary of the Hello Kitty collection (I cyah believe that it has been a year since HK launched!).  It’s broken up into 4 colours – Pink, Coral, Plum & Amber.  I have not seen these products live but there must be something for everyone!!! It runs the gammet from pastels to brights, mattes to frosts, and safe to daring!  I have my eye on just a few of the products from the Spring Colour Forecast 1 – the Pink collection, namely Pink Burst and Laugh A Lot lipsticks.  There are even a few new products like the Crushed Metal Pigments – stacks of pigments with a metallic shine and the Ombre Blushes.  Temptalia.com has some great swatches and an extensive review.

The collection is now available online, and available in stores on Feb. 11th in the US.

I also heard that they are moving up the launch date of the new Viva Glam lipsticks featuring Cyndi Lauper and Lady Gaga!!! I hear its coming also on the 11th, but we’ll see.  Cyndi’s colour looks interesting!!!

What products from the Spring Colour Forecast should I get????

Laters!!!

Bringing the beach home – Bobbi Brown Spring 2010

So, I have not been a fan of Bobbi Brown.  I just thought that their makeup was too…plain, I was used to the bold offerings of M.A.C.  I even went to get a makeover done at the Bobbi  Brown counter at Saks and left feeling, well you know…plain!!!  For me the colour offerings were too limited and it was too much work to look like I was wearing nothing at all.

But over the years I think that they have refined their look a little and I even bought Bobbi’s latest book, which is really good especially because it gives an insight into becoming a makeup artist.  So it went beyond basic beauty.

For Spring 2010, Bobbi brings Cabana Corals, a very beachy, summery collection.

Cabana Corals, Spring 2010

And I’m allllll about summer!  I am not a coral girl but I think that this is the first collection that I am interested in.  It looks bright for BB and the shimmer bricks are #1 on my list.  I’ve heard a lot about the shimmer bricks and I think I want to try.  Has anyone tried this collection????

2010 Grammys

Here are a few (just a few) of the looks that I liked from last night’s 52nd Grammy Awards.  Who were your faves???

P!nk

She had the best performance of the night!! And I thought she looked amazing, everything, hair, makeup, dress, just so P!nk!!! Love it!

One of the better dressed of the night!

Keri Hilson, classic.

And you know I’m copying this makeup look!!

Rihanna, this is how you rock a haircut!!!!  Loved MJB’s look!

Lea Michele

And fellas,

This is how you wear a suit.  Maxwell, wowed in a chocolate brown Prada!! Love……

Source, source, source

It’s Carnival Time again!!!!!!!

And people here in Trinidad are getting ready for The Greatest Show on Earth!!!! People running ’round de Savannah at all hours, panmen fine tuning their Panorama pieces and there is an all-inclusive fete every Saturday and Sunday.  Once of the most popular aspects of Trini Carnival is the Parade of Bands featuring ‘pretty mas’ i.e. masqueraders, mostly women, in beautiful, skimpy costumes.  This is yuh time to get on!!!!! Mas camps spend all year designing and creating productions centred around a theme.  There are many bands of various sizes, but three of the most popular large-sized bands are Tribe, Spice and Island People.

Over the next few weeks, I’ll be showing makeup looks and ideas, inspired by the 2010 presentations.

The first look comes from Tribe, probably the most popular mas band in the country.  For real, the costumes are gorgeous and so vibrant!!!!! This will be real eye candy on the streets of Port-of-Spain!!  Tribe’s 2010 presentation is entitled ‘The Secret of Silk’ which is basically paying homage to all the regions in the world that have produced this fine material for centuries.  One of the sections that caught my eye was Tyrian Purple (I wonder why!!!LOL!!)

Tyrian Purple Female Frontline

This is one of my favourites!!!!

So you want to wear makeup..The Basics-Skin II

Alek Wek, she has amazing skin!!!

Hi guys!!!!

Here’s another installment of The Beauty Basics.  Today I’m going to cover coverups!!! That’s right! Foundations and concealers.  I have a quick confession- I actually don’t use any of these products on myself but I have used these on other people.

Foundations and concealers have come a long, long way, especially for women of colour since the 70’s.  Now they can be found in tons of shades, from the palest egg shell to the darkest ebony!  They also come in a wide variety of formulas – cream, powder, liquid, gel-like, cream to powder etc. With the advent of high definition television, YouTube etc, women (and men!) are constantly looking for the right formula that would make them look perfect and flawless.

So you want to wear makeup…….The Basics

As the bounderies between professional makeup lines and regular consumer makeup lines continue to blur, there are tons of options available for the beginning makeup wearer, but where do you start??  It seems like everyone is jumping into the makeup game, providing a vast array of colours, textures and tools to play with.  Over the next few days, I’ll be giving my tips for very basic makeup, the-no-fuss, I’ve got 5 mins, but I want to look polished- look.

Makeup is all about experimentation, taking your time to figure out what you like and what works for you, looking at what other people use.  YouTube and beauty blogs are a modern woman’s best friend.  I spend countless hours roaming YouTube, learning new techniques, looking at product reviews and makeup tutorials.  More importantly, makeup should be fun! Ah mean, what’s the point if it makes you miserable??  It should never be stressful or agonizing.  If you make a mistake…just wipe it off – and save that receipt.  Many beauty retailers allow you make returns within a certain timeframe.

Ok, enough talk, on to the real stuff!!!

A steal of a deal!!!

Image courtesy of Carol's Daughter

Carol’s Daughter has a great deal going on right now, until the 24th of January.  Get any of their mani/pedi combos for just $25 and that is a great deal in New York! Available at The Back Room at their Harlem Flagship.

Oh…you must mention New York Magazine to get that discounted price.

Call or email at the information above.  Enjoy!!