MET Gala 2013 Recap

While it seems that a lot of people focus solely on the fashion aspect of the MET Ball, not a lot of people seem to be aware of the purpose behind this annual event. It celebrates the opening of the Metropolitan Museum’s fashion exhibit at the Costume Institute. Each year the ball has a special theme that attendees are expected to adhere to and is the biggest social event of the year. With that being said, the theme for this year’s ball was “PUNK: Chaos to Couture.” A lot of viewers have been extremely critical of the looks that certain celebrities wore tonight and this is just my personal opinion, but it’s rather annoying. If the theme was supposed to be centered around looking glamorous, dainty and well put together then it would have been…but it was not. Therefore, why is it a crime for celebrities to go over the top for once and step out of the regular dress code that we usually see them in? And let’s be honest, sometimes “couture” is not always conventionally beautifully. 

Here are some standout looks that I personally loved from last night’s event:

Sarah Jessica Parker in Giles with a custom Philip Treacy headpiece and Louboutins

Giovanna Battaglia in Dolce and Gabbana

Donatella Versace

Anne Hathaway in vintage Valentino

Katy Perry in Dolce & Gabbana

Jennifer Lopez

Madonna in Givenchy

Jessica Biel in Giambattista Valli

Cameron Diaz in Stella McCartney

Kristen Stewart in Stella McCartney

Beyonce in Givenchy

Rosie Huntington-Whiteley in Saint Laurent

Allison Williams in Altuzarra

You can view more photos of the attendees’ looks here. Tell me which ones were your favorite!!

 

Journey to Becoming a Makeup Artist

Somewhere along the lines I’ve been captivated by all things beauty related. I’ve been really interested in skincare as well as makeup. I’ve personally never really liked the idea of contouring, concealing, highlighting and shaping up my eyebrows but those things are truly an art. I’m interested in being able to create so many different looks and have a possible career as a makeup artist. Wouldn’t that be something…a fashion journalist/stylist + a makeup artist??? I don’t believe in limiting myself when it comes down to creativity so I’m definitely willing to branch out in another career field. I am somewhat considering the idea of cosmetology school but I’m still unsure of how I’m going to move forward with that idea. If you have any suggestions then don’t hesitate to leave a comment below! Also I’m going to share a few pics of “looks” that I’ve done over the past couple of weeks. Keep in mind that I am nowhere near a professional nor have I had any formal training so I’m not “experienced” quite yet lol.

SHEEQ Cosmetics

Today I’ve decided to share a short post about a beautiful cosmetics line with you lovelies that I stumbled across while browsing through Tumblr (yes, I still have a Tumblr “blog” lol). I found myself intrigued by the beautiful owner, Melissa Hibbert, and I knew that I had to feature her amazing line on here. SHEEQ Cosmetics is a makeup and skincare line that caters to women of color. Standing for “She’s Exquisite,” this cosmetics line not only aims to promote the beauty found in every skin complexion but is also made with healthy ingredients (i.e. paraben free, hypoallergenic, allergy tested, etc). You can read more about the cosmetics line here. 

Love She Launch

In this day and age, it can be easy to become confused about one’s self worth when certain images and ideals of beauty are constantly displayed in the media. As women, we are constantly bombarded with magazines that advertise things such as, “how to lose weight” or “how to make yourself more desirable to men.” Not only that but sometimes we as women can attack each other based off of our own insecurities with ourselves. Either way, it’s important to have a healthy image of yourself as a woman as well as a healthy mindset. Too often we believe the lies that others tell us and we don’t believe that there is anything special our lives. But that’s where we’re wrong. Each life was created for a purpose and I truly believe that each of us possesses something divine. Luckily I am not the only woman who feels this way.

Meet Jasmine Marie, owner of the blog, “The Journ3y.“ I had a wonderful opportunity to connect with her via Twitter and I have been in awe of what she stands for as well as the way that she thinks. Her motto for life and business is, “together we are better,” or in other words, teamwork makes the dream work. Jasmine has been cultivating an idea to promote the empowerment of women for quite some time and finally feels that she is ready to share that idea with the rest of the world. This idea has been translated into The Journ3y’s online store and the overall theme is entitled, “Love She.” “Love She,” has been well supported by her friends, family and other like minded entrepreneurs. Through the launch of the t-shirt and accessories, Jasmine wants to empower women to love and accept themselves. The inspiration for the theme of The Journ3y’s online store from a post written by Jasmine herself with the title “Love She.” Here is an excerpt from the post below:

Love the skin you’re in. Your perceived imperfections make YOU beautiful…in fact they define YOU….Love SHE- the woman inside of YOU…the woman without clothes, the woman that is truly YOU…Love SHE, the woman within

Staying true to her motto, Jasmine has had the amazing opportunity to connect with other women who are entrepreneurs to help make her idea a reality. She has collaborated with Temoura of Bodi Glitz to bring you three wonderful options of animal print earrings, Rhiannon of The Badd & The Beautiful to bring you two options for her beautiful Baddie Bows and Starry of Defined Accessories to bring you a lovely bracelet. The T-Shirt design was created by an amazingly talented graphic artist from Indianapolis, IN named Staci Dartis. Jasmine felt a positive connection upon meeting Dartis and knew that she would be the perfect match for designing the design concept for “Love She.” You can check out some of the prior sketch ideas for “Love She” by Dartis as well as the final look for the T-Shirt design here. (Note: The accessories mentioned are exclusive to The Journ3y’s online store).

It is always amazing to see women supporting each other and working to empower each other through positive movements. We all are beautiful and talented in only a way that we can be individually. Together we are a force and it’s highly important to always remember our worth as we go through life. Please take a moment to support this movement and help spread the word of The Journ3y’s online store launch. She has amazing things in store to share with the world and the world could use a little light. Below you can find a few photos of models wearing the “Love She” T-shirt as well as the accessories designed for The Journ3y’s online store.

As you can see above, the “Love She” T-shirt is beautifully designed and can be worn different prints. Some suggestions for dressing this T-shirt up would be to add a blazer (solid colors, i.e. black, royal blue, pink, red, green, etc.), nice slim-fitting dress pants or a pencil skirt (solid color OR print inspired) and you can add the heels of your choice. If you would like to wear this T-shirt casually then you can wear a simple cardigan (again, solid colors) over the shirt, pair it with jeans (skinny, boot-cut, or straight leg) or denim shorts and you can also wear either sneakers, flats or sandals. The “Love She” T-shirt is quite versatile and is sure to fit into each individual wearer’s style and personality.

Be sure to comment below to let me know what you think and again, please help support the launch of The Journ3y’s online store!

The Perfect Red Lip: Take 1

As promised, I’m going to dedicate this small post to yesterdays Perfect Red Lip segment. I’m still learning different makeup techniques and I’m sure that I’ll learn even more with my new job at Macy’s. I’m probably going to go for a red lip on my first day of work (I’ll be working at a Christian Dior counter) so I decided to give my RubyWoo a test drive today. I’d love to collaborate with any beauty blogs here on WordPress for different looks that others can try but I’ll get to that a bit later. Here is the “look” I went for today as well as a close up view of my version of the Perfect Red Lip.

The Perfect Red Lip

I recently went to a M.A.C. station inside of the Macy’s Cosmetics department that I’ll be working in and I purchased Cyber and Ruby Woo, which you can view in the drop down option on M.A.C.’s website. I’m thinking of completely rebuilding my makeup collection but there will be more information on that later. I’ve heard from some Youtube gurus, makeup artists and regular girls like me that Ruby Woo tends to be very dry but I decided that I had to have it in my possession. I’m a brown skinned girl and I’m always looking for colors that compliment my skin tone and even enhance it. I feel that Ruby Woo is the perfect shade of red and I personally love the texture of the lipstick. Now, with any lipstick, you want to make sure that your lipstick is not bleeding nor leaving any residue on your teeth. I’ve searched high and low to find two videos and tips to ensure that your perfect red pout flatters you instead of embarrassing you. Take a peek below and let me know what you think!

These tips are courtesy of Birch Box and Teen Vogue :

1. Prime Your Lips (Use a toothbrush or a clean mascara wand to gentle buff your lips and remove dry/dead skin). Follow with a matte lip balm to keep lips hydrated.
2. Lay Down the Foundation (Use a foundation or a concealer to block the natural pigment found in your lips. Blot with a tissue or a makeup sponge to pick up excess foundation or concealer).
3. Outline (Trace the outline of your lips with a lip liner. After doing so, move the liner towards the center of your lips and thicken up the outer line).
4. This is optional but you can use a lipstick brush to apply your actual red lipstick (or stain) more accurately. An angled brush is suggested for use.
5. Apply Lipstick or Stain From the Tube.
6. Set Your Shade (Gently dust loose or pressed powder onto lips to set your color, using a foundation brush to do so).

And voila! You have the tips and quick tutorial guides to help guide you towards your own personal, perfect red lip. I’d love to see the different looks that some of you come up with and I will be sharing my own version of the perfect red lip tomorrow so be on the lookout for that post!

Nasty Gal April Lookbook 2013

Nasty Gal has released their April 2013 Lookbook entitled, “No Sweat” and once again I am blown away by how gorgeous the model is as well as how fluid the clothes/accessories are. If you’re looking for a way to keep cool but with an edge during the warmer weather then look no further. Nasty Gal’s latest lookbook serves as a perfect inspiration for how to piece together your Spring wardrobe if you’re definitely looking for that edge. Take a sneak peek below at the wonderful looks that Nasty Gal has put together!

 

What do you all think? Are these looks fab or drab for Spring?