December Favorites - Client Edition

We are nearly done with January and I am just now posting my monthly favorites from December! If you follow me on Instagram (@chaneldior1913) you have already seen these photos. Nonetheless, here are some of my favorite before and after shots from some of my December clients:

 

The camera gave horrible flashback from her brows so I had to fix those with additional blending but she was rushing to a holiday party, so we did not have time to take more photos after the touch-ups. Nonetheless she looked gorgeous!

I had the pleasure of doing this beauty's makeup twice in the month of December. She was headed to another holiday party. We used MAC Studio Sculpt in NC50 as her foundation.

She was headed to a birthday party. I used Mac Indianwood as a base for her eye look. 

She was headed to the Beyonce concert. We used a red lip color from Nars (from her personal collection) and paired it with Mac's cherry liner. We also used MAC Studio Sculpt in NW43 as her foundation.

 

Please feel free to leave questions or comments below. For inquiries please email me at jarfullofglam@yahoo.com. 

Tune In Tuesday - Blood, Sweat, and Heels

(images courtesy of BravoTV.com)

Blood, Sweat, and Heels chronicles the adventures of six budding urban career women in New York. Yes, another "reality" show of forced interaction between a group of minority women. However, this show focuses on women on the rise, rather than women who are career wives that meet each episode at a restaurant or club to throw drinks at each other, like we have redundantly seen over the past few years. Below, I will give you guys my perspective of the show/personalities in case you've slept on it or you're still deciding whether to watch.

Melyssa Ford: 

"the clueless realtor"-  Single, former music video model/tv personality, resident of Manhattan beginning a new career as a real estate agent. On the show, Melyssa struggles with issues of overspending. She also expresses frustration of being nearly 40 years old and struggling with the concept of career and professionalism. The show follows her journey to deciding on how she will continue to earn a living, as she expresses a refusal to return to the entertainment industry, and attempts to rediscover her true passion. 

Mica: 

"the wild card" - Former model, owner of a New York based modeling agency. Mica has a subservient live-in boyfriend, Terry, of 1.5 years. She also has a pet chinchilla whom she named after Barack Obama but affectionately calls 'Rocky' and feeds him Cabernet from a wine glass. Mica drinks excessively and often loses control when drinking, and the group fears that she has issues with alcoholism. She opens up to the group about her relationship issues, as she speaks of meeting Terry while he was deceptively in a relationship with his live-in girlfriend of 20 years. Mica is loud, funny, and has tons of personality. She is the friend who is always ready to entertain and you can always depend on her to have a cocktail with you whenever you need one, and she is normally the one who provides the liquor. She speaks about previously struggling with racial identity, and on an upcoming episode she will open up about family issues. 

 

Demetria: 

"the urban feminist blogger" - Brooklyn resident, relationship expert, natural hair diva, author, blogger, and fashionista. You have probably seen her as a previous contributor on Essence.com and I distinctly remember her from an episode of 'Let's Talk About Pep' where she gave relationship advice to Pepa from Salt-N-Pepa. I was intrigued by Demetria's style and beauty even back then but I did not remember to start following her as I intended after watching the show. On BSH, we have the opportunity to meet Greg, Demetria's live-in fiancé. The couple seems like they have lots of fun together, however, I am not a fan of the way Demetria "downloads with Greg" regarding her intimate conversations with the girls. Demetria is portrayed as the outspoken member of the cast. We all know how outspokenness usually plays out amongst a group of women, and I am here for it! On one episode the Brooklyn blogger declares to a group of insecure women "if you have to investigate a man to find out if he is cheating on you, then you don't trust him and you shouldn't be in a relationship with a person that you don't trust." She also says that she has never called another woman to talk about a cheating boyfriend because "if I gotta call another woman about my man, that's her man. If I have to call her to see what my man is up to, then that's her man". I could have passed her the offering plate through the television!! She is already one of my favorite personalities. I will probably download her book, titled after her blog, 'A Belle in Brooklyn'. She is also preparing to release a second book, titled 'Don't Waste Your Pretty'. 

 

Daisy:

"the blabbering Christian" - Single, style expert, tv personality, originally from Los Angeles. On one episode Daisy proudly claims that she is "not abstinent, not celibate, yet not sexually active...sometimes". She resides in Brooklyn and often makes references to Christianity as she often refers to Jesus as her boyfriend. She is over-dramatic, loud, talkative, and has a large personality. She is the girl that cries on first dates. She is the friend that you cringe around because you're not sure what embarrassing thing she will say or do next. On one episode I was not a fan of the way she intentionally organized a group event as a way to address an issue that she had with Demetria, whom she considered a long time friend. I think it is cowardly and immature to wait to confront a person in a group setting, but we will save my personal conduct beliefs for another conversation. On BSH, Daisy also opens up about previous issues with her father and their newly budding father-daughter relationship. We will watch Daisy balance a career that demands a bi-coastal lifestyle and navigate life in New York while attempting to remain true to her personal values.

 

Geneva:

"the up and coming entrepreneur" - Single, fashion/entertainment writer and brand consultant. Geneva was recently hired as brand manager for Uptown Magazine. She is originally from Detroit and says "Uncle Sam comes for my life in New York" as she faces financial struggles with student loan debt while trying to pursue her dreams of entrepreneurship. She has a close relationship with her mother, whom she relies on for financial support when she is unable to meet financial obligations. I was shocked to learn that Geneva is in her 20's (she was 29 during the taping of the show). She is the youngest of the group of women and a great example of accomplishing many accolades in your 20's! She also opens up about past relationship woes and it appears that she may find herself dating again on future episodes. 

 

Brie: 

"the class act" - Conservative, practical, level-headed, and ultra feminine. The native New Yorker is from a privileged background. Her family owns a successful real estate development company. If she did not look drastically different from me, I would have thought that I was watching myself on television on an episode when she said "I don't usually trust people to make me a drink that I didn't see them make" and was very persistent about Mica's beau Terry taking a sip first to show that the contents of the cocktail glass were harmless. Brie says what she is thinking in a tactful manner and she believes in dealing with issues privately. She is also one of my favorite cast members. As of episode 3, we have not seen many details regarding her personal life, but I hope we will learn more about her as the season continues. 

Though I most identify with Brie, minus the privileged background of course, I think that all of us can identify with various characteristics from each of these women. We have all had conversations with our friends that are similar to those highlighted on the show. We have all had similar struggles with self-control, relationships, friendships, career choices, family issues, etc. The show is very empowering, as each woman is well-educated and has taken ownership of her passion/career. The show also paints a positive picture of the modern career woman as she struggles to balance career, family, internal struggles, friendships, and relationships - in 4 inch heels! I also enjoy looking at the ladies' hair, fashion choices, and makeup. This show airs on BravoTV on Sundays immediately following 'The Real Housewives of Atlanta'.

On this past Sunday I live tweeted during the show using the hashtag #bloodsweatheels and it was great to interact with other fans of the show. Follow me on twitter @chanelgloss and join the conversation about the ladies of Blood, Sweat, and Heels, and other random things that I rant about during the week. Additionally feel free to leave your thoughts in the comment section below. I would love to hear what you all think of the show and don't forget to tell me your favorite cast member!

FOTD and Too Faced Joy To The Girls Palette Review

I featured the Too Faced Joy to the Girls palette for today's look. I have used this palette twice. I will list the products used first, and the review for the limited edition holiday palette will follow.

Here is what I used:

Eyes:

Brows: MAC Pro longwear concealer in NW40 and MAC penultimate brow pencil

Mac painterly paint pot to prime lids

Transition: MAC MSF Deep Dark, Mac texture, swiss chocolate, and folie eye shadows 

Lid: Too faced Joy to the Girls palette colors - mulberry and sugar plum
Inner Corner: Too Faced Cheers
Crease: MAC Shadowy Lady and Fig 1
Outer V area of eye: Urban Decay perversion liner blended out with Too Faced coal
Under Eye - Too Faced sugar plum and yule log

Urban Decay Perversion in waterline

Face:
Elf Mineral Primer

MAC Studio Tech Foundation NW43

Mac prep and prime highlighter in bright forecast

Mac Pro longwear concealer in NW40

Ben NYE banana powder to set concealer
MAC MSF Deep Dark to set foundation
ELF Turks and Caicos as contour
MAC MSF Scene to be Scene as highlight

Rimmel shimmering bronzer in Sun Kiss applied all over to add additional warmth to skin

Mac nightmoth lip liner

Mac Smoked Purple Lipstick

 

I had to use a lot of colors on my eyelid to create the look that I desired, I will tell you why below.

 

Too Faced Joy to the Girls Review:

I did not initially plan to purchase the Too Faced Joy to the Girls palette because the online reviews were negative. Most bloggers complained that the shadows were too sheer. I also noticed that the color payoff was not as great once applied to your lid, as it is when swatched. Nonetheless, the palette was an impulse purchase for me. I went to Ulta in search of other items and saw and swatched the Too Faced palette and I knew that I would not rest if I didn't buy it. 

Here is what I love about it:

Packaging - beautiful! So aesthetically pleasing. I love mint and gold!
 

Features shades unique to my collection - the stars in this palette are the gold/ bronze shades. I did not have any shadows that were those hues and that had the color payoff that I experienced from the bronze/gold shades in this palette, so that alone sold it for me. 

Cons:

There are always cons in life!
 

Lack of Versatility - The versatility in the palette lies in the shimmer shadows. The matte shades featured in this palette are all very similar in color, thus I had to reach for my custom Mac palettes for transition colors to complete my look. There are two white shadows and a powder blue shadow that I would possibly never use. However, the Too Faced palette does feature a matte black, and a matte black shade is practically a necessity for me!
 

Fall out from shadows - I experienced tons of fall-out when applying my eye makeup. However, there are few shimmer shadows that are unaccompanied by fall-out, thus it comes with the territory.

Poor Color Pay-off - The bronze/gold/black shades were the only shades that I felt had great color-payoff when actually applied to the lid. I had better luck using the other shades with a wet brush. I also had to layer other eye shadows over the Too Faced shadows to create the desired shade. I was most excited about the purple shimmer (sugar plum) but it was so sheer that I had to use matte shadows from my collection to add depth to my look.

Packaging - Although I love the aesthetic properties of the palette, the palette was difficult to open and close and the tab used to access the shadows fell off during the second time that I used the palette, so I exchanged it.

The Bottom line:
 

Aside from the mishap with the packaging and the poor color payoff, the deal breaker for me was that this palette features four very similar pink shades, in addition to three shades that I do not use at all (powder blue and white), and there are only 15 colors in the palette. The palette features a full-size mascara as a bonus, but I was not crazy about the plastic bristles of the mascara wand.  If you are deciding on a final last minute limited edition palette before they are gone forever, I would not recommend this one as the one! Too Faced makes great products and stellar palettes, however, this was not one of my favorites from this season.

 

 

 

What palettes have you purchased lately? Please leave responses/questions/feedback below. If you have questions about my natural hair, look out for a post on the hairstyle in this picture. If you would like additional information please email me at jarfullofglam@yahoo.com

 

 

FOTD - featuring Urban Decay Ocho Loco 2

Hello JFOG readers! I hope you all enjoyed your holidays and I would like to wish everyone a happy new year! This FOTD (Face of the Day) post is way late! I resolve to do better in 2014! I wore this look on my way out one night last month. I decided to feature the Urban Decay Ocho loco liners. The look was really easy and quick. These liners have become my go-to product when I want to look glam but I'm on a time budget. I am in love with these liners. This look lasted all night even though I was dancing and sweating and wiping my face, the liners did not budge until I washed my face. They are also easy to remove with a normal face washing routine. Ocho Loco is a limited edition Urban Decay set featuring 8 full-size liners. I purchased the set at Sephora back in November. It is sold out on the Sephora website, but if you are interested you may be able to find it in some Sephora stores or on the Ulta website. I featured the set in my monthly favorites for November, so you can have a look at the colors by clicking on that post.

Products used:
Primed face w/ benefit Porefessional
Groomed brows w/ MAC Penultimate & MAC Pro Concealer in NW40
Used MAC Indianwood paint pot on eyelid
Contoured eyed w/ Mac texture and cross cultural
Created colored wing w/ UD Deep End layered over UD Mars
Lined waterline w/ UD Perversion
Lined under eye w/ UD Deep End and ultraviolet
Foundation: Nars sheer matte - Macao
Passionately Tempting blush
Mac Shape the future MSF as highlight and contour
Lips: Mac Night moth liner and Rebel lipstick

 

 

Please feel free to leave questions or comments below. For additional information, you may also email me at jarfullofglam@yahoo.com.

November Favorites - Product Edition

Below are the products that I was loving for the month of November. I have divided them into categories so that you can skip reviews that aren't of interest to you.

Personal Care:

Nivea Hand cream - I love this product! This month was my first time trying it, after passing it at Target several times. I have since bought several, as they are only 92cents. I keep these in my handbag, as they allow for discreetly applying lotion in a public setting if necessary. I can keep the container in my purse and scoop out a bit and rub my hands together and go unnoticed. There is nothing worse than being in church or in a professional setting and seeing/hearing someone squeeze lotion from a tube, or having the lotion squirt somewhere that it doesn't belong, or worse having the tube squeeze open in your purse. These little containers are both convenient and they work to keep my hands super soft during this harsh cold weather, or after I wash my hands in public with a drying soap product.

Nivea Lip butter - this lip butter smells so good and it helps to keep my lips hydrated. I apply this at night or when I am going somewhere and I am not wearing makeup. I have bought other scents that I have not used yet. The only con is that you apply this product with your fingers so you do have to make sure that you are applying with freshly washed/sanitized hands.

Vaseline Spray & go Moisturizer - I am embarrassed to say that I bought this product because I saw an advertisement where the lady got dressed so fast thanks to the spray n go lotion! I struggle with getting dressed quickly so I totally fell for that ad! I studied marketing in undergrad (my minor) so I knew that Vaseline was appealing to my flaws (procrastination) but my interest was peaked, nonetheless. I purchased the product with a coupon. It sprays a light application, which I quickly rub in and go on about my business. It does eliminate the time that I would usually spend sitting on my bed daydreaming while applying lotion, as I stand and spray this product away from my bed, so as not to risk ruining my linens. (Or my sheets, I can be so country at times). If you have ever used Off bug repellent spray, then that is similar to the consistency in which the product sprays. It helps to keep my skin moisturized and the product has lasted longer than I anticipated, so it is worth the price (about $6).

Aubrey Organics Herbal Complexion Mist - I have had this product forever, but during the month of November, I started to use it more frequently after experiencing skin irritation on my face from a primer. I spritz this to moisturize my face before applying my makeup or to refresh my skin after using a facial cleanser. It contains natural ingredients such as mineral water, aloe vera, and vitamins, A, C, and E. It reminds me of a toner, and I also compare it to MAC's Fix Plus. It smells really good...well it smells pleasant....and it leaves my skin feeling hydrated and refreshed. I once used it to soothe my irritated freshly shaved skin after I could not find my aloe vera gel, and it worked! I purchased this product at Vitamin Shoppe for about $7 and it has lasted me a while.

Cosmetics:

Urban Decay Ocho Loco 2 - these liners were an impulse buy at Sephora. I went to the store to purchase the UD Vice palette and the associate talked me into these. I love them and I am so glad that I purchased them. This is my first time trying UD liners and they are everything! They are very pigmented, and they glide on easily - hence you are able to use them on your eyelids for a smooth look. (It is difficult to use the average eye pencil on your lids in order to create a winged line). This set is limited edition, so I recommend grabbing it before they are gone forever. I love the colors! I created a look last month using the liners, for which I will post details in another post.

 

ELF Cosmetics Lip exfoliator - I use this at night just before bedtime. It helps to keep my lips smooth and to erase color deposits that I may not have been able to remove with eye makeup remover pads. This product was only $3 and definitely worth a try.

 Mac studio tech - Prior to using this product on a client last month, I had tried every single MAC foundation except this one! I am not sure why I slept on this formula, but I love this product for everyday makeup wear. It offers light to medium coverage (buildable coverage) and results in a more natural application (if applied correctly). I use the shade NW43.


MAC MSF (Perfectly Poised and Scene to be scene) - These can be worn as both blush, highlighters, or all over to provide a luminous glow (results vary pending your complexion and desired outcome). I love these. They are limited edition and sold out in most places.

 

MUFE lipstick no. 15 - this is a very beautiful and unique purple. I have a more detailed post coming up comparing it to other purple lip colors in my collection. The product has a creamy texture, a bit of sheen, it is highly pigmented and iridescence in appearance.

 

Elf Cosmetics Bronzer (Turks and Caicos) - I love this! I am going to add it to my MUA kit. It is an awesome contour shade. I have not used the highlight shade yet. I like this better than my Cover Girl Queen Ebony bronzer, and this product was only $3, whereas CG is around $6.

 

Fashion:

Jeffrey Campbell flats - I purchased these flats during the Nordstrom half-yearly sale. I am not sure of the regular price but I snagged these for $65. They are comfy and I have worn them once with jeans, yet they are fancy enough to wear with a dress or skirt. I will feature these in an upcoming blog post.

Asos Clutch - this was my very first accessory from Asos. I see bloggers post about shoes and other accessories that they picked up from the UK retailer, but I go straight to the clothing and promptly check out. I decided to browse the accessories section and found this clutch on sale. It goes with tons of items and it is great quality for the price. It is a faux leather material. I believe it was $24.

 

 

 

 I love monthly favorite posts on blogs and YouTube so this post was fun to create. What are some of the products that you are currently loving? Questions and comments/responses are welcomed below.

Monochromatic November - Part 2

I focused on black/white during the month of November. Here is what I wore during the last half of the month:

 

 

 I was headed out on a Saturday night in this look:

 

Dress: Asos

Clutch: Asos

Heels: Jessica Simpson

In the look below I was headed out on a Friday night to celebrate my cousin (Natia) moving to New York. Natia is one of the best public speakers that I have ever known, so I know that she will do exceptionally well in a new city! For this look it was a mere coincidence that the dress (which I purchased a year ago) matched the clutch that I purchased more recently. That's the best way to shop, just buy things you like and everything will come together. It is hard when you "force" an outfit by scrambling at the last minute to find something that goes with a new dress. Thus when you see an accessory that you love, buy it! I will make another post regarding shopping for accessories. In this post, I am wearing hosiery tights so it is impossible to see my shoes, thus I will post a picture of them (blue suede Vince Camuto booties).

Dress: Asos

Clutch: Asos

Necklace: Local jewelry store (Harwin area in Houston)

Tights: Control top at Avenue

Shoes: Vince Camuto

 

If Santa is good to me, I will have better quality pictures in 2014! Thank you to everyone who is patient with me and my iphonetography lol. If you have questions or comments please feel free to post them below. Also, you guys know that I love fashion challenges, so if you are participating in any or would like to suggest challenges for me to consider please feel free to post below.

November Favorites - Client Edition

Hello JFOG Readers! I have been so busy with studying that I have not been able to post my regular blog content. I am on a study break for now, so I plan to update all of the posts that I should have published last week. Thank you all for checking regularly for updates. I really appreciate all of my readers!

Here are a couple of my favorite makeup clients from the month of November.

She requested a "natural smokey eye" for a party. We used MAC's Studio Tech foundation for her gorgeous complexion.

She also requested a natural yet glam look to wear as a guest at a wedding. We used MAC Studio Sculpt for her foundation.


Please feel free to post questions or comments below. For inquiries regarding makeup services, please email me at jarfullofglam@yahoo.com.