Hello Kitty Noir Haul

Hello Kitty Beauty products under $2

I found a Sanrio Store and a store that sells Hello Kitty stuff in Downtown LA at the Japanese Plaza Mall. I only spent $8 on Hello Kitty stuff at the other store and look what I got.

Hello Kitty Q-tips ($1.99)

Small re-sealable plastic Hello Kitty bags ($1.99)

Small Hello Kitty travel size bottles ($1.99)

Hello Kitty wipes ($1.99)

Foundations for NW45 girls and How I apply my Kett Hydro Foundation

In laymen’s terms the best way to describe my complexion is Chocolate or for makeup junkies, I’m an NW45 in MAC. As most NW45s I turn NW50 in the summer. I’ve been on the hunt for some new foundation and most of the time when I talk make up people tell me “You don’t need makeup you’re fine without it” or “You really don’t need foundation just use a little powder!” I love the finish of foundation because I think it makes me look Iike I’ve been dipped in chocolate! Lol. I have found that the foundation that works best for me in terms of best match has been the Make Up Forever Mat Velvet + in #85 (in picture) and the Face and Body in #178.

I have been wearing both of those for about 2 years and have had no complaints. I like the way it looks in person and when I take pictures. The one thing I love about the Face and Body is that most people didn’t think I had foundation on in person so needless to say that is one that stayed on deck especially in the summer time. 

Since I am such a product junkie I like to try new things and going to IMATS was perfect for me because all the brands I wanted to try were all under one roof. For the past 2 weeks I have been testing two foundations that have worked so well for me that I have to share only because I know how hard it can be to find a product that doesn’t make you look orange or red. I bought Face Atelier Ultra Foundation in #12 Sable and I also got Kett Cosmetics Hydro Foundation in O9 (big) and Structure (small). 

I bought the Face Atelier knowing in the back of my mind that it might be a little light since I had gotten about 2-3 shades darker in the previous weeks and even mentioned this to the girl who put it on me and rang me up. I played with it a little that night and decided to bring it with me on Sunday to see if they possibly had a darker shade. I went back to the counter and asked a different girl to apply it which made me feel much better about my purchase because honestly, I had buyers remorse in the beginning. I wanted to like it because I saw some press on it and also because some celebrity women of color had used it. When I applied it a couple of days later I was so surprised at how flawless the coverage was and the fact that I didn’t have to use my concealer like I normally do.

I liked the look so much that I did a quick video explaining how I put it on and everything. Later on that night I took pictures and posted them on my FaceBook profile and got a couple of compliments however when I looked a little closer I notice I needed to blend my neck better because there was an obvious difference and honey it was not a good look. I still didn’t want to give up on this foundation but what made it bad was I saw a haul video MakeupbyRenRen did where she showed the correctors she bought. I almost fell out of my seat when I saw the "0 ++" corrector. All I could think was, “None of those girls said anything about correctors! To me that should have been the up sale but oh well.  I applied it again this past Sunday making sure to take my time and not rush the application, and “blend, blend ,blend” and boy let me tell you…I don’t me to toot my own horn but BEEP BEEEEEEP! It was gorgeous and I got so many compliments.  Just so you know it does tend to feel a tad sticky so I just used  powder to dust over my face since I do tend to get a little shiny around noonish.  

These are the powders I always use, again because they match the best and two of these I can just throw in my makeup bag. 

The things that I love about the Kett Hydro Foundation is that:

1.         I don’t have to use a conceler, its buildable
2.         it feels so light that you don’t feel like you’re wearing foundation
3.         In pictures it didn’t look like I was wearing foundation
4.         Easy to mix for a true match if you don’t have an airbrush kit.

I was interested in purchasing this foundation because I heard that the main ingredients included water and glycerine. When I passed by their table at IMATS I noticed that their was a girl that was around my complexion so I asked if she was wearing the product and she said yes. I had her put it on one side of my face making sure to cover the dark spot on my cheek and it looked great. After she rang me up and gave me my total she told me that she also used “Structure” as well. Because I am used to just buying one foundation at first thought I was a little turned off at the idea of buying two however as I walked away I got excited because I couldn’t believe I was able to walk away with 2 foundations for less than $35.

When I got home a played around with it I found that 5 drops of O9 and 2 drops of Structure is the perfect combination for my entire face. I repeat the process to cover my entire neck since its slightly darker than my face. Another thing that I like to do is use O9 under my brows with an angled brush to define them which takes the place of using my concealers. I generally use MAC but now I don’t have to when I use my Kett Foundations.

My 1st trip to IMATS LA 2010 at the Pasadena Convention Center

Today is the last day of IMATS LA 2010 at the Pasadena Convention Center. I heard about the tradeshow last year and was bummed that I missed it, I had never been before and when I found out that two of my favorite YouTube Gurus were going to be speaking I figured I couldn’t miss this in addition to getting the chance to try products I’d seen in magazines, blogs, and TV. I attend Saturday and Sunday but since I’m not a pro Make-up Artist I had to constantly remind myself not to buy stuff that I don’t need right now! None of my friends are into make-up like me so I went by myself and had the best two days of my life in a really long time! I made sure to wear flat shoes, bring a bag for my purchases, and a clean face. I figured “Why put on makeup, there will be a million MUA’s to beat my face! “ Unfortunately I looked a hot greasy mess in these pictures. Lol

 The first person I met while waiting in line to buy my Exhibition Hall ticket was Petrilude. I was so excited to meet him because I enjoy his Youtube videos and I’m also a fan on his Facebook page. About one month prior to IMATS he did a video on the “Nude Lips” and mentioned some helpful tips for women of color. I usually watch tutorials/videos on my blackberry or on my laptop when I have free time but after I saw his video I ended up making my very first YouTube response video. I had no idea he would be there because I didn’t see his video on IMATS so when I saw him I gave him a hug without asking first and accidentally got his face wet from my wet hair! (Who does that!... he probably thought I was a “Psycho Fan” but he was gracious and kind enough to take a picture with me! Lol)

Immediately after purchasing  my ticket I was on my way into the Exhibition Hall where all the vendors were unfortunately I didn’t have my bracelet so I had to turn around and grab it otherwise they don’t let you in the door, so as I was searching for the line I saw Lauren aka the Queen of Blending. Hers were some of the 1^st makeup videos that I ran across on Youtube I admire her work and she often stresses that you don’t have to only use MAC products, in fact one of the brushes she uses in many of her videos is a Sonia Kashuk brush that you can get from Target. Not only is she is talented, she is just as beautiful in person and although she was busy working at the OCC booth  she gave two suggestions that would match my complexion in the OCC Lip Tar for a nude lip. Yup I’m still on the search for the perfect color J

As soon as I walked into the Hall who do I see? Ren Ren aka MakeupbyRenRen. I couldn’t believe my luck, she was one of the reasons I decided to attend! I’ve been subscribed to her channel since 2008 along with Lauren. Last Friday Ren Ren posted a video on preparing for IMATS and after seeing hers and EnKoreMakeup videos I was even more excited about going. Ren Ren is gorgeous in person as well and I have to say she is just as sweet in person as she is in her videos. Yaaaaay, Team Ren Ren! I was really happy that I got the chance to met her and the person who took the pic was no other than Leina aka MakeupByLeinaBaaaby, hot damn can the day get any better?

Once again talk about luck! Heres the backstory: A couple of months ago I made a Nicky Minaj playlist (videos, interviews, and even threw in 2 makeup tutorials), when I first walked into the Convention Center I headed straight for the longest line which turned out to be the “Will Call” line. I saw a girl walking past that looked familiar but I paid it no attention. Well the same girl offered to take the picture of Ren Ren and myself and I thought again “this girl sure does look familiar and damn her makeup is bangin!” It turned out to be MakeupbyLeinababy the same girl who did the Nicky makeup tutorials! Wow what a coincidence, I didn’t expect to met her but boy was it a treat to meet such a sweet and talented girl.

As I was watching airbrushing at the Dinair booth I saw Kandee Johnson. I had just fanned her Facebook page on Friday and here I am getting a chance to met her! Meeting Kandee was wonderful because she is extremely personable and down to earth, here is a picture Kandee’s mom took of us. “Yaaay Kandee & Mama Kandee” Lol

While waiting in line to purchase some lip gloss (no surprise that it was yet another attempt at finding a nude lip color) from the Eve Pearl line I got a chance to meet Eve herself. 

Once again another nice and talented lady who took the time to meet / take a picture with me, suggested which of her foundations would match my complexion best, and encouraged me to go to her Sunday class called The flawless Face: Women of Color. By the way it was a great class because I learned lots of helpful tips on applying everyday make-up using her products for high def cameras (salmon concealer, ect). After the class I got a chance to met one of the models Eve worked on and the makeup was blended well, looked great in person an hour later, matched her complexion well.

Sweets are a girl's best friend!

A friend and I had been making plans to go to lunch at the Farmer's Market. We ended up going on Tuesday and we had a great time. I got my lunch from the little Cajun place called "The Gumbo Pot" and my friend got a French dip from "Phil's". I have to say that both of us enjoyed our food which was good because there is nothing that I hate more than to get excited about trying something new and it be a total let down! After we ate our food I tried to convince my friend to stop by Pinkberry to get a sample but it was a no go! This ended up being a good thing because he had just mentioned last week that he watched a show that talked about a place that made great coconut cupcakes that wasn't far from the Farmer's Market. I whipped out my blackberry to get directions and started driving. I ended up down the street at Joan's on Third and boy was I amped. First off, I didn't trip off the fact that the parking sucks because I was just excited to get some dessert! As soon as I walked up to the door I fell in love. The store is so cute and the set up reminds me of Meryl Streep's store in that movie "It's Complicated". Joan's on Third has all kinds of gourmet stuff but what caught my attention was all of the sweets. I settled on a strawberry cream puff and damn it was good! My friend got a Coconut cupcake and he also got a Snickers cupcake that I couldn't seem to snag a bite of for the life of me! Lol I did however get a bite of the coconut cupcake and I even took a picture of both cupcakes to taunt all my Facebook friends with.  The cream puff left me wanting more so I found myself driving to Inglewood. I ended up at Harriet's Cheesecake Unlimited for a slice of Praline Cheesecake and all I can say is "Daaaaaaaang it was good!" I was told to ask for all the "fixins" which is carmel and nuts on top of this big hunk of cheesecake and I totally think its worth the 6 bucks for slice.

How I personalized my make-up brush

Every time I go to the make-up counter at the department store I notice that some make-up artists have nail polish on the tip of their brushes. One day I asked a girl putting blush on me "Why do you have polish on the tip of your brush especially after spending good money on it?". She then explained to me that it helps identify her brush if it got mixed up with another MUA's brush while working. I started thinking and decided it would be a good thing for me to do the same, not that I'm a MUA but because I wanted a cool way to personalize my brush so here is what I came up with.

My two favorite birthday gifts and Infatuation with Hello Kitty

So, besides my early birthday gift of my new “President Barak Obama” I also got these cool Hello Kitty Floor Mats for my car. My mom presented me with them before my b-day dinner at Taylors Steak House here in LA (yum yum). I had been eyeing the mats for a while and told myself that my Hello Kitty Air freshener would be lonely if there were no mats to accompany it! I absolutely love Hello Kitty, I’ve had this love since I was a little girl.

At one point I even had the Hello Kitty Water Cooler

at my desk at work along with matching mouse and mouse pad…crazy right? Is there anybody out there who loves the kitty as much as me? I mean I know I’m not alone here! Is it a little over the top for me to check my lip gloss by grabbing my Hello Kitty mirror from my purse, or covering the Verizon logo on my cell phone with a Hello Kitty sticker, or even pay bills using Hello Kitty Personal Checks?