I saw these Bottege Veneta boots online a few days ago and have been fantasizing about them ever since. I bookmarked the page and have been looking at them at least three times a day with delusions of fierceness in my eyes. Last night, I even dreamed that I was doing some fierce Pam Grier, circa 1975, kicks on random ex-boyfriends with these suckas on! That's when I realized I had to show them to you all. Now all I need is the $1,030!

Stay Stylish!

I saw these and couldn't come up an opinion. 4.5 in. heels, bright prints, platforms, and under $30! If the brown is not helping you come up with an opinion, then maybe the pink ones will tickle your fancy!

Stay Stylish!

In the wonderful world of beauty and fashion, for every high priced gem, there is a cheaper alternative. Unfortuantely, some of the cheaper alternatives don't work as well as the higher priced ones. Therefore, here are some products that I don't mind having to spend the extra dough on!

First up to bat is one of the many products offered by Miss Jessie's. Its their Curly Buttercreme. I took a chance over a month ago to test drive this on my kinky, frizzy curls and was more than thrilled with the results. Although I am sporting straight tresses now, this stuff was an answered pray for my curly colored fro. It moisturized, shaped, separated, and unfrizzed every curl. It was also perfect for helping me fight off the "fuzzy hairline" that I hate oh so much!Absolutely lovely and well worth the $60+ I convinced mi madre to spend. I convinced her by saying it was perfect for my little sister's hair and then I stopped by and just helped myself! BRILLIANT!

The next thing is Smashbox's Photo Finish Foundation Primer. The purpose of primer, in case you don't know, is to help set make-up and minimize pores and lines. Basically, it gives your the perfect base and canvas so that you can the best results out of your foundation. Years ago, I remember hearing some professional make-up maven say that when it comes to purchasing make-up and skincare, you should be willing to spend money on products that go directly on your skin(i.e primer, foundations, moisturizers). I have been following that beauty philosophy, especially in regards to primer and foundation. This is definitely the best primer on the market and more than worth $38.

I know that there are more exspensive moisturizers on the moisture market (can you form your lips to say "La Mer"), but Philosophy's Hope in a Jar is my favorite. A few years ago it was on Oprah's Favorites list and tested it out of curiosity. Actually, it was the first moisturizer I ever tried and I have not looked back since. I admit that I have been very, very fortunate to have owned a couple of jars of La Mer in the past, but Hope does it for me. I keep all my moisturizers and lotions by my bedside for those in the middle of the night dry feet/elbow/face feeling spells! I do have a little weirdness in me!

The one shoe that every woman should and probably already has is in her closet is a simple black pump. Its probably the most worn shoe, because they go with almost everything. Therefore, awhile ago, I decided that I would spend the money of a pair of Manolo Blahnik black pumps that could get me through the rest of my life! *Crosses fingers* . Its been over a year and they are still ticking and clicking. I look at them as an investment piece. If I could insure these babies and a couple other pair of my pricey pumps, I would!

Stay Stylish!

I have a folder in my bookmarks specifically for shopping sites, especially dope and unique shops that catch my eye. One of the online stores in my shopping folder is Active Endeavors, which has three stores in IL and one in Colorado. Last year, I went to Chicago for Labor Day weekend/Family Reunion, and accidently stumbled in the Chicago store. I walked out with a beautiful and exspensive necklace, which I sold to a friend of mine a few months ago. Anyway, the store has some very beautiful pieces, including mostly designer pieces.

I can't speak for the rest of you, but the heat situation that had me pissed off everytime I had to leave the house these past couple of months is getting better. Now, I am starting to think about what needs to be added to my fall/winter wardrobe. On the top of the list is a nice, stylish, detail loaded, and gorgeous coat. Therefore, I have been snooping around my shopping folder, including Active Endeavors.

This coat definitely fits into what I am looking for in a coat. Its Travota's Nadja Crop Trench coat. Its a brown and cream tweed coat that has crap load of details that range from large white and black buttons with red thread to decorative belts around the wrist and waist. It has princess tailoring that is very neccessary for heavy items such as coats and jackets, because it lets people know that its made specifically for women. When I purchase brown, black, and or other dark pieces, especially tops, I pay extra attention to the shape. I have never been a fan of the boxy look for women. I love curves, especially mine! Therefore, the princess tailoring is major plus to this coat.

This Travota coat is a lovely find, but my annual coat hunt is still on!

Stay Stylish!

It pays to be in a wedding were the maid of honor is a "suit" for a major make-up distribution company. She was responsible for putting together the goody bags for the brial party and thanks to her vast connections and discounts, she was able to throw in a couple of lovely precious gems that made me feel happier than the bride to be.

The first thing that literally raised my eyebrows was LORAC Brow Wax. Yet, another eyebrow enhancer to add to my already expanding collection. Its a soft wax with a putty texture and is used to not only add color and definition to your eyebrows, but also give you extra confidence that your eyebrows will stay put all day. I tested it out yesterday and I am thrilled to say that not one brow hair strayed away from the rest of the pack. Everyone got brown in their bag, but I think I need to get my paws around the auburn since my hair is still showing traces of the hair coloring I received a couple of months ago, whick I am kinda of regretting now.

The next thing that put that oh so wonderful twinkle in my eye and made my lips pucker up is Too Faced Lip Injection collection. Intitially, I thought it was just another plump claiming product to add to the other 30 zallion other items on the market that propose the same solution to not-so plump lips. Boy, was I wrong! First of all, this is not for you chicas who are looking for something quick and on the go, because there are STEPS to follow to get the perfect supple soup coolers. The good thing about this collection is that you can wear them without having to slather on the other three. WARNING: Like with most plump enhacers, there is a whole lot of tingling going on when you are using this, but its definitely worth the tingle and occasional uncomforatable twitching.

The next and last thing is the most beautiful and perfect thing that I have EVER had the pleasure of putting on my face. Its Guerlain Meteorites Powder! They are these little balls of powder that are in different colors that brightens your skin and complexion and gives it the best possible glow. They come in three different colors, but everyone got it in Translucent Glow. The trans glow gave my skin a lovely glow, without the "bronzey" look. After all was said and done, my skin was flawless and very airbrushed. PERFECT!

Apparently, the best way to apply this powder is with the brush specifically designed for the powder. Its the softest and cutest brush in my brush batch. Its made of Tibetan goat hair, weird, and makes sure that you do not over apply the powder. Lovely and neccesary, because over powdered faces are yucky! I have always wanted to try out Guerlain and thanx to my new make-up buddy Marissa (aka the maid of honor), I now have!

Here are the other random things that were in the goody bag:

• White satin scarf trimmed in gold (the wedding colors) with the wedding date and name of bride and groom (Congrats to Stephen and Nicole!)
• Philosophy's The Bridal Party, which was a cute and appropriate addition
• A white feather fan, which I already broke and lost half the feathers
• T-shirts with my name and "role" in the wedding
• Strawberry body polish from The Body Shop; smells delicious!
• travel size aspirin and a bottle of Palmer's Cocoa Butter

It was a beautiful wedding and made even better by one of the best goody bags, ever!

Stay Stylish!

Juicy Couture's new collection of bags are very collegiate. They are straddled with huge pompoms, large lettering spelling out "Juicy", plaid scarf and soft velour trimmed in grained leather! The colors fall perfectly into the autumn color palettes and my Juicy Couture charmbracelet! They are actually making me think of Buster Brown shoes and letterman jackets, very 1950s! Like I would know, I'm a 80s baby!

I love Juicy Couture handbags, especially the totes, because they are really spacious and you get alot of room for the money and designer name. They are really well structured, designed, and  really well worth the money. I'm just glad that they decided to venture off into the handbags and jewelry, because I couldn't take seeing anyone else and their dolled up maltese wearing those Juicy Couture sweatsuits!

Well, this is the last post until sometime Monday, because I have wedding to drag myslef to tommorrow! I am not a fan of going to weddings, but the bride is a good friend of mine from college and I am very happy for her!

OH, I almost forgot! The bachelorette party was last night and the gift bags were filled with a gaggle of girly products, including this "gem" that I will definitely gush about Monday! WARNING: Start scraping together your spare change now!

Stay Stylish!

Thanx to an e-mail inquiry, it dawned on me that I never gave my review for two products: Olay Cleanser + Toner and Dr. Miracle's Temple and Nape balm.

First up is the Olay dual action Cleanser and Toner, which I was asked to review by a reader. I been e-mailed her my opinion, but never psoted about it, so here goes! I have never been a fan of products that do two things in one products, such as shampoo and conditioner in one bottle. BTW, you should treat those like drugs; Just Say "NO!". Therefore, I was very apprehensive of finding any hope of a good find in this bottle, especially with my sporatic ance loving skin. I must say that this is a reasonably good face cleanser. I used it twice a day for almost a month and it did an incredible job at cleaning my skin and toning my complexion. Now, if it was good on my skin, then imagine the lovliness it would have on the skin of you normal skin chicas! I would give this a solid B! Normal skin lovlies will probably score it higher. Worth testing!

Unlike the Olay cleaner+toner, I had very high hopes for Dr. Miracle's Temple and Nape Gro balm. I bought this because I have a hard time maintaining and growing the hair on my temple. Its drier and slightly thinner than the rest of my mexican/african combination hair. The jar recommends to use the product for 30 days before you see results, but I saw results after a couple of weeks! My temple hair started to fill thicker, but I was not sure if it was because it was working or the weight of the balm was giving the impression of thicker hair. I will admit that it was because it was working! I never had problems with my nape area, but my little sister is not so lucky. Therefore, I have been sharing it with her, but she did not have the strong results I had. So, I recently bought the super strength for her and now its starting to materialize into growth. Based on my results with the regualr strength, I give this a A-. It would have been a A+ but, I was not a big fan of the grease-like texture and the smell was not my cup of green tea!

Two worthy buys!

Stay Stylish!

I am a tee junkie and I get very enthusiastic for unique and different tees and tops like these horoscope tees by E.vil. You can choose between three different colors: black, brown, and my fav, teal! Each tee has a list of characteristics of each sign, plus a list of people who share the line with you. If you want to find out what your tee would say, then click on "more details-colors" under the picture on the link above.

I will admit that the price is a little out there and you can probably find a similiar shirt at a far more resonable price, but it won't be the same great quality that E.vil tees offers. One of my favorite tees to relax in is made by E.vil! Lovely!

Here's what it says on my sign's(Libra) shirt:

Turbulent.

Manipulative.

Indulgent.

Articulate.

Righteous.

Refined.

Virtuoso.

Bridget Bardot

John Lennon

Olivia Newton John

Yohji Yamamoto

Mahatma Ghandi

I must say that I agree with most of the chracteristics, but I wished they would have given a different famous people, except for Mahatma Ghandi.

Now, here's a video from Yahoo! that gives you the perfect way to fold your tees! Guess what I am going to be doing all night!

Stay Stylish!

Stained Seconds:

• Am I the only one semi-excited about the "The Different World" reunion next week on Nick at Night? The actors are going to act in their original characters and even Lisa Bonet is going to crawl from underneath that rock she has been escaping to and from over the past few years.
• USA is 5-0 in the preliminaries of the FIBA championship. I am HUGE basketball fan! Nothing like watching a bunch of tall, toned, sweaty, rich, and gorgeous men running up and down a court in shorts! Whoaa....take deep breaths, Samida!

Summer is almost up and that means that I need to come up with something new to do to my 'do. Therefore, I am waving away my natural curls and reheating up my relationship with straight strands.

Before Monday, I hadn't applied any type of heating utensil(flatiron, curling iron, or blow dryer) to my hair for well over two months. Since I am going "straight", I needed to find a product for thick hair that adds a great intensity of glossy goodness to my hair. I have found it: Frederic Fekkai Glossing Cream with Olive Oil.

Now I am somewhat cursed with thick and curly hair, which makes it very,very, very, hard to find hair care products that I love, but this gloss cream definitely makes the list for entrance into my beauty basket. It tames my wild mane like crazy! It prevents my hair from frizzing up while keeping it straight and shiny; my two favorite things!

This cream slapped so much gloss in my hair and without weighing it down or having to put alot to achieve the tresses gratification I oh so desired! I think I am in love!

Stay Stylish!

All the Libras in the house say "Yesssss!", because there is a new line of make-up by Origins with the loveliness of Fall in mind. Okayyyyy, all you non-Libraians(hmmm, I wonder if that's a word!) can enjoy this line too! Its not just for us Libras!

Origins is trying to slap on us chicas their "Let there be Libra" line which consists of all the must have Fall make-up colors and palettes, thrown in three different kits. I thought I was a Autumn Glow, but as the lovely make-up artist for Origins started to dabble pieces from the Autumn Moon kit(pictured above) this past weekend; I knew I was destined to be buying up everything in 'Moon' in the neat future!

The lip duos in each kit are quite lovely, but the two that made me flutter my eyelashes and pout my lips are First Flame and Moonstruck Moon.

The First Flame duo is a infused with shades of pink and orange to make the loveliest shades of coral/peach!One shade is very slightly darker than the other, but not much of a difference. Perfect colors if you are in dire need of finding a natural coral color. Plus, both have those little specks of gold that a sista loves!

Now, the Moonstruck Moon lip duo is two shades of mauve with sublte, but powerful twinkles of silver to give your lips that "Don't-you-wish-you-could-have-these-lips?!" look! My favorite of the two is the bottom shade, because its a very natural pink for my soup coolers!

Next, I definitely want to get my manicured hands on their Underwear for Lids, which is a title I am not really feeling! The color that you all must experience for yourself is the 'Stellar'. Its a nice brown with twinkles in it! My friend bought it and I am more than jealous that I didn't get it myself! Its definitely one of those shades that can compliment almost any shade, especially us brown beauts! Look into theses, chicas!

Stay Stylish!

To give myself a break from carrying on a tandrid and technical affair with my computer for a couple of days, I reluctantly ventured to the mall with a good friend of mine. The plan was just to do a little "window" shopping and buy nothing but a caramel frap' from Starbucks, but the higher fashion gods thought differently.

At the end of the day I shuffled out the mall with these beauts; Nine West 'Francisco'. Yes, in Red! Yet, another red patent leather shoe in my closet, but I have decision to make. I think that I am experiencing some sort of fashion fetish of red patent leather. Any 12 step program for that!

If you scroll down to a post from a few days ago, you will notice that I just bought a pair of patent red pumps by Franco Sarto. They are not identical, but still are on the same fashion wavelength.Therefore, I have come up with the conclusion that I cannot keep both pair. Its just too much!

I have given myself to the end of the week to make a decision on which one to take back. I will admit that I leaning more to one than the other, but I would appreciate your health. If you have a suggestion, then drop me a line. If you do, will you please do it in the Shoutbox, because I am experience waaaayyyy too much of that nasty, gross, stress-inducing, and diabolical SPAM! I need to find the time and definite desire to install somthing to stop it, but until then I am disabling comments, which I am very upset about!

Stay Stylish!

Today I slept way past 2pm, central time, and woke up looking quite tired. I needed to slap on my 'face'(a.k.a make-up) with extra attention focused on my eyes, but was greeted by the biggest horror when I opened my make-up case: NO HIGHLIGHTER! I slammed down one of the doors to my case and stomped around my bedroom in disbelief that I forgot to get some yesterday while I was at the mall.

Like all ladies with the desire to always look fresh and dolled up, I had to come up with another solution and then entered my white E.L.F eyeliner. The main reason to keep a white eyeliner in your "beauty buckets and baskets" is to help you look awake by swiping on a nice line along your upper eyelids and the inside of your lower lids, but today I found another great use. I scribbled on a nice, thick and heavy line under each eyebrow and then gently blended it down toward my eyelids using nothing but my fingers. Voila, the look of a pretty highlighter. The good thing about this E.L.F white liner is that is infused with little specks of shimmer, which made it a perfect a substituite for highlighter.

Since I am so pleased with this new use, I am on the hunt to try some more white liners. One that has caught my eyes is this Benefit Mr. Frosty liner. The name and the Allure award stamped on it made me instantly toss it in my Sephora cart and purchase it. We'll see!

The next and last pencil that I threw in the cart with 'Mr. Frosty' is Big Gorgeous Eyes by Philosophy. I have tried this in the past, but unfortuantely I don't remember if I liked it or not. So, I am going to give another shot at popping my eyes of their sockets!

BEAUTY BONUS: A third use for white liner is for your lips. Instead of using a color liner, opt for the white. It prevents the running of lipsticks and glosses and can be used to outline your lips to give up the appearance of bigger and plussher lips without the blantantness of color liners!

Okay chicas, this post is going to be the last one until sometime Monday. I have a couple of freelance bids to prepare for and as the old saying goes: "Time is money!" Sooo......

Stay Stylish!

(BTW, if you have the time, please drop me a line in my Shoutbox to the left! Pretty Please!)

This dress is soooo delicious looking! Its by a designing duo by the name of Karanina and made with 100% silk jersey. Since the color is a lovely deep burgundy and brown, you can wear this dress all the way up through the mid Fall, depending on weather of course. I just had to lead you ladies to this dress that is very worthy commiting a crime to get! The straps around the waist helps to eliminate a bulge in the belly area. YAHOO! I agree with whoever wrote the copy for this dress, because it would go great with a fab pair of Giuseppe Zanottis!

Stay Stylish!

A little over a month ago, I bought a pair of blue, faux croc pumps from Macy's. I thought that I had to have these shoes, but I started to regret buying them the more they sat on my dresser. So,today I finally went to Macy's to get a refund, but had to settle for store credit since it was well over the deadline.

As I was avoiding the pushing and sales clerk hogging of the shopping lunchtime ladies,I was able to find a pair of shoes that was the same value of the shoes I returned and that made my heart skip a beat! These Franco Sarto Peep-Toe pumps seized my heart,chicas. I lucked out, because there were only two red left in my size. They look gorgeous online, but if you can imagine, they look even hotter in person. Red suede, patent leather, peep-toe, and a nice height in the heel area! Needless to say, I might have found the perfect Fall shoe for myself. Thank God-iva chocolate that I didn't return these earlier or I might not have been able to have these fierce shoes on my feet as I type!

Stay Stylish! (P.S. The black ones are just as lovely!)

Sorry for the late post but sista had a busy day full of creating Flash designs, endulging in various fragrance sampling, and seizing the perfect shade of lip color!

To celebrate me finishing a freelance project in under a day, I decided to treat me and my make-up case to a little pick me up. Lorac's Lip Polish in 'Touch'. I have used Lorac's lip polish before and was never the biggest fan of applying it like nail polish, but the colors and lasting power override the application process.

The color of 'Touch' is a peachy brown color, but moreso brown! The shine impact is intense, but like 99.9% of the glosses on the market, the shine and twinkle fizzles out in due time. All is said and done, the color is to die for. I had been looking for a nice brown shade with undertones of pink or peach and this is it! So, my fellow brown beauties, this is another color that you might want to try, because its muy perfect for us!

That's it for now! Now I am off to prepare for the season premiere of 'Laguna Beach'. I don't know why I am excited, but I know I am not going to be the only 24 year old sista watching.

Stay Stylish!

Dust off all those platforms in your closet, because they are definitely the shoe style of the Fall season! To better help you chicas who are not biting on this obvious fashion observation, then maybe these platforms will steer you to "Platform Palace".

Say "hello" to these Lavin two-tone , ultra stacked platforms. They are T-strap and designed with my two favorite materials: satin and leather! I dare anyone to find a cheaper knockoff! When it comes to luxury shoes with lovely and delicate details, its always hard to find the same thing at a cheap price. If you do find a nice knockoff, drop a sista a line and directions to get her paws on them!

Stay Stylish!

STAINED SECONDS:

• There is a new giveaway via coutorture featuring the hottest bracelet! Go enter in the first column. Scroll down some!

Yep, that's right, I am calling it! You should not buy anymore of these big, bold, and beaded bracelets and bangles that we enjoyed clacking around with this summer. Instead, I think the essential accessory for this upcoming season will be bracelets dripping with charms of different colors and/or adorned with various jewels. CHARM BRACELETS!

Personally, I am going to hunt through my jewelry chest and soak and scrub away the years of neglect that my charm bracelet from yesteryears has endured. Its a 10k gold charm bracelet that I got from JC Penney for around $75 and its "crippled" with well over 25 different charms that I have collected. My personal favorite is a sapphire(my birthstone)-covered heart my dad got me for my 19th B-Day!

Of course, this Juicy Couture charm bracelet stole my heart last week! Colorful and cute, such a lethal fashion combination! Look at all those chunky charms. Yummy! Its so perfect for autumn, that in fact its called the Autumn bracelet. I am sooooo loving this: Chunky, but funky!

For those of you chicas who can afford to splurge(Please adopt me!), then this Tiffany charm bracelet should be making you scratch as if you are having a craving for this perfect trinket to immediately be placed around your wrist. I had this bracelet and lost it somewhere at Six Flags over Georgia three years ago. I cried for well over to hours! It still kinda hurts!

Back to bracelets. I definitely think that I am on to something! Girlies, get yourself a charm bracelet. Support the movement!

Stay Stylish!

In case you haven't noticed, I updated the Beauty and Fashion items of the moment located at the top the page. I didn't explain the previous items, so I am going to give you the rundown on these two!

The first is Becca's Glossy Lip Tint. My good friend sent this to me over a month ago and I have been hooked on this stuff! She sent it to me in Ameretto, which is a deep, but soft pink. Don't let the soft colors fool you, this stuff packs quite a punch and it stayed pouted and primped on my lips for the majority of the day. Since then, I have had the benefit to add a couple of more shades to my make-up bag and the one that I love as much as ice tea with extra lemon is "Mimosa". Its a cooper bronze served with a nice helping of shimmer and slap of peach! Lovely! 

The next, but definitely not last, is Fendi's Patent leather Platforms! I saw these online and had to write about them and hopefully have them. I have even started a little fund to save up. I hope to have them by the beginning of November. I have $265 already! Anyway, I just got back from spending a day in St. Louis and while I was strolling through The Galleria, I had the opportunity to worship these plats in person and try them on! I wanted to see if they were worthy of being my featured fashion item. Chicas, they definitely held their seal of approval and then some!

Now, I off to hide and sleep in my bed. Its been calling me for well over two hours into the drive back here to Memphis.

Stay Stylish!

Can you have enough denim jeans hanging in your closet.....um, NO!

If you agree, then you should run over to Alloy and take serious advantage of their sale on denim. Prices start at 29.50 and they even have a nice selection for "curvier" chicas with sizes that go all the way up to 25.

I wouldn't feel right if I didn't sprinkle in this post a few pairs that I want to snatch up and nestle in my closet. One such pair are these extended tab trouser jeans. I love trouser jeans because they are so versatile. You can dress them down to run errands or top with a nice blazer or button-down top to wear to work in a casual office environment. Lovely!

I personally own this pair and they are my favorite. As I have said in the past, "I'm a slut for details!" What I love mostly about these jeans are the back pockets. They are pointy and have button closures. Here is a tip with jeans: jeans that have button and/or flap back pockets add a litlte something extra to you backside. So, if you want to give the illusion that you have a fuller rump, look for back pockets like that. Now, if the last thing you want is to draw more attention to your butt, stick to pockets that lay flat. Just so you know!

Everyone needs a good pair of dark tint jeans, because they are oh so slimming! Right now, its just too damn hot outside to even consider throwing on anything dark, let alone some jeans. but Fall is right around the corner and no autumn wardrobe is complete without a pair. This pair will fit quite lovely!

No go and bask in the delight of denim! For more denim dish, strut over to Denimology!

Stay Stylish!

Yesterday, I was handed this pretty slick silver tube of the best mascara to ever grace my face! It's Clinique Natural Glossy mascara!

I tested it out today and it made my love of Clinique stronger than ever! As I applied the first coat, I noticed an immediate gloss and shine on my lashes. My lashes were as shiny as patent leather. Did I mention the length?! The length factor is something to be envious of by ladies who unfortunately do not have this in their make-up bag. Long and strong looking lashes were all I saw. To think, this was all after only one coat! The second coat just made me give up on all the other "members" in my mini-mascara collection.

You know you might be on to something when those various peppy make-up counter chicks who hock cosmetics ask you "What's the name of the mascara you are wearing?" I luvs me some compliments!

All ladies in desire for scrumptious, glossy, and long lashes, jump on board this lacquerd lash wagon!

Stay Stylish!

I recently spent the weekend down in Mississippi over my daddy's house. While doing my semi-monthly visit/snooping, I stumbled across a very precious jewel in his and my stepmom's bathroom: Gordon's Shaving Lotion.

It's from the fabolous Carol's Daughter line and is such a nice breath of fresh air! It is aimed at men, but can be used by women, too. Since I love me some Carol's Daughter products and trying various shaving products has been a summer hobby of mine, I decided to try it out on my legs that were in dire need of a good shave. I fell head of freshly smooth heels for this stuff! I didn't have to wash away loads of leftover cream or hire a search team to find my legs under the mountain of lathered up shaving cream.

After I was through shaving and admiring my smooth legs, I couldn't help but notice that my legs were surprisingly soft and smooth. They were so soft that I didn't have to appply lotion, but of course I did for that extra slick look that I love!

Since the bottle is filled to the brim with a gaggle of natural ingredients, there isn't an obvious "manly" smell. In fact, the slight stint of almond and aloe vera were appropriate for a summer shave. However, if you "need" a more feminine or fruity scent may I suggest you toss in a couple of drop of your favorite scented oil. Peppermint or lavender would be quite lovely!

Unfortunately, my weekend fling with Gordon ended a couple of weeks ago and I was forced to go back to using conditioner as an alternative to shaving cream. However, yesterday, my dad dropped off a box for me and I was so thrilled to see inside was a couple of bottles of my very own Gordon's shaving lotion. You could have sworn that it was a box full of money from the way that I scream and jumped all around my living room. I'm soooo happy!!!!

Now, if you are one of those ladies who dread having to shave your legs through a mountain of shaving cream and having to clean up all the cream off your shower walls, then this might be right up your alley!

Stay Stylish!

Biolage is one of my favorite haircare lines, especially for hydrating my hair. Biolage's Ultra Hydrating Balm is one of the supreme products on the market that I love. Since I follow a semi-strict "no poo" regimen, I use this to wash my scalp and hair.

The ultra hydrating balm is designed to be used on thick, course, and dry hair. I fall in two of those categories; thick and dry. The directions suggest that for intense hydrating, leave in hair for 1-3 minutes. I always leave conditioner in my hair for a ridiculous long time (up to 24 hours), because I personally don't believe that you can over condition/moisturize your hair, especially dry and thick hair mavens such as myself!

I "wash" my hair every other day with this conditioner and the results are nothing less than silky, shiny, soft, and frizz-less curls. Love It!

For that extra "oomph" of conditoning and moisturizing, top the experience with Biolage leave-in conditioner. Until recently, I was a hardcore buyer of Infusium 23 leave-in for dry hair. After my tresses got a "taste" of this leave-in, it was "adios" to Infusium-23 and "come to mama" to Biolage! I know, before you start raising your hands in fury, its for limp hair, but it works just as lovely! Trust me!

Stay Stylish!

Stained Seconds:

• Two new sites that were added to my BlogRoll..
• Cocoa Connection - Another site for brown beauties looking for great beauty reviews.
• Motown Girl - You natural hair girls will love this!
• Pretty please sign up for this week's giveaway from Coutorture! You lovely ladies deserve a chance to win a cute clutch! The sign-up form is in the first column on the left. Scroll down a little.

While I was picking up a dress from a new seamstress I am trying out, I decided at the last minute to browse the bright and colorful make-up counters of Macy's. I lucked out, chicas!

Check out NARS: The Multiple Multi-Purpose Stick in Palm Beach. Its shoots about specks of gold and cooper tones for days. It can worn on your eyes, cheeks, and lips. Yesterday, I wore it on my eyes to add a natural copper to eyes and today I am wearing it as a substituite bronzer and needless to say that I am loving every little sprinkle of cooper and gold infused in this stick.

Something that you all should appreciate is the fact that almost any shade and/or ethnicity of woman can appreciate the beauty packed in this tube!

Stay Stylish!

I never thought that I would see platforms take the front seat from stilettos so soon, but lookey here. I have a fashion semi-premonition that we will see plethora of platforms stomping up and down the runways in a few weeks at Fashion Week!

These Prada platforms are a nice introduction, or should I say "re-introduce", to the platform world. These patent leather tortoise plats are pretty hot! 4 inch heels; I can feel the nosebleed coming, but I think it might be worth a little blood trinkling from the nostrils to be able to strut in these!

Stay Stylish!

A reader asked me to recommend a product that would give her a nice, soft, pink, and natural glow for a sister with honey complexion, which we both share. So, here is my suggestion!

I highly recommend Smashbox's Skin Tint in Ultraviolet. I picked ultraviolet because its a solid shade of pink, but gives off a nice radiant glow. Since it is a tint and water-based, it gives a natural color sans the heaviness and the possibility of melting off via the sun.

What I love about this particular tint is the fact that you apply it like you would with one of those lovely blush sticks that I have participating in the clogging of my make-up case.  With this tint stick, you don't have to worry about those various little brushes and sponges. Plus, its a quick and easy application!

I have also tried this wonderful tint in "heat', which gives off a really sheer pink, but it makes me look a little toooooo flushed out. Not a good look! For my darker divas, I recommend the "infared" and "click", because you get the bold color that your skintone picks up oh so well, without the blatant brightness!

Stay Stylish!

Aren't these the cutest shoes!? Get this, they are only $23.99! You can never have too many cute, conversation piece, summertime shoes. If the white is not making your eyes twinkle, then they also have them in teal and a lighter shade of red. The teal is making me slightly foam at the mouth! Just thought I would share this cheap and chic find with you all! Since I believe that we only have a little over a month left of this death heat, it might not be a good idea to spend a substantial amount on another pair of sandals, so cheap might be the way to go, chicas!

Stay Stylish!

Something for my fellow bag hags to drool over! Lovely, isn't it! Its a red patent leather bag by Mui Mui. It makes me want a candy apple, right about now!

Stay Stylish!

Hola, chicas! Sorry for the late post, but I was having one of those diabolical busy days. To make it up, I have a review that is very worthy.

Say hello to DuWop's Browwow. I worship a well manicured eyebrow and equally love products that help to achieve them. Browwow does this! I got mine in dark a couple of days ago and have spent the last two days drooling over the results.

Its a cute little compact that includes a brow powder, a shimmer cream highlighter, mirror, brush, and my fav, tinted finishing gloss. To tell you ladies the wonderfulness that is in this compact is too much to handle!

The brow powder does everything that a brow powder should; defines brows, adds a nice volume that doesn't take away from your face all together and its light enough to blend incredibly.

The shimmer highlighter adds that extra little "oomph" under the brow that only a eye make-up lover can appreciate! Its opens up your eyes and make them "pop", even on my brown eyes. Here is the thing about highlighter, its a wonderful thing to have if you are proud of your eyebrows, like yours truly! They enhance the hell out of a good arch, ladies!

Now I get to gush over my favorite; the finishing gloss! I love this stuff. I wish I could buy this particular one by itself. It compliments the brow powder and shimmer, perfectly! Its just like gloss, but without the stickyness! It seals in the work of art that is your eyebrows.

If you are starting to wonder what it would be like have this compact full of eyebrow lovliness in your possesion, then I have two choices for you:

A.) You could use your own hard earned money to buy your very own

or, my choice..

B.) Sign up for the giveway that Coutorture is offering. If you are raising your hand for this option, then scroll down some and look in the first column and sign up. Not only could you win this Browwow compact, but you also will receive some nail polish and a unique hand and hair cream. Muy perfecto! You have a 1 in 20 chance of winning. I like those odds and it doesn't hurt to try!

Stay Stylish!

Stained Seconds:

Finally, a quiz result I totally agree with!

        ***You're a Window Shopper!***

You know that shopping's a blast, but you prefer to save your money
You hardly ever give into an impulse buy, unless it's a total steal
You've always got the most money of your friends - and you never have to borrow
And you've got a nice wardrobe too ... of classic pieces that last years!

Are You a Shopaholic?
http://ynr.blogthings.com/areyouashopaholicquiz/

Did you know that african-americans have a higher chance and intensity of having to deal with dry hair, including yours truly! Therefore, here I am to give you sistas a soft and moisturized heads up.

When looking for products to help slap the dryness out of your hair, grab products that are water based. Don't know how to tell which products are water based, well no fret my fabolous pets, that is why I am here! Look at the ingredients, if water/aqua is the first on the list, ding, ding, ding; you have a winner! Companies list products from highest to least amount of those ridiculous long words that fill up those lovely bottles! So, if water is the first ingredient, then that means its the base of the product.

If the first ingredient is mineral oil, petroleum, or lanolin; drop that product and back away with the fear of dry and brittle hair in your future. These products offer a short and false hope of moisturized and healthy hair. When you first apply these products, they make your hair look shiny, which haves you believe that its being properly conditioned. FALSE! Propaganda at its best, I say! If anything, they are clogging your hair and weighing it down. Just say "no"!

Now if you are looking for a good conditioning treatment, then here is the treatment that has me walking with a smile on my face and moistured and bouncy hair on my head.

The first thing is Organic Root Stimulator Hair Mayo. Crazy good! After shampooing and conditioning your tresses, slather on a way more than generous amount on your hair and comb through. Wide tooth comb, preferred and highly recommended. Toss on one of those 1985 Jherri curl caps or shower caps, whichever is in arms reach. Leave on for at least an hour. I usually leave it on for a whole day, because ever since I dyed my hair I have to give it more T.L.C. Therefore, deep conditioning is my friend!

The next and final thing is S-Curl activator and moisturizer. I know, very 1985-boombox-carrying-goldteeth-smiling, but its defintely one of the best and most inexspensive moisturizers on the market. First ingredients are water and glycerin, which is another main ingredient you should look for! Spray it evenly over hair and comb through. I predict soft and healthy hair in your future. If you must have straight hair, then spray it in your hair and let it dry before you apply your favorite heated straighten utensil. Then you, too, can have healthy and bouncy hair.

I know it doesn't seem like much, but sometimes the most simply treatments and/or procedures can do a better job than the complex ones!

Stay Stylish!

My sleeping routine is in such dispair because I have been staying up all night and sleeping most of the day away due to the point that I have been doing most of my work at night. Unfortuantely, mother nature tends to let your lack of sleep show up all over your face, especially around your eyes. This is were make-up becomes your best friend!

Might I recommend for you a good undereye concealer that wipes away the bags from under your eyes: Benefit Boi-ing undereye concealer. You will love this stuff because it covers without creasing. I hate concealer that creases and weighs down your face! Brown beauties, head for the dark and/or medium. It all boils down to your complexion, chicas!

While you are browsing the Benefit aisle, you should considering tossing in this little make-up box jewel: Ooh La Lift! There is this cute guy that lives in the complex behind me and I am always hopeful that I run into him when I pay an early and unwanted visit to the dumpster. Since I am usually sans make-up, I just plop a couple of dabs of this under my brow bone and under my eyes and keep it moving! I might not see the guy, but I do look awake and fresh via this little wand. Beauty Bonus Alert: You can use it over make-up, so it helps to keep it in your make-up bag!

The one trick that always gives the appearance of being wide awake is mascara! I have well over 10 different tubes of mascara wasting away in my make-up case. The newest one to my collection is one that I have been dying to try thanx to the raving review by The Beauty Addict herself. Its Lancome's Definicil mascara and boy does it hit a spot that hasn't been tapped in a minute: the spot of perfectly defined eyelashes and length for days, divas! Believe the hype, because there is a reason this mascara has racked up quite a few prominent beauty awards!

Definite products worth the indulgence and the hopes of looking fresh and fabolous! Let's keep it moving, ladies!

Stay Stylish!

I am not a big fan of tennis shoes. Although I would rather rock heels or flip flops, I do own a few pairs. Two of those pairs are Nike Shox. Nike makes some of the best tennis shoes, because they offer the comfort and support you look for in tennis shoes, but they also have some of the best designers at the wheel there! This really takes note with the Nike Shox and women lines.

One of the latest Nike Shox is this pair covered in a faux brown snakeskin print, pretty pink, and icey white! I am a fan of different color and texture combos, especially when that involves accessories and shoes!

These are hot and are really great shoes for you chicks who aspire to look fab even when you are exercising with a few ounces of sweat sliding down your body. I must warn those of you who are not familiar with the price ranges that Nike insist on, becasue they are not for the faint of heart or those suffering from a case of "light wallet". These kicks will set you and your wallet back $110!

Stay Stylish!

I love back 2 school time! Although I already served time in the Memphis City School system and at The University of Memphis, I still love back to school shopping! This is the perfect time for all of us bag hags to rejoice at the sound of all purses, totes, and other miscellaneous bags being marked down.

My fingers danced over to Ebags to take a vitual stroll through the gaggle of freshly slashed prices for the back 2 school rush. The first one that grabbed me by the throat is this Puma Sprint Shopper bag. This bag is offered in winter white, black, and this lovely brown called coffee. I love coffee; liquid and this bag! Its spacious enough to carry a mess of books or, in my case, a mess of beauty products and magazines and room to spare!

I have never been a backpack lover. In junior high, I opted to carry by thick ass english book, hardly cracked open spanish book, and binder up three flights of stairs cradled in my arms while toting my drawstring Dooney bag instead of strapping a big, bulky, ugly backpack on my back like I was some kind of urban camel. However, ever since college, I have totally changed my view on backpacks and when I see backpacks quite as lovely as this Roxy savvy traveler, it makes me want to go back to school just to show this off! Well, maybe not, but I adore a good bag with good details and designs!

Although I am not in school anymore, thank God, I still have a fashion opinion for those of you still busting your butts for that sheepskin: Totes over backpacks! I truly believe that more girls/women should and will opt to carry a tote instead of backpacks. I have already converted/convinced my little sister to carry one this year. So, if you are considering doing so also, I recommend you grab this Roxy Jamboree bag. It's huge, painted with alot of colors, and very fabolous! To get an idea of how big this bag is, check out the alternate views Ebags offers. Even if you are not in school any longer, you might be able to use this bag as a weekend/travel bag. I sooooooo want this bag!

Bags and all other accessories are the perfect loopholes for all the students who are confined to school uniforms, such as my little sister. I am so glad I dodged the "uniform bullet"! MCS didn't implement that rule until 2 years after I waved "adieu"!

Stay Stylish!

Stained Seconds:

• Check the forst column to the left and go down a little to check out a new giveaway from Coutoture! Get your scroll on!
• New month, therefore, last month's posts are now sipping pina coladas in the archives room, chicas!