Baby Update!

so...things have definitely been better the past 7-8 weeks and i'm back to liking life again. i was a little discouraged the first 2.5 months due to being so sick, but i'm happy that it was short lived. i'm able to eat again and eating i've been doing...i LOVE food and its showing a little! i haven't had any major cravings or weird food issues. i'm still able to sleep pretty well, but i'm still struggling with sleeping on my stomach. my bump is showing a little now and its definitely getting hard...i don't think i'm showing anywhere else like my face, but i'm sure its coming. the biggest issue i'm having is "baby brain", i would forgot my baby if it wasn't in my belly! my train of thought is the worse and i've been hearing it doesn't get better for year. overall, things are going really well and i can't complain. i'll update again after my sonogram next week!

News to Share!

I recently posted that I have some good news to share and a new series as a result of the news. Well its here and time to share with the world or my followers/readers anyway that I'm expecting my first little bundle of joy next spring! I'm so super excited and can't wait to experience all that this journey has to offer. I will say  this journey hasn't been all peaches and cream so far, but I know its for a good reason so I try not to complain much. I will definitely be posting more later as I'm a little rushed for time right now. Please stay tuned for "sweet pea" postings!

Please be sure to send any advice this way...I need all I can get!

Happy reading,
Jae

Long Time no See!

hey guys! i'm so sorry about my little hiatus, i had no clue i'd be away so long. i just wanted to stop by and do a little update to let everyone know that i'll be back soon with a new series i'm working on. i hope to have the first post out early next week.

see you soon,
Jae

My first coil-out!

I wore a finger coil for a week and decided to untwist it for a few days. I loved it and plan to make it my signature style.

Let me know a few styles you like.

PS...this picture was taken on my HTC Inspire and isn't the best.



Love and hugs,
Jae

July Favorites

I don't normally post favorites, but I found a few items that I fell in LOVE with this this month. Make sure to drop me a note if you've tried any of these items.

Maybelline Line Stiletto eyeliner - I've fallen in love with this liquid liner especially for winged looks.
essence smokey lash mascara - my lashes have never looked so good...I get great length and volume with a couple coated. The price point is also great at a womping $3.99!

Equate facial moisturizer - I bought this a while ago and didn't use it until my cetaphil moisturizer had a meltdown. This works really well and has my face feeling.extremely soft.

St. Ives Green Tea facial scrub - I bought a sample size of this.and fell in love with it. It keeps my face exfoliated daily and helps with my random pimples.

Revlon Lilac Lipgloss - this product is love in a lipgloss bottle...it gives perfect color and goes with everything. I think I need to run out and get backups!

Clinique makeup remover - this is the best removed I've used thus far. It removes EVERYTHING and then some. I was so happy to find this at the CCO and save a few $$$!

Let me know if you've tried any of these products and how they work for you .

Happy reading,
Jae

Link Love::8 Clever Makeup Tips You Haven't Heard Before

Last night I was browsing Bella Sugar and came across an interest article that I had to share. This morning I decided to use the tip of adding aloe to my foundation and it came out beautiful. I have a dewy glow that has not needed touching up all day! This time around I decided to use a pea size of my Clinique Perfectly Real liquid foundation (which is a little on the heavy side to me...although its one of my favorites!) mixed with a pea size of aloe and it turned into a nice light coverage foundation. I was able to use far less product than I normally do and my skin looks great. I can't wait to try out additional tips on  the list.

8 Makeup Tips You Havent Heard Before

Leave any helpful tips you have below.

Love and hugs,
Jae

Post BC...

Here's a quick video of my chatting post BC and showing off my new weave.

Happy watching,
Jae

FOTN::Purple Haze

The girls and I went to HH (happy hour) Friday night and this is the look that I wore. I was pleased with the look although it was hot as heck and caused me to be exude oil! I hope you enjoy this look.

Eyes:

e.l.f Eyelid Primer

Wet n Wild Idol Eyes Creme Shadow Pencil in Techno

Avon true color shadow stick in purple lapis
Jesse's Girl shadow in peek-a-book
MAC shadow in texture
Inglot shadow #441
Avon true color eyeshadow quad used amethyst and black ice
Maybelline Line Stilettos liquid liner

MAC eye kohl in smolder

essence multi action smokey eyes mascara

Face:

e.l.f tinted moisturizer in sand

MAC mineralized skinfinish natural in medium deep
MAC select moisturecover concealer in NW35
e.l.f under eye concealer in medium
benefit powderflage powder concealer
benefit erase paste in medium
MAC Fix+

Lips:
MAC lipliner in cork
Wet n Wild lipstick 903C

Avon glazewear duo reflect lip gloss in peach twist

Cheeks:
MAC highlight powder in honey light
Iman sheer finish bronzing powder in afterglow


Brows:
Maybelline define-a-brow in medium brown
Maybelline line stylist in espresso
e.l.f brow clear mascara
Sephora buildable cover concealer in tan

Love and hugs,
Jae

My BC...

This is a video montage of my big chop "BC". I hope you enjoy!

I said it in the video, but I can't say it enough Ty and Bri you guys are the best. I love having such postive friends in my life *i'm actually crying...such a baby!*, I hope that I'm half as supportive to you as you are to me. Can't wait to see what our future holds *hopefully continued success for all of us*! Thanks again for being there during this experience...I had a blast!

Happy watching,
Jae

Pre BC!

I took a video pre, during and post BC and will be sharing them with you. Please be aware I'm a face maker...I really can't help it there is no poker face here! I also hope you don't get sick with the constant camera moving in the pre and post videos...I was trying to make sure you were still with me. I hope you enjoy the first first installment and the pre-chop video.

I welcome any BC stories and hair advice as I'm sure I'll need a lot of it!

Happy watching,
Jae

FOTD::All Orange Everything

I really couldn't think of anything to name this post so I thought about the lipstick and shirt I was wearing. Normally I'm not so matchy, but I haven't worn this lipstick yet.

Eyes:

Maybelline Lash Stilleto liquid liner

ULTA Camel Eyeshadow

essence multi action false lashes mascara

Cheeks:
BH Cosmetics Blush Palette - pinks

Face:

nothing

Lips:

Black Opal Tropica Lipstick

 

Roadtrippin'

This past weekend I went to NC with my family for my great aunt's 80th birthday party. We had an absolute blast as always and I took a few pictures along the way to share with you guys. *warning* this post heavy with pictures that were not edited.



i had to take a picture when we were leaving



really...dirt roads, i'm not used to that...

the open fields were kind of peaceful

this was the cutes place that sold peaches on the honor system

heading home!!!!!

...but not before stopping at Cook Out!

just thought this was a nice picture

and another one

had to get some carolina BBQ

even closer

I hope you enjoy,
Jae

Less than 12 hours to go...

As I sit here with less than 12 hours to go until my BC, I have a mixture of emotions. On one hand I'm happy and and excited and on the other I'm scared and nervous. I think the excitement is the fact that I'm to the point that I'm ready to embrace my natural texture and let this relaxer go. The scary part is not knowing what it will look like so short and curly and being afraid that I'll damage my hair some sort of way. I'm starting to feel very liberated and happy that I have the hair that I do on my head. I have told myself that I will "never say never" and may revert back to relaxers if I so choose, although at this point I don't see that happening, but if so its fine. I will be uploading a video and pictures of the process tomorrow. Wish me well...

Love and hugs,
Jae

Gunz and Roses::Keisha Ervin

I picked this book up after reading Keisha’s short story in the Triple Crown Productions Street Love book. I lucked up on it at Wal-Mart which meant it was extremely cheap-only $5.24!

This book was a page turner from the start and I believe I finished it in 3 days or so. Gray and Gunz pull you in from the beginning and keep you there until you’re finished.

Gray and Gunz both have commitment issues and try their best to stay away from each other as long as they can. Gray is like many women who try not to let their feelings known because they don’t want to get hurt…I think I have a little bit of her in me! Gunz is a street guy who has an drug empire that he devotes all of his time to and doesn’t want to let himself fall for Gray. Throughout the books you’re introduced to friends of family of both Gray and Gunz that help this story move along. Like a lot of books, then ended up living happily ever after although they take a lot of twists and turns throughout the book.

I would definitely recommend this book to readers that like the street fiction genre. It will keep you guessing and turning pages. Like I said before, I’m happy I discovered Keisha Ervin and look forwards to reading more books by her.

Please let me know what you think if you’ve read this book.

Happy reading,

Jae

BH Cosmetics: Blush and Concealer Palettes

I’ve been looking at the concealer and blush palettes for a while now and decided to purchase them from BH Cosmetics since they were donating to Japan after the earthquake and tsunami. A review will be up soon, for now enjoy the pictures and let me know if you have these palettes.

Concealer and Blush Palette

Concealer

Blush

Blush Close-up

Love and hugs,

Jae

Haulin’ with the Homies!

Actually, I wasn’t with the homies, but Clueless was stuck in my head for some reason. I recently picked up a few things and received a couple of things free and wanted to show you guys my goodies-not the goodies that Ciara sings about, but the one’s from ULTA and Sephora. Ok, ok, enough with my corny jokes and on to the good stuff!

NYX Studio Liquid Liner in Extreme Blue and Plum Purple – I couldn’t resist it, I needed to use my ULTA $3.50 off of $10 coupon. They weren’t lying when they said extreme blue.

Benefit Powderflage – I’ve heard a lot about this product from youtubers, but didn’t want to spend $28 on it so I wanted until and used my ULTA rewards points for $9 off.

Real Techniques Stippling Brush – I bought this brush because I was looking for a smaller stippling brush as I feel that I don’t have any control with regular stippling brush. *sorry its dirty, I use it daily!*

Benefit the Porefessional, Posie tint and BAD gal lash - were all part of a free gift for my Benefit purchase.

e.l.f Makeup Remover Cleansing Wipes – I decided to pick these up from Target since they were so cheap.

Carol’s Daughter Hair Milk – I saw this at the check out area and decided to pick it up since it was only $10.

SEPHORA hydrating & smoothing foundation in D40 – I’ve been on the search for the perfect liquid foundation and this was only $6 bucks so I couldn’t resist it. So far so good…a full review will be coming soon.

Benefit Coralista face powder – I received this free as my 100 point gift at Sephora and I LOVE it. It just makes my cheeks glow.

Benefit Stay Don’t Stray, Erase Paste in Medium and R.S.V.P Cream Shadow – I’ve been wanting to try the Stay Don’t Stray and Erase Paste and this was another one of those items at the register that I couldn’t turn my back on.

Philosophy happy birthday beautiful – this was my birthday gift from Sephora and it smells so freaking good.

Make sure to drop me a note if you have any of these products.

Love and hugs,

Jae

First Twist Out

I wanted to let my hair breathe before my next sew-in and wanted to try my hand at a twist out. Needless to say, I failed miserable, but my little sister was there to pick me up! She took on the task of twisting and bantu knotting my hair for me. This time around I let it air dry and even wore a knit beany to work the next day to ensure it was completely dry. The next day I started the task of untwisting my hair and decided on a style. I wasn’t happy with the front…I think that section of my hair is going to need a little more care, but everything else worked out perfectly-to me! The pics aren’t great, but I still wanted to post something.

 

excuse the extreme close-up!

Love and hugs,

Jae

I’m so excited and I just can’t hide it!

Now, that I’ve decided to BC I decided to look into Miss Jessie's products again and learned their products are sold at my local Target. I went with my mom to check it out to my surprise a display met me on my stroll through the store. I saw Miss Jessie’s products-a lot of them, but none in the 2oz. jar like I wanted. I also saw Shea Moisture, Kinky Curly, Kim Kimbell, Mizani and Jane Carter products and couldn’t believe my eyes. I picked up the Shea Moisture Smoothie cream since it was only $9.99. I plan to pick up the Kinky Curly Curly Custard soon…they were out today. I’m so excited at the fact that I can walk into a store and purchase products without having to order them online.

Be sure to check out your target location if you’re in the market for new products!

Love and hugs,

Jae

I've Made up My Mind!

I've decided to big chop on Saturday July 16th at 9am...I know so precise right?!! I actually have an appointment for my next sew-in that day and decided to go ahead and BC as well. I originally wanted to trim my ends, but decided what the heck its time to get rid of this perm! I took out my previous sew-in Sunday and the detangling process was a HOT MESS and I can't see myself doing that much longer. My BFF offered to come with me and takes pictures of the process so be on the look out for them around July 17th or so. I will also post pictures of my new sew-in as well.

Love and hugs,
Jae

Heavy on Rotation...

I HAD to do a post on a CD that has been on HEAVY and I mean HEAVY rotation since buying it Friday. Can you say 4, four, quatro etc...anyway you say it I'm talking about Beyonce or Bey as I like to call her! I didn't run out and purchase it, but after speaking with my bestie I knew I needed to get a copy. Target was sold out of the deluxe version so I downloaded the regular copy from iTunes. Bey and I instantly became inseparable after downloading it to my iPod. I definitely have 4-5 favorites, but actually like the entire CD. I feel like its really fresh, new and has restored my faith in her because I had started to lose it. On to the songs that have been on repeat for the last couple days...

Countdown is by far my favorite song on the entire CD. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the beat, its so infectious and makes me dance.

Party would be the next favorite...I can't stop saying "you a bad girl and yo friends bad too, you got the swag sauce drippin' swaggu"! I also love the fact that Andre 3000 is on the track...I really, really like him.

Run the world is close by...I actually didn't start liking the song until I saw the video and the VH1 special with the guys from Africa. Prior to that I disliked the song with a passion...my how the tables have turned.

Love on top is such a great upbeat love song that is on heavy rotation as well. Another great beat and the message is precious too...

Those are by far my favorites, but the entire CD is still on the repeat as we speak! I haven't been this excited about a Bey CD since Bday, what about you?

Let me know what you think of the CD if you have it.

Love and hugs,
Jae

Hot Weather Face Routine

I normally don't have a "routine", but I've fallen in love with e.l.f's tinted moisturizer in shade sand and clinique's perfectly real powder in shade 138. I pair it with a cheek and lip color of my choice and most days do absolutely nothing to my eyes. I really like e.l.f's tinted moisturizer a lot, I wasn't sure how it would work considering it was only $3. It gives good coverage (since i don't think i need much on a daily basis) and keeps my skin moisturized at the same time. It gives a nice dewy glow which I like as well. I follow it up with a small amount of powder to take away some of the dewiness.  

Have you found your summer time routine? If so, leave it below!

Happy Reading,
Jae

Faces by Jae

I did my older (yes, she's older than me!) sisters makeup the other day and wanted to share with you guys.



Products Used:
Eyes:
Jesse's Girl Eye Shadow Primer
MAC Paint in Sublime Nature
Wet n Wild Creme Shadow Pencil in Techno
MAC Pigment in Fuchsia
MAC Shadow in Texture
MAC Shadow in Dazzlelight
L'Oreal HIP Shadow in Reckless
L'Oreal Lineur Intense Liquid Liner
MAC Kohl Liner in Smolder
Physicians Formula Black Cream Liner
Avon ANEW Mascara

Face and Cheeks:
Monistat Chafing Relief Powder (Primer)
MAC Mineralize Satinfinish Foundation in NC42
e.l.f Shimmering Facial Whip in Lilac Petal
Sephora Blush in Meringue Jalouse

Lips:
e.l.f Super Glossy Lip Shine in Goddess

Before



we couldn't get the serious face!



we were going for the magazine face...

 

Love and hugs,

Jae

Street Love:Triple Crown Publications

I’ve been a fan of Triple Crown Publications for years and knew I had to pick this book up when I saw it at Borders. This is an anthology comprised of 5 short stories all with their form of “Street Love”. I couldn’t put this book down and believe I finished it in about 3 days so I hope some of you pick this book up.

After the Storm by Keisha Ervin’s – this was a tale in which Mo decided to get back at her man Quan by cheating on him with his best friend. Like most it caused a issue in which they separated for a couple of months and then eventually got back together. Of course, there was a lot of involved but I’m not here to give books away, so you’ll have to read for yourself. This was my first Keisha Ervin and it will not be my last!

Allure of the Game by Danielle Santiago – I originally skipped this story and went on to the next one because I couldn’t get into it at first. The second time around I couldn’t put the book down and was kicking myself because I almost didn’t go back to it. In this tale Arnessa a drug queen pin in the making started dating the guy she bought her drugs from after her arch-rival kidnapped her sister. After dating Butta she left the game alone and became his women, however the saying is true…a girl can leave the game, but the game will never leave the girl. Like Keisha Ervin this was my first time reading Danielle Santiago and I promise to read more.

The Fink by Quentin Carter – the classic tale of a snitch who rolled on his best friend in order to save himself. Phelix rolled over on his friend and learned that life is hell if you’re considered a snitch.

Cold as Ice by T. Styles – I’m not sure if this was more interesting to me because it was set in my backyard of Washington DC, but I really enjoyed this story. Pepper a straight A student lives next door to the neighborhood drug dealer Ice and after his home was robbed she found the evidence needed to get her family out of the hood. She and her best friend weren’t sure what to do after finding a video of the rape of a missing girl, eventually she found did exactly what was needed to move far from the projects.

B-More Love by Leo Sullivan – Jamal the hood thug who has wanted to get with Ashley for years and it isn’t until a tragic situation that they realized they needed each other.

I would definitely recommend this book to those that like urban fiction. It was a total page turner and it opened my eyes to several new authors. The only negative was the fact that the stories were stories and once I got into it the story was over.

Happy reading,

Jae

FOTN:: Flirty 30!

On June 6th at 3:03 I officially left my 20's behind! Yes...I'm officially in the 30 and over club. A couple friends and I went to happy hour/dinner at BarCode in DC to celebrate the occasion. I'm sorry that I don't remember all of the products I used, but I thought I would post the pictures and the eye products I remember.

Eyes:

Jesse's Girls Eyeshadow Primer

NYX Jumbo Pencil - French Fries

MAC Pigment - Copperized

ULTA Eyeshadow - Cognac

MAC Eyeshadow - Vanilla



The end of the night!

Love and Hugs,
Jae

 



A New Series of Posts...

I'm definitely into more than makeup and want to share some of those aspects with you guys. I've always been into reading...when I was a child I would read the dictionary for fun-seriously! I've grown out of reading the dictionary and moved on to books. I read for leisure and mostly fiction, specifically urban, mystery and thrillers. Be on the lookout for recap posts and my opinion on books and be sure to leave suggestions and comments.

Love and hugs,
Jae

Before You Let it Touch Your Face...

wash it! If you're anything like me you can't wait to get home and tear into new products. When it comes to new brushes please remember to wash them before putting them in your product. I'm sure some of you are thinking - DUH!...but it isn't always common sense, some may think its safe to use brushes brought in higher end places or online prior to washing. This actually wasn't always common sense for me until I really started using makeup. I thought of posting this for you guys after watching someone in Target take a brush out of the packaging and touch the bristles...yuck! Please, please, please remember to deep clean with whatever product you use and allow your brushes to dry prior to using them.

Haulin’ at Inglot

On a recent trip to Connecticut I devised a plan to make a stop by the Inglot store in Paramus NJ…I guess you could say I bribed my parents and it worked! My dad was a little upset because I got us a little lost, but in the end we arrived at the Westfield's Garden State Mall at 6pm April 20th…yes I remember the time and day. I had heard a lot about Inglot from some of the youtubers and bloggers that I follow I knew I had to get my hands on it.

Being the great daughter that I am, I decided to put together a list of colors that I was interested in based on the website to speed up my time in the store. I think that method worked the best for me, without a list I would have spent all day in the store and my dad would have yelling even more.

The store reminds me a little of MAC, but has a friendlier feeling. Everyone working there isn’t made up to the hilt so it felt a little more inviting…sometimes when I go in MAC I feel like I HAVE to put something on my face. My helper was super friendly and didn’t try to push any products on me. I picked out the 8 colors on my list with the exception of 1 that was sold out and then selected 2 more to complete my 10 color palette. Then saw a pretty gold that I wanted and as I thought of buying a individual for 12 my helped talked me into buying a 2 color palette for 16. Overall, 12 shadows for 66 is a great deal.

Of course I started swatching as soon as I got in the car and couldn’t believe how pigmented the shadows were. I knew I’d found my new favorite company as far as eyeshadows go. Inglot used to have 2 palette types to choose from-square and round, but they’ve decided to phase the round palettes out. In pan holds 2.3g of product and will set you back 4.50 for the 10 palette fills. They have 3 finishes of product, matte, pearl and AMC, I decided to go with a mixture. Being as I have so many neutral palettes and shadows I knew I needed color in my life and that is exactly what I did. The only colors I got for the faint of heart was a gold and an olive green both pearl finishes. If I knew how much I would love the product I would have gotten a neutral palette as well…I’ve decided this is cause for another trip to the Garden State!

The packaging is unbelievable (in a good way) and really leaves me questioning some other companies such as MAC. The plastic is really thick and sturdy and magnetized to hold the shadows in place. The top to the palette has a really strong magnet that clasps if anywhere near the palette…be careful it will pinch your fingers and anything else in its way. The top will not fall of slip off without force, which really protects your product. After watching a video from Muffinismylovers I decided to write the shadow number on the palette to make it easier each time I needed to reference a color. 

I am thoroughly impressed with Inglot and plan to order additional products such as lipstick, gloss, and skincare. I will be posting picture of looks soon. If you have any Inglot products be sure to let me know which ones and how you like them.

Happy Reading,

Jae

New ELF Goodies!

I decided to a take trip to Target to look for the ELF Tinted Moisturizer and of course picked up a few other things as well. Expect a review on some of these products in  the near future (sorry for the lack of pictures, I'm at work).

Tinted Moisturizer in Sand
Contour Brush
Angled Eyeliner Brush
Shimmering Facial Whip in Lilac Petal

Leave a message if you have any of these items.

Love and hugs,
Jae

The little things...

I recently discovered that I don't love my makeup mirror as much as I used to. One day I decided to put on my makeup using a hand held mirror and it made a world of difference for me. The two places that I really noticed the difference was my eyeliner and mascara, I was able to get so much closer to my lashline and it was so much easier putting on mascara. I still use my makeup mirror for foundation blush and lips, but it looks like I'll be using my hand held for my eyes. What are some of your tips n' tricks?

Love and hugs,
Jae

Failed FOTN…

They say sharing means caring so here goes. My pictures of this look sucked, but I still want to post the highlight of it for me…my lips. I’m so sorry the pictures of my eyes didn’t come out well.

Products Used:

Wet ‘n Wild 907CP

NYX Purple Rain Lipliner

MAC Viva Glam VI Special Edition Lipglass

Better luck next time…

Jae

Review:: Jesse’s Girl Eyeshadow Primer

I picked this product up in March when Walgreens was having a BOGO on Jesse’s Girl products. I wasn’t expecting much from the $5.99 product, but figured I could always take it back if I didn’t like it.

The first thing I noticed was the consistency which is very thin and oily-very different from UDPP or MAC paints or paint pots which tend to be thick and creamy. You HAVE to work this product in as it tends to be oily when you first put it on, but turns matte after working it in. 

The packaging is sleek and simplistic with a doe-foot applicator which provides ease of use-remember to use a disposable wand if sharing the product! I know the UDPP leaves product in the nook and crannies of the bottle and I’m not sure if this packaging has the same issue, though I’m not sure I would care with the price point.

Speaking of price point, you will only be set back $5.99 for 4.5ml/.16oz of product. I found mine at my local Ride Aid (not all stores carry Jesse’s Girl products) and online at the Jesse's Girl website for the same price.

This has been my go to primer since the beginning of March only deviating once because I didn’t want my UDPP to get mad at me! I haven’t experienced any creasing and my eyeshadows are vibrant. I’ve been able to wear the product for upwards of 9 hours and didn’t notice a problem. I’m not sure how it wears in extremely warm weather, but I’m sure I’ll find out soon!

Overall, I would definitely recommend this product and repurchase. I’m actually thinking about swinging by Rite Aid for a backup or two.

Be sure to drop me a line if you’ve tried this product.

Happy Reading…Jae