Prom Princess

I had the pleasure of working with this lovely young lady attending her senior prom. She was very pleasant and flexible, but knew exactly what she wanted. The entire experience was great and she loved her look, although I wish we had better pictures. 

Until next time,

Jae

Bridal Trial

I had the pleasure of meeting and painting this lovely bride-to-be over the weekend. She was super laid back and easy to work with. She let me do my thing. We aren't settled on the lip, I think I'm going to do a black cherry or something dark. 

I need better lighting in the worst way. 

Until next time, 

Jae 

Haulin Time

This past Friday I stopped by Ulta to check out the NYX sale and couldn't resist a few things. I picked 2 of the soft matte lip cream (Addis Ababa and Prague), 2 single eyeshadows (Heat and Dare) and a sample size of the UDPP. I can't wait to share more of my finds. 

Until next time, 

Jae 

New Do!

I did it, yes I finally cut it all off and I absolutely love it! My self confidence hasn't wavered one but, in fact I feel even more confident. I plan to keep until this summer and then decide my next move. 

I Am Not My Hair

Good hair means curls and waves

Bad hair means you look like a slave 

India Arie was so correct, but I didn't take heed until this past year. I've changed my hair so much in the past 8 months and I haven't cared 1 bit! My hair is what I make of it! Take a look at a few of my changes...

Game Face!!

This Saturday my godson turned 16...I know! His mom surprised him with tickets to the Wizards vs. Pistons game here in DC and that required a face of course! 

Today's Face

Now I'm back with the jump off! 

Today I'm wearing my usual foundation, powder, MSF and added the following: 

Face: 

Hard Candy glamoflauge concealer 

La Femme blush peach sparkle

Lips:

Revlon Matte Lipstick in pink pout 

Maybelline colorsensational lipgloss on lavender lavish 

Today's Face

I noticed my nose was a little red today and opted to add a little bit of coverage. I also went with a little lighter on the lips as well. 

Face: 

MAC strobe cream 

MAC face and body 

MAC MSF warmed

Clinique perfectly real powder 

Body Shop hot brights blush

Lip:

Revlon Lip Butter in gumdrop 

Inglot Sleeks Cream #109 

Tough as Taupe

Day 2 of feeling better and if seems my lipstick choices are pretty darn similar!   

I added The Body Shop's blush in Bright Lights to my cheeks and MAC's Taupe lipstick. 

In the swatch Wet n Wild is on the left and Taupe is on the right. 

Feeling Better!

When you look better you feel better! Here's to feeling better and looking better. I let it slip for a few months (I know!), but I'm back with the jump off! 

Just a light makeup day:

MAC Strobe Cream p

MAC Warmed MSF 

Wet n Wild lipstick 914C

A Little Paint for a Prego Lady

This Saturday I had the pleasure of doing the makeup for an expectant mommy. Her shower theme was Monsters Inc. and she wanted to little bit of green to match her shirt. 

Overall, I loved the look, but I definitely see things that could have been improved. 

Sister, Sister

My  older sister, yes she's actually older then me, needed a little makeup for a business photo. The red lip is awesome and only $3 from ELF! 

On my Grind!

This weekend I had the pleasure of paint a few ladies for a mini photoshoot and since I loved the end result so much I'm sharing. 

A Makeover

Makeover!

My stylist is building her business and needed a little makeup in her life. This was our trial run, I'll post the final once she schedules her pictures. 

New Goodies!

I'm so excited, my new ELF goodies came today and I can't wait to try them. I got a couple of the HD Blushes, 2 of the Contouring Blush & Bronzing Powders and a few other things. I'll do a detailed post after I take pictures and then a review after I've used some things. Well off to tend to the sweet pea! Enjoy your weekend.

Love and hugs,
Jae

First Visit Back to the NICU

Today was a great day for the little guy and I. He had his first follow up appointment with the occupational therapist at the hospital and visited a few friends, including his girlfriend Nurse Devin. He was evaluated at well above his corrective age and is expected to catch up with no issues. All in all, life is great!

Love and hugs,
Jae

Collective Shopping Spree

I’ve picked up a few things here and there lately that I wanted to share with you guys. I haven’t really had the chance to use them enough for a review, but I’ll get on it!

Eyes/Brows:

Maybelline Color Tattoo in Painted Purple, Tenacious Teal and Tough as Taupe

Maybelline Master Precise eyeliner

Maybelline Master Shape brow definer in soft brown

Face/Cheeks:

MAC Studio Careblend Pressed Powder in medium deep

NYX Bronzer & Blusher Combo in Sunrise in Bali

NYC Sun 'n’ Bronze Powder in Coney Island Glow

Sephora Harmony Trio Bronzer in Apricot

Maybelline Dream Bouncy Blush in Peach Satin

e.l.f Makeup Mist & Set

Lips:

Wet n Wild Lipstick in Don’t Blink Pink and Dollhouse Pink

essence Stay with me lipgloss in Me & My Icecream and Candy Bar

L-R: Don’t Blink Pink, Dollhouse Pink, Me & My Icecream, Candy Bar

Nail:

Sinful Colors polish in Zeus

Fragrance:

Victoria’s Secret Pink with a splash body mist in sweet & flirty and fresh & clean

Hair:

Organix Moroccan Argan Oil Conditioner

I’ll be posting pictures and completing reviews soon!

Love and hugs,

Jae

My New Obsession

Being a makeup junkie can be expensive, especially when making higher end purchases. To help myself indulge and help my pocketbook (Omg...did I just say pocketbook!) I now shop the sample size items at Sephora and Ulta.

I received my first sample set - Happy Beauty Day! from Ulta for purchasing another Benefit product. It contained:
BADgal lash mascara, posietint lip and cheek stain and POREfessional pore reducing primer.

While waiting to checkout at Sephora I came across the benefit to go "stay put" set, which contained:
Stay Don't Stray shadow and concealer primer, Erase Paste camouflage for eyes and face and RSVP creaseless cream shadow. I believe this set was $10 and contains a fair amount of product.

Last week I went to Sephora and found myself only interested in the items at the checkout. I didn't want to make a big purchase so I stuck with the benefit FULL GLAM AHEAD set, which contains:
High Beam luminescent complexion enhanced, Stay Don't Stray shadow and concealer primer and BADgal lash mascara. I didn't mind the duplicates as I like both the mascara and primer and may purchase the full size when I run out. This set was $12.

Stay tuned for reviews on some of these products.

I definitely plan on making more sample set purchase from other companies such as Tarte, Lorac, Urban Decay and Too Faced, just to name a few.

BTW...I've started posting some things from my phone as its much faster with the little one around. I'll still have some posts from my computer with better pictures!

Definitely leave me a comment if you've tried any of these items or suggest other sets.
Happy reading,
Jae

Hair Update: Post Baby Blues

One thing I loved about being pregnant was my hair. It was so thick, soft and strong and I just knew it was my new mane. Little did I know, many women experience lots of shedding after birth while the hormones are returning to normal. Let's just say, I've hit the post baby phase hard! I've decided to keep my hair in protective styles for the next few months, washing every 2 weeks. Here's the first style, I promise to post better pictures soon.

Let me know your suggestions for the post baby hair blues.

O..you can see Baby Byrd in the back if you look closely!

Love and hugs,
Jae

What a Wonderful Easter

This Easter was one of the best days that I've had in a long while. As you know my baby boy was born 12 weeks early and had been in the NICU since February. Well, my little guy was discharged Easter afternoon and spent the day at home with the family.

The week leading up to Easter was huge as he started hitting milestones in several areas very quickly. I think 37 weeks gestation clicked for him. He went from bottle feeding 15 cc's and tubing feeding 37 to bottlle feeding the entire amount the Sunday before Easter. This was such a shock to me as I didn't know the doctor had an order for bottle feeding. The last thing he needed to do was maintain his temperature so he could go into an open crib and that didn't come until Thursday before Easter. You can imagine my shock when I called to check on him Friday morning and was told he would be discharged as long as he didn't have any spells and passed his car seat challenge.

Finally, after not sleeping and calling the NICU several times a day, I was told I could come and pick my little one up around 1pm. I was so excited, but scared as I've never cared for a baby on my own. I was also sad to leave his nurses who had grown to be like family after 9 weeks. After reviewing last minute paperwork, my little one and I bolted out the door around 2pm and headed home to our family.

This journey had been a trying one, but I'm happy he's finally home and can't wait to see what motherhood brings. I'll continue to post updates along the way and get back to my regular format as well.

Love and hugs,
Momma Jae