SUBSCRIPTION BOX REVIEW: BarkBox - a monthly box of dog goodies

March's Bark Box

I took advantage of a twitter offer to get my Chihuahua his first BarkBox (March)! The deal was $10 off a new sub, so I ended up paying $19 for our 1st Box. This ends up being about the same I would pay for my own beauty subscription boxes (Allure's Sample Society), but in this case I think my pooch got a better deal!

HAIRCARE REVIEW: CURLS PROFESSIONAL STYLING PRODUCTS

I've been using the CURLS product line for several years to maintain my natural 4A/B hair (plus my extensions) and it's been a fantastic journey. I transition from straight styles to curly locks on a whim and can easily say this product line is positioned in my top 3 Natural Haircare products (Aveda and Moroccan Oil are the other loves) of all time. So I felt the need to share the Amazing, Disappointing and downright confusing details of my experience for any newbies out here.

For starters, I discovered this product line at Target. And it looked and continues to appear to be (packaged) like this:

Bloomingdales "Makeup Date" was all that and a overflowing bag of freebies!

Rising at 6:45am to arrive at an 8am event is no small feat for me, but in the name of beauty, I did it!!
Much to my surprise tons of other ladies had also done the same and the Bloomie's event was super packed! I immediately wished I had arrived sooner and snagged better seats.

Breakfast was provided and included lots of healthy options. +1

We kicked things off with a light Zumba Workout. What a treat!! Guess whose gonna be signing up for classes soon? Yours truly!

Pics + video of the demonstrations, fun, freebies and more!!

THE MAKEUP DATE: ATLANTA BLOOMINGDALE'S EDITION

SIGNS OF SPRING ARE ALL AROUND US!!

I'm currently looking forward to attending THE MAKEUP DATE @ our Atlanta Bloomingdale's this coming Saturday, March 15th.

This will be my first time attending a beauty event at Bloomingdales, as usually it's my local Sephora that has all the festivities & surprises. 

 Nonetheless, I'm glad the Bloomingdale's has decided to follow suit with an event of their own and seemingly in the same thread as the Neiman Marcus event I attended recently. They too incorporated a fashion show with their emerging beauty finds.

I sat a bit with Tom Ford while at Neiman Marcus to experience their eyeshadow quads and this go round, I've signed up with Bloomingdale's to have a makeover with a 

NARS EXPERT Makeup Artist.

I'm very excited about this event and hoping that it will lead to a new look for Spring. Will definitely post pics when I'm all done up and include all runway highlights & treats!!

The Makeup Date

March 15, 2014, 8:30 am - 9:30 am

Join us for THE MAKEUP DATE. Just for our favorite customers, we?re setting aside a morning for an exclusive runway show featuring the latest beauty trends, hosted by Jennifer Duvall, freelance makeup artist and founder of beauty blog JennySueMakeup. Enjoy one-on-ones with expert makeup artists and take home our limited-edition travel bag with some of our favorite samples.* Breakfast bites will be served before the show. Your $25 reservation fee will be credited towards the beauty purchase of your choice, #Lenox, Doors open 7:30 AM. Fashion Show 8:30 AM. Cosmetics on 2. Please respond to 404-495-2872.

Will you plan to attend or have you ever been to a Bloomingdales Beauty event in the past? 

Please share any feedback from your experiences, as I would love to hear it!

Neiman Marcus Project Beauty Event - Atlanta

I recently had the pleasure of attending a project beauty event put on by Neiman Marcus (sponsored by Mastercard) and it was a blast!! The event ticket price of $25 reserved your seat and gave you a $25 NM Gift Card. BONUS: if you paid by Mastercard then you got an additional $25 Gift Card! So ultimately I was shopping with $50 bucks!!

*Talk about an unbeatable promotion*

Check out event pics below.

Holy Grain Foundation "s" - Yes there can be more than ONE!

I've come a long way from Drugstore foundations and I have no intention of going back!
( I kid, I kid)

Not because of quality but because I can't try before I buy and I've wasted a lot of time and money going down that road. That frustration led me to a healthy relationship with Sephora and most department store makeup counters. Not only can I test things out and take home samples, but also most of these places have a satisfaction guarantee -at least here in the USA (apparently in Europe this is unheard of).

My foundation exploration has led me to amassing an pile of things that don't work for my combination skin and those that do. For today, let's focus on the positive today, shall we?

1. Kat Von D - Lock-it 

Pros: Highest Coverage I've ever achieved in a foundation. Option of having a Matte or Dewy Finish. Photographs Beautifully. Relatively Inexpensive @ $34.

2. Lancome - Teint Idole Ultra 24H

 

Pros:  Best Medium Coverage for everyday use. Option of having a Matte or Dewy Finish. All Day wear-time. Purchase usually qualifies for a Lancome Gift which goes on year round (Macys, Nordies, Bloomingdales, Dillards, Belks, ect.) and this gives you more bang for your buck!

3. Giorgio Armani - Luminous Silk

Pros: Best Color Match I've ever achieved in a medium coverage foundation. Offers the most natural finish. All Day wear-time for sure!

 Honorable Mention: Hourglass - Immaculate

Pros: Wears like liquid IRON and has the best oil control in a medium coverage foundation.

So here I've focused on what makes these foundations GREAT and why they've landed in my Top 3. Later I'll discuss what they're lacking and the reason I use these foundations interchangeably. 

Thanks for reading!

NEW FAVORITE DESIGNER: BYRON LARS

If your still inching closer to high fashion (like me) then you've probably started noticing dresses by Byron Lars way before recognizing his name. Several visits to Anthropologie actually served as my introduction to the designer and I've been smitten ever since!!

Not surprisingly his amazing designs have already been worn by the incredulous Angela Bassett and First Lady Michelle Obama:

 

Needless to say, he's the BEST of THEE BEST and I can't wait to get more of his designs in my closet!

So far I have added the Beguile by Byron Lars Carissima Sheath to my collection with plans to also include the Beguile by Byron Lars Lace Study Dress.

carissima sheath byron lars

carissima sheath byron lars

lace study dress by byron lars

I'm also in-search of his more vintage pieces that I've missed from the Beguile Collection.

Please let me know if your also enjoying this a-m-a-z-i-n-g designer and if you have any of his lovelies hanging in your closet!