Nails Did: Lavender Loving With A Bit Of DIY Splatter

Yes, I know there are two different designs on my nails... Let me explain.

So I went to the nail salon to get my nails done. I picked a great color and while watching him paint, I decided I wanted a design. Now usually I don't get a design at the salon because, although I love how my nail tech. does my nails, he SUCKS at designs. 

I don't know what possessed me to ask him to do a design on my fingers -___-

He started with a straight line of mint green going down the nail... okay, that looked promising... But by the end of his brush strokes, I ended up with something that reminisced the British flag on PCP... NOT GOOD.

I left it on for a few days, you know, trying to be a good person and give it a shot. Then one night I decided the madness had to stop! I saw a tutorial by Getnailed on YouTube about splatter nails and decided to try it. I went to Dunkin Dounuts, stole borrowed some coffee straws (don't steal children!) and came home to create a masterpiece on my nails.

Here is a close-up of my efforts:

I like this A LOT better... it looks like a painting of some sort. Hmmm, am I the next Van Gogh?

*SMILE*

What do you think?

~Confessor

My May 2012 MyGlam Bag Review

I heard a lot about the MyGlam bags and decided to give it a shot. When I signed up, I was put on a waiting list because so many people wanted it. I didn't have any expectations for my first May 2012 MyGlam Bag... and thank goodness I didn't because I sure would have been disappointed.

photo by Rebecca Kelsey

What was in this month's glam bag:

• Philosophy "Love Sweet Love" (sample)- It smells like body wash soap... and not in a good way.
• MyGlam Concealer Brush & Defining Eyeliner Brush- I have no need for them but the quality is alright.
• Miss Beauty- Nail Bling (full size)- It's plastic w/ hearts *Blank Stare* Seems more appropriate for a pre-teen.
• Studio Gear Complete Color Lipstick (full size)- Cute... I guess. I'd wear it everyday.

This whole bag just seems cheap... the best part of the bag was probably the hot pink metallic envelope and blue cosmetic bag that the samples arrived in.

*Shaking my head*

When I receive my Birchbox samples, although I had a gripe with a few of the items, at least I feel like I've gained something. With this bag, they definitely get an "Oh hell no" from me, I have NO idea what they were trying to achieve. I'll try to stick with it for one more month but, if i'm disappointed again, I'm canceling!

Have you heard of/tried MyGlam?

~Confessor

Beyonce At Revel: Back Like She Never Left

The Queen is BACK!!!

On Friday May 25, 2012 Beyonce took the Revel stage by storm!

Her first performance since giving birth to her bundle of joy, Blue Ivy; Beyonce commited to a two hour show in front of 5,500 members of her "Beyhive" (a.k.a fans). 

Sadly, I couldn't make it... That show was no small price ticket! Come on Bey, a sister got student loans to pay off! Next time, make sure there's a $25 ticket... or something! 

*Giggle* I digress.

She reportedly performed some of her hits like, ‘Irreplaceable’, ‘I Was Here’, 'Baby Boy', ‘Who Run The World’, 'Crazy in Love', and ‘End Of Time’. She also did a few small tributes to greats such as ‘Ex-Factor’ for Lauryn Hill, ‘I Will Always Love You’ (before going into ‘Halo’) in honor of the late Whitney Houston, and played the original version the late Donna Summer's 'Love To Love You'.

Celeb's who were in attendence turned into fans themselves, including hubby Jay-Z who tweeted: 

""I’m gonna say this and then I’m gonna end mine.” BEYONCE is the best performer in the world. Period."

Jill Scott then followed up with a response to Jay-Z:

"@missjillscott: @S_C_ agreed. My all time favorite hands down. Only woman who can make me scream."

Click "Read More" to see performance videos and pictures of the Queen!

The Weekly Wrap-up

Weekly Wrap-up time *Does The Cabbage Patch*

• I received my 1st Glam Bag subscription, it was pretty cool. I may do a post on it...
• I wrapped up my internship at Complex Media on Thursday. They took us to lunch, gave us our exit interview, and honestly, it was bittersweet. I really grew to like the people there and working for the company, hopefully it won't be the last time I work with them!
• As a parting gift, one of my bosses gave me a bottle of Qream by Pharrell. It is an alcoholic beverage but it looks like strawberry chocolate milk ^___^
• One of the other interns (my favorite person to work with!) and I went to a cool thrift store after our last day. They had so many cool things that we couldn't resist playing dress up! 
• I wrote a slew of "Thank You" cards & mailed them out... they are so underrated.
• Saturday in NYC was beyond beautiful. I spent it roaming in central park. Afterwards a friend and I grabbed dinner. I had Singapore Mai Fun- SO good!
• How do you know summer is back? BLOCK PARTIES! There was the annual Flatbush block party on Sunday and it was packed! Welcome back summer. Winter, you shall be missed, see you in 5 months!

Have a lovely week!

~Confessor

Product Review: Shea Moisture's Deep Treatment Masque

It's always a sad day when you buy a hair product that you imagine will be amazing... and it isn't!

I purchased the Shea Moisture's Deep Treatment Masque from Target (for about 10 bucks) because, like I told you before, I have been going through a hair crisis. Not only do I have dry skin, I have dry hair too. My hair seems to drink moisture so I am constantly searching for moisturizing treatments to aid in my hair care process.

I picked this product up because it had raw Shea butter, sea kelp, argan oil, no sulfates and no parabens. When I opened up the bottle it had a nice smell, it had a beautiful, light- almost mouse-y- texture, and mixed nicely with my organic cocunut oil.

Sounds great right? NOT!

After applying the product and leaving it in for 30 minutes, I washed it out of my hair and was so confused. My hair felt like straw... like literal straw. I had to take my time combing my wet hair because it was beyond anything i'd ever felt before. Although this product made my hair feel awful, there wasn't a lot of damage/breakage to my hair. Luckily, once I put my leave in conditioner/hair serum and blew it straight, my hair felt just fine.

I suspect that this might be a better product for African-American girls who are who are natural (for curly styles) but for me, this was a DEFINITE no-NO!

~Confessor

Mother's Day Love: "Hey Mama"

"I'm finna talk about my mama if yall don't mind... You never put no man over me and I LOVE you for that mommy, cant you see? As we knelt on the kitchen floor, I said "mommy Imma love you till you don't hurt no more. And when I'm older, you aint gotta work no more! And Imma get you that mansion that we couldn't afford." See u're, unbreakable, unmistakable."

Kanye West seems to have wrote this song for both of us; those are the very same words I said to my mom as a kid. I can identify with his unwavering affection for his late mother because I feel the same way about mine. It's funny because, most times, it's usually the son who is stuck to their mother's hip like glue... but not me. My mother really is my heartbeat. We've been through so much and through it all, i respect her courage and fight the most. I don't even think she knows how i feel about her because i'm no the most expressive person but I try to show her in my own way :-)

I just want to make her proud.

Click "Read More" to see more pic of my mama!

May 2012 "Gossip Girl" Birchbox Review

I received my Birchbox at the end of last week and I was excited to see that it was sponsored by Gossip Girl. I am a Gossip Girl FANATIC (Chuck and Blair forever!) So, it was no surprise that when I got the box my heart skipped a beat.

So here's what's inside:

• Fusion Beauty LipFusion Balm: (full-size) $22
• Ojon damage reverse Restorative Conditioner: (sample) $2.94
• Caudalie Hand and Nail Cream: (sample) $3.80
• Arquiste Flor y Canto scent: (sample) $3.39
• *Bonus: Gossip Girl xoxo Notecard w/Envelope

The positives:

The box is worth about $32. At first glance, I thought it was a great box. I've heard a lot about the Ojon products and have always wanted to give them a try. I also interned at The Plaza Hotel, where Caudalie has a spa, so i already knew that that would be an excellent product. I am apprehensive about the lip plumper, because I already have full lips and fear that i'll walk around looking like a duck, but it promises that it is gentle so we'll see.

The negatives:

Once I did some research, there were a few boxes that I would have preferred getting. For example, this is the SECOND box that I did not receive a nail polish in and i'm highly annoyed by this. They sent another perfume sample *whoopie* I could live without it. I would have liked the Stila eyeliner... but ehhh.

I'm considering re-taking the quiz to see if my next box shifts a little but honestly, for $10, I can't REALLY moan about $32 in products.

Have/Do you try the Birchboxes? If you want to you can click here

~Confessor

The Weekly Wrap-up

Weekly Wrap-up time!

Well this week was rather dull, wasn't it?

• I received my monthly Birchbox (post coming soon) and I am super excited. It's sponsored by Gossip Girl... and if you didn't know, I LOVE Gossip Girl.
• I was a bit under the weather so i drank a lot of soup this week... the Cosi chicken and noodle is my fav!
• I love tea! When i first got my internship, i knew it would work out because, not only do they have a slew of teas from me to choose from, they have my favorite- Early Gray!
• I got my nails done with a color I received from my March Birchbox- It's an Essie Luxe Effect (you can let me know if you want a post on it) 
• I bought a co-worker a birthday card and everyone thought it was hilarious! The little baby looks so happy :-) The inside of the card said, "Don't birthday's make you feel good inside?"

What did you do this weekend?

Have a lovely week!

~Confessor

What I Want: All Things Cobalt Blue

I've been seeing this color everywhere and getting more and more intrigued. It was all over the Spring 2012 runway and I started seeing it pop up on different clothing sites. I don't have this color in my closet so I gathered some pieces from around the web that I think is super cute. 

Click "READ MORE" to see...

Body Glove Love

*In my motherly voice*

Once upon a time, there was a girl who suffered from dull, dry skin. She tried different things but accepted that she was just going to be "Ashy Queen" and have to reign proudly over her kingdom.

BUT NOT ANY MORE!!!!!!!

A friend of mine recently bought me a pair of body exfoliating gloves and told me they worked wonders for her skin. I took it with a grain of salt but decided to test it out 2 days later... simply amazing. 

I am now in love with my glove.

The gloves gently buff dead skin from the body and let fresh, luminous skin shine through. It is also great because the moisturizer that you slather on your body has a chance to really penetrate the skin instead of just sitting on the top layer.

Do any of you have/had body exfoliating gloves? How do you feel about them?

~Confessor

New Video: Rihanna- "Where Have You Been"

When Riri released her video for the title track "You Da One", I was disappointed. After such an amazing visual for "We Found Love", I felt like she dropped the ball. So, when I heard she planned on making "Where Have You Been" her next single (one of my favorite songs off Talk That Talk) I gave her the *side eye*, unsure of whether or not she would be able to give me what I need.

Never fear folks, Rihanna has done it again. 

The singer if you want to call her all of that/budding actress has released the visual for her next single "Where Have You Been" (produced by Calvin Harris, Dr. Luke, and Cirkut) and I LOVE IT! The David Meyers directed video is a definite hit! In it, Rihanna channels a tribal voodoo priestess in the desert longing for her love... and get this, she's dancing too!

I have had a long standing love/hate relationship with Rihanna, but I must give credit where credit is due. She has worked extremely hard to get where she is now. While her vocal performance will always lack (because let's face it, she's not a singer) she puts a lot of thought into the collective idea behind every song/performance/video she does... the makings of a real entertainer.

Click "READ MORE" to see the video and snapshots...