Who's That Girl?

This edition of Who's That Girl is dedicated to Janelle Monae. Ever since the Outkast video for Morris Brown, I have been fascinated my this eclectic and natural beauty.

Janelle Monae



A native of Kansas, Janelle has always been, as she describes, different. Since the age of nine Janelle saw the world in a different color...."preferably purple."

After high school she moved to New York to attend the American Musical and Dramatics Academy. While at the academy she fell in love with classical music. Soon thereafter, Janelle moved to Atlanta to begin her music career. Only eight months after her arrival to the A she met up with some producers and began work on her debut album Metropolis.

"Metropolis is the place I’ve been dreaming about all these years. A city inside your head. It’s an adventure the music brings alive."

In the summer of 2005, Janelle performed for Big Boi of Outkast. Immediately blown away by her talent, Big Boi featured Janelle on 2 songs on the compliation CD Big Boi presents...Got Purp Vol. 2.







And the rest...is history!




"...but I was also on some different stuff…there was a lot of confusion and nonsense where I grew up so I reacted by creating my own little world…I began to see how music could change lives, and I began to dream about a world where every day was like anime and Broadway, where music fell from the sky and anything could happen…"

Below is video of Janelle Monae performing Violet Stars Happy Hunting


P.S. Visit Janelle at her website...it's nothing short of amazing!

Janelle Monae - live @ Criminal Records

I Need to Catch Up

M.A.C. done went and added two more collections to their ever growing Fall spread.

Blue Storm



I'm really liking the whole blue eye thing.




You know what I've realized, I think I'm more into the fun names of makeup. The Blue Storm collection has fun shadow names:

Bluestorm
Stormwatch
Thunder
Cumulus
Cloudburst

Fun!

Next up is

Smoke Signals





This collection is exactly what I need. I am obsessed with a strong smoky eye and this collection delivers!It has 2 eyeshadow quads that I'm so feeling



Gentle Fume



Smoking Eyes

An added bonus, on the MAC website under the Smoke Signals link is a short promo video for the collection featuring Eartha Kitt!

I really need to get on it with these awesome M.A.C. Collections....I haven't even started buying anything from Flashtronic, Painterly, and Rushmetal yet!

One Crazy Week

This week has been kinda hellish for me and my self-esteem :(

1. My boss is an idiot. Director has really begun to irritate me now.....it's on snitches! All of the Admission Counselors have weekly meetings with her to discuss what's going on (i.e. this program thingy I have going on in October). So we discussed and I was getting ready to leave her office....then she loses her mind! She tells me that she thinks the staff as a whole dresses "ragged." At first, I was thinking, "whatev...I know I'm cute." Then she fixed her mouth and said that I was looking "ragged." She even decided to use an outfit that I was wearing as an example. This particular outfit consists of gray dress Capri's, a coral top, and black pumps. Then to make it worse, she told me that my shoes "saved the outfit".....as if she was a stylist. I could not take a picture of myself wearing the outfit (it's in the wash) but here is what I basically wore.



This is the exact top!




Now, I know what some of you all are thinking....."yeah, that's a ragged outfit." But no no keep in mind that it's over 100 degrees everyday in Georgia and I work at a college where the students brag about wearing pajamas to class. Also, keep in mind that Director can't dress! That's the gotcha!

So I was a little depressed about this. Whenever someone makes comment about something you pride yourself in, it's gonna sting a little bit.

2. So, I worked through the whole "ragged" outfit comment. I had a dentist appointment the next day. I haven't been in awhile.....okay 5 years. Everything was going well, when the dentist asked, "Do you have kids?" I said no.Then she says, "I think you should consider braces and straighten that out." Then she just walks out! Everyone thinks my grill is beautifully white and straight (I deceptively smile a certain way to hide the crooked ones :)




After her comment, my mind was just racing with thoughts: "I'm too old for braces." "How am I gonna get play with braces?" "Who is gonna want to kiss me with braces?" Then I snapped out of it and realized that without the braces I don't get play or kisses so not much would actually change :)

So, I'm gonna get them. My teeth have always bothered me, so I might as well get them straight now, while I'm (kinda)young and can pull the wire look off. Also, Gwen Stefani, Tom Cruise, and dude from Boys to Men all had braces in their adult lives....this will be a piece of cake for me!

O, and Invisalign in not an option for me :(

3. Work is Bananas! Our travel season is coming up and I'm stressed!On top of planning my travel arrangements and dealing with Director, I have to perform my other duties, go to ridiculous meetings, and deal with Director. For the next 2 months and 1 week I will be in and out of the office.....living out of a suitcase....driving hours to different cities....all the while planning this big event for October. WOW!It didn't just hit me until now that I'm gonna be hella busy!

Who Dat?

I got my September issue of Allure this morning and wondered who the hell this was on the cover! It says Britney Spears but I don't see it.....Photoshop is no joke!

Have a fab Saturday!

P.S. I'm feeling kinda sick today so my Saturday is going to be spent in the house :(

Signature Look

Lately, I have been rocking the smoky eye like crazy! Ever since I bought the Beth Bender Eye Kit the smoky eye has been my BFF! So it got me to thinking about celebrity Signature (Beauty) Looks

Gwen Stefani and Christina Aguilera , Dita Von Teese (Red Lips)

























Women with pale skin look so striking with bright red lips....Gwen, Christina, and Dita were smart to acquire such a dynamic signature look!

Jennifer Lopez and Beyonce (Fabulous Skin)

Most celebs have fantastic skin; however, J.Lo and Beyonce seem to always have that St. Tropez Bronzed Glow about them!











Kim Kardashian(Smoky,Bold, Dramatic Eye)







Kim K. has a lot of things which can be her "signature" (i.e. dating black men, wearing spandex dresses), but her bold and smoky and absolutely dynamic eye defintely works for her!

Amy Winehouse (Cat Eye)

My First Lancome!

I love What Not To Wear! My favorite portion of the show is when Carmindy and Nick work their magic and create new looks for the hopelessly unfashionable (that was kinda mean yo!) I've noticed that in every makeup makeover Carmindy uses a highlighter in the tear duct. It completely mystifies me....just a little bit of shimmer can really brighten your eyes. So yesterday I was strolling the Lancome counter and the Lancome lady (remember that skit on Mad TV that poked fun at the Lancome lady? Well, this chick was just like that....too funny!!) asked if she could help. And in response, I told her that I wanted my eyes to look amazing! Here is what I found. This shimmery eye shadow in Cherub. The Lancome lady taught me to use a brush and place the shadow in my tear ducts, under my brow bone, and even on my lower lash line for a dramatic eye look! And this has changed my life! Really! I feel like my eyes stand out more! I am soooooo uber excited about this new addition to my makeup life and just had to share!




Next up, I want to try this new lip thingy




It is a limited edition lip balm (the Baume Baiser Hydrating Pillow Balm Sensual Lip Massage to be exact.....mmmmm, sounds sexy)! Honestly, I mainly want it because of the cool design!

Have a fabulously beautiful day!

P.S. I have a beauty update about Director. I could have swore I saw some sort of lip color on her yesterday. I'm not sure if it was a lip stain brought on by her cherry Kool-Aid from lunch or actual lip stain, but I'm hella impressed! Someone has obviously been reading my blog!

The Beauty in Natural Beauty

Another work week has begun and I am soooooo happy. I woke up this morning, ready to get back in the swing of things....I don't know why, but I prefer this overzealousness than what it could be.

So today we had a staff meeting and Director felt the need to call me out on something.....in front of everyone. Whatev! But instead of getting salty,I became distracted by her face....specifically, her lack of makeup. I wondered, how does she wake up in the morning and just not put anything on her face? I can understand if you were a housekeeper for a living, but she's a Director of Admission at a college where you meet people daily.....first impressions are no joke!

There are numerous natural looking makeup products that can be used to discreetly cover any imperfections and give an all over polished look. Here's what I found:

Bare Minerals




I've always wanted to try Bare Minerals, but I have oily, acne prone skin and I need coverage!! But for someone who needs a natural look with a few minor complexion issues Bare Minerals is a great choice. Also, it's so gentle that you can go to sleep with it on your face! You can't beat that!

M.A.C. Studio Finish Concealor




Director really needs this concealer (well, she actually needs an eye lift, but until she meets with a plastic surgeon this will have to do!) It hides dark circles, blemishes, marks,scars, brown spots, red spots,you name it. You can use your finger to gently rub it over your problem areas or use a concealor brush (there's a good $2 one at Target). I actually just started wearing this concealer when I started my job! An added bonus is that it is SPF 35!

CoverGirl Exact Lash




Everyone needs mascara! No excuses.... period...end of paragraph! There are so many formulas and brushes out there that a girl can easily get confused. But for a more natural look I would go with the traditional Covergirl Exact Lash in the purple tube. It glides through lashes with no clumping and allows lashes to look naturally longer! I am such a fan of this mascara; however, for more drama I've added Max Factor Lash Perfection to my collection.

M.A.C. Powder Blush in Mocha



I am such a M.A.C. fan because of the colors. Although not all their products are always appropriate for everyday wear (bump that, I wear it everyday...I'm going for a tranny look though), I would say that the powder blush in Mocha is excellent for a natural look. It is such a pretty pink color! You can easily build on the color for more definition or just lightly brush it onto the apples of your cheeks for a subtle sweep of pink. At first I was intimidated by the color because I thought it would be too light for my brown skin, but it complements it just right!

L'oreal Eyeshadow in Autumn Leaves




This is my absolute favorite eyeshawdow. I actually "borrowed" this from a friend and conventiely never gave it back. It's perfect for work or a casual day. It's not too heavy. It comes in a quad of beautiful browns to complement any eye color or shape.

Smith's Rosebud Salve




This lip balm is so versatile! It can be used on your lips (of course), to smooth out stray eyebrow hairs, as a highlighter on your brow bone, and even for ashy skin (yes, I have tried it!). It's just a sexy lip look to complete a natural face!

Model in a Bottle




And to top off your natural looking face spritz Model in a Bottle on your face to set your makeup look so you won't look like a shiny slimy mess at the end of the day!

Whew! That was a short list, but it's complete...that's all you need for a natural face! Director has no excuse to be coming all up and through the office looking how she looks!

Stay Fab!

International Style

Last week the international students arrived on campus. It was actually fun....we gave them tours and spoke with them. But while we were talking the only thing I was focused on was their crazy style! International folk defintely have a more adventourous sense of style. So I decided to showcase some international flava. Unfortunately, I couldn't take any indivdual pictures of the students, but here are some international looks from some of the greatest style capitals from all over the world.


Japanese Harajuku. Not a style I'm gonna rock anytime soon, but I applaud the adventure!





Both are from a Jamaician fashion Week....easy breezy style. I love it!






These are from an Indian fashion week!


Have a fab week!

P.S. I got my Glamour magazine last week and it was full of the cat eye! Can you believe it? I'm glad I got my Beth Bender Eye Kit!