Lost in Translation

Aight, so this morning, I was very inspired to do this classic Marilyn Monroe-ish glamorous eye and red lip combo.  First lemme say that I'm officially over the lighting in my bathroom.  It took me almost 45 minutes to complete this look...only to discover that it's too light for pictures (coupled with the lighting in my bathroom). But, I didn't have time to go over it, and it would've been a little darker than I wanted to wear to work today. So, this weekend, when i'm snowed in, I'll do it again, with darker colors. I wish I could find a picture to show you the look I was going for...because in my pics, it looks too basic compared to what I saw in my mind.  I had it all planned out, too...but the lighting was too bright, the colors weren't dark enough, and the red lipstick was too...ugh. Just...not what I saw in my mind.  I hate it when that happens, lol Because I know what it feels like when you nail it RIGHT on the head and that's a great feeling.

Anyway, here are the pics below.  Oh, and I'm officially done with concealer. Ive used it in every picture this week, both with the corrector and without...and it always gets into those tiny wrinkles that I can't get rid of. So, I'm done. Good thing I made this decision now, too...cuz i'm almost out and if I felt like it worked better for me, I'd run out to replace it. But, no thanks Bobbi Brown!


First, at my house, with the red lip:

And then, after I discovered that it didn't come out looking a THING like I wanted it to:

LoL, just PISSED!










And then, when I realized it didn't matter cuz it was time to go:

Once I got to work, and took off that God-awful red lipstick (don't get me wrong, I love Brave Red as well as Frenched but with the shirt I wore, the lighting and the too light colors on the eyes...it just didn't work today.)  Perhaps I could've (or rather, should've) used a darker red. Ah well, I'll try it this weekend.

Here's some more I did once I got to work, in *gag* the halogen overhead lights in the bathroom...which is even worse. By that point, i was ready to just wipe everything off and start working for the day, lol....

I think you can see the eyes a llllliiiiittle better here, but not how I wanted to see them.

And here:

Again, that is a very messy top line, but I was rushing especially because I knew the lashes would take me longer.  Usually, when I apply lashes, I line the top lash line first. It is AMAZING for adhering. but, it takes longer because it's an extra step. This morning, I lazily decided to skip that step in the spirit of trying to save time...and ended up taking double the time because lashes that don't stick initially, have to be held in place until they dry...otherwise they're all over the place. Sigh. I should've just done the extra step. Lesson LEARNT. Hmph.

Lets see. The colors here are:

Shadow base: Bare Canvas
Crease: 1.) Espresso and 2.) spiced Chocolate
Bottom Water Line:  First coat: Gesso  Second Coat: MUFE Diamond EyeShadow #306
Contour: Old Faithful, lol Blunt
Lips: First Coat: Brave Red  Second Coat: Frenched  Gloss: Who's That Lady
Lips: After I got to work and changed: Cork Liner, Purple Reign (Carol's Daughter)
Everything else is the usual.

 Lol. A mess.

Anyway, that's it for today.  I gotta get some work done because my weekend just got REAL PACKED real quick so I wont be able to stay late today.

Y'all have fun and be safe this weekend, especially if it snows. This is the last shopping weekend before Christmas so stay alert, watch your purses and wallets, and take care not to run anyone over!

Eyes to the skies, lovies!

Beautiful Day

Long Hair and Blue Eyes

Yup, that's me today. rockin the long straight look with interesting blue eyeshadow. It took a while to put it together because I used the BB Color Corrector and Concealer kit which I usually don't do cuz it takes so long.  This morning was no exception. it took forever because you have to apply, then wait for it to set, then do it all over again.  or maybe that's just me.  *crickets*  I hate having dark circles under my eyes!! Grrrrr! As if wearing makeup wasn't involved enough as it is! *HEAVY SIIIIIGH*

Anyway, this morning amid a flurry of activity involving the maintenance man and scrambled eggs, I completed this look before work.  I was so wishing I had remembered to take pictures of the step-by-step process, but I didn't have time.  Cuz, to look at it, it looks very minimal, like it took no time (i hate when that happens) but it took me a minute to finish.

Have a looksy:

Eyes closed so you can see the close up.  This is a combination of about 5 different colors, including the inner corner color...

And the mandatory profile shot:

The second shot is just me, doin what I do best, lol. I swear, i pose more than Diddy! But, no really, I wanted to give a full frontal shot so  you can see how it looks on.

The last shot is me trying to get a close up of my favorite winter blush, Format.  Ginger had asked about it yesterday, but I didn't have any pictures.  it looks very faint in this picture, but i applied it much heavier than I normally do...and you can still barely see it.   MAC is not allowing me to save the picture so I can show you, but the site has Format described as "Format:  Pinkish-brown (Frost)".  I swear it looks darker in person, but I guess you'll have to take my word for it.

The liner, mascara, powder, and liner are the usual, lip gloss is some random Sephora pinkish-clear gloss I found lying around. 

I'm really excited about buying new makeup next week!  Hang tight, kiddies! I'll have more pictures soon. I think tomorrow I'll do a glamorous vintage look. I'm feelin kinda classic today...we'll see what happens.

Keep your head to the sky, Love. Until tomorrow...

Inspired by Ginger

Hello Again everybody! So sorry to have been gone for so long :-(.  My laptop crashed, plus you know the fall is the slow season for makeup so not much has been going on lately.  I never did get those proofs from that photographer that I worked with. We've since parted ways and don't work together anymore.  So I've been doing my mommy thing, working, getting ready for Christmas, going back to church, and I started online dating, lol...if you can believe that. I've been a busy little bee.

Anyway, back to the matter at hand.

Yesterday, Ginger--a fellow DC Sistagirl-- posted about some MAC colors that she likes.  It inspired me to use them ( cuz you know I have them too, lol) and I took pictures.  I'm SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO glad for the inspiration because I was feeling real BLAH about makeup. Had been for a while. But, yesterday?? got my second wind, and I'm ready to play again.  Which means I get to buy new colors, try new products (including holiday stuff, which i love) and have an excuse to take pictures of myself, lol. YEAH!!!

I'm a *hot mess*.

Here's my post from yesterday:

Morning All,

So, I was inspired by Ginger's post this morning and decided to do some Peachtwist in the Winter ( i only ever wear it in Spring and Summer).  It came out okay, but I had to contour it a bit so that it wasn't so "I've been standing outside in the cold way too long" rosy.  A few of them may have come out a little blurry (sorry)...

The eye colors are Amber Lights (inner), Brash (Center), Spiced Chocolate (outer V), and I threw in some Cranberry to blend the two outer colors, just for old times sake since that color is so daggone old, lol. 

Cheeks are contoured with Blunt (which is my favorite contour color, btw), topped with Peachtwist, and highlighted with my highlighter-of-the-moment Mineralize Skin Finish in Porcelain Pink.  This skinfinish also comes in a bronzy color but I'm stuck on this one right now, lol, so I'll probably get the bronze one next spring.

Liner is Blacktrack, Concealer is the BB concealer kit in Golden, and Mascara is Loreal Voluminous in Carbon (since last month, i've been doing the one with the curved brush and it makes a HUGE difference, IMO), BB tinted Moisturizer in Dark Tint, and finished with MAC Mineralize SkinFinish in Medium Dark (which is my winter powder when i get pale again). Oh, and then the lips are just the basic everyday nude (Cork [liner], Hug Me [Lipstick], and Who's That Lady [Gloss]). 

I'm so glad for inspiration! Though I've done this look before, I haven't been really inspired by makeup at all lately...I was just tellin Reina yesterday that I don't even FEEL like a makeup artist, let alone like I wanna continue to work on being one full time.  Makeup is very blah right now. Ech.  So, THANKS GINGER for the inspiration to play again!

 

Sorry that that first one is a little fuzzy, i don't know why the camera does that. :-(

though these are old colors, I still use them when I want that warm 'n toasty look.  This is a great summer look any year, no matter when the colors debuted. Trust, when next the payroll gods send forth a sacrifice for my diligent work here on Earth, I WILL be making a trip over to www.macpro.com to receive my spoils.

Score!

Head to the sky, Lovies!

Happy Birthday Reina!

Today is my baby's birthday! Thats right, today, my closest and most dear friend turns the ripe old age of 29...wit her old ass, lol.  She and I have been friends since 2003...which seems like a lifetime ago.  We've had so many ups and downs, I think we give new meaning to the term "ups and downs".  But, through everything that has and hasnt happened, we have stuck by each other, like Golden Girls. I think we may actually have been sisters in another life because we fight like real siblings, lol. I wouldn't trade her for a singe solitary thing though.

Yesterday, around 11/12ish, she emailed me a link to an antique vanity that she found on craigslist.  she was practically drooling so I knew i wanted to get it for her, for her birthday.  She'd emailed the owner about it and was waiting to hear back from him.  So I call him IMMEDIATELY and it's still available. I told him to make sure that if he received an email from some one by her name, an email address like hers, ANYTHING...tell her it's been taken.  He laughs, but agrees. Initially, he offered delivery but then said that his car was too small.  So, i have to call a friend with a van to borrow for the pick up. 

The friend says "my van's full of Salvation Army donations so there's no room." At this point, I can't afford to rent a truck and buy the vanity, so I feel screwed. I've already committed to picking up the vanity so I have to figure out a way to get it now.  Meanwhile, back at the ranch, i've done whatever my latest bonehead bff stupid thing is and she's angry with me...and now doesn't even want to see me on her birthday.  Bummer.  Not even talking to me. Sigh.  I can't decide if I should still get the vanity, knowing we'll eventually talk again, or just skip it and get her something later. The petty bitch in me wanted to skip it, but my love for my friends runs real deep and I knew I would regret not getting it later when we were back on speaking terms.  So, the friend with the van says she can't donate her stuff to the Salvation Army until Saturday because they close early on weekdays. Sigh. So, I offer to drive the stuff down to the Salvation Army to make room for the vanity the next day.  There was a TON of stuff in the back of that damn van!! I only had time to go on my lunch break so I had to split the donations up in to two trips (lunch time yesterday and lunch time today) just to make sure everything got donated and there was enough room.  The first trip was a nightmare because Duke Street closed down in the middle of the gatdamn day so I was stuck in traffic for an hour. Simultaneously, I'm trying to iron things over with her on the IM while driving and cursing at the traffic. It was a hot mess. Try typing an apology on your phone's little ass keyboard while stuck in traffic on a one lane street knowing full well you've been gone longer than your lunch hour. See how happy you feel. LOL.

Anyway, the second day--today--went okay. Today was just a matter of planning how to get it into the house without her seeing me or vanity.  Luckily, she was out running an errand at the same time I was picking up the vanity. So, I called her husband to make sure she wasn't home, and wouldn't be any time soon.  She'd already said she didn't really want to see me this week, but I had to deliver the vanity anyway because there was nowhere else for it to go. Ten minutes away from her house, I got lost.  Just, turned around for no damn reason. Her husband is on the phone trying to talk me to the house but I'm so nervous because I just KNOW she's gonna get back before me...and my nervousness is making me make stupid mistakes...all while driving someone else's van that I'm not used to.  i mean, tires screeching, running lights, honking at pedestrians, giving ppl the finger. Sigh. I was in a hurry, lol. On the phone with the husband, i'm LITERALLY turning on to her street when he says "awwww, she's here :-( You're too late, she just pulled up. Sorry." Ugh, BUMMER!!

I tried to think of something else he could take her out to do so I could sneak it in...but his tone let me know he was done with me for the night, lol. And when I pulled up, she was right there :-(. Ah well. i tried. He helped me unload the van, and we took it inside.  Since it'd been broken down to pieces, she didn't recognize it at first...but it didn't take long for her nosy behind to put two and two together. So when i brought the final piece in, she was all "i know what you did! yay!!".   though I would've preferred to just drop it off and not disturb her, and to have it be a total surprise, i can't say I'm unhappy that I was there to see her happy face.  We hugged, and she thanked me, and we high fived, lol.  It was great. There were some hoops, but in the end, her cheesing smiling face--coupled with her lil happy dance--made it worth every second.  The van that i'd borrowed had a low battery and i couldn't turn it off while i unloaded, so i didnt get to stay long but I'm so thankful I got to see her on her pre-birthday evening, even if only for a second.

happy birthday, mama. i heart ewe <3.

:-)

Score one for the Mommy, once again.

Misadventures on a Beautiful Day: Plenty of Fish, Day 22

Welcome back, ladies, to the ever-exciting world of Dating: Sistagirl Style.  Today finds our heroine hard at pretending to work while her boss is out for the week...so we know what that means, riiight? it's PLENTY OF FISH TIIIIME! That's right gurls, today we've got mo' ignance, mo' tomfoolery, and mo' bitchassness than you can possibly consume in one work day without passing the hell out!  Continue below for the wreckage...


Victim #1: Let's call him *Roderick.

Roderick is a tall muscular caramel skinned brotha with intense hazel eyes and, apparently, an appetite for thick beautiful women. At first glance, Roderick appears to have all of his teeth firmly intact, a body to die for, and according to his profile, is an avid Teena Marie fan. Unfortunately for this brotha, i am NOT a teena marie stan, so it's totally lost on me. Anywho, this was Roderick's first email to me:

"Hello I am Roderick. I am originally from philly. I am in DC now. I saw your page, and you caught my attention. I am 6'2" 235 lbs, hazel eyes, and attractive. I am educated and professionally employed. I am also a nice guy, if your interested, get back to me. Thanks"

There's something about that first line that keeps reminding me of Amistad ("Give Us Free!"), but that could just be me. I guess I'm just used to "My name is.." as opposed to "I am..". WHATEVER, I'm probably being way too picky...but would explain why my reply to that first email was "Is this a joke?". He replied no so I tried to give him the benefit of the doubt. After confirming that his picture and message were, in fact real, Roderick continues with this message:

"I reside right near old town on alexandria. where in alexandria are you located? Are you single, live alone, kids, etc...? What are you attracted to in a man, physically, mentally, emotionally, sexually? what are you looking for or open to? what are your likes, dislikes, sexual turn ons, offs, etc...? What puts a smile on your face? what do you do for a living?"

Because I'm me, I tend to analyze things TO DEATH.  I wasn't turned off by his choice of questions, but I did find it strange that he threw sex right in with everything else, off the break.  I wondered if he was playing his cards a little too soon...But, again, i wasn't turned off...so I replied that I, too, lived in Alexandria; I have a son who's 9 and also plays little league football (his profile mentions that he's a little league football coach); i'm open to meeting someone who's honest, funny, not at all boring, confident, and emotionally strong; sexually, I like to think outside of the box and keep things interesting; my likes and dislikes are too many to list, but I'm an Eagles fan and I've never been to Miami so I'd like to travel there next. <-------my entire response, summarized.

To which he responded, lol:

"Well, as for me. besides an obvious facial and physical attraction, she needs to be intelligent, mentally and emotionally stable, a good listener, and a good heart. She needs to be educated, not neccessarily degree'd, but at least someone with a worldly outlook on life. She needs to be a relatively happy woman. One that is comfortable in her own skin, with her mentality, aswell as her emotions. She needs to be comfortable with her sexuality, as well as have a high drive and appetite. She needs to be giving. In laymens terms, a lady in the street and a slut in the bedroom. Perfection, lol. So, tell me, how do you compare to what I look for? "

Bwahahahaha! I bolded that last question, just because I thought it hilarious that he got right to it. You gotta admire a brotha who doesn't mince words. Haha, he may as well have just said "look, b*tch...are we f*ckin or NOT?" But, I humored him just cuz I ain't got shit else to do, and I replied that, though I didn't think he was looking for anything extraordinary, I did notice how he answered none of the questions that I'd asked him...but was VERY concerned with how I measured up to his standards...and asked if there was any particular reason why he was being so evasive if he was, in fact, as giving as he'd said he was. (SB: now keep in mind, I'm not being selfish by not posting my entire responses,  only his.  I'm just really long winded and this is already gonna be a long entry so I had to summarize mine.)  At this point in the convo, I've asked him what team he coaches for, where he recommends I go in Miami, which hotel he works for, what his movie likes and dislikes are, AND if he's ever been to California?  To which he replied:

*giggling @ how stupid men are*

""I have to ask though...What are you into sexually? I mean to say, what do you like to do and have done to you?, ie straight, oral (giving or recieving), anal, positions,etc...?How active are you presently? when was the lasttime?Ok, since I did go there, its only fair to answer as well. Well as far as me, I am into pleasing my partner.I mean its really about her being happy and satified, which includes climaxing as often as possible lolI am old school, if I can't eat it I don't want it. I love to go down on my woman, mmm mmm LOVE IT!!!!,well if I feel her like that.I am open to anything that doesn't involve invading holes in my body lol feel me?I like doggie, 69, being ridden is the best, especially flat footed, deeper penetration that way. I like my woman that likes sex and is very sensual. I also prefer a woman that understands the differences between the ways men and women view sex and love.That understands that if you have a man, not a dog mind you, but a man, that the more he has sex with you, that its actually a good thing. In a world where we as men are some what emotionally repressed, its one of the main ways we show emotion and love, through sexually pleasing our woman thereby getting approval and confidence that she is happy and into us.Most women miss this point,but in truth, if I love my woman, there isn't a moment of any day where I wouldn't rather be inside her, pleasing her than doing anything else.I had the one, but unfortunately for me, or us, she chose otherwise. I can be happy with the right one, and be thrilled if she is all I want, and thats not that hard...." -------------sorry, i had to cut it there because my insides are about to burst if I laugh any harder. I can't TAKE it!!

Wait, wha? What does ANY of that have to do with A.N.Y.T.H.I.N.G?? Like, WHO ARE YOU?? Am I being punked??

It concludes with my reply [the only short one besides the first two]:

"Again, still no answers to the questions I've asked you, yet a lot of volunteered information that I did not ask for...which is a bad sign. Thanks, but no thanks.

Take care and good luck in your search for The One.

Goodbye."


Of course, immediately after that, he floods my inbox with a thousand answers to every question I asked, claiming he sent those answers in a second SEPARATE email and doesn't understand why I didn't get that separate email...

*side eye* followed immediately by *small eyes* and then a combination of *boo/hiss/boo!* while *rolling my eyes*. I can't take it. I just can't. All I can do is shake my head....And LMBAO!!

WHEW! I tell you, these guys make me wanna RUN and find a mentor for my son A.S.A.P.


Y'all stay tuned for the next episode where we meet *Brandon, the sensitive and chubby computer guy with a secret behind his smile...

*Name has been changed to protect the asshole's subject's privacy.

Isayahism for today: 12/14/09

At Roy Rogers having dinner, Isayah ordered chicken strips.  I'd brought my sub from Blimpie in to eat with him.
After I'd eaten my sub, I tried one of his chicken strips and it was so extra yummy, that i wanted to order one.  Of course, the cashier informed me, they only sell them in 3's. for 3.79.

I reach into my pocket, but I only have 3 $1 bills on me, no change.  Digging deep into my coat pocket, I discovered a HANDFUL of Laser Tag tokens and I pull them out to inspect. 

Before i can even get in close to see if there's maybe a random quarter mixed in the bunch, he says

"Don't even think about it."

Me: *innocently* What?

"Do NOT take those laser tag tokens up to the register and embarrass me by trying to buy chicken with them."

Me: "hahahahaha! What? What are you talkin about?? I was just gonna--"

"No Mom! They have no cash value. NONE. You can't even buy sunflower seeds with them. the cashier won't take them. You're just gonna look CRAZY! just...Stop it. and Sit DOWN!"

Me: Sigh. *smh* Fine.