Fashion

Remember a couple of posts ago when I said I was looking for an outfit for a white party I'll be attending soon? Well, many of you gave me great suggestions on where to look for one, but I actually ended up finding one online from Gojane.com. I had originally browsed through their site with no luck, but decided to visit it again and found this hot dress:


This dress was on sale for $11.50! With shipping and handling plus tax, it only came to $17.86. I ordered it Wednesday night and am hoping that it will arrive before next Friday. I opted not to pay the $15.00 for expedited shipping, because that would have been more than the actual dress! For those of you who are interested, the dress also comes in orange and black:


Aside from hoping that the dress will arrive in time for the party, I'm also hoping that it will fit, as I've never actually ordered anything from this site before. On top of that, the dress is pretty low cut, so I'm also wondering where the heck my boobs are gonna go…

I'll keep you ladies posted!

XOXO,

DPrincess28

Daily Devotion

Faith is one of the best weapons we have.

"Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one." Ephesians 6:14-16 (NIV)

Hair

Quick Hair Update

So, I flat ironed my hair last weekend, and this was the result:

As you can see, I still have my lovely V-shape going on (I hate blunt ends).

It's funny how differently my hair can look one day to the next. Now, the above pic was taken last Friday, when I first straightened my hair, which is why it looks silky smooth and super straight, but this pic was taken the following day after I worked out:

As you can see, my hair looked much fuller. Although I'm pleased with the way my hair is progressing (i.e. it's looking healthier now that I've rid myself of a lot of the heat-damaged ends), I'm still not sure what I want to do with it style wise.

My bangs have grown out quite a bit. I gave them a slight trim, but I'm thinking of going shorter. I don't know, we'll see...

Ahhh Yes!

My favorite housewives are back, and they've added a new diva to their crew. Kandi Burruss, former member of Xscape, is the latest addition to the Real Housewives of Atlanta. She has taken Deshawn Snow's place, so it'll be interesting to see what this newbie adds to the show. I used to love me some Xscape back in the day. It would be so nice if she, Tiny and the other two ladies (whose names I don't remember) hookup for a reunion…

I've been waiting for season two since season one wrapped. It angers me greatly that the ATL housewives have caught so much flack in the press over their antics. The show has been called "ghetto" and "classless" by many, but can someone please tell me how this season is any more "ghetto" or "classless" than any of the other Housewives installments? When Teresa from the Real Housewives of New Jersey flipped over a dinner table, no one called her ghetto or classless. Similarly, when Kelly Killoren Bensimon from the New York crew displayed how petty and immature she was by inviting Bethanny Frankel out for drinks just to blast her and tell her "We'll never be friends," no one called that classless.

I could go on and on, but the fact remains: I love The Real Housewives of ATL! By the looks of the following clip, Sheree, the biggest diva of them all, is going to be bringing down the house this season. I just hope and pray she doesn't embarrass herself like she did last season at her fashionless fashion show…but it may be too late for that.



The Real Housewives of Atlanta airs tonight at 10/9 central on Bravo. Will you be watching?

XOXO,

DPrincess28

Daily Devotion

As Christians, we have to take the good with the bad and know that it's all for the glory of God.

"Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NIV)

Celebrity Hair

The celebrity locks I'm currently admiring: Tatyana Ali. I've envied her tresses ever since she played little Ashley Banks on The Fresh Prince of Bel Air. Today she is all grown up, and a beautiful woman indeed!







Does anyone happen to know what her nationality is? I know she played a Dominican in Nora's Hair Salon, so I was just wondering if she is Dominican in real life.

It's Hump Day...

I hope this week is treating you well thus far. We're already half way there. Come on, you can make it, LOL!

XOXO,

DPrincess28

Daily Devotion

Although we should be accepting of others, we do have to be careful who we surround ourselves with.

"Do not be misled: Bad company corrupts good character." 1 Corinthians 15:33 (NIV)

Hair

Transitioning Tale: Chaunee's Story

A beautiful diva by the name of Chaunee recently began her transition from relaxed to natural. Protecting Your Crown and Glory asked her a few questions regarding her journey thus far, and this is what she had to say:

Makeup

Simple, Sun-kissed Look

I mentioned in my Are You Switching Up Your Reggies? video that I am trying to steer clear of using foundation during the summer. Now, that's not to say that I haven't used my Pür Minerals 4-in-1 foundation. Yet, I try to refrain from using it during the day, and instead only wear it at night when I'm going for a more flawless look. As for the day time, I really want to look as natural as possible, which is why I've only been using my Blot powder by Mac to rid my skin of unwanted shine.

For this look I used:

• Blot powder by Mac
• Bronzer by Icing
• Adore powder blush by Ulta
• Sky High Curves mascara in very black by Maybelline
• 1st Crush lipstick by Sally Girl
• A generic pink lip gloss

I applied the Blot powder all over my face to rid it of shine, then added Adore powder blush to the hollows of my cheeks. I swept the bronzer by Icing on the apples of my cheeks to give them a sun-kissed glow, which you can probably see a little better in this picture:


I didn't use any eyeliner, as I wanted to look as natural as possible, but I did load on the mascara, LOL! I then finished off the look with a mixture of 1st Crush lipstick by Sally Girl and a generic pink lip gloss. That's it for my sun-kissed look!

Um...

Krissy and Nandra Best, two sisters from Long Island, are often mistaken for Sasha and Malia Obama.

Krissy and Nandra

Sasha & Malia with their mommy

Um, do you guys see any resemblance, because I sure don't. (To get the full story, checkout Look familiar? Long Island sisters often mistaken for Sasha and Malia Obama).

XOXO,

DPrincess28

Daily Devotion

I remember my parents using this verse as grace to bless dinner when I was younger. It's funny how it didn't mean much to me then, but now that I'm older and have been through some things, I realize the significance of this verse. Regardless of what we may go through, each day has been designed by God. We should therefore be thankful for each day we get, because even in our darkest hours, we're blessed to just have life.

"This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." Psalm 118:24 (NIV)

Hair

Exercise & Hair

A lot of ladies have asked me how I maintain my straight hair during and after a workout. In this video, I demonstrate what I do with my hair before, during, and after I exercise. More importantly, I talk about the significance of exercise and how critical it is that each and every one of us make a conscious effort to incorporate some form of physical activity into our daily lives.

Exercise and Hair


Although I sweated out my roots, I was still able to rock my straight locks. After touching up the front (basically my bangs) with a curling iron, I was ready to move on with my day! Here are some pics of the aftermath:



Remember, health should always trump vanity. Besides, when you take control of your heath, you'll not only feel better, but you'll look better too!

Skin Care

Sunblock

Protecting ourselves from the sun's rays has always been important, but it's even more important now that we must deal with the effects of global warming. The sun's rays are at their strongest, so we really need to limit the amount of time we stay in the sun, and be sure to protect our skin by wearing sunblock. And yes, even black women need sunblock! True, the natural melanin in our skin helps protect us from getting burned, but that doesn't mean we are immune to getting sunburned, or even worse -- skin cancer.

I've never enjoyed wearing sunblock, because it always felt greasy and took forever to be absorbed into my skin. Yet, I recently found a formula that I like, and it seems to work pretty well. Sport Performance Broad Spectrum Sunscreen with SPF 50 by Banana Boat does a great job of protecting my skin from the sun. In the past, whenever I would get a tan, my skin would turn an ashy gray tone. I never seemed to get that beautiful, sun kissed glow that so many other ladies get. Now that I've been using sunblock, I've noticed that when I do tan, my skin turns a nice, even, dark brown color instead of that ashy gray. In addition, the Sport Performance sunblock by Banana Boat is perfect for my skin (which as I've mentioned before is super sensitive) because it's not greasy and absorbs quickly. It basically does everything it says it will do. I visited a water park just last week and slathered on some of the sunblock prior to getting into the pool. When I got out, I didn't have that white, greasy residue on my skin that some formulas leave.

If any of you are looking for a great sunblock this summer, I'd highly recommend you give the Sport Performance Broad Spectrum Sunscreen with SPF 50 by Banana Boat a try.

Hola Divas!

Thanks so much to all of you who responded to my introductory post last Thursday. I still don't have my outfit for the white party, but at least I have some good ideas for where to look. You know I'll let you know when I get one :-).

XOXO,

DPrincess28

Daily Devotion

Sow seeds of life.

"The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life." Galatians 6:8 (NIV)

Hair

Summer Hair

As the seasons change, so must our hairstyles and regimens. I remember when I took a trip to NYC a few summers back, how stunned I was by the humidity. My normal concoction of oil and curl activator gel was not cutting it, because my curls looked a big poofy mess! Apparently, I'm not the only one who has trouble keeping my 'do in shape during the summer. Celebrity stylists have put together a list of hairstyles for the summer and how to maintain them even during harsh, humid conditions. For info, checkout Hot-Weather Hair How-to.

Makeup

Smoked out Forest

So, I was playing in my makeup the other day and came up with this look I like to call "Smoked out Forest." For this look, I used my Multi-color palette by Icing and my Midnight Sparkle eye shadow pencil by Lorac.



I used the dark, shimmery green in the bottom row, the black that's next to it, and the lime green that sits in the first position of the second row. Normally when I do a smokey eye, I start out with the black, then work in the lighter color. Yet, after seeing a smokey eye tutorial by icraiz (Smokey Series: Dramatic Black/Brown Smokey Eyes), I decided to do things a little differently. So...

I started by applying the dark shimmery green color just above my crease.

I then brightened up that color by blending in some of the lime green.

Next, I took the Midnight Sparkle eye shadow pencil by Lorac and began filling in the lid area below the crease.

Using my angled brush by Avon, I began packing the matte black on top of the eye shadow pencil in order to darken it up.

I continued to blend in the black and dragged it into my crease.

I then had to touch up some of the green, so I went back in with my all over shadow brush.

I dragged some of the black shadow into the inner corner of my eye for a more dramatic effect.

Next, I lined my lower lid with my black eyeliner pencil by N.Y.C, then used the Midnight Sparkle pencil by Lorac to drag the line out past the crease. This made for a more defined V-shape at the outer corner of the eyes.

I used Urb by Urban Decay as my highlight...
And after applying a few coats of mascara, this was the result:

You can see some of the shimmer better from this camera angle.

I decided to go without foundation, so I used the following items to finish my look:

• Blot powder by Mac
  
• Loverush powder blush by Mac
• Bronzer by Icing
• 907B lipstick by Wet 'n Wild
• A generic, sheer pink gloss

I wasn't sure what lipstick/gloss to wear with this look, so I tried my 907B lipstick by Wet 'n Wild first, which is a dark berry color. I think it gave me a very vampy look, so I decided to call this "The Forest Vamp":

There is something very sexy, yet sinister about this look (It reminds me of the sea witch Ursula from The Little Mermaid), so I decided to tone it down and make it more wearable by replacing the deep berry color on my lips with the sheer, pink gloss:


This would look good for a night out, especially if I had a nice green dress to rock with it. And of course, you can always jazz up any look for a night out on the town by adding a pair of falsies.

The look with #118 falsies