SPRING 2014 Pantone Fashion Color Palette

“Designers take a modern twist on the traditional for spring 2014 by pairing soft pastels with vivid brights to create a colorful equilibrium. Inspired by a mixture of blooming flowers, travels abroad and strong, confident women, designers use color to refresh, revive and defy conventional wisdom” (Pantone).

COLOR OF THE YEAR: RADIANT ORCHID

Since RADIANT ORCHID has been chosen as the color of the year, you will see it everywhere, including fashion, jewelry, accessories, makeup , and home decor.

RADIANT ORCHID in FASHION

RADIANT ORCHID in JEWELRY & ACCESSORIES

RADIANT ORCHID in BEAUTY

RADIANT ORCHID in HOME DECOR

 

My Holiday 2013 Party Look

I wore this outfit for Christmas Eve dinner.  I bought the dress for $60 at Kohl’s a year ago, but I never wore it. I added a black belt to accentuate my waistline.

OUTFIT

I also decided to add some color with a red tie..for after party ;P. The earrings are from Charming Charlie ($10). And who needs the shoes anyway??!! ..kidding… I had shoes – black pumps, but my feet were hurting by the end of the day, so I took them off for this photo shoot.

ACCESSORIES

The rose gold-plated ring I bought online (I can’t remember where… it was over a year ago) and the bangle at Kohl’s for $15.

HAIR AND MAKEUP

I did a soft wave on my hair by blowdrying it with a curling brush and then putting few rollers for extra body. For the makeup, I opted out for a bold berry-cherry lip, soft cat eye, and dusty-rose cheeks.

 

Bobbi Brown at Costco (review)

Dear Lovelies,

I went to my local Costco today to check out their products. I found some great items at amazing prices, but my attention was drawn towards a small assortment of makeup products.  What caught my eye the most was the Bobbi Brown Eyes (Day to Night Shadow Options) Palette at a bargain price of $36 (retails for $52).  It’s not the newest Bobbi Brown Eye Palette, but I couldn’t resist the great price and beautiful colors.

Left to Right: Ivory, Dusty Plum, Eggplant, Star, Volcano, Diamond, Caviar

SWATCHES

Top (from left): Ivory, Dusty Plum, Eggplant and Bottom (from left): Star, Volcano, Diamond, Caviar

MY REVIEW

When I opened up the palette, I was pleased with the color selection (2 matte colors; 2 shimmery  colors; 2 glittery/sparkling colors; and 1 metallic color). I also liked the fact that the palette came with a brush…although not very high quality.

The two matte colors (Ivory and Caviar) were pretty good. They are pigmented and smooth, easy to blend. The color pay-off is great.

I also liked the two shimmery colors (Eggplant and Diamond). The Eggplant (plummy) color was my favorite of the two shades. It is very pigmented, smooth, and blendable. The other color, Diamond, was a little too light and it didn’t show up easily on my skin.

Nest, I sampled the sparkling/glittery colors (Star and Volcano), which I also found Volcano to be pigmented and bendable. Star, however, was a little too  sheer for my liking..although the glitter showed up nicely and it wasn’t too overwhelming.

The shade I liked the least was the  metallic color (Dusty Plum). That shade was way too sheer, not very pigmented, and a little chalky. I had to swatch it twice to even make it somewhat visible on my skin.

Overall rating: B.

Further Explanation/Comparison with INGLOT:  GOOD, but NOT GREAT! I don’t think this Bobbi Brown Eye Palette is worth $52 retail price.  In my view, it didn’t even come close in comparison to my beloved makeup brand, INGLOT.

INGLOT offers hundreds of eyeshadow colors, which are highly pigmented, easily blendable, and extremely affordable. For $6 a pot, you can build your own custom makeup palette and enjoy a high-quality product for a fraction of a price. This year alone, I bought over 30 colors from INGLOT (http://www.inglotusa.com) and I luv every one of those shades.  Here is a link to my review of few of the INGLOT eyeshadows I ordered: http://wp.me/p2nX11-ie.

Thanks for reading!

XOXO

Mona Yoanna

 

Date Night Look

Dear Lovelies,

First dates can be exciting but can also bring some havoc into our lives. There is this “small” thing of  figuring out what to wear, how to do your makeup, how to to style your hair.

Good preparation should start with a good night rest. Everyone looks better after getting a full nights rest.

After getting some beauty rest, the preparations begin. First, it’s important to shower. Good hygiene is always trendy. No one wants their dates to smell like dirty socks. Second (and only after you shower), it’s time for the hair. I blew (almost) dry my hair first using a round brush and then I put few big rollers for an extra lift. I kept the rollers in my hair for 30 minutes (until my hair was completely dry) and then I hair sprayed it.

Next,  I selected my date-appropriate outfit. I opted out for a simple, yet classy, black dress and I accessorized it with bold jewelry. I chose an outfit that flattered my figure, showed off my best asset (my legs),and didn’t make me look like a tramp. Most importantly, I felt like a million bucks in it!

Finally, it’s time for makeup! I wanted to accentuate my eyes by doing a smokey look and opposing it with a neutral-colored lip. Since my eye makeup was so dramatic, I didn’t want my lips to be as bold.

 

The Power of Makeup

I never understood people who thought of makeup as a hindrance. Many of us are not born with a blemish-free skin, perfectly chiseled cheekbones, or smoldering eyes. Even super-models have their flaws!

Makeup is designed to bring out our best features, hide problem areas, and give an illusion of perfection. Makeup did those things for me and more. Let’s have a glance at a picture where I have no makeup.

You can see I have a blemish (not to be confused with the mole I have on my cheek), my skin needs to be even out, and my cheeks need some color.

Here is how I provided an illusion that my skin is flawless, my cheeks are radiant, and my eyes are smoldering.

Pardon the lighting. It doesn’t give this makeup justice, but you get the point.

See, makeup can be pretty freaking cool. What do you like about makeup? How does it make you feel?

 

INGLOT eyeshadows review & swatches # 64, 494, 439, 446, 40, 434, 420, 440, 395, 35, 507

Why I luv INGLOT?

If you never tried INGLOT eye shadows, you are missing out! They are great quality: highly pigmented, milky, and smooth. They are extremely blendable and last all day.  The best thing is the PRICE: $6 for a pot (called freedom system). With more colors then MAC, you are for a treat. I honestly don’t think I will ever purchase another MAC eye shadow ever again.

TOP ROW (left to right): 64, 494, 439, 446, 40
BOTTOM ROW (left to right): 434, 420, 440, 395, 35
RIGHT SIDE: 507

How I choose my INGLOT shades?

I heard of INGLOT few years ago, but I never tried it. It is a cosmetic brand popular in Europe. There are only few stores in US that sell INGLOT and my town, Houston, is not one of them. I came across a blog with some INGLOT swatches and wanted to test them out myself. I placed my order online (www.inglotusa.com) for 11 colors and 14 days later (yeah, it took a while L) I got my carefully selected shades. INGLOT has 100+ of colors, so it took me about 5 hours to select my 11 eyeshadows.

As you can tell from my selection, I was partial to purples/plum shades.

TOP ROW (left to right):64, 494, 439
BOTTOM ROW (left to right): 434, 420, 440

TOP ROW (left to right):  446, 40
BOTTOM ROW (left to right):  395, 35
RIGHT SIDE: 507

Number and Description of the Inglot Eyeshadows

#64 AMC:       black with golden micro -sparkles
#494 DS:        bluish purple with golden flecks
#439 Pearl:    medium violet-purple
#446 Pearl:    deep plum purple with red undertones
#40 Shine:     medium plum purple with metallic sheen with silver micro-sparkle
#434 Pearl:    purple-grey silver
#420 Pearl:    purple taupe/mauve with metallic silver sheen
#440 Pearl:    frosted icy pale lilac
#395 Pearl:    pale yellow with high white sheen (maybe shimmer)
#35 Shine:     sheer pearly white
#504 DS:        teal green with silver shimmer

Individual Color Swatches

I swatches each color just once. As you can see, the color pay-off is amazing! They are very pigmented. I only noticed that the lighter shades are more sheer.

#64 AMC:       black with golden micro -sparkles

#494 DS:        bluish purple with golden flecks
#439 Pearl:    medium violet-purple

#446 Pearl:    deep plum purple with red undertones

#40 Shine:     medium plum purple with metallic sheen with silver micro-sparkle

#434 Pearl:    purple-grey silver

#420 Pearl:    purple taupe/mauve with metallic silver sheen

#440 Pearl:    frosted icy pale lilac

#395 Pearl:    pale yellow with high white sheen (maybe shimmer)

#35 Shine:     sheer pearly white

#504 DS:        teal green with silver shimmer

Where to buy

I’m extremely satisfied with the 11 shades I’ve received, and I just placed another order to additional 11 colors. To purchase INGLOT online go to www.inglotusa.com.  To find a store near you, go to http://www.inglotcosmetics.com/inglot/stores.

 

 

Pink Sunday

Hello Lovlies!

Here is my look of the day: Pink Sunday!

I

I’m wearing a back fedora hat (Target), Pink Sequence Sweater (Candy’s at Kohl’s), black denim jeans (Rock Republic at Kohl’s), earrings (NY&Co).

My makeup is very soft and feminine (paying with purples and soft pinks):

 

Feminine Black

Romantic Look in Black! STRANGE ATTRACTOR!

Strange Attractor by mimrella featuring clutch handbags

Lipsy prom party dress
$185 – lipsy.co.uk

Fringe jacket
topshop.com

Casadei platform high heels
thecorner.com

L K Bennett clutch handbag
$305 – lkbennett.com

Miso sparkle jewelry
$7.80 – republic.co.uk

Blue Nile freshwater pearl necklace
bluenile.com

Eyeshadow
kohls.com

Gucci body moisturizer
gucci.com

 

Dramatic Makeover: From Meek to Chic

Hello My Beauty and Style Lovers,

I had a chance to make over one of my most favorite people, Mrs. O. She is a busy mom of two little ones. Due to her demanding schedule, I had to spread out her makeover over two weeks.

Mrs. O has great features that were hiding behind her thick, “shapeless,” hair and a unflattering hair color. Also, her amazing blue eyes were virtually unnoticeable under those eye-glasses and lack of makeup.

Don’t get me wrong, Mrs. O is a great woman, who is not afraid of change. I just wanted her beautiful inside shine on the outside. Therefore, I cut her her over 5 inches and  I lightened it quite a bit. I also gave her a lesson on makeup and taught to focus on her fabulous eyes, making them a focal point.

 

From Nerdy to Flirty! Complete Hair, Makeup, and Style Transformation

Let me start by addressing those fearful of change: FEAR NOT! Change can be a good thing! You would be surprise what a little makeup, new hair style, and new clothes can do for your look and for your self-esteem. You don’t believe me???!!! Keep on reading and see for yourself!

I like to transform my look often to show people how a change can be a positive thing.  Any time I feel a little sad or just hard on myself, I put on some makeup, do my hair, and buy a new dress. The result is looking and feeling Fabulous and Sexy.

Are you curious yet?! If you are, check it out for yourselves:

Looking nerdy…

….to looking (and feeling) sophisticated and flirty. For me the change only took a trendy red-orange dress, fabulous makeup, and a sexy wavy wig :).

For goodness sake, DON’T BE AFRAID TO CHANGE YOUR LOOK! Go ahead and get that hair cut and buy that bold red lipstick!

If you are still a somewhat fearful or unsure about making any changes to your look, I say: “A little positive change can produce huge positive results.” You don’t believe me???!!! Try me…Yes, try me!!!! I dare you to prove me wrong!!!! 😉

I am curious what you think? Comments are always welcome! 🙂