Review: SheaMoisture Mascara in Voluminizing Black

Those of you that are regular readers of my blog know that I am all brows, no lashes, lol. I have always had teeny-tiny lashes, but refuse to wear falsies, so I have essentially been experimenting with mascara since I became old enough to wear makeup. Then SheaMoisture sent me pieces from their collection and I fell IN LOVE with their mascara.

The key to the mascara is the brush. It is thick at the tip and thins out towards the base. Somehow, this worked to extend my struggling lashes outward, creating the illusion that I actually had a full set. The shape of the brush also helped to prevent my lashes from clumping. I have tried a lot of mascaras, and some of them have been pretty good, but this is the first kind that made me feel like I was in a lash commercial, lol. If you have nearly invisible lashes like me, I'd give it a try.

Megan Rusner for BaubleBar

Meet Megan Rusner. She is a the first ever customer Guest Bartender to collaborate with BaubleBar on a special collection, the As Good As Gold collection. Rusner is currently battling Stage 4 Hodgkin's Lymphoma, and all net proceeds from the collection will be donated to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

On top of this, BaubleBar is asking customers to let them know what gives them strength through social media. For every #asgoodasgold post on social media from now to the new year, BaubleBar will donate a dollar to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society! Below, you will find my favorite pieces from this wonderful collection.

 

(from left to right)

Minerva Studs, $28

Vegas Fringe Bib, $48

Crystal Icarus Drops, $32

Gilded Leo Cuff, $34 (top right)

Crystal Scale Bracelet, $32 (bottom right)

Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Pro's Picks Portables – Lip Tar: Test Tube x 12 Set

If my friends really, really love me, they will be getting me this Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Pro's Picks Portables – Lip Tar:  Test Tube x 12 Set for Christmas. It's $59, and can be purchased at Sephora.com, including both Matte and Metallic Lip Tars. Aw, to wish upon a holiday star...

Pink Post 4: Julian Chang

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. During the last few days of the month, do your part to contribute money to finding a cure for this disease by shopping at JulianChang.com . Anything pink purchased is 20% off, and proceeds will be donated to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation by Julian Chang. 

Review: Fairy-Tale Success: A Guide to Entrepreneurial Magic by Adrienne Arieff and Beverly West

There are tons of books out there claiming to hold the key to starting a successful business. If you are like me, you probably have a shelf full of them that got you nowhere. After reading Fairy-Tale Success: A Guide to Entrepreneurial Magic by Adrienne Arieff and Beverly West

I was so relieved! Finally, a clear, fun book that helps you to get your businessin order  without leaving you feeling drained and annoyed!

Using the trials and tribulations of Cinderella as a backdrop, the authors hold your hand from your business idea all the way to the finish line. There are easy-to-do worksheets in the book that help you to formulate your ideas, which are priceless. They also outline the ins and outs of topics that often stump new entrepreneurs such as business plans and social media. 

My only issue with the book is that it was not out when I first graduated college. It has some great tips regarding gaining experience and funding that are perfect for new graduates. 

If you are thinking of starting a business, in your planning stages, or have a business but also have some questions, this book is the perfect read for you. It's a must- read for young females in business. 

Preview: ZOYA Wishes Collection

Just in time for your holiday consideration  ZOYA is releasing its Wishes Collection. This collection if colors comes in both traditional and Magical PixiDust Formulas. 

The standard colors are $9 and the PixiDust colors are $10. Both can be purchased at ZOYA.com.

Snapped: Jay-Z in Maison Kitsuné

Jay-Z is known for his laid back street style, and recently he was photographed on a  Maison Kitsuné "Music Fashion" hoodie. 

The Maison Kitsuné "Music Fashion" hoodie can be purchased now at Saks Fifth Avenue for $299. 

Pink Post 3: flopZ

As you probably know, October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. It is one of my favorite months out of the year because I feel like real attention is given from all communities to Breast Cancer and seriously doing what needs to be done to help with prevention, recognition, and the overall eradication of a disease that has taken the lives of so many women globally.



When it comes to fashion, many of our favorite retailers discount or give proceeds of the sales of many pink items to Breast Cancer Research. Flip Flop line flopZ is giving 25% of the sales of their Siam Pink Flip Flops with Pink Straps to Breakthrough Breast Cancer. Make your purchase today here. 

Dana Does the Nordstrom's Beauty Trend Event In New Jersey

If you're woman like me that loves ALL things beauty, then please do yourself a favor and attend one of Nordstrom's Beauty Trend Events.  In a nutshell, it's a chance to get one-on-one time with beauty experts; they'll share tips and tricks while pampering you with a complimentary skin consultation and/or makeover. And to top it off, you'll get a TON of free samples. Oh and it’s free! Now although that sounds good, honestly I wasn’t that excited. I've been to these "events" before at other department stores and I always left feeling like I knew more than the "expert." I would also feel rushed because it was always jammed packed and that "one –on-one" time was more like "one-on-none". I never felt like I had their undivided attention. 

Nordstrom, however, surpassed my expectations.  I made my reservations about a week earlier with a woman named Paula; she asked what brands I was most interested in because as she said she "wanted to make sure I had a personalized experience."  Once I got there, Paula greeted me with open arms, introduced me to some staff then ushered me to get a facial. Toni, the esthetician for Kate Somerville hooked me up.

This woman spent over an hour with me educating me on skincare and also doing my facial. I loved that she was so patient with explaining everything to me and answering my million questions. As you can see from the pics, I was totally into it. I loved the way my skin looked and felt afterwards. I have extremely oily skin, but my skin felt soft and looked refreshed; dewey but not greasy, lol. Once I was done with my facial it was time to get beautified and Danaya from Nars was the lady to do it.

I knew I was in for a treat because Danaya's look was fierce. She asked me what I wanted and I said she could do anything. She gave me a purple smoky eye with a nice pink lip.  I really liked how the look came together. The whole experience was awesome. I got a chance to play in makeup, mingle with other staff members and artist, and left with a boatload of goodies. I couldn't have asked for a better time!

*Dana Norman in the BGCitizen for the East Coast. 

Left Hanging

There is no worst feeling than being left hanging by someone that you thought you had a connection with. I should know, this has happened to me more times than I would care to admit. I don't even want to think about the countless number of times I have literally fallen asleep holding my phone, waiting on a return call from someone that didn't call back.
And here is the thing, besides hurting your feeling, being left hanging without an explanation, wondering what happened, is annoying and irritating and, dare I say, maddening. Did he lose his phone? Is his phone off? Did he not save my number? Is he dead? Did I imagine him, am I in the middle of some weird A Beautiful Mind situation? Trust me, I have thought of all these scenarios.
This is why I am disappointed in myself that I am actively leaving someone hanging. And before you boo me you have to understand the whole thing. I met a guy a few months ago and he is nice but he is a constant sex talker that stood me up for a date and didn't call me until a week later- a date in which he was going to bring me cookies. I think that this, in itself, makes it okay for me to leave him hanging. However, during that week later call I was working, told him I would call him back, he called me back but I was watching a documentary on Iceberg Slim and told him I would call him back again and didn't.
Why not? For the reasons mentioned and because I felt like we were going in circles. I could feel that he wanted us to go in a direction that I am not interested in really, and, on top of that, he didn't like to talk about current affairs and had the audacity to ask me for BET Award tickets for he and his cousin, like I just had some sitting on my dresser or something, yet he couldn't even call me to tell me that a date had been canceled?!
So okay, I guess we didn't have the best connection ever. And I am sure that he will get over me if he was ever really on me to begin with. I am annoyed with me for the same reason I am annoyed with those that have left me hanging: doing so is a total sign of immaturity and cowardice. I don't want to be those things, but I don't want to call him back either for something that isn't going to work.
I guess I will call him back. Not doing so would make me no better than a man, and I can't live with that. I just won't be doing it...soon.

Freeway: Crack in the System Premiere's in Atlanta

(DJ Drama with Freeway Rick Ross)

Many of us may simply know Freeway Rick Ross as "The Real Rick Ross", the man in which rapper Rick Ross named himself after. Others may even know that he was a very notorious drug dealer in the '80s during the height of the crack epidemic. What we many not know is the role that the US Government played in the infiltration of crack cocaine into the minority community, and that is what the documentary Freeway: Crack in the System touches on.

 (DJ Drama and film producer Lisa Johnson)

Last week, the documentary Freeway: Crack in the System premiered to a sold out house here in Atlanta at CineBistro. The documentary was introduced by well-known DJ, DJ Drama, and includes interviews and testimonies from many people on this complicated story such as the Former Los Angeles Deputy Sheriff Roberto Juarez and Freeway Rick Ross himself.

Freeway: Crack in the System will be release Oct. 17. Find out more about the film at CrackInTheSystem.com.

Photo Credit: The Garner Circle

Dream Series by Gray Malin

Colorful sheep and the Australian farmland were the focus of Gray Malin's
new Dream Series. Encouraging viewers of his work to think outside of the box
and to not be afraid to be different while, of course, playing on his love of
animals, Malin used the colorized sheep as a medium to help us to open our minds.

On a surface level yes, the colorized animals are beautiful and fun to look at, but something about them dares its viewers to be creative and to see more than what is on the outside of not just these adorable creatures but different arenas of our individual lives.



Not only do Malin's pictures stretch ones imagination to the limit, but purchasing one of the pieces helps to give back to the community. Malin is donating 20% of the proceeds to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, helping the children it benefits reach their dreams.

For more info on the Dream Series, visit GrayMalin.com .