Archive for Commentary

It’s Our 4 Year Anniversary :: Top 5 Most Popular Posts Over the Years

I can hardly believe, we’ve turned 4 years old this month.  As they say, “time flies when you’re having fun”, and I’ve definitely, enjoyed sharing my beauty experiences (the good, bad and ugly) and connecting with you over the years.

I’ve decided to take a trip down memory lane, and go back to some of the most popular posts over the last year:

1.  My review on Smashbox’s Camera Ready BB Cream SPF 35 — I still use it!

2.  Fun with Colorblocking : Hair, makeup & nails – Still one of my fave trends

3.  Beach Hair :: Shea Moisture Organic Organic Coconut & Hisbiscus Curl & Shine Shampoo & Curl Enhancing Smoothie

4.  All The Pregnant Ladies :: Pregnancy Makeup Tips from Bobbi Brown

5.  Braxton Family Makeup Faux Pas –  I got a little heat from this post, but hey everyone’s entitled to their opinion

Thank you for your continued support :)

Real Friends Don’t Let Friends Leave Out Busted…or Do They?

Looking at pictures of Foxy Brown performing with Nicki Minaj at the Roseland Ballroom in NYC earlier this week, I was left with a bunch of questions.  First, let me begin by saying, I was happy to see Foxy and Nicki come together without all the usual drama, and yes, I am a fan of them both, especially Foxy.  I still remember seeing her for the first time in the “Ain’t No” video with Jay-Z and thinking how beautiful she was, and recording her songs on the radio, and listening to them over and over again, to memorize the lyrics…she was BAD!

But back to the questions….what did Foxy have on? Why? And most importantly, where were her friends? Now, this post purpose isn’t to bash Foxy Brown, because we’ve all had our moments, but, as my father has always told me, your real friends tell you the truth.  Where were her friends to tell her that she was stuck in a time warp?

Ultimately, this all got me to thinking about the bigger question, “would you tell a friend if she looked bad”?    Is it a friend’s place to tell you that your hairstyle or your outfit is unflattering?  And, how would you feel, being told that your lipstick shade is horrid?

My mom and sister will be the FIRST to tell me that my foundation is too orange or that they dislike my new hairstyle, and as much as I hate to hear it, I do value their opinions. Maybe, it might be different coming from someone else.

How do you feel? Are you honest with your friends about their looks, or do you sugarcoat your opinions in the name of friendship?

 

Feature Friday :: Vanity Rich 3 Year Anniversary#Vanity3 || The Jefferson Spa

VanityRich.com will be turning three in two weeks, and to celebrate and especially thank all of my followers, I’ll be giving away goodies throughout the day on Saturday, April 21st.  So make sure you stay tuned on facebook and twitter for additional info.

 

Yesterday, I had the opportunity of receiving an amazing massage from Lilly at The Jefferson Spa. I selected the “Couture Massage” in which I had the option of selecting the duration, pressure, strokes/techniques, areas of focus and oils.  I chose a 60 minute, medium pressure, Swedish and deep tissue that focused on my neck, hips and glutes.  Let me tell you, it felt heavenly! I was really ready to doze off, that’s how great it felt.  After my massage, I was treated to a pleasant snack of Greek yogurt and berries.

The atmosphere, the aura  and not to mention, my masseuse, Lilly and the rest of the staff at The Jefferson were superb.

If you’re in the DC area, and ever looking for a place to relax and rejuvenate, you should definitely schedule yourself a treatment at The Jefferson Spa.  Visit them online at http://www.jeffersondc.com/spa/

84th Annual Academy Awards Best Dressed

Sacha Baron Cohen’s stunt on the red carpet almost distracted the glamorous tone during the 84th Annual Academy Award’s pre-show, yet with the following fashionably fierce ladies on the red carpet, that would have been nearly impossible.

I was watching the red carpet with my 4 year-old nephew, so I’m sure you can imagine how hard it was for me to focus, especially when he’s throwing his apple juice on me.  I still got the chance to catch a few of my favs.

So without further adieu, the awards for Best Dress goes to….

Angelina Jolie wurked the thigh-high slit, in the dark velvet Versace gown.  Viola Davis looked radiant in a green Vera Wang gown and rocking her bronze natural hair. Jennifer Lopez showed off all of her assets in a cream Zuhair Murad  gown and last, but certainly not least, Michelle Williams looked very feminine in a strapless bright orange Louis Vuitton gown.

So tell me, who were you favorites?  Who are you least favorites?

Feature Friday :: Braxton Family Values

Last season, I was really disappointed in the Braxton sisters hair and makeup choices (read Braxton Family Makeup Faux Pas).  From the bad wigs, to the excessive amounts of blush, it all just seemed too over the top,  and with divas like Toni and Tamar, I expected so much more.

Well, I finally peeped an episode of this season’s Braxton Family Values .  I was happy to see some improvement with the sisters.  It seems as though they learned a lot from last season — better wigs/weave, and they even toned down the heavy makeup, just a little.  The award for most improved  has to go to both with Towanda and Traci.  Those two have come a LONG way.

Remember in the first season, Towanda was always rocking the two ponytails and/or micro minis and frosty eye shadow.  Well, with season 2, Towanda has stepped it up with curly locs and opted for more warm and neutral tones.

Traci was all over the place  during the first season.  She was another fan of frosty eye shadow and her wigs just weren’t up-to-par as a professional cosmetologist. During this season, almost like an inconsistent boyfriend, sometimes she gets it right and the other times, well, she doesn’t.

All of the sisters looked fabulous during Toni’s induction to the Georgia Hall of Fame. Take a look at the episode:

What do you think?

2012 Golden Globe Red Carpet Favorites

Award shows are always fun to watch, yes to witness the winners, but most importantly to see who’s wearing what on the red carpet.  From the hair, to the makeup to the gown, this year’s Golden Globe Awards there were many winners on the red carpet.

Angelina Jolie was my favorite for the night.  She looked absolutely stunning in a body-hugging white Atelier Versace gown with a accent of red at the top, which perfectly matched her lips.  Her makeup and hair were classic! Black winged eye, red lipstick and bun.

Reese Witherspoon went nude with her makeup selection, but there was nothing bland about the red mermaid style Zac Posen dress she rocked.

Claire Danes went modern in a black and white, J. Mendel dress.  Loved the open back and her bold eye and lip color.

Nicole Richie banged it with a silver Julien Macdonald dress.  Loved the black eyeliner and the hair!

At 47 years old, Elle Macpherson, killed it in this cream corset with a tulle underskirt gown by Zac Posen.

Kate Beckinsale was literally glowing in a strapless Roberto Cavilli gown.

As expected, Sofia Vergara showed off all her curves in a blue Vera Wang mermaid style dress.

I have to admit, I wasn’t crazy about Zooey Deschanel’s hair or dress selection, but I LOVED her tuxedo nails.

Who were your favorites?

2011 Emmys Best Dressed :: Ladies in Red

I was glued to football all day yesterday, so  unfortunately, I missed the 2011 Emmys, but I did catch the recaps from the many media outlets that were covering it.  

Evidently, red was THE color last night.  There were so many beauties rocking different shades of the bold and striking hue.  Many of which were my favorites for the evening

Check out my Best Dressed List:

The beautiful and curvaceous Sofia Vergara in a long coral Vera Wang gown with one shouldered crepe style, chiffon draping and tumbled tulle.


‘Vampire Dairies’ star, Nina Dobrev, looked stunning in a mermaid style, strapless red Donna Karan dress.


Another ‘Modern Family’ star, Sarah Hyland, looked sophisticated and all grown up in a Christian Siriano pleated peach gown, clinched at the waist with a crystal belt.


‘Friday Night Lights’ actress Connie Britton, in a strapless bow detailing Maria Lucia Hohan dress.


Finally, Dexter’s star, Jennifer Carpenter. She wasn’t rocking the popular color of the night, but her Tony Ward haute couture gown, with hand sewn embellishments and split certainty turned heads.


Who were your favorites?? Who needed to rethink their fashion choice??

Who Ran the 2011 Billboard Music Awards….Girls!!!

To be completely honest, I almost forgot about the 2011 Billboard Music Awards, but thanks to my twitter fam I was quickly reminded.  Unfortunately, I missed Rihanna and Brittney’s sultry opening act…thank goodness for YouTube though! 

Sooooo, let’s get down to business, shall we? Here are my 2011 Billboard Music Award Favs




There’s something about a lady in a suit that makes such a powerful statement and Rihanna did just that, in chic Max Azria white suit.  Selena Gomez decided to get a little sexy in a cut out Dolce & Gabbana dress with a thigh-high split.  Kerri Hilson always seems to miss the mark, but she made up for it rocking a yellow chartreuse Rachel Roy dress.  Finally, Kelly Rowland wanted to give us a little motivation, dawning a hot pink Herve Leger bandage dress.
Now, to my favorite performances.  As I mentioned earlier, I missed Rihanna & Brittney’s S&M performance, but I did catch it on YouTube.  We all know, Rihanna isn’t known for her crazy moves, but I love that she’s never afraid to push the envelope. And besides, who isn’t a fan of Britney??? 
And of course, you can mention the 2011 Billboard Music Awards without mentioning Beyonce.  We all knew Bey was going to bring it, and although I’m still not too crazy about the “Who Runs the World, Girls” song, I love the message and even more, I loved the performance.





Overall, I think the women really ran the 2011 Billboard Awards.  I appreciated that there were so many talented women who performed and were awarded, from Beyonce, Britney Ke$ha, Mary J. Blige, Nicki Minaj, Rihanna and Taylor Swift.  It was truly amazing.


 What did you think about the awards?  Who were your favorites?

Day 1 – Homemade Protein Treatment

A few weeks ago, I was skimming through Instyle Magazine’s Hair Edition  and stopped on the “Beauty MacGyver” article. In it, several celebrity hairstylist recommended products that you could find at home to fix bad hair days.  Well-known hairstylist Ted Gibson recommended clear gelatin as a protein treatment.  Gelatin contains high levels of protein that helps strengthen the hair.  I decided to test it out.


I pre-shampooed with a protein treatment. I dissolved Knox Gelatine ($2 at your local grocery store) in hot water.  Let it cool off and applied it to my hair and left it in for about 25 minutes. *Warning* This can get very messy






- Next, I rinsed the gelatin out and shampooed with my Shea Moisture Organic Raw Shea Butter shampoo 
- I deep conditioned with Shea Moisture’s Organic Raw Shea Butter’s Moisture Retention Deep Treatment Masque.  I kept the conditioner in over night.
- I then applied Nexxus Humectress Luxe Ultimate Moisturizing Leave-In Spray
- Blew my hair dry; applied Kemi oil
- Flat ironed and applied a small amount of coconut oil to each section.
- Trimmed
- Finally pin-curled and covered with a silk scarf.

I’m happy with the results. It’s very soft, full of body and hydrated.  When I trimmed my hair, I noticed that my right side (the side I wrap first) was more damaged than the left side, so I will be sticking with pin-curling it at night, instead of wrapping it and I will also try to cut back on heat.  


I’ll stick with getting it washed every week, and a deep condition every two weeks and I’ll add the protein treatments once a month.


Braxton Family Makeup Faux Pas

I have heard and seen so much ranting and raving over Toni Braxton and her 4 sisters new reality show “Braxtons Family Values”, I couldn’t wait until I finally caught it on tv (didn’t know it was available on WE TV’S website until writing this post).  I have so much to say….where do I start???


Well, first let me say, that I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Toni Braxton. She has always been one of my favorite “SANGERS”, as Cee Lo Green would put it.  I was in elementary school when her self titled debut album came out.  I remember my sister and I had our little performance to “Another Sad Love Song”. Her soulful voice and the emotions that she gives off in each song always seems authentic and relatable (Remember when she broke it down in the “Seven Whole Days” video with the finger pointing, head shaking, hand on the hip sass).

 

Ok, enough with beating around the bush…so I watched all three episodes and I honestly have to say, although the show is very amusing, I was a little disappointed with the ladies hair and makeup.  I really expected better from a glamour girl like Toni, and especially from a diva like Tamar.  I’m not really going to go there with the bad wigs and weaves, although, I will say, they could learn a thing or two from Mama Braxton.

So, let’s do a makeup play by play like they do in football, shall we? The main culprits are Tamar and Toni.

It looks like someone slapped blush all over her cheek…so 80′s, don’t you think?  This seems to be a trend amongst all the sisters.




In some of the clips, Tamar actually reminds me of Latoya Jackson.  I’m not sure why her blush was applied from her cheek to the side of her nose, but, again it’s too much blush and it should be kept in the zone — on the apples of the cheek.

It looks like her foundation maybe too light for her and they didn’t do a good job with blending the highlighter and blush…it looks completely isolated.

I left out another pic of Tamar in the original post

She’s just overdoing it with the eyes…it looks a little draggish to me.

Since the Braxtons live in The A, they should seek the services of whomever does the The Real Housewives of Atlanta’s makeup…Season 3!!
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