In the past I have had mascara and it never seemed to do much for me.  I have used products by Revlon, Cover Girl and Maybelline.  How ever a friend introduced me to a mascara byYSL called Mascara Volume Effect Faux Cils.  I fell in instant love.  This stuff really made my lashes standout.  They looked thicker and longer, I was well pleased.

This got me into Mascara again.  I noticed while reading an In Style magazine that Rihanna was wear Cover Girl Exact Eyelights Mascara and I decided that I would buy that and try that as well.  This Mascara is suppose to brighten your eyes and there are different kinds with different base colour according to your eye colour.  I thought, well heck this sounds exciting.

Finally, I was in a MAC Pro store on Queen St. in Toronto, Canada getting a couple things when the Makeup Artist asked me if I needed Mascara (probably because I was not wearing any but my face was decked out otherwise) .  Truth be told I had run out of my YSL Mascara and needed a new one so I told her sure.  She gave me MAC Mascara X.  I tried it the next day and thought this does not compare to my YSL.  I tried again the following day this time using more and it did look a whole lot better.

How many Mascaras do you really need though?  I am going to play with the MAC and Cover Girl  a bit more and decide if either will be keepers or if I will go back to my YSL.

I have been away for awhile again.  Even longer this time.  Carrying on with the vagaries of life.  News people, I have now relocated to Toronto, Canada.  Yes, I said good bye to the sunny shores of Barbados and flew straight into the dead of the winter.  Why you might ask, in search of better opportunities for me and the wee one who is not so wee anymore.  So I will need to catch up on what has been going on and plod on with my blog.  The one thing I am sure about is that I cannot wait for Hello Kitty one of MAC up and coming releases.  The below picture is credited to Specktra where I now spend most of my time.

I recently bought a plushglass lip gloss by MAC.  Love Nectar is the name.  I was most alarmed that when I put it on my lips started to tingle.  This worried me greatly actually I was thinking of throwing it out as I thought I was allergic.  I posted a message on Specktra to ask about.  Wow, I am so ignorant.  I bought a lip plumping lipgloss and was not even aware.  Further more I was not aware of the affect of the plumping ingredients.

So I learnt very quickly about lip plumpers and warm the buzz your lips feels as they get moisturised, soothed and visibly pumped.  This provides and all round healthy, luscious look.  I am now keeping Love Nectar and I might buy a few more, although my lips really do not need plumping.

Well Guys, I have had exactly that.  I did not know what to write about and for that matter did not feel like writing.  It did not however stop me from checking out my favourite site.  Such as Specktra and the Makeup Bag on a daily basis.

Yesterday I had a revelation.  I have only used plain old eyeliner and was never sure what the difference was between them and the khol eyeliners.  On this particular day my last black eyeliner fell in the toilet and I had to borrow my mother’s.  She uses the khol eyeliners.  I was amazed at how smooth and soft the eye khol felt on application.  And especially how rich.  I thought to myself, it is exactly these revelations and experiences I can place in my blog.  So people, I am back.

Regular vs Khol eyeliners.

Is it just me or do other people see a big difference?

On different websites khol eyeliners are described as high density colour packed into a liner to line, define and smudge your way to eye popping perfection.  Maybe it is that I used too cheap an eyeliner previously: Bonne Bell eye liner.  Any which way I am in love.

It is amazing where one finds inspiration.  This week I had the pleasure of watching the Fantasia Barrino Story.  I found her story very inspiring.  Now my upbringing was a far cry from hers.  I led a fairly privileged life.  From a young age, Fantasia, had issues about her looks which I feel everyone has at sometime or the other.  In the movie we saw Fantasia transform into a star.  It is amazing what self-confidence can do for a person.  She learned to love herself and it showed.  It is also amazing how the right application of makeup can minimize your assets.  She looks absolutely gorgeous in all her pictures.  Beautiful from the inside out.  A beauty everyone should work on achieving.

You have heard me say it before, I love Aveda Tourmaline Charged Radiance Fluid.  This product I saw in a magazine and decided to purchase it.  So when I was on one of my numerous trips to Canada, I went looking for it.  I was a bit taken aback by the price but sprung for it anyway.  I started using it when I was doing my Masters in England in 2004.  One of my dear friends, Louise, commented how my face was glowing and wondering what new product I was using.  Shoot, I had not even noticed.  Since then I have been getting compliments all the time and I do not hesitate to give the product its props.

This products does exactly as it advertises.  It jump starts a healthy glow and smooths away dull skin.  I am glad I bought it and I recommend it highly.  I have had this one bottle now for two years people but have not been using consistently until recently.  So I have been using it consistently for about one year and I have just under half a bottle left.  I know it was a good buy!

If you have looked at my post listing the number of products I use daily, you would have noticed a lot of my face products are Clinique and a lot of my makeup products are MAC.

I am a one-product girl.  I tend to choose a product and use everything I need from that product.  Therefore all of my face products are Clinique with the exception of the serum which is by Aveda.  I love this serum.  I have used a number of low-cost products on the market such as Neutrogena and Clean & Clear.  However although Clinique is initially more costly, it last much longer and therefore turns out to be cheaper in the long run.

All of my makeup is MAC with the exception of the face powder which is Clinique and the eyeliners which are Bonne Bell.  I use the Bonne Bell eyeliners because they are silky and soft, there are numerous colours and did I mention they are cheap.  My addiction to MAC started with one compact, the Studio Fix.  From there I added a lipstick, then the chestnut lip liner and another lipstick.  My list continued to grow from there.  Now I am almost all MAC.  MAC is also a bit pricey but the quality is great.

It is sad and disappointing that Rihanna does not have the complete support of her fellow bajans.  The majority however back her completely.  The others are like the smoking gun after the bullet has left the chamber, letting off steam.  Soar Rihanna!  Be the best that you can be and live your dreams to the fullest, we here in Barbados love you.  Remember Jesus was not loved by everyone either but he continued to persevere.

You are beautiful and very stylish.  At such a young age you are a role model for many.  So live your live knowing that many young impressionable minds are watching you closely, looking up to you and aspiring to be just like you.

Yesterday, I joined a live chat with Eve and JJ on the MAC cosmetics site with fellow bloggers such as MakeupBag and The Makeup Girl.  The session was very insightful.  JJ’s mantra was ALL SKIN TONES CAN USE COLOUR however it is not necessary to apply colour from your lid to your brow.  A little on the lid is sufficient.  So black girls don’t be afraid.  Her suggestion was to use the paints first and then apply the shadow on top.  For the girls with the lighter skin tones she suggested using only a little of the colour on your lid.  But importantly as Eve said YOU NEED TO FIND THE RIGHT SHADE FOR YOUR SKIN TONE.

I have decided that on my next trip abroad I will buy some colours from the C shock line and try them out.   I will take pictures so I can get your feedback.  Bear in mind that I am fairly new to this bright colours, or even colours other than brown, on my face so don’t be to cruel when I show you my results.

Christine from 15 Minute Beauty Fanatic issued a challenge.  How many beauty products does one use on a daily basis?  I made a list and counted 23 products.  Compared to Christine’s 35 and Little Sunshine’s 30, I felt as though I was missing out on something. 

But the truth is I keep my routine pretty simple as I take ages to get ready anyway.  I am black and because of the difference in hair texture and quality it is damaging for me to wash my hair more than once a week.  While Caucasian’s hair gets greasy quickly, coloured folks have to add moisture to their hair especially if it has been chemically striaghtened like mine.  Therefore shampoo and conditioner are missing from my list.  Also missing is concealer.   I am from Barbados where the climate is tropical year round, I therefore try to minimize the amount of products I put on my face during the day.

Here is my list: 

1. Dove Body Wash Deep Moisture

2. Dove Beauty Bar White

3. Aquafresh Extreme Clean Toothpaste

4. Apricot Scrub for Oily or Acne Prone Skin 

5. Clinique Facial Soap

6. Listerine

7. Clinique Clarifying Lotion

8. Aveda Tourmoline Charged Radiance Fluid

9. Clinique Super Defense Triple Action Moisturizer

10. Dove Invisible Solid Deodarant

11. Prescription Body Cream

12. Clinique Blended Face Powder

13-14. Mac Eye Shadow (2)

15. Max Brow Shader

16. Bonne Bell Eyeliner in Soft Black

17. Maxfactor Master Piece Max Mascara

18. Blistex Lip Balm

19. Bonne Bell Eyeliner in Expresso as Lip Liner

20. Mac Lipstick

21. Mac Powder Blush

22. Motions Hair Sheen

23. Perry Ellis F