Lancôme Announces Lupita Nyong'o as Brand Ambassadress

Maison Lancôme is delighted to announce Academy award winning actress Lupita Nyong’o as its new brand ambassadress.

With her instinctive and sophisticated talent and one of a kind beauty, both delicate and exuding strength, 31-year-old Lupita Nyong’o has taken the world by storm. She received an Academy Award® in the category of “Best Supporting Actress” for her moving portrayal of Patsey in Steve McQueen’s acclaimed film 12 Years a Slave–making her the fourth Academy Award® winning Lancôme ambassadress. Her performance also won her many other prestigious awards worldwide, including the Screen Actors Guild® Award, the Independent Spirit Award, NAACP Award, as well as the 2013 Hollywood Film Awards' "New Hollywood Award.”

Lupita Nyong’o, a recent graduate from the Yale School of Drama, has an eclectic artistic repertoire, having performed on stage as well as having directed the award-winning feature-length documentary, In My Genes, about the reality of living with albinism in Kenya. She was recently seen in the action thriller Non-Stop, opposite Liam Neeson and Julianne Moore. The Mexican-born, Kenyan actress is an outstanding example of a natural beauty. Confident and simply true to herself, she embraces life with freshness, citing happiness as the most attractive form of radiance.

"I am truly honored to join the Maison Lancôme, a brand with such a prestigious history that I have always loved. I am particularly proud to represent its unique vision for women and the idea that beauty should not be dictated, but should instead be an expression of a woman's freedom to be herself,” confided Lupita Nyong’o. Joining Julia Roberts, Kate Winslet, Penélope Cruz, and the recently appointed young actress Lily Collins, Lupita Nyong’o will be seen this summer in campaigns shot by star photographers Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott.

“Both talented and committed, true to her African beauty, and showing a great curiosity and open-mindedness in her career choices, Lupita is by essence the Lancôme woman.” stated Françoise Lehmann, General Manager of Lancôme International. “A strikingly beautiful and intelligent woman, serenely but strongly living her life her own way, Lupita has this special kind of aura both enlightening and deep.”

Xavier Vey, President of Lancôme USA added, “Lupita’s authentic inner and outer beauty, her exquisite grace, and true confidence represent today’s modern woman. Having Lupita as a Lancôme ambassadress will help support our mission in the U.S. market which is to speak to all women. Her rising star status is like a blooming rose; she is elegant and has an undeniable brilliance.”

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Radical Skincare Age-Defying Exfoliating Pads Review

Unless you were blessed with perfect genes then you know that maintaining healthy skin is an ongoing routine for most. Being that our skin is the largest organ of our body it also can be one of the most vulnerable which is why taking care of it is a necessity.  Being someone with oily/combination skin I like to keep a variety in my product arsenal. I'm also very passionate about staying youthful for as long as I can. Radical Skincare and it's age-defying properties claims to do just that! I recently put their exfoliating pads to the test and incorporated them with my current routine, did they deliver? Keep reading to find out!

The Age-Defying Exfoliating Pads are much like everyday cotton pads that you can purchase in drugstores except they are thinner and each is coated and packed with anti-aging ingredients that are proven to tighten and firm skin, reduce the appearance of pore size and lines, and preserve the skin's hydration and nourishment.

Glow: I've used these pads for just about a month now and I incorporate them into my nightly skincare routine, usually applying it right after cleansing and before moisturizing. Early on with using the pads I definitely noticed a significant difference in the firmness of my skin and my pore size - they seemed smaller and much smoother than before. I also love the fact that the pads give me a squeaky clean feeling without drying out my skin or making it feel tight. Another high-point for me is that even after using a scrub and wash I noticed a tiny bit of residue lifting from my skin onto the pad which clearly indicates that even your favorite cleansers could still be leaving something behind.

Glare: The only thing I did notice which isn't really a negative for me is that the moist pads did sting a little bit when I first applied them. It's nothing major or intolerable though and I think it could've been due to me using a scrub directly before and also having a few prior sensitive areas on my face from picking my skin (yes I pick my skin it's a bad habit I'm trying to break!) 

Would I Recommend It? I would! There's no overbearing scent and the results are noticeable within just a few uses. I also don't use these daily but more like 2-3 times a week and honestly it just depends on your skin and your preference but for me that's all my skin requires.

Where To Buy: The Radical Skincare Exfoliating Pads and the entire range of products can be found both in Sephora US and Canada. To learn more about the products or to purchase please visit www.sephora.com.

Product(s) in this post were provided for post consideration. Read our disclosure policy here. 

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OPI Brazil Collection For Spring/Summer 2014 Review

While these chilly temperatures sure aren't alluding to spring being anywhere in the forecast that definitely doesn't mean you can't indulge in a pop of color! OPI has introduced an array of colors in honor of Brazil for spring/summer. The collection consists of 12 shades ranging from brights to neutrals, alongside the collection there's a mini set of 4 liquid sand polishes to get your nails beach ready!

Next Stop…The Bikini Zone

This amethyst-toned pewter suits me just fine.

Don’t Bossa Nova Me Around

Nobody can stop me from wearing this creamy nude!

Taupe-less Beach

There’s nothing optional about wearing this enticing taupe.

I São Paulo Over There

He was sipping coffee with this mocha-toned beauty.

OPI Scores a Goal!

Make your point in this winning shade of rich chocolate.

AmazON…AmazOFF

I’m making the switch to this deep jungle green.

I Just Can’t Cope-acabana

Nothing lifts your spirits like this sunshine yellow.

Where Did Suzi’s Man-go?

He went to fetch her this delicious mango smoothie.

Toucan Do It If You Try

You have talent to achieve anything in this confident orange.

Kiss Me I’m Brazilian

Plant this warm luscious pink on me!

Live.Love.Carnaval

This vibrant and festive coral is the life of the party.

Red Hot Rio

A ruby red as hot as the most exciting city in Brazil.

Brazil Beach Sandies Liquid Sand mini's

Samba-dy Loves Purple

Well, who wouldn’t find this vivid textured violet irresistible?

I’m Brazil Nuts Over You

And I’m crazy for this textured matte pink.

What’s a Little Rain Forest?

I’ve got this textured matte blue and an umbrella for two.

You’re So Flippy Floppy

When I found this bright textured yellow, I just flipped!

Glow: I think I actually love the entire collection! Stand out shades for me are definitely the corals and mangos including Toucan Do It If You Try and Live.Love.Carnaval. I like the versatility of going from fun to work appropriate hues. 

Glare: The only thing I'm on the fence about is whether or not I'm a fan of the whole liquid sand trend. The finish of the sandies is gorgeous but there's just something inside of me that prefers something a bit more smooth. 

Would I Recommend It? Yes! The color palette of this collection is gorgeous!

Where To Buy: The Brazil Collection is currently available at various retailers nationwide. They retail for about $8.50-$9 each. To purchase, learn more or to locate a retailer near you please visit www.opi.com.

Product(s) in this post were provided for post consideration. Read our disclosure policy here. 

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Kelly Rowland Named as the NEW Celebrity Fabulista for Caress!

Can you say flawless? Caress announced the beautiful Kelly Rowland as their new spokesmodel and celebrity Fabulista! I absolutely adore Kelly and I love how she's continuing to pave her way in such a positive light.

Kelly is excited to inspire women to enjoy every day experiences in a fresh way. She knows how important it is to start every morning feeling fabulous, which is why she uses the new Caress Fresh Body Wash Collection (her favorite being the Emerald Rush.) I've personally used Caress for years, I especially love their body wash and I look forward to what's to come from this new campaign!

Watch Kelly's new promo video for Caress below!

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Wink & Pout Cosmetics by Kym Lee Review

 
When trying indie brands and small businesses I'm always a bit uneasy when placing my very first order. That's mainly because I have had my share of nightmare service with small businesses. Which is why I usually try to do some research on the brands before giving them a try, including reading reviews etc. But hey I'm human and sometimes I get those impulses to just buy when I see things that catch my eye.

That recently happened to me over the holidays as I was scrolling through Instagram and saw someone repost a pic of this woman wearing a stunning blue lipgloss. I've been wanting to try a blue lip hue for the longest time which is why it caught my eyes. So from there I browsed through the woman's profile and discovered that she had her own cosmetics line which she was promoting. The woman's name is Kym Lee, whom I've never heard of prior to stumbling across her on Instagram but according to her bio she's a well known celebrity makeup artist who's been in the beauty industry for over 17 years working with BET and has had her makeup artistry featured in several well known publications including Essence, Glamour and Sister 2 Sister. I love to see women, especially black women become multifaceted in business and it's always a pleasure for me to support their visions.

Kym Lee's cosmetic line is called Wink & Pout which consists of a variety of lipsticks, lipgoss, lashes and lip liners. The website is professional looking and pretty easy to navigate. I always like to go small in terms of purchasing when I buy for the first time from a company so I decided to order that intoxicating blue lipgloss that initially caught my eye and a pair of lashes to complete the "Wink & Pout" experience.

The lashes are really pretty & they feel super light. The only thing I don't like about them is that the outer wing of the lashes create a shadow on my face directly underneath - you can see it in the pics below. But that could be contributed to the outside lighting I'm not really sure.

Here's that vibrant blue gloss, it's called Holiday Blue. 

Ehh I'm not really sure Blue is the color for me lol but I enjoyed trying it out! 

Glow: As I mentioned the website is modern chic and definitely user friendly, so the buying experience was a piece of cake which I like! Upon receiving my items my first thoughts were "Yep, it definitely looks like what was on the website: -lol. The lipgloss is extremely vibrant and highly pigmented, the formula is also very good. I did notice the application was a bit streaky in some areas but nothing that a second coat couldn't fix.

Glare: Ok, so there are a couple of things that kind of stood out to me that I did not like. I'll start with the shipping process. While the order was easy to place there was a communication barrier that bothered me after ordering. I paid with Paypal and received a payment receipt and also an automated response from Wink & Pout immediately after my order stating my order number and items. I placed the order on December 6th and it arrived on the 16th which is about typical in terms of shipping. Now what I took issue with is that I never received a shipping confirmation nor a response to an email sent in regards to it. I understand people are busy, it was the holidays but I am a stickler for communication and that was a major turn off for me. If I spend my money with a company, I don't care how much or how little I still expect communication. I want to know when I can expect to receive my items, I don't think that's too much to ask. I also noticed that there weren't any shipping policies on the website nor the invoice which I think would be a good idea to incorporate in the future so consumers know what to expect. Aside from that, another con for me is that the lipgloss doesn't list ingredients on the container at all nor does the website *sigh* I can go into a whole rant about that but I won't. I will just say that it is a suppliers responsibility just as much as a consumers responsibility to be aware of what ingredients products are formulated with for their own safety. Yes, I made the choice to test this gloss out regardless but I probably will not with future brands that do not include ingredients or product facts.  

Would I Recommend It? With all that said I really hope this review doesn't come off as harsh because that is not my intention at all. I just like to share my own experiences and I also like to keep my readers informed and that starts with me always being completely honest in anything that I review. The bottom line is that I am satisfied with my purchase and I received exactly what I ordered. Would I order from them again? Ehh probably not. I do think the company could benefit from a few tweaks including a FAQ's page, list of ingredients and also ordering & shipping policies. Aside from that I think Wink n Pout has a lot of potential, the idea is trendy, the website is cute and the products seem ok. Not to mention this seems to be a brand new venture for Kym and with all new ventures there are trial and errors. I wish Wink n Pout the best of luck and can't wait to see what the future holds for them!

Where To Buy: All of Wink n Pout products can be purchased at http://winknpoutbykymlee.com.

Product(s) in this post were purchased by me. Read our disclosure policy here. 

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RiRi Hearts MAC Holiday Collection Review

Again, I am late with this but I wanted to finally post the Holiday edition of the RiRi collection with MAC. I wasn't impressed by the liners, shadows or other products from this collection so I decided to stick with the lipsticks and to try the polish out. I was in line opening day for this collection and was a little shocked to see an actual line when I got to my MAC store. Fortunately there were only like ten people ahead of me but Bad Girl RiRi sold out just before it was my turn to checkout, so I only bought Pleasure Bomb and another RiRi Woo for the pretty packaging. Before leaving I swatched Bad Girl RiRi on my hand and instantly fell in love and decided that I NEEDED it! But since it was sold out and I was tired of stalking websites for it I went ahead and ordered it from Evil-Bay at over double the price *angry glare* But anyway I'm glad I did because I love it! Check out swatches of everything I purchased below.

RiRi Hearts MAC Holiday Collection

RiRi Woo, Pleasure Bomb, Bad Girl RiRi

Swatches

riri woo, pleasure bomb, bad girl riri

Bad Girl RiRi

Pleasure Bomb

RiRi Woo Nail Lacquer

the polish is very pigmented, it was opaque with one coat. 

Glow: The packaging is so pretty, I love the white paired with rose gold! I didn't photograph myself wearing RiRi Woo because I posted it previously with it's original release. Let's jump into the two lipsticks. I'll start with Pleasure Bomb which is the only color I initially thought I wanted. Pleasure Bomb is a matte fuschia/rose shade, it's a bit more muted in color than I expected it to be. I definitely like it but it doesn't necessarily wow me. My favorite is Bad Girl RiRi which surprised me. After swatching the other nude from Rihanna's Fall collection it made me a bit skeptical about trying this one. I'm so glad I gave it a chance because it's completely different. What I love most about it is how the color gives off a pinkish/mauve on my skintone. I've seen many comparison pics of it and it's crazy how it looks so different on everyone. I've been searching for a brown girl friendly nude lipstick for awhile and this is perfection! I almost hate that I couldn't have bought a backup of it though.

Glare: I really have no gripes about any of these. The lipstick formulas are much better than those from her Fall release. I haven't worn either of these outside of swatching them for photos so I can't really give my opinion on the wear just yet. 

Would I Recommend It? I would recommend MAC to stop making these limited ass edition collections that sell out in MINUTES! That's what I would recommend lol. Seriously, it's ridiculous. I'm tired of it, everyone else is tired of it but that's how they keep the demand up and their evil little tactics work because we keep buying into them. So what else can I really say? 

Where To Buy: If you didn't get anything at this point from any of the RiRi collections then I suggest to just give it up because there is no hope left other than her boring Viva Glam collaboration which I will also be getting *cries*

Product(s) in this post were purchased by me. Read our disclosure policy here. 

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