Homegirl Quel (kel) in Austin

Here's To The End(ish) Of A Beautiful Relationship

Clinique's nationwide search for new Insiders is completed, and my two years as a Clinique Insider are behind me. Every year for the past three years, Clinique has held a nationwide search for 20 women to review their products online at www.cliniqueinsidersclub.com. The first two years, I submitted video entries and was selected both times!

The first time I was selected, I remember getting the call from NYC on my cell phone. I was visiting my in-laws in St. Vincent, where I NEVER even turn my cell phone on because calls on my phone from down there are way expensive. But my husband was called back to work during our second week there and I didn't want to cut my stay short, so he left me there with his family and my 6 month-old son. So I had my phone charged, turned on and with me that day in case he called. I was in the car with my sister-in-law. My cell phone rang and I recognized the NYC area code. When the person on the phone told me I had been chosen, I'm sure I never screamed as loud or smiled as wide or said "awesome" as many times as I did in that car. My sister-in-law was laughing with me (and at me a little bit too, because she loves my southern, American accent which gets really strong during moments of high emotion). If you know me in the flesh or have followed my blog over the years, you know about my teenage modeling aspirations and my cosmetics worship, especially in my twenties. So that day, my dreams sort of came true.

Here's my video announcement of my win:

(More about my experience and videos after the jump.)

Makeup Monday: I love these so much, I'm throwing them away!

Sort of. I am amazed at how I (and many of you) justify purchasing yet another mascara or lip gloss or blush to add to the other mascaras and lip glosses and blushes I already own. This weekend, in order to prevent myself from buying unnecessary makeup I didn't really need, I looked through my collection to see how much of my stuff I actually use and how much I wanted to use more before I owned it. In the past, I told myself that I would use up all of the cosmetic and skincare products I owned before buying anything else. That was crazy. At the time, though, I really believed I could do it. Now, to make another attempt at controlling my makeup consumption, before I buy anything else, I will use up my core group of regulars (the things I actually trash empty containers of and buy again) and will not buy until the empty container is in the trash.

So here are the items in my makeup bag that are in regular rotation and (most) have been for years. Warning: It's so boring, but makes TOTAL since since these items have made up my everyday fresh-faced look for years!

Makeup Monday: Debut of Clinique's 2010 Insiders!

Remember when I told you guys that Clinique had selected me for a second year in a row as a Clinique Insider? Well the new group of Insiders are here! Check out my (very cute--if I may) new profile and first couple of reviews--->HERE<---. 

Spoilers: The 3-step Skincare System have increased my use of the term "buttery" when referring to my skin's texture and the Long-wearing Mascara stands up to steamy summer weather. 

Makeup Monday: Glam blue and everyday pink makeup on dark brown girls

Bump what you heard. Black girls can wear blue eyeshadow...the bluer, the better. Last week I got a Facebook friend request from Iman Cosmetics and discovered this video on their profile. Anytime I see a professional (or really good) makeup demo for dark brown girls, I'm all eyes and ears. I am always on the lookout for what other brown girls are using and this video is full of beautiful products and tips on makeup application. I got the Iman sable blush featured in the video from Target about 2 years ago and use it as contour eyeshadow ALL the time just as the artist does in the video. It's long, but every minute is worth watching. Check it. 

And while we're here, shout out to Erin, of ScandalousBeautyOnline.com, who reminds us in the following video to bump what you heard, black girls can wear pink! I LOVE LOVE LOVE her videos! She has over 20k subscribers to her Youtube page. Watch this video and you'll see why.

Makeup Monday: C.O. Bigelow My Favorite Lip Balm

And I'm not just saying that. This is my favorite lip balm and it's literally called My Favorite Lip Balm. Something about the name already had me convinced before I even put it on. I was in Bath and Body Works to replace my C.O. Bigelow Mentha Lip Shine and the store was having a sale on lip care so I poked around a bit. The first thing I saw was the product title, followed by the ingredients: shea butter and sweet almond oil. Then I convinced myself that I needed a better performing everyday balm than my usual cherry Chapstick. So I got it, put it on in the car on my way to visit a friend and pretty much decided I had bought my last tube of Chapstick. It's replacement not only protects my lips from the dry winter air, but leaves them soft and delicately scented like...shea butter and sweet almond oil. Soft, kissable lips even in winter. This lip balm is a winner! 

Makeup Monday: How to find your favorite discontinued beauty item.

This weekend I went to put on my favorite everyday lip gloss, Benefit's The Gloss in Impromptu (peachy brown), and noticed that there is very little gloss left in the tube.I rarely reach the end of a tube of lipgloss, but either this particular one or a pinkish brown shade by Clinique go over my chapstick almost every day, so I imagine I'll be replacing them repeatedly. So I checked Sephora for a replacement for The Gloss and realized that it has been discontinued. A quick Google search confirmed it. I was able to find it for sale online from sites in the UK, but am on a mission to find it on the cheap and here in the U.S.  

In the meantime, here is some info you might find helpful on the search for your favorite discontinued makeup:

• Estée Lauder's Gone but Not Forgotten program allows customers can buy up to six in stock pieces of a discontinued item from any Estée Lauder brand including Clinique, Bobbi Brown, Prescriptives, Stila, Bobbi Brown, MAC, La Mer, Aveda, and Origins among others. Items are available up to two years after being taken off shelves. The drawback is that you'll pay full retail price plus $5 shipping, but it's worth it to stock up on some tried and true favorites. 
• Speaking of MAC, they (like many other brands like Nars) sell their discontinued goods right on their website in the Goodbyes Store. So right at the source is a good place to start.
• Cosmetics Company Store, usually found in outlet malls also carries discounted items, including fragrances, from tons of cosmetics brands. If there's  good outlet mall near you, you're likely to find one there.
• eBay! Yeah, eBay. 
• Outlet websites like Makeup.com, BeautyEncounter.com and CosmeticsAndMore.com specialize in discontinued cosmetics. Good luck finding your there. Their selections are slim.
• A good bet too, especially with lip glosses is to contact the company directly. Cosmetics companies rename and repackage otherwise unaltered products all the time. So there's a chance that your fave just got a makeover.

When all else fails, there's begging. Yes, begging sometimes works. More than 3,000 calls for Clinique to bring back Water-Resistant Eyeliner led to a glorious comeback. So if you can find enough people mourning the loss of the same goody, there's a glimmer of hope for a resurgence. If only it worked that way with TV! *sigh* R.I.P. Lipstick Jungle and Kevin Hill.  

Makeup Monday: Nostalgia and Confession

I still use the Caboodles makeup case my sister bought me when I was 11, in the late '80s. it was the first thing she ever bought for me. She had gone away to boarding school and we went from sharing a bedroom to becoming pen pals. We've been long distance sisters since then because after high school she went on to other schools and only came back home to visit. Back then, I looked forward to slumber parties and overnight road trips just so I could take my black, white and hot pink Caboodles case along. In those days it housed, like, every flavor of Bonne Bell lip gloss, clear mascara (yes clear, because my mom didn't let me start wearing mascara until I was in 9th grade, but even then it was brown--might as well have been clear), and brown lip liner. I used it all through college too. So I'm attached to it for sentimental reasons and because it's awesome. No reason to replace it. I've tried to upgrade to one of those slick, fancy train cases I see everywhere, but this old plastic thing holds SO much more than the newer ones. Over 20 years with the same makeup case...has to be a record.

Bonus Confession: I just parted with the deep lavender lip pencil and gloss duo that I used on my wedding day almost 9 years ago. I haven't used it in years. It's just that every time I cleaned out my stash I held on to it for sentimental reasons, I guess. Finally got rid of it a few days ago. There was something fuzzy growing under the plastic cap on the pencil end, so it was time.

Makeup Monday: Video Blog! Big Announcement and Otherness...

This is the first of a new round of video blog posts I'll be sharing with my readers and YouTube subscribers. I think it will be fun talking to you guys! This one is for Makeup Monday, but moving forward I'll be chatting with my homegirls (and guys) about books, films, fashion, beauty, crazy run-ins with strangers, anything--whenever the spirit moves me!

And y'all, please subscribe to my YouTube page. I have some cool things planned to share with my YouTube subscribers that won't always make it to HomeGirl. I do sing and play guitar daily and may or may not be planning to pay homage to some of my favorite singer-songwriter acoustic guitarists on film. Just sayin'.

Makeup Monday: Lancôme Hypnôse Mascara

When it comes to wearing makeup, I rarely emphasize my eyes and lips at the same time. Personally, I think one should always choose one or the other to play up. My lips are very full, and don't need much help in the emphasis department. So I almost always choose to play up my eyes. 

Enter Lancôme Hypnôse Mascara ($24). Y'all, this stuff has changed my mascara life. It was in a swag bag at the National Mocha Moms conference this year. I only recently started wearing it.

One layer=baby-doll lashes, you know, the ones that look like mini paint brushes? Two layers="are you wearing falsies?" I have it in waterproof and usually wear it with nothing else on my face but mineral powder, sheer, pink lip gloss and eyebrow gel.

It's the perfect measure of effortless eye pop.

Makeup Monday: Make your black eyeliner jealous.

I have been trying to wear green eyeshadow for a couple of years now. I have tried green shadows by several drugstore brands, but either the color came out too loud and showgirly or didn't show up enough to matter. On a recent trip to Target (honestly, on any given day I have made a "recent" trip to Target), I discovered Loreal's Hip High Intensity Eye Pencil in Green ($8). It is a pencil, so it goes on with way less effort and with way more precision than a shadow with as much pigment.  

These pics are of my first time wearing it and I.Am.Hooked. In the pics, the green pencil shades my upper and lower lids, a black liner by Stila rims my entire eye and a bit of Lancome Hypnose mascara finishes the look. This eye like two minutes. The green is so subtle and complementary to brown skin that I feel as comfortable wearing this on a regular day of play dates and errands with my toddler as I would at a party or night out playing with grown-ups. It is SO my new everyday liner ( I will avoid saying something along the lines of my black eyeliner being "green with envy" because it is such as obvious play on words...even though I totally want to because it's just the perfect measure of wit and cheese for me, but I will spare you guys this time...OK...nope...I can't take it...I have to say it...). My black eyeliner is officially green with envy. 

There's also a deep purple pencil in this line that is just screaming my name. Purple is my favorite color, you know.

Homegirls, if you want a special eye, with a pop of on-trend color without all the fuss of dealing with an eyeshadow, definitely check out Loreal's Hip line. 

Makeup Monday: Go Natural!

Whew! As you may already know, I saw Good Hair this weekend. Y'all, when I saw what sodium hydroxide, the active ingredient in chemical hair relaxers, did to that poor innocent piece of chicken? It made me wonder how many of us actually question the ways in which we systematically poison our bodies and those of our children knowingly or unknowingly. I only used chemical relaxers for about 6 years, between age 13 and 18...and twice over the past 12 years during my natural hair journey. I'm glad to be off relaxers completely now, but can't help but wonder what, if any, long-term effects exposure to those chemicals may have caused me. Is that a major downer or what? Basically, I said all that to say, I'm inspired to go natural...for a minute.

Makeup Monday: Sam Fine, The Basics of Beauty DVD

Back in the day, y'all, I lived and breathed to do makeup...and eyebrows. If I had it to do over again, I probably would have gone straight to cosmetology school after high school. I was The Makeup Girl among my friends and fam. Proms, parties, weddings...I was it. Now, I'm not itching so much to do makeup for my girls...although I will without hesitation if asked...but I am LIVING to pull my natural look together like Sam Fine, celebrity makeup artist and guru for black women, does. I'm on a mission. Step 1: Buy Sam Fine's DVD. Step 2: Look fabulous. Step: 3: Y'all know there will be before, during and after photos.

I remember when his book came out in '97. The before and after photos of models and celebrities are incredible. I was surprised by how many products he used to achieve what is essentially a natural look. I couldn't quite pull off his techniques though. While I pride myself in my ability to wear a full face of makeup (foundation, powder, concealer, blush, lipstick and liner) while looking like I'm not wearing any, like I do here, I'm ready to look more fly after all that work. Now that the book has come to life and Sam Fine is actually SHOWING us how to apply the makeup AND talking us through it on his DVD, it-is-on. 

I couldn't afford his book back in the day, can't justify the cost to buy it now, but the DVD is less expensive and well worth the $25 price tag. It's available on Amazon.com. Stay tuned for my transformation--I'm gonna be SO ready for my closeup.

But enough about me. Here's a little something for you. Sam Fine works his magic with eyeshadow:

Makeup Monday: Opi, You Don't Know Jaques

Last week, a friend and I went to this really cute nail salon called Nail Bar on the Island in Memphis, TN. It's a sweet little French looking spot in Harbor Town, which is a posh neighborhood on Mud Island--an actual island off of downtown Memphis. When we walked through the door, I felt like I was "somewhere else". They have done an incredible job of creating an atmosphere that is eclectic, modern and shabby chic all at once (great pics on their website). We where seated at an actual bar and offered our choice of complimentary red or white wine or champagne. I spotted the nail color I wanted when we walked through the door, and after a cuticle treatment, exfoliation, hand massage and paraffin wax (all while seated at the bar), my nails where lacquered with You Don't Know Jacques from Opi's new French collection. It's a smokey brownish-grey and it's awesome. It's not for everybody, but I have officially found "my color". Even my friend commented on how the polish looked like me. It truly is my forever color now, y'all. I'm looking forward to trying it on my toes when open-toe shoe time comes around again. Sorry, I don't have any awesome nail shots because my cuticles are not camera worthy. But Brittany (who I totally bonded with at Blogalicious--more on that later) has awesome pics wearing this shade in all three finishes: regular gloss, matte and suede, as well as her own opinion of YDKJ--> HERE.

Grey nail polish: pass or fail?

Makeup Monday: Conceal it!

When I wear makeup, my goal  is to look flawless...not made up. So I use light coverage products on my skin: tinted moisturizer or mineral powder, depending on how much time I have to get ready. After becoming a stay at home mom and getting a LOT less shut-eye, I developed some pretty good shadows around my eyes. Not awesome. I hadn't worn concealer for years, but when I needed to add them back to the mix, I tried something old, something new, and something borrowed, and loved every one. Here's the rundown:

Something Old: Black Opal Flawless Concealer (Bronze) $5
I started using this back in college. Back then, I was heavy into makeup and used concealer in every curve on my face (sides of nose, around mouth, eyes...) whether I needed it or not. Most of the time, I think I pulled off a flawless makeup application, but again, I looked made up. This time around I just used my finger to dab a bit all around my eyes (upper lids, corners, underneath) after eye cream for an instant fake-out.

Something New: Clinique Almost Powder SPF 15 (Deep Golden)$23
 I can't say enough awesome things about this product. I don't go one day without wearing it. Secret's out. I first used this product as part of my first ever review for Clinique as an Insider (click here to watch my video review) and fell head over heels for it. While it's NOT a concealer, this mineral powder it is a wonderful stand-in. I use the sponge for a heavier application around my eyes before using the foundation brush to finish my whole face. I use this product and technique most often since, as a mom of a toddler, I usually don't have much time to spend getting ready.

Something Borrowed: Olay Regenerist Eye Cream + Concealer,   $20
 A friend of mine left this at my house after visiting from out of town. In the tube, it looks totally too light for my skin tone. The only reason I gave it a try was because my friend is the same complexion as me and uses it religiously. I used it after applying my eye cream (although it is an eye cream--I use mine out of habit) and after patting it in with my fingers it blended right into a slightly lighter-than-me halo around my eyes. After applying my makeup, it actually gave me a really professional looking finish. I mean, you could tell I had applied something to brighten my eyes--like how sometimes you can see on celebs?--but it was pretty. It was for a special occasion, a wedding actually, so I felt perfectly fine looking done up. 

Quick Tip: Apply concealer all over lids before eyeshadow for all-day ceaseless coverage. Here's a short video of a professional application:

Makeup Monday: Kiss Me Tonight

I'm as happy as the next girl to pull out my boots and trench coats as the weather cools off, but one thing I always miss about summers in Austin is the humidity. At the right time of day, some sun with just the right amount of humidity can be hot...not sun hot, but sexy hot. You know, when your skin is all dewy and moist and touchable? Mhm. It's still hot and sunny in Texas, but for many of you, the chill of fall is officially in the air, and there's nothing moist about it.

It's time to revamp your skin treatments to combat dryness and Vaseline (as awesome as it is) will not always do the trick. Especially on your lips. As a teenager, to keep my lips soft (for teenage reasons) I would sleep with tons of Vaseline on them and after brushing my teeth in the morning, I would brush my lips with my wet toothbrush. Harsh much? Consequently I became a Chapstick addict because my lips would crack the minute air hit them because I had exfoliated them to death. Thank goodness those days are over. Enter Philosophy.

Philosophy reminds us to "always kiss goodnight" and makes sure we're kissable with Kiss Me Tonight Intense Lip Therapy ($20). It's a nighttime treatment that will have your lips in top smooching condition in no time. If you're dealing with some serious dryness and  cracking, this is a heavy duty treatment--you want this stuff. If your lip situation is cool and you just want to maintain soft, smooth, full lips throughout the winter--you want this stuff. I don't use it every night, but I think it's a must to add to your p.m. beauty routine.

Quick Tip:

Use Philosophy's Kiss Me Exfoliating Lip Scrub ($15), then apply Kiss Me Tonight Intense Lip Therapy right before bed.  The next day, apply one of those awesome Soft Lips balms ($9) and you will fight the urge to kiss your own self!

Soft lips and happy smooches to all!

Makeup Monday: Revlon Brow Fantasy

It's a gel and a pencil and it's awesome. I used it for the first time years ago and have used it, just about everyday since. I keep two wands handy--one in my everyday makeup bag and one in the cosmetics stash in my bathroom so I'm never without it. Whether you're a chick who glams it up on the daily, or a homegirl like me, who wears the bare basics (mineral powder, mascara and lip gloss) most days, Revlon's Brow Fantasy will polish up your look with perfectly finished brows that stay that way all day. I use the gel, in black, every day that I leave my house, even if I'm only in Chapstick, for a surprisingly natural and pulled together look that says, "I just wake up every day with awesome eyebrows".  If I'm wearing a full face of makeup, I sweep over my brows with the pencil followed by the gel for a look with more drama that says, "I'm glamming it up today, and I just wake up every day with awesome eyebrows". It comes in 4 shades, dark blonde, brunette, dark brown and black, so there's a shade for every girl. And it retails at about $8. Worth every penny. Get some!