Happy New Year !!!

Just wanting to do a super late post about the new year. It is a new year which means there are nothing but possibilities open and waiting for you, for me for all of us. Don't let the negative things that happened in 2017 stop you from reaching to the sun, moon, and stars! If I'm allowed to be transparent, I lost my job as a buying assistant at a catalog company here in Cleveland in June. At first, I was numb. I've lost my job twice before this but I wasn't out of work long. As I am writing this, I am still in the search for a career. This year I determined that I was going to look at the positive and not focus on any negativity. I'm writing to encourage anyone out there that had a crappy 2017 to remember that the year is young and ripe for the taking. My journey has had its ups and downs. I won't pretend that it has been easy because it hasn't. But through my faith in Christ and the best group of friends a girl could ask for, I've made it thus far. Scripture tells us "...in everything give thanks for this is the will of God in Jesus Christ concerning you." (1 Thess. 5:18). I am a firm believer that there is reason to praise and to be thankful in any circumstance. Joy comes from the heart. Happiness comes from 'happenings'. I am so very grateful and thankful to have made it this far in life. I don't want to go to deep in this post because I plan on doing a post tomorrow on my 30th birthday. So be encouraged. The fight isn't over yet.

I look up, He looks down!

FashionEVEsta

The Sexiest Night of the Year

Hi Guys,

I've been meaning to write this post for awhile. I mean its the end of January! But I had a few technical
difficulties. But here it is THE VICTORIA'S SECRET FASHION SHOW!!! This year the show took place in beautiful China. There was some diversity on the runway with some of the African American models wearing their hair in its natural state. There were lots of women of Asian descent on the runway. As always its nice to see the variety of ethnicities on the runway but I would love to see a short girl on the runway. Or even a plus size girl. Wouldn't that be amazing? But I'm sure that with the way Victoria's secret is going it won't happen. No matter I've seen a lot of fashion lines doing their own runway shows in honor of the Victoria's Secret show. Here in Cleveland we actually had the Sweet dreams fashion show hosted by Tres Sorelle. The show was a kind of pre show to the actual Victoria's Secret. It was hosted at Liquid nightclub and there were about 40 beautiful ladies in the show. I've attached a few photos and clips from the show. So enjoy!

I look Up, He looks down!

FashionEVEsta

 

A season to give back

Hey Guys!

As we approach the Christmas season, I thought I'd share a little of this past Thanksgiving. This year was my church's second year hosting a Thanksgiving community meal. I help spearhead this great endeavor. It is very rewarding to be able to give back and do what churches are meant to do. With the previous presidential election still affecting our every day lives, it was nice to connect with kind of people from various walks of life. We served about 100 community members and delivered about 50 meals to seniors and those that were home bound. With the leftovers from our 7 turkeys, we had some members distribute the food to the homeless that were downtown! It is always an honor to give to those in need. I feel that it is somewhat of a lost art. We have to teach the next generation that we are ought always give back whether its in time, talent, or treasure.

I look up, He looks down!

FashionEVEsta

Playing with Textures

 Hey Guys! I'm back with a sweet holiday look. I'm inspired by the textures that I've seen through out this holiday season. We've seen lots of rich velvet, feathers, and furs! So I decided to create a look that is in style this season but also is appropriate for that special holiday party that you're going to. I'm going to my first very dressy holiday party this winter and the above looks is very similar to what I will be wearing. Most of what's in the picture I already own which is a huge plus. I like this season's playfulness of fur and feathers which creates an overall soft aesthetic. It feels rich and feminine without being extra or being pretentious. On top of that we have lots of cruelty-free options for fur. I've seen everything that is above in various stores online and in store. So have fun this holiday season and mix those textures.

I look up, He looks down!

FashionEVEsta 

Fenty Beauty

Hey Guys!

I know that its been a few months since Rihanna shocked the world with her make up line FENTY BEAUTY. I wanted to write a quick review on the product. Now here is a small disclaimer I have only tried the foundation and the primer. Now I feel that I can accurate give my opinion because there are so many preferences when it comes to contours creams vs. powders etc. I feel that the primer and the foundation are the most important products in her line and thus is the reason for my review. First things first, I love that she dropped 40 different shades! As a woman of color, it is very difficult to find a foundation that fits my color. Its a very frustrating activity to try to find a foundation. I really don't like to go to makeup stores because I feel that they cater to lighter shades. I am color 440 (which has been sold out forever). I like that it goes onto the skin so smoothly. The thing with the foundation is that it is a bit runny and it DRIES QUICKLY. Which means that you have to do your face a section at a time. Once the foundation is applied it does oxides which makes it a little darker. The foundation feels light and not cakey. It makes your face feel nice which I like. Now I've heard from other people that this isn't for dry skin. My skin is pretty normal and nothing really irritates my face. Even after a long time the foundation looks pretty awesome. This picture was taken after about 4 hours with the foundation on. I was at the Hullabaloo show which was outdoors. The night was pretty warm which is why I look a little oily. Overall I love love love love love this foundation.

Now the primer was pretty, meh. It was okay. I didn't feel too hydrated which disappointed me. Even though I don't have dry skin I still like to feel moisturized. I would say go for the foundation and skip the primer. I like how the foundation worked with my other products. I did use the Jordana 2-N-1 concealer and foundation under my eyes and they both melded well together. I hope you guys enjoyed this little review.

I Look Up, He Looks Down!

FashionEVEsta

What's in your bag? pt. 2

Hey Guys!

I'm back! As promised here is my what's in my makeup bag. These are the my go to items and I will list them in order of how I put them on. I usually use a mix of drugstore products and a little higher end products. Enjoy!

1. Primer

After I wash my face with the products I blogged about last time. I use my Wet N' Wild primer. I just started using this primer and I absolutely loved it! It feels like a lotion or moisturizer. It goes on smoothly. I have large pores and this primer helps smooth and blur them out. This primer is about ~$6.99. You can find it just about anywhere. I found this at Walgreen's.


2. Brows

I just started filling in my eyebrows recently. I was so sure that I couldn't fill them in. So I went to Ulta and the lady there showed me how to do that. After I learned how to do it I realized how easy it is to fill them in. I don't do a whole lot with the brows just use the brow gel. This gel was about ~ $8.99. I like this gel a lot. It is a good dupe for the Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Dip Pomade.







3. Hyper Pigmentation

The LA Girl Pro Concealer is a beauty vlogger favorite and one of mine too. The formula is supper creamy and it is very easy to blend out with a beauty blender. Its about  ~$2.99 and this thing lasts forever! You can usually find this in the beauty supply stores. I don't usually wear makeup everyday. I wear it mostly weekends, holidays, and special occasions. This picture is of a brand new tube that I haven't even opened yet. I use this mainly for the sides of  my face where I have the most hyper pigmentation. I usually only use this on my cheeks and where I have any other dark spots.


4. Concealer

So this is the only thing in my make up bag that I am not exactly sure where to buy it from. I found this when I worked at the catalog company. This is absolutely the best concealer ever! I like my concealer to be 2 to 3 shades lighter than my actual foundation. I don't like the halo look around my eyebrows. I also use this concealer under my eyes as well. This blends beautifully with my liquid foundation.







5. Foundation

I use Bare Minerals Foundations. I absolutely love this foundation. I use it almost everyday. Its my go to foundation for interviews and just everyday wear. I like that it has SPF 15 in it as well. I wore this foundation all summer and I have not had any major issues with sweating. The formulas is powder with no scent. It does oxidize on the skin and a little goes a long way. You just swirl, tap, and buff. I like that Bare Minerals has a lot of different shades. The best thing about Bare Minerals is that you have the product for at least three months. It comes in a 6 or 8 ounce container I believe. Bare Minerals has their own stores and can be found in Sephora, Beauty Brands, etc. The price is about ~$30. It is definitely a great buy.


6. Eyeliner and Mascara

I use ELF eyeliner because I like the color pay off and I use Wet N Wild mascara. I don't have a lot of eyelashes and the Wet N Wild has gives me a small illusion of having at least a little bit of eyelashes. The eyeliner is about ~$2.99 and the mascara is about ~$3.99.











7. Highlighter

I love love this highlighter from Wet N Wild. I actually saw a video where a girl used it as one of the best highlighters under $10. This highlighter is super pigmented and is under $10! What a great steal! A little goes a long way with this highlighter. I use my blush to brush it down the my nose, my cheeks, and my cupid's bow. I found this little guy at Walgreen's for about ~$4.99.




I hope you guys enjoyed my post about what's in my bag. Check you guys later.

I look up, He looks down!

FashionEVEsta

What's in your bag?

Hey Guys, 

I know that I said that I would do more posts about beauty and beauty products. Well here is my first post about beauty! I'm a little nervous to share because I consider myself still a beginner in beauty. I don't usually do a contour. I am a highlight and a golden glow kind of girl. I don't use super expensive beauty products and I don't use super cheap products either. My make up bag is a hodge podge of different price point products. So without further ado here is what's in my bag. ( I do apologize. I should have actually taken pictures of my real products but this thought just occurred to me now.)

1. Cleansing 

We all know that no makeup routine is complete without the first essential step of washing our faces. I do have an oily T-Zone with rather large pores on my cheeks. I don't have sensitive skin so I pretty much just wash my face with regular soap. As I enter my thirties, I do actually want to have good skin care routine down. But for right now, I'm sticking to my Ivory. I love Ivory for your entire body. Its pretty no muss no fuss soap. Its clean and simple. It has a light scent that says I'm clean without being overpowering. I even Google Ivory soap + babies and there are a few articles out there that say that you can use Ivory on babies. Its very reasonably priced and I love the way my face feels after I wash with Ivory. It doesn't feel tight or dry. I feel clean and my face loves it. 

2. Toner

Now this is a brand new step for me. I'm trying to find products that control oil and shrink my large pores. I went to Wal-Mart and found this toner on sale for like $2! I decided to give it try because its was on sale. I also didn't want to spend a lot of money on something that could potentially not work for me. I've been using it at least once a day. I use it twice a day when I remember to. I must say that I really love this products. I'm not as oily in my T-Zone and my large pores have been less noticeable. I also like that this doesn't dry my face out either. The scent is very light. The product does contain Witch hazel so be careful when you use it around your eyes. I typically just take a cotton ball and get about 4-5 pumps of the product and swipe it over face. I usually use more on the area where my pores are the largest. You get a lot of oil and dirt and that don't come off from just washing your face. 

3. Eye Cream 

Now I work with someone that worked for Clinique. My Pat! Pat is an older lady that has gorgeous skin. Her beauty tip to me was that I was never too early to start an eye cream. I get a ton of sample from her! One of my favorite samples is the All About the Eye Cream. I do not use this every. I simply don't have time for or don't remember to do all these steps. I take a very small amount under my eyes. I use my middle or ring fingers and tap it under my eyes. I then use my index finger to smooth the cream under my eyes. There is little to no scent for this product. The packaging is pretty. I do think this cream can last a long time. I have only the samples and I've been using it forever. 

4. Moisturizing

I am admitting that I don't usually use a specific face cream or lotion. I usually use whatever I'm using on my body. Again I will try to get a real skin care routine sometime soon. But right now I am using this Cantu body butter. Again I found this in the same section as the toner. It was on sale for $2.50! I love anything with cocoa butter and shea butter. As the colder months are approaching, I like to use anything with extra moisture. I like that way that this smooths on. I usually take a small amount on my finger tips and smooth all over my face. The scent on this is very light and I like the texture. I've never seen this at Wal-Mart so I bought all of the ones that I saw around. Hopefully I'm able to find this again. But I do have a few for back up. 

I think this post is getting a little long so I'm going to stop here. I will come back with actual makeup products that I use. I think I'm actually going to take pictures of the products too. 

I look up, He looks down!

FashionEVEsta