i put pretties on my face

ive been pretty busy with my lil angel, but i still try to find time to break out my brushes and paint my face up.  i dont want my skills to get rusty while im on leave, ive even had some clients come to my house to get makeovers. so i wanted to share some recent looks:

this was my mothers day loook, something soft and pink for my special day!

this was the look i did for skylars newborn photoshoot, this is after the shoot, relaxing with baby

this was a fun look i did for a mommies lunch date with my girl shanna, i threw in a pop of blue liner on the bottom lash line with shades of purple on the lid, paired with a coral blush and a nude gloss.

margie came by the house to have her prom makeup done.  classic smokey eye with a shimmery teal liner smudged along the bottom. she was such a pretty pallete to work on!

i hope you enjoyed the pics!  stay f!erce mamas!

kick those baby blues!

after giving birth most  first timers think they will immeadatly go back to their pre-preggo size, mmm not so much.  the uterus is still swollen and you kinda look like you did when you were 5 months pregnant, it can be a downer.  pair that with all the crazy horemonal changes, getting used to baby, dealing with no sleep and youve got the ingrediants for baby blues.  well before it turns into post pardum depression i have a few tips to help you feel better:
WAYS TO FEEL SEXY AFTER HAVING BABY

• because your body may not be back to what you would want it to be, go buy yourself  a sexy pair of shoes.  the dressing room may still be a bit scary but if your feet have lost the swollen flintstone look putting on a fabolous pair of pumps can make you feel so hot!  and who cares if you dont have an outfit to wear them with, or any place to wear them, just put em on and feel sexy as you wash spit up off your blouse.
• now that you can see and reach your toes, paint them red or hot pink or some other fun color.  it wont take long, you can do it while baby naps but something so simple as painted tooties can really lift your spirits.
• have daddy, grandma or some other trusted family member or friend come over to watch the little one while you light some candles and soak in a bubble bath.  play some music, do a deep conditioning treatment to your hair and a mud masque for your face. just relax, baby is fine and momma needs an hour of self pampering and a warm bubble bath can do just that.
• try to have a date night with your hunny, set up a sitter and get dressed up and have your man wine and dine you and have some much needed adult conversation.
• if the weather is good take your lil munchkin out in the stroller and walk around the block, light exercise like walking is great post pardum to help lose the baby weight, and the fresh air will do you both good.  plus its nice to get out of the house.

hopefully those tips can help you through this post pardum time, they have helped me when things started to feel overwhelming.  and remember, stay f!erce mamas!

diva for delivery!

so its been awhile since i blogged but i got a good exscuse for my absence, i had my baby!!  and since this is more of a beauty blog and not a parenting blog i wont go into to much birth story detail.  however i wanted to share a funny picture of me laying in my hospital bed, having contractions, while touching up my make up.  yup, i had the makeup bag close by because i was gonna be "a diva for delivery".

thank god for epidurals! hahahaha! anyway, after 22 hours of labour and 15 minutes of active labour (pushing) skylar lillian foster came into the world at 7:47 am on april 29 a healthy 8 lbs. 7 oz and 21.5 in long. its been 3 weeks filled with ups and downs but we are doing well.  i will continue to share beauty and fashion tips /reviews, in between feedings and naptimes =).  until then, stay f!erce mamas!

comfortably.... cute? f.u. stacy london!

ok so anytime i watch that "what not to wear" show stacy and clinton always rag on people who wear their "gym clothes"  to places other than the gym and they gasp at the word "comfortable".  in their eyes all women should be stomping around town in pointy shoes and cashmere sweaters.... mmmm yeah reality check!  now im all for chic shoes and fashionable clothing, but during this pregnancy ive also found ways to make my "gym clothes" look cute and acceptable outside the gym (that i never go to).  ive spent most of this pregnancy in wide legged yoga pants in various colors (from target), but i found ways to make them fashionable.  during the cooler winter months i paired them with fitted long sleeve knit tops and fitted sweaters, now that its warmed up i wear them with those thin, layerable, fitted tee's, i found some great graffic tees from target that are body hugging and cut to hang longer so they cover the bump well and by layering them you get a cute updated look.  ive also layered fitted tanks from target (solid colors and prints) and because the yoga pants are wide legged and drapey you can wear different types of shoes like ballet flats, gladiator sandals or your favorite flip flops.  by taking a simple yoga pant and pairing it with tops that are fitted and layered and have bold colors or graphic prints, you can make them look more fashionable  while still being comfortable and not spending a million bucks.  plus if you just buy them in sizes that are larger, you can avoid pricey maternity clothes and the material is streachy so they will be comfortable post-pardom as well and you wont be upset that your "still wearing maternity clothes after the baby".  so f.u. stacy london and your pointy shoes, i will continue to rock my "gym clothes" and remain comfortably cute!  stay f!erce mamas!  

tan in can! nuetrogena vs. loreal (product review)

so being 9 months pregnat i feel its prbably a bad idea to stuff myself in a giant easybake oven for the sake of  gaining a tan.   so whats a pasty gal to do?  fake it till ya make it!  now i will be honest, ive never hadmuch luck with self tanners, the creams (even the gradual tanners) would turn out streaky, orange and when they would fade it looked like i had brown specks of dirt in my pores.  so i decided to give the aerosal self tanners a try.  heres my review:

nuetrogena micro-mist

• 
  
  pro - nice natural color not to umpa-loompa orange
• 
  
  pro - the can sprays at any angle (great for preggos who have limited reach)
• 
  
  pro - long lasting color that fades evenly, can go 3-4 days between spraying
• 
  
  pro - no need to rub it in, just spray and it dries quick
• 
  
  con - yucky self tanner smell
• 
  
  con - it sprays on clear so it may turn out uneven your first time if your not careful

overall i was really pleased with how natural the color looked and once i got the hang of it and kept a steady stream i was able to avoid the streaks.

loreal sublime bronze spray tanner

• 
  
  pro - gives a dark tan with the first use
• 
  
  pro - dries quickley
• 
  
  con - easily turns orange and unnatural looking
• 
  
  con - does not spray at any angle so it was tough to manuever
• 
  
  con - the "lime scent" was NOT pleasent
• 
  
  con - streaky mess! and the more i tried to fix it, it became more uneven

overall not my fave, it was on sale buy one get one 1/2 off at walgreens (i now know why), i will try to use it up, but will go back to the nuetrogena one even though its a higher price point. 

so i really liked the neutrogena tanner and would recommend that one over the sublime bronze.  do you have a favorite?  please share.  and remember, stay f!erce mamas!

oh im sorry did my giant belly offend you?

back to fashion for a moment. recently a women (older) complained after seeing me that "a pregnant woman shouldn't dress like that".... hmmm i guess she felt i needed to be in a tent or a moo-moo that had baby blocks on the front or teddy bears... really? i become pregnant and all fashion sense is lost? no way! pregnant celebs have opened the door for us, they no longer hide their bumps in shame but wear stunning well fitted couture gowns to show off their little miracle. the dress i was wearing at the time was not "revealing", the length was acceptable, the "girls" were poking out, it just had some roaching around the tummy, gasp!! theres a baby in there, run hide it from the world! ladies I'm 9 months pregnant, I'm huge! but i will wear this big belly proud! stay f!erce mamas!

summer makeup tip for the lips

want an easy way to re-vamp your tired winter look for the upcoming summer months? try changing your lip shade to this seasons hot new color. corals and oranges are making a splash this summer. whats great about these shades is they vary so much in hue that you can find one that works for every skintone. want a quick easy look for a mom on the go? start with a tinted moisturizer, dust bronzer on the temples, cheekbones, nose, chin and decolletage, add a coat of smudge proof mascara and touch of coral gloss. this five minute face will have you looking fresh and summery. you don't have to cake on pounds of makeup to be fierce, you can simplify your look and still be polished and glamorous. don't be afraid to try these new shades, you can experiment with different tones and textures to find what works for you. a few suggestions: fair skin try - "big kiss" plushglass (MAC), "rambling rose" lipstick (MAC) or "smile" dazzleglass (MAC). medium skin try - "made to order" lipstick (MAC), "fold and tuck" lipglass (MAC) or "see sheer" lipstick (MAC). dark skin try - "morange" lipstick (MAC), "meltdown" lipstick (MAC) or "roman holiday" dazzleglass (MAC). keep in mind these are mere suggestions, don't pigeon hole yourself into thinking those are the only shades for you, the trick is to try them out and see what suits you. have fun getting out of the box and breaking free of your makeup rut with this new summer lip shade. stay fierce mamas!

**pics: celebrity top left - ashanti wearing a coral shade, celebrity top right - january jones wearing a coral shade, me in the middle wearing "fold and tuck" from the pret-a-papier collection by MAC, to show different skintones rocking the coral trend.**