The Dana airline crash (3rd June 2012)

The news papers are calling it Black Sunday now and indeed it was a Black Sunday with all that happened.

I was asking a friend for a food recipe when she suddenly forwarded a broadcast she had received on her Blackberry about the Dana airline crash. I rushed to switch on the television but nothing was there.... I moved straight to the internet and saw the first news on Linda Ikeji's blog. In my mind I kept saying this cannot be happening... not again.

20 minutes after the first broadcast on my Blackberry, pictures of the crash site was already circulating (my heart fell), it really was true after all. Not forgetting that early that morning there had been bomb blasts in Churches in Bauchi and people had already died there....

 Finding out that the plane actually landed in a densely populated area completely freaked me out because then I was so sure no one would ever know the exact number of people affected by this tragedy...

As the day dragged by and more and more news filtered in (through social media) I just couldn't take it any more and had to take a break off my phone and the internet so I could attempt to have a good night's sleep..... even though I wasn't directly affected by the incidents, people close to me lost friends and families. 

By this morning when I opened my eyes and went on the internet and my phone and saw pictures of people who had lost their lives and hearing their story, if I thought I was sad yesterday I felt even worse off today... Parents who have left little children behind, Children whom their parents would never see again..Nigeria has had plane crashes before and the last one was six years ago but then you would see it just on the television or papers, but now with the advent of social media (Facebook, Twitter, Blackberry messenger) you could put not just a face to the victims but also their stories and how people who they left behind feel devastated.

Now hearing that the plane should never have taken off makes me just add anger to my sadness because anyone could have been on that flight. I always prefer to take a flight if I am travelling to Lagos (especially when I take my daughter) because the trip by road is so long and with the bad roads.

I know this post has nothing to do with makeup but as a make-up artist I get job offers all over the country and I have to put myself on the road or on the air to make my daily bread..

May the souls of the departed rest in peace and may God give the families they left behind the fortitude to bear the loss

*153 people were on board the Dana airline, cabin crew inclusive

Semi Permanent Lash Extensions

So I recently attended a Lash extension course by Olawunmi Certfied Master Lash/Brow specialist (www.Lash-On.com) and anytime I tell people about lash extensions I can see a bewildered look on their faces because of what we know as individual lash fixing in Nigeria.

This is because of the way clustered lashes are fixed in Nigeria a lot of women (myself included) are not fans. Let me not even go to the hair bonding glue section….

Imagine doing away with the eyelash curlers, the mascara wand, the smudges, clumps and streaks and the struggle to remove it all a few hours later. This treatment  can give you the freedom to swim, workout, shed a tear (without your tears turning black lol) and still have beautiful, thick lashes.

Semi permanent eyelash extensions are individual strands of lash-like hair made from synthetic material, silk or even mink. A salon technician will apply adhesive to each extension and attach it to one of your natural eyelashes. Extensions are flexible, so they look natural, but they are strong enough to hold their shape and last as long as the eyelash stays in the lid. 

The training was for two days and i enjoyed every bit of it (Thanks to our Lash Mama)

The first day we were introduced to our kits and worked on mannequin heads

A colleague working on the mannequin

The next day we got to work on real people, the best part was we worked on each other (big smiles).

The great part about fixing this extensions is that the client gets to lie down, relax with eyes closed and most times sleep off. It was a very nice experience. absolutely no pain or watering of the eyes. 

Thats me! getting ready for my treatment

Finished look with eyes closed.

A side view

Another view

Semi permanent eyelash extensions Life Cycle

Eyelashes have a natural life cycle of 3 to 6 weeks. They fall out and grow back again. Because of this, your eyelash extensions will only last as long as each lash’s life cycle. If you intend to keep the extensions in for a long period of time, you will have to go back to the salon for touch ups. The technician will attach new extensions to the new growth so that your lashes don’t have patchy gaps in them. If you have had the extensions put in for a special event like a wedding or holiday abroad, you can have them removed after a few weeks.

Semi permanent eyelash extensions are easy to look after. You should not use any oil-based make up remover or creams on them, as these can make the adhesive loosen and the extensions will fall off. Rubbing your eyes is a no-no, as the extensions can loosen and fall off or break. Other than those precautions, your extensions are care-free.

The beauty of semi permanent eyelash extensions is that they feel like your natural eyelashes. They are so light you won’t even feel them on your eyelid, and because they look natural, no-one will notice they aren’t real.

As the saying goes, your eyes are the window to your soul. Frame them with thick, long and full lashes for big, beautiful eyes that everyone will notice, with semi permanent eyelash extensions.

So what are you waiting for... Call me on 08054145929 and get the glam look. Valentine promo has already started....

Have a great day and feel free to post comments

First time on Green

First time i have tried on green eye shadow. I have always felt it did not suit my skin tone. so what do you think?

I put light green eyeshadow at the inner corner of my eye and then dark green at the outer corner with some black shadow as well.

I know that once my eyes are opened you can hardly see the colour. I guess that is the benefits of having a small eye lid area. 

I have intentionally left out the products i used because i think it can be achieved with any brand of eyeshadow (wink).

Feel free to drop comments

MY ILLAMASQUA HAUL

Some of you may wonder what this name Illamasqua means. Well it is a British professional makeup brand although produced by Kryolan in Germany. If you are getting more confused, just ask your best friend Google more about this brands LOL.

It is quite a pricey brand so when they rolled out pro discounts for Makeup Artists I quickly registered and got 30 percent off (yipeee). You can guess my double excitement when they rolled their first free international shipping. Unfortunately I could not purchase any item so I waited patiently for another opportunity which I hoped would be before the Christmas season.

My wish was answered and i decided to first invest in their foundations first. I chose the Rich liquid foundation and their sealing gel. It took 8 working days to get to me by Royal mail.

In their packets

Out of their packets

I chose 3 foundation colours that would suit the needs in Nigeria. Of course my colour is the darkest one you see there.

on their website they describe it as

Providing full coverage with one application, Rich Liquid Foundation can be used all over the face or just in areas needing more attention. It can be used as a concealer and as a tattoo cover-up. Use a highlighter brush and buff into the skin for a more natural finish or use a foundation brush for a full coverage. When using it as a concealer, apply with a small blending brush. Always set with pressed or loose powder.

The sealing gel (2 in a pack)

for the sealing gel the website says

For looks with added impact, intensify your artistry with Illamasqua Sealing Gel. Mix with Powder Eye Shadow, Pure Pigment or Eye Liner Cake to create a colour-intense paste that dries quickly and lasts for hours. Be bold, be original and stand out from the crowd. 

Other things that came in the pack were 2 catalogues, 1.5ml sample of the Freak perfume (what a scent!) and vouchers for my friends (15 % off ). The vouchers i have decided to have a giveaway so watch my Facebook page  and blog.

Catalogues

A glimpse of the catalogue inside

Pack of the Perfume

Opened

My vouchers for the giveaway

Christmas and Glitter party look for the season

So it is Christmas season and it is the best time to use glitter eye shadows for the parties. I was so lucky to get the NYX glitter eye shadow from Gifty's Daughter during the festive season. To see the NYX glitter palette in a previous post Click here.

My aim was to do a look that would still do justice to Yazi's place motto which is Be natural, Be beautiful, Be you.

Outside in the natural light

So I took the picture outside and then realised this was a party look and I wanted to see how it would hold under the camera flash so I went back in the house and took some shots.

The first thing I did was use a light purple (matte) eye shadow on my eyelid and then used a darker purple and some brown at the outer corner of my eyes.

Now I got a stiff brush and then gently dabbed (did not rub) the pink glitter eye shadow. I placed it exactly where I wanted it to stay..

I also used a shimmery blush from Sleek for my cheeks. I guess the shimmer is very subtle.

So this is the look with my eyes opened and with the camera flash. Definitely rocking this look for my birthday.....


Feel free to drop comments

Gifty's Daughter Sale all December (50% percent off)

So Gifty's daughter is holding a sale on their makeup products (up to 50% off). They have a very wide range of products available in Nigeria.

They were recently at the Fusion Lifestyle shopping fair in Abuja. They are based in Port- Harcourt but can deliver anywhere in Nigeria. We have been promised a website which is coming soon so you can make your orders online. To contact them you can follow them on twitter @giftysdaughter or facebook page Gifty's Daughter Beauty.


Find below a little of their products i got from the fusion fair.

Nouba eyeshadow

Swatch of the eyeshadow

I love this eyeshadow. The red colour just glides easily into your skin. For a very dark skinned lady like me i am always in the search of colours that show on my skin. Great shadow to have for the holidays and it has some glitter in it that I love.

NYX glitter cream eyeshadow

I don't think the season would be complete without glitter. Perfect way to bling your look for that Christmas or new year party.

NYX jumbo pencil in Milk

Swatch of NYX jumbo pencil

NYX jumbo pencils are very creamy and glide easily which is great since the eye area is very sensitive. Comes in an array of vibrant colours. My favourite is white and black....

Beauties Factory

Swatch on my hand

The Beauties Factory eye shadows come in an array of colours and you can have the 3 pan, 6pan and so on and so forth. The great thing about t is that you can choose whatever colours you like and in my true form i went for yellow, orange and white.lol.

The eye shadow is matte and chalky but like i was told when put over a creamy base it works just fine.


Don't forget the discounts run through out December.


feel free to drop comments

It is December......Dedicated to all busy MOMs!!!

Hi all,

This is the first day of December and in the Nigerian fashion I wish you all a happy month.... This is the festive season and everyone has to look their best including us busy moms. Right now I am growing my brows out so i can get it threaded and looking it best for Christmas.

It really can be tough having a thousand and one things to do and yet still have time for makeup application. I personally feel your pain. .

I don't go around wearing a full face of foundation everyday. This is what i have in my Makeup bag

1. MAC studio finish concealer -- This is to help even out my skin tone, i have gotten some dark spots since after my pregnancy. They have faded out and since i am not a fan of bleaching my skin i will wait till they fade naturally but for now, my concealer will do the work. I use the concealer around my mouth, under my eyes, the corners of my nose.

2. For pressed powder I use either MAC mineralize skinfinish natural (Dark) or Make-up Designory mineral powder - I use my powder brush and apply it all over my face. Also used to set the concealer.

3. Brown brow pencil

4. Mascara

5. Lip pencil and Lipstick - If you looking for lasting colour on your lips then a lipstick is a must-have in your bag. If you want to go the extra mile and look glam at all times then find the perfect red or pink lipstick for your skin tone.

People always see me and think i am fully made up and i am so sure it is my red lipstick that keeps the glam going.

Lipstick, Mascara, Pressed powder and concealer

If you are too worried about red being too bright you can use a red lip pencil all over your lips and then use a brown lipstick on top like the pic above.

plus my eyes lined,  blush and lipstick

Another way to add a little extra glam on your face could be to use a black pencil to line your eyes. Please when lining the lower side of your eyes try and stay in the inner rim and you can use a cotton bud to clean out any pencil smudges.

I have also added some blush and changed the lipstick colour. I used a red lip liner and a very bright pink lipstick .

Lip liner and clear lip gloss

Here i used red lip liner all over my mouth and then clear lip gloss.I feel my lips are already full so i am not really a fan of lip glosses.

Final tips to keep this five mins face fresh.

* Invest on blotting paper. if you are sweating first use facial tissue and dab on your skin to gently soak up the sweat then finish off with your blotting paper to remove the shine. That way you don't have to keep powdering more product on your face.

* if you use lipstick instead of lip gloss you will probably need to reapply your lipstick only after lunch (wink) instead of every 1 hour.

* Red Lipstick = Instant Glam mom ( tried and tested)......

Wishing all busy moms a glamorous month. Enjoy the festive period.

Feel free to drop comments