Shoesday Tuesday – Need a Little Motivation, Inspiration

I’ve been feeling like I’m stuck in a bit of a rut lately and am in need of something new to inspire me. Cue shoes. (Or any fashion/art really, but let’s stick to the theme.)

Get it: (left to right, top to bottom) Neon Ombre Pump – $710 cricket-fashion.com, Yellow and White Chunky Sandal – $62 randawebsite.com, Black and White Striped Oxford – $95 americanapparel.com, White and Black Double Strap Peep Toe – $50 solesociety.com, CheckerBoard Bootie – $990 barnes.com, Purple Wave Cut Out Sandal – $975 couture.zappos.com, Blue Ankle Strap Peep Toe Bootie – $475 youngbritishdesigners.com, Lucite Platform Pink Patent Sandal – $609 luisaviaroma.com, Blue and Metallic Ankle Strap Sandal – $109 shopbop.com

<33Mal

Shoesday Tuesday – I Have a Problem, Officially

I’ve got a problem. I am officially obsessed with all of Zara’s shoes. I look at them a lot. It’s borderline worrisome. My ankle strap addiction is not going away anytime soon apparently. Clearly I NEED all of these. I mean – they’re all different colors and all under 100 bucks! (50-90 dollars to be specific) Come on NY lotto. Feed my addiction.

Or you can buy them for me.. zara.com. Just sayin’.

<33Mal

Shoesday Tuesday – Spring Forward with Love

It’s officially spring. And although it doesn’t feel like it yet – I am optimistic. But I’m not only referring to the weather.

Today – as the Supreme Court hashed out a conversation about Marriage Equality – I was uplifted and inspired by the amount of love and positivity I came upon throughout the day via the interwebs. I knew I chose my friends for a reason.

In the spirit of social equality, happiness, Springtime, and love – here’s some shoe eye candy from every color in the rainbow.

 

 

Get it: Roy G. Biv style – Red Patent Leather Double Strap T-Straps – $725 net-a-porter.com, Two Toned Orange Pumps – $116 topshop.com, Yellow Pointed Ballet Flat – $42 asos.com, Green Patent Pumps – $495 shoerate.com, Blue Strappy Sandals – $40 target.com, Indigo T-Strap Peep Toes – $90 zara.com, Violet Snakeskin Ankle Strap – $? dvf.com

 

“I might not be the same but that’s not important. No freedom til we’re equal; damn right I support it.” Same Love. – Macklemore

 

<33Mal

Shoesday Tuesday – New York Fashion Week of Shoes

Before I get into discussing the shoe beauty of NYFW Fall 2013, I’d like to extend my apology for missing last week’s Shoesday Tuesday due to a killer sore throat and a memory lapse!

Onto the shoes.

NYFW has come and gone (now it’s London’s turn) and having only attended one show (Costello Tagliapietra – who had some pretty fabulous floral pumps stomping the runway) – I turned to the interwebs to educate myself.

Thanks to shoerazzi.com for giving me everything I needed in one place!

I have immediately fallen in love with the following:

And my personal favorite:

Also bringing me eye candy was fabsugar.com. Bows and Shoes – my two favorite things:

And to wrap it up neatly with a designer I showcased in my last entry – fashionpulsedaily.com shone the spot light on Alejandro Ingelmo.

All of which I will wait patiently for until Forever 21 knocks them off next year and I can buy ’em for $24.80!

<33Mal

Shoesday Tuesday – Shoes In Your Pocket

As someone who often finds herself looking at shoes simply for pleasure and not for purchasing – I was pretty amped to have StyleCaster.com’s list of the top 50 fashion apps include a couple seemingly great ones purely geared towards shoes.

As if we didn’t have enough distractions on our smart phones – check out ShopStyle or Bergdorf’s app, Today’s Shoe.

Unfortunately for me – these apps are of the iPhone persuasion and I, myself, am a Droid user. If you are as well, don’t worry – I did my own investigation and found a great, free app chock full of shoes.

Enter Simply Shoes. Search by season or by designer. You can star selections to favorite them, save pics to your phone, or (of course) share them on a number of social media platforms.

There aren’t direct links to buy these beauties (although I’m sure a quick Google search can solve that for you) – but this isn’t an issue for me – as a designer shoe is 100% out of my budget.

Check out a couple of my favorites below:

Phillip Lim – Fall 2012.

Alejandro Ingelmo – Fall 2012.

Phillip Lim – Fall 2012.

Happy app’ing!

<33Mal

Shoesday Tuesday – Strength, Beauty, Beauty, Strength

It is sometimes believed that strength, intelligence, and power can not be synonymous with beauty, fashion, or even femininity. I am here to dispute this claim. In my life, my art, my fashion line, and my career choices I try to make it a point that fashion doesn’t always have to be materialistic and frivolous and that strength doesn’t have to come from a dark or masculine place. It, in fact, can come from a pink, flowery, and feminine place. It’s all up to you.

Yves Saint Laurent said “I have always believed that fashion was not only to make women more beautiful, but also to reassure them, give them confidence.” And with that confidence – you can take over the world. I – like a lot of women – use my wardrobe as a way to present myself to the world, express myself, and reaffirm my confidence. I can wake up feeling a little off – and with the right outfit – be ready to take on the day. And those outfits can range from dark, edgy, and menswear inspired to light, girly, and 1950’s pin up inspired.

There is no set definition of strength in women’s fashion. The strength comes from inside of you. So put on whatever makes you feel good and take on the day.

On that note – take a peek at some typically girly, frothy, feminine footwear and then some edgy, dark, and heavy footwear that would both give me equal confidence as I stomp around this beautiful city of mine.

Get it: (upper left hand corner heading clockwise) – Bow Front Lace Bootie – $80 misselfridge.com, Lattice Ankle Boot – $55 newlook.com, Criss Cross Ankle Strap Sandal – $450 barneys.com, Pointed Top Ankle Strap Sandal – $1,055 forwardbyelysewalker.com, McQueen Chain Strappy Sandal – $815 alexandermcqueen.com, White Pointed Metallic Strap Flat – $930 brownsfashion.com, Floral Platform T-Strap – $65 udobuy.com, Peep Toe Open Front Bootie – $700 montaignemarket.com

Get it: (upper left hand corner heading clockwise – Simple Black Strappy Sandal – $79 jildorshoes.com, Gold Tipped Flats – $59 indressme.com, McQueen Studded Heel Pumps – $795 ssense.com, Two Tone Metallic Lace Up Brogues – $325 avenue32.com, Gold Leaf Front Wedge Sandal – $1,695 luisaviaroma.com, Thin Wrapped Strappy Sandal – $595 giuseppezanottidesign.com, Double Ankle Strap Pump – $935 brownsfashion.com, Lace Cut Out Ankle Tie Pump – $1,535 colette.fr, Side Cut Out Pump – $48 aliexpress.com

And remember – “Give a girl the right shoes, and she can conquer the world.”

<33Mal

Magic Stick: Product Review

OK Ladies, listen up! I have a new secret weapon that everyone needs to know about.

Drum Roll…… The Burt’s Bees Herbal Blemish Stick

Recently while on a business trip to Seattle an awesome co worker shared this little secret with me. I was boarding the plane from east coast to west coast with an awful zit lurking on my chin. By the time we landed on got to the hotel my chin was crazy! This zit was just angry! That’s when she wiped out this magically like stick and changed my life. I as unsure at first, I usually put tooth paste on zits, and since the next day was filled with meetings I didn’t know if I should try something new. But she has amazing skin so I decided to try it out. I applied it to a q-tip and showed that monster who was boss. And like magic the next morning it was 90% gone. I couldn’t believe it. That night we took the Red-Eye back to New York and that next day I was at Rite Aid picking up a Blemish Stick of my very own.

 

 

 

For just $8 bucks, this is one product that everyone should have!

My first facial!

Being a makeup artist I always stress that a canvas that is well prepped and taken care of equals smooth application. And that canvas is your face! I take care of my skin, but I’ve never gotten a facial until today. Today I had the pleasure of getting a Webb Of Transformation by Ashley Webb. The environment that Ashley created was beyond relaxing. Even the music being played in the background was the perfect playlist. It was exactly what I needed after an 8 hour work day. She started off by removing my makeup. Then she cleansed my face ,neck and chest. My skin was exfoliated and then toned. The unpleasant part only lasted a couple minutes which consisted of her removing the white heads on and around my nose. She then used something to calm my skin before applying a mask for 10 minutes. Once the mask was removed she massaged a moisturizer into my skin. She even exfoliated my lips and finished it off with this amazing lip balm. All of her products smelled amazing, some of which she made her self with natural ingredients. For my first facial this was the ultimate experience. Once my session was done I felt like I had a new face and completely relaxed. My skin looks great besides some redness from the squeezing, which she advised will subside. Can’t wait to see how radiant I look in the morning after some well deserved rest tonight.

Check out her Instagram @webboftransformation for great tips and to book an appointment if you’re in the NY area

-Keisha taught you 😉

My Black Friday beauty finds.

So while many were standing on line for 60″ tv’s I was out grabbing all the Black Friday beauty deals that I was looking forward to.

My first stop was Sephora. They had these $10 sets that one would be a fool to pass up. The plus for me was two of those $10 sets included things that I needed/ wanted.

The first set was the Sephora Instant moisture kit.
The need from this kit : The instant depuffing roll-on gel for my eyes. I love it. It reduces the little puffiness I would normally get from not getting 8 hours of sleep. This helps to make it look like I do.
What it also included:
Supreme cleansing foam. It’s for the face and the eyes ( not all face washes are sensitive to the eyes).
An Instant moisturizer that provides long-lasting moisture , suites all skin types and contains antioxidants. I’ve been using it in the morning for yhe past three days so far so good. No greasiness just radiance.

The second set , Boscia be brilliant set.
What I needed from the kit: Boscia luminizing black mask peel. It boosts skin clarity by removing dirt and impurities while refining your pores. Plus it makes my skin feel softer than a baby’s ass after I peel it off.
What it also included:
Purifying cleansing gel:It’s a a sulfate free cleanser that removes makeup and deep cleans while maintaining the natural moisture barrier of the skin…I’ve been using it for the past three days and my skin feels cleaner than it did when using my normal cleanser.
Oil free nightly hydration: a nightly moisturizer. It’s oil free, controls shine, hydrates , refines and minimizes appearance of your pores. All while you sleep.
Green tea blotting linens: infused with green tea extract, the woven sheet absorbs oil without disturbing your makeup.

Third set, Josie Maran Bear Naked wipes duo. This set included facial cleansing wipes that contains aloe vera, cucumber and vitamin E. it removes makeup dirt and impurities while soothing the skin. It’s gentle enough to be used on the eye area, it’s biodegradable and it’s super soft. I used them last night and they get the job done.
It also includes nail polish remover wipes that are acetone free and contains argan oil for your cuticles. It’s says one remover pad for all 10 nails. That’s not the case if you’re wearing glitter nail polish. I used about three of them.
From Sephora in times sq I went down to the lower east side to the Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics ( OCC) boutique to pick up a couple lip tars. I love the lip tars from OCC. The color is super saturated, last like a lip stick and glides on like a gloss. It’s very light weight but all you need is a little. Less than a pea size. What I love most is that they’re easy to mix to create your own custom color. Lip tars contain hemp oil, pepper mint oil and Vitamin E. it’s also 100% vegan and cruelty free.
I picked up two lip tars and with my purchase I got a free lip tar so I got their gold metallic lip tar called Triptych from their new Metallurgy collection. I also got a sample of their lip tar in RX. Check em all out below.

OCC lip tar in Interlace.

New metallic lip tar in Triptych

OCC lip tar in Harlot

OCC lip tar in RX ( I’m so in love with this, the sample I got just won’t so I have to go back for it!).

If you can’t make it down to the boutique just purchase them online: http://www.occmakeup.com

-Keisha taught you 😉

Autmn ombré nails!

One thing I love to do around the holidays is fun nail art that suits the occasion. With Thanksgiving just a few days away, I figured I’d give you guys a fun nail tutorial that will make passing the peas look a little more glamorous.

Things you’ll need:
1.) paper plate
2.) cosmetic wedge applicator ( foundation sponge)
3.) tweezers ( I use a silver clip in my photo)
4.) Any tan or light mustard colored nail polish
5.) orange nail polish ( nothing too neon)
6.) Gold glitter nail polish.

Apply your base coat and two coats of your tan nail polish. (I only used one coat because the color was very opaque). Then let it completely dry before going on the the next step.

Take your orange nail polish and make a little puddle in the center of the paper plate ( be generous so the paint doesn’t dry too fast).

Cut a piece of the cosmetic wedge and using your tweezers to grasp the sponge, dip it lightly into the puddle of orange polish.
Then starting at the tip of your nail dab up to the middle of your nail. You want to keep most if the color at the tip and let the rest fade out to the middle.
Do this to all of you nails and then repeat for a second coat so it doesn’t look to sheer.

Once your done with your ombré, apply one coat of gold glitter nail polish. Make sure there isn’t too much polish on your brush. You don’t want the glitter to cover the ombré. We just want enough for a little sparkle.

Finish with your favorite top coat and let your nails shine brighter than grandmas fancy china. Enjoy!

-Keisha taught you

Follow me on Instagram @keeshology