Same questions + different person = The Beauty 3/6/5, an interesting peek into the lives and beauty personalities of our fantastic readers!

This week’s edition of The Beauty 3/6/5 features Gee Gee from New Jersey! Gee Gee is a true Gemini who flies the friendly skies for a living.

She likes big long eye lashes, exploring the world and getting pretty.

So, without further ado…

3: PERSON

1. Describe yourself in 10 words or less.

I am Simply Complicated.

2. Tell us about your personal philosophy.

I Have to believe I Look Beautiful !! Other People’s Opinions Don’t Matter.

3. “I am the most beautiful when…”

I Have a Genuine Smile on My Face.

3. The most foolish beauty advice you’ve been given?

Don’t Relax or Dye your Hair While On your “Lady Days” .. U’ll Die !! O_o

4. Last product you used down to the last drop?

Garnier Fructis Triple Nutrition 3 Minute Dryness Reversal Treatment.

5. Who is your beauty icon and why?

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan.. Shes the Most Beautiful Women in the World!

6. Celeb whose beauty style you most admire?

I like Rihanna Sense of Style .. I Wouldnt Say I Admire Her the Most Though.

 

5: PRODUCTS ON YOUR VANITY RIGHT NOW

 

1. Ponds Cold Cream – One of the Only Creams That Doesn’t Burn My face = ( … I Have Weird Skin!

2. Mac Eye Lashes – They Blend Brown And Black Lashes So They Look isnt So Baby Doll Intense.

3. Shea Butter From Ghana – Best Thing Since Way B4 Sliced Bread !!! It Does Everything !!!

4. Olive Oil From India — Rich Moisturizer !!! And U Dont Smell Like A Kitchen !

5. E.L.F. Makeup — MAC Finish Without MAC Prices !! Saving $$$ is Always an Eye Catcher for Me !!! Also Really Easy on my Skin !! Again My Skin is Weird lol

 

The Beauty 3/6/5 is an interesting peek into the lives and beauty personalities of our fantastic readers!We would love to feature YOU! Please send an email that includes: your name, where you live, picture(s) and your responses to beauty3sixty5 [at] gmail [dot] com.

 

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It Starts with Lipgloss — Grade Schoolers and Makeup [New York Times]

NARS Launches Tinted Moisturizer With Extended Color Options For Black Women [Huffington Post]

Sometimes the Best Things in Life Are the Things You Don’t Plan
[Beauty Logic]

Golden Minx Manicure [All Lacquered Up]

Pastel nail art [So Long Kitty Nail Art]

How To Know When You Need a Trim [Black Girl with Long Hair]

Weave Care 101 [Twenty Six 85]

Meet the Afropolitans [CNN]

10 Good Reminders for Stressful Times [Marc And Angel]

Remembering Whitney Houston [Essence]

xo,
Ugochi

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Image credit: Jody Watley Blog

Hi Beauty Pies!

There’s a new curly girl salon coming to NYC on March 12th (Monday).

The good folks at Miss Jessie’s are excited to present CurlBar™, a new salon experience that focuses on curls and conditioning only – no chemicals or no color services here. . .

Prices are generally in the $100 range (see below) for a wide range of services and you can walk in or make an appointment, whatever suits your fancy.

So, what do you guys think? Will you be visiting this new establishment?

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Image credits: MissJessiesCurlBar.com

Have you ever stopped to think about the mighty Q-tip?

You know, that little piece of cardboard with tiny pieces of cotton on either end that is one of the most genius beauty inventions ever?

Well, we’ve partnered with the good folks at Q-tips to see how many different ways one can think of to use Q-tips or Q-tip Precision Tips cotton swabs!

We came up with 8, keep reading to find out more. . .

1. Clean off any mascara that happens to get on our eyelids after application on the skin right behind our lashes.

2. Clean underneath our fingernails.

3. Hygienically popping pimples!

4. Spot treating pimples with acne treatments.

5. Precise concealer or fade creme application for any blemish or hyperpigmented area.

6. Clean up any mistakes from our home manicures. Precision Tip Q-tips (pictured) are GREAT for this!

7. Apply coconut oil or other essential oils to our scalp when our hair is in braids or flat-twists.

8. Glue application and positioning for false lashes.

So, what do you think? I’m sure you guys can come up with more beauty uses for Q-tips.

Leave a comment and let us know!

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Image credit: OurOrdinaryLife.com
Disclaimer: This product and information relating to it was provided for editorial consideration. Opinions, are all mine! For more information, please see our disclosure.

By Stephanee, for Beauty 365

My “vanity” is not really a vanity at all. It’s a window ledge where I do my makeup. It’s also where most of the natural light comes into our apartment.

One day I will move into my loft apartment with floor to ceiling windows and tons of natural light. . .but that’s another story!

When the sun is shining, my makeshift vanity area and small mirror are good enough for me. But, when it’s cloudy or dark, applying makeup can be a complete pain. I can barely see a thing!

I searched high and low to find a lighted mirror that simulated natural light. . . and let’s just say it was very difficult. After countless hours of searching, I came across OttLite Natural Makeup Mirror ($69.99) on Target.com.

The online reviews were good, so I decided to take the plunge. . .

This makeup mirror fits perfectly in my makeup area and looks SO cute. The light is bright, almost too bright, but I’d rather have it overly bright than not bright enough. I love the size of the mirror and the magnification (5X) does its job.

My major complaint with this mirror is that it starts to tilt forward randomly due poor manufacturing. I read another reviewer online that complained of the same problem, so it’s not just me. My answer to that is tape which I really shouldn’t have to resort to but I just don’t feel like trying to find a “better” mirror at this time.

For now I’m happy with the OttLite Natural Makeup Mirror, you can purchase your Ottlite on Target.com or Ottlite.com

xo,
Stephanee

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Disclaimer: Bought this with myself!

As you already know, we heart Burt’s Bees.

So, we were very excited to learn about the newest addition to The Hive, a new line of natural beauty goodies called güd By Burt’s Bees. . .

The Güd line features 8 new body, skin and haircare products  in 4 awesomely-named scents, like Vanilla Flame  (vanilla and rice milk mix), Orange Petalooza (blood orange and hyacinth),  Floral Cherrynova (cherry blossom and almond milk) and Pearanormal Activity (pear and acai berry).

Check this line out at GudHappens.com or Soap.com. Prices start at 5 bucks!

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Naomi Campbell!

Continue reading for juicy interview snippets, pics and more. . .

On her diet: “For me, carbs are a treat now.” Campbell, 41, is vigilant about her beauty routine too: steams, facials—“everything I can to keep my skin elasticated.” She says plastic surgery is fine “for those who do it for themselves and not to please someone else,” but she isn’t fazed about getting older. “I don’t worry about a number, I’m fine with aging.”

On her past: “Look, you have to make mistakes. That’s how you learn and that’s how the world works,” she says. “I’ve made a few.” 

“What makes a person is the ability to look at themselves and deal with their own lives,” Campbell says. “How you deal [with your actions] is what defines you.”

While she’s made headlines for her antics and activism off the runway, Campbell, at her core, is still a supermodel. “But I would never call myself that,” she says, laughing. “I don’t have any superhuman powers.”

“I still love what I do,” she says. “It’s a new challenge to see how people can change your look. I like words like transformation, reinvention, and chameleon. Because one word I don’t like is predictable.”

Click here to check out the full interview, photos and more. . .

So, what do you guys think of Naomi’s look?!

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Image credit: Karim Sadli for Harper’s Bazaar

In case you’ve been living under a rock. . .

I’ve got a hot little Tumblr blog going on. It’s a grand collection of images I enjoy and feel inspired or otherwise moved by.

Check out a screen shot below. . .

B365 

Beauty Expert :: African Culture Zealot :: Social Welfare Enthusiast :: Musings and miscellany curated by the creative force behind Beauty 365.

Come visit!

xoxo, Ugochi

I’m baaaaaack!

Nigeria was great.

I got to spend a lovely time with my family and I got to rest, Rest, REST! I definitely needed the break.

Anyhoo, I’ve got some photos for you guys to check out some of what I did on my trip.

Heeeeeere we go. . .

Some goodies that rode with me in the cabin. . .

Must always have a book and a Moleskine notebook!

So, the major news story during my trip was the sudden removal of the fuel subsidy by the federal government, which essentially doubled the price of gas. As a result, the “Occupy” movement spread to Nigeria and Occupy Nigeria was born. The whole country was on strike, so most businesses and markets were closed, but protests were generally peaceful.

President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan addresses the nation.

Since, hardly anything was open, I got a chance to watch LOTS of tv, including Nigerian Idol. . .

The show is just as bad over there as it is here (I am SO not a fan!)

We were able to go to the movies at Silverbird Cinemas, which was nice. We got to see Tower Heist with Eddie Murphy and Ben Stiller.

Free popcorn and a drink. Can’t complain!

Food in general is nice, fresh and mostly organic (by default!) in Nigeria.

I ate very well to say the least. . .

Wild bananas (or plantains, I forget!) growing at the family home – Either way, YUM!

The national strike/Occupy Nigeria goings on died down towards the *very* end of my trip. So, a few of us went to this cute lounge in the Maitama section of Abuja, called Bamboo. . .

Cheese!

It was quite a nice and low key lounge with outdoor space, music and suya on site. #win #yum

Now, onto the Beauty Fun!

As I mentioned before, weaves/wigs/braids/anything-but-your-own-hair is all the rage in Nigeria and has been for some time. From what I gather, the rest of West Africa is no different, but that’s beside the point. I had my natural hair in twists, but I decided to do as the romans do. . .

Ugochi wears a wig!

Wig + gele = Win

Of course, I eventually got sick of it and let my natural hair be free!

Ahh! I’m free!

One of the troubles with such rampant weaving/wigging/etc. is that you see more than your fair share of unfortunate, mismatched and/or just plain dead wrong hair items attached to women’s heads. I slacked on capturing photos of all that I witnessed, but I did catch this on a local flight we took. . .

SMH. Had to be sneaky and take this, but I did it for you guys! Note the mismatched textures and colors!

My sister convinced me to try this black soap she swears by and I fell in love! Hard!

All my West Africans & West Indians know what time it is with this product. . .

 Dettol!

Toothpaste with brown people on it!

I do poorly in cold weather, so I was especially sad when the air temp monitor flashed pre-take off. . .

Bye bye, sun! Hello, fur clothing items & hibernation!

Anyhoo, that’s all for now folks!

xx,
Ugochi

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Hi Beauty Pies!

Hope the weekend went well!

How ’bout them Giants?! Yes, I am a former jock and current undercover sports fan.

I also have a crush on Victor Cruz and his salsa TDs. Yum…

Anyhoo, during the game, I took the time to pamper my skin with a Mini-Facial. So, I thought it prudent to re-post this step-by-step tutorial so you can get to pampering, too!

Enjoy…

Happy Monday!

Anyhoo, yesterday I took a moment to give my skin a little TLC by giving myself a mini-facial. I first learned about mini-facials from Kitiya of Mischo Beauty, who is a licensed esthetician, cosmetologist and makeup artist. They are essentially weekly maintenance for your skin in between monthly professional facials that I’ve been slacking on LOL. You can read her post here.

Today, I’m going to walk you guys through my take on the mini-facial. It’s a little bootleg (LOL) because I ran out of my serum and toner (doh!) but the basic steps are here. Also, don’t mind my unkempt brows (going to Thread this week!)

So, without further ado…

STEP 1: Cleanse

What I Used: Shu Uemura Oil Cleanser + Clarisonic Classic (both are must-haves!) and get my skin very clean without drying it out.

STEP 2: Steam

Bless you if you own a steam machine! I don’t so, I steamed the old-fashioned way. Steaming helps get those pores open.

What I Used: Dr. Haushcka Facial Steam Bath, which helps stimulate circulation, loosen blackheads and encourage skin detoxification.

I added some boiled water to hot tap water in my sink…

And threw a towel over my head for 5 minutes (man, it was hot in there!)

STEP 3: Exfoliate

I used an enzyme mask for this step. Light fruit acids are a wonder for the skin.

What I Used: E.L.F. Concealer Brush + June Jacobs Papaya Enzyme Masque deluxe sample (came with this month’s BirchBox)

 This brush is so darn handy for applying facial masks…

Always remember your neck area when applying facial products!

STEP 4: Rinse + Dab Face Dry

My skin felt as smooth as a baby’s butt! I dab in order to remove excess moisture, while leaving a light dewy layer of moisture.

STEP 5: Eye Crème

Applied to under eye area, eyelid and brow bone.

What I Used: Murad Hydro-Dynamic Ultimate Moisture. Peptides, hyaluronic acid and other goodies provide a nice bit of long-lasting moisture

STEP 5: Serum

As stated above, mine just finished (boo!) but this is the step where I would apply it. Be sure to get one for your specific skin concerns! In her Serums 101 post, Mischo Beauty says:

“A serum is simply a highly concentrated treatment of active ingredients used to penetrate and treat various skin conditions such as dehydration, stress, environmental damage, fine lines, wrinkles, pigmentation issues or loss of elasticity.”

STEP 6: Moisturize/Night Crème

Use a nourishing cream or facial oil to optimize overnight treatment of the skin.

What I Used: Egyptian Magic All-Purpose Healing Skin Cream.  My skin loves oils! This one has a simple list of pronounceable ingredients, like olive oil and royal jelly, and can be used all over.

I take a gob and emulsify it in my hands before applying to my face…

STEP 7: Finished product!

 Yay!

There you have it. A peek into my Sunday Mini-Facial Routine/Home Spa Initiative (minus toner and serum). As always, let me know what you think.

Do you get monthly professional facials?  Leave a comment and let me know!

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