The Shine

OOTD: Primary Colors

2011-12-06T15:40:00.001-08:00

So the time have finally come: Diamond Stylz has done a fashion-based video. *cues victory horns*. It not that I never wanted to do one it just that I never felt secure enough about doing it. I go through my moods of body consciousness and just not feeling fashionable. Lately I have been doing some shopping and thirfting and it has inspire some fashion videos. I hope you enjoy…:) I have a few more OOTD to come. I am gonna spread them out and do one every two weeks or so. i don't wanna get burnt out and bored with them. So here is the video of the OOTD all for around 100 bucks.

In This Video:
Dress $54 from ASOS (online)

Blue Heels $19 from Target (online)

Earring on the Heels $3 from Shasa (Houston Galleria Mall)
Earrings on ears $6 from Trendmall ( Houston, Tx)
Belt from A'gaci (it came on a jacket that cost $12)

Lip color MAC in Brave Red $15 from MAC Store (Houston Galleria)

18 months of Natural Hair

2011-10-17T03:21:00.000-07:00

Going Natural has change many thing in my life. How i view my beauty and how i view my possibility. I was so scared to cut all my hair off from fear of looking like a boy but actually the short hair toned me down and seem to assist in making me more passable. There was no hair to hide behind just face, body, and personality. Apparently that is all i needed. My texture surprised me. i didn't know my hair was this curl. When I was younger i would just pick my afro out and go. I never tried to define the curls with any technique. No that I have learn some things from watching ladies on youtube. My hair has just shine through and become brand new to me. The only negative is the sexiness. I don't feel sexy when Im in those intimate moments with my guy friend. Actually now that it has grow out, he open up to me and said that i hurt his heart when I cut my hair…lol. At first he just told me it look nice and he liked it. This was over text message so I really couldn't see his mannerisms. I assume he was telling the truth but no, he was just being nice. Im so glad though because I think that would have devastated me to find out so early in my transition. I really care about his opinion. No, not because I don't stand by my decision or some low self esteem, but simply because this is someone I have sex with and enjoy him on intimate level. I want him to be attracted to me. The positive feedback from him, my bestie, and my mother( well her was KINDA positive…lol) help me get comfortable with it quicker then I already was. As time goes I think it is getting sexier and sexier for me. That come with length I guess. Well until next time. Thanks for reading. Here is my video about my experience

Wig Review: Sporty Zury SC-MOCA FS4/27

2011-08-17T16:52:00.000-07:00

Wig Info
Cap Sporty Plus
Zury SC-MOCA FS4/27
$23 but ate my local hood beauty supply

This is a beautiful bouncy big curly wig... Love it. Inexpensive but still looks nice.

Kate Somerville's ExfoliKate Intense Exfoliating Treatment Review

2011-08-07T11:12:00.000-07:00

For me and my transition from a tomboyish teen to a ultra femme woman, great skin is a staple part of my success. There is nothing like the ability as a transgender woman to wake up and walk out the house with no make up on and still be seen and addressed as the woman you are. Two essential things in my life help me to achieve that ability: laser hair removal/ electrolysis and an effective skin care regiment. I discuss my full skin care regiment here. Although It work for me, I am always tweaking it to make it even better. From years of shaving in my early transition, I had some discoloration from ingrown hair bumps that left the right side of my face(slightly above the jawline and slight below). In that area is some scars and some redness. The area is small so must people don't notice, but because it is MY face I notice. Al though electrolysis, stop the area from getting worst, there was still a little bit of scarring. I was looking for something that would exfoliate and reduce the appearance of the area. One of the product that I tried and love is Kate Somerville's ExfoliKate Intense Exfoliating Treatment. This product is absolutely wonderful. This is not your typical over-the-counter treatment. This is a spa in tube. The difference is immediately apparent from the smell to the feel. The granules are small so it exfoliates softly without that harsh rocky feeling that some scrubs give. When I first put it on my wet face, I feel a tingling sensation. I love to too feel a tingle. That tingle lets me know that something is working. The tingle is from the papaya, pineapple, and pumpkin enzymes in the product. While the granules physically scrub the dead skin cell off your face, the enzymes do that chemically leaving your skin less dull and vibrant. Once I rinsed my face after letting the treatment sit for a 3 minutes. The directions say leave on for 30 second but I got to yapping with a girlfriend on the phone and you know how that goes…lol. After patting dry, there was some slight redness immediately after that lasted for maybe 10 minutes. After that 10 minute though, the redness went away and beautiful glowing skin immersed. That discoloration was less noticeable even after one treatment. So I give this product 5 out of 5 stars. I love when a product does what its says it will do and totally exceeds my expectations. That is exactly hat Kate Somerville's ExfoliKate did for me. It is a little pricey but well worth it. I totally recommend you try it in a smaller size. Once you love it which im sure you will, buy the bigger size

Skin Care: The Diamond Stylz Way

2011-02-21T17:59:00.000-08:00

Here are a few tips that I have on oily skin care. I hope you enjoy.

Th product I use are as follows:

Philosophy's Purity
Philosophy purity made simple facial cleanser
Neutrogena Deep Clean Cream Cleanser
DDF Glycolic Moisturizer
DDF Glycolic 10% Exfolating Moisturizer

Clean & Clear Oil-free Dual Action Moisturizer
MAC Face&Body C5

Mac Studio Fix NC43
Nars Torrid
Torrid
Mac Baked Mineralized bronzer
Milani 04 Glow Baked Bronzer
Milani Baked Bronzer Glow 04, 0.25 oz (Pack of 3)

Here is a video of me discussion skin care

The Phoenix Rising

2011-02-11T23:22:00.000-08:00

Let me make this clear: I am officially in love with red hair. I took me a long time to find an affordable wig in the exact shade of red I wanted and style. This one was 95% dead on target. I just wish that it was human hair. This is some hair that is supposedly heat resistant but that scares me. After applying Painterly Paint Pot, I decide to go for a green shade of eyeshadow from the Milani Runway Eyes Palette in Glamorous Gems. This is a typical combination for red hair but it is a not a typical color that i wear on my eyes. The reason I dont normally where green is because my eye color is green on the outside and brown on the inside, so my eye stand out when I wear pink and blue shades. With the red hair, I feel the eye pop and the green just intensifies the look. My lips are liner with a pencil buy NARS called Roman Holiday and sheer opalescent pink multi purpose stick by NARS called Luxor. On my cheeks are mineral blush from MAC called Baked. Its one of my favorite blushes becaus eit give me a tanned look without being dark. I dont know who I was trying to channel Shirley Manson in this photo and I loved the way it turned out.
Hey is a video of the hair and make up live.

Wet Cinder

2010-12-22T05:46:00.000-08:00

I always wanted to do a water photoshoot. I wanted something that wet and sultry. In this look I am wearing: Carbon and Beauty Mark by MAC and Falsies mascara by Mabeline on my eyes; Honolulu Honey by NARS and Spice lipliner by MAC on my lips; Body Bronzer by Milani, Forever Warm bronzer by Mabeline, BS10 by Nicka K. I dont always have the confidence to let someone else shoot. I have alway been more inhibited when someone else is behind the camera. I feel like I dont let go and try new poses because of the risk of looking stupid. Even worst if im wet, nude, and in a tub...lol. I am trying to get out of that. So luckily with a self timer and tripod, I can crank out the poses with confidence.

MAC's Viva Glam Cyndi lustre AA14

2010-12-18T20:02:00.000-08:00

I wanted to show case one on my new favorite lipsticks: MAC's Viva Glam Cyndi lustre AA14. I was looking for a pink color to do a photoshoot with, but everytime I would choose one it would be too sheer or too shiny. I wante da matte pink that you couldnt see through. So was at a pageant, and my bestie said she went to MAC and bought a few things. She said that she had a color that she thought was too light for her but would look great one me. So she reache din her make up back inbetween entertainers and pulled out this color. I looked at it. At first i said hmmm it ok , but it looks even too light for my own taste. But her witha the right liner i can make anything work. Feeling daring, I swipe some on my lips. I turned around and looked in the mirror. I was amazing that this was the exact look I was goin for that night. I had on a light grey one piece sleeveless Vneck jumpsuit accessorize witha black and blue retro 80's looking rubic cube like belt and YSL style cut out boots. I love the color. So I went home...added the necklace... and took this picture. I hope you enjoy

Milani Body Bronzer

2010-11-09T23:07:00.000-08:00

So I have been trying more bronzey like looks lately quite successfully i might add. I love the dewy look that I see on some girls in the magazines and videos like Beyonce's "Upgrade U" when the skin has a smooth golden sheen. So i have been trying out different bronzers. Milani's body bronzer is one the best i have tried so far. I brought this at CVS. It wasnt expensive at all. I bougth one for my mother who is dark skin and it works great for giving her a nice hightlighting glow. I was scared that because of my oily skin, this bronzer would make just look greasy because of it moist consistency. I was wrong this bronzer give my skin a natural tan glow that stays without feeling heavy. I use is similiar to a cream blush or to give my skin and golden tone for photoshoots Try this out if you are lookin for a glow on dark skin as well as light

Smoking is Bad for Your Skin too

2010-11-04T04:26:00.000-07:00

Although smoking is best known for causing lung cancer,that is not the only risk or damage that it does. This gross habit (that I quit 2 years ago)is also among the biggest threats to your skin. Next to sun and chemicals, tobacco is one of the major accelerators of your skin natural aging process, and it is thought to be one of the fastest acting threats. I only smoked for 3 years after a break(UGH how stupid), and I swear I started to see some aging early. Young people start showing signs of early skin aging after as little as 10 years of smoking. If you think this is a long period of time, you should keep in mind that many young people start smoking in their teen years (16-19 year olds) and are still below 30 when the first signs appear.Looking old in your 20's? *Gasp*
Smoking causes the narrowing of blood vessels throughout your body, including those that supply the outermost layers of the skin with oxygen and nutrients. Thus, your skin is slowly starved of vital oxygen and other substances. Over time, the lack of oxygen and nutrients( vitamin A specifically) would allow the formation of harmful free radicals that slowly damage the elastic fibers and collagen, which keep the skin strong and flexible. The result is aging before your time. It is also thought likely that the repeated pursing of lips when inhaling smoke helps build wrinkles around the mouth, while the heat of the burning cigarette tip is also damaging the skin.

Perfumes: Get a Whiff of This

2010-11-02T16:31:00.000-07:00

Now i love to smell good. I also love variety in my scents so i can change for every mood. That why I and specific perfumes that fit specific occassions. One Fragrance is for feeling confident. Another fragrance is for feeling sexy. One is for feeling mature and one if for feeling young and girly. Which every feeling i am tryin to embody, i want to alway make they smell wonderful. Here are my top 5 perfumes (and a bonus):

Flowerbomb by Viktor & Rolf

This frangrance is exact what the name suggest... girlie with a little kick
It total describe who i am in one bottle

Daisy by Marc Jacobs

This clean girly smell that is youthful and fliry. I totally love it

Angel by Thierry Mugler

This is a sexy mature fragrance that my husband loves me to wear during dinner and late night fun

Jasmine Vanilla by Bath & Body Works

This is my every day pampering fragrance, I wear this alot around the house relaxing and smelling oh so lovely

Tre'sor but Lancome

This is when i want to get my grown woman on. I feel young but ready for the world in this. not too sexy but definitely a flirty and confident perfume

Aromatics by Clinique

This perfume is fresh clean and luxurious. I wear this when I need confidence and focus. I love to wear this to business meetiinga nd interviews because it is very serious and direct withough being too strong.

I hope you try these out. These make me feel wonderful in any setting. Whether its a romantic evening with your husband or in a meeting doing a powerpoint presentation, there is frangance for you.

The Not so Natural Natural

2010-10-28T22:32:00.000-07:00

My natural hair video was feature on Curl Nikki site and Racialicious . All I have to say is WOW. Thank you all so much for showing me love. I am always nervous talking about natural hair as a transgender woman because …um natural..aka what I was born with…. isnt really my forte…lol… if you catch my drift. When I go out in the world, the public doesn’t see the transgender adjective. When they see me, they just see a Black woman. Outside of the genitalia which people don’t see of course, I have most of the characteristics of a black woman: ample booty, hips, thighs. kinky hair, full lips and a little attitude…lol. So with all that I do have some insight on the overall experience (especially in aesthetically) with being a Black woman. I too had a mother that instilled specific beauty principles about skin color, good hair, bad hair, perms, and the nappy head girls up the street. I had to endured the burn of S curls and other texturizers to get my hair to do what my mom felt was acceptable and attractive. I alway thought the community aka the Black girls would discount what I had to say based on what I am. I was already light skin, which for some reason take away from my Blackness in some folks perspective. So now I want to talk about natural hair? Oh No! In my experience, the ”sistas” are not the most accepting bunch of women (except when it comes to what they will accept from deadbeat men but hey that another blog post). Which is ironic because the “sistas” have been the most misrepresented and put down group throughout history. It so surprising to see the positive comments without negative innuendos that usually come. So I want to thank you all so much for appreciating my experiences in my natural journey.