You Are Perfect

I was driving today and this song came on and it's always been one of my favorites! This is dedicated to all my beauties and myself, who has ever doubted herself, questioned her purpose or felt less than and not enough! God created one you, one me, embrace your life and know that you are exquisitely perfect!! Muah!

Nail Colors To Get You Ready For Spring

I have been obsessing lately over my nails!! Usually not a nail freak, simply because I'm not good about keeping up with the cracks and chips that tend to occur after a crazy three days for me. So I keep my nails bare so they won't look terribly neglected!! But I recently decided, no matter what, even if it's 2am I'm going to take the time to light the fire in the nail department!

Here is what we have to look forward to for Spring 2012 ladies!!

Glitter, Glitter and more 3D Holographic Glitter:

Glitter polish of course has been around for awhile, nothing new, but it's getting a redo with some new variations, like the 3D holographic version! This looks super cool on the nails and Nicki Minaj is lending her Fabulousness to a new line for OPI called Pink Friday due in stores Spring 2012! The 3D colors from this line are called Save Me and Metal 4 Life!

Green is for Envy:

This spring is going to be all about the green! But not just any green, for example, dark greens are out, I'm talking light, baby greens are in!

Essie Nail Polish in Navigate Her, $8 launches in February.

MAC Nail Polish in Mischevious Mint, $15. Gosh I remember when I worked for MAC the polishes were only $8, talk about inflation!!

Chanel Nail Polish in Jade, $26.

Light Brights:

butter London is a favorite of mine! They are a fairly new nail lacquer company (est. 2005) and were the first company to launch non-toxic nail polish in the United States! That's big-nail color free of all the harmful crap, like Formaldehyde, Toulene, DBP, and Parabens-really??! The colors for Spring are bright, neon and fall down fantastic! Check it!

butter London Nail Polish in Slapper, $14.

butter London Nail Polish in Disco Biscut, $14. Love, love, love...

butter London Nail Polish in Knackered, $14. There's that glitter I was talking about!!







Skintone Match Anyone?:

Nude colors have always been the safe bet for our conservatives, but a new twist on that is matching your skintone. When you put colors that match your skintone on your nails it gives the illusion of your fingers lengthening or skin continuing. It's actually pretty cool!

Sally Hansen Nail Polish in Choco-Latte, $5.99.

Sonia Kashuk Nail Polish in Chocoholic, $4.99. This would be my color and it looks delicious!

Pastel Pastry Treats:

Pastels are just too adorable to ever pass up! For spring, think pistachio greens and butterball beiges and yellows!

butter London Nail Polish in Trout Pout, $14.

These colors from Orly are a perfect example!

Orange Fiya:

Orange is on fire this season!! From the neon, retro brights to the red-oranges, orange is going to be Huge!!

Sephora by OPI Nail Polish in Paisley Attention To Me!, $9.50; Le Metier De Beaute Nail Polish in Not So Safe Orange, $18 available in late January at Bergdorf Goodman.

Last but certainly not least,

Fast Girl Pinks and Hot Boy Blues:

Bright fuschia pinks will replace the safe, go to baby pinks for fingers!! Go all out and have a blast with it!! And the hot blues will follow us from the fall right into Spring!

OPI Nail Polish in Blue My Mind, $5.99.

Zoya Nail Polish in Lolly, $8.







Which colors are your faves? Post it!!

Georgetown Cupcake

The other day was a yummy day!! My first time tasting a Georgetown Cupcake and now I see what all the fuss is about! Because of these cupcakes I MUST implement a "free day" from my health regimen at least twice a month to enjoy one or two *wink* of these babies!

The story behind this adorable cupcake boutique is so lovely and inspirational! Two sisters left their careers behind to pursue their passion of baking and the rest is history! I love a "start from the ground up" success story!

American Pride

It was a rainy day and while I didn't feel the need to overdo it in the fashion department, I still wanted to look cute as usual! I dressed from the feet up, so whatever I wore had to work with my polka dot rain boots!

I got these comfy rain boots from Target a couple of years ago and love them!! Target is quickly becoming my go to place for cute knick knack items!

I wanted to brighten the day a bit with some American pride, so I threw on my U.S. flag t-shirt from Lady Foot Locker!

 One of the newest pieces added to my wardrobe is the Aztec print wrap coat! This was a "Merry Christmas" from myself to myself:) from Urban Outfitters, which btw is one of my favorite places to shop for different, unusual stuff! I love, love this coat and you will see in the photo below that it is quite versatile!

The silver purse is one of my oldie but goodie vintage finds from years ago and it's so Studio 54!

I really love how all of these colors and the two bold prints, polka dots and Aztec, came together!!

For makeup, I kept the focus mostly on my cheeks with a wonderful color I just got from NARS called Mata Hari!! This color is delicious on so many fronts! I mean I pretty much didn't need to rock any other color but this! I am wearing Black Tied eyeshadow by MAC as a liner on my top lids and my new NYX gloss Cafe Latte, that's it!

And here's another look with the wrap coat! The dress I got from a thrift store and boots are Nine West.

Drugstore Beauty Product Reviews

How many times have you found yourself in the local CVS, Walgreens, RiteAid etc. staring at all of your beauty product options, but not quite sure which one of these wonderful packaged items actually delivers on their promise to outperform the others. I know I have countless times. Well here is a list of some products I've tried recently and the results.

Ok, so I bought these towelletes awhile ago and actually just got around to using them. I figured cucumber is very soothing to the skin, so these little babies can't go wrong. However, I found them to sting a bit, not too much where it caused pain or anything, but I definitely felt a stinging sensation. They did remove my makeup fairly well, but I would avoid these if you have sensitive skin or skin that doesn't appreciate sting:).

Must Have!!!

I have been using this product off and on for years and it is the best $4 I have spent in awhile!! Not only is it super cheap, but this mask works better than it's expensive counterparts! The mint ingredient really opens the pores of the skin and cleans out the dirt and debris. It leaves your skin feeling so refreshed and rejuvenated and I noticed it reduces the appearance of large pores also! Love it, this is a must stock!

This is my new lovey!! I mentioned this product in a previous post and promised to share the love!! For only $2 at your local beauty supply store, you can have one of the best darn glosses ever, my favorite color is Cafe Latte (shown in the picture)! These glosses go on smooth and are not tacky and cakey like some glosses and I usually don't have to reapply for hours!

Another NYX fave is their nail polishes!! They have the cutest colors, Fierce Purple is my favorite and of course very cheap, $1.99! I have yet to see NYX in my local drugstore, but you will find this line in all beauty supply stores, Targets and most Sally's! I plan to try their eyeshadows soon and will let you know the outcome.

I didn't actually purchase this product, it was handed down from a friend. But nonetheless I gave it a try, because I see it all the time in the drugstore and thought it might be a quick, cheap fix when my MAC foundation gets low and I don't feel like hauling ass to the mall and spending $28. But no, not going to work for me. It's not horrible, and it could be great for someone looking for light coverage, but I prefer medium to full coverage with my foundation. It's very watery and it goes on thin. For some this may work great, but if you need better coverage I would pass.

That's all for now, but just in case you find yourself in the store searching for that perfect product, Beauty.com recently launched this really cool app for iPhone users that allows you to access more than 200 beauty products and their customer reviews quickly and easily from your phone. It also lets you arrange your top picks under the "Your List" function for easy purchase right from your phone.

Here's the screen shot!! Cool right?!

Thanks so much for following me and if you haven't joined yet please do, I will be giving away some cool beauty swag once I reach the big 50 for subscribers!! Stay Beautiful Beauties!

Fresh Words Market

So I am super excited about a new journey I am embarking on! B3llacara is partnering with Fresh Words Market, a hella cool, vibrant, uplifting company that makes a line of modern art for adult and children's spaces!! This company is absolutely Fabulous, because the art is more of a movement! Their prints are so vibrant in color, which lifts the mood and the messages are so positive!! Most importantly and one of the main reasons I chose this company to partner with-20% of proceeds go to women and children focused initiatives around the world, like PEACE Mexico!! Now that's big in my book!!

I just ordered this gorgeous print and can't wait to put it in my bathroom, which is in renovation mode!! Yay!!

They also make journals!

And children's art, which I'm very excited to add to my boy's bedroom and playroom decor!!

To view all of the wonderful products Fresh Words Market has to offer please click on the link on the right hand menu bar. If you like and I know you will:), please refer all friends and family to B3llacara so they can grab some great prints as well!!

As always thanks so much for following my blog and if you haven't joined the site already, I would love to have you on board, so please join today!!

Jatonia Talks: Hair, Skin and Health

I am a strong believer in fate and that God places people on your path and in your life for a reason. I have been off my health game for a long time now and trying to find my way back to eating right and exercising regularly despite my chaotic and often unpredictable mommy schedule. I was in the beauty supply store a couple of weeks ago and this woman walks up to me and asks for my opinion on the NYX lipglosses. Now you know me, always down to talk makeup and beauty products, jumped at the opportunity to give my opinion on NYX, which btw is a great product line for super duper cheap, but I'm digressing and will dedicate another post to that.:) Long story short, we get on the topic of hair and I learn that she has long, beautiful hair tucked under her scarf. After chopping off my locs five years ago, I have been trying to grow my hair long, it gets about shoulder length and then just sheds...yes very frustrating. So I asked her how did you get that length? Her one word answer, can we guess...diet. Specifically, healthy eating!

There are many of you reading this that may already have your desired hair length or may not struggle with maintaining your hair at all, but for those beauties who find growing and keeping a certain length very frustrating, I decided to share some of her tips and advice.

I learned during my very first interview for this blog...YAY:)...that Ms. Jatonia's way of life is not only good for the hair, but for the mind, body and soul!

Tell me about your hair. What role does it play in defining your beauty?

It's funny, because I get so much attention from guys and girls alike because of my hair and that can be hard at times, because I'm more than this hair. I love my hair, but I don't let it define me, because it does not make me who I am. There are times when I wear a short weave just to see if I will get the same attention I get when my hair is out and I notice when I do this, while I still get a great deal of attention, I see that it forces people to look at the whole me and not stop at the hair. So I will get compliments on my short hair cut, but also "wow you have such a cute figure" or "I love those shoes." Their eyes travel down instead of stopping at the hair. So that's fun also.

How long has it taken to get your hair to this length?

My hair grows so fast, really. I can cut it to shoulder length tomorrow and by summer it will be long again! I've had some people tell me how lucky I am to have hair that grows like that, when in all actuality, we all have hair that grows fast, but if it's not taken care of, it will break off before the length is even noticed and can gain momentum.

What is your haircare regimen?

Friction is your hair's worst enemy. Therefore, most days I wear my hair up so that the ends are not brushing against my clothes. Also it is very important to wrap your hair every single night or sleep with a satin or silk pillowcase. Cotton is very hard and abrasive to hair and the constant friction will lead to breakage. I wash my hair often, at least once a week. I use a product line called Silk Elements Shampoo and Conditioner, it is only available in salons.The cleaner your scalp the better environment to promote hair growth. Also, when I'm just sitting reading or watching TV, I give myself a scalp massage, no nails, just the balls of my fingers. Not only is this very relaxing, but it opens the follicles and promotes growth. To moisturize, I only use edible products-organic coconut oil and almond oil. That's it!

How often do you apply heat to your hair?

It depends on the style I'm rocking that week. If I'm going for the straight look, after washing my hair I use a flat iron that is fairly new in the beauty industry, called the Wet to Dry. It dries and straightens the hair in one while also sealing in moisture to the strands! It is fantastic! So to answer your question, I may apply heat to my hair 3 to 4 times per month and then the rest of the time I wear my hair curly to give it a break from styling and heat. Another flat iron that is highly recommended in producing beautiful, straight hair while preserving its health is the infrared flat iron.

(For all of my flat iron users, check out this article that goes into great detail on the different types of flat irons and the ones that really keep your hair healthy.)

Let's talk food, diet and how it relates to your outward appearance?

What you see on the outside is a reflection of what you are putting in your body. So if you eat bad you will struggle with skin issues, unhealthy hair, obesity and health problems. My diet is 100% organic and I am a juicer! Our bodies have to ingest 4 to 5 servings of fruits and veggies per day, it's a must. So I invested in a great juicer and I get my daily servings this way. My staple veggies and fruits that go in a nice morning shake are: kale, apples, ginger, pear, berries and carrots. For lunch I may mix some of the same, but add tomatoes, cucumber, celery and beets. When I tell people this, I get a lot of frowns or dead stares.:) I have also had people balk at the cost of an all organic diet, in which my response is usually-medical bills to fight off diseases such as cancer or high blood pressure will actually cost you more, which would you rather foot the bill for?

Some other great things to include in your diet: flax seed oil, omega fish oils, I take 1 tbsp of Apple Cider Vinegar once to twice a day, it's a great cleanser, and so is garlic. Also make sure you read the ingredients of the products you are using, rule of thumb, if you can't eat it or pronounce it-don't put it in your hair or on your body!

 What are some other holistic practices you use to contribute to overall health?

Every morning before I do anything, I have to meditate. Meditation is a great way to clear your mind of all the chaotic thinking that happens through the course of a day, a week, a month and just center yourself. Also another technique I find very calming is putting lavendar essential oil on my pillow. Research has proven that lavendar produces a very calming effect in the human body. Overall, I think the key to healthy hair, skin and an overall healthy you, is making sure your body gets what it needs to keep you shining from the inside out.

Thanks so much Jatonia for your wonderful advice and tips and just being the cool girl that shares her beauty secrets!! Stay Beautiful Beauty!!

A Pulp Fiction Sorta Day

I was out and about the other day running errands and touring potential preschools for the boys and I knew I needed to dress comfortable but cute! So I decided to channel Uma Thurman's outfit from Pulp Fiction...well sorta of anyway, you know I always add a little twist!

I had to throw my Gap corduroy blazer on the white blouse, to keep warm and because I just love a well fitted, stylish blazer with a cute scarf.

My lovely Coach diaper bag was my "push:)" gift after having my oldest son and it has weathered many of storms and still held up beautifully, hands down my favorite bag ever!

My little red riding hood ballet flats from The Gap are so very comfy and stylish! I just love em!

White buttoned down blouses are great for daytime looks as well as night. Because the white is so bright, it really stands out after hours!

So don't be afraid to rock this look day or night, just swap the flats for a hot stiletto!!

Thanx so much for following my blog and if you haven't joined already please do!!! Stay Beautiful Beauties!

Shoooo Love

My homegirl Nakkiyah posted this fabulous pic to Facebook a few nights ago and me being the shoe fanatic that I am had to refrain from running to her house and taking these little lovies right off her feet!

So darn cute!! Way to rock the latest fashion trend-leopard print and that red leather waist coat is oh so rocker chic !! Do it girlie!!:)

Steve Madden

Kimberly Synder: Nutritionist To The Stars & Now You:)

Omg Kimberly Snyder is the Nutritionist to the stars!! She's beautiful from the inside out and her beauty detox diet to achieving healthy skin, hair and body are the truth!! Please check out her interview from the Today show! Gosh, I wish I could afford to have this beauty on speed dial!! Nonetheless I'm already in the car to grab every single food from this video! See my results below the video!



After watching that extremely informative video, I headed over to Whole Foods for some healthy treats.

I'm a sucker for tea! Suprisingly the Rooibos tea was fairly inexpensive...well ok, only because I settled for the store brand, which was on sale for $3.99!! Woohoo! The OTHER brands were $10.99-$21.00-What!!! No gracias!

I was able to get the raw sunflower seeds for a great deal and the celery was also a steal! The other veggies were extremely expensive, so I will instead grab those from the local farmers market.

And my dinner for the night! I added celery, radishes, turkey, and sprinkled the sunflower seeds on top for a scrumptious salad!

Big thanks to Kim for the detox advice, I will be following her closely to stay on a healthy track! She also has a wonderful recipe for weight loss and a book!

Thanks for following beauties!! And if you haven't already joined the site, please do, I would love to have you on board!

What's Hot For Spring 2012

So far this DC winter has felt like an early spring, so I really can't complain and whine like years past for the warm weather to get here already. Since the weather has been so nice it has me already thinking what clothes I need to add to my wardrobe and what to get rid of for the upcoming season. So here is the fashion trend forecast for spring from the industry's top fashion designers.

Most of the top labels are sporting clean lines, floral and tropical prints and bold color!! So gone are the intricate complicated details of Balmain. Instead it seems looks from the 1950's and 60's are making a comeback in a very dramatic way, which is evident in the Prada, Proenza and Jil Sanders line! Check it out!


Prada Spring 2012

Proenza Schouler Spring 2012

Notice these two looks are very clean, straight and reminiscent of the 60's with a splash of color and floral print.

Jil Sanders brings 1950's Alfred Hitchcock back in a serious way in this photo shoot. From the knee length dress, to the skinny waist, this look is a vintage lovers dream! I love the structured feminine feel of it and that green is bananas! Color, color, color!

Ashley Greene, from Twilight is DKNY's new spokesmodel. Here she poses in head-to-toe DKNY Jeans Spring 2012! Love that red!

This is another Donna Karan look, which is extremely bohemian and fierce! However there is a lot of controversy surrounding this photo, which was taken in Haiti using the natives as backdrops.

Chanel is one of few designers who is not going bold color, floral print on us and instead playing with a classic black and white palette. Guess there will be a little something for everyone!

Some other little fashion trends to be on the look out for:

Brooches are making a come back in a big way! Vintage brooches, funky brooches, handmade brooches, floral brooches...brooches, brooches, brooches! If you don't already have a stash from the 80's run to your local thrift store and stock up!

Pin them on a dress, a classic t-shirt, a ripped pair of jeans or a knit hat, really the sky's the limit with this little embellishment! Have fun with it, go crazy!

The loose fit jean is Baaackk!! Case in point, check out these recent pics of our girl Ms. Rihanna!

 

All of you that miss the grunge, androgynous look I'm sure are turning cartwheels right now! I'm def feeling this look, especially for those "not so comfortable, bloat days" I think she rocks it, but then again Rihanna could make granny panties look hot, so!!

So what does this all mean for those of us not shopping these high end labels?

These designer labels shape what every season of fashion will look like, so whether your shopping at Neiman Marcus or Forever 21, these colors, prints, and styles are going to be the next best thing on the racks! So choose what works for you and rock it out!!