My January Ipsy Glam Bag

Hey everyone,

I know this is very late BUT.... it's just something I just had to share. Last month I received my very first Ipsy glam bag and I was so excited that I just couldn't wait to see what came. For those of you who haven't been introduced to the company, Ipsy is a beauty subscription company and for a small fee of $10 US plus free shipping/ month, you get 5 beauty based items that is recommended just for you based on your beauty profile. I find that this is a great way for the eager and earnest beauty enthusiast on a budget to keep up with new trends and new products without breaking the bank.

The theme for the January Ipsy bag was 'All Eyes On You' so many of the products I received were focused on enhancing the eyes. Can't wait to see what I got? Well let's get to it then!!!

The cute bag that the products came in

The name glam bag is certainly no accident because every month the beauty products you receive come in a cute themed makeup bag that is just ah-may-zing. It's functional but still very stylish and cute which is always a bonus.

A peek inside my January glam bag

So let's get this show on the road and let me introduce you to some great products that were sent to me by Ipsy. Just a note: All the product descriptions are from the ipsy site to give you a small peek into what the products are all about.

1. Beau Gâchis Paris Smudge Brush

Beau Gachis Paris Smudge Brush

This Beau Gâchis Paris Smudge Brush is ideal for creating that soft, smoldering smoky look. The shorter bristles allow this brush to pick up the right amount of shadow, allowing you to control how much you want to apply.

2. TheBalm Cosmetics Mr. Write (Now)

theBalm Cosmetics Mr. Write (Now) eyeliner

These pencils deliver the long-lasting color you've been looking for, and have built-in sharpeners so they are always ready when you are. With high payoff, eight wearable shades, and a satin smooth texture, you get a long-lasting colour with a very rich payoff.

3. Marsk Mineral Eyeshadow

Marsk Mineral Eyeshadow

MARSK Mineral Eyeshadows are 100% natural, mineral based loose powder that are strictly cruelty free (not tested on animals) and available in a range of striking shades that offer endless colour possibilities for a professional makeup effect. Featuring a creamy texture, these highly pigmented powders are easily blendable and offer you the ability to create depth and intensity around the eye.

4. Lasting Smiles Lip Balm in Peppermint Creme

Lasting Smiles organic lip balm in Peppermint Creme

Lasting Smiles lip balms are organic and fairtrade certified with pure and moisturizing ingredients sourced from small scale global farming cooperatives. Add a bit of freshness to your lips with natural peppermint oil and a dollop of vanilla creme for a smooth finish. With coconut oil, shea, and cocoa butter for soft hydrated and healthy lips. Smile for a Cause because every 1,000 lip balms sold funds one cleft lip surgery - transforming a child's life forever!

5. OFRA Cosmetics Universal Eyebrow Pencil

Ofra Cosmetics Universal Eyebrow Pencil

OFRA’S Universal Eyebrow Pencil is the perfect solution for your eyebrows as this product is suitable for all skin tones. The more you apply the brow pencil the darker the color will get! It will also hold stray eyebrow hairs in place. This product can also double as an eyeliner or lip liner pencil!

A closer look at the Ofra eyebrow pencil

That's all for now folks. Awww... gone so soon? So let's keep in touch. Leave your comments and questions below or follow my facebook page: Nella Verde. See you soon!!!

My Most Kissable Red Lipsticks for Valentine's Day

Greetings everyone,

Classic red lips have been a signature staple of many women for many years. It has become one of the ultimate beauty essentials in every woman's beauty arsenal.  A bold lip is a great way to dress up any outfit and look elegant and serene with minimal effort. And best of all, it never goes out of style.

Valentine's day is right around the corner and that means for many of us there's bound to be some smooching involved. And if you're like me and you've been lusting after an amazing red lipstick to complement a killer outfit, then you've definitely come to the right place. So I figured this was the perfect time to share some of my favourite red lipsticks with you.

There are definitely a lot of choices, but some reds are definitely superior to others. Not to mention if you're not able to break the bank or if you're able to only splurge a little then these 4 are great for the budget-sensitive gal.

Mac Ruby Woo

When it comes to red lipstick, there are definitely a few shades that stand out from the rest for the intensity of their color and being more flattering. Ladies and Gentlemen, Mac Ruby Woo is DEFINITELY one of those lipsticks. A lipstick shade that is as classic as the red lipstick trend itself, Ruby Woo is a matte red with a blue base, which means it is flattering to those with cooler colouring. It is one of those lipsticks that just seems to blend well and magnify the beauty of every shade and skin tone. It is literally perfect for any occasion and every woman.

LA Girls Matte Pigmented Lipgloss: Frisky

The matte lip craze has been an ongoing trend for a few years now. I mean who doesn't love bold colours and a longlasting lipstick? This LA Girls matte lipgloss is the perfect budget-friendly lip product for the everyday girl wanting to make a bold statement. It is a bright red with a subtle hint of pink that can stop anyone in their tracks. This bold matte shade provides a rich, showstopping and intense color in a flat finish for all day wear. It is a definite must have for your vday date and special bonus: It lasts ages!!!!

LA Girls Matte Pigmented Lipgloss: Secret

Much like its sister Frisky; Secret likes to strut its stuff whenever it goes out on a night on the town. It's a dark red with purple undertones, almost nearing maroon/burgundy. This beautiful colour is perfect to keep those puckers pursed and that smile seductive. The long wearing formula goes on as a high pigmented liquid and dries to a flat matte finish. Leaving lips coloured in gorgeous velvety perfection that last and lasts!

LA Colors Vitamin E & Aloe Vera Enriched Lipstick: Jazzy Red

LA Colors Jazzy Red is a bright red lipstick that is great for a girl about town. It has got loads of pigment and goes on smoothly and evenly. You only need to apply it a couple of times throughout the night, which is always a bonus when you have a little too much fun and loads of smooching going on. This lipstick gives me confidence and makes my lips and brown eyes pop with its bright red tone. And best of all it's pretty cheap so it won't make a huge dent into your pocket.

Just a final thought before I leave you. Remember, the perfect red lipstick has a lot to do with your skin tone so I suggest testing before you buy anything new.

So what about you? Do you have a favourite red lipstick? Let me know below! Leave a comment or question below or hit me up on my facebook page: Nella Verde.

Black Fashion Icons: Then & Now

Greetings everyone,

We're into the second month of 2016 and for many of us who are of African descent, it becomes an important time of reflection, honouring and rebuilding as we focus on those who came before us. We try in some way to learn more about our ancestors and their contributions not only to our community but to the world at large.

This month I've decided to look at black women who have made significant impact in the Beauty & Fashion industry. Many black women have managed to breakdown stereotypes and pushed the boundaries to make significant contributions to the evolution of style and beauty. These icons have paved the way and revolutionized the way in which we look at black beauty. This is but a humble list as I can no way cover all the wonderful and beautiful black women who have made great contributions to the beauty and fashion industry. This will be a post series beginning with the honouring of the women of the past and ending with a focus on the women of today who continue to make strides in black beauty and fashion.

So let's begin with a woman like no other who changed the fashion and beauty world completely !!!

Josephine Baker

  This American-born French dancer, singer, and actress is praised as one of the most influential style icons of her time and is revered today. She is noted as the first black fashion trendsetter. Decked out in diamonds and pearls and sporting a skirt of bananas, a topless Josephine Baker made her Folies Bergere debut to the shock and admiration of Paris. So phenomenal was her performance at the Folies Bergere in 1925, she ignited the trend of sun tanning among whites. She was even called “the most sensational woman anyone ever saw.” by Ernest Hemingway. The "Black Pearl" or "Bronze Venus" as she was so affectionately called, forged the path for the glamorous ‘flapper girl’ style of the Jazz Age.

She was born Freda Josephine McDonald in St. Louis, Missouri, on June 3, 1906 to washerwoman Carrie McDonald and vaudeville drummer Eddie Carson. Josephine grew up cleaning houses and babysitting for wealthy white families who reminded her "be sure not to kiss the baby." She got a job waitressing at The Old Chauffeur's Club when she was 13 years old.  She was married and divorced four times, a brief marriage to Willie Wells, a marriage to American Willie Baker in 1921 (whose last name she chose to keep), Frenchman Jean Lion in 1937 (from whom she attained French citizenship) and French orchestra leader Jo Bouillon in 1947 (who helped to raise her 12 adopted children).

Josephine toured the United States with The Jones Family Band and The Dixie Steppers in 1919, performing various comical skits. When the troupes split, she tried to advance as a chorus girl for The Dixie Steppers in Sissle and Blake's production Shuffle Along. She was rejected because she was "too skinny and too dark." Undeterred, she learned the chorus line's routines while working as a dresser. Thus, Josephine was the obvious replacement when a dancer left. Onstage she rolled her eyes and purposely acted clumsy. The audience loved her comedic touch, and Josephine was a box office draw for the rest of the show's run.

However, her true success as a performer and style icon came when she moved to Paris, where her stardom and influence flourished and afforded her great success.

Want to learn more about this phenomenal woman? Check out: http://josephinebaker.com/ and http://www.cmgww.com/stars/baker/about/biography.html

Product Review: BB Color Show Lipsticks

Miss your New Year’s midnight kiss? Make up for it this Valentine’s Day with a little help from Cupid. There are plenty of lip balms, glosses, and tints out there to make sure you’re prepped to pucker up for that special someone. What’s even better is that they come in a variety of rich shades that are good enough to eat – or at least lick. But don’t just count on a creamy color or subtle flavor to do the trick: make sure you’re lips are exfoliated, moisturized, and primed before you lean in for that kiss. After all, Cupid can’t do all the work.

Last week I went to my local wholesale just browsing to see if anything caught my eye. And low and behold, I saw these beauties peeking out at me. The Pieridae BB Color Show moisture is not a widely known brand but I thought why not give it a try. The title suggests a moisture-rich lipstick that's perfect if you're worrying about the pesky drying effect some lipsticks have. Since this isn't a well-known brand I thought I would give it a review, for anyone who wants to try something new.

Packaging: It's contained in a plastic encasing with beautiful gold writing pressed against a gold and white background as seen in pictures. It gives the look and appearance of being expensive while not being a huge dent in your budget.

Product: It applies effortlessly and evenly. Enriched with vitamin E it feels soft and smooth on the lips and doesn't have that drying effect you find in some lipsticks. Moisture is a big issue for me when it comes to lipsticks because let's face it, who wants chapped lips? 

 Colour: The colour payoff is pretty good. The colour on the skin is quite similar to the one that you see pop out of the tube whenever you uncap the tube. The only drawback is it takes around 2-3 smears of the lips for the colour to be extremely bright and vibrant. But once it's on, the colour is beautiful.

Colour: The colour payoff is pretty good. The colour on the skin is quite similar to the one that you see pop out of the tube whenever you uncap the tube. The only drawback is it takes around 2-3 smears of the lips for the colour to be extremely bright and vibrant. But once it's on, the colour is beautiful.

Duration: It lasts about 2-3 hours before you need to reapply. Also be warned, it easily comes off whenever you drink and eat so the reapply time may be drastically reduced.

Cost:$200J (~$2 US) So it is relatively cheap and is a great product that doesn't break the bank

Overall: I would give this product a 7/10.

Celebrating Black History- Mae C. Jemison

February marks the celebration of Black History Month. A month of acknowledging the greatnesss of those inspirational black men and women who have left and indelectable influence on the world today.

Today we discuss and celebrate Mae C. Jamison. It you're interested in a full bio: click here

Being a young 20 something on a budget, I love finding great opportunities to look good for less. Yes I admit it, I love the cheap and cheerful variety. So when I saw these beautiful lipsticks I just jumped at the opportunity to purchase them. And seeing they were at an affordable price, who could resist only buying 1?

The LA colors hydrating lipsticks enriched with vitamin E are described as a line of hydrating color lipsticks that nourish and moisturize lips while giving them the vibrant color. Enriched with vitamin E, it goes on with ease and leaves lips feeling soft and supple. 

I purchased the colours Vampy, Sweetie, Bordeaux and Razzle Dazzle. I admit I didn't know what to expect with these colours. It was my first time buying and I did absolutely no research prior to buying. But I am happy to report that they are just as the product has been described. 

Packaging: The packaging is simple and has a clear cap that you can see the colour of the lipstick in the tube. I really love this little detail as I often find with some other brands the colour on the container is not exactly whats in the tube.

Product: Usually I find lipsticks very drying and cause my lips to be chapped. And I always have to put on lip balm or chapstick before my lipstick application.But with these little lovelies I was able put them on just like that. They provide all the moisture you need. It applies smoothly and evenly. The lipstick spreads on thick, has great pigmentation and is very creamy therefore you can apply without pulling and dragging. And most importantly, the colour pay off is great. I do find that you have to reapply during the day, approximately every 2-3 hours.  Still, it's perfect for everyday use and perfect for special occasions.

The lipsticks also have a sweet, vanilla-like scent which is unmistakable upon removing the cap. This makes it very pleasing not only to the lips but also the nose.  

Razzle Dazzle: A deep pink that adds a glorious pop of colour

Sweetie: A light pinkish-nude colour

Bordeaux: A deep burgundy colour with mild copper and plum undertones 

Vampy: A blood reddish-burgundy colour 

Best of all they have more than 40 shades to choose from, so that everyone can find that perfect shade to fall in love with. Although based on your location and stock availability the shades may differ. And L.A. Colors is a cruelty-free brand which is a huge bonus and reason to support this brand.

Cost: Retails at $2. 49 US on drugstore.com. However I found these lovelies in my local Woolworth for $200 J and I've also seen them in Clocktower Plaza for the same. 

Grade: 9/10. Overall, I had a great experience with this product and would definitely recommend this to a friend. 

The Best Lessons I Learned About Failing

As it gets closer to the end of the year, it becomes a time for reflection and examination. Looking back on the year that has passed and think about our goals, our plans, our successes, our failures and all the life changes that have occurred in 2015. For many of us, 2015 opened new doors and we are proud to say we accomplished most if not, all of our goals. But for the vast majority of resolution-makers, it became another year of failures, lost dreams, ruined plans and grave disappointments. Personally, 2015 was one of the most challenging and arduous years of my life. I failed many times over, was successful at a few and had many trials and tests of my persistence. However, in the end, there is one great gift that 2015 has given me and that was a great lesson in failure. And of all the lessons I've learned on failure, these are but the 3 I found to be the greatest help in my ability to push through and finish the year on a successful note. 

1) Failure isn't permanent.

As a child growing up, one of my absolute greatest fears was that of failure. If I got anything less than 90% on a test I thought my world was coming to an end. It became so crippling that if there was even the hint or possibility of failure, I would quit before I even began. Now this is a problem that is not exclusive to me. As children, we are often taught to fear failure and avoid mistakes. Our society preaches perfection from our looks to our careers and as a result, many of us are so afraid of failing in life, failing at our jobs, failing our families that we refuse to even try and accomplish that major goal that's been weighted on our shoulders for years. We would rather play it safe, not take chances, not explore, not even stick our necks out to try. But what society never tells us is that you don't often get it on the first try and that it often takes repeated efforts to get to success. Failure isn't permanent. It's a setback and NOT a full stop. It is a chance for growth and a lesson in what doesn't work, so we can finally find the one thing that does. Failure is a means to an end, not the end itself.

2) Failure is a Lesson, Learn it.

There is a big misconception that all those wildly successful amongst us must have been born with an innate ability to succeed, or just exposed to the right people and the right opportunities that have made them successful. The idea that they have never failed in their lives and if you fail you are just not worthy of success. But this just isn't true. There is nothing wrong with failing. All the great innovations and all the great accomplishments involve failure. Most persons identify failure as the opposite of success, but it truly isn't. Failing is rather the path to success and merely a process in the journey. The true opposite of success is not trying.  How can you expect to get ahead by sitting on your behind? How can you expect to succeed if you don't even try? As arguably the greatest basketball player of all time Michael Jordan says, "I can accept failure. Everyone fails at something. But I can't accept not trying." Remember, every failure is a lesson and an opportunity to return better, stronger, smarter and more prepared than ever before.

3) Failure is growth. 

You can read a thousand motivational articles, listen to a hundred key note addresses and read as many books on success that you can find but nothing will improve you, or bring you closer to success than failure. Embrace your failures and grow from them. Use them as the propeller to keep moving forward towards all your goals. All successes are built on failure so focus on improving what has succeeded in the past and build on it. And if you aren't failing then you aren't trying hard enough, you aren't taking risks and you aren't growing. With each failure you grow, you become bigger, you learn new and important things and you get one step closer to reaching your goals. Failing sucks. But it happens to all of us. And how you react to the events in your life will be the biggest determinant of who you are.  

I leave you with this quote from Winston Churchill, "Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm."