Lets talk about conditioners
So I’ve been thinking about my holiday hair and what style I’m looking to achieve.  I’m thinking of wearing it down with some bouncy curls after a nice roller set. I’ve also gone conditioner crazy these past few weeks as well. But no matter what a conditioner promises to do to my hair and how strong and bouncy they promise my hair will feel, nothing has made my hair feel its best more than Devacurl One Condition.
My hair is always manageable and soft when I use it on my hair . Whatever tangles I have are instantly melted away once I use the One Condition.
Here are the other conditioners that I’ve bought in the past couple of weeks and my thoughts:
Biolage Ultra Hydrating Balm. Eh, I thought it was okay. I think I wanted it to have the same moisturizing effect as the Deva Curl One Condition, but it didn’t quite do it for me. It was moisturizing, but it wasn’t something that I’m going to run out and buy again when I’m low.
L’Oreal Vive Pro Hydra Gloss Conditioner. The big sell for me on this conditioner was the fact that it was pretty cheap at $2.99 at Ulta, and I heard the Royal Jelly is supposedly very beneficial to your hair. However, look at the ingredients and you see that the royal jelly is at the bottom. I mean, toward the Yellow 5 and Yellow 6 ingredients.  It wasn’t bad, per se, but I wasn’t completely sold. This might be good for a co-wash.
Miss Key 10 en 1 Super Conditioner.   This conditioner required that I order it online and I hate ordering products online, because…I’m that impatient. However, I’ve been using Dominican products more and more, starting with Lacio Lacio Leave-In and I’ve heard such good things about Miss Key. I haven’t tried it yet, I’m going to wait until the end of this week before I do so.
And last, but not least, AphogeeKeratin 2 Minute Reconstructer. Ah yes, a protein-based conditioner. I knew I needed to work one into my routine and I heard so many good things about Aphogee. Overall I like it. My hair was soft and it wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be.  I think I will be using this every other week or so.
Vogue
Oh yes, Ms. Hathaway. Hello, I don’t believe I’ve seen you on the cover of a US Vogue yet. However, I have seen 18 of your other acting counterparts for the better part of a decade now. Every now and then I may see a model, but I don’t count on it.
I’ve been reading Vogue magazine for over a decade now and much hasn’t changed between now and then. It’s mainly the reason why I haven’t clamored to buy it in recent years. I saw this article on Jezebel today on why they hoped the rumor that Vogue Paris editor-in-chief Carine Roitfeld would replace Anna Wintour was true. And I agreed with all of the points. Even if Roitfeld wasn’t the replacement, some new blood at American Vogue would be nice. However, I’m sure it won’t be happening anytime soon.
So I’ll continue looking at other fashion mags, including Elle, which has stepped it up in terms of content and editorials (they are still just as guilty of the celeb-driven covers) and Vogue Paris, when they won me over with the Sofia Coppola issue in 2004.
Perhaps one day, American Vogue will win me back and I’ll re-discover the eagerness from month to month. Or maybe it was just a growing phase and I’ve moved on to better.
Raspberry Beret
My self-imposed break from American Apparel isn’t going to last. Why? Because I need to get the beret posted above. I have a Marc Jacob’s beret that I bought not long ago, but I like that this one kind of…fluffs up just right.
FYI, it does come in raspberry as well.
Crazy for tights
The thing that I love about fall/winter the most are the tights/stockings. Nothing signals the start of the cold season to me more than covering up the bare legs. I’m a big fan of Givenchy hoisery, which is pretty durable and they always have some nice patterns. However, I see that Urban Outfitters has some nice tights/leggings (I sometimes wear leggings as tights). I might have to check them out. Here are some cute options:
These Either or Tights are pretty adorable. Yes, they are a knock off of the Chanel Two Tone tights, but a much cheaper option and just as chic.
I love the delicate look of these Wallpaper Floral Crochet Tights.
The more intricate the pattern, the more I like it.
And although these are leggings, I’d wear these with some nice knee length boots or shoe booties.
Polyvore Set–Back to Black
Polyvore is fun. It lets me create what I would wear if I had the means. I signed up awhile ago, but I hadn’t created any sets. I was just playing around and created the set below. I used Ms. Jourdan Dunn for my hair inspiration (yes, hair inspiration) and created an outfit using my favorite color to wear: black. Never over-used in my opinion.
Bejeweled:Tom Binns
This Belfast born jewelry maker has been on my radar for awhile now. Many of his pieces have a uniqueness to them, yet I can always tell when a jewelry piece is by Tom Binns if I spot it in an editorial or on a celebrity.
When Michelle Obama rocked a Tom Binns necklace earlier this year with an Isabel Toledo design, I thought it was a great combination. His designs have an edge to them but at the same time, there is an undeniable elegance. However, some of his designs are not for the girl who doesn’t like to stand out. He can pile on to his designs until only he feels that it is enough. And diamonds are not necessarily his best friend. In a Chicago Tribune article, Binns is quoted as saying, “”I’m sort of undermining the previous notion of what’s fashion and what’s jewelry,” he says. ” ‘A few old pieces of discarded junk and tie it around your neck.’ It’s a very simple equation.”
His pricing can range from about from the about $250 on the low-end to $20,000-30,000 on the high-end, but a typical costume jewelry piece is about $650-$1,200, depending on the materials that he uses.
And since I am living a frugal chic lifestyle these days, but I still covet one of his beautiful designs, I was looking at these simple, but classic earrings on Shopbop (shown below). They were originally $264.00, but marked down to $184.80.
Before their time: Donyale Luna
As many interested in fashion know, it has not gone unnoticed that fashion has suffered from a lack of diversity in the past few years. A few months ago, American Vogue had an article titled, “Is Fashion Racist”, which featured Chanel Iman, Jourdan Dunn and Arlenis Sosa. And Black models (and other ethnicities) have been missing from Vogue’s cover and editorials until very recently. Italian Vogue published their “All Black” issue in July to much fanfare and it became a best seller. And Ms. Naomi Campbell has spoken up about the issue and is said to be planning a London agency for Black models.
This brings me to the topic of this post, Ms. Donyale Luna. Ms. Luna was the first Black model to grace the cover of Vogue magazine in 1966. Born in Detroit with the birth name Peggy Ann Freeman, Ms. Luna was discovered by photographer David McCabe and quickly moved to New York to start her career. In addition to a modeling career, Ms. Luna was also a party of Andy Warhol’s Factory and starred in a Federico Fellini film. As a model, Luna supposedly demanded $60 a day for bookings, which was a pretty hefty rate during those times. During my research, I saw an excellent post from Afrobella, who excellently summed up her life and career.
The real shame is that Ms. Luna seemed to deny her Black ancestry and claimed anything but. In a profile written by Judy Stone for the New York Times, Luna’s background was described as ” Mexican, American Indian, Chinese, Irish and, last but least escapable, Negro”. When asked if she thought her appearances in films would bring more opportunity for Black actresses, she remarked, ““If it brings about more jobs for Mexicans, Chinese, Indians, Negroes, groovy. It could be good, it could be bad. I couldn’t care less.” Luna’s career declined when she started to exhibit unprofessional behavior. She died of a drug overdose in 1979.
Seeing how hard the path is for Black models today, Ms Luna definitely blazed a trail whether she wanted to or not.  Imagining how hard it was for her in the 1960′s, Luna definitely rose to succeed beyond expectations.  Here are a few more pics of Ms. Luna that I found from this website, The Beautiful and the Damned.
Face Time with Shu Uemura Cleansing Oil
I’ve always been intrigued by the oil cleansing method, and I know many people who swear by it, especially when they use castor oil to wash their face. I’m slowly getting into it and it brings me to my stellar review of Shu Uemura’s Cleansing Beauty Oil Premium.  I was a bit skeptical of using oil on my face, when I already have combo skin and the oil can be insane on my T-zone and especially on the nose. However, this cleanser is great! My skin doesn’t feel stripped at all and instead it feels refreshed.  Plus, it does a great job of taking off makeup.
For $32, you can the 150ml bottle, which should last at least a good 3-4 months, if not longer. A small amount of oil on the face can go a long way. For the time being, I think I’m going to put this cleanser into my “keep it” category.
I dream of…Rick Owens leather jacket
I’ve been in search of the perfect leather jacket for a long time. Yes, a leather jacket, even though I need to be wearing a parka in this weather. I’d like something with a nice cut, bomber style/biker style and very smooth. Thing is, like everyone else everywhere, I’m a chick on a budget. And to make matters worse, the process has been thorougly complicated by moi and my obsessive nature, because every leather jacket is compared to the incomparable. A Rick Owens leather jacket:
Fit for a First Lady
WWD posted designer sketches that were submitted if they were to design for the future First Lady’s innagural activities. For the most part, I liked many of them. Mrs. Obama has been hailed as a fashion breakout star during the campaign citing Chicago-based designer Maria Pinto as her early favorite.  And I personally loved her Thakoon floral print dress that she wore to the Democratic National Convention pictured above.
The opportunity to dress Mrs. O for the Inaugural activities and beyond would be exposure great for any designer.  Jacqueline Kennedy’s chose Oleg Cassini and current First Lady, Laura Bush, has favored Oscar De La Renta during her time in the White House.  However, with the exception of Maria Pinto and possibly Narcisco Rodriguez (who, by the way, I am surprised that we didn’t see a sketch from), I feel Mrs. Obama will switch it up a bit more and her fashion choices will make for an exciting and interesting four years.
Here the sketches that I think will be the most interesting if they were brought to life:
I think the red would really pop on Mrs. Obama. Plus, I love the one-shoulder aspect.
I’m a professed Rodarte fan for the most part, so I’m always intrigued by the Mulleavy sisters. I think the delicate design might work for Michelle and the Obama daughters.
This is pretty simple, but Winter White from Peter Som could be pretty nice.
And I know Oscar De La Renta has been in the fashion game for the White House First Lady’s for awhile now, so it’d be nice for a change, but I think the floral print would be nice.  This design would be a pretty safe and conservative choice.
And I’m not a Michael Kors fan generally, but I think the blue would be a nice color and the dress would work with her tall and slender figure.
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