All About Cie Marquise

This weeks nail color was inspired by Beyonce. Since the birth of her daughter, Blue Ivy, she's been spotted wearing this beautiful blue color on her nails. I've always thought blue nails were trashy and ghetto looking, especially on my skin tone. Ha! Leave it to Beyonce to turn my fashion thoughts upside down. I've been on the hunt for a perfect blue so here's my first attempt at finding one that works for me.

Neon Aqua is by Klean Colors (that beauty supply brand I told you about) and is a bright blue cream polish. It applies a little thick but I didn't need to reach for a polish thinner. It is a very opaque non-streaking color. And just because I am who I am, I added a little sparkle to this manicure. Also by Klean Colors, Sparkle Emerald has very small gold and green glitters/sparkles in an ocean blue jelly. After playing around, I realized I like the glitter without a base. I used three coats of Sparkle Emerald and two coats of Sally Hansen Mega Shine topcoat to finish off with smooth nails.

I took these picture from my iPhone, I think they are a little clearer, yes?

I'm really excited to show this manicure off to see people's reactions. It is totally different from my usual pink/red/nudes but its definitely growing on me. I'm tempted to put a white crackle over it. What do you think, is this color too much?

Let me be the first to admit that I was soooooo intimidated by this color. I had first seen it in a youtube video and immediately thought "purple lipstick? no way". And I kept that opinion for months until one Monday when I saw Chrissy Lampkin's (from Love and HipHop) makeup from her engagement episode.

photo courtesy of socialiteworld.com

With a changed heart, I set out to find the perfect purple lip. After some investigation, I realized that the lip liner is what actually "made" this look. By a fluke, I was driving by my local Sears Essential (like K-Mart) and noticed they were going out of business and rushed in to see the sale. I picked up Cover Girl Lip Perfection in Divine (#330) and a darker purple/raisin liner by Jordana called Easyliner for Lips in the color Cabernet.

Both the liner and the lipstick apply in a smooth non-tugging manner. Divine does come off more pink on the lips but the liner gives the purple tint. Also this lipstick has MAJOR staining powers, so much so that when the lipstick wears off a simple lip balm can be added to provide a pink lip stain look. This can be a pro or a con depending on your personal style. I actually couldn't even remove the left over color with a vaseline and towel rub. However with all that, I think this lipstick is going into my favorites  category.

Dried Kinky Curly on my Hair

 Jordana's EasyLiners for Lips can be found at Kmart and Sears Essentials for $1.99 and CoverGirl Lip Perfection retails for $6.99 at most major drugstores.

Here's a small bundle of things I bought this last week. Most of the stuff was found on-sale (like always).

The Repairing Awapuhi Ginger Conditioner and Instant Recovery Mask were bought from RiteAid at a buy 1 get 1 half off sale.


I actually bought this Organix nourishing Coconut Conditioner before I realized there was a sale and actually bought this at WalMart. (Still cheaper than my nearby Target and CVS)

These were found at a Sears Essentials store closing sale. The following were purchased at 30% off retail price:

My new obsession. Sally Hansen Mirror Shine Quick Dry Top Coat. 60 seconds to perfectly shiny and dry nails. No more waiting for my polishes to air dry. WORTH IT!



*** All of these products can be found at your local drugstore 

I went to a salon and got a much needed professional manicure. You know with the added massage and super smell goods. Well I actually think my mind needed the relaxation of a manicure/pedicure than my nails needed the treatment. Sometimes all you need is a mani/pedi and those 30 minutes to put your phone on silent and just focus on yourself not your stress. 

This is a bit more orange than the actual bottle color . My nails have slightly more pink

Notice the gold shimmer

 I'm back lovelies. Two weeks of test and exams down and now I can have a sigh of freedom. I have so much to talk about, I don't even know where to start. Well lets start with WEN by Chaz Dean. As you remember, I received this product from my January GlamBag. Let me just stay that I LOVE this product. I am actually going to buy a full size bottle of this cleansing conditioner.


Let's start with what is WEN exactly. It is a conditioner that doubles as a shampoo; however, it does not have the lather and repeat cycle that we are all used to. Instead, you apply a generous amount of the cleansing conditioner to the hair and scalp and massage gently for a few seconds. Then let it sit on hair for approximately five minutes. (During this time, I actually tied my hair up and finished my shower). Finally rinse the product off your hair and your good to go. I received the Sweet Almond Mint version and I must admit I was a little worried about having a strong tingling sensation that most mint products produce but this one had none. Rather, the mint only added to the light and refeshing fragrance. I liked the fact that I didn't spend a ton of time washing my hair and then waiting for the conditioner, in fact I think I cut my total time down by at least 15 minutes. You know what that means MORE SLEEP!! =) When I got out of the shower, I literally ran the comb through my hair, with absolutely NO tangles. I kid you not. I have never ever washed my hair and had no tangles without a leave in to help. I also didnt have any waxy buildup and no adverse affects with the styling products. Another big plus, the Cleansing Conditioner is sulfate free.

As with all products this one does have its downfalls. First up is the cost, from Chaz Dean's website the Cleansing Conditioners retail for $32 for 16 oz. but it does come with a 60 day money back guarantee (I'm sure there are many stipulations on the return so be careful when ordering). Also, I'm not sure if this product is good for those who wash there hair less than once a week. When I used this product I started with straight hair. I first washed with my Johnson's Natural Baby Shampoo and styled as usual. However, in the next couple of days I used WEN to remove all the old product for fresh curls. (It was perfect for this job alone)

There is a dupe for this product at Sally's Beauty called One. I have not used this product and many people either love it or hate it when comparing it to WEN. I have no immediate plans to buy the Sally's version.

Online now at wenhaircare.com is a special that includes a 30 day supply of Cleansing Conditioner, Styling Creme, ReMoist Hair treatment, and two "bonus" items which are the Texture Balm and a Wide Tooth Comb. This seems like a pretty sweet deal for only $29.95 with free shipping. However, PLEASED BE WARNED that WEN will continue to charge your credit card every 90-days at $29.95 + 8. 99 shipping for a 90-Day supply. There is no minimum purchase and you can cancel at anytime, which seems perfect to me.

Have you tried WEN by Chaz Dean before?

As previously mentioned I have a lot going on this week- two midterms and a quiz. Just thinking about me makes me shiver with fear. So therefore this weekend has been filled with more studying than posting. I'm sorry! But I promise I have some new things in the works. Have a great week, and if you dont have a Valentine's just "be mine" =) 

So I figured since its Valentine's day, I might as well get inspired by the upcoming "holiday". Although I have a test and quiz that day (aka no social plans, since I'll most likely be sleep), I think a bright red manicure with hearts will definitely keep my spirits high.

I used Sinful Colors GoGo Girl (#852) which is a fire engine red [o yeah, i went there =)] and foil glitter hearts by Klean Colors in Twinkly Love (#38). Now the Klean Colors brand can be hard to find as its not in drugstores. I actually found this color in downtown LA but I have also seen this brand in small beauty supply houses. Therefore, you can use any heart nail design, I actually just used a toothpick to move and position the little love symbols. In my first design I only used three hearts, then I said why not go all out and covered the entire nail. Enjoy!

Just for kicks!

Sinful Colors are available at most drugstores for $1.99 and Walgreens has them on sale for $0.99 this week. 

1. My favorite color is PINK all shades, just lovely!
2. I am a Libra! Indecision plagues my life because I always weigh the pros and cons of each situation
3. Glitter makes me smile, so I tend to wear it on my nails a lot
4. My hair is always, ALWAYS done before I go out in public
5. I love to read, all genres except scary. I especially enjoy lady detectives
6. I hate scary movies (starting to see the pattern lol)
7. I’m a foodie, absolutely love pasta, sushi, and tacos
8. I can’t stand to leave the house with wrinkled clothes
9. I am an only child
10. I can’t live without butter and cheese
11. I am studying Biology and graduating in June with absolutely no idea what I’m going to do next (hince the Libra personality)
12. I am a Christian. I don’t speak of my religion, I rather show people how to be a Christian than to peach it to them.  I’m not perfect but I try daily
13. I hate to exercise and sweat. I prefer to get my exercise by walking the mall and lifting my bags =)
14. I drink an average of 1-1.5 liters of water a day
15. I prefer to be warm than cold
16. I love the beach
17. My family is my world and loyality is everything
18. I love to travel and hope to visit every state in the United States. I have been to 20 states so far and am planning an East Coast trip soon
19. I drink Starbucks daily sometimes twice a day. I am a proud gold card holder
20. I love to smile until my cheeks hurt

I finally returned to my parent’s house and picked up my January Glam Bag. “What is a Glam Bag” you ask? Well a Glam Bag is a makeup bag sent via mail from youtube guru Michelle Phan’s company MyGlam. A bag is sent out every month with 4-5 deluxe sample or full size beauty products. The Glam Bag cost $10 a month which includes shipping as well. It’s something like a Birch Box but with bigger samples. This is my first beauty by mail subscription and I must say I was pretty excited to finally pick mine up from my LA house.

The Entire contents of the bag

How the bag came

The Envelope: Sooooo Cute