Last week as Co-host | Aloha Friday Blog Hop

OY! I’m late with this ladies. My deepest, most sincerest apologies!
I’m really thankful to have been a part of this blog hop as a co-host. I will continue to do this hop on Fridays, because it’s a great way to find new blogs. Thank you all who followed the rules of the hop, followed my social media and left lovely comments. I really was overwhelmed by it all. Thank you! Aloha Hoapili!!

Hey there people and a very Happy Aloha Friday to you all! Welcome to the most hoppingest of all hops – The Aloha Friday Hop 🙂

Our August team are a fantastic bunch of bloggers – they are so enthusiastic about the hop! Just don’t forget to head down to the linky to click and follow them when you link up your own lovely blogs 🙂 Our hosts and co-hosts links are always the first you will see, so it’s easy for you to click and follow.

Grab a button and link up below! If you’d like a different sized button click here.

Don’t worry if you already have Jean’s lovely Aloha buttons on your blogs – switch if you’d like to. Or choose one of Jean’s buttons here.

The rules are the same as before and are posted below. The Aloha Hop is one of the most hoppingest hops of the week, attracting over lots of linkups on the regular. Let’s keep that blogging tradition going people!

If you’d like to host future Aloha Hops with us then please get in touch at our swanky new email address alohahop@gmail.com

We’re all set for September and October with lots of lovely co-hosts but feel free to get in touch about November onwards.

If you’d like to spread the love even more, why not tweet and twitter all about it? Just click the pic below 🙂

Here’s the extra special addition to our lovely hop. It’s an oh-so-easy opportunity for you lovely participants of the Aloha Friday Blog hop to get some exposure to your blogs!!  What do  you have to do to enter?  Just link up to the Aloha Friday Blog Hop Below!! It’s that easy!!  No extra forms or hassle, just link up!  Each week we will pick a linker to featured at random and invite you all to say …

Grab a button if you were featured this week!

Aloha Hoapili translates as Hello Close Friend. So, without further ado let me introduce you to this week’s featured friend …

Maryam at Muslimah Luvs Makeup. 

Maryam blogs all about makeup, food and living a more sparkly life. Want a little taste of her blog? Check out these posts to find out what you’ve been missing:

Yummy Chicken Fajitas     Own Your Pretty     Summer Health & Beauty Essentials

Now let’s start hoppin’! Click on the links in the linky to visit some lovely bloggers and make new friends. Oh, and don’t forget to link up yourselves!

Aloha and have a great day people!

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August Favourites | Beauty

Hey all! I skipped out July.. actually July skipped me out, but I’m here for my August Favourites! Before we get into it, let’s not forget this week’s Weekly Wednesday Blog Hop. I’ve been so busy (I really need another word for it really), that I haven’t been able to reach as many of the lovely blogs on this hope as I’d like. But hopefully I do this week! This is a really great hop, so be sure to click the button and check out the linky list :).

I have been killing my Maybelline MasterShape brow pencil, spoken about in my June Favourites. It’s just the easiest most fool-proof way to groom your brows. Even in a hurry. I run the waxy crayon through my brows, brush through with the spoolie end, set with my e.l.f. clear brow gel and mascara duo (which is running low) then head out. That easy!

Next, I am loving the Smashbox Photo Op eyeshadow trio that I reviewed here. It’s so easy to wear everyday and the colours are lovely. I’ve switched from my BB cream and had been trying out a foundation, when I remember I had this powder foundation from Coastal Scents in my makeup collection. It’s really easy to wear, just use a fluffy brush for light coverage. It’s light-weight and does a good job at keeping me matte for a few hours in Barbados heat, and stays especially well with a primer.

Again I’ve been loving my e.l.f. Blush and Bronzer kit, this time using the blusher more often. I like the nice flush it gives. I got tons on compliments on it! This bright pink lipstick has also been making quite an impression this month too. Whenever I feel like wearing lipstick, I just swipe on a bit of Daddy’s Little Girl and I’m ready to head out feeling all put together!

For most of August and July I was wearing my BCBG bracelets to death. I mean I seriously had to stop myself. I’m such a klutz that when I least expect it, I’d scratch them. And I really don’t want them looking too beat up. So I’ve put them to rest a bit. Maybe next month I’ll be loving some new jewellery.

As for scent, this month and all summer basically I’ve been living in Bali Mango by BBW. The bodyspray was on sale back in May when I visited the US and I think I saw it on the website up to this month still on sale. It is one of the most yummy scents ever. If you like sweet scents with a hint of acidity, you would like this. Everyone compliments me when I’m wearing this haha.

Finally, it’s not a usual happening of mine, but I stumbled across a singer while I was watching AprilAthena7’s YouTube channel. I heard a song in one of her more recent videos that I loved. She had the link in her description, so I checked it out the artist (Charity Vance)and I love the music! She has such girly upbeat music, it makes me happy. Check Charity Vance out here on her site and take a listen. Her voice is beautiful! One of my favourites from her album is “Moving too Fast (The World Spins)”.

Nicole by O.P.I. You Can! | Swatches

Hey all! I know I hardly do nail swatches, but I have a few newer polishes to show you. I picked up this one on clearance in Bed, Bath and Beyond (yes I had no idea they even sold make up). I think it was about $3-4USD and I had used a coupon as well. So YAY for the savings! These are usually $8, if you go in a BBB check the clearance bin for nice polishes.  This is Nicole by O.P.I. “You Can!”. I love what the description says on their website!

It’s been a while since I had any nude polishes, so I though this would do the trick.  “You Can!” is a sheer beige frost which I think could be built up to opacity by 3 thin coats.  In these photos, I did just 2 coats to show you, but you could do more if you have the time and patience to spare.

As with most frosty polishes, it’s prone to some streaking and  these’re also a bit of drag. I’m not really a fan of the brush on this polish either, but a more recent Nicole by O.P.I. I had also picked up had a much larger, nicer brush. This one is a bit harder to apply.

You’d need to buff your nails to get a really smooth application, or follow this trick from Leslie at Polish Art Addict. Still love the colour though. Very school- or work appropriate. I think this is from 2011 and an Nicole by O.P.I. permanent.

What’s your favourite nude polish? Have you ever used this colour?

The Week that Flew | Aloha Friday Blog Hop

Aloha Hoapili and Happy Friday!!  I’m happy and sad it’s about to be the weekend. There were so many things I wanted to do this week, but didn’t get around to. Sigh. Let’s hope today and the rest of the weekend can be as productive as possible. Thank you all again for joining me as I co-host this lovely blog hop. I’ve been discovering lots of new blogs and finding some real gems! Honestly, I really want to apologise for how long it takes me to reply to your lovely comments. I do appreciate every one of them.

Aside from AFBH I just started a collab with a couple girls like self, dabbling into style-blogging. For  me it’s just a small dabble, but for others, it’s the main aim of their blog. We put together a Back to School Style lookbook, if you want to call it that. Showing you what we would wear for various basic occasions when you’re going to school. Yes,I’m around that age where I’m just now finishing uni, but I still enjoy Back to School blog posts, contests and all that hoo haa, even though I’m not a huge fan of school itself hahah.

Anyway, let’s get onto this hop, this week there is a contest going on. So try your luck!

Hey there people and a very Happy Aloha Friday to you all! Welcome to the most hoppingest of all hops – The Aloha Friday Hop 🙂

Our August team are a fantastic bunch of bloggers – they are so enthusiastic about the hop! Just don’t forget to head down to the linky to click and follow them when you link up your own lovely blogs 🙂 Our hosts and co-hosts links are always the first you will see, so it’s easy for you to click and follow.

Grab a button and link up below! If you’d like a different sized button click here.

Don’t worry if you already have Jean’s lovely Aloha buttons on your blogs – switch if you’d like to. Or choose one of Jean’s buttons here.

The rules are the same as before and are posted below. The Aloha Hop is one of the most hoppingest hops of the week, attracting over lots of linkups on the regular. Let’s keep that blogging tradition going people!

If you’d like to host future Aloha Hops with us then please get in touch at our swanky new email address alohahop@gmail.com

We’re all set for September and October with lots of lovely co-hosts but feel free to get in touch about November onwards.

If you’d like to spread the love even more, why not tweet and twitter all about it? Just click the pic below 🙂

Here’s the extra special addition to our lovely hop. It’s an oh-so-easy opportunity for you lovely participants of the Aloha Friday Blog hop to get some exposure to your blogs!!  What do  you have to do to enter?  Just link up to the Aloha Friday Blog Hop Below!! It’s that easy!!  No extra forms or hassle, just link up!  Each week we will pick a linker to featured at random and invite you all to say …

Grab a button if you were featured this week!

Aloha Hoapili translates as Hello Close Friend. So, without further ado let me introduce you to this week’s featured friend …

Kellie at Delightfully Ludicrous. 

Kellie blogs all about all things humorous and taking a bright outlook on life. Want a little taste of her blog? Check out these posts to find out what you’ve been missing:

Naughty Bedroom Fun Time!     How to go on the lam     Y is for Youth

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Now let’s start hoppin’! Click on the links in the linky to visit some lovely bloggers and make new friends. Oh, and don’t forget to link up yourselves!

Aloha and have a great day people!

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First Day and Easy Going Outfits |Back to School Style Collab!

Hey all! I’ve been working on this for a while and although it’s not a huge moment, I’m still very proud and happy to be finally carrying this out.While browsing on the Lucky Contributor community, I found these gorgeous girls (each with great blogs showcasing their personal style) and I’ve very happy to have teamed up with them on this two-part Back to School Style Collaboration. So this week and next week, you can look forward posts on each of our blogs with outfits for School. This is big of a long post, but it’s worth it! Be sure to leave us your comments about what you like to wear to school too.

As each of us are from varying academic levels and parts of the world, you’ll see a good set of variation in our outfits.

Find Christina on…
Chrisamor Goodie Jar
Twitter
Bloglovin’
Facebook

Find Jasmine on…
Style & All The Jass blog

Twitter

Bloglovin’

Facebook 

Find Lucy on…
Mystery Writing blog (Lucy writes about a multitude of things, everything from fashion to film)

WIWT

Find Mandy on…
Stickers & Skirts blog
Twitter

Photos after the jump!

Mandy’s 1st Day Outfit

Hi! This is my first day of school outfit 🙂 I’m wearing a pleated school uniform skirt from land’s end, my top is from Johnnie B., a target headband, and keds. My school doesn’t have a dress code, but I love school uniform clothes because they’re high quality and the only place I can find plain knee length skirts, and the pleats are so perfect on this skirt.

I like to wear sneakers because my school’s campus is pretty big and I have to walk outside to get from class to class. They’re also helpful for running to meet my friends who I haven’t seen all summer :P.

The basic elements of this outfit make it easy to switch out something for a cool statement piece, like my sunflower diy flower crown. 

Jasmine’s Easy Going Outfit

When I need an easy going day outfit its all about comfort. For fall time in New York I like a long sleeve that is still light because the weather can go be warm one minute and cool the next. Also for an easy day outfit I love flats. They pretty much go with anything and are easy to get around in. I like to still be fashionable and on budget and lulus.com has great variety of stuff for that.

Christina’s 1st Day Outfit

As you might have known, I’m in my final year of university, about to start what should be my final semester *crosses fingers*, so my dress-code is more laid-back and easy. I don’t like a lot of fuss for school, but I do love to be comfy and warm in class. I paired my Old Navy White tee with these RockStar jeans also from ON. I swear this wasn’t sponsored, just a coincidence!

In Barbados, it’s hot all year round, so it’s almost always appropriate to wear shorts. But because it’s the first day, I am wearing these red ankle-length pants because you never know what temperature your lecture theatres will be. I’m also wearing AirWalk pumps, they’re so easy on your feet and perfect for long days! To accessorise my BCBG statement bracelets from Macys and my usual necklace from my grandmum.

Lucy’s Easy Going Outfit

So, here’s my chilled out university look. I think it’s perfect for a day studying, and when you don’t want to look too dressed up – but still on trend. I love these cigarette trousers, I think they really make an outfit pop, and available in a number of high street stores – so you don’t need to settle for one pair! (I know I haven’t). This light blazer is perfect for everyday, I know it’s a bit pricier at £50 but I constantly wear it, so relaxed and slouchy. It’s always good to buy a statement piece every now and then that you’re going to get a lot of wear out of.

Accessories, Accessories, Accessories! This necklace I love, there’s a lot of chain necklaces on the high street at the moment and for £4 you can’t go wrong! This particular one also has a bit of weight to it, there’s nothing worse than a light, barely there necklace. 

Blazer – Topshop £50
Cigarette Trousers – H&M £7 (sale, bargain right?)
Top – H&M (bought years ago)
Boots – Dorothy Perkins £28 (sale, 20% off original price)
Necklace – Primark £4 

Hope you enjoyed seeing our Back to school Style, be sure to come back next week for part 2!

College Makeup look | Beauty

Hey all! I was getting ready to take some pics for my Back to School outfits post (hopefully going up tomorrow) and I quickly created this make up look using the Smashbox eye shadow trio I talked about here. I loved how it came out. It’s so simple, yet pretty. Or so I think, you tell me.

Also let’s not forget the WWBH, click the button below!

I think this is college appropriate especially for the first day, or if you’re going out after classes. Very subtle make up. I love it.

What I used:
Smashbox Photo Finish PrimerNYX Stay Matte Not Flat Foundation in Chestnut
NYC Smooth Face Loose Powder in Translucent
Maybelline MasterShape by Eyestudio brow pencil- deep brown

e.l.f. clear mascara and brow gel
Smashbox Photo Op Eyeshadow Trio in Proof Sheet
Maybelline The Falsies Big Eyes mascara in Blackest Black
Smashbox Cream Cheek Color in Captivate
e.l.f Blush and Bronzing kit- Turks and Caicos

MAC Lipstick in Daddy’s Little Girl

Be sure to check back tomorrow for the Back to School post!

Smashbox Photo Op Eye shadow Trio in Proof Sheet | Swatches & Review

Hey all! I’m sure this is actually a pretty old trio, as I got it as part of a giftset from a CCO back in New York, but these eye shadows are timeless. I’m not even sure if this was limited edition, or if it’s still available =/. BUT these are the perfect easy neutrals to carry in your purse. The Proof Sheet eyeshadow trio is a real gem, something about this trio encourages me to wear it every chance I get.

The shadows are smooth, especially the shimmery shades Crisp and Bittersweet, while Vanilla is a bit more chalky as it is matte, but still looks great and blends well. Vanilla is an off-white matte shade that is great for a brow highlight. It’s very nice on my skin tone surprisingly!

Crisp reminds me of Sin from Urban Decay, but I can’t be completely sure about it being a dupe as I don’t own any UD. It’s a subtle peachy nude colour that is very flattering on my lids. I could just wear it alone to look more wake. While Bittersweet is an interesting dark taupe shimmer, that works well in the outer corner.

These shadows have a good last time with primer on, I really didn’t try them without primer. They didn’t crease on me when I was using the Smashbox Photo Finish primer under my foundation, or the e.l.f. Mineral eyeshadow primer.

Pros:

• Buttery soft shadows, except for Vanilla
• Neutral colors great for everyday
• Convenient packaging, but wish there was a mirror
• Blendable shadows

Cons: 

• Most likely limited edition
• Unavailable in Barbados and even on Smashbox website. =/

The Raw Sugar:

I love these eyeshadows and would repurchase them in a heartbeat. I can’t belive I underestmated that I would like them so much. The texture is soft, there is a bit of fallout expected, but these are nice shadow. Too bad this particular colour combination seems to be limited edition. You can still find other great trios on the Smashbox website. 

Where you can get this: Ebay for this trio specifically, Smashbox for other trios

Disclaimer: This product was bought with my own money. Opinions are my own.

We’re back on track! | Aloha Friday Blog Hop

Aloha Hoapili! I’m glad to see that my blog posts have been getting back to normal this week (you can see my schedule on the top right-hand side of the blog). I’m so grateful for all of you who have been stopping by and leaving comments on the blog. Sorry it takes me so long to reply. I wasn’t completely prepared for the influx in comments, but it’s definitely something I could get used to! I love reading them and checking out your blogs as well. I’m really happy to be apart of this blog hop as well as the Weekly Wednesday Blog Hop by TGL.

Next week, you can look forward to some back to school posts along with my regular posts. I’m going to be doing a collab with some amazing girls, who are also contributors on the Lucky Community like myself. I can’t wait to show you! So be sure to check by this Thursday!

Anyway, let’s get onto the hop! Check out some of the fascinating bloggers on the linky list and  add yourself if you have a blog.

Hey there people and a very Happy Aloha Friday to you all! Welcome to the most hoppingest of all hops – The Aloha Friday Hop 🙂

Our August team are a fantastic bunch of bloggers – they are so enthusiastic about the hop! Just don’t forget to head down to the linky to click and follow them when you link up your own lovely blogs 🙂 Our hosts and co-hosts links are always the first you will see, so it’s easy for you to click and follow.

Grab a button and link up below! If you’d like a different sized button click here.

Don’t worry if you already have Jean’s lovely Aloha buttons on your blogs – switch if you’d like to. Or choose one of Jean’s buttons here.

The rules are the same as before and are posted below. The Aloha Hop is one of the most hoppingest hops of the week, attracting over 400 linkups on the regular. Let’s keep that blogging tradition going people!

If you’d like to host future Aloha Hops with us then please get in touch at our swanky new email address alohahop@gmail.com

We’re all set for September and October with lots of lovely co-hosts but feel free to get in touch about November onwards.

If you’d like to spread the love even more, why not tweet and twitter all about it? Just click the pic below 🙂

Here’s the extra special addition to our lovely hop. It’s an oh-so-easy opportunity for you lovely participants of the Aloha Friday Blog hop to get some exposure to your blogs!!  What do  you have to do to enter?  Just link up to the Aloha Friday Blog Hop Below!! It’s that easy!!  No extra forms or hassle, just link up!  Each week we will pick a linker to featured at random and invite you all to say …

Grab a button if you were featured this week!

Aloha Hoapili translates as Hello Close Friend. So, without further ado let me introduce you to this week’s featured friend …

Linda at Twin Mom. 

Linda blogs all about mamahood, trying new things and leading an inspiring life. Want a little taste of her blog? Check out these posts to find out what you’ve been missing:

Food Memories     On Having Twins     So You Think You Can Write?

Now let’s start hoppin’! Click on the links in the linky to visit some lovely bloggers and make new friends. Oh, and don’t forget to link up yourselves!

Aloha and have a great day people!

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Maybelline Color Tattoo | Swatches

Hey all! It’s no secret that the beauty community has been obsessed with these paint pot dupes from the time they came out, and with good reason too. The Maybelline Color Tattoos are amazing with pigmentation and staying power. This is not going to be a review of them though, there are plenty of those floating around the internet. But I am going to share swatches I have of the colour I picked up, 45 Bold Gold.

Let’s not forget the Weekly Wednesday Blog hop! Click the button below and get to hopping!

I’ve always wanted a really nice, vibrant gold eyeshadow!

I love the packaging on the Color Tattoos, so sleek and seals nice and tight to prevent the product from drying out.

This would be the perfect product for busy students or if you have a job where you need to wake up really early and still need to look presentable.It’s easy to apply, dries quickly and doesn’t budge all day! Even in Barbados heat, and you know that is a feat!

I can’t wait to try more of the colours they have available. I know Collin’s Pharmacy here in Barbados had it a while back, but I didn’t get mine there. In USA, these are available in most drugstores.

Stretching a Relaxer (Hair update #7) | Beauty

Hey all! As many of you know I’ve had relaxed hair for probably a year by now and I have my ups and downs with it. Relaxed hair takes constant attention as you have to get the roots touched up every 6-8 weeks as some hairdressers or boxed kits suggest.  Sometimes it can be a bit pricey to keep up with, especially being a student. Just recently, I stretched my relaxer for 6 months. Yes, a loooong time! So today I’m going to be sharing my experience with you.

First off, why in heaven’s name would I want to stretch my relaxer? For reasons other than money, some ladies stretch their relaxers to prevent overlapping of the processed ends when the new growth gets re-touched. Others use it to take a break from the harsh chemicals in relaxers, while some use the time to strengthen and treat their hair while it grows out. Relaxed hair is no easy task, as it’s prone to breakage once it’s dry.  

Anyway, how I stretched my relaxer. It was not intentional at first, but like most things I do with my hair, it just seems to happen and I ride along with the waves. It was easy the first month or 2, just continuing to keep my hair flat ironed and stretched out. I was actually going to a hairdresser who would curl and style my hair for me during the semester, so that made it a bit easy at first.

Like here where I’ve just come from the hairdresser. Don’t mind the wind has my new do blowing away…

 But after the 4th month, it started getting tougher to maintain and I found myself just letting my hair revert to it’s curly state and wearing it open or in a pony tail. It was starting to tangle up very easily and it was around the time of exams, so hair was definitely not a priority for me. However, I knew I needed to make my hair tidy again as I was getting a job, plus I had always wanted to try extensions. I was going to go with box-braids at first, but settled for the weave from this post. That was a good way to stretch a relaxer, my only issue was not being able to completely moisturise and care for my hair as normal. But I tell you, I loved the break, and I got so many compliments on my long mane!

Missing the length!

After taking the weave out of my hair in June, it was about 5 months post and lots of crazy, so I ended up doing twists on my hair to tame it. No extensions just plain old twists. You may have seen them peeking through in some posts. I would wear them down or in a ponytail, even in a bun depending on the occasion. I also was able to wash my hair like this and re-twist sections if necessary. Twists were very convenient and allowed me to moisturise both my natural and processed hair and care for them properly. Easier than the weave which just covered them both!

I mostly hid the twists in pics but putting my hair in a ponytail.

In about a month and a few weeks, I decided it was time to take out the twists and get my hair professionally done. Which brings me to this weekend when I finally got my hair relaxed, about 6 months post my last relaxer in January. I’m so glad to have finally gotten my relaxer as my hair looks way neater and I don’t have to deal with two textures. One very unruly and another just lying there rolling with the punches. I’m sure I experienced some breakage during this time because at some points I really was not paying close enough attention to my hair, but on the bright side, it was my damaged, split ends with broke off.  

Would I do it again? Yes and no. I would do it to take a break from the harsh chemicals as I really do not like burns, not that it burns all the time… but still. While at the same time I would do it, definitely not for 6 months, that was negligence on my part and is a bit of a set back on my unofficial hair journey. I’m back to shoulder length hair after some breakage and a trim..MEH! 

Anyway I’m looking forward to growing out my hair and possibly doing THIS to it, hahaha, in the near future. If I do end up stretching again, I will definitely be doing some research into retaining length.