Style: Essence Street Style Block Party 2016

Strike a pose! Vogue! The Essence Street Style Block Party has been going on for 3 years in D.U.M.B.O., Brooklyn, where people come out in their hottest gear, hairstyles, accessories and beards (for the men!) and Rip The Streets! Last year was the first time I went, I brought my son (then 7) and we had a blast just people watching and hanging out. So I had to go this year. But then I realized it was the same day as my friends baby shower and open house at the dance school I signed my near 4 yr old daughter (Taylor) up for...yikes. Why is it that you can go weekends without anything to do then one DAY out of a weekend you have multiple events?? I had nothing to do on the Sunday yet 3 events on the Saturday! The plan was to hit the open house first with my her (my son was sick), then Essence, then the baby shower since that started at 3pm. We ended up skipping the open house because of timing and just went straight to Essence. I didn't have any outfits planned and anyone who has been or seen pics of this event knows it's a literal fashion show (hence the name). Everyone looks like their outfits were perfectly calculated months in advance! I managed to throw something together for Taylor first, then myself and even changed my shorts last minute. We were off!

We got there early when the crowd was light which was great since I had my her with me. Right away the photographers fell in love with her! I kept getting asked by someone to take her pic. And my girl was POSING okay!!? Like her little foot came out, hand on the hip, etc. I was baffled and questioned where she got it from then everyone was quick to point out where. (oh shut up!)

First pic I took of Taylor when we got there

We walked through the crowd a bit then went to the Kids Zone for her to color because this child looooves to color: 

She's coloring up a storm!

Then I had to coax her to walk around again because she would have stayed there all day. It was hot as all heck! It was the weekend after Labor Day, aren't we supposed to be wearing boots, fashionable scarves and sipping on Pumpkin Spice Lattes?? Nope, it was 90 degrees with no shade. But we made the best of it. I found out that Shea Moisture has a new company called Shea Girl that comprises of body products. They had a booth and I got a couple samples. 

Shea Girl booth

Taylor also got some bubbles there so she was good. More paparazzi surrounded her as she blew bubbles (lol). I was getting my picture taken too, don't get it twisted y'all! ;) Apparently my purple hair, outfit and accessories were a hit which was great because I literally threw them together in 10 mins. Throughout our time there we also hung out in the Archway area near the stage to hear what Vanessa, the Essence Editor-In-Chief, had to say (I love her!), Kelly Rowland, and to also take in some music and dance. In later pictures I saw that we missed Zendaya. She looked awesome in her purple pants!

"Cheese!"

Waiting for french fries, but posing

After eating, she created her own backpack in another kiddie area (indoors, yay!)  

Decorating her backpack

Getting her jewels added

Then got her pic taken by a photographer designated to that area that I emailed to myself. Adorable. We grabbed our signature Essence bubbles and went back outside.

Photographer pic

We checked out a couple more booths like Shea Moisture and Chevy. I didn't really go to shop so I didn't peruse the clothing and accessory vendors, but there were a decent amount there. We got various samples along the way and two fanny packs (I couldn't resist!) and buttons from Chevy. Then she started to get tired so we headed out at around 3 pm. Perfect timing. She fell asleep on the train :) 

Taking a rest at the Chevy booth

Tired and grumpy

This was a great event and I hope that next year we're able to enjoy it in its entirety because the pictures I saw on various websites in the days following of all that styling that went on after we left?!! Hmph! My people know how to come out and show out!! See you next year Essence!

By the way, we were featured on the Essence website, Instagram and I had a feature in Vibe Magazine online. Fun stuff. Some pics below with active links.

Photo credit: FabAmbitious

Photo Credit: Essence.com

Photo Credit: Essence.com

Photo Credit: Vibe.com

Photo Credit: K'Sandra Nova Photography

Outfit deets:
Taylor- Neon ruffle skirt, hair bow and socks, Children's Place. Denim shirt, H&M. Disney Frozen Anna Sneakers, Reebok.

Myself- Bodysuit from SheIn.com. Denim boyfriend shorts, Old Navy. Earrings, mark (Avon). Necklace, Frugal Finds NYC. Sunglasses, Sunglass Spot. Socks, can't remember they're so old! Shoes, Puma Fenty Trainers. 

Best,
Kifana
www.makeupbykifana.com
www.madeuphairstyle.com
www.instagram.com/makeupbykifana
Youtube

Made-Up: Swatch Comparisons with Jeffree Star Scorpio

You know how it goes, you get trigger happy, fall in love with a swatch online, buy it in the heat of the moment, then immediately ask yourself right after, "Wait, don't I have something like this already? Or many somethings??" This is what happened when I said I wanted Jeffree Star's Scorpio. Thankfully it doesn't look like anything else I have...really.

This is my first JS purchase, I ordered it when it launched on Saturday April 16th at 1pm, I got a shipping notification at 9pm that night, it officially left their warehouse on Monday and I got it on Wednesday. So great shipping. I love the packaging, the applicator and the color. I don't like the fragrance, which is addressed on their website because apparently it's a "thing". Once on, it doesn't smell like anything, so it doesn't linger. The formula reminds me of the NYX Lip Lingerie's. It's matte, but doesn't dry down completely like some other liquid lipsticks, so there's a little stickiness to it and it does transfer. All in all I like it, but I'm not in a huge rush to spend $23 with shipping on another one. 

L-R: Jeffree Star Scorpio Velour Liquid, NYX Embellishment Lip Lingerie, ColourPop Marshmallow Ultra Satin, Gerard Cosmetics Gravity Hydra-Matte, ColourPop Kapow Ultra Matte, B'ellegant Cosmetics Dainty Melted lipstick (not matte)

Best,
Kifana
www.makeupbykifana.com
www.madeuphairstyle.com
www.instagram.com/makeupbykifana

Made-Up: Too Faced Sweet Peach Eye Shadow Palette

The minute I heard this palette was coming out I was interested. I've always like the idea of Too Faced's scented palettes, it's just that I have a nut/peanut allergy and I really couldn't fathom putting anything smelling like that on my eyes. Enter Sweet Peach! Omg, the smell is just heavenly! The colors are fabulous as well and very smooth. They didn't just make it peach-toned colors, they incorporated the color of the pit, the leaf, everything that encompasses the idea of a peach. Fabulous! The packaging is metal and so cute. I kind of wish it had a brush like the Urban Decay ones to encourage my laziness :) I purchased it from Sephora's website the minute it went live and had it in two days thanks to their glorious Flash Shipping.

Metal casing

Interior, already swatched

Swatches on NW45

Used Peach Pit, Just Peachy, Candied Peach, Luscious, Nectar and Puree

Mixed with some ColourPop colors

Luscious, Talk Derby to Me, Cobbler, Puree, Just Peachy, Nectar

Best,
Kifana
www.makeupbykifana.com
www.madeuphairstyle.com
www.instagram.com/makeupbykifana

Made-Up: Manny MUA x Makeupgeek Cosmetics Eye Shadow Palette

Late to the party but I ordered the palette on the restock since I didn't think I needed it when it originally released. I must say Makeupgeek Cosmetics made that process as painless as possible and they were extremely organized and transparent about the eta providing updates along the way. Even their customer service was on point by responding to inquiries asap. I placed my order on Mar 22nd and got it on Apr. 14th. They initially said 4-5 weeks so 3 was great.

I have been using the palette mixed with other brands since last Friday and I'm in love. I mainly wanted it for Mars then Insomnia (which I made sure to use off the bat!) but the other colors are pretty as well and they are smooth and for all skintones. I appreciate that a lot of the indie brands and their celeb/mua collaborators are concerned with targeting ALL of their fans and followers (Jaime King x ColourPop is another). The packaging is also fab (palette casing is cardboard) and I love that he actually named the 6 colors he developed (3 are in the MUG permanent range) instead we of us saying, "I used the red one", lol. Here are a some pics:

Packaging

Here I used Insomnia, Mars, Cosmopolitan and Frappe

Frappe in crease mixed with colors from TooFaced Sweet Peach Palette and ColourPop

Insomnia, Sora and Luna mixed with ColourPop colors 

Sora, Frappe, Cosmopolitan

Best,
Kifana
www.makeupbykifana.com
www.madeuphairstyle.com
www.instagram.com/makeupbykifana

Made-Up: Customized ColourPop Eye Shadow Palette!

I've recently gotten back into buying ColourPop Super Shock Eye shadows. My first order was May 2015 with the Summer Collection with Coconut, Nillionaire and Shark Attack shadows. They were so pretty! But then I couldn't find a brush that worked with them and the highlighters I bought in the same order (Tasty, Monster and Sticky Sweet) so I kind of gave ColourPop a long break. I don't necessarily always want to use my fingers to apply my makeup. The shadows weren't as bad as applying highlighters with your fingers. That majorly annoyed me. Then I saw girls in makeup forums recommend the Real Techniques Setting Brush for the highlighters. Yes! It worked!! KaePop launched in February and I was on it! Then I joined a ColourPop Facebook group (Hey, ColourPop Fanatics!)and it has been a downward spiral into the rabbit hole of buying their shadows because you see swatches and the products on the pretty ladies and get excited. Then I tell myself, "$5 a pop? What's the harm?" Oh wait, it's $30 minimum for free shipping? Oh well let me add $30 worth in my cart, etc etc. You know the deal. Now I have 15 shadows total. I bought 12 since February! Wait, what?! So needless to say since I've been using them more it has become a bit of a chore opening and closing these cute little white containers "to keep all the goodness inside" every morning, and I sometimes use 4 ColourPop colours in one look! I saw a few ladies in ColourPop Fanatics mention that they depotted their shadows into an airtight artist paint palette. At first I was like "Nahhh, I'm not taking the chance." Then spending what felt like half the total time of my makeup routine in the mornings just opening and closing containers wasn't cutting it. Then sometimes I have to reapply, look for the shadow, open it, close it, repeat, wahhhhh! I had the Martin Mijello Airtight Watercolor 18-Well Paint Palettes in my Amazon cart and saw that the blue one was $10.88 whereas the purple (my fav color) was $15. Yeah, I went with the blue. Plus I'm not sure how it will even work to go investing $5 more dollars, that's another eye shadow! ;) 

So last night I got my butter knife, Sharpie and tape out to get to work. It was so easy! There's a little groove right to the top of the jar when the cap is off and the knife fits right in. I wrote their names underneath with the Sharpie and taped them to the clear plastic insert in the palette. I got this all from the lovely ladies in ColourPop Fanatics, I by no means thought of this myself. I used regular tape as opposed to double sided because I feel like it would work better to stick the pans in because it could get tricky pressing them down because the double-sided tape is so flat since there isn't much of a ridge to press on (you would have to press on the shadows directly to get them super flat). Another girl in the group said she used velcro, I may try that next. It honestly took me 15 minutes from start to finish. I would say a minute per shadow. It will hold 20 ColourPop shadows. I organized them in rows by finish, Ultra Metallic (top), Metallic (middle) and Pearlized/Matte (bottom). I think I will purchase the rest according to the spaces left. Since the palette is made for paint, there are little wells in the main part that we can't use so essentially the palette is upside down in the way it functions as an eye shadow palette. You'll see what I mean in the pictures below. I kept all my containers in the boxes in case I notice them starting to dry out. Girls in the group have had theirs in this palette for over a month without issues. I just have to make sure to close it properly each time. Just like I do when screwing the covers back on the actual containers. 

This morning looking at it upside down was so boring so I got all arts & crafty and cut images from the little care pamphlets ColourPop sends with each order...and I kept thankfully. Inside I put the actual usage instructions and tips just to have them there in that empty space. On the "top" I cut out from the front of the pamphlet with the word "ColourPop" and used the inside image they had for the shadows. Then I realized after cutting, all that was left was the sentence "Super Shock Shadow", perfect! So I just stuck that on top! Ha! 

My pile after depotting the shadows. My Sharpie, butter knife and tape too, lol. 

Top of the paint palette. It's plastic, but a brushed look

Bottom of the paint palette, but top of the eye shadow palette. It's plastic

Shadows all taped inside the clear plastic tray which rests in the blue part shown above

Under the removable tray with shadows labeled and taped

Top part of palette above with the paint wells. That is the cover of the eye shadow palette

Tips & Tricks insert taped inside

Top of my customized ColourPop Eye Shadow Palette with my cut-outs taped on

I'll probably tape the images  down better, I just did the "fold tape under" method for now. I honestly enjoy doing this stuff! Now I need to find other things to stick on the outer part/rim (refer to last pic). I'm thinking stickers, or, ooh ooh ooh, glitter markers! Come out my inner child! Come out! 

Best,
Kifana
www.makeupbykifana.com
www.madeuphairstyle.com
www.instagram.com/makeupbykifana

Hair: Crochet Braids, Second Time

My first try didn't last long because I did my ratchet cornrows myself (lol) and they started loosening, so I had my cousin come over to braid it for me two weeks ago with a little braiding hair for my second try. I used the unfinished packs from the first time. Because I cut the hair in half I was able to get two styles from one pack of hair (1b). The purple is only pieces in the front so I still have a lot left in that pack.

This collage pic is my little journey. Top, 1- Cornrows with a little braiding hair. 2- Adding untwisted Havana Jumbo Twist hair in Purple and 1B. 12" cut in half. Bottom, 3- Hair is in, before cut and shape. 4- Cut, shaped and styled.

I did them over last night so I will be putting up a post about that soon.

Best,
Kifana
www.makeupbykifana.com
www.madeuphairstyle.com
www.instagram.com/makeupbykifana

Made-Up: Smashbox Step-by-Step Contour Kit in Deep

I was sent this Smashbox Step-by-Step Contour Kit (Deep) as an Essence Insider to try out for deeper skintones and give my opinion on in a survey. The kit comes with a 3-color powder palette (contour, highlight, bronze), detailed #shapematters instructions with pictures for all face shapes, and a contour brush.

I used all 3 shades. The matte "Warm Highlight" shade to set my undereye concealer and nose. I used the included brush to place the "Deep Contour" shade then my own duo fiber brush to blend it out. The "Terracotta Bronze" shade I used as a blush and brought it up to my hairline (I do this with all of my blushes).

The first picture shows my cheekbone contour. It's not a dramatic contour as I was going to work AND it was a Friday, but it's more than my natural contour is without makeup. I don't contour everyday but I definitely go nuts with highlighting and blushing 😝

The second picture is a look at my nose contour. The contour and the camera angle make my face and nose look more slim (it's magic!)

Rest of makeup:
Eyes- Avon Supershock Gel liner in Cobalt, top and bottom. Anastasia Beverly Hills Shadow Couture World Traveler Palette, Spoiled and Pink Champagne for brow highlight and Fudge for brow bone.

Highlighter- NYX Enigmatic with a little MAC Stereo Rose on top.

Lips- Wet n Wild Fergie Penthouse Sweet w/NYX Bloom liner.

Best,
Kifana
www.makeupbykifana.com
www.madeuphairstyle.com
www.instagram.com/makeupbykifana