HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY!!

Happy New Year Pretties & Welcome to 2012,

been ages you read from me, i know right?? I had the busiest December ever, i moved and a lot more things happened and i had no time to pen down my thoughts, so i owe you guys a lot of posts.

From a Seminar i attended & co- facilitated  ;) to the Bridal Makeovers i did, as well as Product Reviews from my Recent Haul.

Be very expectant

xoxo
PrettyK

HAPPY NEW MONTH!

Hey Pretties,

So,it's the very first day & believe me when i say i can't stand the numerous blackberry messages. Years back, it was the plague of SMSs, now that we've all become technologically savvy, BCs are sent like no man's business.

Asides the usual gestures above,i'm so Thankful to God for his many mercies & Hand of favor over my Life, Family & Friends.

I appreciate the prayers and what way to spread the love, than extend it to my favorite Blog Readers

So, as you begin this new month & the very last month of 2011.I pray nothing but God's best gifts to you & yours. May u abound in Wisdom & Joy. Where God hasn't planted you, you won't be seen there, In all Great Things, May You Flourish. May Ur Days Be Long & Merry & May You Always Overcome Challenges that may come your way. All these and more i pray for you all In Jesus' Mighty & Everlasting Name, amen.

xoxo
Pretty K

BIRTHDAY WISHLIST!!

Hey Pretties,

Guess who's a Year Older coming Sunday (4th of dec.). Yup!!! It's the day i'm the most Happiest, Thankful to God & of course, shown so much Love. I felt making this post would either encourage me to get these items or at least dream a little.

These mentions below are items i crave & if i didn't have my savings intact, would have squandered the whole lot on. If it has dropped in your spirit to get one of these items for me, PLEASEEEE Do, otherwise, expect reviews on them next year : ). So here goes :

ILLAMASQUA FACE & EYE PRODUCTS

ZUCA BAG

SIGMA PRO BRUSH SET

INGLOT MATTE SHADOWS

OCC LIPTARS

OCC Liptars

URBAN DECAY NAKED PALETTE & PRIMERS

HAKUHODO FACE & EYE BRUSHES

BOOKS BY RAE MORRIS, SCOTT BARNES & FRANCOIS NARS

LA MER BEAUTY PRODUCTS

KETT JETT / TEMPTU AIRBRUSHING SYSTEM

CHANEL LOOSE POWDERS

YSL TOUCHE ECLAT

APPLE IPAD2

PRIME PROPERTY IN LEKKI / IKOYI

GYM REGISTRATION FOR A WHOLE YEAR

CLARISONIC UNIT

KINKY CURLY / CAROL'S DAUGHTER HAIR PRODUCTS FOR NAPPY HAIR

HARMATTAN is Upon Us!!

Hey Pretties,

So we in the Western Parts of Africa have just 2 seasons : Wet (RAINY) & Dry (HARMATTAN). For those who are familiar with the weather here, you''ll attest to the fact that when it rains, it REALLY RAINS & when it's hot and dry, God help you if you have no access to Air-conditioning systems.

Now, remembering Mrs Okani, my geography teacher from my days in QC, the Harmattan Winds are a result of the South-bound Trade-winds blowing from the Sahara Desert & the Northern Parts of West Africa (most esp Nigeria) to the Gulf of Guinea. This usually happens sometime between November & March most years!

The Sahara

Ok, so let me put it down for those who have been away from these parts & need a reminder of how the Harmattan feels:

- Mornings are always Cold, you don't want to bathe with water that has been exposed for more than 1hour esp outside
- Visibility is limited & sometimes the sun gets covered, which is the reason for d drop in temp

Poor Visibility

- The air has a crisp feel & sometimes gets in your nose & mouth
- Bathing with Hot water is even worse when you expose yourself to the early morning draft
- No matter how much moisturizer you applied pre-clothes, your face, knuckles, Hands, knees and feet appear & feel very dry. This makes you look like you worked in a Cement manufacturing plant Gloveless & bare-foot.
- Windows left open is a great avenue for getting all surfaces in your house, including Curtains & Beddings heavily covered in dust.
- Cars need to be washed every morning, or lets just say, don't bother because every morning your car looks like it was involved in some NASCAR racing of some sorts.
- Eyes tend to get irritated, most esp when you have a case of Pink eye/ Conjunctivitis (An infection,we here refer to as APOLLO)
- Colds & various cases of Fever are rampant during this season.
- If you wash clothes & hang them to dry outside, they get dry in tops 4hours,no matter how thick
- Your nose, most mornings feel so dry & on fire. More like irritation in your respiratory system.

 - Lips get dry & hugely chapped & have a way of feeling like they have a tiny tear at both edges between the lip and facial skin .
- Lips also have a tendency to crack in the mid-area of the lower lip
- Leather shoes have a great tendency to crack

So here are few tips that come in handy during this period :

- Get your Chapstick-game on.if that's not accessible, use some Vaseline / raw shea butter to keep your lips moisturized

 

 - Most moisturizers can't tackle the dryness that comes with this season, so your best bet will be to add a little vaseline / shea butter to keep ur skin looking as glossy as possible.believe me when i say you dont want to go down the road of dry-looking skin.

- Sweaters / Cardigans are your best friend, especially when wearing white shirts or clothes because every surface has a thick layerof dust you don't want to mess with
- Your favourite leather goods need to be polished or waxed to prevent cracking
- If you happen to work long hours in exposed places, pls be sure to cover the exposed parts of your face as much as possible.

Hopefully, you'll have a better experience this year

Ps: Here's a post i made last year on this same issue : Harmattan Fever!

xoxo
PrettyK

I Need To Go Out More!

hey Pretties,

i decided to rant a bit. I seriously have love to put clothes together, help people prep for events, but i hardly ever go out. I either don't have a convenient way to get there, friends to go with or parenting just doesn't allow me the leisure. Not an excuse right?i'll try harder.

Now, Lagos is always full of activity & with the help of people like Bella Naija, you get to remember certain faces because they tend to be at all events, ahn ahn! I can count 10 faces i would always see sha, is that how PR works?

anyway, below are links to events i wanted to attend, but didn't get the chance to. Thanks Bella Naija, Seriously Doughnuts, Linda Ikeji & 360nobs for keeping me posted ;)

BM Pro's Ikeja Launch

Funke Fowler's wedding! - That is,i would have gone if i was invited,lol


Nigerian Fashion Week

LPM (Le Petit Marche) - Our very own Flea Market

My choices sef are very conservative if i must say so myself, but hopefully soon. I'll be seen on as many red carpet events as possible & will keep you posted.

xoxo
Pretty K

Pretty Makeover - Seyive to Pretty ;)

Hey Pretties,

Some weeks back,i had a fun shoot with Seyive, which means i also took the pictures you see below. She's a former classmate from University, a Practising Engineer & my very Close Friend's Fiancee.

She loves Fashion & Makeup a great deal. While in school, we referred to her as : YEYE OGE (which means Queen of all things Beautiful). She loves to Look good at any point in time & so a makeup session was highly appropriate with her.

Sorry babe, i had to put your before, you know you're always beautiful right?

Seyive, Bare & Still a beauty to behold

 Now, if you have studied facial features as well as i have, you will notice that Seyive has one of the best eye areas one could ever hope for. She has a very defined Eyelid space, Unavoidable Crease area & the most striking browbone. This reminds me of Supermodel Iman's Hooded Eye area. Looks like Smokey eyes are well captured on someone like Seyive!

Look 1

Face :
MaryKay Medium Coverage Foundation in 708 & 808
MAC Oil Blotting Powder in Dark for her T-zone
Milani Mineral Pressed Powder in Deep
Tara Orekelewa Pressed Powder in 46 & 47
Black Radiance Blush in Plum Sorbet

Eyes :

MAC Veluxe Pearl E/S in Woodwinked
MAC Frost E/S in Hepcat
MAC Matte E/S in Carbon
BM Pro Matte E/S in Moccasin
Red Cherry Invisible band lashes in 747M 
Jordana Easyliner Retractible Eyeliner Pencil in Sterling Blue & Denim Blue

Lips :
Milani Velvet Lip Creamcolor in Luxurious
BM Pro Lipstick in Mahogany
L'oreal HIP Brilliant Shine Lipglosses 
Victoria's Secret 'Beauty Rush' Clear Lipgloss

To recreate this Look, it's not compulsory you use the exact products i did, if they aren't easily accessible to you. Have Fun!!

xoxo
Pretty K






DISCLAIMER: I am in no way in affiliation with any of the companies whose products i display,use or review. I bought them & i'm not been paid to review their products.

Product Review : MAC Fluidline Eye-Liner Gel in 'BlackTrack'

Hey Pretties,

1st of all, i would like to say a Big Hello to all followers of my blog(I'm truly hoping i have a 100 followers before March next year) & say a HUGE thank you to those who have at one time or the other, stopped by to get some knowledge here. I hope you found the posts very helpful.

Now, from time immemorial, i have loved Gel-liners for so many reasons & i've laid my hands on so many ranging from Loreal HIP's version, to Sleek's version , to Casabella's Version & now MAC's.Why so many,you might ask.

Let me stop here by saying never buy a Gel/Cream Liner if you aren't able to open the pot to see the content. This point i emphasize most especially with SLEEK's version, which is usually sealed. I'm not an enemy of progress, but i have purchased Sleek's very tiny pot at =N=1,700 twice & found they were dry and probably expired.

Believe me when i say that all the tricks existing on the internet on how to revive dried out gel-liners are an utter waste of time. If you're totally stuck on details & textures like i am, you'll probably throw it away.

Casabella's Version which is an Indelible Paint Pot, which i will discuss in the next post are very impressive, if i must say. But my favorite so far has been the MAC's Version, not because of the name, but because with MAC, you can get quality & value for what you paid.

Be careful to observe every part of any product you buy, to be sure you haven't bought a fake

Packaging

MAC as you can expect box all products they sell, even their brow & lip pencils, so if you see a mac product that doesn't come in a branded, boldly printed carton, run for dear life oooo. You might be paying Top naira for a Dupe, don't say i didn't warn you ooo * holding my ear and pulling it so hard :) *

 Pricing

Currently on MAC's US Website , it is sold for $15 (equivalent value - =N=2,415naira ) , which i think is reasonably priced for the quantity. But if you have to purchase it in Nigeria, be mindful of teh fact that whoever sells it, had to pay for shipping,taxes & profit margin was also included.

Performance

Mine hasn't dried out despite many uses & so you can be rest assured of using the contents of the pot to the last swipe.

It applies in true colour in one swipe and dries to a matte finish.

 Verdict
I find this very useful for detailing when it comes to the various ways of opening up / closing out the eyes. I use it on both my upper lashline & lower water-line (If that stings, then you probably shouldn't be using it there).


I Hope you found this post helpful


xoxo
Pretty K

I'm Still Here!

Hey Guys, though i have a lot to share with you, i have being caught up with so much work that i haven't had the leisure of sending posts, but i just wanted to say I Love You all & thank You For stopping By.

Much Love
Pretty K

Bridal Makeover - In far Away Offa!

Hey Pretties,

how have you all been? I guess some of you are wondering where Offa is. Well, its a town in Kwara State and i was there on assignment 2 months ago. the Bride, Rukky happened to be an old secondary school classmate who i last saw in 1997. Thanks to Facebook & Blackberry, we have kept in touch over time.

Sometime last year, she contacted me about being her Makeup Artist for her wedding in Offa, but before plans were underway, she lost her mum (may her Soul Rest in peace). So plans were shifted & the date was finally fixed for September this Year.

Of course, being a Wife & Mother, it was going to be a tricky arrangement, but my Hubby, though not initially in support,gave his blessings & i being ultimately eager to visit somewhere new was too excited,lol.

So,long story short, the journey to Offa,though not convenient saw us getting there at night in a convoy of cars and buses(Nope,i didn't travel by Air).

Rukky, though a moslem is a very trendy young lady and she wanted to look her best, this i could tell from her choice of jewelry & accessories, native attires & Wedding Gown amongst other important things.

Below is her Transformation,lol

Rukky bare & not ashamed

As an amateur photographer, i think this is a Timeless Shot ;)

With all the discoloration covered, we went for a Bronzed look

I should take up photography, i love this shot soo much

Her Gorgeous Wedding Bands

Overall, i enjoyed my stay in Offa and i was well catered for by the Bride. My hotel room was worth the stress and i must say i indeed slept well (been a long time that happened).

For some silly reason,i forgot to include the products i used to achieve this look.Funny thing is that i can remember,so here goes:

Face :

Mary Kay Medium Coverage Foundation in 600 & 607
MAC Moisture Select Cover Up in NC 42
Milani Mineral Pressed Powder in Warm
MAC Oil Blotting Pressed Powder in Dark
Black Opal Powder Blush in PeachTree



Eyes :

MAC Frost E/S in Amber Lights & Cranberry
MAC Matte E/S in Orange
BM Pro Matte E/S in Moccasin
Casabella Matte E/S in Mink


Lips :

Eversheen Lip Pencil in Copper Brown
Milani Velvet Creamy Lipcolor in  203 DELUXE & 213 RITZY








xoxo
Pretty K

A little Gossip,sometimes Heals!!!

 Hey Pretties,

if you live in Lagos like i do and hardly find the time to go to every event possible or buy soft sell magazines like City People, you'll definitely visit blogs a lot like i do.

Working 2jobs, being a mother & wife all take it's toll and so, to ease tension, i constantly visit the following websites/Blogs:

 

BELLA NAIJA  by Uche Eze 

LINDA IKEJI by Linda Ikeji

SERIOUSLY DOUGHNUTS by Bola Obileye
 

360nobs by Noble Igwe 



So,if you don't reside in the country/Lagos and need to keep abreast of what's going on, these are the Blogs & sites to visit for some Juicy 'Gbeborun' oo & since i don't watch the network news often, please don't blame me.

Other Nigerian-owned Blogs that i Fancy are :

Stella's Addiction by Stella-maris Ikelionwu

 


The Fancy Hub by Toni Tones

  
Third World Profashional by Adaku Ufere 

 Hopefully someday, my blog will be listed or regarded in the same fashion as i do theirs ;)



xoxo
Pretty K