Cyber.....and SOULLLLLLL TRAIN

Yes, it's cyber Monday the next big shopping day after Black Friday. Are you still standing? Did you buy yourself out of house and home? Did Black Friday put you in the RED?

After a while, those discounted prices start to add up..lol. I made purchases from various sites online, I did not leave my home on Black Friday. I can't lie I plan on peeking at some online stores Cyber Monday but hopefully all I will do is peek.

Some Cyber Monday Sales

Tarte -40% off use the code CyberMon9 they have a nice lip gloss set which I will review soon.

GNC- 35% off and free shipping with GNC gold card.

Carols Daughter- $10 off $100 and $5 off $50. (whomp whomp lol) but Free shipping on all orders - YAY

JJIll- 25% off use the code cyber9

Aveda -pick 5 free samples and get free shipping on all purchases over $25.00. Use the code PICK5

Drugstore.com - Free shipping on any purchases over $25, they also have many cyber Monday sales.

Check the Black Friday post because some of the sales are still going on.

If you know of any sales please add the info to the comment section.- thanks!

Product Review

I tried uploading a video today but Youtube isn't cooperating...sorry.

Soul Train Awards

I have to say that I watched the Soul Train awards last night and I was not as disappointed as I thought I would be. As you may recall, in years past the once SOULFUL ode to soul music took a turn for the worse. I guess the celebrities were equally annoyed with the award show because they just sopped attending the show. So now someone else (BET) is trying to breathe life back into the Soul Train awards show.
I enjoyed Terrance and Taraji as hosts even though all of their skits were CORNY. Chrisette Michelle didn't disappoint and neither did Fanny mae (Fantasia) as she sang her heart out to Chaka Khan.
Keri Hilson's voice #FAIL
Johnny Gill can always rock the house.
Lisa Wu from Housewives of Atlanta clearly went for the Elvira look so she was a complete #fashion FAIL draped in leather.
I was happy that the show was not filled with performances of men with sagging pants and platinum filled mouths saying "yo shorty" a million times.

The show wasn't great but it was less of a torture session than it had been when it was last televised.
What did you think of the show?

OH and what in the world was Deborah Lee wearing? Im going to need her stylist to be fired pronto.

Black Friday sales -UPDATED and a Product Review

This is huge- get this 27 piece makeup kit for FREE from ELF with any purchase. Use the code LOYAL at checkout. I purchased one nail polish for $1.00 and got the kit for free. Get it while supplies last. HURRRRRRRRRY.
Scroll down for my updates on Black Friday sales.

Updated with Komaza details , Zoya info , Oyin, Ann Taylor, Miss Jessies, ElF, Carols Daughter , GNC , The Body Shop, Sephora , Newport News, Rosalyn Scents, sheScentit, OCC and Aerosoles.
Black Friday Sales
Karen's Body Beautiful-Use the code "THANKS" at check out to get 10% off of your order and there is NO minimum purchase. This sale ends Thursday Nov. 26th.
Darcy's Botanicals- 25% off all the products available-Thursday November 27th

Zoya This next one just made me SO happy because I love Zoya polishes. On what they call, GREEN Friday, not BLACK friday..lol you can get 6 FREE nail polishes if you make a $20 purchase. Since their polishes cost roughly $7 bucks that's not bad at ALLLLL. You basically buy 4 bottles and get 6 for free. Nov. 27th ONLY Unfortuantely this is only for the green colors and ZOYA selects the green shades. The code is "GREENFRIDAY " BOOOOOOOO.
Thanks NewRibena
Hairveda- Black Friday and Cyber Monday sale. they have a new shampoo bar I am dying to try.
Komaza- Use the code "Thanksgiving" for 15% discount Nov 26th- 29th.
Oyin is also having a sale - 15% off when you use their discount code thxWKND

Miss Jessies- Nov. 27th- Dec 31st at midnight Buy one get the second one for free. The products must be equal or lesser value.
ELF -starting now 75% off cosmetic cases and elements (I don't exactly know what they mean by elements) use the code EH75CE This is not necessarily a holiday sale but it's a sale nonetheless.
Carol's Daughter- For every 30$ spent you earn $5 in Carol's Daughter dollars. IN STORES ONLY Nov. 27th.
The BoDy Shop- Black Friday 3 items $30 in STORE ONLY, BUT there is also an online sale $2 flat rate shipping and buy 1 get one free.
Brown Butter Beauty - Christine Grant on etsy -25% off sale starts Nov. 27th at 6AM. The sales price will be shown on the site.
Sephora 20% off bare Escentuals and a free tote at checkout if you spend $25.00 online and use the code TOTE09
Rosalyns Scents is having a blow out sale.
Shescentit- 25% off use the code "thanks25"

OCC obsessive compulsive cosmetics 10% off if you use the code "TOFURKEY" If you spend $50 or more you get free shipping.

Clothing- Accessories etc.
Dooney and Bourke- Friday Nov. 27th - Sunday 20% off your entire purchase at OUTLET stores.
New York and company -online 50% OFF EVERYTHING.
JJill - They have sales running now but last year they had a great black friday sale.
Ann Taylor- in store discount until noon on Nov. 27th 40% off your entire purchase. If you shop online you will get 40% off if you use the code "Turkey" but it is not clear if the online sale also ends at noon.....

Newport News 25% off including winter clearance items already marked down.. use the code 579 Avon- use code WOW2009 now through cyber Monday
Areosoles 20% off Thanksgiving day
MISC.
Staples- laptops will be on sale
Target- appliances, electronics etc. I heard about a $3.00 toaster so enjoy.
GNC TODAY ONLY NOV . 26th 25% off and FREE Shipping use the code "GiveThanks1"
Don't forget to use retailmenot.com to find additional coupons.
Please list any of the online sales that you know about.
thanks
I have a review of the Oyin Whipped Pudding below.

Tick Tock

Time stops for NO ONE, not even for a woman looking for love. Remember Neenah, the woman who was hoping to find her future husband in 52 weeks? As you all know the month of November is almost over and Neenah is still as single as they come. She has even tried her hand at speed dating, she liked two of the guys but they didn't select her. If you care to check out Neenah's videos click here. I have a feeling she will need another 52 weeks to find a suitable mate. Any thoughts?
TV
Is anyone out there watching I want to work for Diddy, the reality show about working for Puffy?
I actually like Poprah this season, while Ivory is a big no no in my mind. It's fine to have an opinion and even to have wonderful leadership skills, but some people seem to equate screaming and throwing their hands in someones face as an indication that they are strong and fit to lead a team. I beg to differ, such actions will certainly get you kicked out of any reputable boardroom. Unless of course you plan on working with Sheree's event planner.....Who Gone Check me Boo?
Get it together Ivory.
To be honest the entire cast stinks and I have not seen anyone really step up to the plate except for...dare I say it- POPRAH.....lol

Sales, Random Chatter and Yes or No?

Hello and Happy happy Monday,
I am so excited for the short work week, doesn't my excitement just ooze off of the screen??? LOL
In the video below you are reminded of some Black Friday sales. If you know of any great Black Friday deals please post a comment. I also do a little random hair chatter and I reviewed the Yes to Carrots body scrub.

Lips, Hair , Body and Standards of Beauty

Yu Be, a popular Japanese company, produced this minty lip balm with natural ingredients. For $5.00 you will get a non sticky lip balm that includes ingredients like rosemary, vitamin E, aloe vera, shea butter and other naturally good for you ingredients. However, please keep in mind that camphor is also on the list of ingredients so if you are pregnant this isn't the product for you.
I was not disappointed at all with this lip balm, in fact I found it worked very well as a base before applying my lip tars. It also helped to keep my lips moisturized. If you have ever tried the mentholated lip balm by Burts Bees, then you will have a pretty good idea of what this product feels like. In fact I think the Burts Bees balm has more of a minty feeling which will make your lips tingle even more than the Yu Be lip therapy balm.
If you want the Yu Be lip balm, you can get it through Sephora but only on the online store since the products are not yet available in stores.My Honey Child is still one of my go to companies when I want to bathe my hair in natural yet effective products. I tried the Olive You scalp cleanser, and again I was a happy camper. My hair was left with a moisturized feeling without feeling stripped. I would buy this product again because even some natural shampoos can leave my hair feeling a little stiff but this one did the complete opposite. This review will be short because it is similar to the countless other MHC shampoo reviews which I have done in the past. You will pay $12.00 for the 6 oz bottle and $18.00 for the 8oz bottle. Check out the ingredients below:

Ingredients: Pure Olive Oil , Vegetable Castille Base, Fresh Lemon Infusion ,Toothed Wrack Seaweed Infusion , Fresh Lime Juice ,Coconut Oil , Neroli Oil, Mandarin Oil, Vanilla Absolute, Orris Absolute.
How awesome is that, right????

Brown Butter Beauty provided me with a sample of their Lavender Red Clover natural soap when I made my last purchase. I love that this soap has pieces of lavender, leaves, and other eye catching plant life which give the soap some texture-- and its just cute to look at too!
The soap is described as a moisturizing bar and I would have to say that my skin was not feeling dry after using it. I really need to purchase the full size, $7.00 bar in order to put the moisturizing claims to the test.
Ingredients: Handcrafted with Saponified Coconut Oil, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Palm Oil, Unrefined Raw Yellow African Shea Butter, Soybean Oil, Castor Oil, Organic Red Clover Blossoms, Organic Lavender Blossoms, Lavender Essential Oil, Natural Purple Colorant
Here is the BBB explaination for including lavender in this soap "Lavender Medical Properties: Antiseptic, antifungal, analgesic, antitumoral, anticonvulsant, vasodilating, relaxant, anti-inflammatory, combats excess sebum on skin."

Racial Globalization

This week Monique (yes I watched the show- don't judge me..lol) interviewed Beverly Johnson, her daughter and another model. During one point in the show Monique took a moment to acknowledge the beauty in all of the different shades represented by the 4 women on stage. There is so much beauty in all people of all backgrounds but unfortunately some people fail to see the beauty that they possess. I watched a video from the online Clutch Magazine site on racial globalization. Essentially, you have non European people getting various procedures to have a look that they feel is more acceptable in society.Check out this disturbing yet interesting video here.
What do you think of people who get plastic surgery to move away from more ethnic features? Do you think the standards of beauty have changed much over the years? Do you ever find yourself using the European standard of beauty to measure your own looks or the looks of others around you?

Oh the scent!!!!

A long time ago I created a video on the various scents of the Darcy's Botanicals leave in conditioner, but I never posted the video. Thanks to the question I received from a reader, I now get to use the footage...lol
Thanks Sherika.
At the end of the video I mention that I don't recall the name of the first scent I purchased, but now I have total recall..lol. I purchased pina colada originally and it smells just like a pina colada drink without the alcohol. It is fruity without the sugary sweet scent. I like all of the scents I have tried.

A review of a popular body product and random items

Hello Everyone
I've missed you all. I think I'm going to have a double post tomorrow :-).
PJD

The tip widget says......

We've all seen them before, towelettes that promise to remove makeup while refreshing your face. I don't know about you but I am usually left with parched skin and mascara residue on my face, until now. I tried the Ponds Wet Cleansing Towelettes which is infused with chamomile, vitamin E and a special triple tea antioxidant formula. The towel itself was very gentle, no abrasive areas at all so that was a pleasant surprise for my sensitive skin.
Despite the gentleness of this product, it can remove waterproof makeup. This hypoallergenic 30 count towelette pack does not leave your skin feeling dry. Many of these towelettes on the market claim that you can take the towelettes on the go and use them throughout the day to refresh your skin, but that won't work if after every use your skin looks dried out and dull. Surprisingly, these cloths left my skin moisturized as it remove makeup and excess oil.
The tip widget on the right side of your screen presented a special tip that can be used with the Ponds towelettes so I was enthusiastic to try it out.
Tip of the Day
The tip suggested leaving the towelettes in the refrigerator and using it after a long stressful day. After a long day I turned to my trusty chilled cloths and viola that cool sensation really did make a nice addition to the already effective cloths.

I also have to show you the cute limited edition seasonal vanity case that the Qtip company has released. Instead of the traditional q-tip packaging, this seemingly small case holds over 200 q-tips. Q-tip is my all time favorite brand of Q-tips, even when I have a knock off brand I still refer to them as q-tips- marketing at it's best..lol. No other company really compares to the sturdy q-tip base surrounded by soft cotton on both ends.
The q-tip tip of the day suggested using q-tips to fix up minor makeup issues , which I think we all have from time to time. I have also used q-tips to remove excess nail polish from my hands and cuticles to reveal the perfect manicure.

You can find both of these products at your local drugstore.
Do you have any beauty tips?

Fantasy Lengths

(This picture was taken after I had rummaged through the packaging)
Many of us use mascara to make our lashes appear thicker and longer, but what if our desired length is never attained through those magical tubes with perfectly angled wands? What if perfect lashes continue to elude us as we go through countless tubes of mascara? Should some of us face the reality that may mascara isn't enough for the look we want to attain? Perhaps we simply want to have fun and switch from our usual look to lashes we could only fantasize about?

Sometimes you just have to fake it until you make it! Let's take a journey through the world of fake lashes. Come with me on my first ever false lash experience.
Below is a picture of the New Fantasy Lengths false lashes by Revlon in the color blue. It's almost like it has varying shades of blue and surprisingly it blended in quite well with my lashes as you will see.

First I applied my mascara to prevent my lashes from sticking straight out while the falsies curved in a different direction. Next I opened my kit and faced my false lash fears.The kit is complete with a pair of labeled lashes (right eye and left eye labels as shown in the picture) and the oh so necessary adhesive. The lashes felt sticky on it's own but the adhesive allowed me to wear my lashes from dusk till dawn. Sure I went through all the common fears, will they blow off? Will I be left with one lash in place while the other one flutters down the busy NYC streets? I was nervous, but I didn't need to be because this adhesive was not allowing the lashes to budge.

Here are my naked lashes.

Then I applied a little bit of the glue to the line of the fake lashes and applied it to my lash line. A little bit of the glue was showing on my right eye (the eye on the left of your screen)but I simply covered it with black eye liner as you can see from the eye on the right side of your screen.

Final look-

As you can see I added a little eye liner to my eyes and I was ready to start my day with this winged/feathered Fantasy Lengths look. When I saw my sister later in the evening, she actually liked the look. My makeup hating sister loved the look..lol so that spoke volumes to me.
Each week for the next 3-4 weeks I will showcase a different look from the New Revlon Fantasy Lengths line. Although I am still getting my feet wet in the false lash department this is an easy way to spruce up your look.
You can purchase this product from your local drugstore for roughly $6.50.
Do you wear false lashes? If so, which brand do you prefer? Is there any specific technique that should be followed when applying falsies? Do you reuse your lashes? If so, how many times do you wear a pair of lashes?

Finding the perfect colors.

Have you ever had trouble finding the best chocolate or wine colored lipstick? Well my search is now over because I have found lip tars. Check out the video to learn more about these $12.50 peppermint infused lip products.

Please excuse all of my ashy skin!!!This picture is of a color named fondue.

The picture is of a color named vintage.

Part 2

Late post- enjoy

Being prepared

Sorry, this post is not about preparing your hair for the winter months, nor is it a post about financial preparedness. This post is about planning for things that will happen at a much later date.
For example, I think I may have selected my wedding photographer. No need to scroll back through old posts, thinking you missed PJD's big "I'm engaged" announcement because that hasn't happened. In fact I'm single lol but you have blogger Just wondering to thank for indulging in my foolishness and for being the person who actually sent me the link. LOL
Now I am not one who talks about marriage or weddings all day long even though I think it's a great topic but once I saw the work of this photographer I was blown away. I looked at one wedding in particular but then I took a look at the work on her website and I fell in love. I love her shots outside as well as the way she captures the beauty of the bride and groom, (truth be told she has even done this for couples that are not making the top ten cutest couples list).
Anyway check out her work here. Her prices start at $2,800 for wedding flicks. Let PJD know all you married ladies, is that a good price or not? Here is the link to the original wedding that I viewed, take a look at some of the pics from the photographer's blog. Click here
Oh I also think I nailed down my wedding reception hall even though I am told they charge over $100 per plate and I have quite a few people to invite........Click on the word gallery to see pics of the building.
So how far in advance do you begin your planning process?
I'm leaving tomorrow for business and I will be gone straight through the weekend. I will pump out a post tonight and post it tomorrow.
Thanks for reading

Two part video on product twins

Hello Everyone
In this post we have two videos showcasing product twins.
The term product twins, basically refers to two or more products from the same company that give you similar results. Further, the ingredients list may even be very similar however the products come in different jars, with different price tags.....lol.
Check the videos for more info.

part 2