Ebony Jay Beauty My Way: 2013

Sunday, December 15, 2013

Thank you so much you guys are so wonderful and supportive and I love you...giveaway! LOL

Hello beauty lovers I am back with another post but this one is going to be a little different because this is my very first giveaway! (:

This idea kind of took me by surprise, I was planning on doing my first giveaway in the new year but you guys have been so wonderful and supportive to me that I decided you deserve it now! (:

So all of these items I bought with my own money nothing was given to me (:

The video below has all the information (:

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Again thank you guys so much for supporting me and my blog and I am so grateful to all of you!

Good luck be safe and I will see you at the finish line! (:

Saturday, December 14, 2013

Beauty Crown 2013: Week 2 Facial Products

Hello beauty lovers I am with another post and this is going to be weak to the beauty Crown award and this week I'm talking about my favorite facial products.

The Beauty Crown Awards are a yearly favorites collaborative effort including beauty bloggers around the globe. The Beauty Crown Awards were created by Lily from Beauty with Lily Liz from My Pretty Obsessions, Jackie from Five Two Certified, and Shalunya from Shalunya & Boyet. We felt that a collaborative effort from a large number of beauty bloggers would be much more interesting to our readers and would garner more attention. The Beauty Crown Awards are a 5 week event with each week covering types of products.

Week 1 - Personal Care Products - Dec 2 - Dec 8, 2013

Week 2 - Facial Products - Dec 9 - Dec 15, 2013

Week 3 - Lip & Nail Products - Dec 16 - Dec 22, 2013

Week 4 - Eye & Misc Products - Dec 23 - Dec 29, 2013

Week 5 - Facial Care Products & Tools - Dec 30 - Jan 4, 2014

Week 2 of the Beauty Crown Awards covers Face Products. Below are my Week 2 selections:

FACE

Primer

BB Cream

Foundation

Powder

Concealer

Brightener

Blush

Bronzer

Highlighter

Palette

So let's get started! (:

My favorite primer right now is BareMinerals and it is their Prime Time primer. I really like this permanently has it makes my skin feels so soft and it makes my pores look smaller and it also keeps my makeup from slipping off my face throughout the day. My face tends to get oily so it's really important to keep my makeup from slipping off my face (:

Next is BB or cc cream and I actually do a DIY BB cream that I make myself so if you want to see how I do that click here (: the reason I make my own BB cream is because I have very sensitive skin and a lot of the BB creams that I have used before burns my skin and is really uncomfortable. So I just make my own.

So moving on to foundation, my favorite foundation right now is actually by Maybelline and it is the Fit Me Stick foundation in 340, and the reason that I like this foundation so much is that its quick, simple and it matches my skin tone very well. If you want to watch my review on this foundation click here.

Next up is powder and the powder that I use is from BareMinerals as well and it is there hydrating mineral veil. I like this powder is because it sets my make up and it keeps it from slipping off my face and it also keeps my skin from getting dry. Sometimes my skin gets oily and sometimes it gets dry, it really just depends on what my skin feels like doing that day. It also evens out my foundation so I really really like this.

On to concealer. The concealer that I use is also from Maybelline, it is the same line as my foundation and I like this concealer because it covers up the imperfections I have due to my acne scars but it also illuminates so I use that to contour sometimes but mostly just a cover-up for imperfections.

My favorite palette and actually my only pallet is The Italia Matte Color Chart and the reason I like this because it has so many different colors it's very pigmented and the colors spread very easily on my skin and they show up really well even without an eye shadow primer, if you want to watch my review on this palette click here (:

Well guys that is it for this post (:

What are your favorites in these categories? Let me know in the comments or if you are participating in the Beauty Crown Awards leave your blog link below and I'll check it out (:

Be safe and I will see you in my next post!

Lets be friends!!

Friday, December 13, 2013

November Favs! (:

Hello beauty lovers I am back with another post and this is going to be my November Favorites. I do not have a lot of favorites this month because I did not try a lot of things but the ones that I did try and that I really enjoyed I am going to show you in this post!

So let's get started!

First is this Maybelline Fit Me Stick Foundation and I have the shade 340. The reason I love this foundation so much is because it's really quick and simple and easy to apply and it's really a timesaver in the morning when I am scrambling to get ready for school.

Also just like the liquid and powder versions of this foundation it matches my skintone extremely well. If you want to see my review on the liquid and powder foundation click here.

Next on my favorites is the Maybelline Makeup Removing Lotion and the reason I wanted to try this is because I do not think that my skin gets fully clean if I just cleanse it. I feel like I have to remove my makeup first and then cleanse my skin for it to get really clean. So I use this to remove my makeup before cleansing my face and I really like it because all I have to do is take a small amount of it, rub it on my palms, rub it on my face and then wipe it off with a napkin and it's really a timesaver.

The next two products on my favs are very closely related. The Arganesse Hair Treatment and the Organix Argan Oil Hair Treatment and the reason that I have these two products on my favorites is because Argan oil has become one of my favorite oils to use on my hair.

Argan oil is great for taming frizz and adding shine to my hair. Also it is very lightweight and it doesn't make my greasy or weigh it down at all.

They're both amazing products and I recommend them both for whoever wants to try Argan oil!

Another one of my favorite products for the month of November is the Shea Moisture Style Curl Milk and I started using this because I wanted a product that was going to define my curls and keep them lasting longer so I wouldn't have to keep redoing my hair every night. And I was really pleased with this product because not only did it moisturize my hair but it also elongated and defined my curls which I really love.

Another product that I have been using from my hair in the month of November is the Organix Moroccan Argan Oil Intensive Moisture Treatment and actually have not been using this as a deep conditioner I've only been using it has a leave in conditioner for my hair after I use the Organix Argan Oil Hair Treatment and the reason that I don't use it as a deep conditioner is because I already use the Shea Moisture Deep Treatment Mask and I just feel like my hair needs a little bit more moisture throughout the week and it works great as a leave in as well.

I do not wash it out and it does not leave my hair sticky or crunchy or anything like that so I'm probably gonna continue using as a leave in and stick with my Shea Moisture Treatment Mask for my deep conditioner.

Well guys that is it for this post! (:

Have you tried any of these products? Whats on your November Favs list? Let me know in the comments or leave your link down below and I'll check it out (:

Be safe and I'll see you in my next post!

Lets be friends!!

Thursday, December 12, 2013

REVIEW AND PHOTOS: Arganesse Hair Treatment

Hello beauty lovers I am back with another review on a product that I received in a giveaway and I was so excited because I had wanted to try it for a while

Photo courtesy of https://arganesse.com/

"Give your hair the royal treatment with Arganesse, a daily leave-in therapy with beneficial argan oil."
So the packaging of this product does not have much wording, in fact the only thing that it says on the bottle is Arganesse Hair Treatment. I took this to mean that it can be used for many different purposes and I was right.

I love this product because I can use it when my hair is curly.

In the morning, after I remove my hair from what ever heat less hairstyle I have thrown it up into. I simply take a small amount of this and gently run it through my hair.

It makes my hair feel soft and shiny but it also moisturizes.

I really like it as a leave in conditioner for two reasons. The first is that it has argan oil in it and argan oil is really great for moisturizing the hair because it can penetrate the hair shaft. Also because it tames the frizz and fly aways that I experience in the morning with my curly hair

I also love to use this product when my hair is straight

First I use it on my hair before I straighten it so that my hair not frizzy when I am done. Then afterwards I use a tad bit more just to style and keep my hair moisturized.

Also I use it before I wrap my hair to sleep and I have noticed that my hair has been staying straight longer and I believe it is because of this product (:

What really made me fall in love with this product is the fact that my hair looks and feel better since I have been using it. I know that they are pegging it as a leave in treatment but I feel like it could be used as a deep conditioner as well.

The only thing that I did not love about this product was the strength of the smell. It has a very nice scent it is just very strong and because my nose is so sensitive it was a bit overwhelming.

Overall like I said this is a fantastic product and if I could afford it I would definitely buy it however the price of this product is $120 so unfortunately it is out of my price range but I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to try it! (:

Have you tried this hair treatment before? What are your thoughts? (: Let me know in the comments!

Well guys that is it for this post!

Be safe and I will see you in my next post!

Lets be friends!!

Wednesday, December 11, 2013

HEY CURLY GIRLS, LET'S TALK: Oils

Hello lovelies I am back with yet another installment of Hey Curly Girls, Lets Talk and today's post is going to be all about the different kinds of oils that you can use in your hair that will keep it moisturized and healthy (:

Lets get started!

So in case you all did not know there are an abundance of oils that you can use in your hair and they all of different pros and cons that go along with using them. The best way to find out which oil works best for your hair is through trial and error.

The first oil we are going to talk about is coconut (:

Now coconut oil is great for hair because it is one of only a few oils that it is small enough to penetrate the hair shaft and strengthen the hair from the inside. There are some oils, such as sunflower oil and mineral oil, that do not penetrate the hair shaft because their molecular structure is too big. These oils simply sit on top of the hair, which is not a bad thing but you definitely want that deep conditioning that is offered by coconut oil. Which brings me to my next point.

Coconut oil is a fantastic deep conditioner. Whether you use it alone or you add other ingredients, if you want a cheap but effective way to deep condition your hair, coconut oil is most definitely it. Coconut oil is especially helpful if your hair is dry and damaged from heat because it prevents protein loss. If you want a few easy DIY deep conditioning recipes using coconut oil click here (:

Coconut oil also improves blood circulation, meaning if you give yourself a scalp massage with coconut oil it will stimulate your hair follicles which will in turn promote hair growth.

Coconut oil also has a lot of nutrients that your hair really needs such as iron, vitamin E and vitamin K.

Moving on to olive oil

One thing that olive oil does really well is that it controls frizz. Unlike coconut oil which is a great moisturizer olive oil is fantastic for taming hair. Also if you have really curly coily hair and you have shrinkage issue olive oil can be used to relax your curly so that it is elongated and does not shrivel up and make your hair look shorter than it is.

Don't get me wrong olive oil is great for moisturizing the hair as well however olive oil is a little bit heavier than coconut oil so if you have thinner hair or wavy hair olive oil may weigh your hair down a little more than you might like.

Olive oil can also be used as a deep conditioner as a substitute for coconut oil! If you want to use olive oil in the coconut oil deep conditioning recipe you can do that (:

The last oil we are going to talk about is Argan oil.

Argan oil is nothing short of amazing. It has vitamins and nutrients that your hair needs to grow and be healthy such as vitamin E, omega 3 and omega 9.

Just like coconut oil and olive oil Argan oil can also penetrate the hair shaft and moisturize the hair. In my opinion the most amazing thing about Argan oil is that it's basically weightless because it's so lightweight it won't weigh down your hair if it is thin or wavy if you use too much of it. It also won't make your hair looks greasy and it won't build up in your hair. It can tame frizz and add shine to damaged hair and it also promotes hair growth.

I have never used argan oil as a deep conditioner because it is so light weight I would rather use it as a daily leave in and use coconut oil for deep conditioning (:

However pure Argan oil is extremely expensive. There are brands, such as Organix that sell Argan oil treatments. They usually have been processed and have other chemicals in them but they will work. If you can get your hands on pure oil you definitely should go for it!

Well guys that is it for this post!

What is you hair type? What oils do you like to use on your hair? Let me know in the comments!

Be safe and I will see you in my next post!

Lets be friends!!

Tuesday, December 10, 2013

#THEWINTERPROJECT: Favorite Christmas Accessory

Hello beauty friends I am back with another post and this is going to be my next installment of #thewinterproject and it is going to be my favorite Christmas accessory!

If you are interested in participating in #thewinterproject check out this post by Bold95Beauty (:

So I have to admit that I had a little bit of trouble making to writing this post because I could not think of a Christmas accessory that I like to have. So I had to think: first of all, what is a Christmas accessory?

And then it hit me, every Christmas I always have to have a Santa hat!

It first started when I was little kid and my dad brought home a pink sparkly Santa hat for me for Christmas and I remember from that day on I was completely obsessed with having that Santa hat. But I lost it and then next year my dad had to bring me another one but it wasn't the same hat. It was different.

It actually was just a regular white and red Santa hat and that's when I got into the habit of getting a new Santa hat every year and I have kept it up until the last few years when I actually haven't gotten a new Santa hat.

But recently I went to my aunts house and was going through her Christmas decorations and I found the most amazing Santa hat in the whole entire world and I have to say that Santa hats are definitely my favorite Christmas accessory.

Okay ignore my crazy expression, is this not the greatest santa hat you have ever seen?!

I think the reason that I like said to have so much is because they really get me into the Christmas spirit. I know that a lot of us do not believe in Santa Claus anymore but it's still nice to have something that reminds you of your childhood and reminds you of the spirit of Christmas.

I know this post is really short guys but I promise my next one will be better!

Well guys that is it for this post!

What is your favorite Christmas accessory? Let me know in the comments or if you are part of #thewinterproject please leave your blog links to the post below and I'll definitely check them out (:

Be safe and I'll see you in the next post!

Lets be friends!!

Monday, December 9, 2013

BLOGGER BUDDIES SERIES: Create Relationships

Hello blogger friends I am back with another post and today I am going to be doing another installment of my blogger buddies series and this post is going to be all about how to create relationships through blogging.

Relationships are really important because the people who read and comment on your blog are the people who are going to be supporting you and pushing you to be where you want to go. So it's essential that you create those relationships and make those friendships that you can use to not only improve your blogging but make connections with other people.

So let's get started with comments!

The way that I look at creating relationships and making connections is really just making friends. So if you want someone to comment on your blog it only makes sense for you to comment on theirs. And after you do you can send them a little message saying "hey I checked out your blog I think it's great I left a comment would you mind checking out mine?" and they will either say yes and check it out or they'll say no. And don't get mad if they say no just take it with a smile and try again.

Spam is a NO NO!

One thing that you have to remember when you do this is that you do not want to spam other people's blogs. So you do not want to comment on someone's blog only to leave your own blog link because that is just really disrespectful and a lot of people do not like it.

There are some bloggers that encourage you to leave your blog links but there are others who will tell you specifically not to leave your blog link in the comments so make sure you are paying attention to that because you don't want anyone mad at you for doing something that they did not want you to do.

Be Active!

Another factor that you have to consider when you're trying to create relationships is being active with your supporters. So if you are on Twitter you want to be constantly tweeting, you want to constantly be talking to your followers, talking to your supporters, asking questions, answering their questions. If you see there is a fellow blogger who has a question or they need help ask them what they need or answer their question to help them out. Anything to keep in contact with them. Anything to keep talking to them, to let them know that you are there, will help you create relationships with people who are basically supporting you. You have to be active enough to listen to them.

When I'm on Twitter I am constantly scrolling down my newsfeed and scouring the hashtags looking for bloggers to talk to. If they have questions or even looking for new blog to read. Always looking for those people who are helping me and looking for ways to help them out and that is what creating relationships is all about. It is basically give-and-take and you only get what you put out.

Another great way to create relationships with people is to attend as many events as possible. I remember when I started my blog I found out about the iFabbo social media conference and I remember how badly that I wanted to go. So I made it a point that I was going to get there. It didn't matter what I had to do because I knew that order to make connections with other people I have to go out and find them. I have to go and have conversations with them and attending events is the easiest way to do that. Plus it is always fun to meet new bloggers and get new blog tips and stuff like that.

The hard thing about attending events is finding events that are in your area. I know living in California there's a lot of blogger events that take place but sometimes it may be too far away from me and I have to shrug it off and look for something else.

But I know that IMATS in LA is coming up and I will be attending that. So any other bloggers that are interested all you have to do is search IMATS on Google and it'll take you to get tickets or learn about the event and everything that you need. So you just have to look. You have to just get out there and I promise it will pay off.

Another really easy way to create relationships with other bloggers is to just post or accept guest posts onto your blog because when you work with someone to create something for their blog or create something for your blog it really makes a lasting relationship. I have done guest posts for other people's blogs and I'm always accepting guest post on my blog and I know that after I have worked with someone I'm always going back and checking out their blog because I've worked on it and it really kind of makes me feel a part of their experience and a part of making their blog better and helping them out. It really is a great way to create that relationship with other people.

The last way that I'm gonna say to make relationships is to share. When you read someone's post or you watch someone's video, share it. Share on every social media site that you have because it only takes two seconds to say hey check out this video or check out this person's post. If you're on Twitter and you are scrolling down your newsfeed and you see someone who's trying to get 200 followers on BlogLovin' retweet it. It takes literally five seconds to retweet something and you can take that out of your day to help someone who's supporting you because they're taking the time to follow you.

One last thing before I end this post, be grateful. Whether you have 1 follower or 1 million. Be grateful that there are people out there that want to support you. Thank them as often as you can, every chance you get. I am so thankful to all of my supporters because they have all inspired me to continue doing what I love.

Well guys that is it for this post (:

What are your tips on creating relationships? Let me know in the comments (:

Be safe and I'll see you in my next post!

Lets be friends!!

Sunday, December 8, 2013

#TheSkinProject: Exfoliating

Hello beauty friends I am back with another post for #theskinproject and this post is going to be about exfoliating.

Now a lot of people don't exfoliate because they don't know how beneficial it is to your skin. When you exfoliate you're not only cleansing your skin but you are getting off all the dead skin cells that just sit on top of your face.

You can follow Lianne on Twitter, also if you want to get involved with the #TheSkinProject or just want more information check out her post here!

So let's get started with my favorite products I like to use to exfoliate!

The first is from Dermologica and it is their daily microfoliant and I really like this exfoliator because not only is it really fun to use but it also gets those dead skin cells off of my face and actually makes my face feel a lot smoother and a lot softer after I use it.

I got the travel size in my goodie bag when I went to the iFabbo social media conference but I actually went back to the website and bought a full-size after that one was gone.

It really is one of my favorite products to exfoliate my face. The only thing about it is that I have to use more moisturizer than I do usually because I feel like it dries out my skin a little bit but that's not a huge deal to me.

The next exfoliant I use is actually a DIY exfoliator that I make myself and all I do is take some brown sugar, some honey and olive oil and I'll mix them together until it gets to a pasty consistency but it's not too oily and then just take it and I actually use this exfoliator all over my body.

So I'll get in the shower and I wash my body then I'll use the brown sugar scrub all over my body and it makes my skin feel really soft and because of the honey and the olive oil my body actually is smoother and softer and I don't feel like my skin is really dry after I use it.

Also the reason I like doing the do-it-yourself exfoliant is because first of all I know that the products are all natural. There's no chemicals involved, there's no processing and I just really like how it makes my skin feel.

So usually I'll use the microfoliant on my face and I'll use the brown sugar scrub all over my body.

At the very least I exfoliate my skin two times a week. On a good week I'll exfoliate my skin four times a week and the reason for that is that I like my skin to be moisturized and I like my skin to be completely devoid of dead skin cells because I am a germophobe and it really makes me uncomfortable to know that there are dead skin cells on my body even though I know that I can't help it. I just like to exfoliate as much as I can so that I don't feel as dirty throughout the week.

I know it seems weird but there's really nothing I can do. It's just how I feel about my body and my skin and it's really how I've always felt so I do not think it's going to change anytime soon (:

Well guys that is it for this post!

What kind of exfoliators do you use on your skin and how often do you use them? Let me know in the comments (:

Be safe and I'll see you in my next post!

Lets be friends!!

Saturday, December 7, 2013

Beauty Crown Awards 2013: Week 1 Personal Care Products

Hello beauty lovers I am back with another post and this is my first installment for the Beauty Crown collaboration!

Week 1 - Personal Care Products - Dec 2 - Dec 8, 2013

Week 2 - Facial Products - Dec 9 - Dec 15, 2013

Week 3 - Lip & Nail Products - Dec 16 - Dec 22, 2013

Week 4 - Eye & Misc Products - Dec 23 - Dec 29, 2013

Week 5 - Facial Care Products & Tools - Dec 30 - Jan 4, 2014

Week 1 of the Beauty Crown Awards covers Personal Care Items. Below are my Week 1 Selections:

HAIR

Shampoo

Conditioner

Hairspray

Styling Product

Hair Mask

SCENTS

Body Mist

Perfume

SKIN CARE (Non-Facial)

Body Wash

Bar Soap

Body Scrub

Moisturizer

Hair Removal

This week is focusing on my favorite personal care products (: so let's get started!

Hair!

Shampoo!

I have been using this shampoo for about a year now and I am so in love with it. When I first started using it I was not sure what the whole natural thing was about but I am really happy that I found this line because it has helped my hair so much and it smells amazing! Click here to see my full review (:

Conditioner

So I just started using this conditioner because I had heard really great reviews on it so I decided to give it a try. And I really love this conditioner. It makes my hair really soft and it moisturizes it really well. Also since my hair is colored it keeps the color from fading.

Styling Product

I started using this product a few weeks ago and really love it. It moisturizes and sets my curls but it also keeps them from shrinking. Another thing is that it does not weigh my hair down. Also because it is so thick I do not have to redo my hair ever single day I can just apply a good amount one day and then the next few days I just add water to activate the product (:

Hair Mask

This is my favorite hair mask in the whole world (: I love the way it makes my hair feel and look after I use it. It is really thick and the scent is really great. I usually use this on my hair twice a week in order to keep my curls moisturized. If you want to see my full review on this product click here! Also click here to see how I apply the treatment to my hair!

Dry Shampoo

So my best friend in the whole world works at on of Paul Mitchell's salons and he is so amazing that he got me this for my birthday. I have used it ever since because I really feel like it get the roots of my hair clean for those in between wash days since I only wash my hair once or twice a week. All I do is spray it on my roots and fluff my hair and voila! (:

Skin Care! (Non-Facial)

Body Wash

This is my favorite body wash of all time! I got a sample of it in my iFabbo goodie bag an I loved it so much that I went and bought the full size once I ran out. The smell is so wonderful, it has coconut in it so it is going to be amazing anyway, and it gets my body clean without making it feel dry and tight (: Plus it has no sulfates or parabens! It does not get any better than that! (:

Body Scrub

So the body scrub that I use is actually a DIY that I make myself (: You can check out the recipe for that here (: I like using this scrub because it is all natural and I know there are no chemicals added and no processing involved (: plus it makes my skin feel really good.

Body Lotion

I started using this lotion about 6 months ago and I have been using it ever since. This lotion has a really great smell, it reminds me of flowers. The best thing about it, besides the price which is a startling $6.49 at Target, is that it is thick and it really moisturizes my skin.

Well guys that is it for this post!

What are your favorite personal care products? Let me know in the comments or leave a link to your beauty crown post!

Be safe and I will see you in my next post!

Lets be friends!!