5 of the Best Eyeshadows for Eyes Ranging From the Darkest to the Lightest of Browns

These colors will bring out the flecks of gold in your eyes.

Credit: ColourPop

Family Time! Let's dive into my recipe of eggplant parmesan served over angel hair pasta topped with 4-cheese marinara sauce paired with sauteed green beans.

Hey you all! Due to recent events that relate to both personal family changes and public figure family changes, I wanted to do what I was doing a few years ago - inviting my friends and family to my place where I cook a gourmet style, homemade meal. I live in a small town and so does my family so we really need to see each other more than once a year or even once a month.

As you can see, I love to eat and of course create BeautiFULL Food dishes. On the last Wednesday of January, I invited my family over for eggplant parmesan. I believe I made it before but I had to do a quick recipe search to see if I was missing anything and I wasn't. I came about making this dish when I was looking at this eggplant that had been sitting in my refrigerator for over a week. This also came to mind because I wanted to go to The Olive Garden but I am sticking to a budget so that was a no go for me. That being said, here is my easiest recipe for eggplant parmesan with sauteed green beans.


Ingredients
1 large eggplant sliced 1/2 inch thick
3 beaten eggs
Italian style bread crumbs
2lbs fresh green beans - ends cut, beans soaked rinsed and drained
2 cups of cooking oil - vegetable, olive or canola oil for frying eggplant
1 jar of 4 cheese marinara sauce
1-16 ounce box of angel hair pasta
Himalayan salt
Cracked black pepper
Dried lime basil leaves
1tbsp of butter
Dried thyme leaves
Parmesan and mozzarella cheese

Directions
First things first, fill a quart size pan halfway full of water and start to boil the water for the pasta. You guys know how to cook pasta so do that once the water comes to a boil. Pour out the water and set the pasta aside. Add a tbsp of oil to it so it doesn't become sticky.

Green Beans

1. Place a large-size sautee or frying pan over medium heat and add1 tbsp of cooking oil 
2. Add the green beans then sprinkle about 2 dashes of Himalayan salt, 2 dashes of cracked black pepper, 2 dashes of thyme, and 2 dashes of lemon basil
3. Sautee that for almost 5-10 minutes, stirring constantly for even cooking
4. Reduce heat to low and add 1 tbsp of butter. Stir then place the lid on top
5. Once the green beans changed from dark green to a lighter color of green which means it is getting softer, turn off the heat and keep the lid on

Sauce

1. In one small size saucepan, pour in the jar a four-cheese marinara sauce and turn the heat to medium
2. Once it starts to boil a bit add the seasonings that you use for the green beans to the sauce
3. Stir it and let it come to a boil, then reduce heat to low and place a lid on top. Let that simmer together to join the flavors for approximately 10 minutes. Do not let it burn or if the amount is reducing adding 1/4 cup of water and stir then place the lid back on.
4. Once 10 minutes have passed, turn off the heat and set aside

Eggplant
You’re going to need two plates – one plate for the eggplant that has already been sliced and the other plate for once the eggplant has been breaded and it is ready to be fried. The one thing you want to take note of is that the eggplant fries very quickly. I actually burnt the first 5 pieces but forced myself to eat them for lunch the next day. #teamnowasting

1. Lightly season the eggplant pieces with the same seasonings that you used for the green beans before placing them into the eggs before breading
2. Coat each eggplant with a nice thin layer of eggs then immediately sprinkle the Italian bread crumbs on each side. Once you have done that place the bread crumb coated pieces on the other plate
3. Continue this until everything is breaded
4. Heat up the cooking oil on medium heat. To test if the oil is hot enough sprinkle a little water added.
5. Once it is hot and it sizzles then start adding the eggplant pieces. It only takes one to two minutes on each side for the pieces to be done.
6. Fry the pieces in batches and place them on a plate that has paper towels on it to remove any oil. You do not want oily pieces.
7. Once all of the eggplant pieces have been fried then start plating

Plating

1. Place the pasta on the plate first then place the sautéed green beans next to the pasta
2. Spoon out a nice sized amount of sauce on top of the pasta. Don't be stingy. No one likes dry pasta! Add two pieces of eggplant directly on top, sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top of the eggplant and pasta then add a little bit more sauce directly on top
3. With a grater, grate a nice amount of parmesan cheese so it melts on top

Dinner is served.


I really love the way that this dish turned out and so did my family. Family time is a very important time. You never know what people are going through but when you come together as a family it helps heal and bring happiness into everyone’s life. Let me know if you try this recipe. Until then enjoy this BeautiFULL Food dish.

You've read about my favorite hair products of 2019 but did you happen to catch my favorite foundations all by Minority-owned makeup brands? No? Shame, shame. Go ahead and watch how and why I loved these and I hope you will as well.


When it comes to my foundation my shade is pretty difficult to match. The undertones of my skin range from neutral to red and gold. I also become very pale as you can see from this altered image of myself. Due to the fact that I am a person who is determined to find her shade, I will keep purchasing and/or trying them when I get them in my possession.

CREDIT: Delali Robinson Cosmetics

In order of appearance, I featured 2 foundations from Delali Robinson Cosmetics. These foundations can only be purchased online or in Matteson, IL, a suburb of Chicago. This was sent to me in PR. 

CREDIT: UOMA Beauty

UOMA Beauty I purchased and color-matched myself at my local ULTA Beauty store.

CREDIT: Vera Moore Cosmetics

Vera Moore Cosmetics. You can purchased her products through her online store, at the Walgreens on State Street in Chicago, or on QVC.

CREDIT: Danessa Myricks Beauty

The last of course was from Danessa Myricks Beauty. I purchased this at The Makeup Show Chicago but her products are also sold online or at all Morphe stores in the USA.

Ranging from creams to liquids, high definition to your normal formula, these are pretty much amazing and well worth the investment.

Let me know your thoughts.

Can you all believe that it is 2020 already? If you are in your 30's like me then WOW! Shit has really changed in the natural hair industry, specifically the kinky, curly hair or dare I say, the Black hair industry. That being said after becoming totally obsessed with finding hair products created by Minority-owned brands, receiving freebies from brands I represented or collaborating with brands for this website, here are the hair products you'll love in 2020 that I loved and tried in 2019. FYI, I will be posting a Favs Video of makeup and skincare products on YouTube this Sunday and you don't want to miss this!


Carol's Daughters
Pracaxi Nectar Curl Twisting Custard $12

When I say that I fell in love with this curly twisting custard I am not overexaggerating. I found this product when I was in Ross one day and I wasn't supposed to be. But from the moment I touch this creamy product and applied it to my wet hair, it felt like a leave-in, detangling conditioner that defined my curls to its full potential. The best part of this product is that it doesn't flake when it dries. You definitely want this!






Savannah Hair Therapy
Moisture Repair Shea Butter Mask $50

When I was at Premiere Orlando, watch the video --> HERE I was on a hunt to find natural based hair products or either products created specifically for dry and curly hair such as mine but was made my Minority-owned brands. Ding! Ding! I did and I was so happy because this brand gave me a ton of samples and I also purchased a shampoo and a conditioner and the mask was given to me for free. This hair mask definitely softens dehydrated hair. I tend to use it once a month and now that it is almost gone, I will have to place an order. You can purchase this online.


Sunny Isle
Jamaican Black Extra Dark Castor Oil Deep Conditioner $8

This is by far the best conditioner that I have ever had. It is detangling, moisturizing and can be used as leave-in or a rinse-out conditioner. The consistency is medium and I honestly keep it in rotation. I always buy this product at TJ Maxx so if you want to try it at a lower price, go there.






Bella Curls
Curl Defining Coconut Cream $5

There isn't anything that I cannot say more than I already have. I am so in love with this cream. It defines my dry, kinky, non-chemically treated hair and I always get compliments whenever I get dolled up and the coils on fleek! Fun Fact. This brand sent me a boatload of their products after seeing my rave about it on my beauty Instagram, Instagram.com/thebeautiesincolor Now if you are located near a Dollar General, this product can be purchased there.


Loelle Organic Beauty
Barbary Fig Hair Oil $42

I love this brand so much that when this was sent to me from the company I tried not to use it all at once. This oil is thick in consistency but my scalp and hair love it so much that a little goes a long way. Coming in a small size container, I try to only use the product when I really need deep conditioning and oil penetrating hair session. Really great stuff and is available for purchase online.







Maple Holistics
Silk 18 Conditioner $12

Earlier this year the brand sent out this conditioner to me in it's new packaging and true to the original, it is still amazing. I love the fact that this conditioner softens my hair while it is wet and of course afterward. Like the other conditioner by Sunny Isle, I tend to use this both as a rinse out and a leave-in because it doesn't make the hair feel gritty. I love it but because it isn't sold in stores, you will have to purchase it online.


Now all of these products I tend to keep in rotation on my hair although there are a few more sitting under my sink that I have yet to fully indulge myself in. I will be incorporating those this year.

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Achieve the perfectly moist and flavorful turkey this Thanksgiving (or Christmas) with this Lemon Herb Butter Whip. 

Once you have used this butter for your turkey (or a whole chicken), it is pretty much guaranteed to have people coming back for seconds, thirds and more (if there is any left).
Please Note: This is Lemon-Herb Butter Whip and turkey is prepped one day before you plan to bake the turkey. This is technically a marinade and seasoning.



Preparation. 
Blender, food processor or chopper (I used a 1.5 cup chopper)
Reynold's Kitchen Turkey Oven Bag
Ikea roasting pan
Large bowl
Large wood cutting board
Large spoon

Ingredients
1 small red onion
4 fresh garlic cloves
2 fresh lemons
1-0.75oz packaged of fresh rosemary
1-0.75oz packaged of fresh thyme
2 sticks of sweet cream (salted) butter
*Optional Himalayan salt or black pepper*
Turkey is naturally known to be salty. Also, the salted sweet corn butter has more than enough sodium. Too much salt increases blood pressure I don't use much of it. 

Directions
I use a wood cutting board to place all of my ingredients on because it sucks up the leftover water moisture.

1. Rinse off the rosemary and thyme and set aside. *Optional leave a few sprigs of rosemary and thyme out to lay on top of turkey when baking*
2. Cut the red onion into quarters, remove the outer skin of the onions then set aside. 
3. Clean the outer skin of the 2 lemons, cut both into 2 halves. 1 of the halves cut into 1/3 of an inch circular slivers and set aside. Those slivers you will use place on top of the turkey while it bakes.
4. Remove 2 sticks of the sweet cream salted butter from the fridge and set aside.
5. Start your Lemon-Herb Butter Whip by adding 2 of the garlic cloves, 2 quarters of the red onion, 1 bunch of the thyme and 1 bunch of the rosemary into the chopper (blender or food processor). Blend until everything looks "chopped". 
6. Next, add one stick of butter then squeeze one and then half of another lemon juice over your hand (to catch the seeds) and blend the mixture until it looks like a semi-smooth butter whip
7. With a spoon or spatula place the mixture into a bowl and set aside. 
8. Repeat the steps 4-7
9. Although the turkey isn't posted on here what you will do is clean the turkey, remove the bag from the center and rinse off the turkey. I keep the neck because it is flavorful. What you will then do place the turkey on the Ikea roasting pain, start to cut slits into the entire turkey then rub and stuff the turkey with this lemon-herb butter whip. Don't forget to stuff the butter mixture in the skin as well. No one likes a dry bird.
10. For the stuffing, I take leftover or stale tortilla or quinoa chips, crackers french bread and crush it. I then add a spoonful of the lemon-herb butter whip then stuff the mixture inside of the bird. 
11. I then rub the rest of the lemon-herb butter whip all over the bird then squeeze the circular lemon slices all over the bird, and place them on top of the bird. Also, use the remaining sprigs of thyme and rosemary on top of the bird. 
12. Carefully place the entire turkey inside the Reynold's Kitchen Turkey Oven Bag, seal it with a twist tie and place the turkey back in the roasting pan. 
13. Allow this to marinade overnight then place in the oven the next day. Follow the baking time as well as temperature setting instructions that are on the packaging of the turkey.

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Photo Credit: Amazonaws.com

Credit: RawPixel.com

You guys, I went to The Makeup Show Chicago and I was in a version of heaven to say the least. You see, if you are a new subscriber to my blog then welcome to my obsession with beauty but more specifically welcome to my makeup obsession.

As a  professional and license Cosmetologist for going on 9 years now, I get the chance to attend many professional beauty events. This year I attended 2 of them. The first being Premiere Orlando International Beauty Show and the second was The Makeup Show Chicago. I really love going to these events because there are many opportunities for me as a Beauty Writer and Content Developer in the beauty industry to network, sample new products and see what new techniques and tools are hitting the mainstream market or what you can see on models of the fashion runways.

The Makeup Show Chicago with Danessa Myricks and James Vincent

This event took place a few weeks ago on October 6th and 7th at the Fulton Market in Chicago's gentrified West side neighborhood. For 2 days beauty industry professions gathered in an artist community environment where they met industry and learned from industry leaders such as Taraji P. Henson makeup artist Ashunta Sheriff, runway and fashion hairstylist Linh Nguyen, makeup artist and hair educator Bethany Townes and more. During this event there was also an opportunity to meet and see (no charge) demos from Chicago television makeup artist of The Profit CNBC  Viola Nicholson which is an experience within itself. Attendees also had the opporutnity to not only purchases products from 'new to them' or favorite brands but meet the CEOs of the brands themselves One of the CEO/Founder of a growing brand for people of color and celebrity makeup artist AJ Crimson of AJ Crimson Beauty. Talk about a win! This event was clearly an opportunity to pick the brains of these major beauty enthusiasts. The Makeup Show is held in multiple cities of different states, so check out their website for opportunities near you;-)

Free and Paid Education Classes
My main reason for attending the show was to learn from and meet my favorite 'new to me' makeup artist, global educator and photographer Danessa Myricks of Danessa Myricks Beauty and I did:-) :-)

When I learned from my Instagram feed that she was going to be there and was also teaching classes, I purchased my ticket and attempted to purchase a ticket for a class. Unfortunately $35 classes were all sold out and the really expensive class that was $100 over my budget I simply couldn't afford. I'm trying to live within my means. When I arrived for day 2 of the event, I saw that there really was no need to purchase a ticket for the classes because the layout of the building allowed for people who purchases general admission tickets to view the classes that were being taught. The only thing that you could not do is sit down, partake in Q&A's and so fourth. For me, this was fine because I learn a lot by looking however it would have been amazing if I could have gotten the hands on experience.


Brands At The Event
The brands that were there were:
AJ Crimson Beauty
Danessa Myrics Beauty
Alcone, Crown Brush
Frends Beauty
GlamCor
Glamours Chicks Cosmetics
Kett Cosmetics, Bdellium Tools (I purchased their Golden Triangle brush and I'm filling with it soon!)
Pinnacle Cosmetics
Cozzette Beauty
Smashbox Cosmetics and so many more!
Click here to view the list, WATCH MY INSTAGRAM STORY or look up this hashtag #TMSChicago!


The Space of The Makeup Show
The space of the event was smaller than I expected. After coming from Premiere Orlando International Beauty Event in June which was HUGE, I was expecting the same. This was not the same. The layout of the space reminded me exactly of the name of the location, a market. The Fulton Market. This a was medium sized, market store layout that you would find in a downtown grocery store in Chicago, Illinois or even Miami, Florida. Although it wasn't much space, that didn't mean that the beauty vendors and educators were not packed inside of there selling products left and right because believe me honey, small space or big. We will migrate towards beauty deals and opportunities to learn from the best.

One On One With Danessa Myricks
You all, this is the first time I was ever a super fan. I waited and waited, walked around, meet some owners of new Minority owned cosmetic brands such as nail polish brand "Janet and Co", attempted shade matched with one of the Danessa Myricks Beauty Associates, played in her products products and waited some more. BTW, even before the event I was dong an IG story about it and she even responding via DM because I mentioned that I was sad that I couldn't get a ticket to her class but I was still coming because I love her education and techniques. Dude, can you tell I'm really a super fan. I seriously watch so many of her IGTV education videos. 
When I finally got to meet her we took a couple pictures, she definitely helped with capturing the best angles and she shade matched me. I have this crazy skin complexion that has both red and yellow undertones so it was difficult to find a color. She tried about 2 colors and one of them matched pretty nicely but it was slightly off but I didn't care, I could just use bronzer. When I went to purchase the foundation she had one of her sales associates give me a another FREE FOUNDATION and I was like, OMG! Thank you so much! After purchasing the foundation, I left in total excitement and forgot my credit card. Thankfully, Danessa found me and her assistant gave me back my card.

An Opportunity You Shouldn't Miss
This was my first time attending the show and I definitely enjoyed myself. I enjoyed seeing all of the makeup, the tools, the people and even the space of the event. It was quite eye opening as an artist to network and learn from people who are in my industry. I saw and met skincare specialists, makeup brush and tools specialists as well as seen how photographers create the beautiful images that we see on social media everyday. This is a show I truly enjoyed and believe that more pros should go.

OMG YOU ALL! I totally went to The Chicago Makeup Show!!!!

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So what's up with men asking black women 'what happened to their long hair?' Seriously, this has happened to me one too many times and never to a white, Hispanic or another woman of color. Usually this questions never rises at work rather I get a many heads turning when I am about and about. One person out of the many are bold and nice enough to say, "I love your hair".  Now this time around it wasn't a double take, it was a WTF.

Scenario: I am sitting at work one day and on my work id/badge a co-workers sees a picture of when my hair was longer 3 years ago. I cut it a year and a half ago for many reasons. He says to me, "Your hair was long. What happened to it?" In disbelief that someone could ask such an obvious question I said, "Life and stress." He jokingly replied, "Yeah. Me too and rubbed his head that still had about 2 inches of hair that was definitely thinning. Which brings me to this, why do people ask the dumbest questions about hair that is obvious. If the hair was long at a point and now it is short, don't you think scissors were involved? I mean, that is the most obvious thing that happens with people who had long hair and now has short hair. Honestly, my change of physical appearance doesn't affect you so you shouldn't both asking what happened if I didn't ask you, 'what do you think?'

There were many times in my life that I decided to grow my hair and then cut it a few years later. It is hair. Hair in general is not defining a person, what they are capable of doing career wise, in their personal life and it most definitely doesn't give permission to society to ask why someone's hair looks the way it does. I cannot stand when people ask such questions because it's as if I looked at someone and said, "Wow. Your teeth used to be white but now they are yellow. What happened to you?" It's pretty obvious what happened which is about 2 things: health or hygiene. Whatever the answer is, the best thing to do is not ask that question. If someone'e physical appearance has no influence on their job, the way they treat you and they way they decide to live their life then why the fuck are you asking?

Note to you and note to myself, do not ask questions that do not have a relevance on your life. Do what makes you happy and mind your business if the business doesn't mind you. My physical appearance doesn't affect you.

These are my Confessions of a Makeup Hoarder.

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