Did you say stretch marks???

Here’s the thing: if you are a woman, you will get stretch marks sooner or later…whether you have kids or not. That’s my personal opinion because I haven’t met one woman without tiny lil stretch marks… I recently discovered that stretch marks are not caused by gaining weight; rather they are caused by HORMONES. The weight gain affects the hormones in your body, so weight gain is a factor insofar as its changing hormones, but it isn’t ’stretching’ the skin. The hormonal changes that occur as a function of gaining weight are the cause. Check http://www.stretchmarks.org/if you wanna learn more about this “phenomenon”. So to make a long story short, I want to share with you a product that has been considerably helping me “get rid of” lessen my stretch marks. I have been using it daily for over 2 months now and already emptied 2 tubes after a friend recommended it…and MIRACLE: it is actually working! (It’s time for me to get money from all this publicity to all these luxury brands don’t you think??!!??) But hey, anyway…so the product is CLARINS STRETCH MARK CONTROL.

Now I cannot tell you if it is better than the so famous Stri-Vectin since I haven’t tried that one…but at least it is way cheaper ($49 vs. $135). However, I still think that the price is a lil bit pricey given that the tube is small…but hey… A “MASTER CARD” commercial would say: “Price of a clarins tube $49, price of stri vectin $135 and … getting rid of your stretch marks: PRICELESS…” Is that corny?? Lol… Yes indeed that was…  I better go to bed now and avoid writing posts when I am that uninspired…I just really wanted to share this product with you divas as I just got the last drop of my tube…

XoXo eVaDiVa

A very Happy New Year…

Hello Divas,

These past few weeks have been very hectic for me… The last 2 weeks of 2008 had not been the greatest as good and sad events came across my path… The sudden loss of a loved one made me cherish life even more and realize how grateful each and every one of us should be and how love is the most important thing in life after God…

Christmas this year did not feel like it used to…and neither did New Year’s Eve but I am happy and thankful that I was with the people I love, my family and close friends.

On a makeup note, with so many weddings in Dakar this year, I had the opportunity to do makeup for three brides that were as gorgeous as one can think!!! The most amazing and interesting part about these weddings makeup was that each bride had a very different type of beauty and style and mixing the two to come out with the best makeup look for their big day was just an amazing experience! Bridal makeup is at the same time always so challenging and rewarding as you have to deal with the bride’s stress and make sure both of you are happy with the final work.

I would love to show you the pictures but will need to ask permission before posting them so I will let you know as soon as I can…

I also wanted to share with you my favorite makeup product for brides:  GLOBAL GLOW and WARMED mineralized Powder by MAC. It looks AMAAAAAZING on the skin and gives a soft and natural glow on pictures.

Another product that I absolutely felt in love with is FASHION FAIR LIP TEASER in Tickled Pink. It looked amazing on my bride with a MAC PLUM Liner.

I wish you all again a very Happy New Year!!!

XoXo

eVaDiVa

 

Bey and cute nude lips…

Bey was looking amazing once again while attending ‘Los 40 Principales’ 2008 awards ceremony at the Palacio de los Deportes last Friday in Madrid, Spain. She was wearing a very soft smokey eye with adorable nude lips. Divas remember that you can never go wrong with nude lips. You do not necessarly need a lipliner to achieve this look if you have a light complexion. If you are a lil bit darker, use a brown lip pencil like BOBBI BROWN Chocolate, MAC chestnut (cork if u want it lighter). To replicate Beyonce’s lips, I would just use CORK lipliner with REVEALING lipglass (make sure u blend the liner as much as possible) You can also use chestnut or Bobbi Brown Chocolate if you have a darker complexion and if your lips are naturally not light or pink…REVEALING will give you that same nude look…

Now let me go back to cleaning my brushes…I have a bride to be coming for a trial…I have so many wedding makeup to do and I seriously wonder when it will be time for my own, who will have the magic brush…

XoXo

eVaDiVa

Did you say “charcoal”???

So my mom came back from a very long trip (yes I was counting the days … ) She showed me a few products that she got… mostly clinique and L’oreal (eVaDiVa’s recommendation…) and I saw a few ORIGINS skincare products…

I always liked ORIGINS products although I never bought any…I tried most of them as I was given free samples at the mall and from a friend who used to work there. My mom bought each and every kind of face cream they have (that’s what she does when experimenting…no wonder where I got it from…lol). Among all the products she got, the CLEAR IMPROVEMENT charcoal mask was the one that really caught my eyes as the product is really dark like charcoal…so I tried it and I have to say that I am just IN LOOOOOVE with it!!! I still love CLINIQUE emergency mask but I have to tell you that this one will give your skin a very soft a clean appearance. Use it once a week after your weekly mini-facial and you will see the results right away if your skin has large pores (oily).

Here is what Origins says about this life saver: Active Charcoal mask to clear pores. Activated charcoal acts like a magnet to draw out deep pore-clogging impurities while White China Clay absorbs environmental toxins to give skin a deep-down cleansing.

Retail Price: $17.50

XoXo

eVaDiVa

 

evadiva in UNWIND Magazine—evadiva dans UNWIND magazine

Divas! Divas! Divas!

I am happy to tell you that your favorite makeup diva has been featured as the beauty expert in Unwind  magazine, a new publication in Nigeria that will be also distributed in Anglophone countries.

Look for the august/September edition available in Nigeria…

XoXo

eVaDiVa

Je suis heureuse de vous annoncer que votre Diva préférée a été présentée comme l’experte beauté du mois dans le magazine Unwind, une nouvelle revue Nigériane qui sera distribuée dans les pays Anglophones.

Procurez-vous la revue du mois d’aout/septembre au Nigeria…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Faces by Haydee Ferreira!!!—Visages de Haydee Ferreira

 

As I was flipping the pages of Miss Ebene Magazine (a very popular publication for WOC) yesterday, I was stunned by the beauty of the models’ makeup. So I went behind my computer and tried to research who was the talented makeup artist behind these beautiful faces and the name HAYDEE FERREIRA popped out. She is from Guinea Bissau in West Africa (not far from my homecountry Senegal).I love the detail of her makeup and the way she combines and plays with colors. She is definately one of the best on my list (as I do not proclaim to be the best myself…lol) Check out her work on Yaye Marie’s blog (great website for African women that shows how talented we all are!!!)

Now I know I promised to put up some FOTD pics of my work and will do that very soon…

XoXo

eVaDiVa

Je feuilletais  les pages de Miss Ebene hier (un magazine très populaire pour les femmes noires), j’ai été émerveillée par le beau maquillage des modèles.  

 

Je suis donc allée faire des recherches sur la toile afin de découvrir qui etait la créatrice de ces Chefs d’œuvre de beauté et je suis tombée sur  le nom  de HAYDEE FERREIRA . Elle est de la Guinée Bissau en Afrique d’ouest (pas loin de mon pays le Sénégal). La précision de son maquillage et son jeu de couleurs ressortent d’une façon admirable sur les visages. Elle fait dorénavant parti d’une des meilleures maquilleuses sur ma liste (comme je ne proclame pas être la meilleure moi même…lol). Vous pouvez voir son travail sur le blog de Yaye Marie (un blog très intéressant pour les femmes africaines et qui montre comment nous sommes toutes douées ! !!)

 

 

J’ai promis de montrer quelques photos récentes de mon travail et je vais m’y atteler très bientôt…

 

 XoXo

 

Lauren London & Gabrielle Union “Miss Independent”

I have been watching over and over again for the last 2 weeks Neyo new video “Miss Independent”. The song itself is beautiful but the women in the video are even more beautiful. Gabrielle Union and Lauren London are the 2 main characters in the video and they looked pretty from head to toes.

Je n’ai pas cessé de regarder  ces 2 dernières semaines le nouveau clip de Neyo « Miss Independent ». La chanson en elle-même est belle mais les femmes dans le clip sont d’une beauté époustouflante. Gabrielle Union et Lauren London sont les 2 principales actrices dans la vidéo et elles ont une beauté presque parfaite pour ne pas dire « totalement » parfaite…

Gabrielle Union’s makeup and hair were very pretty and classy (I’m loving her coat on this pic!!!). She was wearing a very neutral lip color (ssugestion:Spirit lipstick from MAC) with a natural blush color (suggestion: blunt from MAC). Her eyes didn’t look to made up, I would just use a black liner and smudge it up to the crease line and under the innder eye rim. Add some false eyelashes with a thickenning mascara (Lancome Fatale) to finish this look.

Gabrielle Union avait un maquillage tres naturel et une tres belle coiffure (j’aime également beaucoup sa veste sur cette photo !!!). Son rouge a lèvre est une couleur tres neutre (suggestion : Spirit de MAC) avec un fard a joue un peu comme un bronzant neutre (suggestion: Blunt de MAC). Son maquillage des yeux avait l’air d’être tres naturel. J’utiliserais juste un crayon Khôl noir le long de la ligne des cils en le mélangeant légèrement le long de la paupière. J’ajouterais quelques faux cils avec un mascara épaississant (Lancôme Fatale) pour finir ce look.

Lauren London was cute and sexy as usual. She was wearing a very soft smokey eye and had neutral lips just like Gabrielle. Smokey soft eyes and neautral lips seems to be the trend right now in most videos…

Check out the video…

 

Lauren London est toujours belle et sexy. Ses yeux dans ce clip étaient maquillés en smokey avec un rouge à lèvre/ brillant à lèvre tres neutre comme Gabrielle Union. Maquiller les yeux en smokey et mettre un rouge à lèvre neutre semblent être la tendance maintenant…

Voici la video…

 

 

 

XoXo

eVaDiVa

Bobbi Brown Bronzer!!!

I have been thinking about writing a product review for Bobbi Brown bronzer in DEEP 4 ever since I bought it 2 months ago but just didn’t get a chance. The product is a lil bit expensive “$33″ (compared with other brands) but it’s well worth the price!!! The color I picked is DEEP 4 (the darkest). I was looking for a totally matte bronzer with no shimmer at all and I can say that this one is the best out there for WOC! It’s not too brown, not too red and can be used as a blush as well. Do not over-do it if you plan on taking pictures as it may appear too red on the cam…

This is now officially my new bronzer/blush until I get tired of it…lol…

XoXo

eVaDiVa

Ça fait un moment que je pense à écrire une critique sur  la poudre bronzante de Bobbi Brown, couleur Deep 4 depuis que je l’ai achetée il y’a deux mois mais je n’ai juste pas eu un moment pour le faire.

Ce produit est un peu cher « $33 » (comparé aux autres marques) mais il  vaut bien son prix !!! La couleur que j’ai choisi est Deep 4(la plus foncée). Je cherchais une poudre bronzante au  fini mat naturel  et tout ce que je peux dire  c’est la meilleure sur le marché pour les femmes de couleur. Elle n’est ni trop brune, ni trop rouge et peut être aussi utilisée comme un fard à joues. Si vous comptez prendre des photos, n’en mettez pas trop comme elle peut apparaitre trop rouge sur la caméra….

Elle est officiellement ma nouvelle poudre soleil/fard à joues jusqu’ à ce que je m’en lasse….lol…

 

DUTY-FREE WONDERS…

Hello Divas,

I am sorry for having  been away for sooo long! I have been very busy traveling and being stuck around airports with delayed flights and uncomfortable middle seats (don’t you just hate being in the middle especially when you have to be on a 6 hour flight???)…well, well…

I made it safely to my home country Senegal and have not been able to rest since then…partying, sleeping, eating, then partying again…Now I am focused on working on my professional plans and will definately spend more time sharing my adventures with you divas!!!

So I had the chance to browse the cosmetics aisle duty free at the airport in Montreal and in Paris last week. I was sooo happy to see a MAC counter at the Roissy airport (Paris) that I automatically forgot about how bad my flight was…lol

So I started shopping (not MAC since I do not get my discount there…). Here are the wonders I found (I should mention that I didnt realize that all the prices were in Euros until I got to the cashier…I almost cried as I realized I was going to be really broke before getting to Dakar…

Thierry Mugler “ALIEN” Eau de Parfum: The beautiful bottle attracted me!!! I bought it for my mom and I just love the smell too! It’s a lil bit fresher than ANGEL and its better for summer…

COCO MADEMOISELLE EAU DE PARFUM: This is my signature parfum…a lil’ pricey but it’s definately worth the price!

 Set of LANCOME mascaras: 2 in a box for the price of 1 and 1/2. My favorite mascaras FATALE and DEFINICIL

DIOR MAKEUP PALETTE: I didn’t really need it but thought it could be nice to have and a cute gift for one of my cousins…The colors are pretty light so they won’t pop out on darker complexion (one of the major problem with Christian Dior makeup…)

Trio Juicy Tubes Lancome: I absolutely have to buy at least one set everytime I travel. You can usually only find them at airports or during the holiday season…great gift for your lil niece or sister who is just starting to wear makeup…

So next time you are between flights, make sure you browse the cosmetics aisle of the duty free (especially in Europe)!

 

2008 BET Awards ***Beauties***

So I missed the show last night because I was enjoying some lamb chops at a brazilian restaurant for my sister birthday. We had such a delightful evening that I would not trade it for the world… 

I was looking at the red carpet pictures this morning and realized that black beauty is really unique as I was able to see beauty in each and every celebrity…yes…even Lil Kim

I am posting the pics starting with the most beautiful faces…

My girl Rihanna had to be first of course!!! She is just a natural beauty and her makeup looked flawless as usual! I am loving the purple/plum lipstick on her…will let you know the closest macth to this color. I am not sure I’m feeling her dress though…

 

Nia Long: I actually wanted to put her up as my beauty of the week! I just find her so cute and love the almond shapes of her eyes and her flawless black skin. I also think she was one of the best dressed on the red carpet…

Cassie (aka. PDiddy’s rumored boo): She is a very pretty girl that does not need a lot of makeup to enhance her beauty…Her lil pink dress did not make it for me…way too simple for the occasion…

Alicia Keys: Always looks pretty to me! But something was a li ttle off about her make-up this time…something about the glitter eyeliner that I just don’t like on this pic…maybe the way it was applied?!? Her lil pink dress looked cute…loving the pumps!

Gabrielle Union: I just loooove Gaby! I think she is one of the cutest, not to say most beautiful, black actresses today. I just love her little smile …I have been told a few times that we look alike (yes I was!) and it did wonders for my self-esteem… although I outweigh her in the cheek and pound department.

 

Jennifer Hudson: I like her hair cut and the makeup looks fresh and simple. However, does she always have push/pull up her boobs in every outfit she wears…still love her though…

Lil Kim: I had to put her up on my list of beauties just for MIMI!!! She does not look that bad here…actually I think she even looks pretty scary classy…

 

So who was your favorite?