Outfit Post | All Hustle, No Flow

Hiya my very loyal and awesome readers. Remember way back when I told y'all I was going to graduate school but that doesn't mean anything to you because I had a 'schedule' and planned to continue posting regularly? Well I failed. Sorry. But I'm absolutely giddy to be back (as I start to dougie)!

Ok, so since I've been gone a lot has changed. Want the cliff notes? I've become mom to another doggie, a stray rat-terrier that I found lounging on my front lawn; I've become a namaste chanting yoga girl; I'm single again and trying to navigate the dating scene aka exhausted; I totally ditched eyeshadow and only throw on concealer and Ruby Woo lipstick when I want to get 'fancy'. Yes, since our last chit chat about makeup it has been almost non-existent in my life. I miss our weekly chats about Nars blushes and curating the perfect brows dearly. I even miss taking 102 photos just to get three decent looking shots for my YouTube tutorials. Oh and how can I forget the most noticeable change? I cut my hair. We all know that boredom coupled with a temporary loss of identity means something and someone is getting cut. In this case it was my hair. One thing remains the same though, I still eat wayyy too much Chinese food.

Speaking of hair...

After I decided that my initial hair cut wasn't short enough I decided to go to a barber. My brother got me an appointment with his coiffeur and I was set. I get there and the convo goes a little like this:

Me: I want the sides tapered a little more and I also want a little more off the top.

Him: (feeling my hair) Your hair is so soft. What do your man think about this?

Me: (I was still attached) He fully supports me cutting my hair. You'll probably need to take a little off the back too.

Him: Yo its killing me to have to cut your hair. You know how many bald chicks walking around wishing they had this thick soft hair.

Me: You are more than welcome to sweep up what you cut and help them out.

Him: I'm saying, its already hard out here for women. Men like hair; long hair, big asses and a cute face. Why you think women out here getting ass shots and weaves down to the floor? They ain't going through all that pain for nothing. Its all to get some attention from men. You got a cute face, your ass is alright but you about to cut all your hair off. You sure you want me to do this?

Me: (with a screw face) Just cut my damn hair.

I probably should have left but I just let him finish my hair. I tried to come up with slick "let me school yo ass" closing remarks before I sashayed out of the shop but I decided to let it go because a wise man (Jay-Z) told me don't argue with fools because people from a distance can't tell who's who.  When I got in the car I chuckled. Men.

Just recently I took my short-haired don't stand a chance self to a local pub (yes I say pub instead of bar because I'm bougie) to kick it with my girls and the same ignorant coiffeur didn't recognize me and tried to "holla".

HA!

Anyway I miss you guys and look forward to chatting regularly again. What's been up with you?

I wish you peace and blessings. Namaste!

The wardrobe
Shirt- Theory
Jeans- J Brand
Shoes- Brian Atwood
Sunglasses- Prada
Necklace- H&M

Damn Girl, Where You Been?

Hey guys! I know I've been missing-in-action but a lot has been happening around my way.  The biggest thing is I will be going back to school to pursue a masters degree. Classes begin next week and I will be going full-time while continuing to work full-time. I know that sounds absolutely nuts but why not? I have no children and I'm still young. Go hard or go home, right?

So what does that mean for the blog? I honestly don't know but I'm optimistic. The cool thing about my program is that it is tailored for working adults so classes are in the evenings. I will be in class three nights a week + studying will leave little time for anything else. BUT I have a plan, a very strict plan, which includes blogging. I love Faces by Tamara and all of you readers so a small part of me will die if the blog falls by the wayside. I'm a pretty disciplined person so I don't for see having any trouble keeping up with the plan, its all in my control. I will keep you all posted on this new journey and what comes of it.

I also have other updates like my hair (will it stay or will it go?), home organization chronicles, wardrobe building, makeup (of course), DIY's and my fitness journey. Remember I shared my little secret with you all? Well I put a stop to that!!

Thank you guys for all the support. I think about you everyday, I really do. I should be back with regular postings and video tutorials within the coming weeks. In the meantime, follow me on Twitter!

Love ya!

Outfit Post | Cleva

Romper-F21, Shoes-Victoria's Secret, Bag-Michael Kors, Jewelry-Mom and boyfriend









I got a little pot in my belly//
So now a days my figure ain't so fly//
My dress ain't cost nothin' but seven dollars//
But I made it fly//
And I'll tell ya why//
But I'm clever when I bust a rhyme//
I'm cleva always on ya' mind//
She's cleva and I really wanna grow//
But why come I'm the last to know?//

Beauty fades. Period. Growing old gracefully is always the plan but even the oh-so-gorgeous Diahann Carroll finally aged. Or you can have a terrible freak accident (God-forbid) and have your physical beauty taken away. So what else you got?

By and large, I believe we live in a pretty attractive world (as far as I can see, which may not be saying much but still). Whether its natural beauty or surgically manifested, there is a whole heaping set of pretty people in the world. In the next cube, around the corner, in the bathroom, on the train, at the gym doing squats in the mirror directly in front of your man.  Definitely, pretty might get you a base but it won't get you a home run. There will always be a woman prettier, curvier with a smaller waist and bigger donk, bigger tits, longer hair or a man with bigger muscles, washboard abs, a more chiseled jawline and a darker caeser with 360 waves. In order to stand out or leave an impression, you have to be about more than your exterior. You need a personality, or at least a skill or hobby. We can spend an hour blending our makeup to perfection but will that make someone remember our names? Nope! Let's dig deeper.

Alright with me//
Said I'm alright with me//
Said I'm alright with me...//

1 Peter 3:3-4 (NIV)
3 Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. 4 Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.

Outfit Post | Patience

It has been nasty hot lately so I have been living in light weight maxi dresses.  I have been opting for care-free hair as well. This is a six day old braid out that hadn't been re-braided for the past two nights so it turned into a fro. I bought a pack of synthetic braiding hair and braided two individual braids, pinned them around my head like a headband. This keeps my hair out of my face and it's chic. I've been wearing my hair in a fro a lot lately because my boyfriend thinks its super sexy. He almost had a heart attack when I pulled out the pack of braiding hair though. It's amazing me how men can love weaved out celebrities but act like they can't stand weaves on regular women. Humph.

My dress is from Forever 21. I have on flat jelly GUESS sandals and my all my jewelry came from street vendors.

Patience is the state of endurance under difficult circumstances, which can mean persevering in the face of delay or provocation without acting on annoyance/anger in a negative way; or exhibiting forbearance when under strain, especially when faced with longer-term difficulties. Patience is the level of endurance one's character can take before negativity. It is also used to refer to the character trait of being steadfast. -Dictionary.com

I named this post Patience because for the past 17 months I have been tested in ways I've never been before. How so? I'm in a long distance relationship. Before February 2010 I would have never thought it a million years that I, Tamara, would be in a long distance relationship. Just wasn't my thing. I need my man near. I need to be able to see him when I want. Just wasn't in the plan. But clearly it was in His plan. So I have been spending the past 17 months traveling to Charleston to see my love. It started off with us alternating weekends. Then that became to much for me so being that my boyfriend hates to see me stressed he said he'll just come to Charlotte every weekend so I wouldn't have to travel. I felt that would have been selfish of me and would have gotten old to him quick so I said I'll come as often as I feel which turned into me going to Charleston about once a month, him coming to Charlotte about twice a month and us having a weekend a part. Its working, but I'm over it. I'm not over my relationship, just over the long distance part. 

I know that these relationships can work. I know for a fact that they do work. I know that there may be people reading this post right now who may be in the same situation but live too far apart from their mate to see them every weekend. Or my three hour drive may seem like a breeze compared to their six hour car drive or five hour flight. I think about those couple too and I pray for their relationship along with mine. 

My boyfriend and I do have a plan to be together. After much deliberation we have decided that Charlotte would be the best place for us (Thank God) but this distance thing is not getting easier, its getting harder. Its harder to say goodbye, its hard trying to shove all of our activities together in a weekend, its hard to have to settle for talking on the phone after a long day when I really need a hug.

I wanted to share this test with you all because I know that there is a testimony waiting. If we remain Patient there are blessings waiting that we can't even imagine. I often have to remind myself that this, my relationship is greater than me. Its about us, our future and our legacy. Its about God. 

No matter what may be testing you. There is an end. It will get better. Just stay faithful and have Patience. God wants nothing more but to bless us with the desires of our heart but we have to earn them. And we all know that anything worth having is worth fighting for. Don't give up! We're not!

Isaiah 40:31

But those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint. (NKJV)

I'm BACK!

Hey ladies! Long time no chat. When I decided to take some time away from blogging I did not think it was going to be a whole two months. It still doesn't feel like its been two months because time is literally flying. Can you believe that its going to be July come Friday?? We are past the half year mark, soon we're going to be planning for the holidays and a new year.



So what have it missed? Have you all been keeping up with your goals? What about the spring cleaning we talked about? Me, well I've made some progress. I've sorted through what I wanted to do with my future and I made some progress but more on that another time. As far as the mental spring cleaning, that's a work in progress. After doing an assessment I realized I don't have many negative people in my life (thank God) so all the work that needs to be done is internal. I needed to just enjoy life. So that's what I did and that's what I'm going to always do.



So while away I enjoyed time with my boyfriend, traveled to Pennsylvania to watch my baby brother graduate high school, spent countless hours at the dog park, over indulged in Caribbean and Chinese food, slacked off at the gym, suffered a major breakout, made my own Shea Butter, planted a killer flower bed that I am SO PROUD of, got a pedicure with a design on my big toe (its been years since I had a design lol), walked Coney Island and got a hot dog from the original Nathans, became completely obsessed with McDonald's smoothies, learned how to do the wobble. Its been a good two months.


So I did think about the blog a little while I was gone, lol. While keeping makeup the main focus of the blog, I think I'm going to blog about other things that interest me. I enjoy cooking, home decor, landscaping among other things and I wanted to share those things here. As much as I love makeup, natural hair, shopping and all that jazz; I do enjoy other things. Would you all mind the blog branching out just a little? Let me know!



Lastly I want to thank you all for visiting the blog, tweeting me, liking me on Facebook and subscribing to my Youtube while I was gone. I really appreciate your patience while I took a moment for myself. THANK YOU!

What have I missed? Are there any new blogs I need to check out?

Outfit Post | I Smile...

The days leading up to today have been rough; long sleepless nights, missing my grandfather, thoughts about picking up and moving my life back to Pennsylvania, and loneliness. Today makes a full year since my grandfather left us. I have never experienced a death that affected me so much, to the point where I could no longer mask the pain. I can be a very stoic person, its never been easy for me to express how I'm feeling or talk about what I'm going through but when I was in what felt like my darkest hour my boyfriend read these bible verses to me:

Daniel 10:8-12 NIV 
^"8 So I was left alone, gazing at this great vision; I had no strength left, my face turned deathly pale and I was helpless. ⁹ Then I heard him speaking, and as I listened to him, I fell into a deep sleep, my face to the ground.
 ¹⁰ A hand touched me and set me trembling on my hands and knees. ¹¹ He said, “Daniel, you who are highly esteemed, consider carefully the words I am about to speak to you, and stand up, for I have now been sent to you.” And when he said this to me, I stood up trembling. ¹² Then he continued, “Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them."  

Today is a warm and sunny day the opposite of the cold and cloudy day we buried my Pop-pop. In memory of him I promise to smile all day and be thankful for his life and mine. He lived a full life and touched many. I can hear him telling stories and laughing now.

Outfit Post | Didn't Cha Know

Ooh hey
I'm trying to decide
Which way to go
I think I made a wrong turn back there somewhere



Didn't cha know, didn't cha know
Tried to move but I lost my way
Didn't cha know, didn't cha know
Stopped to watch my emotions sway
Didn't cha know, didn't cha know
Knew the toll, but I would not pay
Didn't cha know, didn't cha know
Cause you never know where the cards may lay



Time to save the world
Where in the world is all the time
So many things I still don't know
So many times I've changed my mind
Guess I was born to make mistakes
But I ain't scared to take the weight
So when I stumble off the path
I know my heart will guide me back



Ooh hey
I'm trying to decide
Which way to go
I think I made a wrong turn back there somewhere



Jacket-Mango/Blouse-Target/Belt-Asos/Jeans-H&M/Shoes-Moda
Song: Erykah Badu Didn't Cha Know

Outfit Post | Only Girl In The World

I want you to love me, like I'm a hot guy
Keep thinkin' of me, doin' what you like
So boy forget about the world cuz it's gon' be me and you tonight
I wanna make your bed for ya, then imma make you swallow your pride



Want you to make me feel like I'm the only girl in the world
Like I'm the only one that you'll ever love
Like I'm the only one who knows your heart
Only girl in the world...
Like I'm the only one that's in command
Cuz I'm the only one who understands how to make you feel like a man
Want you to make me feel like I'm the only girl in the world
Like I'm the only one that you'll ever love
Like I'm the only one who knows your heart
Only one...



Want you to take me like a thief in the night
Hold me like a pillow, make me feel right
Baby I'll tell you all my secrets that I'm keepin', you can come inside
And when you enter, you ain't leavin', be my prisoner for the night



Want you to make me feel like I'm the only girl in the world
Like I'm the only one that you'll ever love
Like I'm the only one who knows your heart
Only girl in the world...
Like I'm the only one that's in command
Cuz I'm the only one who understands, like I'm the only one who knows your heart, only one...



Take me for a ride
Oh baby, take me high
Let me make you first
Oh make it last all night
Take me for a ride
Oh baby, take me high
Let me make you first
Make it last all night

Dress-Thrifted for $1/Leopard Coat-Victoria's Secret/Tights-Urban Outfitters/Shoes-Jessica Simpson

My boyfriend and I decided to go out and take a few photos before my birthday festivities that night. The next night he and my friends threw me a surprise birthday get-together and I was totally surprised. Apparently they had been planning for weeks. I felt like the luckiest girl in the world all weekend.



I was so over dressed because my boyfriend told me we were "going out dancing but he had to stop and pick something up at his cousin's house first". They got me good.




Song: Rihanna Only Girl In The World

Outfit Post | Nappy Heads

So, Mona Lisa, could I get a date on Friday?
And if you're busy, I wouldn't mind taking
Saturday-ay-ay, ay-ay-ay
Round up de posse, Fugee comin around de way...



I don't puff blunts so I always got my breath
Never had to battle with a bullet proof vest
They call me cock-weasel but I, still cave a chest
I don't wear Jheri curls cause I'm nah from the West...



No disrespect to the West, true indeed
I rock it to the East, the East is the seed
To see that them days back, yo sheepskins and Hot Tracks
Peace to Mr. Magic, things are getting tragic...



Now we on some new stuff, I never feared the Ku Kluk
My own clan is actin up, I blame it on the Phillie blunt
Whatcha gonna do, kids are acting oooohhhh
Hill is gettin fed up, yo where's the coporate at...



A Mister Three Piece Suit
Check the square roots, Girbauds and Timberland boots
Nahhhh that's the serpents, and know them garment tips
I got a head full of problems and a hand full of nappy roots
I feel a Jones' comin down, yo I...



I got the slang to make the chitty-bang-bang
a-rid-dang-de-dang, the nappy head bang)
No I, got hte slang to make the chitty-bang-bang
a-rid-dang-de-dang, the nappy heads bang...



Yo Mona Lisa, could I get a date on Friday
And if you're busy, I wouldn't mind taking
Saturday-ay-ay, ay-ay-ay
Round up de posse, Fugee comin round de way
Ay-ay-ay, ay-ay-ay
Nappy heads in the zone and we're not goin home!



Dress-H&M/Jacket-Nordstrom/Scarf-NYC street vendor/Gloves-Aldo/Boots-TJ Maxx/Tights-Urban Outfitters/Necklace-my boyfriend's/Earrings-ModCloth
Song: The Fugees Nappy Heads

Outfit Post | Hello Brooklyn

Hello Brooklyn how you doing? where you going? can I come too

And if I can I'm a be your man you could be my lady

And have my baby and drive my cars and drive me crazy

Wherever you going baby girl just take me 'cause I'm so taken

If you taken I'm just sayin' baby I'm just sayin'

Song: Hello Brooklyn
Jacket- Victoria's Secret/Jeans- Express/Shoes- Pour la Victoire/Jewelery- F21/Belt- Urban Outfitters