Out and About: Inspiring Beauty 50 Years of Ebony Fashion Fair

This past weekend I went to the Chicago History Museum to check out the Inspiring Beauty exhibit which showcases 50 Years of Ebony Fashion Fair. And if you have not heard of Ebony Fashion Fair, it was the largest traveling fashion show tour which was started by Eunice Johnson. The Ebony Fashion Fair tour traveled from state to state and  featured couture garments from some of the finest fashion houses such as  Givenchy, Oscar de la Renta, Christian Dior, and more. Mrs. Johnson also made sure to include African-American designers including Patrick Kelly, Stephen Burrows and Fabrice. Ready-to-wear garments were also included.

Walking through this exhibit was somewhat of a walk down memory lane because I spent a 4.5 years touring with show as a wardrobe assistant. I saw plenty of dresses that I steamed, stitched up, zipped up and spot cleaned. There were also short informational videos about the company and the show. So I saw plenty of familiar faces who were on tour with me including models, sound staff, and my beloved wardrobe crew. Touring Ebony Fashion Fair was such a fun time and an experience I'll never forget. I traveled to most of the U.S., cared for couture clothing from designers that I learned about in fashion school. Plus, I made life-long friends.  I sometimes took this experience for granted but as time passes I realize how important it was.

 I'm so glad that I decided to go to this exhibit and I was in good company because Kristena of Kristena Witherspoon Designs and Letroy of Thriftanista in the City blog were there. We had a good hanging together and hopefully we can do it again soon. The only down side was not being able to take photos.  I took one picture and it was of the entrance to the exhibit (see above). Overall, it was a very nice exhibit and I'd encourage anyone to go see it.

Note: scroll down to see a few photos of me and the wardrobe staff





                                                      Fashions 2000 - season 1999-2000

This was my first tour. That's me in the turquoise tank. We were always acting silly

Glam Odyssey - season 2007-2008

Photo shoot for the tour program. I wasn't really prepared for this photo (long story)  and I 

think  it was the first time, in a long time, the wardrobe staff was included in the program. 

I only worked second leg of this tour. 

March 2013 Birchbox Unboxing

I got my Birchbox this month and I am pretty satisfied with it. Kinda makes up for not  (I really tried) getting last month's box. Check out the video and pics to see what I got.
Feel free to rate, comment, and subscribe on Youtube.
Join Birchbox HERE:

 Caldrea Lotion (3 samples) in Coconut Fig, Aloe Water Apricot, and Tea Olive Lime. All very light and fresh scents and Tea Olive Lime is my fave of the three. Full-Size retail for $22

Whish Shave Cream in blueberry (.75oz tube) Really creamy and smells super sweet - kinda like Sweet Tarts candy.
Full-size retails for $20

Curls Cashemere Curls Leave In Conditioner (2 oz sample)Looks really  watery but has the texture of a  serum. I have not used this line since I first went natural. I'll see how I like it now.
Full-size retails for $20

Sumita Eyeliner Full size black eyeliner. I love getting eyeliners and I can always use them.
Full-size retail for $11

 Madewell for Birchbox Emery Board  retail for $5

Check some of my  Birchbox Unboxings

January 2013
December 2012
November 2012
October 2012
September 2012
August Birchbox 2012
Glamour Birchbox July

Review: Firmoo Free Glasses

I got a new pair of glasses! And they were free from Firmoo.com. I was contacted by Firmoo a few weeks ago. They asked if I'd like a pair of free glasses and to do review. Although I  have a pair of glasses, they are not cute at all. I only wear them around the house. So I thought it would be cool to have a nice pair of glasses that I can wear out.

The process to choose my glasses was simple. I went to Firmoo.com to choose my frames. There was a nice selection to chose from including some of the trendy, fashionable styles that are popular right now. There were sine classic,elegant styles, and sunglasses too. Also, there is a virtual try on system to help with the choosing frames . Just upload a photo to start trying them on .I chose style number #SD2267  in brown. They were available in black and tortoise. Next, I entered my prescription information  and that was pretty much it.

My new glasses arrived last week and couldn't wait to try them on. I thought they were a good fit. I liked how they looked more than I thought I would. I will definitely wear these out. Besides, my eyes need a  rest from wearing contacts all the time.What do you think? Cute? Maybe next time I'll choose a really colorful or funky non prescription pair just to wear as an accessory. 

You can get a  pair of glasses too. Click HERE to get started. Please note that free glasses selection may vary so follow Firmoo.com on Facebook and Twitter to stay up to date. 

                                             
                                                                 Frame style:  #SD2267

Note: The item(s) reviewed were sent to me courtesy of Firmoo.com. I was not paid for this review. 

Shipping and special coatings are not included with this free glasses offer. 

So...What Have You Worked On Today? #5

Today I cut out a few pieces from copper sheet metal. They are the infinity symbols which I have made before (in brass) as earrings. This time I think I might make a ring and maybe some necklaces out of these. I'm not quite sure yet. And I wanted to cut more but I got caught up doing some other things. Maybe I'll cut more tomorrow.  I also want to make more beaded hoops.
A few for the shop and a pair for me.
Below you will see a photo of the completed hoops from yesterday.
Tell me what you worked on today.

New Natural Mineral Makeup and Skin Care from Pacifica!

I've been a fan of PACIFICA.for some years now. I've used their soaps, lotions, solid perfumes, candles and loved them all. I have a little stock pile of their solid pefumes in my fragrance stash collection  from a couple years ago. They still smell great. So when I saw that they were introducing mineral makeup and skincare products to their line, I was really excited to check it out. I looked the new items on their site and they look really interesting. Plus they're relatively affordable

The color line includes lip tints, multi-use shimmers, an eyeshadow palette, and a bb cream which claims to adjust to your skin tone. The skincare line includes a foam  face wash, cleansing wipes, and day/night cream

I'd love to try it all, of course, but I'm most interested in the shadows, and  lip tints in Sugared Fig, Blood Orange and Coconut Nectar (shown below l to r) . I think the shimmers would be cool  too. They are multi-purpose colors for eyes, lips and cheeks. I also need to see if that bb cream really adjusts to your shade. I'll be pleasantly surprised if it does

Lip tints

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Radiant Shimmer                                                            Alight Multi-Mineral aBB Cream

Wander Lust Beauty Set.

I''ve seen Pacifica sold in  Whole Foods, Sephora and Target so I hope that these new items will be available there. That way I can see them up close and personal. Otherwise, I might get one these Wanderlust Mineral Color Sets to start. I'll keep you posted.

Have you used any of Pacifica's products before?

Note: They currently have samples of  all of their solid perfumes for $2

Photo sources: Pacifica.com

Disclosure: this post contains affiliate links for which Favoritethingsetc will receive a small commission if products are purchased from the link. 

So...What Have You Worked On Today? #4

Today, I worked on a couple pair of beaded hoops which I started yesterday. I've been wanting to make these for a while now and I finally got them done. I snapped this photo earlier today (posted it on instagram), while there was still some light. I will post a picture of the completed hoops tomorrow. I am definitely going to make more like this and maybe some with gemstones or crystals. And possibly some bangle bracelets. We'll see.

I currently have a different style of beaded hoops in the shop right now. See them below. I plan to make larger versions.
What did you work on today?

Natural Hair Fave: Haritage Hydration

Do you ever randomly search for items on etsy? I do. One day, some months ago, I did a random search for natural hair butter. And I wasn't necessarily in need of more hair products. I was just curious to see what would come up. Well... what came up was over 700 (about 18 pages worth) items. I looked through them all.  And while there were plenty of great sounding products, I was most intrigued  Hairitage hydration. I checked out their shop and I wanted to try almost everything. There were lots of trial sizes too, which is awesome.  It gives me a chance to try the product and determine if  I want to buy full sizes.  After adding some items to my favorites, I checked out Hairitage Hydration on  Facebook and twitter. And that's when I saw it. They were having a major sale for 30% off. I didn't hesitate to go back to the shop and get what I wanted most.

Here's what I got:
(l to r)
Happy Hemp Hair Pomade 2oz
Coconut Yuzu Love 2oz (currently not on the site)
Cocoaloe Hydrator 4oz (missing label)
Soft and Creamy Horsetail Hair Butter 4 oz

I tried them as soon I got them and they worked beautifully on my hair.  My hair felt very soft and moisturized with these products. And I like the way they smell. The Hydrator and Coconut Yuzu Love are tropical and coconutty. While the Happy Hemp and Horsetail Butter smell  more herbal, which I love. Those  who prefer fruity or dessert fragrances might not care for them as much though.
Overall I was really pleased with these products and I'll definitely return to Hairitage Hydration  to repurchase my faves and try something new.
Do you buy handmade hair care or personal care items?

So..What Have You Work On Today? #3

Today I finished up a custom by adding stamped discs and wire-wrapped crystals to silver and gold chains bracelets. The items on the left of the photo are the beaded stretch bracelets and metal rings (which are stamped) that were also part of the order. This is the most stamping that I've ever done and it got a little frustrating at times. Especially since I was trying to line up the letters perfectly. It was good practice though. And now I'm all done.
Next, I'll be finishing up those pantina earrings (didn't finished them that night) and making some beaded hoops to add to the shop.
So, what have you worked on today?

So...What Have You Worked On Today? #2

Today I'm working on a custom order for my sister. I cut, polished, and stamped some metal discs (about 30) that I'll add  to some beaded and chain bracelets. I'll be done within the next few hours and then I'll finish up an order that will ship tomorrow.
I generally don't do much stamping these days but I do still have a couple of stamped pieces in the shop. One of them is reserved for a customer. Check them out below.
So, what have you worked on today?

My Free Samples From Mario Badescu

Hi all! Just a quick post to show you the free samples I got from Mario Badescu. I simply went to their website, filled out this questionnaire to determine which products would be best for. Next I was shown the recommended items for my skin type and given the option to purchase them. I did not buy anything though. I just left the site. Then a few days later I received an email asking me if I wanted samples and how to get them. And of course I wanted some. And about 10 days later, I got them. I was recommended 9 products and received 8 samples (their popular drying lotion was not included). They also included a product guide and an application to show how to use the products.  I have not tried them yet but I'll be testing them soon. I'm not sure if they're still doing this but give it a try. If you have already sampled these or use the line, please
let me know how you like it.




Here's what I got:

Collegen Moisturizer
Cucumber Tonic Mask
Drying Cream
Enzyme Cleansing Gel
Hyaluronic Eye Cream
Seaweed Night Cream
Special Cucumber Lotion (not shown)
Strawberry Face Scrub