Truly Inspired

::Song of the Day - [Sabotage - Wale Ft. Lloyd]::

OH-EMM-GEE!! I can not believe how long it has been since I last blogged. I apologize for neglecting my blog, but I've been in some serious dilemmas and events lately, it is ridiculous! Once again, if you haven't already, feel free to follow me on Instagram or Twitter. Everything I post on Instagram is linked to Twitter so its one or the other ----> @thebeautybandit  Thanks!!!!

I know the last time I blogged, it was about my trip to the New York International Beauty Show. Now let me tell you how much fun I had. I learned so much!! And to just be around hair, make-up, nails, skin care, products, all beauty equipment, just everything beauty or fashion!! I was overwhelmed, yet blessed to be there!

  Look at all the stuff I got!!

I would go into detail what I got but I feel like that's for another blog because this is pretty much a quick rundown and update! All the products I got were either samples or something I really wanted to try and got a great price at the trade show (which was awesome!) I would review each product as I go and state that I got them from the show =) 

Here are some other awesome pics from the show!! 

 These beautiful ladies representing Dinair and their amazing airbrush make-up. It is truly universal and can be used for everything from the make-up and eyebrows on your face to leopard print and fun colors in your hair!

 

Props to these ladies on stilts!! Whoo!!! I would be scared half to death on those. We must've looked like ants to them when they were looking down haha.

Just thought this looked amazing and different =)

Model on the top was strutting her new hair do done by a Morrocan Oil stylist. She looks absolutely stunning ;)

They were doing live demos at the show and he did it so quick! 

And in the last pic, there are storms of people waiting in line for.. can you guess which company? Morroccan Oil!! OMG, it was crazy, samples were gone in seconds! And they were so busy they had one line formed for consultation and the rest of the 20+ workers and 10+ lines in the back were to help you get your products, pay, and be on your way.

At the end of the day, I had to sit down, and look... I'm sitting on PINK carpet! Life can not get any better than being surrounded by people who lived to inspire and be inspired by everything beauty <3

I don't want this blog to be longer than it already is haha. So on some updates from the last blog!!

• Blue VS Jet Black :: I think I'm going to attempt the blue one more time just because I have color left over that I haven't used. So, we will see how that turns out; if all fails, I'll just go back to jet black hair ;)
• Hautelook Crave :: I have yet to take everything out of its' original packaging due to how busy I am for the past couple weeks and the upcoming months. I promise I will take pics and list what I got from Hautelook!!!
• Lacquer Lounge :: Lacquer Lounge is one of the main reasons why I've been so tied up lately! We are due to open on May 31st!!!! I am so excited!!!! I'm currently training staff and running around everywhere to get products and on top of that, school! 

Once again, I apologize for the long blog and not enough blogging haha. For the past few weeks, I have been at school, quit my job to start this new job, training staff, organizing everything, physical therapy, weddings, etc.  I am all types of exhausted haha. Thanks for taking the time out of your day to read this. I greatly appreciate it! 

Oh.. BY THE WAY... MY BIRTHDAY JUST PASSED ON MAY 5TH!!! I AM FINALLY TWENTY-ONE!! haha... Just needed to throw that in ;) 

"Enjoy your journey through life. Sit back, relax, feel the breeze! There might be tough times, but that's what makes the happy moments worth it. Stop thinking about your destination or purpose in life, for now.. your alive so embrace it and enjoy it <3" Bandit signing out!

TheBeautyBandit<3

Reach for the Stars

::Song of the Day - [Whip It - Nicki Minaj]::

Ahhh!! My apologies for not blogging! Life got a hold of me and it brought me through all sorts of mazes!
I don't even know where to start!! If I'm not blogging, please follow me on Twitter or Instagram ---> @thebeautybandit
There's almost always something on either one of those. I'm currently hooked on Instagram so I'm constantly doing something so I can post it ;)

NAILED BY BANDIT

Thanks to my lovely classmates; I have hands to practice my acrylics on and better my skill. Though, I don't think I would be working with acrylics in the future, but who knows?

• Top left corner: The beautiful Elba's hands; she has an acrylic set on already so I just did a manicure for her and polished. We did a black background on all fingers except the ring fingers. On the ring fingers for design we applied a pink polish background with black marble design with added silver for some sparkle!
• Bottom left corner: We have the beautiful Krissy's hands. I did a full set on her, she wanted the now trending pointy nails and that's exactly what she got. Didn't do so bad for the first time, eh? We polished all the nails with white polish and designed the ring fingers with a simple purple flower <3
• To the right, to the right: simple polish change, all fingers gray and ring fingers pink with purple and blue lines design.

 LASHED OUT!

AH! Don't you just love these lashes?!?! I had too much time on my hands on Sunday, so I took my time to apply my mascara and look how stunning they look! I was so in love with my lashes that day! haha. Can you guess what mascara I used?! 

DRUMROLL PLEASE...........

MALLY'S VOLUMINOUS MASCARA!

When I first used Mally's mascara, I wasn't impressed and it did not live up to the hype (in my opinion). But after months of trying out other brands, I decided to use it again. And one thing for sure, it is now one of my favorite mascaras. 

FURTHER UPDATES!

(Since I haven't blogged in so long, there are A LOT of updates but there are just too many to post so I'll break it down or it will be in the next blog)

• HAUTELOOK CRAVE: I have ordered quite a few things from Hautelook because they've been having amazing sales. So far, I have ordered stuff from NYX, YBF, && URBAN DECAY. I will post pictures and details of what I have purchased later on, so keep checking ;)
• LACQUER LOUNGE LAUNCH: Isa and I are having a great time building up her salon. It's still in progress and I am here for her the whole way. I've recently went to check on the salon and the construction is going great. We are due to open hopefully before Mother's Day. I AM SUPER PSYCHED! 
• BLUE CRAZE VS. JET BLACK: This blue in my hair is no longer blue; it has turned into the rainbow, I'm considering to just color it back to black! But... I will keep trying and hopefully achieve the blue I yearn for. 
• I have used A LOT of products these past few weeks and can't wait to review them for you guys =)

LAST BUT CERTAINLY NOT LEAST:::

 

I'M GOING TO NEW YORK CITY!!!! Unfortunately, I couldn't make it to the IMATS in New York this year due to school. But, thank goodness we're taking a class trip to the IBS BEAUTY SHOW this Sunday. I can not wait! So many products, vendors, and demos, I am truly overwhelmed! 

I always love to close with an inspiring quote and here it is (it was posted on Instagram earlier, so here it is again hehe.)

 Bandit signing out!

TheBeautyBandit<3

A Wreck...

::Song of the Day/Playing - [Pandora - The Weeknd Station]::

Seems like it has been 2 weeks since I blogged. I've been quite busy dealing with the real world of juggling work, school, and a social life. I don't think that is possible, there's just not enough hours in the day to do everything. If there was, I'd rather be sleeping! So lets do a little catching up, shall we?

Blue Craze Update! 

See the difference in a month?! I have all the colors of the rainbow in my hair now. You can't really tell through these pictures, but I do! The blue have officially turned green. I have left over shades of purple that changed into shades of violets and pinks. The blue shades have changed into shades of yellow and green. I like it, to a certain extent. Definitely something different and this is the definition of doing something unintentionally and turning out pretty good. These colors look really iridescent in the sun, so that's the cool part when there's a lot attention drawn to my hair haha. 

Get Fresh!

My reviews on Get Fresh's Spa Rich Body Cremes. One Word : AMAZING! I love the creams, very moisturizing. It's greasy but not a lot, it's just enough for you to feel like your hands are going to stay soft for hours.
Grapefruit: I love this scent, not too over powering and not too fruity tooty either. Me and Isa also decided to use this scent for our lotions for manicures at the shop.
Warrior Princess - Blackberry Vanilla: I didn't like this much. I think its more of a "dark" scent. It's a scent that lingers and way to strong for my nose to handle; especially the vanilla.
Black Currant: Another dark scent in my opinion. Its also a scent that seems to linger and you kind of get sick of it after smelling it for so long.
Lemongrass: Way too citrus, So citrus-y to the point that I felt like lemons got squirted into my eyes. I like it, but I wouldn't be able to have this scent on my hands and say "Ohhh, I can smell this all day!"
Starfruit: I actually really like this scent, but it's too fruity for my taste. Very sweet scent though. This would come second after Grapefruit.
All these cremes are amazing, but I think the cremes' scent is very potent because its so concentrated. However, me and Isa have tried Warrior Princess - Blackberry Vanilla foot soak today and I loved it because it was in a soak. It was not too over-powering and the scent flowed very sweetly. Try testing them out yourself and order your samples today at:
www.getfresh.net

Skin Care

I am not revealing the products I have been using for the past month, just yet. I am still at the trial stage for this line and I can see some differences but not much from comparing the pictures. I will continue to use it for the next month until something appeals to me that's at least worth trying. I have horrible acne and very oily skin every since 7th grade. I have tried Proactiv and OTC drugstore brands. Nothing has worked so we will see if this will do the trick on my skin and make make these ugly bumps and scars go away.

"My life is a wreck, I feel like giving up. Ever felt that way? Trying to jump over this hurdle but I failed and now on the floor..injured. I might have to sit out on this race for a bit. But time stops for no one, so why should I? Get back up, keep fighting. But I have to think about that... because... what am I fighting for?"
Bandit signing out!

TheBeautyBandit<3

High As a Kite!

::Song of the Day/Playing - [Pandora - Drake Station]::

It's been more than a week since I blogged, which means that I have quite a lot to talk/rant about!! haha. First things first of why today's blog is titled "High As a Kite". Today's blog title was inspired by how jubilant I feel since my first blog! Its been about two weeks since I've started this blog and joined Twitter and I have over 100 page views thus far. I didn't expect people to read nor stumble upon my blog, and I couldn't be happier =) Thanks to all viewers and bloggers!!

So let's see, today is Wednesday. Personal day at school was yesterday and I didn't do much but get a TRIM! My normal routine since I've started school is to get a hair trim every 4-6 weeks. My goal is to have my hair grow healthy down to my "bootocks" and then CHOP it off! I will most likely donate it and just to say that I did it. I also gave "Isa" a manicure and pedicure to decide which product to use for her soon-to-be-open salon. I have the pleasure to work with Isa and she was the one that gave me the opportunity of a lifetime! 

 

Isa ordered some samples from "Get Fresh" from www.getfresh.net

She got them for $1.50 a set, but it's saying $0.00 on the site now. (So maybe it is free now? But you might have to pay for shipping, I didn't go through with the full check-out)

I gave Isa a pedicure using all of the products above. The "Feet: Relief for Tattered Tooties" set is amazing. After shaping the nails and cleaning the cuticles, I used "Totally Soaked: Softening Foot Gel" as a skin softener to make it easier to scrub any dead skin/calluses off. Afterwards, I rinsed and exfoliated her feet/legs with "Down' N Dirty: Foot Scrub" The scrub is really grainy, but feels great to the client when exfoliating. It have walnut shells, seaweed, and aloe vera in it. It's not too harsh on the skin and Isa said it tingles, which gives it a menthol feeling. I like it! Lastly, after scrubbing and rinsing everything off. I massaged the feet/legs with "Rescue Me: Intensive Foot Repair Cream". I like this cream because it's thick but not to the point where I can't massage it in. Very moisturizing for those who have really dry skin, I would recommend to use this during the Winter seasons when the skin to tends to dry more. The foot cream have shea butter, aloe vera, and skin renewing hydroxy fruit acids for a real "intensive foot repair" ;) The scent of the "Feet" set is amazing. Very "citrus-y" Its' a blend of lemons and oranges, not too over-powering but it gives me a very fresh feeling. RoRo was napping and woke up rejuvenated by that scent haha. That was the fresh feeling scent me and Isa was looking for and we found our feet products!! Isa got samples of cremes too, and I will do a review on those soon! 

On some Side Notes:

• There isn't a Nail Color of the Week this week because I was quite busy and didn't have the time to cater to my nails. So sad :( 
• More reviews on Get Fresh creams
• Review of my new skin care routine coming soon!! I've been using it for 2 weeks and lets see if it worked ;)
• Update on Blue Craze on the next blog. So keep checking back!

Client of the Day:

A client came in today asking for a Wave Nouveau. Of course, I would have to be the one to do the service. 

 

This stuff smells like boiled smelly eggs. The service took me from 10:30am - 2:30pm. Talk about being exhausted!! She liked the outcome of it so it was worth the time and effort. She have really short thin hair so I had to really pick, scrunch, and style the hair to look more full and pretty =)

"Come take a ride with me on this crazy roller coaster to the top, I can't promise you it's going to be a smooth ride but it will definitely be fun with all the ups and downs, twirls and swirls, and of course the jolts of speed and times of slow snailing (haha)" 

Bandit signing out! 

TheBeautyBandit<3

Rant Rising

::Song of the day -- [The Motto - Drake]::

It's that day of the week again! Personal day at school is always something to look forward to if clients decide not to come in for service. Since I colored my hair last week, I just wanted my hair to be shampooed, deep conditioned, and blow dried.

I stumbled upon this in the clearance aisle at Target so I picked it up hoping that it'll help my hair. 

Original price: $5.99

Clearance Price $4.19

I shampooed my hair with Pantene Pro-V and left L'Oreal's EverStrong Deep Replenishing Masque in for about 40 minutes with plastic cap on. This product left my hair as softest as can be and it smells amazing. However, I would not purchase this again because it was just a coating. I do not believe that this is any type of deep treatment for my hair. I placed the product on my hand and wiping it back and forth with my fingers did not show any traces of oil, which in my opinion means no moisture for my hair to take in. So no no buy for next time.

Nail Color of the Week!!!! 

Ahh.. This is "Mermaid's Tears" by O.P.I. It's part of the "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" line. I love this color, I'm usually not a green/bright color kind of person but this color reminds me of Spring and the season is just around the corner, especially all of the sunshine we are having this week and it just looks so pretty! I had on "Do You Lilac It?" earlier for the weekend, but acetone got on it during school and ruined it :(  New nail color of the week, every week! So stay tuned :)

New Lesson!!

In school yesterday, a fellow classmate was practicing on 3D design acrylics and of course I had to try it! It was my first time and I had trouble manipulating the acrylic to the shape of my liking. Need more practice!! Maybe I should invest in a 3D acrylic set.... Eh, not bad for my first time though, right? :)

On a SIDE NOTE:

A client walked in today asking for a shampoo, blow dry, press, and curl. Minding my own business, I had overheard her say "I don't want Asians to do my hair." I thought nothing much of it, every client has their right to request whoever they want. However, judging a person's skill based on their race is unacceptable. It was my turn next to perform the service. Knowing what she said, I had felt uncomfortable and didn't know if I should even set up for the service. I just had a huge feeling that everything I would do, she would complain.  Once my teacher was aware of this, she told me to not set up and the client had a huge attitude with all the other students, money was refunded, and she can get the hell out! I felt offended, I'm not the best stylist but judging a person's skill by their race makes me want to run my clippers through her nappy hair! I digress. I am calm, cool, and collected. I'd rather not do hair and she saved me the trouble anyway ;) Bandit signing out! Remember to follow me on Twitter @thebeautybandit    to see what I'm up to or ranting about next!

"Keeping hope alive that racism will soon become something we can forget; but people like that makes all that hard work seem like it was for nothing...."

TheBeautyBandit<3

Ever Felt So Blue?

::Song of the day/playing -- [Pandora-Ne-Yo station]::

It was such a dreary day! The rain just made everything seem so gloomy, being out of bed on such a gloomy day makes it worse. I just wanted to snuggle back into bed and pop a movie in when I had to get up for school this morning. 

Me and "RoRo" had went at it again with this blue! sheesh was it a mess, it was sad. We were crossing our fingers hoping that the second application would darken the green. It did! We first shampooed my hair and blow dried. Semi-permanent color have to be applied to shampooed dry hair! If not, the color will not stay in as long. RoRo applied the whole jar of "Manic Panic in After Midnight" on the same sections where it was lifted in the back, the bangs and sides. I put a plastic cap on and popped under the dryer for about a half hour. RoRo rinsed the color out and blow dried my hair. 

Result: We did accomplish the blue we wanted in the front and sides, it looks amazing! I love it. However, the bright green sections have only darkened into a teal color. It still blends and looks amazing. Now let's see how long does the color stay in until the color fades ;)

Don't be so blue, even if life brings you down in the dumps. Just escape for a bit and breath; when you come back, things will seem like there's some hope and continue to move forward. 

Bandit signing out!

TheBeautyBandit<3

Blue Craze!

::song of the day/playing - [Pandora-- Ne-Yo station]::

Today was personal day at beauty school, so I have decided to cater to myself this week! I let a fellow classmate give me a pedicure; which I might say was fairly okay :)  But that's not the main plot of today's experience. Note: My bangs and sides have been bleached and colored into many colors since October. It was all shades of purples, blues, and greens (done unintentionally of course) but, it looked uber cool. Another fellow classmate suggested a few more strands of blue on the top and back. I thought...sure, why not? We have started the process of lifting (highlighting/bleaching) strands of my hair. We have used 10% volume so it took about 10-15 minutes to lift and straight to the shampoo bowl we went. He had then applied the color (Manic Panic in After Midnight) to my hair, sat under the dryer for about 20 minutes and rinsed. As he was blow drying my hair, I was quite confident that the dark blue would show vibrantly yet subtle way. Did that happen? Of course not. 

Lesson of the day:: yellow+blue=green.

I look like a peacock right now haha. However, since my bangs have already had color in it, the blue came out amazing. As for the strands that have been highlighted, they turned out more green. We are going at it again with the blue tomorrow and we will see how it turns out with the second application. Bandit signing out!

TheBeautyBandit<3

The Beginning

This is it; the very beginning of it all.

A month ago, if you asked me where did my passion for beauty go, I would have a blank stare on my face. I was afraid that I have lost that passion, that inspiration of creativity. But now, many things have happened and I'm back and this is the start of it all. 

Someone amazing has popped into my life and has given me the opportunity of a lifetime. It has lifted me back up, and I couldn't be more blessed to have the chance to build something in this industry that will hopefully be big. 

I have become The Beauty Bandit and welcome to this ride through my ups and downs through my beauty career. 

TheBeautyBandit<3