Inspiration from a Rasta

 One of the biggest people I'm inspired by is Mr. Bob Marley. Ever since I can remember, I wanted to embody Marley, from his dreads, music, lifestyle, and even his perspective on life as a whole. I can definitively say that he's one of the main reasons why I have dreads (besides the fact that I live in South Florida where is Dreadhead Central). To be able to sit down with Bob one day and chop it up with him, pick his brain and really capture his vibe is one dream I'll never stop having. His positivity is legendary! Also, to put a fat joint in the air with him wouldn't hurt either.

 So about a year ago when Christina and I went to Jamaica and got the chance to set foot in his house in Kingston, it felt like I was that much closer to my dream. Being able to go into his personal studio and, in that moment, still be able to feel his presence is something that I'll talk about to our kids one day (also maybe because you could still smell a strong aroma of ganja in the air, but still). In 1974, a phenomenal photographer by the name of Dennis Morris took some of the most iconic pictures of Bob Marley in the King's Place in London. 

These photos of Bob happen to be my favorite because

 of how minimal the photos are and his genuine features shine through. So when we got back to the states, it was only right that I paid homage to one of my greatest idols in some of my favorite pictures. Keeping the photos black and white really captures the mood and tones. Give them a look and tell us if you feel some of the same emotions that I felt. Thanks, family.

"When you smoke the herb, it reveals you to yourself"

-Bob Marley

--------------

Shirt: Calvin Klein

URBAN DECAY SHAPE SHIFTER REVIEW!

It's pretty safe to say that Urban Decay has been killing the game of cosmetics for the first half of 2017. With the release of the Naked Heat palette and a gang of primers for different skin types and concerns, Urban Decay has been demanding our attention since January. So when the brand came out with the Shape Shifter palette, a product geared towards highlighting and contour, I fell right into the sunken place with the rest of the beauty community. In this post we will be discussing if this palette is worth the hype or if you should give this a side eye and put your money elsewhere.

 So within the palette, there are four powders and five creams contours and the sections are separated by a double-sided mirror. Now, I haven't tried any complexion products from Urban Decay because their darker skin tones run quite red for my complexion (like every other makeup brand), but what I did notice about this palette is that the contour shades are cool/neutral which is what you want to contour with. I would also like to say whoever is in charge of the packaging for Urban Decay deserve some type of a raise. The packaging is always so gorgeous and is ideal for travel. Nice and compact! The fact that there is two mirrors for each side is well thought out because I don't want to be flipping back and forth to use one damn mirror when I go from my creams to my powders. Done with the rambling, let's get down to the nitty-gritty: The formula.

The powder shades are super soft to the touch! The darkest shade, for my skin tone, is perfect for a DEEP set contour. Like, if you want to have Naomi Campbell contour, the darkest shade is your girl. Now I was wondering what I would possibly use the lighter brown contour shade for because it is very close to my natural skin tone, but its very nice to diffuse and blend out a deep contour. They are also very pigmented, so a little goes a long way. Also they are a bit powdery, so when you dip your brush into the pans, either use a denser brush to limit the amount 

of kick back or use a lighter hand. Now the real star of the show: the highlight shade! Fam, the highlight shade! So poppin' and so golden. It looks like a light pink in the pan, but it shows up so golden and is absolutely stunning. Now I would NOT apply this with a fan brush because this is one of those powders that will fly on other parts of the face, so I would use a teardrop brush to have more control and prevent the gold flex from messing up the rest of your beat. The cream contours are very buttery and blend over the skin very easily. The orange, color correcting shade is one of the better shades I have tried (If you use lipstick to color correct, you need Father God, btw). I applied it underneath the eyes and around my mouth to cancel out discoloration and boy, did she work wonders (the before and after picture down below)! I set down the cream highlight for a great base for my powder highlight, but it is grittier than the other creams, but I'm guessing because of the concentration of the flex of shimmer. But overall, I really enjoyed this palette! If you are dipping your toe in the waters and want to try contouring for the first time, I really recommend the palette as a beginner's guide. It is $45, but you do get a lot of product and I used every single cream and powder in the palette. Great job, Urban Decay!

• Kat Von D Lock-It Makeup Setting Mist:

With this setting spray, I really do notice that my makeup lasts significantly longer when I use it! It gives my makeup a beautiful, seamless finish and takes down the powderiness of a full-coverage beat. This product has a very light, cucumber scent which is very cooling and refreshing. I absolutely love cucumber, so the scent gives me all types of life! But the most important part of this setting spray: the spritz! The droplets are so fine and so gentle! It doesn't assault the face and disrupt the makeup like some other sprays do with hail-sized drops. You can use this as close or as far away from the face and it gives you the same results, which I love. I noticed I can just use the spray alone, instead of using my traditional MAC Fix + first, then another setting spray. It does it all in one!

•  Jaclyn Hill x Morphe Palette:

I bought this palette only with the intention to review it for darker complexions, but I didn't know that I would absolutely fall in love with this palette! The matte shadows are the real stars of the show here. Smooth, buttery, very pigmented, and the easiest time I've had blending out shadows. I do wish that this palette had a mirror so it could be ideal for travel, but I can live with it because the shadows are so poppin'! I'm not a particular fan of Mrs. Jaclyn Hill (especially after that Kim Kardashian video ._.) but I can see why this palette took two years to perfect.

*This palette is sold out*

• NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer:

Ok, entire beauty world. I completely understand the hype now. The way this concealer melts into the skin and marries with surrounding foundation is one of a kind. Big up's to Nars for also having a shit ton of shades (also with their foundations). The coverage reminds me of the Tarte Shape Tape concealer, but no where near as heavy! Now, I bought this before Nars announced that they will no longer be cruelty-free. This is something that I value out of a majority of my cosmetics. The fact that Nars is such a high-end, luxury brand and they have decided to test on animals to make products available in China has disappointed me. So, for the time being, I will no longer be purchasing Nars Cosmetics. Don't sell your morals to make a quick buck, beauty companies!

• Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Botanical Cleansing Oil:

How come no one is talking about this?! This is the best thing I have used thus far to take off all of my makeup! It moves even my most stubborn and waterproof makeup around and it washes away so easily with water. I just take four pumps of this into my hand and massage it into the face and it dissolves my foundation, eye shadow, mascara, everything. This even loosens up my eyelash glue with the oils so I don't have to yank off my false lashes anymore.

I find this more effective than using makeup wipes or micellar water to take off my eye makeup and this is ophthalmologist approved so I can get all up in my eyes and it doesn't irritate or burn. Plus, if you are a drier skin type, this can be used as a traditional cleanser to wash your face with no suds. I highly recommend this if you have eczema also because the lavender is so soothing and nurturing. If you like Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate (a treatment oil), then you will love this.

SUNNY SWAMPS

TACOS AND TEQUILA @ EL CAMINO

This gem on Atlantic Avenue in Delray has quickly become our favorite, late-night

hot spot! We went with our friends to take full advantage of El Camino's late night menu. Between the wee hours of 12-2AM, they have a price-friendly selection of Mexican fare to choose from.

If you are a lover of tequila and cocktails, this restaurant is tailor made for you.

A small selection of cocktails are available for five dollars, but El Camino makes up for that by offering half off on ALL their tequila, which is literally an encyclopedia of a drink menu.

Now what would tequila be without tacos? Its two dollar tacos, bro...two dollar tacos. The Gringo taco is probably the best, well seasoned beef I've ever had in a taco. Period. Right amount of heat to it and you still get the juiciness and beautiful savoriness of the meat. My only complaint about the tacos is that I wish it had some tomatoes on it. Because of the savory nature of it, you look for some kind of relief from that, so adding a bit of freshness with the tomatoes would help so much. Also, the selection of tacos is very minimal. Compared to El Camino's day menu, there's only three tacos available on the late night menu. They also have some phenomenal guacamole to have as an appetizer. 

Overall, this is a great spot to hit up for a late night snack, lunch during the day, or a proper Taco Tuesday! We highly recommend! So much so that we went three times in the past week...whoops!

SUPER SUIT FOR SPRING

Suit: Calvin Klein | Turtleneck: Uniqlo | Sneakers: Adidas Stan Smith | Sunglasses: RayBan

EVERYTHING IS PURPLE

Purple tee, purple haze, and purple rain

I decided to embrace the coming spring time and it's trends,

so I picked up a pastel purple tee at Zumiez, but the fact that it has the great

Jimmy Hendrix plastered on it really sold me.

Keeping it rolling with the retro vibes, I paired it with my new corduroy pants

that I found in the sale section at Urban Outfitters and some round sunglasses.

Always, always walking in my black Stan Smiths. Didn't notice how completely dead the grass is until just now, so please ignore and enjoy.

--------------------------------

Grizzly X Hendrix Tee | UO Corduroy Pants | UO Sunglasses

WELLNESS WEDNESDAY-IUD

SHOWROOM

A NIGHT @ THE DRUNKEN DRAGON

We escaped for the weekend for a pre-Valentine's Day getaway

to the real city that never sleeps, Miami!

Basically, when we make the journey to South Beach, we want to completely stuff our faces with all the multicultural food that congests the city streets. Recently, we heard a lot of buzz about this traditional Korean BBQ place called the Drunken Dragon...it did everything but disappoint.

The restaurant is situated in a random, sketchy plaza next to a Subway and it doesn't even say the name of the establishment. It literally just says "MARKET" in big, bold, red letters. It kind of gives off that vibe like it's a front for a seedy, Korean club but the inside is immaculate! Thick, wooden tables, dimly lit chandeliers, and a bar reminiscent of the one from James Bond's Skyfall.

The service was impeccable. Our waiter let us know what he recommends, the fan faves, what comes raw to the table if you want to cook it yourself, and what drinks are completely bomb. We ordered the Bulgogi, which is marinated beef and a staple of Korean BBQ, the Chicken with Lemon Soy Sauce, and the Stir Fry with Vegetables.