MAHOGANY GLAM

Jennifer Lopez' Sweetface Clothing Line Stops Production

Not even Jennifer Lopez is immune to the recession. The diva is shutting down her clothing line Sweetface after six years in the fashion industry. The Spring 2009 collection currently in stores will be their last, and Sweetface will no longer produce high end sportswear in the U-S. “In light of new company strategies, we have decided to put the Sweetface line on hiatus while we prepare to reintroduce the brand in the near future with new messaging points and an entirely new fashion point of view,” the company said in a statement. Now everyone knows this little blimp on the style radar, will not affect Jenny from the block she's still a gadzillionaire. Sweetface hopes to relaunch in the U-S once the economy picks ups, yeah... file it under not sure when, maybe never. However, if your desperate to dress like the lovely latina, J-Lo by Jennifer Lopez line is still available in over 40 countries and online.

photo courtesy: second city style fashion

M.A.C Cosmetics-Style Warriors Collection

I stopped by the M.A.C store at Hollywood and Highland to see what's new in the cosmetics mecca. Low and behold I spotted their Style Warriors collection. It's an ahh!!!! moment cause it's a beauty junkies dream. The bronzey gold earth tones are strikingly gorgeous against my mahogany skin. This is the collection for all women of color. My favorite lipsticks are Brave New Bronze and Sunsational. Oh and the eye shadows are super vibrant in "heroic hues" as they say. I want like all of them. Just when I couldn't stand it anymore I tried the Lustre Drops, a liquid bronzer that makes you look like a golden goddess. I tried it and I swear I looked like the model above and/or Iman! The stuff is a must buy, so I did for $18.50. Love, Love, the animal print packaging too. Fierce!

courtesy: temtalia.com bloomingdales.com

Queen Latifah Gets Into the Fragrance Business

Well it was only a matter of time, Queen Latifah will debut her first fragrance simply called "Queen." These days you're not a bonafide celebrity unless you have your own perfume. The curvy Cover Girl is happier than a lark to add this fragrance to her repertoire of talents. “Beauty really does start on the inside. It’s like a state of mind, a state of love, if you will. So I see a fragrance as just a natural expression of this state of love: Scent expresses a woman’s confidence and sensuality, it’s how she embraces her body, her mind and her strength,” says Queen Latifah. The new scent will be chocked full of jasmine, mandarian, moroccan coriander, and Egyptian musk to name a few. Sounds a tad heavy for my floral tastes, but maybe I'll check it out, all the cool kids are doing it. "Queen" is definitely priced to sell at $49 (1.7 ounce), a steal compared to most eau de parfums on the market. Plus, the bottle is elegantly pretty and sometimes that's all I need to make me take a wanna whiff. Look for "Queen" in stores August 2009.

 

photos courtesy: people.com

Perricone MD No Foundation Foundation

 

Ooh I just love fancy schmatzy potions like No Foundation Foundation by Perricone MD. I had my "yeah right" attitude before I tried it at Sephora. It's supposed to work for all skin tones and it's teeming with anti-aging stuff and SPF 30. It also diminishes fine lines and wrinkles. I don't have those issues, but the anti-aging part spoke to me. I've always heard to die for things about Perricone products, so I was really psyched to try it. Of course, I got a sample cause No Foundation Foundation retails for $50! It'll probably last for about a month cause you only need to use a small amount. It did have a weird fish smell that I was what that????, I guess it's all the natural ingredients. My complexion is medium dark and the beigey liquid left my skin flawlessly smooth with a light matte finish. Unfortunately, my skin was a little ashen which is not a good look for black folks. I added a lovely bronzer to my face and it looked great. If you have nearly perfect skin No Foundation Foundation is a godsend. If you have problem skin this potion doesn't provide tons of coverage. I think it'll probably be excellent on most skin tones except if your complexion is the color of mocha like mine. Oh, and that smell thankfully fades away it's just the initial scent that slaps you in the face.

photo courtesy: sephora.com

Make Up For Ever's HD Invisible Cover Foundation

  

So I'm checking out foundations, cause 3 out of 5 makeup gurus is always coming up with something revolutionary and I always wanna be the first to try it. HD Invisible Cover foundation by Make Up For Ever is one of the most inventive foundations on the market. It's oil free medium to full coverage that is super lightweight. Love that! I hate wearing foundation that feels like a mask, so this is perfect. My only problem was finding the right shade. They have 25 liquid hues to suit all skin tones, but that didn't ring true for me. I tried on #178 Chestnut against my mahogany skin and it was too dark. I looked like a 1985 black Barbie doll minus the gold lame' dress, and not in good way. I tried #177 but it was a smigde too light. However, my very fair skinned friend tried #107 and it looked amazing on her. It didn't look like she was wearing anything. I think HD Invisible Cover Foundation will work for some women of color, but not all. Make sure you test it out at Sephora before you spend $40!

photo courtesy: sephora.com

Armani Exhange Ciao Sale Going On Now

I absolutely looovvee window shopping at Armani Exchange cause they have excellent faux haute couture clothes. I only buy something during their Ciao sale event. Everything is usually up to 70 percent off which makes me very happy. I don't go over $29.99 unless I feel it's divine intervention then I splurge for $49.99. I bought a pair of the Deco Pocket skinny jeans dark rinse (above) for $29.99 regularly $115. Sweet! I love the way they fit.

They have tons of cute tops, shorts, jackets, skirts, dresses, and even more jeans cause one can never have enough jeans. Everything is $19.99-$89.99. Some stuff at the Armani Exchange store is cheaper than it is online, so I recommend stopping by the store. The stores have way more sizes too. Shop on!

photos courtesy: armaniexchange.com

I HEART MELODY EHSANI JEWELRY

Rihanna knows all about red hot designer Melody Ehsani! The Persian born fashionista is the chicest accessories designer in Los Angeles. Stylish stars such as Alicia Keys, Erykah Badu, Keri Hilson, Kelis, and Ciara are all fans of her work. 

Ehsani's designs are bold, edgy, and they make quite a statement for the diva confident enough to rock em! If you like three finger rings, door knocker earrings, and eye popping color then Ehsani is your new BFF. Oftentimes, if a celeb is wearing fabulous jewelry it's usually like a gadzillion dollars. Luckily, Ehsani's silver or gold plated earrings are $40-$58, but if you want Swarovski crystals it's between $200-$250 which is totally fair. If you wanna be one of the cool kids check out Melody Ehsani's to die for jewelry, she even designs shoes as well! Love it!

Melody Ehsani wearing her "King Tut earrings $40

Swarovski Bamboo Earrings $250

photos courtesy: pocketfullofgold.com, melodyehsani.com, and the fashionbomb.com