The Artist’s Summit Chicago was jampacked with all kinds of goodies from the world of makeup and beauty. Some brands I was already well familiar with. Others, I was happy to get to know better. And as luck would have it, I was introduced to a skincare brand I’d been wanting to check out for a while — Mario Badescu.

I got lucky — by visiting their booth at the Artist’s Summit, I was able to get a skincare analysis by the lovely lady representing the brand. She gave me specific products to deal with my skincare issues, and I’m gonna review them all for you!
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Frugalista. Recessionista. Maxxinista. Whatever you call yourself, saving money isn’t a trend. It’s a necessary lifestyle these days.

Gone are the days when people shopped with whimsy. Now I go armed with a list, and double guess myself on every item I buy. Now instead of ooh that’s really cute I want it, it’s ooh that’s really cute but will I ever wear it? Probably not, get the sensible item instead you know you’ll wear that more than once.

I have a beer budget, but oh those champagne dreams won’t go away. So I’ve had to become an expert in my own right. I’ve had to learn how to get what I want, for cheap. And now I’m gonna pass along some of my best discoveries.
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Being the generally optimistic person that I am, I want to believe that makeup options for women of color are becoming better and better. There are more and more upcoming boutique brands catering to our skin’s unique needs, and even the mainstream brands have expanded their color palettes over the years. Then you get news like this and it knocks the wind out of your optimistic sails.

Estee Lauder is closing their Prescriptives brand. Yes, Prescriptives, the brand that catered to the specific needs of customers of color, will soon shuffle off this mortal coil. My amiga Shannon, who blogs for Pierce Mattie PR, seems to think the brand can be saved.

I want to hold out hope for Prescriptives, but I think the stars have collided against it.

Brands like Bobbi Brown and MAC tend to steal the limelight as the go-to department store brands for women of color, and despite a range of excellent products that in some ways go beyond what those aforementioned brands offered, Prescriptives was never able to capture that elusive youth market that breathes eternal life into even the most classic brands. The price point factor, the unexciting packaging, the importance of the in-store experience for this particular brand, the focus on skincare and foundation versus hot hot new colors every month to dazzle the consumers… I think many factors came into play here.

But still, ain’t that a shame. Prescriptives isn’t the kind of makeup that jumps off the glossy magazine page or the computer screen and screams, “buy me.” It’s all about the in store experience, where the range of possibilities becomes instantly apparent. If ever there was a time to stock up on custom blended makeup, it’s now.

Before Prescriptives has gone completely, I will highlight my top favorites, the items you absolutely gotta get before they pack up those department store shelves for good.
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Is it just Caribbean parents who believe in giving their children weekly laxatives? I’ve heard tales from some of my Southern friends about their grandparents doing the same thing, but hardly with the same commonality as island families did.

My mother spared me from the experience she had as a little one, but my grandmother apparently was a tyrant with it. Weekly doses of senna were washed down with a spoonful of castor oil. And this wasn’t the unscented castor oil you see on drugstore shelves today, oh no. This was the real deal Holyfield, the pungent, dark, strong castor oil. Down your throat and through your pipes with a quickness.

My mom has awful memories of castor oil, but she also recalls it being of tremendous help to her during pregnancies, and difficult child deliveries. And most recently, castor oil has been of tremendous help to me — although not by internal ingestion. Castor oil has proven to be an island remede par excellence, and the holy grail my hair so desperately needed!
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Once upon a time, crochet may have been the hobby your grandmother or aunty used to pass the time. Their needlework generally resulted in doilies, tablecloths, kitschy detailing on dresses, and those often-ill fitting waistcoats that were briefly popular in the Nineties. (I’m speaking from personal experience, here).

That was then.

There’s been a HUGE renaissance in fiber arts in recent years. Thanks in part to Bust Magazine’s Debbie Stoller, there’s been a new wave of women versed in the needle arts, who proudly refer to themselves as Stitch and Bitch. There are craft mafias. Knitting, sewing, and crochet have become tools of self expression. Your grandma or aunty’s hobby of choice has become a fresh avenue of fashion for today’s generation. Allow me to share some of my favorite crochet finds with you!

If you want to dip a toe into the world of crochet, I think the best place to begin is with accessories.
Lovenia Leapart, designer of StarCrochet Creations, makes gorgeous earrings that will for sure get you noticed. Check me out in her Purple Lacie Teardrops. $20, and the color and style is so on trend for Fall it isn’t even funny!

StarCrochet designs are colorful, funky, and bright without being childlike. Her Looptyloops are interlocking crochet circles that move individually and come in alternating colors. Tres chic! And the Peace Signs look awesome with jeans, especially in shades of blue. Love Lovenia’s work, and love the prices!

You can add a little crochet to your look AND support fair trade initiatives, look no further than Harriet and Leo. Their Hand Crocheted Butterfly Pins are $15 for a set of two, and they’re made in Peru out of local wool.

I love the purple pair — and I totally wore one to the Blogalicious bash here in Chicago, to compliment my La Grande Dame lilac dress! I know — how Mariah of me! But I couldn’t help it. These clever little crochet butterflies are very cute, very whimsical, and as summer wends towards autumn, they’ll allow me to keep a touch of warmth and sunshine in my style.

Those crochet designs whet my appetite for wanting to master the art myself. But I can barely tie my shoelaces, dare I dream of being a skilled crocheter? According to wonder twins Erika and Monika Simmons — it isn’t as difficult as it may seem, and practice can definitely make perfect!

Together Erika and Monika are known as the Double Stitch Twins, and they make crochet that’s sexy and fashion forward.

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I know I promised a last giveaway for August, but I underestimated my things-to-do-before-I-move list. So apologies – let’s kick off September with a bang!

I love a teeshirt that says exactly what’s on my mind, and not in a here-sketchy-dude-read-my-chest kind of way.

I love a teeshirt with impact.

I love a tee with a message that actually makes you think.

So when I was introduced to Cut It Out Apparel via Twitter, I fell in love hard and fast.

Cut It Out’s creators, Tirinda & Noricia, are bellas after my own heart. The Brooklyn based company is all about clothing with integrity, powerful, positive messages, and dope style. Their tees declare messages I know many a bella has wanted to shout to the world. My Facebook friend Carolyn Edgar came immediately to mind — she needs the My Name is NOT Shorty tee for the days when she wants to go running outdoors! Stop those neighborhood dudes in their tracks!

Cut It Out clothing ranges from $10 tees that are dope enough to make you holla and scream, to the $25 Cut It Out logo dress. And oooh, is this Grace Jones tee not the bomb.com? I think so!

I’m happy and proud to support Cut It Out, and I know this is the kind of giveaway bellas will go bananas for. AND I’m gonna be moving and busy and on blogcation for the rest of the week — I plan to be back with a fresh post Friday!

So here’s the giveaway. Cut It Out is offering THREE tees.

– Destroy Stereotypes
– CIO Peace
– My Name Is Not Shorty

And here’s how you can win.

Leave a comment below telling us which tee you want, and why. Maybe it applies to your life, or something you’ve been through, or it’s just a message you want to share with the world. I wanna know!

When I get back to being online at the end of this week, I’ll close the comments and choose three lucky winners.

Deal? Deal!

For more info, visit www.cutitoutapparel.com or call (877) 7-CUT-OUT.

Good luck, bellas!

** edited Friday – comments are now closed! Thanks to everyone for entering. I’ll be choosing winners early next week!