Mental Burnout - Digital Collage

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With everything that has been happening in the USA right now: the protests against police brutality towards Black Americans, the racist protests, and the newfound allies that have bombarded my inbox along with dear friends checking in. It is honestly no surprise that I have been feeling rundown. Do I rest? lol no. I create art…

So here it is encompassing exactly how I feel in this point and time: burned out at the moment and just tired.

After I rest and get back on my feet, I’ll probably clean up the artwork and animate it like my friend did on his app.

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How is everyone doing during these protests? I know it can be very daunting, but change is messy and this has been a productive time in history so far. Keep your foot on the gas!

J Hannah Nail Polish - Cruelty Free and Beautifully Neutral

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J Hannah

Welcome to another episode of “Allyse is Easily Impressed by Beauty Products.” I came across this brand by google search, because I was trying to find more non-toxic nail polishes that were on the more affordable side. What I found first was J Hannah, which is a sustainable brand that houses mostly timeless fine jewelry. They’re beautiful luxury pieces that are out of my price range (for now), but I was captivated by their mission of using recycled materials for their brand. Their line of nail polishes are described as “carefully curated, high quality nail polishes for the color resistant.” The nail polishes are full of rich and subtle earth tones that will make any neutral obsessed fashion folk happy. Other noteworthy pieces of intel concerning these polishes are that they’re cruelty free, free from animal products, and they’re made in the USA.

Nail colors & Application

From windblown desert sands to a midnight inky blue; from desert red rock to an earthy chartreuse these colors can tempt anyone who enjoys bold colors to instead try the rich yet subtle shades of the J Hannah line. My personal favorites were Ghost Ranch, Eames, Fauna, and Blue Nudes. Unfortunately, each bottle is $19 (expensive, right?) so I could only afford to get 2 of them. Luckily, Assembly NY carried the line and also had free pick up at their LES location. They also have a quad pay with Sezzle so I only had to pay $12 every two weeks (broke bitch problems). I went with Ghost Ranch and Eames since those were the only two that were available on the site at the time. The packaging was classic, simple, and a bit minimalist, which goes with the rest of their branding.

The color payout is so so satisfying. You don’t need a second coat because of the coverage of the first. However, if you want a deeper color, then it is totally appropriate to get a second coat. The first color I tried was Ghost Ranch, which was the deep red brown clay. I used the Static Nails base, two coats of the polish, and the Static Nails top coat. This got me around 16 days of unchipped wear, and the color only started coming off when I subjected my hand to extensive labor like cleaning the bathroom. I took Eames with me to Florida where I used a generic base and top coat. Since, I was quarantined I didn’t so much with my hands and I got a good 28 days of little chipping. It started chipping when I had to clean the pool area.

Conclusion

I mean, there’s not much I don’t like about these nail polishes, aside from the price point (yeesh at that $19). With the fact that they are cruelty free, made in the USA, and non-toxic I completely understand why it needs to be more expensive for the additional and fair labor. Honestly, with those facts in mind I would only use these nail polishes… but they don’t have neon colors. I also appreciate the fact that the line doesn’t get bogged down with a bunch of variations of what is essentially the same color is a massive plus for the consumer, the earth, and the brand. The bottle is a little bigger than average, which is a little concerning waste wise… but you have to consider the fact that these are meant to be for the type of person who generally sticks to one color. There is the issue that the bottle can expire before I’ve fully used it, so I have to make that extra effort to be sure that it is finished.

Have you tried J. Hannah’s line yet? What do you think of fair labor nail polishes? Let me know in the comments!

Reading Corner- The Self-Love Revolution. Radical Body Positivity for Girls of Color

The Self-Love Revolution. Radical Body Positivity for Girls of Color

by Virgie Tovar

I recently had the privilege and honor of reading this book before they hit the shelves in partnership with Clever. Self Love Revolution is a necessary conversation that every individual needs to have with themselves and their friend circles. It breaks down our society and the beauty standards that we tend to uphold for ourselves and others. Knowing the ‘why’ behind our cultural standards helps us to fully unpack what it means to be and feel beautiful in the world we live in. At the end of each chapter there’s a journal prompt that is a means to aid us in unearthing learned behavior and offers us a chance to really question why we think the way that we do.

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Part 1: Our Crazy World

The first part of the book talks about the large scale impact of how society has had a large impact on one’s self esteem, especially when it comes to beauty standards. She goes on to say that much of the beauty standards around the world are at the expense of women. Once you realize it: the almost impossible slender body types of western culture to the larger bodies of Niger you can start to dismantle these complex ideals that force you to conform and instead put that energy elsewhere. She then hits you with another notion: that racism has shaped what is considered beautiful. It makes sense though. White individuals, especially of European decent, have been in power and have been colonizing much of the world. This has lead to the belief that lighter eyes, lighter skin, and a European body type have become the pinnacle of what is considered beautiful. It’s this fact that I’ve always know, but having it be reaffirmed in text has bolstered the fact that I’m not crazy. It also opens up the floor to allow you to forgive yourself to being indoctrinated in believing that you were lesser than just because you couldn’t fit such a stringent mold.

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Part 2: Thoughts on Common Body Confusions

The second part of the Self Love Revolution brings the focus in a little closer to events and such that happens directly to your person and your circle. This includes your family, friends, work environment, school, and everything that effects you. The first she addresses is your family and they they might criticize the your body, the way you dress, and/or what you put into your mouth. It might be them projecting their insecurities on you, the need to control you, or fear that something may happen to you if you stand out too much. Virgie reminds us that it is not our burden to bear if they have an issue with you and your body. It is healthy and responsible to cut off family members that are incredibly toxic and won’t change their ways for a healthier relationship. The generational trauma can and should be broken by eliminating harmful traditions.

Virgie also delves into the industry selling us “Confidence” as this big all fix it, when it’s really just band-aid for what is really needed: unconditional, radical self-love.

“Self-love is about recognizing and accepting that you are precious and valuable -unconditionally- and creating a life that honors that truth”

One of my favorite parts about this book is reading about her take on trolls. Trolls are people on the internet or in real life who like to make intentionally negative and hurt comments about your beliefs and person. Trolls act our of fear: they fear that if the world changes the status quo then they would lose their power. Trolls are abusive and they try to undercut your self esteem because it gives them power and control over you. She gives you steps on how to check in with your mental health after an encounter, and some useful tips on how to create a safer space for yourself if you want to avoid them.

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Part 3: Be You, Not What Someone Else Thinks You Should Be

The conclusion to this book centers in yourself, your body and mind, and the expectations that you should have for yourself. It’s about putting guidelines for yourself to reinforce a healthy sense mental and physical well-being. Virgie gives some important advice (at least to me): say ‘no’ at least once a day. It’s a healthy way of establishing boundaries for yourself and for those around you. It gives you the necessary control you need to navigate healthier choices. You have limited time and energy, and you deserve to put as much of that into making yourself into the happiest version of yourself possible.

Final Thoughts

I love this book so so much, and I anticipate that I’ll be reading and rereading this for years to come. It has so much necessary commentary on the world and society we live in, as well as the tools that we will need to dismantle our societal learnings in favor of teachings that are healthier for our wellbeing. I wish I had this book when I was younger. I wish I had a Virgie Tovar to help me navigate my younger self. The journal prompts are necessary, and I strongly advise that you keep a notebook to write these down and revisit them often to check in with yourself.

You can buy her book on Amazon for less than $20!!

STATIC NAILS Review: Liquid Glass Lacquer - Sweater Weather Palette

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I’ve seen Static Nail commercials on my instagram so many times! They have haunted my feed, my stories, and my dreams with with their catchy little glitchy videos that promised long lasting nails (10+ days of un-chippable wear) that were made with vegan, gluten-free, cruelty free, and non-toxic ingredients which check pretty much every mark on the “Do-Gooder Brand” Trend right now. They also boasted the promise of sustainability because most of us never finish the nail polishes we buy before they expire and get too thick to use. Fair enough. I was sold.

So with that in mind I bought the Sweater Weather palette during their After Christmas Sale. They were temporarily sold out, so I had to wait a couple weeks before it was back in stock and they could ship it to me ( I also bought a black lacquer that’s somewhere in my room) . When they did I was a little shocked at how little the Static bottles were. I mean sure I expected them to be small because they wanted less waste, but holy shit they were suuuuper tiny. Like perfume tester tiny! Here’s the issue with tiny bottles: There’s not much to grip when trying to unscrew it, and even less when you want to paint your nails. The base coat was the worst to try to unscrew because the polish dried on the rim and it just would not unscrew, even running hot water from the sink wouldn’t help ease it open. I reached out to customer service to try to get another one or what I could do to get it open, and they told me to basically do the same thing. Ya’ll, I had to BOIL water and have it soak for it to open. With burnt fingers, and an iron will I forced that little sucker open. Then I had some wine… because even though I won my fingers has lost.

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Sweater Weather Palette

From Left to Right: Top Coat, Primer, Coconut, Skinny Dip, Irene, Sweater Weather, Mood, Bohemian Blue, I’ll Do it Tomorrow, Rob the Bank

Buy here

The Actual Painting of the Nails

Round 1

Oh yeah, this was hell. This was the trial run before before I could open the base coat container and I was an Eager McBeaver.

“Fuck it, it’s not that important anyway.”

But it was.

My nail polish didn’t even last 24 hours. I sneezed and it chipped… and I was SO MAAAAD. Not just at myself, but at the fact that I couldn’t for the life of me get the bottle to fucking open. That compounded with the fact that I had to put 3 coats of the "Irene” on for it to be truly opaque was annoying. Don’t get me wrong, Irene is a lovely shade of pinky nude, but there’s so little in the bottle I felt that this go round was completely wasted.

Round 2

I had to paint my nails for a product shoot and this time I had gotten the base coat unscrewed. 1 base coat, 3 layers of “Irene,” and two top coats later I was ready to shoot. This Static manicure lasted around 8 days, which was impressive (still not the full 10 days they boast), but still it was nice.


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Final thoughts

Going monochrome for a couple of test shots. Nail color is “Irene.” Hat is H&M. Photographed by Ray Swift

Going monochrome for a couple of test shots. Nail color is “Irene.” Hat is H&M. Photographed by Ray Swift

PROS:

-Non-toxic. Honestly, I really enjoy this because we put so much on our skin and bodies that this is a welcome relief.

-Color Selection. Static Nails has a lock on their colors and creating a cohesive collection of beautiful colors that you’re unlikely to find in different brands.

-Website Swatches. I truly appreciate Static Nails effort in showing swatches on different skin tones. They show 4 various skin complexions and it really helped me to visualize how it would look on my skin. Makeup brands have started to put effort into how they want their consumers really see themselves wearing their products by doing this, so I was really excited to see Static do the same.

-They don’t have a comparison shot to see scale how big these bottles are. I was really not expecting these tester-like bottles.

-Vegan

-Cruelty Free

-Gluten Free


Cons:

-The bottle size. It is so hard to get undone guys, it’s crazy. God forbid that you get a bit of nail polish on the rim because then it’s pretty much game over. It’s also a little bit annoying that the base and the top coat bottles are the same size as everything else, because they’ll definitely run out before the colors will.

-Doesn’t hold up to the 10 day rule

-You need a lot of coats to create an opaque color.

-Price point- $45 for a palette and $16 for a full bottle is a little steep, though I totally get investing in a healthier alternative to the usual nail polish.

-Customer Service. I hate being a Karen, but I was a little miffed that I was dismissed so easily about not being able to use one of their products.

-Are these palettes really cutting back on waste? Sure you’ll most likely run out of polish, but the fact that you’ll have to buy so many bottles of nail lacquer if you have a favorite shade seems counterintuitive. I hope they look into eco-friendly and bio degradable options or start a buyback program. Only when they do that then Static Nails could be a true eco-friendly brand.


Final FINAL Thoughts

Would I buy this particular palette again? No, but I’ll explain why: I think these should maybe be viewed more like testers in the fact that you can experiment with a wider variety of colors. I found my faves: Irene, Rob the Bank, and Mood. Sweater Weather, I’ll Do it Tomorrow, Bohemian Blue are great neutrals, but I’m not sure if I’d want to invest in a larger bottle of them, because they’re so expensive. I’m not the biggest fan of Skinny Dip as it made my nails look ashy, but it photographs nicely. Coconut I have yet to try, but I expect it’ll be the same. Coconut and Skinny Dip I think will fit someone who is of a lighter skin tone.

I think that these palettes are better served as testers (and should be marketed as such) to figure out which color you like, and fits you best. It’s great for those who love experimenting with different colors. It’s also pretty good for those who like to do the gradient nail trend. All the colors in this particular palette go great together and I’m actually considering doing that. If having a vegan and non-toxic nail polish nail polish is important to you, then it’s worth considering the price point of Static Nails.


Tell me: is shopping for Non-toxic nail polish important for you? Why or why not?



UPDATE: So things have gotten weird for me about this post. I posted a review on Influenster and one of their employees harassed me about that review. I won’t be buying from them again and there’s some shady shady shit going on (peep the comments). I have since found other options for non-toxic nail polish that are better suited for my life with better customer service.

Keep commenting and thank you so so much for the views and I hope you all have a good day <3




Faking it in New York- 6 Months In

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Brooklyn Living

Hey! It’s been a while… Like a long while so let’s get this update out of the way!! Technically it’s almost 7 months living here, but 6 months is the halfway point. It’s been a helluva ride so far, and I’m just now getting started. My apartment living isn’t too shabby: I’m living in East Williamsburg/Bushwick (depending on who you ask) along with my two roommates who are almost never home. They both are from Long Island so they go home practically every weekend, which is nice because I enjoy my alone time. I’m casually perusing 1 bedroom apartments and holy shit it is E X P E N S I V E, but I really want to live alone. It’s probably a control thing. I want the mess in my home to be mine, the furniture and the way things are decorated to be mine, and mostly I want to only clean up my things. It’s my goal that at the end of the year/when my lease is up that I will be in a financially secure situation to move out on my own!

Work Life

I started a long term temp situation after the PA job I moved here for fell through. Long Story Short: They ran out of funding and could not longer pay me. Currently, I am the office manager at the Moda Operandi studio. I get to be surrounded by incredible luxury fashion brands every day, I’m learning more about e-commerce and trends, and the people there make coming to work so much more enjoyable. Expect more on this soon.
As for photography etc. it’s been pretty slow, but since I’ve shifted focus to learning and expanding my craft along with a slew of personal projects I don’t mind at all.

Personal Life

My personal life is… doing better. I’m used to being such a homebody that I kinda forgot that I live in one of the greatest cities in the world. I need to not be afraid to go out and do things and explore on my own. I’m blogging again/more often, and hanging out with friends. Luckily, my work friends are pretty amazing so I’ve found my little posse and enjoying life rn.

What to expect in the future:

  • More blogs

  • A Youtube

  • Travel photos

  • Product Reviews

  • Personal Style photos

I’m excited to show you fall in the city!! So stay tuned!!
What are you looking forward to the most about the weather change?

Chaz Taylor Mini Shoot- Monarch Rooftop Lounge

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Chaz Taylor- New York City

It was a blustery February evening when I did 3 mini shoots for NYC Bloggers. The first up was Chaz Taylor, a model, content creator, and real estate agent in New York City. He wore a gorgeous red and black animal print suit from Zara, and a black turtle neck from Rag and Bone. He attracted quite a lot of attention from the ladies with his outfit and his cheekbones. Chaz had such good energy, and I absolutely adore him and the vibe he brought to the shoot!!

If you’re interested in booking a fashion or portrait session please click here! I look forward to hearing from you.

ELB Handmade Lingerie: Review!

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ELB Handmade Review!!!

Humming Bird Bralette- ELB Lingerie

Humming Bird Bralette- ELB Lingerie

Tictail has put me in the way of some fantastic brands since I've discovered their e-commerce site this year. I've already bought a  couple things from there, so far I've been 3/3 well beyond satisfied.

ELB Handmade is one of the first stores I've stumbled upon. The lingerie designs were simple but unique, and I loooooved the fabrics the person chose to make them from. Their stand out pieces were the embroidered bralette and panty sets, and they were absolutely divine. What stood out even more was the price point: In a world with sets going $100+ for something handmade, ELB Handmade made bra and panty sets for $25.

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Usually when that happens it is WAY too good to be true, right? It was why I didn't click the "buy" button immediately, but I'm SO glad I did. Also, a moment of silence for all the bra and panty sets I missed out on because I waited too long.... 

I ordered two items: The Hummingbird Bra, and the BlueBell High-waisted Set. The Hummingbird Bra was on pre-sale so I knew that I would have to wait a little bit for it to get to me, so I waited... and waited........ and waited (for a month and a half). I sent several emails with no return.

Bluebell High Waisted Set- ELB Lingerie

Bluebell High Waisted Set- ELB Lingerie

 

Frustrated, I freaked out and reported my purchase to Tictail. They can't do anything, really, because they aren't the ones selling the goods... however if there's enough complaints then they can drop the store from their site. I've gotten burned a couple times in my venture for online goods and lingerie, so I tend to go hard and merciless when it comes to either getting my money back or getting the goods I paid for.

ELB Handmade got back to me swiftly, and courteously. Turns out my stuff got lost in the mail (our mailing system suuuuuucks) and sent me a replacement package with a tracking number.

I got my package a little bit ago, and I am in LOOOOOOVE. It's exactly as pictured. The bralettes fit like a dream as does the underwear! ELB Lingerie also gave me an additional white bralette as an apology (I'M WEARING IT AS I TYPE!!!). Everything was true to size, and made of great high quality materials. No loose threads, not wonky sewing. The bralette lay flat against my my breasts even though there was extensive embroidery on it. It wasn't stiff or anything! I can even wear them under some of my blouses without the ridges peeping through! AMAZINGGGGGGGG!

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Even though there was a rough patch in the delivery (something that was out of both our hands) I am definitely going to buy from them again, because they're a genuinely great company, and supporting small businesses is more important than ever! I can't wait to shoot these pieces so I can buy more! They even have a little button where you can add adjustable straps etc to your purchase. As it stands, the bralette fit is perfect for me, but I'll definitely try it out and report back on it later.

TL;DR- ELB Handmade is the business, and hell yeah I would buy again.


Below are some of my favorite pieces from the ELB Handmade store, be sure to check them out on Tictail!:

Do you have a favorite item of their??? List them below and be sure to follow me on Tictail for all my fashion favorites!!!!