better ask your mama.

Welcome! This blog is dedicated to fashion, beauty, and self-care crowd-sourced from the women closest to us. From them we learn all kinds of tips about being healthy, looking your best, and saving money where you can. Enjoy!

[askurmama]

These are the colors from the previous post. I used to get down with my nail art, but then life kept happening. I love this manicure because it’s simple and requires very little precision to execute. 

ring: Dream Collective

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These are my early summer colors from OPI’s Infinite Shine system. Stick To Your Burgundies reminds me of the browns & burgundies of the 90s--Toast of New York, Blackberry, Rum Raisen-- and those late school nights spent trying to give myself a decent manicure, but utterly failing. Tile Art to Warm Your Heart can be considered a Warriors blue. I’m not quite ready for all the bright pinks and oranges yet, so this blue is just the right amount of pop for me. I get all my polishes from Starlight in Chinatown. They charge half-price or more on all their polishes. So there is no need to pay for full priced Essie at Target, like ever. (Also, I never realized I have a Miyazaki Totem pole on my desk.)

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I wasn’t kidding about a uniform. Since I wrote about it some time ago, I have pretty much adopted the practice. Right now my weekend uniform consists of the easiest of all wears--the jumpsuit. Bae often times pokes fun at my lack of effort on the weekends, but I tell ya, laze never looked so good. I picked this one up at Urban Outfitters for a wedding in June. This one is sold out, but click here for some other ideas.

[askurmama]

Having since abandoned this short-lived little blog--which I started as a diversion from the exhaustive writing of fiction--I’m back! No need to scour the depths of my soul just produce five sentences here!

To catch you up on the beauty happenings of my world I will start you off with Fenty Beauty’s Lip Stunna. (Old news, I know.) I tell every make up wearing woman I know. YOU. MUST. Riri tells no lies. This color looks good on everyone. After trying mine, half of the women in my office have it. 

I’m a red lipstick aficionado mostly for reasons of convenience.  If I’m in a hurry to go out, which is usually the case, I can throw something simple on and just have the red lips do all the work. My go-to used to be Nars’ Mysterious Red. The price point is similar, but Fenty is the better bang for your buck. You don’t have to sharpen and the product lasts ALOT longer. Also this shit does not budge. It wears, literally, all day. 

Some helpful advice for application:

- The formula is super pigmented and also thin, which mean a little bit goes a long way and it’s every easy to make mistakes. 

-Have Q-Tips nearby to make corrections while the liquid is still wet. If you plan to re-apply while you’re out, bring some Q-Tips in your bag.

-Do not purse your lips like regular lipstick. Paint the lipstick on and let it dry. 

[askurmama]

During workshop, I had so little time for anything. I was writing in every spare moment I had, working at my day job, and then mothering all way through. Getting dressed was exhausting. After posting about Sade’s uniformed look, I got the bug. Transitioning into the colder season, I was having that low-grade anxiety about the inadequacy of my wardrobe. In the back of my mind I was cataloguing, as always, the pieces I needed to acquire to look fresh and current for the winter. (I also understand this to be the general condition of capitalism.) As a result, I’ve put myself on a moratorium on new clothing purchases. Instead, I’m building up, piece by piece, my uniform. I’m currently testing out shapes which are simple and modern using my current wardrobe and figuring what few things I will buy to keep my look simple and easy everyday. I’ve cleaned out most of my closet getting rid anything I haven’t worn in the past 12 months. Beginning this process has pushed me into this foreign territory where I am less concerned with how I look and more concerned what I can make. 

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I only reason why I came across this product was because my kid and her friend always play with it when we visit Larchmont Beauty. The girls told me they like it because it takes the dirt off their hands. I finally picked up the bottle and assumed it was some kind of hand sanitizer. One of the sales people let me know that it’s a cult favorite amongst the Larchmont ladies. Apparently, it’s Japan’s number one exfoliator. The company only makes one product and this is it. I rubbed the gel on one hand and within a few seconds my skin started to pill. It instantly felt soft and looked noticeably different than my other hand. It costs about $38, so it’s pretty steep, but worth it! Watch the demo here.

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I’m taking a writing workshop with Sackett Street Writers, so I’m feeling especially literary. Olympia Le-Tan has been making these book cover clutches for a few years now. If I had a couple thousand dollars laying around I would totally treat myself. Except I wish she’d do books by Toni Morrison or Octavia Butler. Or maybe I can make them myself...

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Sade just released a slew of footage from their performances on UK television series, The Tube in 1984. Sade has always had an easy, graceful style which I really appreciate. She keeps her make-up and hair looks simple and wears them almost like a uniform. 

I’ve been wearing a lot of all-black outfits lately which I haven’t done since senior year in high school when I hated the world.  For this winter, I would update this video’s look with a boxy cropped turtleneck or oversize knit tunic, and minimal earrings with a pop of color. Too bad LA doesn’t hardly get cold enough for gloves. 

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(Malin+Goetz) lip moisturizer. Best lip balm ever. That is all.

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I got my Glossier products in the mail a couple weeks ago. I went with the Skin Tint in Dark, Haloscope in Quartz, and the Priming Moisturizer. First thing I noticed was how on point this company is with their branding. Above are stickers which came along with a baby pink reusable bubble wrap pouch which was housed inside a baby pink box. So precious. With all the money spent on marketing, the actual packaging of the products is nothing to write home about. Don’t expect anything near Micheal Kors Coconut Primer (a beauty!). 

So does the product deliver that dewy, radiant glow it promises? Yes and no. It does exactly what it says, which is to enhance the skin-- even the skin tones and give a dewy look. For this product to achieve the desired effect, you MUST have great skin underneath. 

My first application, I was underwhelmed and considered returning it. (Returns are free!) However, I went to work on my skin. Kept super hydrated, drank lemon water throughout the day, used different masks daily (I’ll post about this soon), and made sure that I toned and moisturized adequately. Two weeks later, I tried the product again. Applying the tint with a stippling foundation brush, using the Haloscope in combination with some illuminating powder for an extra bit of glow,  I was able to achieve that coveted natural glow the product promised. This is, however, a very subtle look. I would even call it a “no-makeup look.” A good skin care regimen should always be implemented, but if you want to get all Alicia Keys with it, investing in your skin care routine is pinnacle to using this product successfully.

[askurmama]

I am the last person on Earth to try Glossier! (Review to come soon once I got the hang of it.) In order to wear this stuff and achieve that dewy look, you need to have incredible skin underneath. So I’ve been obsessed with skincare for the past few weeks. I would love to buy everything from Peter Thomas Roth, but I have priorities, like rent, unfortunately. I’ve been trying a variety of masks everyday. Some hydrating, some pore reducing, some anti-aging. Some drug store, some not. I’ve discovered though, that even if you have ingredients in your skin care line which were mined from the moon, they won’t go very far if you are not properly hydrated. It’s a good thing that water is free (well, practically almost free). I put a squeeze of lemon in a warm glass of water through out the day. It keeps you regular (TMI, i know), which means your body is flushing out the toxins of the day. And it’s packed with vitamin C, which is an anti-oxidant. So If you want to jump on the no-make up look bandwagon, first things first, drink water!

[askurmama]

Welcome to Better Ask Your Mama! This blog is dedicated to fashion, beauty, and self-care crowd-sourced from the women closest to us. From them we learn all kinds of tips about being healthy, looking your best, and saving money where you can. Enjoy!

dress: Zara, bracelet and lanyard necklace: Madewell, choker: homemade from old D&G bra, necklace: turquoise on wax string ( I wear this almost everyday!)