4 Ways To Try Summer Prints With Nail Art

Summer is my absolute favorite season. Not only for the warm weather, beach days, and picnics but also because bright colors and fun prints are a wardrobe must-have. If you're used to sticking to neutrals during the colder months, bursting onto the summer scene in full-on prints might be a tad intimidating. But don't worry, your wardrobe isn't the only place you can try the trends.

Nail art is an easy way to pull off fashion-forward prints as an accessory to your look. Here are four cool ways to try the print trend the DIY nail art way:

1. Runway-Inspired Nails

This Kenzo-inspired manicure is easily accomplished in four simple steps. If you've seen this print on some of your favorite celebs, I'm sure you've wondered how to get the look for less. This DIY nail art tutorial will show you how. It's high fashion, quick, easy and on the cheap!

2. Modern Art-Inspired Nails

Taking cues from artist Piet Mondrian, this manicure looks way more complicated than it actually is. You can achieve this look in six quick steps. It requires a few different nail colors applied in block strips to achieve the boxed look, and just a little precision with a black nail art brush. Give it a try, especially if you can't afford to have a Mondrian original hanging on your wall. Instant decor for the nails!

3. Chevron Nails

One of the simpler nail art looks that can be easily interchanged with your preferred wardrobe colors, the chevron print is a popular one this season. This tutorial features five super simple steps. It's a bold print, and also fun and easy to do. You can tone it down for more professional setting by using two neutral palette colors. It's a jazzier version of the french mani!

4. Rainbow Nails

By far the most arts & craftsy of the bunch, this style might be best for a fun weekend picnic, a summer festival, or a pool party. You'll undoubtedly stand out with multicolored nails, and the cool thing about this five-step tutorial is that it is super easy to personalize. Pick your three favorite summer colors and have at it!

Would you try any of these bold DIY nail art trends to upgrade your summer wardrobe? Keep me posted!

This post is part of BlogHer's Revamp Your Style editorial series, made possible by Schick Hydro Silk.

LBS Beauty: Unlock Your Softer Side With Suave

If you know my beauty regimen, you know that I'm no stranger to drugstore beauty and affordable products. Though I love my luxury staples as well, there are quite a few brands on the market that combine quality with affordability. Suave is one of those brands and I've always been a fan of their products. Everything from using their conditioner to co-wash my hair when I first went natural, to using their body washes and lotions that do the job just as well as pricier brands.

So once I found out that TV hostess, personality and homegirl-in-my-head Wendy Williams was taking the challenge to unlock her "softer" side with Suave, I had to find out what the hooplah was all about. If you guys know Wendy, you know "soft" is not typically a word used to describe her. Ever since her radio days, she's been the hostess to say exactly what was on her mind, regardless of who was listening or who didn't like her. Because I think she's hilarious, and she actually gives really great hair & beauty advice on her talk show, I knew her partnership with Suave totally made sense.

I decided to take the challenge to "unlock my softer side" as well and give a few of Suave's moisturizers and body washes a test run for a week. My skin tends to get dry year-round, from winter to summer so moisture and softness is really important in maintaining my look when I step out on the NYC streets. I picked up two different moisturizers from Suave - the Suave® Skin Solutions Smoothing Body Lotion with Cocoa Butter & Shea (two of my fave ingredients) and the Suave® Skin Solutions Advanced Therapy Body Lotion.

I used the Smoothing lotion to help maintain my skin and make it smooth to the touch before heading out. I love how rich it is as a moisturizer for day, and I also love the cocoa butter smell - yum!

At night, before bed, I smoothed on the Advanced Therapy collection. It has a fresh crisp smell, and was really effective at relieving dry skin. I like to use heavier moisturizers at night before bed to allow them to soak into my skin overnight. I wake up with super soft skin and I always feel like it helps improve the overall condition of my skin. 

I also gave their Suave® Naturals Sweet Pea & Violet Body Wash a try. It smells amazing, and lathers really well. You can use it double duty and poor a little in under running water for a nice moisturizing bubble bath too.

Each product has its own unique benefits. After taking the challenge, I stand by my love for Suave as a really great alternative to higher-priced products because it actually works. You shouldn't have to splurge on key products like moisturizer and body wash when companies like Suave offer affordable options. Beauty on a budget, for real. Love it!

Are you a fan of Suave body products? How do you unlock your "softer" side? Tell me in the comments section below for the chance win a $100 SpaFinder gift card! 

Don't forget to Unlock Your Softer Side, and visit Suave on Facebook

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LBS Beauty: My Skincare & Makeup Essentials in New Orleans

I'm here guys! I have touched down in The Big Easy and can't wait to jump into all the Essence Music Festival festivities including the stops we plan to make along our #NOLACrawl. In preparation for the trip, I made sure to pack a few skincare and makeup essentials that will help get me through this long humid weekend in New Orleans. Check out a few skincare must-haves I packed from Shea Moisture and makeup essentials from Cover FX:

Shea Moisture Skincare Essentials

The best way to take care of your skin, especially with a change in climate, is to pamper it. I brought along with me some essentials like Shea Moisture's body butter, scrubs body washes and massage oils to pamper my skin. 

The Coconut & Hibiscus Body Scrub ($9.99) is my go-to when my skin needs some exfoliation and extra moisture. It's also great to combat the effects of dehydration and dryness from frequent flying.

I swear by Shea Moisture's Body Butter ($9.99). It's light enough to use during all seasons but really does a great job of providing long-lasting moisture. I have it in the Olive & Green Tea scent as well as the Lavender & Wild Orchid.

And even though it's from the masculine grooming collection, I really enjoy their Three Butters Wash & Scrub and Lotion ($9.99/each). Each is infused with Shea, Mango and Avocado butters. 

CoverFX Makeup Essentials

I was first introduced to CoverFX at a launch event they hosted last year. I've been obsessed ever since.  I bragged about their Total Cover Cream Foundation and Matte Setting Powder in my LBS Chic: Mixed Media post last December. 

What I really love about the CoverFX brand is the quality of their makeup essentials. This is makeup that goes on and stays put all day long.

I also love that they place an emphasis on making colors that match different skin tones so well. I use their cream concealer in Deep and it blends really well.

I'm also really impressed with their powders and bronzer collections. They were kind enough to send me their Illuminator, Bronzer and Blotting Powder which I plan to put to good use while in this NOLA humidity. 

What are your travel skincare and makeup essentials? Have you tried any of these products?

LBS Beauty Review: MegaGrowth Detangling Conditioner + Giveaway

I'm back with another product review guys. This one is courtesy MegaGrowth. They sent me their complete collection of new products including their Pro-Growth Anti-Breakage collection.

There were so many different products in the lineup but since I'm still rocking my extensions and I'm sensitive about product overload, I decided to start small with their Anti-Breakage Detangling Conditioner.

There are so many different uses for a great conditioner so I thought that was a good start. You can use it as part of a pre-poo treatment, after shampoo or just for the purposes of detangling hair. And this collection was created for both relaxed and naturals, so that's a win.

So I started here with super dry and frizzy hair in dire need of detangling. I used the Anti-Breakage Detangling Conditioner as part of my pre-poo regimen. On weeks when I'm not co-washing my curls (both my natural leave-out and my Indique extensions), I start my regimen with a pre-poo. For this, I simply dampen my hair and run conditioner through it and then proceed to detangle my hair while it's damp (instead of soaking wet). I let it sit for 15 minutes, then I wash my hair in sections.

Before I do anything, I separate the hair into 4 even sections. It makes the detangling process so much easier and it assures that I get the product evenly all around the hair. When I have my full head of natural curls exposed, I actually do this in 6-8 sections since my hair is shorter than this.

I started the first section off by simply dampening the hair with lukewarm water.

I then applied the Anti-Breakage Detangling Conditioner, which has a thick creamy consistency (and smells really fruity too). I will say just a little bit of this product goes a LONG way. I didn't really need all of what I put in my hand for this one section so definitely use the product sparingly.

I started off by smoothing it onto my natural curls on top. It actually soaked into the hair really well and didn't leave any white residue.

Next, I proceeded to apply the conditioner to my Indique extensions. It gave the curls a nice shine and made the detangling process relatively easy. I started from the ends and worked my way up to the root. Again, to avoid buildup, I would suggest only using a dime-sized amount for each section.

Here's a closeup of how the hair (my natural curls and the extensions) looked after applying the MegaGrowth Anti-Breakage Detangling Conditioner.

Overall thoughts about the product: a) I love the smell and consistency b) Use sparingly! A little goes a long way c) Works great as a pre-poo treatment or simply as an affordable conditioner just for detangling the hair before or after shampoo.

Interested in trying out? MegaGrowth has agreed to give 5 lucky winners both their Anti-Breakage Detangling Conditioner as well as their Leave-In Strengthener to try out. Just enter your information below to be entered to win a set of products:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaway ends Friday, June 7th at 12AM EST. This review and product giveaway is sponsored by MegaGrowth. All opinions expressed herein are solely my own and not those of the company.

Style Play Polish: Great Gatsby-Inspired Nails

A lady should always treat her nails as she does her hair, never get caught slippin'. We know a thing or two about nail DIYs and looking extravagant without extravagant pockets. Speaking of extravagance, the week's Style Play Polish nail design is inspired by raved-about blockbuster film, "The Great Gatsby." Here are 4 easy steps to achieving the perfect Gatsby inspired nails:

What you will need:

• Royal Blue Polish (Sinful Colors' Midnight Blue)
• Gold Polish (Butter London's MARBS)
• Black Polish (Essie's Licorice)
• Silver Polish (Essie's loophole)
• Detailing Brush (MASH Nail Art Kit)

Step 1: Paint your nails 2 coats of the royal blue polish to assure a darker opacity. (Remember! Always apply a base coat before applying your base color).

Step 2: Using the black polish, freehand a V-shaped stroke pointed towards the tips of your nails.

Step 3: Using your detailing brush, trace along the line where the black meets the blue polish. Paint 2 other lines parallel to the original lines. Don't worry about the lines overlapping, we will fill that in later.

Step 4: Use the silver polish to create a half moon design near your cuticles, as well as filling in the sides and top of your nails where the black polish is exposed.

Gatsby is known for his expensive taste and bringing his wild imagination to life. If you have a Gatsby nail inspiration you'd like to share with us, tag us on Instagram @LoveBrownSugar.

- Gracie J

LBS Beauty: 3 Easy DIY Natural Hair Styles

So one of my daily favorites Refinery 29  posted a lovely slideshow featuring 3 super-easy and chic hairstyles for natural hair. Instructed by stylist Alana Williams of the Mirror Salon at Carol's Daughter in Harlem and modeled by natural stunner Natasha Gaspard of Mane Moves TV, there's a style in here for everyone from the easy, breezy classic puff to the vintage-style Victory roll, which gives me Janelle Monae vibes.

The trick to pulling off the three styles is to start with an old yet defined twist-out. It's the perfect foundation.

Aside from your favorite styling products, to achieve hese various looks you'll need sturdy hair pins to hold everything in place.

Check out the full story here at Refinery29

Would you try any of these styles?

LBS Beauty Review: MAC RiRi Woo vs. Ruby Woo

You guys remember how hyped I was for the release of bad gyal Rihanna's very first lipstick collaboration with MAC Cosmetics, right? I practically had my shopping cart ready to go 24 hours before the grand premiere. I was one of the lucky hopefuls who scored a stick of Rihanna's MAC RiRi Woo greatness before it sold out online only hours before going on sale.

As a red lipstick fanatic, I'm obsessed with finding new ones to try and obsess over. And now that I have RiRi Woo in my beauty arsenal, here's a snapshot of the main differences I see between RiRi Woo and my absolute fave MAC Ruby Woo. Check out the review below:

So upon first glance, RiRi Woo looks VERY similar to MAC's classic Ruby Woo. It's a matte, highly pigmented red that works for a myriad of skin complexions. That's what drew me to the color originally - so many recommendations from women of different shades.

Looking at them side by side from afar they look basically identical. On the left is MAC RiRi Woo and on the right is my highly-used (I literally wear it almost daily) Ruby Woo stick.

Upon closer inspection though, you'll notice that RiRi Woo has a deeper tint with more bluish undertones. This works perfect for skin shades that are deeper because the color really comes through with a bold finish. Here's a swatch of the two on my skin:

Top: RiRi Woo, Bottom: Ruby Woo

Here you can see against my skin that RiRi Woo (top) is a little deeper with a bluish base. It has more of a sultry night-time feel to it.

 Next up, I took pictures in both colors. Here's how they look on (don't mind me coloring outside the lines lol):

Very subtle difference between the two that's barely noticeable but there's a difference for sure. So for those of you wondering which one works best for you (or whether to splurge on RiRi Woo once it comes back out later this summer), here's a snapshot of what they look like.

Wearing MAC Ruby Woo

I'm still obsessed with my Ruby Woo. I don't think anything can separate me from my first love.

Wearing MAC RiRi Woo

But I'll be rocking out with Rihanna's namesake this summer as well. I'll probably alternate between the two. For you lovelies of different skin complexions, here are links to some of my favorite fellow bloggers doing reviews of Ruby Woo vs. RiRi Woo debate:

For deeper-skinned beauties, check out Danielle of Style & Beauty Doctor 

The Glamazons also have a review featuring Glamazons Jessica and Margo

Caramel-skinned beauties, check out Melanie of OSoChic's review

Olive-skinned ladies, check out Marisa of You Had Me at Makeup

Would you purchase RiRi Woo? What are your red lip faves? Soundoff below!