Instaweek 5.21.13

Back In Action

I'm back guys! After spending the good part of last week in San Juan, I was pleasantly surprised to return to beautiful sunny weather here in NYC. I had such a great time relaxing (and working!) beachside. San Juan is a beautiful city. This week, look out for a full review of places to eat, sleep & play in San Juan.

All About Hair 

First off, can we talk about how Solange SLAYED her Complex Magazine shoot. That girl looks flawless!

Speaking of hair, I'm still going strong with my Indique Mix & Match curly look! I posted a video back when I was prepping for LBS at Coachella, and these curls seem to get better with every wash. I'm currently planning my summer look. Contemplating box braids once again. We'll see!

New Products I Love

I was invited to Brush Salon in NYC last week for a launch event featuring John Frieda Styling Tools by Conair. When it comes to styling your hair, the tools can really make or break your look. John Frieda by Conair has a new line of styling tools including a flat-iron, a hairdryer and a hot air brush that use advance ionic technology to prevent frizzies, especially good for curly-haired gals like myself. I used the blowdryer to on my curls with the diffuser attachement and it revealed the beautiful head of hair you see above. I'm sold!

Ann Taylor LOFT invited me to their Summer Fridays launch party last week and revealed the newest pieces from their summer collection - amazing stuff! I scored the lace minidress above, and I'm also obsessed with a tribal print jumpsuit that isn't coming out until July. I don't normally shop at LOFT but their new collection definitely gives me a reason to make a faithful return.

Like I promised in last week's Instaweek, I finally did a review of MAC RiRi Woo and compared it side by side with my fave Ruby Woo. Check out the results here.

I hope you lovelies have a wonderful week! Any plans for Memorial Day weekend?

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!

My Instaweek 5.13.13

Happy Monday loves! I hope you guys all enjoyed your Mother's Day weekend and kept up with all things fabulous here on LoveBrownSugar.com. In case you haven't, here's the scoop on LBS and in my crazy life (all via Instagram):

The Makeup Show (NYC)

Last Monday, I attended The Makeup Show here in NYC and got my entire life getting information on the latest & greatest in cosmetics, learning about social media from fab panelists and fellow bloggers Ty Alexander of Gorgeous in Grey, Lianne Farbes of The Makeup Girl and Felicia Walker Benson of ThisThatBeauty. Among my favorite discoveries? OCC (Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics) launched a new collection called LIP TAR: STAINED GLOSS, available for purchase May 23rd. Danielle of The Style & Beauty Doctor has a detailed review of the line. Also, one of my fave celebrity makeup artists AJ Crimson has launched a new line of BB Creams which I cannot WAIT to give a try. I've been trying to find a BB cream for my skin tone for ages! Review coming soon. The Makeup Show is coming to a city near you soon - check the website for more info.

Brown Girls Giving Life

Congrats to Ms Kerry Washington on her very first ELLE Magazine cover. If you haven't already, check out her spread here. Also, the streets are going wild for Ciara's new hair look. Her latest haircut is causing quite a stir and prompting spontaneous haircuts round the country. Check it out here!

Motherly Love

I saw so many cute Instagram and Facebook pics of you guys and your moms yesterday! Mother's Day always makes me feel warm & fuzzy inside. I absolutely love my Mom. She's my shero. She taught me to follow my dreams and not to wait for anyone to give me permission to be great. I'm beyond grateful for her.

New Product Obsessions

I mentioned this service in my Last Minute Mother's Day gift guide, but I am absolutely obsessed with Original Scent. I went to see the perfumers behind the brand last week and they handcrafted a scent for me based on questions about my likes/dislikes, my lifestyle and personality. It is such a great gift - full review coming soon

RiRi Woo for MAC is my newest lipstick obsession. I don't care if it looks like Ruby Woo. RiRi's signature is on it and that's enough for me (true fan status, no?). Anyway, I'll be posting a review on the differences between the two later this week so stay tuned!

Sun & Sand in San Juan

This week I'm blogging live from the sunny shores of San Juan, Puerto Rico. I decided to take a last minute biz trip here and while I'm here I'll be doing reviews of some of my favorite places and trying out new hotspots and getting the scoop on all things amazing in San Juan for you lovelies who may be planning Caribbean getaways for the coming season. I'm being hosted by the beautiful & super chic boutique San Juan Water & Beach Club Hotel. Puerto Rico is such a great destination for a last minute getaway and there are some really chic yet affordable options if you're planning a trip here. Stay tuned for more updates!

Have Instagram? Follow me boo! Instagram.com/LoveBrownSugar

LBS Beauty News: RiRi Woo Launches May 2nd

You guys know how obsessed I am with MAC Ruby Woo lipstick, right? Well, obviously I'm not the only one. Pop star and island gyal Rihanna is obsessed with the shade herself. So much so that she remixed her own special limited edition version of the shade, appropriately called RiRi Woo and it will debut on MACCosmetics.com this Thursday, May 2nd!

The MAC RiRi Woo shade will be available exclusively online, as well as at the Barclay's Center M·A·C Pop-Up Store in Brooklyn, exclusively open for concert ticket holders only. The RiRi Woo matte cool red (retro matte) will retail for $15.00 US.

Who else is is obsessed with RiRi Woo? Can't wait to get my hands on it!