ms.chief kamikaze

OH, The price of beauty..the price of maintenance…As Estee Lauder once put it “There is no such thing as ugly women, just lazy women”, & I find there to be a lot of truth in that statement.

Its not so much about vanity, as it is about taking care of yourself. Its about doing whatever you can, within your means, to look your possible best. I promote personal beauty, personal style. I don’t believe in cookie-cutter conventional beauty. It really does come in all shapes and sizes, and its all about accentuating your best features. 

I hear it all the time from women of all ages…one day they look in the mirror and they freak out at the first line, the first blotchy spot, their first gray hair, their hair looks thinner..I don’t care how busy or hectic your life is, no matter how many kids or boyfriends or husbands you may have or have had, no woman likes to feel they are losing themselves. But to every problem, there is a solution.

I am confident in my belief that these products will help you maintain your beauty. There is so much hype about beauty products that one can get lost in a sea of magazine articles, reviews and blogs on the topic so I’m here to eliminate the fluff. To cut down to the nitty gritty..

Lets get to to the good stuff!

Lets start with Hair.

Hair is made of a hard protien called kertain. Human hair grows about  0.5 inches per month, depending on genetics and climate (hair tends to grow fast in warmer climates & during summer). Dispite what any manufacturer may tell you, once hair is damaged, it cannot be repaired to its original state. Once you have split ends, the only remedy is trimming (and protecting). Conditioners and serums use silicones to coat the hair making it shinier and more managable but once its damaged, the only solution is to trim, and dont make the mistake of thinking that if you dont trim your hair will grow longer..split ends will continue to travel up towards the root. Not a a good look. Protection is key.

So, without further ado..lets get started!

Shampoo + Condiitoner:

Morroccan Oil: Shampoo & Conditioner

My goodness, anyone who knows me personally knows how much I love and rave about this line. I love everything about it. I love the company, I love the products, I ADORE the smell..its an overall great line. Matter of fact, I recommend the whole Morrocan Oil line, but, in choosing, these are my top picks.

The shampoo and Conditioner. They’re paraben free (Paraben has been linked to cancer & has been commonly found in many beauty products), the shampoo is creamy but doesnt foam as much as you’d think it would (that is actually a good thing). I find the conditioner to be a little thick, so a little bit goes a long way…a word of warning, however, if you’re hair is on the thin side, I recommend using a clarifying shampoo once a week to avoid product build-up.

Big Sexy Hair: Big Volume Shampoo

So its a Saturday night and you’re set to go on a great date..this is the shampoo that will give you that extra “oh la la”. If you want big, rockin’, sexy hair, look no further than the Big Sexy Hair line. This shampoo gives great volume and is the perfect primer for crazy, sexy night out on the town. This line also has a great Dry Shampoo I recommend between washings thats equally amazing. The only negative thing I’d say about this product is that I dont find it fitting for daily use- I’ve found it a bit too drying for me, but aside from that..its one of my top picks and for very good reason!

Moroccan Oil: Oil Treatment

The treatment oil (For all hair types): Is a dry oil..meaning it may come on a little oily but it wont stay that way.. this product actually penetrates the hair shaft & with continued use helps to actually improve the overall state of the hair. Put it on while hair is damp and style or air dry. Its an excellent de-frizzer, leaves hair soft, supple and shiny.  A little goes a long way so don’t spread it on too thick.

Moroccan Oil: Intense Curl Cream

If you have curly hair and love to rock your locks, this product is an absolute must have. I’ve seen this do miracles on curly hair. It coats, defrizzes and leaves curls soft and defined. If you have curly hair, and do not listen to anything else I say, at least listen to this. This is a 5 star product. You need this in your life.

Rusk: Thermal Flat Iron spray.

When it comes to hair, the biggest enemies are humidity and heat. This is one of your weapons against both. This is a spray you apply to damp hair, and it not only helps fight the frizz but it helps in the prevention of thermal damage caused by flat irons, curling irons and heat rollers. If you’re a styling junkie this is a great product to add to your collection. Love the scent. Only a little is needed (or it will leave your hair a little stiff and sticky) so play with this product and keep your hair frizz & damage free.

AG: Fast Food leave-in conditoner

This is a great leave-in conditoner, perfect for days when the weather is not on your  side. Extreme heat or cold will suck the moisture out of your hair and skin, so on those hot sunny days, or cold winter nights, this is a product you’ll be sure to keep coming back to. Protection is key, so apply before being out in the sun or water and make sure tor re-apply as needed.

Big Sexy Hair: Root Pump Plus Humidity Resistant Volumizing Spray Mousse

This is another amazing line. I love this line, from the shampoo to the hairspray. This product is no exception. Whether your hair is thin, straight, curly, wavy..this mousse is the business. Give you amazing volume and the humidity resistance helps for those who  live in humid climates (such as yours truly). Great for blow drying and curling..this is one styling product I wouldnt want to live without.

Skin.

Skin..the largest organ of the body. Part of the integumentary system, it not only provides the “aesthetics” of the person, but its our first barrier against bacteria, infection and disease. In a normal, healthy adult in their 20s, it takes a total of 28 days for skin to shed off and renew itself..it takes longer as you get older. I always tell my younger friends and colleuges to take care of their skin..for obvious reasons. Any make-up artist would tell you that good skin is the best canvas. A beautiful, blemish, wrinkle free face isn’t unattainable..let us explore our non-surgical options.

For Adult Acne:

Lets starts off with acne. That dreaded word that may have haunted us throughout middle school and high school..and if it didn’t find you then, it may have found you in your 20s, 30s and even your 40s. Acne is probably the #1 biggest complaint in skin esthetics, next to wrinkles and fine lines. So lets get down to the nitty gritty.

There are different grades of acne. The common ones are grades 1 and 2..that’s the one’s we’ll be helping to treat here. Grades 3 & 4 should be left under the care of a dermatologist.

Acne is hormonal. Contrary to popular belief diet does not cause acne, however, if you suffer from acne eating greasy, fatty food will only exasperate the issue. Healthy skin always starts from within, so treatment will begin with cutting down fried, fatty and dairy until your skin and inflammation calms down & starting a skin care regimine that includes cleansing, treating and moisturizing the skin (just because you suffer from acne doesnt mean your skin can’t be dehydrated, and acne products tend to dry the skin…dont skip out on a good moisturizer!)

Murad Acne Complex system: I speak about acne from experience. After spending hundreds of dollars on high end, 5 star luxury spa acne products and seeing no difference, I decided to give the Dermatologist based brand a try. I read the reviews prior to purchasing and was a little put off by the complaints. Many complained about it making their acne worse, or not working..but upon further observation, I noticed all those complaints were from people who had only been using the product for a few weeks. I decided to try it out anyways.

First off, when you recieve the package the pamphlets state that you may purge within the first few weeks of treatment (meaning you may break out). This is not only normal, but its a sign the products are doing there job, but within one month your face should be clear. This is exactly what happened to me. I broke out the second week of treatment but after the first month my face was blemish free and has pretty much stayed that way (with the exception of tiny little pustules that always visit me, around that time of the month).

I love this line. This cleared my skin and every product worked fantastically. The Clarifying cleanser is by far, one of the best cleansers I’ve ever used. Infused with the powerful acne fighter salicylic acid, it knocks oil, make-up and impurties right out.

The Exfoliating Acne Treatment Gel is awesome and doesnt dry out skin, and the Skin Perfecting Lotion has hyaluronic acid which is a great moisturizer..I can go on and on about this.. but bottom line, if you have acne,  you must give this product a try.

The Clarifying Mask (love.love.love this mask) and Acne spot treament are great keepers, too.

L’Oreal Dermo Expertise Acne Response Daily Adult Acne Regimen, 3-Step System

I found this kit on clearance and decided that for the price, it was definately worth a try & for a drugstore make-up brand, they have a suprisingly great acne line. This is a 3 peice kit. Cleanser, toner and moisturizer..With 2% Salicylic Acid and 2.5% Benzoyl Peroxide, 2 powerful acne fighters in one. I used this product and it cleared up my skin right away & lasted a good while too! I didnt find it at the store again, but its available online. Go for it.

 Pevonia “C” Complexe.

When it comes to antioxidants, ingredients should always be on top of the list..literally. In the list on ingredients, the active ingredient should be on top of the list. I love this product because its choc-full of powerful good stuff. Vitamin C will help treat and prevent the signs of aging and Hyaluronic acid will help plump fine lines and moisturize. Used to treat all skin types, of all ages, all kinds of skin. Help fight free radicals with this powerful and potent serum. This is a must-have.

Elemis: Pro-Collagen Eye Renewal

If you are starting to notice a little dehydration around the eye area, some sagging and puffing, this is a great eye cream. I used this the first time and saw a difference within hours. Its infused with marine botanical and my skin just soaked up the goodness..a little pricey, but thats expected with any good eye cream. If you feel like treating your skin, this is a good product to pamper with.

So..there ya go (for now)

This concludes this post. Those are my tips of the day..but stay tuned! I’m working on my ‘best of make-up’ blog..that should be dope..

Also, if any of you have any suggestions..feel free add them!

- xo

Kamikaze

As an esthetician, beauty and well-being is not only my passion, it’s my chosen profession.  My love of skin care and make-up has always made me an advocate for self-maintenance, not only for aesthetic reasons, but for health reasons as well. “Health before beauty” I always say, and it’s a motto I live by.  With that said, this post isn’t so much about vanity as it as about taking care of yourself.

The skin is an indicator of your state of health..did you know that? A trained eye can tell certain things about you just by looking at the state of you skin (and make-up may mask it but it will not fix it).

Chronic puffy eyes?  You may need to lower your sodium & alcohol intake..alcohol bloats your face, salt makes you retain water.  The 2 combined are an ugly cocktail. Severe puffiness? Opt for a facial w/a concentration on lymphatic drain massage. Get that fluid out of there!

(TIP: for a quick fix on-the-go start lightly tapping the inner corner of the eyes- by the bridge of the nose- and keep tapping lightly towards the outter corner of the eye -by the temple- repeat 3 or 4 times to help drain the eye of the excess fluid) 

Dark circles under eyes? YOU NEED TO GET MORE SLEEP! The darkness is caused by blood coagulated in the area. It may also be a sign of a vitamin K deficiency…step up your vitamin K consumption. A lot of times the dark circles are hereditary, if that’s not the case, still step up your vita-K game and there are many treatments out there to help reduce the darkness.

Dehydrated skin? Is it dull? Do you have that “glow”? that may be a sign that you need to drink more water..and if your skin is showing dehydration guess how your internal organs must feel?  Drink up! It’s the elixir of life. I can’t emphasize that enough ..and if you like having cocktails frequently, guess what? Drink even more h20.. Alcohol is diuretic. This means it encourages the body to lose more water than it takes on by halting the production of the body’s anti-diuretic hormone, resulting in you needing to go to the toilet excessively and so speeding up the loss of fluid from your body, leading to dehydration. Caffeine is also a diuretic so the same rules apply to all you coffee lovers…up your ante.

As for aging?

If you’re a woman, it doesn’t hit you until you see your first wrinkle or fine line. The visible signs of aging. The tell-tale sign of all those late nights partying and sunny days at the beach, a mark you should wear with honor..right? lol. Negative.

Here are a few things you should know about wrinkles:

Dermatologist Ellen Marmur advises that in your 20’s skin should largely be wrinkle-free. “If you have wrinkles before your age 30, you’ve had too much sun, period.” Sun damage (caused by UVA rays) account for as much of a staggering 90% of aging.

Sunscreen cannot be emphasized enough. Summer, fall, spring and winter; it should be used  every day,  rain or shine, hell or high-water. Photo damage can usually be corrected by peels and treatments but the loss of collagen caused by sun-bathing cannot be replaced and surgery is the only lasting option.

As a side note, and as a true Miamian, I’m not saying to not go out and worship some sun..sun is healthy in small doses, HOWEVER, I am saying that before you get happy with the Hawaiian Oil, slather yourself in sunscreen of SPF 30 + a good 25 minutes before sun exposure and reapply often and frequently (especially after sweating or swimming). Don’t forget those hands, neck and décolleté!   Those areas need special attention too because, aside from you face, the skin in those areas are very thin and sensitive to sun damage.

As for tanning beds??? I have never met one in my life but lets just say this…as per an article in Glamour Magazine , Using a tanning bed just once before age 30 increases a woman’s risk of melanoma by 75%…hear that? 75%!

Tanning beds are so dangerous you can call them deadly, even. The FDA is in the talks of banning them altogether because of the high risk of cancer they cause…think about it..Sun damage has a culminative effect, meaning  that it builds up with the years (in never leaves your system..kinda like mercury). So a  bad sunburn or years of sun-damage won’t show up until your late 30’s-40’s + ..do you really want to risk losing your family, health and life due to some tan you wanted to maintain in college?

And if you’re over the age of 25 and still use tanning beds?..might as well pick up smoking (if you already don’t) and snort some asbestos and get the cancer thing in motion…because, well, its just that stupid.

I know that when you’re really young and/or really busy with work, school, kids and life in general, these things don’t seem to take very much priority, but as the old adage says; “You don’t know what you’ve got until its gone” reigns true in this area. Don’t ever be too busy that you let yourself go. Growing older is inevitable, but aging is optional. Keep your health and your beauty alive. I’m no talking radical surgury or toxin injections, I’m talking aging gracefully…if you take care of yourself today, those things may no be required tomorrow.

Don’t believe me?

This is Bernadette Peters…how old would you guesstamate her? 40s?..50s?

Try 62. She’s a beautiful 62 years old.

Judging by her fair skin tone and lack of sun damage, she doesnt seem to have been much of a tan junkie..

Brigette Bardot on the other hand…

A stunning beauty in her day, with a well known love of tanning hasnt aged as gracefully.

Stay gawgeous, loves and lovers <3 

Welcome back to the 90’s, bitches!

If you’re in the age range where “You’re old enough to know better but still young enough to do it anyways”, then you my friend, remember the 90s.

I remember the 90s as if it were yesterday. From the music, to movies, to fashion, they were truly a great period in pop culture,  so I was more that happy to see the resurgence of that decade in fashion…even more thrilled in that I can still rock my middle school gear and still be able to get away with it. Hah!

From Hole to Wu-tang, to.. who remembers Silverchair? lol..I loved all kinds of music and was influenced by all of it. It was a carefree time..generation “Slackers”, “Mallrats” and “Kids” (if you havent seen that movie, you MUST) and todays post is a style and fashion post dedicated to that decade.

Let me start off with my little muse, Taylor Momsen.

I love Taylor Momsen, and not just because she’s Madonna’s muse as well, and the face of her new “Material Girl” fashion line.. I have adored little Tay-Tay since she surfaced as the “sweet” Little J on Gossip Girl..I love her even more for her transition from doe-eyed child star angel-face to rude rocker bitch. Everytime I see a pik of her the song “Teenage whore” by Hole pops up in my mind. She’s like the bad-influence friend you had in high school that introduced you to cigarettes. I love this little cunt..she epitomizes “badass at 17”..which, by the way…she’s 17.

Here we see Taylor Godsend in her usual 90s’ inspired garb. Ripped jeans, leather jacker, messy Courtney Love inspired over-prossesed bleach blonde messy hair and a cup of coffee. Take notes, bitches.

If there was a poster child for what your kids should NOT wear their junior year of high school, it would be this..but whatever, flawless bitch does no wrong. Here we see Taylor doing the high school version of a walk-of-shame in ripped stocking, doc martens and rosaries..to top it off she added the classic 90s trend of a sweater/shirt tied around her waist..she looks like a hungover groupie at Lollapalooza 1994, but like I said, flawless bitch does no wrong in my eyes.

Speaking of Dr Martens..

Now you know they were popular when Kelly Kapowski and 90s Liv Tyler were sporting them, and they are just as mainstream today.

These grungey, tom-boyish yet super sexy and comfy boots are a personal favorite of mine and as evidence suggests,..they are the favorite of a lot of people too!

Lindsay Lohan..

Amber Rose

Rhianna..

Dakota Fanning..

Xtina Aguilera..

Club go-ers in London.

This is just evidence to show that if you own a pair of Docs’..never get rid of them, for I see this one trend coming back to life over and over again.

Now this is a trend that I don’t see (through) dying out. The mesh shirt.

1993 Madonna wore her Doc Martens and paired them with a mesh shirt and a black bra..

And here in 2010, we see the hottest bitch in charge, Kristen Cavallari wearing a simlar outfit…but with no pants. I see she must of been taking tips from Madonnna on that one too..

And what about the hats…no, not the floppy kind Blossom made the norm, but the cutesty black funky hats that were all the rage 17 years ago?

Shanae Grimes is a fan..

And no 90s post cannot be complete without mentioning the jesus of the 90s..the one man who single handedly immortalized the plaid shirt

Tay-Tay approves..

As does Ashley Tisdale…

.

And Vanessa Hudgens..

And the rest of the world..

And who can forget one of hip hops greatest names, Tupac? The thug spirit lives on alive and well..

in Lady Gaga…bitch represents’.

And remember the Aerosmith video where Alicia Silverstone gets peirced and bungee jumps off the 405 in LA?…remember what she was wearing??

Well cropped tops and shorts are still all the rage nowadays..

As a firm believer in that nothing classic ever gets too old, I am happy to see the funkiest, freshest, funnest trends of the 90’s live on in todays pop culture.

Hopefully this is one trend that will stay around!

Theres nothing like a real hip hop show..

I’m not talking about stadiums, pyrotechnics and lights so hot you get first degree burns from them, no..I’m talking about pure hip hop broken down to its most basic components.. pure, unfiltered beats and rhymes; where the word ”emcee” still has a meaning, and bboy’s & bgirls’s are moved by music to start circles on the dancefloor. There is a certain ”realness”.. a sacred element found in those who conserve the culture. You walk into the place and it feels more like a family gathering than a show…thats when you know you’re at a real hip hop show. Its the vibe; the kinda “one love” that makes you want to buy the world a coke…or a blue long island, rather…cheers!!!

Needless to say that the Killah Priest show was ill…The opening acts were on point, Priest did his thing on stage. The crowd was vibing, the drinks were flowing, the smoke was clouding up the air..it was your classic good time. Got the chance to hang with Priest, DJ Notion, their hommie Sean and a few others backstage, and let me just state that its always refreshing to see humble, down to-earth artists in the game..It makes you appreciate music so much more as a fan when you see cool cats out there taking the time to just go out and have a good time..not taking it as a “job” per say, but actually be out there enjoying what they do. You can always tell the difference between artists who see this as “work” and take it as such, as opposed to those who see it as an oppurtunity to do what they love (but they just happen to get paid for it)…its the latter that keeps hip hop running, if you ask me..

(Mari, Killah Priest and myself)

.. & dispite the rain that threathed to thwart the show (and the whole weekend, at that!) the turn out was suprisingly well..it was a packed house.. and dispite that whole little incident where my phone fell and went missing for a good 30 minutes of my life (of which I felt like a limb was lost), I had an awesome night . It was an all-around good time and I gotta thank all those that made it possible!

xoxo

    Kamikaze

Its been way too long since I haven’t posted on here….wayyy too long!

A lot of people have been recently asking me to start writing again so I’ve decided to jump back into the swing of things..& this time I’ll be consitent, I swear! lol

Ok, first things first.. for those who don’t know me...Let me take the moment to properly introduce myself. I’ll just explain a little about who I am, and why you would rather want to spend the precious moments of your life reading this blog, then be on Facebook playing Mafia Wars, Sororiety life, or whatever else is popping up nowadays lol..

 They call me Kamikaze, but my name is Christiana. Let me just state for the record- I’m not suicidal and I’m not emo, so don’t let the name fool you lol..but I am bold, very bold..even if a little self destructive at times..and its that same boldness that has landed me the name & I wear it as a badge of honor; but in real life, I’m just ‘Christy’ to my friends and family.  I live in the amazingly gorgeous sub-tropical paradise known as Miami. I love life and living and living it up. I play hard, party hard but I also work hard and believe that one should never stop learning. Above everything else, I am a student of life. I am a firm believer in knowledge- its liberating and it is powerful. I believe that traveling to other cities and countries & learning about other cultures is not only fun, but food for the soul. I believe that you can’t stop the clock but aging is optional. I believe that you should never grow old & when you lose the dreams and ideals of your youth, that is when you resign to old age. I believe in making the best out of every day life & dancing to the beat of your own drummer. Sunshowers are one of those little things that make me genuinely happy. I’m addicted to skin care and beauty products. Yoga and Pilates help keep me sane…Ok i could go on and on talking about myself, but I’ll put a cap on it lol.

A few things to expect from this blog:

Except a lot of fun stuff.  Music, pix, celeb’s, celeb-related pix, personal pix of my little adventures (teehee), personal celeb-related pix, info on events & parties both locally and nationally, beauty finds and recommendations (for the ladies), and at times, I wish be informing and introducing you to things/causes that will (hopefully) tug on your heart strings and inspire you to help make a change in your community..be it, local or global because and the end of the day, we’re all in this together.

I want this to be a dialogue.

I want your feedback, opinions and comments. I’m not only here to talk (type, rather) but I’m here to listen (i.e: read) so help me out a bit, here…tell your friends! Follow me and I’ll follow back :)

I will start posting up all the fun stuff in the next few days so STAY TUNED!

happy in my life right now. wow. its taken me forever to say that lol fina-fucking-ly

the septy.

RIP

2008-2009