Makeup for Thought: thePinkPanel **(and Giveaway)**

If you're anything like us then you probably love beauty, makeup, skin care, and the latest trends but don't want to spend tons of money sampling and testing every new product that comes out. I myself spend more than I would like testing out new products on the never ending quest to find my "holy grail" products (although I love discussing my journey through my site and youtube channel). So naturally I was very excited when I was presented with the opportunity to join a panel of other beauty addicts and receive products to try out and discuss for FREE.
The PinkPanel™ is a consumer panel in the US that unities thousands of women to share their passion with other like minded women.
Best of all, anyone can join! To join the Pink panel head over to their Facebook group at:
http://www.facebook.com/thePinkPanel.

As if that wasn't good enough, it gets better! I'm giving away an unopened bag of goodies sent to me from the PinkPanel to one luckily reader. All you have to do to enter is share the link to this post on your Facebook timeline (and of course like the Fancyfrancy Facebook page if you haven't already!)

Entries will be accepted until July 10th 2013 11:59 est and winners will be notified on Facebook by July 14th.

 

UPDATE: A winner has been chosen through random.org and notified! Thank you to everyone who entered.

xoxo,

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*Sponsored Giveaway
*Image from Tumblr

3 Ways to Style Shorts this Summer

Shorts are a win win for summer (especially when you follow these tips). There’s no risk of a breeze lifting them up and revealing more than you bargained for, but they’re still flattering and keep you cool. There are loads of different styles available, all kind of lengths and cuts and studs and sequins. I’ve chosen these loose fitting Primark shorts that have quite a silky feel to them and a very subtle elephant print. I’ve styled them three different ways here, so you can make the most of yours this summer!

Shopping List Summer 2013

http://rstyle.me/~cz-zM6d

Monday Motivation: Stop Starting Over

I'll admit, like most people I've started and stopped a lot of things; some for the better, most out of laziness. Everything from hobbies, to diets, going natural, even a class here or there back in college occasionally got the axe prematurely. Some of these things I later picked back up (everyone loves a good comeback) but some I regrettably never did get back to. Many people are often too embarrassed or prideful to come back to something they left, because it means admitting they were wrong to quit in the first place. I myself often wish I had never given up on some things the first time around when I see others who didn't. So far in my twenty something years of life, I've noticed that I'm typically most proud of the things that I started and didn't quit. Recently while "Instagram browsing" I came across a quote that said

"If you're tired of starting over stop giving up."

It really struck me because at the time I was thinking of taking out a piercing that didn't seem to be healing well. Albeit this was something very trivial, it still convinced me to hang in there with it. Three months later and week two into my healthy eating plan, every time I look at my ear piercing it serves as a reminder to me not to give up on this weight loss challenge either.
Although my example is pretty trivial, this is still a good principal that can be applied to more important areas of your life such as work, marriage, or school. Whatever the case if it was important enough to start, it might be too important to give up on.

xoxo,

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Act like a Lady, Shop Like a Man: Advice on how to optimize shopping trips

With all the talk of thinking like men in order to understand the way they behave in relationships, it occurred to me that we can also learn a thing or two about shopping from the male's perspective.
In order to maximize each shopping trip, here are a few tips and tricks I've borrowed from the opposite sex.

Pantene Pro V Truly Natural Review

Pantene Pro V Truly Natural is a new line of hair care products designed with curly/kinky girls in mind. The new line includes a clarifying shampoo, deep conditioner, and co wash cleansing conditioner for hair care. As well as a defining curl custard and Argan Oil Shine Serum for styling. I was sent the full line to try out and after testing it out for two weeks, I can honesty say that the co-wash conditioner is a stand out star. From the start, it was the product I was most excited to try out and I'm happy to say it definitely didn't disappoint.





It left my hair clean while still providing enough moisturizer and "slippage" between my curls, that detangling was easy even without leave in conditioner. I am definitely keeping this product as apart of my hair care routine.

Another product that worked well with my hair is the defining curl custard. I first tried to apply it on wet freshly washed hair and did not achieve any extra curl definition from the product on my 4b hair. The second time I used some of this product on dry hair while braiding it for a braid out and was pleasantly surprised to see an increase in definition. There was a bit of a stiffness to the curl that was borderline on "crunchy" so next time I would apply a little less product.

Overall all the products have a light slightly floral scent that I prefer over a too strong or fruity scent. All of the products are light weight in consistency and did not weight my hair down. The deep conditioner and shine serum were both average and seemed to do the job. I did not try the clarifying shampoo since my hair was already pretty clean and didn't have much product buildup in it. I would probably only use the shampoo on rare occasions when I really need to clarify my hair, like after taking out a protective hair style.

Since these products are relatively inexpensive (all under $5!) I would recommend trying some out for yourself and seeing your results.

xoxo,

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What's Trending Now: CC Creams

Last summer beauty fans and gurus alike couldn't stop raving about BB creams. The all in one "beauty balms" seemed to be the perfect all in one beauty solution. Now, less than a year later there is already a new cool kid in town, the CC cream. CC cream also known as color control cream or color correcting cream are similar to BB creams but with a few marked differences.

Like BB creams, CC creams were also developed in Asia to prime, hydrate, and protect the skin. CC creams differ from BB creams because they are generally lighter in texture and their primary focus is addressing discoloration. CC creams can be worn alone for light coverage or used under foundation as a primer to provide heavier coverage.

CC creams can be found in stores such as Sephora, Beauty.com, and most major beauty stores. Below are a few that I picked out.

Having trouble finding your perfect shade? Clinque, Smashbox, Sephora Collection, and AmorePacific have CC creams in a wider range of colors that will also fit  woman of color.

xoxo,

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Monday Motivation: The Shine Theory

I was all set to discuss makeup with you all today, when a friend shared this amazing article with me from NYMag, discussing the "Shine Theory". After reading it, I knew it would be a disservice to my readers and fellow woman if I didn't do my part to share the key points of this theory with others.

So what's the "Shine Theory"?:

When you meet a woman who is intimidatingly witty, stylish, beautiful, and accomplished; instead of immediately hating her and tearing her apart in your mind befriend her.

Here's a few reasons why this theory totally works (and why you should immediately adopt it into your own life):

- The Associative property of awesomeness: People know you by the company you keep.
We've all heard the saying that birds of a feather flock together, if you want to improve something about yourself, a great way to do so is by friending woman who are already doing/ have knowledge about that area. Take for example celebrity friends Beyonce and Kelly Rowland. Kelly Rowland's association with megastar Beyonce doesn't make her any less of an artist, on the contrary it actually makes her shine more.

- True confidence is infectious.
Positivity attracts positivity. Rather then feeling an internal competition with other woman, see them as fellow cohorts and congratulate them on their accomplishments. By being happy for others it allows others to be happy for you.