Dread Head Life!

Ok, about a week ago, I wrote about my new obsession with synthetic dreads and how i'd be making the move to being a short-term dread head. Well, it took days after buying the hair to prepare it and then get it onto my head... but it was worth it!
So here's how it went....

I went to the beauty supply and bought few packs of kanekalon braid hair for $2/$3 per pack. The bottom color is called "velvet" and it looks to be a mixture of purple, black and pink... kinda looks like the color of eggplant. The bright clown hair at the top is... red... lol! Not sure what they called this color, but i like to call it clown hair.
I combined these 2 colors (some with more red, some with more velvet) to balance them out to at least kind of match my hair. I followed some instructions i found on youtube for preparing the hair to look like dreads and teased sections of the blended hair. after i was done, it looked like this.

A huge pile of... tarantula legs right?. Lol! Well, this was after hours of teasing and backcombing the hair and getting it to be fairly dense in it's... nappiness. Next i had to steam them. I laid a dry folded bath towel on the floor, then a thin baby towel over that. I secured the hair by setting... something heavy on top of it and began twisting it over the towel. After i got it twisted enough to where i wanted it, i draped the remainder of the baby towel over the hair and gently ran my iron (full of water and set to let out the highest level of steam possible) Over the towel to allow the steam to set the twist into the hair. When i was all done, it looked like this...

Now, what I did was, I made a bunch of "double-ended" dreads and a handful of "single-ended" dreads that I would use in the front of my head. Well, i made them all and i felt accomplished... But then i had to figure out when i'd actually put them in.

I got fed up last night and just decided y not start tonight and just see how it goes..

well that was a great idea! Because i was able to get a good amount done AND finish today!

The only thing is that, i didn't make enough to dread my whole head. Lol! And i was so tired that the thought of making more made me yawn. So I opted for rocking the look that had inspired going this route of dreading anyway... i left hair out in the front. 

At the moment, i haven't cut my bangs into the style necessary to rock them in my face, and opting for this look means i would need a scarf or bandana to feel like it's #ALOOK .. but i love it still.

Ugh! The bags under my eyes are serious!.. obviously i didn't get much sleep last night.. but oh well, such is life.

Please forgive my face... it's naked and i couldn't wait to post about this hair of mine. But this ^^^ is how i'm gonna wear my hair until i cut these bangs. 

Anyhoo... here is a look at the back of my hair...

Well there you have it... keep in mind that i know they aren't perfect.. but that's a part of what i like about them... they're just... me. So yea, i love them. Lol!

I'm Afraid of Commitment. ..

Ok, I know u see that title and think "really?... married with 6.7 million kids, and ur afraid of commitment?" But really am... when it comes to my appearance. I am always changing and growing mentally and so, I can't remain the same physically... I fall into a pit of feeling blah. So I went blonde for a long time, but with blonde came the journey of getting brighter and brighter. I'm always adjusting my daily makeup routine from super heavy to wearing nothing at all... and now i've gone red.. and pink, but let's concentrate on the fact that I can be classified as a chemically enduced ginger. Well... I think i've mentioned before that I really wanted to get dreads, but the commitment there is ultimate. So I got marley twists and i've had box braids, and i've looked up a little about fake dreads but the work involved is not really worth it (or feasible with my kiddies ruling my life.) And also, the dreads I was used to seeing didn't really look like real dreads to me.. my husband and two of my brothers have dreads so I know this...man!

I'm used to seeing ppl with their faux dreads looking like this...

Not bad looking by far. But i kinda want my hair to look a little more authentic.

Well, a discussion with a framily member (stole that term, but it fits) and he is so not about non-black people having dreads for cultural reasons. I, on the other hand, think it's dope when cultures and traditions and arts cross the color lines. This may be because i'm mixed with so many things and the sharing and embracing of cultures is what my family is made of.. but whatevs. The discussuion re-sparked my need for a head full of realistic yet removable dreads... like... i want my hair to look kinda cool and funky with a hint of earthiness... i want to look how i feel inside... and i really like the way i see punk girls freak their dreads... for example...

You see? It's stylish and fun and looks dressed up instead of being all the way earthy and dressed down... i like these because i feel like this is what i would look like if i could just commit to the dread head... but wait... is that top pic.. Sokolum?.. One of my fav girls to follow on ig because of her makeup looks?... And did i just see her post that her dreads are from icy dreads ? Wait... so... they look like real hair (colorful, but real) and... they're not growing from her head?... whaaaaaaat?!?!
So i checked them out and then, even better, learned how to make them myself... a bit time consuming, but worth it since the install is pretty simple and the materials are extra cheap. So... i had some leftover braid hair from my box braids and i tried the process out, just to see if i could do it and achieve a natural looking dread... SUCCESS!...

So, I'm going to refresh my red with my adore hair color, get some braid hair that matches, make a thousand dreads in my free time, and get it started! I'm beyond excited to look like this from behind....

So yea, next mission in this hair journey of mine is in full swing.. stay tuned...

Lady in Red!

Hey! You may have noticed that I took a little break... ok a big break. I'm pregnant.. AGAIN and I just haven't been.. feeling it. I haven't been wearing makeup or doing anything grand with myself for the last couple of months, but I have been keeping busy with prom clients, graduation clients, birthday girls and I even hosted a mini makeup class... should be doing more of those because it was so fun!
Well, I got fed up with how blah I looked and I desperately needed a change. But what? What could I alter that would change my whole look?... hmm... MY HAIR!!! Not that i'm not still madly in love with blonde, but it just got a bit mundane for me. It was too me, if that makes sense. So I decided that I wanted to go red.. not all the way red, red that would ombre into blonde at the ends.. sounds wondrous right?

So here's the deal, I found this dye that looked like my dream color. Tectures and Tones in Intense Red. Sold!.. but, although the ombre effect came out perfect, the red was NOT intense at all. I was a bit heartbroken. I was sure the color would be great since my hair was blonde and didn't need to be lifted.. I was wrong and I got a dull, brownish red. I did some research and found that a semi-permanent hair color could save the day. I found one that looked like it would do the job, got some protective gloves and ran home to fix this mess before the fourth of july weekend ensued.
I washed my hair, towel dried it, as instructed and allowed it to air dry a little... because I do have children that I have to tend to. Then I proceeded to section my hair into 5 sections, rubber banded the stopping point of the red, just as I had when I dyed it the first time, slathered Adore hair color in Crimson all over from roots to rubber bands, threw on a plastic cap and blow dried it for a few minutes. I let my hair sit in the cap for about 45 minutes, I think before washing the color out....
So as i'm washing the color out, I notice that the dye seems to be staining my blonde hair.. the hair that needed to stay blonde! I washed it a good three times before giving up... I have an amazing head of red hair... with pink ends instead of blonde. Can we say FAIL?! I wasn't sure how I felt about it so I let it dry.. and it wasn't bad. But I wasn't quite in love yet.

There you have it folks! My short, yet emotional journey to becoming a red head. I must admit, i never would have thought to try red with pink ends, but i do love it!
Once i curled it, and got some makeup on, i felt like a new woman and my old self at the same time. It was a great feeling. I'm standing out in a way i like and i don't feel like i look boring. I'm going to enjoy this red for a while, then i think i'll move on to purple.. yes, i said purple! I'll definitely will make my way back to blonde one day.. blonde will always have my heart.

Speaking of makeup... Let's do a quit makeup rundown...
i used a deep red lip liner from avon (that's a thousand years old) on my brows to make them match my new red doo. Foundation: Mary Kay Time Wise Matte Wear Liquid Foundation in Bronze 5 (i got a tan). On the lids, i used a few colors from my new Coastal Scents Revealed 2 pallet, a blue shimmer pigment at the inner corners, Wet n Wild gel eyeliner pot, and some random lashes that i can't recall the name of. I used my Coastal Scents Camoflage pallet to highlight and Black Opal pressed powder in... deepest espresso?... to contour, Mary Kay Mineral Cheek Color in Golden Copper and Cherry Blossom on my cheeks, Covergirl Mineral Loose powder bronzer in number... 425..? And i mixed a pale pink and nude lipstick from Wet n Wild on my lips... also.. i realize that i suck at knowing my product names off the top of my head... i apologize.

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Laziness Can Really Get You Places... Right?

Ok look... i spend 13+hrs out of the house, 5/6 days a week. And doing my makeup in the car is all fine and dandy, but sometimes (more often than not, lately) i just wanna say "who tf cares?!" And do nothing with this mugg of mine. I do love keeping it simple aka lazy at times, and just doing foundation, blush, mascara and lipstick/lipgloss.. but then again, sometimes i don't want to wear foundation. So i started wearing a bb cream.. and that was grand... but then baseball season started and although i got the darkest color available (i know, i know, a fancy red bone like me? Darkest?) I had gotten tanned enough to look crazy in my bb cream. Welp, too bad nobody makes a bb or cc cream in my color... ooh! And with an spf, since i'm out in the sun for baseball practices and games...
Oh wait...
Mary Kay does!!!

Mary Kay CC cream with spf 15! It's pret-ty amazing. Now, just a heads up, if you're darker than me... the struggle continues, because the darkest shade (Deep) is an EXACT match on my skin.. like... the PERFECT match. Great news for me and ppl with my skintone and lighter..  not so great news for darkertoned dazzlers. But don't worry, i'm sure this is only the beginning... well, pretty sure.
Inside Tip: if you're looking for the same effect, mix your shade of MK foundation with the MK broad spectrum spf face primer.

Back to the magic. I normally don't like most spf products on my face because they feel heavy. But MK is known for their light-weight spf products, plus the color looked spot on so i had to try it. Needless to say, at this point in my rambling, that i am very happy with this product! It goes on and rubs in easily, and once it sets, (which takes like.. a minute, tops) it is WEIGHTLESS. I don't feel like i'm wearing anything at all! Not only does it even out my complexion, it protects from sun damage (the leading cause of premature aging) AND it gives my face this... glow... my skin just looks radiant. . And i love that!

Now, these photos are taken with no flash and natural sunlight. (Gotta love having a sunroof). The left is me with no makeup at all. The second is me with the Mary Kay CC cream on. Not super heavy, as you can see. My skin is just more even and, can you see the glowy-ness? The right photo is after adding a little MK Mineral Cheek Color in both Golden Copper and Cherry Blossom, some Ultimate Mascara and a light layer of MK Cream Lipstick in Merlot that's been blotted... and that's it! A good, glowy look that shows that i did put some effort into my face, without having to bust out a thousand products! WINNING!!!
Anyhoo, just wanted to share this gem of a product with you.

As usual, you can get more of me on

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Instagram: @RacquelMUA

 For Makeup Bookings

RacquelMUA@gmail.com

The Circle of Life... The Blonde Life

I have been an advocate of blonde hair for a while now. I've shared my journey to the lightest of blondes (so far) as well as my efforts to keep my goldie locks from falling out of my head... 

You may have noticed a bit of... growth on some of my more recent posts, and that would be due to me ... *pause for effect*.... GETTING A WEEEEAVE!!! I hadn't had a weave since before i gave birth to my second child 3.5 years ago! It was grand, i loved it, i bought... not expensive hair, i loved it, curled it, straightened it, took it out, put it back in, braided it, flipped it, tossed it, damaged it, hated it and took it out again... it was a fun 2 months. And now that i know that my life is more complete with longer blonde hair, i am saving for some good quality naturally blonde hair so i know it's not as damaged... i am also considering a wig so i can totally leave my hair alone. In the few weeks after taking my weave out, i decided that i would let my hair grow out and stop with the murderous coloring... i've also stood in the hair color isle at both walgreens and target and stared longingly at my beloved feria platinum hair color.

Aaaanyhoo, in an attempt to keep my hair even healthier than before, i got a little more serious about keeping my hair moisturized and braiding it in order to get bouncy hair that looks like it's been styled... my hair in it's natural state is straight/wavy in the front, curly in the back and frizzy in the middle... it's less than amazing. But, after washing, conditioning and applying a little oil, i put 2 braids in my wet hair, one on each side like so....

...and let it dry completely (usually overnight) and  it ends up looking EXTRA fancy! Like this...

And if you're wondering if i cropped these photos because of blemishes or because i didn't like the way my face looked.... You're right! I can be fairly vain at times.. big surprise!

Here's me with the best shot of my face... not the greatest shot of the hair...

Not too shabby right? It looks shorter than usual, but i guess that's what u can expect with curlier hair. For some ppl, this is just regular old curly hair. But to me, and others with multi-textured hair, this is dreamy! Ha! I was even asked if i had curled my hair with a wand... Success! 

Welp, my hair journey continues on. Hopefully my next hair post will include an extravagant weave or wig and photos that lead u to believe that i could be related to blacc chyna.

As usual, find me on

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Dazzling Inside and Out

I've touched on this on my Facebook page Racquel Guess once or twice before, but since this is a blog about all things beauty....

I know i talk/write a big game about Razzle Dazzle and being outwardly fabulous here, but i do know that packing on the paint, dying the doo and making statements through fashion is not for everyone. I'm also very aware that many people don't find those things important at all. (Shocking right? I know!) But what i don't get is this...

Why is it that there are so many people who claim that all the makeup and hair styling and flashy clothes don't make a person beautiful... but are willing to bash a person's beauty because of it? If those things don't make or break a person's beauty... if beauty is found within (which i totally agree with)... then why not let the dazzlers be? Why not stop assuming that the decor is a cover-up for insecurity and ugliness and start getting to know people for who they are.
I've met many real, beautiful, down-to-earth people who loved to dazzle with a beat face, a good weave, and an immaculate wardrobe. I've also met some real, beautiful, down-to-earth women who just don't feel comfortable adding too much to their appearance... and we've all met an ugly, bitter, judgemental person who sat on a pedistal of their own... that were either, simple in their "earthy" "natural" "i don't need makeup" ways... or that were wrapped in faces "beat to the gawds!" "Weaved up" hair, and desiner clothing from head-to-toe.

The point i'm trying to make is one that constantly needs to be beaten into people's heads (apparently).. You CANNOT judge a book by it's cover! You can't determine that a person is not genuine by the amount of effort they put into their appearance. A love for variety and change in one's look does not mean that they are phony at heart. And the bare-faced person is not guaranteed to expose their true feelings or intentions... it's just looks folks! If i gave you 2 boxes, one wrapped in a beautiful bow and sprinkled with glitter, and the other made of unpainted cardboard and each held diamond rings of the same value... does one suddenly become more precious than the other?.....

And that's all i'm saying people.

No makeup... still alright lookin if i do say so myself (and yes i am nursing.. get over it if you're under it)

full face using BB cream instead of foundation... not my heaviest makeup

Early morning, leftover brows and mascara from the day before... no other makeup (check those dark circles)

Fullllll face! Foundation, highlight, contour.. everythang!

What doesn't change is the fact that these are all me. Same mind, same heart, same flaws... it's all just dressed differently.

Ps: Stop assuming that a person's love and want for makeup is a feeling of inadiquacy and need to cover up... we don't necessarily need underwear but some ppl won't leave home without it.

For more of me...
Instagram: @RacquelMUA
Facebook: www.facebook.com/YourMK

For Booking...
RacquelMUA@gmail.com

Keep In Mind That I Know The Rules...

It's like, rule number one in the makeup/skin care book of... life that you DO NOT sleep in your makeup! It's bad for your skin cell regeneration, it clogs pores, causes breakouts and is just... no.

Having said that... everyone (i'm assuming here) has had a night where your makeup is just soooo pretty that u didn't want to wash it off before bed. Whether it's because u want to see if u can re-wear it the next day or if u want to be super glam before... bed  (wink wink). Whatever the reason, it's been done a million times and i am no exception to that fact.

Why am i telling you this? Well... i just want to point out that my Mary Kay finishing spray is like holding spray for makeup... and after a night of sleep and/or sleep , i have been blown away with how amazing my face looks in the morning.. considering that it's hours and hours after applying the makeup and tossing and turning all over my face.

For example...

The top two are before and after of my last blogpost's makeup. Yes, it is not exactly the best my face has ever looked and not exactly the same as the freshly painted version.. and my eyebrow is... different. But i mean, look at how the makeup is exactly where i put it the night before!

The bottom 2 are from Valentine's Day. I had an uneventful night due to... kids, and i refused to wash my makeup off after not getting to take it anywhere! Well, i didn't have the most uneventful night (and i'll just leave it at that.. wink wink, again) and this after photo is litterally minutes after waking up... and singing to myself "i woke up like dis..." i mean, yes, it's shiny from my oily skin tendencies.. but c'mon son... it's not too shabby.

Now, am i suggesting that you sleep in your makeup NO! But i am saying that the Mary Kay Finishing Spray is the truth and if you use it, your makeup will last longer than before and if u book me to do your makeup and i use it on u, your makeup will last even longer! 

Anyhoo..

Instagram: @RacquelMUA

facebook: www.facebook.com/YourMK

bookings: RacquelMUA@gmail.com