Education: You Tube

You Tube is a great place to find all kinds of things. From funny animal videos, flash mobs, music videos, and the how-to and reviews, it has become an online encyclopedia of experience and tutorials and cheat sheets. I have been benefiting from this extensive and somehow seemingly endless education. So to honour those you-tubers who have invested their time, effort and broad band to bring us a laugh, show us how to twerk and teach us about  other trending topics, here"s my list of my favourite you tube channels:

1. Nittra B:

Nittra B does a lot of beauty related videos and gives you an in depth review of products that she uses. Expect loud wacky funny videos on her channel. If you would like to know what goes into a professional MUA kit and how to save some money as a professional MUA then this channel is definitely up your alley. The content of her videos range from hair reviews and maintenance, skin and body care, product reviews as well as makeup tutorials. Her colour choices are really helpful if your darker in complexion. The products mainly American but many of these are entering the South African market.

2. Lauren Curtis

Another  MUA, Lauren focuses mainly on Makeup. Tutorials and product reviews can be found here. As she is Australian her product choices may be better suited to South African girls as we share a similar climate with the Aussies down under. She her colour choices are better suited to  fair and medium skin toned girls and she often shows little cheats on how to achieve looks

3. Rudi Smit

Rudi Smit is not a make-up artist but an artist none the less. He hails from South Africa and has travelled all over the world sharing his craft as a dancer. His style showcases mainly wacking and vogue techniques. He has danced at the biggest studios all over the world including the famed Millennium studios in Los Angeles. Find Videos featuring choreography to chart toppers and some underground mixes can be found on his channel, as well as sneak peeks from his master classes, performances and freestyles. So if dance is your thing definitely give this guy some of your Internet time.

4. Lack 78

Need some tech advice or reviews? Lack 78 is one of the channels to be checking out as Dave gives his real and honest opinion on all his product reviews. He is a humanly conscious consumer of technology and his awareness of impacts on our quality of life and relationships that new tech products may have. He has his own website, Computing Forever, where you can take part in polls and check out other tech news.  Expect no nonsense reviews and the occasional visit from "little Dave" when visiting this channel.

Click on the names of the Vloggers to link to their channels, and if youd like to follow me and what i think feel free to go over to twitter where you can follow me @MissRojoDynasty or like the Rojo Dynasty facebook page.

hope you enjoyed this post,

Xoxo

Miss Rojo

Louis Vuitton Bid Good Bye To Marc Jacobs

Today the world of fashion bid farewell to the legendary Marc Jacobs at this seasons Paris Fashion week. The 50 year old artists is not retiring but simply leaving the LVMH  brand to concentrate on his own self-titled label. After 16 years behind the helm of the iconic luxury monogram brand, Jacobs leaves in what seems to be a bud to prepare for his own company to go public.

Jacobs is best known for taking the luxury luggage brand and diversifying to read y to wear lines, shows and their signature LV monogrammed bags and purses. His final hoorah at the Paris show today saw a collection reminiscent of his most iconic runway moments at Louis Vuitton, with nuances of vintage escalators, water fountains, influences from his street like graffiti collections and his most sensational collaborations with queen of polka dots, Yayoi Kusami (featured in the picture), all in shades of black.

With the Parisian powerhouse, Prada, Going public in June of 2011 and managing to raise well over 2 billion dollars, there’s reason to believe that there are people out there who would like to own a piece of this luxurious, somewhat exclusive brand, especially since the Marc Jacobs label still appeals to many despite the niche market pricing. Heres looking forward for whats to come from not only the Jacobs Stable of fashions, but also what new point of view will be dreamt into reality from !

So who will it be who plots the course for the Louis Vuitton label? Will rumours be true and have former Balenciagas’ Nicholas Ghesquire be the captain of our dream boat? I guess we will have to wait and see, but for now, go ahead and like our facebook page, follow us on twitter and watch this space for more fabtastic fashion and beauty…

Xoxo, MissRojo

Princess Pink Makeup

Spring Time make up is all about getting rid of the dark colors, the dullness of winter and giving yourself a fresh burst of color, with inspiration coming from the pretty floral blossoms that pop up all around us..

Rojo is all about red but sometimes we need to have some fun with our flirty and fun cousin, Pink! So to show you my Princess Pink inspiration for spring time makeup here’s my mood board! If anything, you can see by this board how much I absolutely love lip colours of all sorts… Lipsticks, Gloss, tinted lip balms, I absolutely love anything that’s going to help make my pout pretty, especially heading into hotter months (Capetonians trust me it will arrive), when the humidity, heat, sea salt and pool chlorine can have such a drying effect on your sensitive skin.

Soooooo My look for spring: Pink upon Pink lips, Neutral to glowing lids and sun kissed cheeks to welcome the summer sun. In the picture you will see I've showed some variations in pink hued lip-smacking goodness! The Kiko and Isadora much resemble the Clinique Chubby Stick (which can be found on our shores). At the moment I’m using the Clinique Chubby stick in “Plushest Punch” and find that the color has a really strong pigment with very good staying power… I can typically get through a day of breakfast, lunch, dinner and coffees on one application although by the end of the day the color appears to have settled in more and it may seem that it’s my natural ultra-pink pink, born with it lip color.

For more olive skinned beauties I’d recommend a color like bountiful blush or oversized orange in the same range. Another great Clinique product for lips I’m loving is the High Impact Lip color in Pink Style… This lipstick has great moisturizing properties and the color goes on quite sheer so it's very subtle… this hue is perfect for those days where you don’t want to look over done or even when you’re wearing heavy eye makeup and want to play down your lips.

No spring time look is complete without the cheeks and eye makeup and in the above pic you will see the eye shadow palette by Lorac, this is very close to my current fave palette by Stila called: In the Light… the color selection is similar, and can take you from day to night whether you choose to go the dramatic eye route or want to keep it simple.

The bronzed brown tones are perfect all year round and will especially be great for summer when your tan has warmed up and can also be used on all skin tones. The Stila Palette is price at R400 and can be found at Selected Truworths and Woolworth stores. I simply love this particular palette and brand because the packaging makes me think of an old artists water paints, has a beautiful (and large mirror) and includes an eyeliner! BONUS: None of the colors in this set will go unused because of the neutral tones and the selection of both matte and metallic pigments (perfect for day and night usage) and a breeze to pack for a weekend away or a longer trip 

For cheeks I recommend the Clinique blushes once again because of their longevity throughout the day… I tend to touch my face a lot and this on still holds without drying out my skin or any of the heaviness. LOVE! As for bronzing I recommend the Revlon bronzer in Natural bronze. There is only one shade available in this range and the effect/ tone depends on how much you apply so if you’re medium, olive or dark in complexion then you would definitely be able to apply it more liberally than your fairer counterpart. This bronzer is great for contouring in summer but more serious users may find that it may be too light… if your needs aren’t so intensive in this department then definitely give this product a try! 

Mascara is a must for me no matter what time of year it is just be sure to use a waterproof formula for summer… this will help when your poolside and with extra perspiration caused by our sweltering weather… My fave is the Clarins Instant Definition Mascara to give My eyes that extra drama... however if your lashes prefer something more subtle then I would suggest the Clinique High lengths mascara for those sweeping lash effects!

I hope this post gives you some inspiration for your summer makeup style… don’t forget to follow us on Twitter, Like us on Facebook and be sure to check back here at Rojo Dynasty again soonJ  This look has reestablished my relationship with my inner Barbara Doll and I hope that it reunites you with the Beautiful you that’s always been there …

Xx  Miss Rojo

Monomagic transitions

After all the hype this winter about wearing our statement knit sweaters, and other graphic tees and the trend towards monochrome for the current season, I became really fascinated by how to translate these looks into something which can be used not only in a more casual setting but also in your professional environment also…

Let’s face it, we don’t all have the resources to be able to afford a colossus of a wardrobe like the Kim K’s of the world, nor are we all fortunate to have a designer bf who can kit us out in the latest and greatest glad rags of the season (Ye included) so much of the time us ordinary folk have to recycle clothes and be able to “mix and match” and keep things relevant without being dated.

The image displayed is just a collection of some items that I came across and felt could be reinterpreted and given a new lease on life. The Skirt depicted is from Rag and Bone, and can be found on Liberty .co.uk for about R3 000 (custom taxes not included) …. Pretty steep if you ask me. A more affordable version can be found throughout the year at any major retailer in SA as well as other smaller stores because this is indeed a STAPLE item. A basic your closet would be left incomplete without! So get it ladies

The Top is from johnlewis.com and I’m quite sure I saw similar sweaters to this being sold at cotton on and Mr. Price so definitely worth the look if you’re a “drive through shopper” like me. The T-bar Alberta Ferretti shoes were selected for their lady like details… The ribbon detail and woven straps give it just enough edge without being too harsh… perfect to balance the more edgy hip hop feeling which is created by the printed sweater.

Accessorize with long strands of metallic necklaces, and rings to give it the right sparkle to suit your tastes and mood!

Remember: if you’re going for a tight bottom be sure to have some looseness on top and vice versa. And when it comes to colour, it’s not the matching blues with blues that win the prize but instead break it up and stick to the same SHADES of various colors!

Good luck with you closet over haul and workplace monomagic! Follow us on twitter and like us on Facebook to receive the latest news about the latest Rojo articles right on your newsfeed

Xoxo Miss Rojo

Womens Month Day 01: UBU Tippy Toze

This is the urban beauty united Tippy Toze pedi pack:)

As you my have recently noticed, I have been giving my Beauty Toolbox a much needed overhaul by replacing many of my old out dated and out of shape tools... one of these areas of attention is my nail care. Urban Beauty United is now my fave brand of go to , easy to find, and mildly priced beauty tools. My most recent purchase from their offering is the “Tippy Toze Pedicure Pack” available at clicks for R 59.95.

This range of products comes in beautiful, fun, girly  black packaging with accents of purple and pink not only in the packet but also in the products themselves! This would make a great gift to give someone, or even give to a teen girl who is starting their own Toolkit. Another thing i love about the packaging is that it has a dotted line to cut on when you open it up, with a resealable zip like lock so you could choose to keep this packet to keep your brushes etc clean and dry.

So whats included in this Pedicure pack? Expect to find A set of Toe Separators perfect for those home pedi-paint jobs. The toe nail separators are made from what I’m going to refer to as a “high density foam” .  This makes for a great feeling quality as it will be able to retain its shape and yet is flexible enough to accommodate the movement of your toes in and out of the slots. Add to this the fun combo of having one pink and one purple and I'm already having fun before we have even started!

Second in the Tippy Toze pack is a Toe nail clipper. Now this seem irrelevant as it should be in any decent manicure kit, but there is a difference in  a nail clipper & Toe nail clipper with the latter of the two being longer in length with some differences in the shape of the clippers. This is important because it gives you that extra leverage to be able to clip back those more stubborn toe nails with out hurting your self in the process.

FINALLY, also including in this pedi pack is a short emery board... Just like your fingernails it is important to shape and file your toes so that the nails edge is nice and smooth. If you r like me and you tend to cut your toe nails a bit on the skew side then this will help you allot as you wont need to clip off so much and can the smooth the rest with this pretty little emery board.  Once again, Urban Beauty United show their prowess in their design of their products through the miniaturised length of this emery board. The shorter length is ideal for those DIY jobs where you may need to have more control over your pedi tools.

As I have said before, I simply love this range of products and the brand... if you would like to stick around and hear about the other products I intend to purchase or follow the rest of this month as we celebrate women, then feel free to like the Rojo Dynasty Facebook page and/or alternatively follow me on twitter @RojoDynasty.

I hope my first womens month article finds you in good  spirits,

Xoxo, Miss Rojo