I have never thought rapper Nicki Minaj was attractive whatsoever. #NoTeaNoShade. How could I? Who can see any kind of beauty underneath all of the heavy makeup and colored wigs she wears? That is….until I came across these pictures that she posted on Instagram.  To my surprise, she is actually stunning.

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For the first time since Nicki’s 2004 debut, she ditched the extravagant wigs, weaves and extensions to show off her natural glory. Her hair looked so healthy and shiny. She wore a long ponytail and her edges were in tact. You know how damaging glued on lace-front wigs can tear out some edges. I really enjoyed seeing Nicki au naturale and hope this is a new direction she is taking with her look. I can dig it!

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Seeing the new and improved Nicki Minaj got me thinking about horrible beauty trends and how I wish they would just go away. So I decided to make a list. I may get up in some of your feelings with this list. Especially if you see yourself below. But just remember it is my preference. We all have them.  I just prefer a more natural look instead of a theatrical one.

Five beauty trends that I wish would go away…far, far, away!

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1. Unusual Colored Lipsticks

I’m not a fan of weird lipstick colors. Not sure who thought wearing blue lipstick is cute. But it ain’t. It just looks like someone sucked on a Blue Razzberry Blow Pop or drank Berry Blue Kool-Aid. (Remember that flavor? It was my favorite.)  I think it works in editorials but not in everyday life. I have never seen anyone looking good rocking a green lippy. Never! Let’s keep the crazy colors on our eyes, ladies.

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2. Drawn On Eyebrows

I am all about filling in and shaping brows. I even like to use a little concealer to highlight my brow bone. But some women are a little heavy handed with their brows. Eyebrows should look like they are growing out of the hair follicle, not tattooed on. It looks tacky.

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3. Unnatural Looking Lace Front Wigs

Initially lace front wigs were designed to be used on stage and in the movies. Not in real life. So it makes me cringe when I see a women wearing a really bad one. Sometimes on the train I catch myself staring at an awful lace front wondering why someone would put it on their head when it looks so fake. I then quickly look away because I’m not trying to get beat up for staring. If you must wear one, spend some money for it, learn how to properly apply it and make sure it looks like it could be your hair texture not Barbie’s.

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4. Overdone Contouring and Highlighting

Highlighting and contouring makeup is cool. I would love to know how to frame and thin out my face using contouring. But women should leave the heavy contouring to TV appearances or photo-shoots. It just looks weird. And if it’s not done properly, it looks horrible in pictures. Keep it natural and enhance your beauty. Don’t cover it up with heavy makeup.

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5. Horrible Fake Lashes

Do you know what comes to mind when I see a woman with horrible fake lashes? Miss Piggy or Animal’s girlfriend, Janice. I wear fake eyelashes all the time but I like mine to look natural so I choose to apply individual lashes. And I can easily apply them. Strips are cool, but I’m not that talented at putting them on. Knowing my luck, the lash strip would end up on my eyebrow due to my shaky hands. Whatever you decide to use, strips or individuals, just think about how they may make you look.

The moral of the story is that you shouldn’t walk around looking like a drag queen. Don’t get me wrong. It’s cool to jazz up your look with lashes or an avant garde lip color for special occasions. But I think women who walk around wearing some if not all of the above beauty trends look cray cray. I sometimes chuckle to myself when I see it.

I leave you with a picture of Janice because she was my favorite character on The Muppets.

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What beauty trends would you like to say goodbye to?

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