Emerald City Eyes

Miss Dade County Gets a New Look!

                                                                             Before

After

Yesterday I had the pleasure of doing a makeover on one of the Ethnicity Models from Miami, Miss Dade County. She was very nice and a beautiful girl. Miss Dade's hair was previously bleached platinum blonde but she was looking to go darker to correct brassiness at the roots and provide depth. I was surprised that she was ready to give up her signature bleach blonde look for something more sophisticated, but she seemed more that ready for the change. I used Redken color and the process, including consultation, color processing, layer cut, blowout and style took a little over three hours. As you can see in the after photo, Miss Dade County loved her new look and was very happy with the results.

Are Ed Hartwell and Lisa Wu from RHOA getting divorced? *Updated

I'm Facebook friends with Ed Hartwell and I noticed today that his status is "Separated" instead of "Married" (to Lisa Wu Hartwell). Has the Reality Show curse taken them down too!? Nick & Jessica, Jon and Kate, Linda and Hulk Hogan, Whitney and Bobby, Greg and Nene, Jenn and Eric...and now this?!  It seems that no relationship is stong enough to survive life in the public eye and tv cameras in the bedroom. And NO relationship can survive life on Facebook, because I'm sure there are plenty of Atlanta women ready to help soothe Ed's broken heart if this is true! I asked him for a statement...let's see if he responds.

Updated 8/21/11
I was the first one to break this story, YAY ME!. Yesterday MediaTakeout and Theybf.com reported what I said and Lisa Wu confirmed their separation via twitter by saying "Sadly. We r seperated but wld NEVER b over money. That is so far frm the truth. Wish ppl cld respect ppl's privacy during times like these". I'm sad to see anyone break up, but you also can't put your ultra, lovey dovey relationship all on tv and then when things go wrong, say "Respect my privacy". The couple has a 3 year-old son, Ed Jr. together.

New Nail Polish Color

I got so many compliments on my nail color from men and women alike last week. I was happy because I actually had created my own nail polish color. At Target, I mixed Essie 'Turquoise and Caicos' with "Mint Candy Apple" to create this neon, seafoam, blue-green combination. What's great is that I have about 200 bottles of nail polish in my personal collection and I don't have anything like this color. I plan on mixing up a few more colors this week to create the perfect purple that I've been searching for as well.

Skin Care Regimen

For the past eight years or so, I have been using Rodan and Fields Calm face wash for my combination, blemish prone skin. I still battle with acne as an adult and have to use full coverage foundation to cover my blackheads, whitehead and pimples. The makeup, combined with sweat and my oily skin seem to create a cycle of even more blemishes and breakouts, so I'm constantly battling with my skin. I would love to be able to not "have to" wear foundation every day. A commenter on SandraRose.com mentioned that she uses Clean & Clear Acne Cleanser and Astringent (Purple Bottle) and that it really worked. Since I had run out of my Rodan & Fields Wash and it's not sold in stores, I decided to purchase Clean & Clear at my local CVS. I've been using the Clean & Clear Cleanser in the morning and the Rodan & Fields at night. I use the astringent after each wash and I've seen a great improvement in my skin in the last three weeks. My pores appear smaller, my skin feels tighter and most of my stubborn blackheads are gone. The Clean & Clear also has a nice cooling effect on my skin that is perfect for this summer weather. I usually don't trust drugstore products on my sensitive skin, but I gave the Clean & Clear a chance and I'm very pleased with the results. I still have a pimple or two, so my skin isn't at 100% yet, but I have seen a big improvement in a short time. I'm going to continue to use it and let you guys know how it goes.

My Favorite Color for this Season

My favorite color for this season is "Citrine". This combination of lime green and neon yellow is a fresh fashion twist that will add flavor to any wardrobe. You can combine your Citrine dress with
shoes and accessories in Hot Pink, Turquoise, Cobalt Blue and Fushia for a vivid look that is sure to catch everyone's eye. I purchased a Citrine Norma Kamali dress from Nordstrom in 2009, which I'm going to wear soon. If you can't find a Citrine colored dress before summer is over, you can at least stay on trend by wearing Yell-OH nail polish by Color Club which is another favorite of mine.

Last night I hung out with two of Atlanta's most popular bloggers, Twana Tells ( http://www.twanatells.com/ ) and ATLien ( http://www.straightfromthea.com/ ). After having dinner with these beautiful, enterprising women, I realized that I should take my own personal blog seriously. I gave blogging a brief try back in 2009 but I felt like I didn't know what I should really talk about, so I stopped talking. I was living and working in Hollywood at the time and didn't want to offend anyone with my opinions. You never know who you might run into in the Industry. Also I think my fear was, what if this blog gets popular? Am I ready to give up my private life and anonymity? Maybe my fear was of success and making a time commitment. But nothing is worse than doing nothing! I didn't even try. Imagine where my blog could be if I'd been blogging for the past two tears instead of abandoning it. Well all I can say is that I'm back, with a renewed interest and passion for blogging. My facebook and twitter followers have grown tremendously, so I decided since people want to know what I have to say, I have to say something! I still really don't know what subjects my readers would find most interesting, but I'm just going to say whats on my mind and give it a go. So this blog will be a reflection of all of the random thoughts in my head, beauty, fashion and style tips and commentary on pop life and entertainment. Life through my eyes...Joia Mercedes...Celebrity Hair and Make-up Artist.

Who is J Dubb? *Updated*

Who is this man with Jeezy? He done took my breath away! That is the sweetest piece of sexual chocolate I have seen in a looooong time. I am definitely moving to the A now! They don't make em like this in L.A. Somebody please tell me who he is and slip him my number..... For real.

*Updated* August 4, 2011
Well I found out who the man in the picture was...It's two years later and I did actually wind up moving to Atlanta. His name is "JW the Grade A Hustler" and he is a rapper from Fort Lauderdale, FL who spends a lot of time in Atlanta recording. I met him briefly in person recently. He's a cool guy and just as handsome in person as in his pictures. He's very focused on his music and has released numerous mixtapes and music videos. You can follow him on twitter @JWGradeAHustler. Maybe he'll grant me an exclusive interview for the blog?...stay tuned for update #3!

Los Angeles, CA- April 22, 2009- Celebrity Hair Stylist and Make-up Artist Joia Mercedes has added a new title to her resume- jewelry designer. Crystallized, bamboo doorknocker earrings are making a huge statement on the fashion scene and Joia Mercedes is presenting them just for you. You can ONLY get the exclusively designed "bezzled bamboos" at http://www.joiashollywoodjewels.com/

As seen on Access Hollywood, "Joia's Hollywood Jewels" are quickly emerging as the "must have" fashion accessory of the season. These one of a kind, custom made earrings are a must have for every Hollywood Diva. Megastars Rihanna and Alicia Keys have already been spotted rocking a similar style of these showstopping earrings and now it's your turn!

The brilliant, 100% genuine Swarovski Crystal stones are as radiant as the sun by day and glisten more than a disco ball at night. Each crystal is individually laid on both sides of the earrings so no matter where you are standing, you will get that 360 degree glow.
They are the perfect finishing touch to any look and are a great way to accentuate your new Hollywood Hair. When you walk into a room, it will be all eyes on you. You can check out more styles and place your order today by visiting http://www.joiashollywoodjewels.com/

For more information on interviewing Joia Mercedes or requesting her services for your celebrity clientele, please contact: Joia@JoiaMercedes.com

Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch Auction

On 4/10/2009 I had the opportunity to be one of the first people to go on a private tour to view the auction items that were retrieved from Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch. It seemed they took everything but the kitchen sink, but Julian (the head of the auction house), said this is only 10% of all of Michael's possessions. It was enough memorabilia to fill up a Robinson's Mays department store, which is where the auction is held. There was a huge castle taken from Michael's living room, a life-size Lego Darth Vader, a video game machine collection bigger than Dave & Busters, Michael's custom Rolls Royce limo, Gold and Platinum records, paintings of Michael, furniture, a 6 foot tall MTV Moon man, a 10 foot tall throne and Michael's costumes including the infamous "Glove". They are even selling the front gate to Neverland. The strangest thing I saw was life-like mannequins dressed as maids and butlers which held trays of cookies throughout the house. Some of the mannequins were dressed as regular people, one lady played piano and another had on a housecoat with rollers in her frazzled hair. There were over 100 such mannequins throughout his house. Their rubber skin felt real and they would definitely have creeped me out in the middle of the night. The auction is expected to bring in over 2 million dollars with the cheapest item being a butter churn valued at $40-60. Apparently Michael is unhappy about his items being sold and reportedly threatened, "There will be bloodshed" if he doesn't get his stuff back. However the judge ruled in favor of the auction house because Michael abandoned these items along with Neverland. So good luck with that Mike Jack! The auction is being held in Beverly Hills, CA across from the Beverly Hilton and will be open to the public next week.

UPDATE- Michael was able to stop the auction at the last minute...his items will still be on display for public viewing, but not sold.