Dupe this Look: Lea Michele

I've been so inspired by red carpet cutie Lea Michele lately. Not only does this girl have some stellar taste in evening gowns but her makeup is always perfection. I decided to dupe this smokey blue eyeshadow look she was sporting on the red carpet. I just love the way the blue eyeshadow looks on Lea's gorgeous brown eyes. I decided to break out my current obsession Sugarpill Cosmetics Sweetheart palette and used Tako in the inner corner and Afterparty in the crease. The pigmentation of Afterparty is downright amazing. This 4 palette eyeshadow quad from Sugarpill has me hungry for more shades from this brand! I pressed the blue black loose pigment from MAC's Surf Baby pigments that came with Surf the Ocean pigments and blended MAC"s Blanc Type onto the brow bone. I used Miss Ardo lashes in #5 for extra drama. To keep from looking like a clown, I had to keep the rest of my face simple. I opted for MAC's nude blush Garb on my cheeks and Viva Glam II with Nymphette lipglass on my lips. I wore this look with a black and white outfit for a pop of color but it works perfectly as a matching hue like Lea in the navy blue gown. Hopefully this look, like Lea, is red carpet worthy!

Weddings by the Honey B: Bridesmaids Edition

Glamming up Gaby

A few weeks ago, I was asked to do bridesmaids makeup for three lovely ladies attending a July wedding. Janet, Gaby and Rosie were in the wedding party of a good friend of theirs and each individually wanted a unique look for themselves. Janet wanted a gold and blue smokey eye to match their long navy and yellow dresses. I had a lot of fun using my MAC's Surf Baby pigments on her, especially the golden pigment on her lid. I blended in MAC's Meet the Fleet navy eyeshadow on the crease and Moonlight's Reflection in the inner corners of her eyes. I went pretty simple with the rest of her look using Rock and Republic's Seduce on her cheeks and MAC's Bombshell lipstick on her lips. Gaby is a light makeup wearer and did not want anything too dramatic or drastic. We kept the tones cool to match her auburn hair and neutral but smokey to bring out the warm brown in her eyes. I used pigments from MAC's Tartan Tale collection on the inner corners of her lids and blended in MAC's Satin Taupe and Smut to her crease and lid. I swept on Rock and Republic's Call Me on her cheeks and when she said she liked mauvey pink tones for lipstick, I broke out my go-to wedding lipstick, Viva Glam V. Rosie was our resident retro girl and wanted something that would make her look like a modern day pin-up. She also loves dramatic eyelashes so to interpret Rosie into a Dita Von Teese look-a-like, I used Urban Decay's Virgin all over the lid and Dark Horse shadow in the crease. The key essential to Rosie's look was a pin-perfect winged eyeliner, achieved with MAC's Blacktrack Fluidline and a steady yet dramatic hand. Top off her look with MAC's Springsheen blush and Heartless lipstick for a pin-up finish. Pictures are my three beautiful bridesmaids and their own uniquely sexy looks. What's your favorite look to rock as a bridesmaid? Leave your thoughts in the comments.  

Janet, Gaby, and Rosie

Janet, Gaby and Rosie

Buzzworthy: Mac's Viva Glam Lipsticks

Swatches LtoR: 1, 2, 5, Cyndi, Gaga, Gaga 2

The wonderful thing about MAC's long running Viva Glam campaign is its goal to make the world beautiful both inside and out. Established in 1994, the Viva Glam lipstick was created as a universally flattering red with every cent of the proceeds going to benefit the MAC AIDS Fund. Since then, MAC has spawned 8 more Viva Glam lipsticks, including one inspired by and collaborated with the iconic Cyndi Lauper and two with style pop star Lady Gaga. I have all Viva Glam lipsticks with the exception of 3, 4, and 6, and have decided to put up swatches and pictures of those in my stash. Of the 6 that I own, Viva Glam V (a nude pink lustre) is hands down my favorite. I've bought this tube of lipstick several times over and not only does it go down as my favorite Viva Glam lipstick but one of my favorite lipsticks ever. Viva Glam 1 is a matte brown red and really is universally flattering.  Viva Glam II, a satin beige pink that pulls very nude on my skintone, is much deeper/pinker/darker than VG Gaga 2- an amplified nude, and my least favorite. (It comes off as a tad bit like concealer lip.) VG Gaga (the first) however, a limited editon blue pink, is suprisingly more wearable and one of my favorites (though easily dupable). Lastly, there's VG Cyndi, another standout of the bunch as a limited edition coral red lustre. This is easily one of my favorite lipsticks, as it is a great starter red for those not used to wearing bold lipsticks and the color looks gorgeous on everyone. Buying a tube of lipstick is just a small donation we can contribute in MAC's plight to support men, women and children who suffer from AIDS. Look beautiful, feel beautiful. What is your favorite Viva Glam lipstick? Leave your thoughts in the comments.  

Weekend Haul: MAC's Semi Precious Collection

This last Thursday marked the launch of MAC's mineralized collection for summer 2011, Semi Precious Collection. I hauled just two items from this collection and a Viva Glam II lipstick (more on that later). The majority of the collection is made up of mineralize makeup that consist of MSF powder and blushes, eyeshadows that are prettier in the pan than to work with, cremesheens, new brushes and a few lipsticks. I wasn't too impressed with the collection but I was definitely drawn to Gem of Roses lipstick. What a lovely lipstick this is! The perfect shade of strawberry pink, this limited edition luster is universally gorgeous! Perfect for your everyday face for school or work, this lipstick is a definite hit with me. I also picked up MAC's cremesheen in Richly Revered. I was drawn to this shade because it's not what I usually pick for myself. The deep plum cremesheen goes on with just a hint of shimmer and goes on semi-sheer but still very dark. I love this color for cool toned ladies. This is a vixen color if I've ever seen one and if paired with deep reds and plums, can give off a very dramatic look. i can't wait to wear this out to a dinner party or to cocktail hour with the girls! Pictured below is my LOTD in both Richly Revered and Gem of Roses. What did you pick up from the Semi Precious collection? Leave your thoughts in the comments.

Blush Buzz: Too Faced Papa Don't Peach

Blush is such an easy way to really freshen up your face. I haven't been too familiar with Too Faced blushes but the raves for Papa Don't Peach had me sold. The blush is a very pigmented peach with just a soft hint of pink undertones. While some peach blushes seem to pull orange on more fair tones, Papa Don't Peach works with a lot of different skin tones from very fair to women of color. This is a gorgeous summertime blush- perfect for matching those sunkissed summer tans! I happen to love the color pay off and the subtle shimmer of pink it shows off in the right light. At $20 a pop, the blush's price falls between MAC's $18 blushes and higher end makeup brands like Nars ($26). You get a pretty good bang for your buck, as this is a pigmented blush and you don't need to reapply or pick up too  much product for it to really show up. The sassy little Too Faced blush box is always an addition plus, as it's not too bulky or heavy. Bottom line? Universally flattering peach- I've made up my mind, I'm gonna keep this baby! (Can't stop singing the Madonna song that goes right along with this blush!) Pictured below is the swatch of Papa Don't Peach along with my BOTD (flash and no flash).