The Honey B's Holiday Gift Set Guide

With the Holiday season upon us, I thought I'd share with you all the best beauty steals and deals to get for your fellow beauty lover, or jot down on your own wish list! Stay tuned for more holiday gift ideas! What will you be putting on your list this year?

 

 Stila

• The Stila travel palette comes in 5 different travel girl styles (USA, Moscow, Paris, Tokyo and the yet-to-be released Fiji). Pictured left is the Tokyo palette. It includes 4 Stila eyeshadows and a convertible cream lip/cheek color. Retails at just $10!
• The Stila lipglaze set includes 8 stunning Stila lipglosses in their most popular shades. Exclusive to Sephora, you can gift the set as a whole or break it open and give one to each of your girlfriend. And it retails at just $25!

Nars

• The Nars Crazy Heart Set is a lipgloss set exclusive to Nordstrom and Saks Fifth Ave. The set includes Nars lipglosses in Easy Lover, Babe, Orgasm, Turkish Delight and Misbehave. This is definitely on my holiday wish list! While a Nars lipgloss will cost you around $26, this set is a deal at $50.
• The Nars Orgasm Lust Lip and Cheek set is a Sephora exclusive and spotlights the brand's most infamous (and universally flattering) blush. It includes a duo of Orgasm blush and Laguna bronzer and a mini Super Orgasm lipgloss. Pick it up at Sephora for a mere $30.

Chanel

• The Chanel Deux Levres Scintillantes set is an amazing gift set from Chanel that include two full sizes of lipglosses Muscat and Wild Rose. It also comes with a lip liner in Nude and a cute beauty travel bag. While a full sized glossimer will cost you around $27, this set is an awesome deal retailing at just $51.

Smashbox

•  This Smashbox gift set (pictured right) is an exclusive to Ulta and includes Smashbox favorite products like its PhotoFinish primers, a lip gloss in Scoop, an eyeshadow trio and a blush duo. This All day Beauy Kit can be yours for a measly $39.
• Not to be outdone, Sephora is also having a Smashbox exlusive with its Wish for the Perfect Pout lipgloss set. This limited edition set includes 6 fabulous shades and 2 exclusive holiday shades. Pick this up at Sephora for just $29.

Buzzworthy: Stila Blockbuster Palette

This weekend I stumbled across the Stila Blockbuster palette at my local Costco (they have everything there!). At $19.99 how could I possibly say no to this? Stila eyeshadow SINGLES are on average $18, so when the Blockbuster palette boasted an awesome 30 color eyeshadow arsenal there was no way I was passing this up. The palette also packs 15 lip colors, 3 blushes, a bronzer, a highlighter, a lip liner and an eyeliner. Although I am not usually a fan of palettes with lip colors in them, I thought this was a deal too good to pass up. The eyeshadows and lip colors are about dime size and while they do NOT have that excellent Stila quality I've grown to love, they're not that bad for the price. The shadows are pigmented but they are a little bit on the powdery side. The same is true for the bronzer, highlighter and blush colors. The lip colors are not drying but they are a little bit on the sheer side. Bottom line? While these shadows are good, they're not Stila good. At $19.99, the palette is good for the price. (Keep in mind I said good, not great). This little palette is nice to carry along to job appointments and even travel with but it doesn't go beyond that. If you're looking for a quality palette, save your pennies for the Urban Decay Naked palette!

The Buzz on Skincare

 There are as many skincare routines out there as there are skin types. The truth is that while everyone would love to have perfect skin, no one does and every skincare routine is unique because everyone has their own unique skin. My skin has the tendency to be on the dry side so moisturizing is important for me. I wash my face with a normal Dove soap bar twice a day (when I wake up and before bed) and moisturize twice a day as well. My go-to moisturizer is Neutrogena's Oil Free Moisturizer. I apply this all over my face, using it sparingly around my eyes because moisturizers can be too harsh to apply around the delicate areas of your eyes. If I am going out in the sun, I make sure to put on sunscreen underneath my makeup to prevent wrinkles and burning. The Neutrogena Age Face Shield with spf 55 is unscented and does not feel too slick against my skin. Eye creams are not for everyone, but I do apply Benefit's Eye Con every night before bed. At 24 years old, an eye cream is a good idea to use as a preventative measure against crows feet and can also deflate any puffiness. Don't forget to take your makeup off before bed every day. Your skin needs to breathe and clogged pores can cause blemishes and blackheads. I like to use Almay's moisturizing pads to take my eye makeup off (since I use waterproof mascara, these pads take off the makeup without me having to rub so hard). Below is my NAKED face without a lick of makeup on it (be kind, honey bees)! What are your favorite skincare products? Leave your thoughts in the comments.

Weekend Haul

This weekend I picked up a few new things from the MAC collection release of a Tartan Tale. The Holiday collection was less than impressive, only the Pearlglides actually striking an interest in me. Both blushes seemed dupable and pretty close to other colors already in my collection like NARS Gina (a dupe for My Highland Honey) and Rock and Republic's Kinky and Smashbox's Radiance (both dupes for Her Blooming Cheek). I only walked away with one Pearlglide in Petrol Blue- a stunning navy with blue sparkle, and The Faerie Glen lipstick, a creamy nude. I aslo had to pick up a few things for my Halloween costume so I got three Urban Decay Heavy Metal Glitter Liners in Air Guitar, Metal Head and Baked. These glitter liners are absolutely perfect for adding glitter to a look without the messy fallout. The payoff is excellent- all you need is one or two swipes for rich color and the full size tubes are huge (these things will last forever!).  I also ordered an Obsessive Cosmetic Lip Tar in Hush, which is my new favorite lip to wear. Not only is the color amazing (a light nude/pink) but it stays on for hours! Pictured below are swatches of the products and my Face of the Day using Petrol Blue eyeliner and The Faerie Glen lipstick.

Faces by the Honey B: Pocahontas

Happy Halloween! For my last Halloween post, I decided to do a playful yet glamorous take on Native American legend Pocahontas. I wanted to do something different, but stick to browns and golds as to not stray very far from my costume's color palette. I used most of the browns and golds from my Urban Decay Naked palette (including Dark Horse, Smog and Half Baked) and winged out my liner very drastically. I also used my new Urban Decay Heavy Metal Glitter Liner in Baked to line underneath my eyes and cover a small portion on my lid. I finished the eyes with a row of full and lush falsies. I dusted my cheeks with Rock and Republic blush in All Nighter and kept my lips simple in MAC's lipstick in Underplay. To complete the look, I stuck on some yellow and white war paint. Below are some shots of my makeup up close and of course, a group shot of me and my tribe, Tribe Slappahoe. Have a Gruesome, Ghoulishly FUN Halloween!

Once Upon a Halloween...

With Halloween coming up this Sunday, I thought I'd do a post for some quick inspiration for all of you struggling to figure out what to be! I happen to love dressing up and creating new and fun ways to wear my makeup to match my costume. I love making my own costumes as well- in fact, all the costumes with the exception of the sailor, have been made by me! I have been Batman, a Sailor, Minnie Mouse, and of course my favorite, Pinky from Pacman. The make up looks I have used have all been bold- red lips for Batman and the Sailor and purples and pinks for Pinky and Minnie. For more inspiration for Halloween costumes, you can check out my Dupe this Look series, which have included Jersey's Shore's JWOWW, Mad Men's Joan Holloway and even Ke$ha!  This weekend I am dressing up as Pocahontas (another costume made by me) and will post pictures of my makeup from the night. What are YOU dressing up as this weekend? Have a safe and fabulous Halloween, honey bees!

Buzzworthy: MAC's A Tartan Tale and Beauty Deals of the Week

Today, MAC Cosmetics launches their newest line for their holiday 2010 collection, A Tartan Tale. Adorned in classic plaid, the collection introduces us to several holiday kits which include lipsets, eye palettes, cheek palettes and even brush sets- all which come with a cute plaid travel bag. The line also includes limited edition lipsticks, dazzleglasses, 2 new blushes and 6 new eyeshadows that are stamped in plaid and retail for $19.50. Yes, the price is a little steep for eyeshadows, but these come in the Mineralized Eyeshadow pans so there is more product for what you pay for. Nordstrom is also offering exclusive sets and kits. The standout of this collection seems to be the Pearlglide eyeliners that come in 5 dazzling colors. I have my eye on at least 3! What will you be picking up from this collection? Or are you passing this one up? Leave  your thoughts in the comments.

...And now for our Beauty Deals of the Week:

• Paula Dorf, Biotherm, and Lorac on Hautelook.
• The Holy Mud Company and Pierre Fabre on Beauty Story.
• The Freddric Fekkai Salon for Dallas and Melrose on Gilt Groupe
• Senna Cosmetics on Beauty Ticket
• Rock and Republic Cosmetics using RockCosmetics code and/or a referral on Rock and Republic

Faces by the Honey B: Halloween Kitty Cat

It's that time of year- a make up artist's favorite holiday! I love Halloween and one of the looks that I've done a million times is the sexy kitty. Paired with a bow tie and some kitty ears, I decided to do a dramatic cat eye, extended on both ends of the eye to make the look very feline. I used MAC's Mauvement pigment all over the lid and highlighted the corners with Urban Decay's Uzi. I really wanted to emphasize the playfulness of the cat so I used a lot of pinks on my cheeks and lips, including MAC's Briar Rose Beauty Powder and Rock and Republic's Tease on the cheeks and Viva Glam Gaga lipstick and lipglass for my pucker. Keeping the whiskers simple, I used Maybelline's Gel Liner in Black and highlighted the whiskers with Uzi again. Stay tuned for more of my Halloween looks this week. What will you be dressing up as?

Faces by the Honey B: Jaqueline

Today I had the extreme pleasure of helping Jackie get ready for a charity event in Pasadena. Jackie wanted a smokey and dramatic eye to match her black cocktail dress. For the formal event, I wanted to give Jackie a look she wasn't used to wearing. To bring out Jackie's beautiful brown eyes, I used my trusty Urban Decay Naked palette to give her a smokey eye with purple and brown undertones. Jackie is also blessed with amazing eyebrows so I darkened them up a little with my Anastasia brow kit to really let them stand out. To tone down a little redness in her skin, I put on Mark's Tinted Moisturizer and finished with Origins pressed powder to matte down her skin. For a little shimmer, I brushed MAC's Her Own Devices beauty powder on her cheek bones and down the bridge of her nose and topped it off with Rock and Republic's Call Me on the apples of her cheeks. To give Jackie a fuller lip, I plumped hers up with NARS Bonero lip liner and MAC's Viva Glam V lipstick. To finish the look, I topped MAC's Nymphette on top of the lipstick. And of course, no look is complete without a set of false lashes.

Purple is Power: Spirit Day 2010

In an effort to stand up to bullying and send a message to the youth of America October 20, 2010 was declared Spirit Day, and everyone was asked to wear purple to show support. Once upon a time, in a hive far far away, this Honey B was just another awkward teenage girl struggling to fit in. Thank God for makeup and art as an outlet of expression! So to give another voice to the It Gets Better project, I have pulled out all my best purples in honor of Spirit Day. Purples are such a lovely, flattering color on every skin tone, and I especially love purple colors to bring out the warmness in brown eyes. The makeup in my purple arsenal may not exactly be violet, but they do have lavender undertones, which can be so girly and playful. On my look below, I used my favorite purple shadows in MAC's Parfait Armour and Stila's Smudge Pot in Violet as a base. I also used MAC's mineralized eyeshadow in Love Spell and highlighted with the lightest shade of my Romantic Mauves Avon quad. My lipstick is a pinky lavender MAC lipstick in Fashion Mews and my cheeks are Rock and Republics lavender mauve color, Tease.

As a lover of makeup, I am someone who stands up for individuality. Be true to yourself. To learn more about the It Gets Better Project, you can click the link.

 

Dupe This Look: Glee's Quinn Fabray

Ready to gleek out? As McKinnley High School's resident queen bee and captain of the Cheerios, Quinn Fabray is one of Glee's most entertaining characters! Behind that tough yet flirty exterior, Quinn is just as sweet and soft as her makeup is. To give Quinn a young and playful look, Dianna Agron (the actress who plays Quinn) sticks to soft colors that play up her flirty eyes and pouty lips. Her skin is always luminous and dewy, but to keep the look tailored and clean (she does have a reputation to maintain), Quinn is usually rocking matte lips. To achieve that perfect 16 year old skin, I used Maybelline's Dream Matte Mouse foundation to smooth everything over, then highlighted my upper cheekbones and contoured my skin with MAC's Her Own Devices beauty powder to create that dewy finish. I also used Nars blush in Taj Mahal to give my skin a warm glow. I kept my eyes simple, brushing MAC's Woodwinked and Sable on the lid and lining it it Urban Decay's black pencil liner in Zero. I finished off with a strip of falsies for an extra cutesy look. Finally, to mimic Quinn's matte orange red pout, I slipped on MAC's Toxic Tale lipstick and finished with that classic Quinn scowl/smirk.

Weekend Haul: Rock and Republic Blush, Chanel Rouge Coco Lipstick and Glossimer

Am I a lucky girl or what?! This last friday, my boyfriend surprised me with two goodies from the Chanel Holiday 2010 collection! I happened to drop subtle hints about how crazy I was about the new Chanel Rouge Coco lipstick in the limited edition shade Magnolia and he bought it for me the very next morning! The limited edition lipstick is a perfect shade of pink for all skintones because it doesn't lean too warm or too cool. The lipstick goes on so creamy and is a beautifully subtle shade of milky pink. For $30 a tube, this is not an inexpensive lipstick- but in my opinion you pay for the quality of the product and Chanel always delivers quality. I would purchase this lipstick again (better hurry if you want it, as it is limited edition) but probably only on a day where I've saved up some of my pennies! I'm pretty thankful that my boyfriend has such good taste in makeup because he picked out the Chanel Pink Pulsion Glossimer ($27) all by himself! This lipgloss, also limited edition, is a dazzling display of shimmer and PINK. As a glossimer, it does go on semi-sheer but the color is beautiful to wear on lips alone and can be used to glam up any lipstick. Paired with the Magnolia lipstick, Pink Pulsion is pure glamour!

I also placed an order for two more Rock and Republic blushes to add to my growing obsession collection! Seduce and Lust are the latest blushes to come in straight from the Rock and Republic website. The hockey-puck sized blushes are on SALE right now on RockandRepublic.com when you use the code RockCosmetics so hurry before the code expires! Both Seduce and Lust have shimmer and lean towards bronze-rose colors. I was wearing Seduce today and not only has it lasted all day but it gives the most gorgeous warm glow! I do swear by these blushes- the quality, size and uniqueness of the colors are really something I stand behind. While Call Me is a fan favorite, X Rated is definitely my personal favorite! Picture below is Seduce (right) and Lust, along with the Chanel lipstick and lipgloss swatches. Will YOU be checking out the Rock and Republic sale or the Chanel Holiday collection?  Leave your thoughts in the comments. 

Buzzworthy: Avon Eyeshadow Quads in Romantic Mauves and Earth Tones

I've been hearing good things about the Avon eyeshadow quads for a while now so I found it an opportune time to check them out since there was a special going on. I bought these two Avon quads for $8.99 (a two for one special) so at $4.50 a piece, I thought this was a great deal! The packaging is a pretty and sleek black plastic compact with a mirror. The look of the compact does remind me a little of how the Chanel quads look. The quality of the shadows is nice- definitely not as nice as Chanel, or even Urban Decay or MAC for that matter, but they are pigmented and blend nicely. I will say that the colors in the catalog look slightly different than they do in person. Over all, I do like these quads and think they are great quality for an even better price.

I did a look with the earth tones quad that I think came out nicely. The eyeshadow stayed on all day at work, which I love. I'm also wearing Rock and Republic All Nighter blush and the Cremesheen lipglass I bought from MAC, Ever so Rich. For those of you wondering about the cremesheens, they are very very sheer. I do love this look worn alone (perfect for a smokey eye), but this is the kind of lipgloss that looks best while trying to mute down a stain or lipstick. The cremesheens also feel super soft on the lips and is not as sticky as the regular lipglasses. But if you are looking for high pigment and shine, this is not what you're looking for.

Weekend Haul

I know I have been missing in action for a few days, so I apologize for the brief hiatus honey bees. It's good to be home after a long weekend in Las Vegas, Nevada! A few of my girlfriends decided to road trip out to Vegas for a birthday and of course, no road trip is ever complete without a stop at the Cosmetic Company Store! For all of you unfamiliar with CCO's, they are an outlet store for cosmetics (owned by Estee Lauder) and have amazing brands like Bobbi Brown, Estee Lauder, Clinique and even MAC marked below retail price. And if you are lucky enough, you can catch up on buying discontinued items there and even items from a collection  you may have missed. I stopped at the CCO at the stateline of California and Nevada and picked up a MAC blush from the Liberty of London line called Prim and Proper. It's a shimmery nude blush and one of the line's more popular products. I also got a Creamsheen glass from MAC called Ever So Rich, which is a milky pink gloss, for only $12.50! And of course, I had to get the large tube of DUO eyelash glue. It usually sells for around $8.00 for the small tube, but I was lucky enough to get the big tube for $6.50.

Also, the MAC order my boyfriend sent to me finally came in the mail! I was the lucky recipient of the Cruella Beauty powder in Her Own Devices and a Cruella red lipstick in Heartless. I really love the beauty powders, that go on more sheer than a blush, and particularly Her Own Devices. As a girl with a medium/dark complexion I was afraid that this would go on too light on me, but used as a high lighter and all over shimmer, I'm in love with this beauty powder! Swatched below is Heartless lipstick and Ever So Rich lip gloss.

Rainy Days Bring the Blues

With the gorgeous SoCal sun hiding behind these rain clouds lately, I was feeling rather blue this morning- literally! While vivid blues look great on wild nights out, I thought I would try a wearable blue eyeshadow today. As my office is business formal, I wanted to keep it as subtle as possible while still being true blue. Blue eyeshadows, in my opinion, really bring out brown eyes. To keep it "work-friendly" I paired my arsenal of blues with neutral colors and didn't bring the shadow all the way too far past the crease. I worked with MAC's Blanc Type all over the lid and Vex in the corners. I used Moon's Reflection very lightly on the crease blended Atlantic Blue on the corners and Meet the fleet in the outer V of the eye. I finished my eyes with MAC's Blacktack fluidline and 2 coats of Revlon's Grow Luscious mascara. Keeping the rest of the look cool, I used my new Darkly My Dear blush and Viva Glam Gaga on the lips. Do you like to wear bright eyeshadows in the work environment?

 Leave your thoughts in the comments.

Buzzworthy: MAC's Wicked Ways Lipglass and Briar Rose Beauty Powder

I decided to give some of my Venomous Villains products a test run this weekend and I was pleasantly surprised. I did not intially want to purchase Brian Rose Beauty Powder but when I got a look of it in person, the rosey pink shimmer was unlike anything I currently own (and I own A LOT of blushes). The beauty powder is subtle on the skin, but still stunning. The purple tint of the blush is what makes it unique and beautiful and the blush is very pigmented. This blush works well on my NC42 skin and would look equally beautiful on light, medium and dark skin tones. MAC's beauty powders can be used as a blush, highlighter, and all over finishing powder and while this would be a beautiful highlighter if applied lightly I would recommend this product as a blush. Wicked Ways lipglass from the Creulla De Vil collection is a red lipglass pigmented enough to be worn alone and sheer enough to add punch to any lipstick. If red is your thing, the lipglass is a must have. It goes on smoothly, doesn't settle in lip lines and gave my lips a plump, full finish. I love this lipglass alone, worn with a neutral look. I cannot wait to test this on my next night out! Shown below is me wearing both Briar Rose beauty powder and Wicked Ways lipgloss.

I would also like to say a big thank you to all my blog followers! I finally made it to 100 followers and have something up my sleeve to show my appreciation for all of you! Thank you followers and fellow bloggers for showing interest in a humble honey bee like me!

 

Weekend Haul: Who's Bad?

The long anticipated MAC Venomous Villains collection finally hit counters and boy did it cause a frenzy! After several items SOLD OUT at the launch of the collection on the MAC website on Monday, counters (like most limited edition collections) sold out within hours in some locations. The products creating the most BUZZ were Bite of an Apple Blush, Toxic Tale Lipstick, Strange Potion lipgloss, Bad Fairy nail polish and ALL of the beauty powders (Oh So Fair, Briar Rose and Her Own Devices). I'm a HUGE Disney fan and although I didn't love the packaging (or the price increase), I hauled a few items that I thought were striking and unique. This is what I walked away with: Darkly My Dear Blush, Toxic Tale lipstick, Briar Rose Beauty Powder, and Wicked Ways lipglass. I also have two surprise items on the way in the mail from the boyfriend so I will keep you honey bees updated. Stay tuned for a look with my haul... because I always felt more like the Wicked Witch than the Fairy Princess anyway! What did YOU pick up from MAC's Venomous Villains Collection?