Dupe this Look: Jennifer Lopez

This picture of Jennifer Lopez has been circulating the makeup boards for years now. The beautiful green smokey eye served as my inspiration for a night out on the town with my girls. Jennifer's olive skin and brown eyes are really complimented by the earthy green tones. I started with dusting Nars Wicked eyeshadow all over my lid. Then, using my MAC 239, I patted on MAC's Sweet and Punchy on the lid and inner corner of my eyes. Then I blended MAC's Humid into the outer corners of my eyes, and topped it off with  MAC's Green Smoke right in the crease. I also blended a little bit of Humid underneath my lower lashline to really achieve a smokey look. I topped it off with a set of Miss Ardo's #20 false eyelashes and MAC's Blacktrack fluidline in a cat eye shape. Sticking to Jennifer's glowy look, I used Lorac's baked blush in Hollywood and kept my lips nude with MAC's Peachstock with Chantecaille's Charm lipgloss on top. Pictured below is my FOTD inspired by Jenny from the Block. What's your favorite way to rock green eyeshadow? Leave your thoughts in the comments.

Faces by the Honey B: Halloween Peacock

This year for Halloween, I decided to ruffle some tail feathers and dress as a peacock. Of course, this called for me to do an elaborate bird look for the evening. Armed with my favorite golds, greens and blues,  I went to work on my bird eyes. I started with the gold pigment from my MAC Surf Baby Surf the Ocean stack. For the green in the inner crease of my eye, I used my Sugar Pill Midori eyeshadow and patted After Party in the outer crease of my eye. I took Urban Decay's Flash and blended it into the brow bone along with Urban Decay's Midnight 15. Using my NYX Milk jumbo pencil, I drew white dots to mimik the pattern of feathers around my eyes. After letting my eyeshadow set, I drew on Urban Decay's Heavy Metal Glitter liner in Metal Head on top of Flash eyeshadow and Air Guitar on my lower lashline. I extended my MAC Blacktrack Fluid line up as far as i could wing and also drawing an inner wing in the inner corner of my eye to create a birdlike effect. I then added Miss Ardo lashes in #112.  I bronzed my cheeks with MAC's Refined Golden Bronze and added Rock and Republic's Kinky on the apples of my cheek. Keeping the lips simple, I put on Nars nude lippy, Pago Pago and finished my look by gluing on some craft feathers with Ardell's eyelash glue.  Just to add an extra peacocky feel, I put on amber contacts to make my eyes pop. Picture below is my Halloween FOTD. Did you dress up last night? Leave your thoughts in the comments.

Weekend Haul

After spending a few days in NYC, I was able to get my hands on a few beauty must-haves. I was lucky enough to drop by famous London retailer Top Shop (the only one located in the states is in Soho) and picked up powder blush in Pop ($12) and Liquid eyeliner in Rook ($10). Pop is a soft warm coral while Rook is a blue black liquid liner with a fine felt tip. I have been hearing such great things about Top Shop makeup- and the packaging is so cute too! I can't wait to try these out! While in New York, I also dropped by Henri Bendel to grab some Nars lipsticks (among other things!). I picked up the new shade Pago Pago, which was released with their fall 2011 line, and Outsider (both retailing at $24).  Pago Pago is a shimmery and sheer nude pink. Upon first glance, I was not interested in this lipstick. The shimmer looked unappealing in the tube and the color did not look special. With much insisting, I finally tried it on and loved the nude/pink color! Outsider was the perfect color to transition me nicely into fall. The shade is a warm orange that applies sheer. The best way to describe it is that on lips, it appears like a sheer, shiny tangerine. 

When I got home from my trip my BeautyBar.com order had arrived! I ordered Stila Pink Custom Color blush  that came with a free gift, Stila's E!'s Live from Red Carpet palette. The blush is quite the shocking pink in the pan, but adjusts its color to your skintone. I'm not really sure  how it works but it gave me a gorgeous glowy pink/peach after application. The blush is small, but you do not need a lot of product for this to show on your skin. Best of all, it came with Stila's E! Live from the Red Carpet travel palette in Stunning Starlet Palette. This palette retails at $25 (but was free with purchase!) and comes with a travel Stila mascara. I love Stila shadows and the quality of these mostly shimmery eyeshadows are just gorgeous. I can't wait to do a red carpet look with this! Pictured below are my swatches of this weekend haul! What did you pick up this weekend? Leave your thoughts in the comments. 

from LtoR: Pago Pago, Outsider, Rook, Pop, Stila Converible blush in Pink and E! Red Carpet Palette  shadows in Paparazzi, Red Carpet, Hollywood, A List, VIP, Backstage and Kitten

Buzzworthy: Nars Funny Face Lipstick

Not too long ago I picked up Nars lipstick in Funny Face to add to my growing collection of bright pink lipsticks. This one, however, is a deep berry fuchsia and is a little richer and deeper than its blue-based bright pink sister, Schiap. Schiap is quite the bright pink and in comparison, Funny Face is darker and much more deep. Loaded with berry undertones, this lipstick is serious drama. This is a great transition lipstick that will take you nicely from summer brights to deeper fall colors. I like that is works for both warm and cool tones, and how serious it looks in comparison to all my other pinks. For example, MACs Impassioned, Makeup Forever's #37 and the aforementioned Schiap would all be great lipsticks to wear to a club, but Funny Face would be a sophisticated shade appropriate for a wedding or black tie event. This fuchsia-raspberry hybrid lipstick is also a great alternative to wearing the classic red lip. You get the richness of the red lip while still daring to be different. Bottom line? A great choice for all you  ladies looking for a little drama and sophistication while still being fun!   

Buzzworthy: Nars Shanghai Express Lipstick

I was in search of a new red for my collection when i stumbled upon Nars Shanghai Express. A deep semi-matte red, this specific red was said to be designed at the hand of Francois Nars for Asian skintones. The remarkable thing about this lipstick is how it is able to pull the gold from the skin to really warm up the face. This is the perfect red for women who tend to lean yellow with their skintones. As are other Nars lipsticks, Shanghai Express is a touch on the drying side. If your lips are dry be sure to wear a balm underneath this lipstick. I personally love the semi-matte finish. It gives the lips a very retro-glam feel. Retailing at $24, Shanghai Express is a little pricey but well worth the pennies. This lip would pair quite nicely with a bronze cheek or a dark black cat eye. Pictured below is my LOTD using Shanghai Express. What is your favorite red lipstick? Leave your thoughts in the comments.

Beauty Dupes: Nars Schiap vs. Milani Rose Hip

After receiving a few questions on which lipstick I am wearing in my Laura Mercier Loose Powder post (Nars Schiap), I decided it would be the perfect time to rave about how much I love bright pink lipsticks! Nars Schiap has to be my Holy Grail of pink lipsticks, but as the Nars price tag can be a bit hefty for some ($26 at your local Sephora), Milani offers up a drug store duplicate that will make your wallet happy. Milani's Rose Hip is a steal retailing at around just $4 and while the differences are quite subtle, this is an awesome substitute for Schiap. While Nars Schiap may be just a touch pinker, while Rose Hip leans a little more purple (just by a hair though) I would say the biggest difference in these two lipsticks is the finish. Schiap packs a much more matte finish while Rose Hip is creamier with a slight sheen to it. I get a slightly longer weartime with Schiap, but Rose Hip is more moisturizing. For you honey bees dying to try out this bold lip trend without shelling out major bucks, I would suggest picking up Milani Rose Hip before committing to a more expensive brand like Nars. Below is a side by side swatch comparison as well as my FOTD featuring both lipsticks for you to see for yourself how close these two match up. Will you be splurging on Nars' famous Schiap? Or will you be saving your pennies with Milani's Rose Hip? Leave your thoughts in the comments.

Dupe this Look: Kim Kardashian

This photo has to be one of my favorites of Kim Kardashian. As a makeup icon (maybe because she wears so much of it), Kim Kardashian's signature smokey eye is often duplicated, but what I love about this look is the shocking pink lips! I thought I'd try to pair the typical Kardashian smokey eye and match it with this fuschia lip color. Kim loves her dark sultry eyeshadows and lashes for days, but she hardly ever pairs them with this bright a lip anymore. To create her smokey eye, I stuck to my go-to black eyeshadow, MAC's Blacktied, and blended Smut in the crease and Knight in the inner corner. Blacken the lashline with MAC eyeliner in Feline and add your thickest, sexiest lashes. I kept it simple with the blush, using MAC's Prim and Proper blush, which is the perfect warm nude. The look is complete with the same lipstick used in the photo, NARS Schiap. For extra oomph, I glossed over the lipstick with a coat of Chanel Glossimer in Pink Pulsion.

Green with Envy

I love the way green eyeshadows look, especially on green, hazel and brown eyes. This seasonally versatile color looks great in both spring/summer (think lime greens) and fall/winter (olives, mosses). I like to stick to subtle olives to compliment the warmness in my brown eyes. Some of my favorite green eyeshadows include MAC's Greensmoke, Velvet Moss, Fiction (all pictured left), Sweet & Punchy, Humid (released with MAC's To the Beach collection, pictured below) and Nars duo in Wicked. For my medium toned girls out there, picking a green shadow with a base that leans towards gold will really bring out the warm tones in your skin. Darker toned ladies will want to lean towards more blue-based greens and also look exceptional in neon and bright greens. Fair skinned ladies will look fabulous in jewel toned greens. If worn subtly, green looks would be perfect for a first date look paired with neutral cheeks (I picked a light dusting of NARS Taj Mahal for my FOTD) and neutral lips. What are your favorite green cosmetic products? Leave your thoughts in the comments.

Cold Nights, HOT Pink

Just because it's winter doesn't mean you can't be hot! A nice way to warm up these chilly winter nights is to break out the hot pinks! This is an attention-grabbing shade and when worn right, can bang out versatile looks from flirty to punk rock to all out glamorous! My favorite shade of lipstick to wear on nights out is hands down bright pink. And who doesn't feel just a tad more confident rocking a shade like this? Listed below is a list of some of my favorite hot pink shades. Do you wear hot pink? What's your favorite hot pink product? Leave your thoughts in the comments.

• Eyes: MAC's Sushi Flower, MAC pigment in Fuschia
• Face: Rock & Republic Kinky, Smashbox Radiance
• Lips: Chanel Glossimer in Pink Pulsion, MAC's Gladiola, NARS Schiap, Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics in Anime

Buzzworthy: Nars Lipgloss in All Night Long

In another amazing sale from Sephora.com, I stumbled upon this lucky find! At just $10, I was able to snatch up Nars Lipgloss in All Night Long. Not only does this happen to be the title of an amazing Lionel Richie song, it happens to be a really beautiful lipgloss! Don't let the deep red tube fool you, this lipgloss goes on sheer and gives off a luminous berry glow! Orginially released as a part of the Holiday 2008 collection, this is a wonderful winter lip to wear alone or on top of your favorite berry lipstick. Not too shimmery, not too shiny- just a beautifully soft shine that is not tacky or smelly. The weartime on this gloss is about your average 3-5 hours and is not heavy or gritty. Bottom line? Find this lipgloss and BUY it. It would even be a steal at full price!

Weekend Haul

This weekend, the mailman finally dropped off a few items I had ordered from Sephora.com. The current sale section on Sephora's website has had so many good deals, and these two items were hard for me to pass up.

The Grab-n'-Go powder brush from Sephora was orginally listed on the website retailing for $32, then was marked down to $15- a great deal! But when I had seen this brush listed in the sale section for just $7, I could not ignore it any longer. The dual ended, red bristle brush is meant to be used for powders (with the larger head) and eyeshadow (with the smaller end). Though the directions say the smaller head is meant for shadows, I think it would be perfect for blending in concealer. I've noticed very little shedding from the bristles that are very soft and seem to pick up a great amount of product. The powder application with this brush is simple and no fuss. Bottom line? An awesome find for the price. The brush is still available on Sephora.com.

I was also lucky enough to pick up an online exclusive NARS eyeshadow duo on the Sephora sale section. Wicked is a duo of light powder blue and lime yellow eyeshadows that retail at just $10 (a regularly priced NARS duo will set you back a whopping $32). The quality of NARS eyeshadows is incomparable so you can see why I could not turn this down. And did they ever deliver! Not only is pigmentation beautiful, but the colors go on and blend so smoothly. Bottom line? Grab this eyeshadow while there are still any left!

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.

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.

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.

Orange You Lovely?

I have been on such an orange kick lately, and as we say farewell to summer there is no reason these lovely orange shades can't transition nicely into fall. The special thing about orange tones is that they are as stunning as they are surprising. I particularly love the way it looks on brunettes or tan/warm skin tones because of the way it seems to warm the face up (especially blush). While the color is intimidating in the pan, orange blush creates such a unique look because of the way it highlights skin (especially on medium/dark skin tones like me). Above are a few of my favorite orange cosmetics, including Rock & Republic blushes in All-Nighter and Immoral, NARS blush in Taj Mahal, MAC Hello Kitty lipglass in Nice to be Nice and MAC lipstick in Vegas Volt. With a light hand and the right application, you can achieve an orange tone so perfect it would make an Oompa Loompa blush!

All Nighter, Immoral, Taj Mahal

All Nighter

Faces by the Honey B: Stephanie

I had another makeup appointment with Stephanie this last Sunday because her husband was taking her out to the John Mayer concert at the Hollywood Bowl. Stephanie wanted something different and a little more glammed up from the last appointment we had so I felt it necessary to  up the drama with false eyelashes and heavy eyeliner.

I wanted to emphasize Stephanie's beautiful almond shaped eyes so I did a very dramatic smokey eye with MAC's Satin Taupe (my go-to dressy shadow), Smut, and Urban Decay's Oil Slick. I also winged out her eyeliner to extend her eye with MAC's fluidline in Blacktrack (my Holy Grail of all products!). I kept the rest of her makeup very subtle with NARS Gina on her cheek (the peach was perfect for her skintone) and MAC's Angel lipstick with NARS Turkish Delight lipgloss to finish it (this is Kim Kardashian's favorite lip combo!). The lovely as always Layla is wearing Johnson and Johnson Baby Powder and a headband her grandfather bought for her.