Nail of the Day: Sally Hansen Salon Effects in Check it Out

I would not consider myself a nail guru, though I do love a great manicure (what girl doesn't?). What I love even more is a manicure that is convenient, cheap and chic. Enter: Sally Hansen Salon Effects Nail Polish strips. These no-fuss printed nail polish strips are made of actual nail polish and look incredibly cool on the nail. An amateur like myself can pull off application of these nails with and come out with professional looking nails! I picked up the houndstooth print, even though there were about 5 o 6 I wanted to try! At $10 a box, you get 16 strips, a nail file and cuticle stick, and instructions on how to apply the strips. Application was fairly easy, although I did have a little help from my sister when applying the strips to my right hand. The strips are also very large and I ended up being able to use half of the strip for each nail, which left me with a few spare strips. The polish comes off with regular nail polish removers. I love these little manicures! I absolutely have to try the glitter effects they have as well as the lace one! Bottom line? An easy manicure that's trendy and adorable, I can't wait to try out more patterns! Below is my Check it Out Nail of the Day. Have you tried these Sally Hansen Salon Effects Nail Strips? Leave your thoughts in the comments.

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). 

Dupe this Look: Barbie

After buying that new Sugarpill palette at IMATS last weekend, I just had to do a Barbie look. The Sugarpill Sweetheart palette has the most amazing and most pigmented pink called Dollipop, which was an inspiration to dupe a look from the most fabulous Doll around. I started with a Stila paint pot in Kitten to prime my eye. Then filled the inner corner in with Tako, the white eyeshadow and patted on Midori (the green) on my lid. I packed Sugarpill's loose pigment shadow in Darling over Midori to really bring out the teal. I blended Dollipop in the crease and MAC's Blanc Type on the brow bone. I used 1 and half sets of false lashes- one set on my upper lashline and one cut in half for my lower lashline to really make my eyes doll-like. I dusted Rock & Republic's shocking pink blush in Kinky on my cheeks and finished off with MAC's Pink Nouveu and Chanel's Pink Pulsion on my lips. What do you dolls think? Did I do Barbie justice? Leave your thoughts in the comments.

Weekend Haul: IMATS Edition

This Saturday was the long anticipated IMATS Los Angeles. This was my second year attending the International Makeup Artist Trade Show, so while I knew what I was in for I still was not expecting the show to be this crazy. It took us an a little over an hour to get in since the Online Presale Ticket pick up wrapped all the way around the Civic Auditorium (they really need a better system for this). Once inside, the wait times for both MAC and Makeup Forever exceeded an hour each! I wasn't too disappointed, as I was looking forward to seeing a lot of the other makeup companies there. My first stop was Crown brushes, where i picked up 4 brushes, a powder brush, a small eyeshadow crease brush, a large fluff brush and an angled eyeliner brush- all for just under $20. I made my way to Kevyn Aucoin where I picked up his famous lash curler for just $10 (retails regularly at $20) and Dolline cheek blush for just $10 ($37 at regular price). I was also able to pick up a Sugarpill palette and loose pigment both at 30% off and Chantecaille lipgloss in Charm at 20% off the regular price. Lastly, I bought a Confidential tapered face brush at 10% off retail, which was already pretty cheap. I was able to get a lot of bulk disposable products that I use on clients as well (I wont bore you with pictures of those). Overall, it was a very successful IMATS experience this year. Did anyone else attend IMATS Los Angeles? Leave your thoughts in the comments.

Dupe this Look: Taylor Momsen

I love vintage Jenny Humphrey. You know, back before she went a little too heavy on the Jack Skeleton eyeliner? Right at her turn from Gossip Girl princess to grunge queen, Taylor Momsen walked the fine line between edgy punk and stylish. The look (picture left) was a gorgeous combo of a smokey eye and bold lip. Nothing too drastic, just enough to look tough and glam at the same time. To interpret this punk rock look, I started with a golden smokey eye using MAC's Carbon in both corners of my eye and Antiqued in the middle of the lid and blended duochrome Club in the crease. I didn't skimp on the black eyeliner and false lashes either. I contoured my cheek with MAC's Billionaire Bronze stick and topped off with Rock & Republic Seduce blush on the apples of my cheek. While Taylor is actually wearing NARS Schiap lipstick in the photo, I opted for a more subtle pink since my eyes were heavier than hers. I slapped on MAC's Spitfire lipstick and Athena's Kiss lipglass. Pictured below is my best impression of a not quite grunged out Taylor Momsen. 

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.

Weddings by the Honey B: Bridal Shower Makeup

I love wedding season! And I'm not talking strictly about attending the ceremony; I am talking about the entire journey to the wedding. The events leading up to the wedding (like the bridal shower, the wild bachelorette party, the rehearsal dinner) are just as much as the wedding itself. For a bridal shower I attended this weekend, I wanted to create a look that was fun and colorful. The bridal shower was held at a lovely restaurant in Pasadena, so I went for a colorful, silvery smokey eye. I started with a dark base using my NYX jumbo pencil in Black. Using my 239, I patted on the silver pigment from my MAC Surf the Ocean pigments. I blended MAC's Carbon eyeshadow into the the outer v of my eye and Cranberry in the crease for an interesting pop of color.  I used MAC's Bamboo in the browbone and lined my eye with MAC's Blacktrack Fluidline. I blended in my MAC bronzing stick in Billionaire Bronze to contour my cheeks and topped it off with Rock & Republic's Seduce with MAC's MSF in Light Flush as a high lighter. To finish my look, I used MAC's All Mine lipstick and Chanel's Glossimer in Wild Rose for a rosey mauve lip. One set of Ardell Wispy lashes for a dramatic yet subtle look and I was ready to go! Picture below is my Bridal Shower FOTD. 

Shop Your Stash: MAC Monogram lipstick in All Mine

Originally released in 2008 as a part of MAC's Monogram collection, I stumbled upon All Mine lipstick at the Napa, California CCO while on vacation. The lipstick, a blue-based creamy mauve, is packaged in the most stunning gold and amber metal tube. When first released in November 2008, the lipstick retailed at around $22. I got mine at the CCO for just $15. The lipstick is very pigmented as you only need one swipe to appear very opaque on the lips. The color is also nicely buildable and very moisturizing. Shop your stash for this oldie but goody, ladies. This is a gorgeous deep pink that can be worn to the office or to the club. The color also transitions nicely from a summer pink when paired with rosy cheeks, to a lovely fall lipstick when paired with a wine toned blush. Versatile and sophisticated, All Mine is a beautiful addition to any collection.  Pictured below is my Lip of the Day using All Mine. Do you happen to have All Mine in your stash? Leave your thoughts in the comments.

Faces by the Honey B: Janet

When the beautiful Janet (pictured left) had requested me to do her makeup for a wedding, I jumped at the chance. She was attending a California spring wedding and was wearing black and gold lace so we decided on a gold and black smokey eye for the occasion. Janet has some gorgeous brown/hazel eyes so I used a gold eyeshadows (Urban Decay's Half Baked and MAC's Tempting eyeshadows) to really bring out the green in her eyes. We darkened up the outer V of her eyes with MAC's Beauty Marked and filled in Smut in the crease. To open her eyes a bit, I used Urban Decay's Sin in the inner corner of her eyes and MAC's Blanc Type on the brow bone. Janet wanted to really pull out the gold undertones in her skin so after contouring her cheekbones with MAC's Refined Golden bronzer, I used Rock and Republic's blush in Call me to warm her up face. I used MAC's Angel lipstick and Nymphette lipglass. Of course, no look is complete without a full set of falsies, which made Janet's already beautiful eyes really pop. Pictured below is Janet's sexy and glammed up smokey eye look. 

Buzzworthy: MAC's Surf Baby Collection

I'm such a sucker for MAC's summer collections. I fell in love with last year's To the Beach collection and Surf Baby did not disappoint. Surf Baby's official launch date is May 26 and is an array of bronze, sea blues and greens and coral colors for eyes, cheeks, nails and lips. The standout player of this collection has to be the beautiful My Paradise cheek color, an orange coral blush with golden overspray in the shape of a hibiscus flower. I also picked up one of the stackable pigments in Surf the Ocean, four pigments in golden bronze, dark blue, silver and sea foam green. I absolutely love the colors of these crushed pigments. The color payoff is remarkable. Lastly, I got the bronzing cream stick in Billionaire Bronze. This stick is a dark matte brown which is perfect for contouring and warming up complexions, even for darker tones. Pictured below are swatches of my new goodies. I have a gut feeling I will be picking up more from this collection as the days pass. What are you picking up from MAC's Surf Baby collection? Leave your thoughts in the comments.

Dupe this Look: Khloe Kardashian

Is it just me or does everyone else think Khloe is the best Kardashian? The acid-tongue wifey of Lamar Odom is not only sassy and smart, but carries herself with a confidence we all only wish we had. As I am glued to this season of E! Network's tv show Khloe and Lamar, I was inspired to do a a sassy smokey eye look Khloe can approve of. The Kardashian sisters are masters of the smokey eye and nude lip, so of course this look wasn't a total stretch for me. I stuck to golds using my Urban Decay's Naked palette (Half Baked on the lid, Naked on the inner corner) and Urban Decay's Oil Slick blended with MAC's Satin Taupe in the crease to really smoke it out. To keep it playful (just like Khloe), I lined my lower lashline with Urban Decay's Heavy Metal Glitter liner in Baked. One long and luscious strip of false lashes and my smokey eye is complete. I skipped the bronzer and used my current favorite blush, MAC's Raizin, a deep matte auburn. For my lip of the night, I used MAC's prolongwear lipcream in Till Tomorrow and Chanel Glossimer in Muscat. 

Buzzworthy: Chanel Rouge Coco Lipstick in Sari Dore

The only thing more appealing to this Honey B than Chanel Rouge Coco lipsticks is a Rouge Coco lipstick that is limited edition. Released with Chanel's Cote d'Azure Collection, Sari Dore is the perfect shade of coral orange for the summer. Along with MAC's gorgeous Ever Hip, Sari Dore is a unique and wearable coral, but instead of leaning pink like Ever Hip this pulls much more orange. For those of you honey bees looking to test out that hot summer trend of orange lips but are afraid of such a loud color, this is your orange. This would look really beautiful on warmer skin tones, but is not too warm for cool tones to rock as well. While the color is exceptionally pretty, the price tag isn't. Retailing at $32, Sari Dore is your typical Chanel story- pricey but worth it. I get a great weartime with this formula and it is neither drying or flakey. Bottom line? Warmer toned girls with some spare cash should grab this gorgeous limited edition lipstick before it leaves shelves!

Faces by the Honey B: Stephanie

Stephanie was attending a wedding is Santa Barbara so she asked me to do her makeup for a conservative beach wedding. It was easy to create this bombshell look on Stephanie, since she was providing me with an already beautiful canvas! I wanted to do a smokey bronze and brown look to highlight Stephanie's deep brown eyes and accent her grecian-style purple dress. To create a flawless glow on Stephanie's already gorgeous skin, so I used a pea-size of Revlon's Photoready liquid foundation all over for a semi-sheer coverage. With the help of my trusty Urban Decay Naked palette (Virgin, Buck and Smog) and MAC's Mineralize Eyeshadow in Under Your Spell (used wet), I created a dramatic smoked out bronze look, topped with Clinique's cream liner in True Black (my new favorite product, goes on darker than MAC Fluidlines). I stayed with Stephanie's natural brow line, only filling it in with my Anastasia Browkit and kept to her natural lashes, only coating them in Rimmel Day 2 Night mascacra. I contoured Stephanie's cheekbones with MAC's cream bronzer in Weekender and topped her cheeks off with Rock and Republic's blush in Seduce. For a perfect finish, I swept on Laura Mercier transulcent powder all over and finished with Landcome's It Girl lipsick and NARS lipgloss in Sweet Dreams.

Weekend Haul: Revlon Colorburst Lipstick and Lipgloss, Grow Luscious

I stopped by my local CVS this weekend to pick up a new tube of mascara just as I was finishing my tube of Maybelline's Falsies Mascara in Black Drama. I decided on an old favorite, Revlon's Grow Luscious in Blackest Black. To my delight, CVS was having a Revlon sale- if  you spend $15 you get $7 back! Even better? Grow Luscious mascara was packaged with a Colorbusrt Lipgloss for just around $8! I decided to pick  up another Colorburst lipstick, in Petal, since I have had great experiences with pervious colors (Soft Nude and Mauve). Petal is a soft pink lipstick with flecks of gold shimmer in it. It takes a few swipes to appear opaque on my lips but the lipstick is moisturizing and the color is fantastic. I don't reccomend this lipstick for those of you with pigmented lips, as the pink may be too soft. However, when paired with a bold eye, this lipstick is subtle enough and pink enough to look understated and pretty. The Colorburst Lipgloss that came with my mascara is Cyrstal Lilac and I must say- this was a complete and welcoming surprise hit with me! The gloss is not sticky at all and is just a gorgeous shade of pink that has a nice reflective purple tone in it. Though it works quite beautifully with my warm skintone, I would image cool toned ladies would really rock this lipgloss out! If your skin tone leans cooler, the blue tones in the lipgloss will really work for you! Bottom line? Another quality lipstick and gloss from Revlon's Colorburst collection!

Dupe this Look: Desperate Housewives Gaby Solis

If I have a favorite Desperate Housewife, it's definitely the spoiled, sassy and sometimes lovable Gaby, played by the beautiful Eva Longoria. What I love even more about her is the way she pulls off the smokey eye and nude lip so nicely! Inspired by Eva, I did a heavily smoked out eye look with highlights of purple and silver to really play up my brown eyes. To achieve this look, I used the lavender/silver portion of MAC's Under Your Spell Mineralize Eyeshadow, Makeup Forever's black shimmery #307, MAC's Parfait Armour eyeshadow in the crease and Blanc Type to highlight my browbone. No smokey eye is complete without MAC's Fluidline eyeliner in Blacktrack. I coated my lashes with Maybelline's Falsies Mascara in Black Drama and for extra drama, I put on the fullest, longest false eyelashes I could find. Keeping true to Eva's smokey/nude look, I went for a subtle nude/peach blush in Rock and Republic's Foreplay and MAC's Sheen Supreme lipstick in Bare Again. Finish the look with Laura Mercier's translucent powder all over. Below is my FOTD homage to Gaby Solis/Eva Longoria.

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all you glamorous moms out there! And a special Happy Mother's Day to my mom, the orignal Queen B and the woman who taught me everything I know about life, love and beauty. I love you Mom!