Dupe this Look: Nicole Richie

I loved this Mod 60's inspired look Nicole Richie rocked on the Oscar's red carpet in 2010. If anyone knows mod inspired style, it's Ms. Richie. The twist on this version of the smokey eye is the great little wing at the end. It really draws a nice line from your eyes to accentuate that sexy feline look. I started by separating my eyelids in half by drawing a black curved line with an angled brush and MAC's Carbon eyeshadow. Next, I patted the lower lid with Sugar Pill's Tako eyeshadow and blended it in an upwards sweeping motion. With my trusty MAC 266, I blended the Carbon line I drew with more black eyeshadow pulling upwards as well. A thick black  line of cream eyeliner is key to this look. I used MAC's Fluidline gel eyeliner in Blacktrack. Don't to wing it out at the end as well. The rest of my look is fairly simple, using Rock and Republic's Foreplay blush and MAC's Angel on my lips, topped off with Chanel's Insolence lipgloss on top. And of course, no Mod look is complete without a dramatic set of false eyelashes (mine are Miss Adoro #5- my current favorite!). Below is my Nicole Richie inspired look. Do you rock the Mod inspired cat eye? Leave your thoughts in the comments. 

Buzzworthy: MAC Seasonally Supreme Sheen Lipstick in Fashion City

I've been sitting on this little gem for a while now and decided to share this delightful lipstick with all of you. MAC's Seasonally Supreme Sheen lipsticks came out a few weeks back and I picked up this baby immediately after seeing swatches of it online. Fashion City is what I would consider a true peach lipstick. The lipstick is a frost finish with strong and beautiful pigmentation. Fashion City goes on so creamy and slick it really makes your lips look soft and lush! Fashion City would really look great on my girls out there with warmer skin tones that lean towards medium and dark shades. Although the lipstick does not get a particularly long weartime, I dont really mind that because that's not the point of these, is it? (I leave that to the longwear lipcremes!) Moisturizing, pretty and shiny, Fashion City takes its place along with the other Supreme Sheen lipsticks which are THANKFULLY apart of the permanent line. Along with Bare Again, this is absolutely a must-have lipstick for me! Bottom Line? Medium to darker toned girls who pull more warm would look amazing in this!!! Below is my LOTD along with the Fashion City Swatch. Which Supreme Sheen Lipstick is your favorite shade? Leave your thoughts in the comments.

Shop Your Stash: MAC's Up the Amp Lipstick

I happened to come across another oldie but goody while shopping my stash the other night. MAC's Up the Amp lipstick has been a favorite of MAC lovers and beauty bloggers for so long that I almost forgot what a beautiful shade it was. A flawlessly blended combination of lilac and pink, Up the Amp really lights up any face that so chooses to wear it. The best part of this lipstick? It looks just as gorgeous on fair skinned ladies as it does on women of color. The lipstick is an Amplified finish and has been a classic standout shade in MAC's permanent lipstick line. It's creamy and soft and hydrates the lips beautifully. If you are looking for a bold color that will keep your look soft and feminine, shop your stash for this beauty classic! If you don't already own it, run out and pick one up as it is (THANKFULLY) a part of MAC's permanent collection. Pictured below is my face of the day using MAC's Up the Amp. Do you have Up the Amp in your stash? Leave your thoughts in the comments.

the Look for Less: Wet 'n' Wild's Comfort Zone Eyeshadow Palette

Top: Right Column Botton: Left Column

Boy do I love a good deal! Wet 'n' Wild has always been a fan favorite when it comes to getting a bang for your buck. I got lucky and stumbled up the Comfort Zone 8 eyeshadow palette when shopping around my local CVS. Retailing at just $4.99, W&W's Comfort Zone palette is packed with 8 very pigmented shades, each labeled to direct the user in where to place and blend the eyeshadows. They really nailed it when naming this palette Comfort Zone since most of these colors are the neutral everyday colors I usually find comfortable wearing. The colors are richly pigmented and shimmery, with one standout duochrome- the definer color in the left column. The red, brown, green combo of this eyeshadow is very close to a MAC all star eyeshadow Club. This is a great palette to grab and travel with as you could pull several looks from just the one palette including soft and neutral looks as well as dramatic and smokey looks. The best part is that it will only set you back $5! Pictured below is my FOTD using the left column of Comfort Zone. I actually used the lid color (light limey green) on my lid, the definer color (duochrome brown) in my crease and the crease color (dark chocolate brown) in the outer V of my eye for some added drama. I also lined my lower lashes with the definer shade in the right column (brown with burgandy glitter flecks). Bottom line? If you see this at your local drugstore, don't hesitate to pick it up as it has been selling out like crazy! Great eyeshadows for an even sweeter price! Were you able to pick up Comfort Zone? Leave your thoughts in the comments.

Buzzworthy: MAC's 226 Blending Brush

Ah, the 226 brush, or as I like to call it- the things legends are made of. Typical MAC (and their sneaky ways) have managed to create such a versatile, highly effective crease blending brush only to make it limited edition. Why do they always do this with their best stuff? The 226 is a densely packed, tapered blending brush which has been repromoted with MAC's Summer 2011 collection, MAC Me Over. Far more tapered than the 217 and a lot shorter than the 224 ( all three pictured below together), the 226 is also packed a little less tight than the 219 pencil brush. This brush is ideal for girls with smaller eyes, hooded lids, or anyone who thinks the 217 takes eyeshadow too far past the crease of their eye. The quality of this brush is that like any other MAC brush- excellent color pickup, very minimum to zero shedding and soft luxurious bristle hairs to boot. The brush retails at a mere $24.50 but grab it while you can as this bad boy is flying off the shelves! COME ON, MAC! Make this a permanent already! Did you pick up the 226 this weekend? Leave your thoughts in the comments. 

Dupe this Look: VMA Metallics

Jenni Farley, Demi Lovato

Sparkle! Sparkle! Sparkle! was the trend of the night at last night MTV VMAs. The black carpet was bombarded with glitz and glitter everywhere from Britney's black sequined romper to the on trend metallic makeup, as seen on Demi Lovato and Jenni "JWOWW" Farley. I decided to do a take on this heavy metal makeup look that was omnipresent at last night's VMAs. With a lot of help from my Makeup Forever Rock Forever palette, I created this look starting with the 07 white in the inner corner of my eyes and 82 silver on my lids. I patted some silver pigment from my MAC Surf Baby Surf the Ocean pigments on top for an extra punch of silver. I used the glittery 307 black from my Rock Forever palette and extended my Blacktrack fluidline eyeliner past my eye on both bottom and top lashlines while filling in the space with the white 07. To finish the eye look I used Ardell lashes in 79 on the top and cut one false lash strip into two for my bottom lashes. I kept the rest of the look clean and nude with MAC's Darkly My Dear blush and Buoy-o-Bouy lipstick. What was your favorite look at the VMAs? Leave your thoughts in the comments.

Weekend Haul: NYX Lipsticks from Joy's Cosmetics

Joy's Cosmetics eBay Store

Though it may be hard to believe, I am a NYX lipstick virgin. I have always heard raves about the round lipsticks and have always been curious about the quality of these lipsticks. When I stumbled across Joy's Cosmetics from seller Joy017, I needed to finally try these. This amazing eBay store has awesome deals on buying NYX products in bulk at a discounted price. I was immediately struck by the round lipstick deal Joy's Cosmetics had which included 6 NYX Round lipsticks for just $10.89. That's just around $1.81 for each lipstick! I decided to try out 6 of the most loved shades including Paris, Tea Rose, Indian Pink, Thalia, Strawberry Milk and Fig (all staying within pink and neutral shades; next time I'll pick out reds and oranges!). The creaminess of these lipsticks are just heavenly. All incredibly moisturizing boasting incredible color as well. I finally understand why people love NYX lipsticks so much! The range of colors offered by NYX that's being offered by a price this low really excites me to experiment with vibrant and bold shades. Pictured below are swatches of the six shades I picked out from Joy's Cosmetic's eBay store. If you are interested in amazing deals like this, check out Joy's ebay store by clicking Here.

Swatches LoR: Indian Pink, Paris, Strawberry Milk, Fig, Thalia, Tea Rose

Buzzworthy: Urban Decay 15th Anniversary Palette

Happy 15th Birthday, Urban Decay! I finally got my hands on the coveted new Urban Decay 15th Anniverary palette which consists of an array of neutrals, smokey colors and bold brights. Urban Decay has always been, in my opinion, the stand out brand when it comes to eyeshadows. Their now classic Naked Palette has earned its place in makeup history as one of the most loved palettes of all time. My only gripe with Urban Decay palettes is their tendency to repeat shades in palettes (Half Baked is reoccurring in a few of my UD palettes). Problem solved in the new anniversary palette! Urban Decay debuts 15 brand new shades which include Midnight Rodeo, Tainted, Deeper, Midnight 15, Junkshow, MIA, Vanilla, Omen, Ace, Flow, Evidence, Blackout, Chase, Deep End and Half Truth. These colors not only hold up to the superior quality of Urban Decay shadows, but they are particularly beautiful as well. Many of these colors have so much depth they look like duochromes. The palette will set you back a good $55, but all these full sized brand new eyeshadows are totally worth the cash. Omen and Half Truth seemed to be the star players of the bunch, while Tainted and Blackout were less than impressive (but nothing too disappointing). Bottom Line? The palette as a whole is not to be missed by makeup lovers everywhere. Pictured below is my face of the day using Evidence on the lid, Deep End in the inner corners and Half Truth in the crease. I lined my lower lashes with Omen and finished off with MAC's Blacktrack fluidline and a coat of Maybelline's Falsies Black Drama. Did you pick up the 15 Anniversary palette from Urban Decay? Leave your thoughts int he comments. 

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!   

Weekend Haul: Vegas Edition

I love Las Vegas. The best part about the drive up to Vegas from Southern California is the CCO. I can always find something to buy at a CCO! Though there have been times when I've heavy duty hauled at a CCO, this was just a mini haul and I only came back with a few things. I could not turn down the $13 MAC Melon pigment that I was lucky enough to find at the Stateline CCO. I love this pigment, as it is the most gorgeous peach with hints of gold undertones. You hardly need any of the product on  your  brush for it to really stand out and the color looks different in any lighting. I also picked up MAC's Frankly Fresh lipglass from the Liberty of London collection. This was a great buy for me and this nude pink looks stunning on top of my other favorite product from that line, Peachstock lipstick. This lipglass feels less sticky than most MAC lipglasses, but I would not recommend this for gals with pigmented lips, as it is quite natural and sheer. Lastly, during my Vegas trip, I was finally able to check out Inglot Cosmetics. There is a freestanding store in the forum shops at Caesar's Palace where i picked up two 5 palette eyeshadows and one lipstick (Matte 418). The pigmentation of these products are amazing for the price. Each shadow was just $5 and the lipstick was a steal at $10. For $5, you get 2.7 grams of product versus MAC's $11.50 1.5 grams. You can't really beat this quality for that price. I am just in love with these shadows and can't wait to do a look with them! Picture below are swatches of my Inglot palettes and CCO goodies. 

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.