MAC Show Orchid Lipstick...Stunning!

After watching the BET Awards (running away in embarrassment) last week, I was compelled to wear more bright colors.  It was so refreshing to see people wearing color that night, my favorite of which being Keyshia Cole.  The show ended around midnight, but like any other inspired makeup junkie, I tried on the color right then because I couldn't wait until the morning!  I bought this a few months back, and I'm so happy that I did!  It's an incredibly rich pink, and a little goes a long way.  MAC Amplified lipsticks are quickly becoming my favorite texture.  They've got plenty of color payoff and feel great on the lips.  I lined my lips with Currant lip liner.  If you like the color, check your local counter or store, they may still have a few of these left.  If not, you can always order this particular shade at MAC Pro!  You'll have to call the customer service number if you aren't a MAC Pro member.

P.S. I'm sponsoring a MAC gift card giveaway on the SB forum!  All you have to do is follow the instructions here.  Good Luck!!!

Read More......

New Addition to the SB Family: Forums! Plus, Video Tutorial!

Hey darlings!

July has been such an awesome month!  Just this weekend, SB unofficially launched our new forums!  We are so excited to finally debut them!  Basically, we've created an open message board to talk about all things beauty.  We're not trying to talk you out of going to other sites, but this gives you another option! I'm really excited about it, and I hope you join us for some good conversation! My brother has been helping out a lot with the construction of my blog, youtube page, website, forums and everything internet related.  Check out his website that he's creating with my younger brother, he always has killer animations and videos.  The kid is GOOD.  REALLY GOOD.  Keep in mind, this only started about 2 days ago.  I'll be starting a bunch of new topics today, and I hope you start some too! 

By the way, I also completed the Style Warriors video tutorial that you all asked for!  I did a few different twists, so the look is extremely similar but has some differences.   Check out the video tutorial on Youtube.  It's the perfect peachy summer look!  So many goodies are in store for my Scandalous Beauties!

Read More......

Style.com Covers Statement Lips

If you've read Scandalous Beauty for awhile, you know I have a things for like that stand out.  You can never go wrong with a nude beige or a pale pink, but shaking things up a bit with a bold lip is always a fun idea.  Style.com did an in depth article on the subject, which was so cool!  They start in Egyptian years and hit several big celebs and lip trends.  Here's a teaser from the article. "Keeping last Spring's fuchsia trend alive, makeup artist Jenn Karsten created a serious magenta lip backstage at Antonio Berardi's Fall show, using MAC's Madly Magenta Cream Colour Base topped off with Pigment in Magenta Madness."

Also, while you're chillin' on the internet,  I hope you take the time to check out my video on Ellevideostar.com! Elle magazine's online division has set up a site for makeup tutorials that you can upload yourself.  The more hits that you get, they better the chance at winning free makeup!  My featured video is "Makeup Bag Essentials".  Hope you enjoy it and learn something new!!! 

We're working hard to complete the rest of the blog/website maintenance, sorry to keep you all waiting!  Did you see we're getting message boards?!? Can't wait!!! 

Read More......

Want to be a Pantene Relaxed & Natural Model?

 Pantene is looking for real women (that's us!) for their 2010 ad campaign.  Apparently they did a casting call in three cities last year, but it was too limiting for start of a new decade!  Is your hair so beautiful that you want to show it off to the world?  Here's the skinny:

Women will have the opportunity to upload videos July 1 through July 31, 2009 by visiting www.relaxedandnatural.com. All submissions will be evaluated and finalists will be flown for in-person casting in August. Final decisions will be made by September 15, 2009.

To be eligible, the following criteria must be met:
Applicants can have hair that is relaxed or natural, but it must be healthy and beautiful
Applicants must LOVE Pantene and be able to tell other women why
Applicants must be at least 18 years old and live within the United States

The women who were chosen from last year’s casting call were given an all-expense paid trip to New York City to shoot the advertising campaign that appeared in national magazines in 2009.

Good luck to all contestants!!!

Read More......

My Interview with Get Togetha: The Lifestyle Blog!

Lifestyle and Home Decor blog Get Togetha teamed up with me for an interview. I had a lot of fun thinking of the answers. It took me multiple attempts over a three day span to answer one of them! Want to find out my secret to flawless skin, how I found my love for makeup and an interesting fact that you would never guess about me? Read the interview to find out!

By the way, we have some big things in the works for you! My official website is under construction, it's coming along beautifully. Makeup artist Meagan Shea and I are working hard on the details of the upcoming seminar (we pushed the date back to August 16th) that will answer a ton of your questions. Plus there are a few more tricks that I can't let out of the bag just yet...stay tuned!!!

Read More......

Summer Lip Colors that look Great on All of Us!

It's time to re-post some of the hottest lip colors of the Summer! I created this video months ago to prepare women of all shapes, colors and lip sizes for a new experience. Some of you may not be terrified of color. Some of you might still wear frosty silver lipstick with black lip liner (Please say you don't). All in all, check out some of the color combinations and take a chance! Summer is the perfect time to wear daring lip colors. If you feel like you are going to overdo it and people will see your lips from a mile away, apply a thin coat of the color and top it off with a clear lip gloss. You can't go wrong!!! By the way, the music is by Dwele. I LOVE this song!

Keep a look out! I'll be posting a video just like this featuring nude lip colors! I've got over 15 combinations picked out, and I'm trying hard to narrow it down to 10!

Read More......

New Collection: MAC Colour Craft

I hope you're ready for this mega collection debuting this Thursday. There are over 25 products in this collection! Wowzer!! Not to mention, this is a Mineralize series. The eye shadows and blushes are baked to perfection, and can be used dry (for soft, sheer color) or wet (for an intense, more metallic effect). My budget does not permit me to get everything, but here's what sticks out to me so far. Be ready, July 9th, It's on!!!

Warm Blend Mineralize Skin Finish looks like it will be just warm enough for brown skin! I haven't seen it yet, but the description says that it's a three layer mix of Antique Gold, Mahogany Bronze and Copper! Please let it appear as gorgeous as it sounds!
Sunny By Nature Mineralize Skin Finish sounds heavenly as well.  It's described as rich bronze with pink pearl. 
You already know that the 109 brush is my all time favorite foundation brush.  It airbrushes your face to perfection!  People always complain about the shedding, which I deal with as well.  Here's a tip: when you use the brush, let the bristles graze your skin ever so lightly.  There's no need to dig the brush in your face! lol  

The 131 brush is so intriguing to me! It's described as a A flat, tapered face brush featuring a combination of short, natural fibres and longer synthetic fibres making it ideal for the highlighting/contouring of Mineralize Skinfinish and all powder products. I'm thinking I'm going to have to have it....

Read More......

New Video Tutorial: Jennifer Lopez Makeup

I have been talking about creating this video for weeks now! I finally re-created the look that Scott Barnes so skillfully painted on Jennifer Lopez. Ain't It Funny was such a hot track a few years ago. The look stuck out in my mind all this time and i hope it satisfies your urge for color! The actual pictures of myself were a toned down version of the look, I didn't mean to post those. Darn! Enjoy!

P.S. Details of the two newest MAC collections and my must have picks will be available later in the afternoon!

Read More......

Tutorial: Blush and Bronzer 101

Read More......

Throwback: Erin with Short Blonde Hair!

I've been through a lot with my hair. Over the past 5 years, I've been relaxed, natural and loc'ed. And while I love my natural hair, my relaxed hair days were a ton of fun too! The picture above is circa 2005. I used to go to the salon every week and get my hair wrapped, set and curled. I was rocking short flips in the front, in the back, anywhere!

There were some staple products that made my hair thrive during these days. I don't think I had discovered Redken yet (which if I had, I probably would have stayed relaxed MUCH longer), but I was a Mizani/Nexxus/Miss Key freak!

Miss Key 10 en 1 is a Dominican conditioner that I used as a conditioner and deep conditioner. I swore by it. I lived for it. Anytime I go to beauty supply stores in NYC I am still tempted to pick up a jar, even though it did nothing for my natural hair. The Redken products that I wish I would have found are the "Extreme" collection. I used these on my natural hair, and they were great, but my hair was in pretty good shape at the time, so I didn't really need it. But, as for my relaxed hair that was extremely chemically treated, dyed, blow dried, sizzled and anything else you could think of...Extreme would have been a God send!

My stylist Veronica has always done the BEST hair color and styles on me. They were always very rich in color and looked SO vicious. If you're in the DC/MD/VA area, visit her salon, Hair On You. For all of my favorite products for relaxed hair, click the "relaxed hair" tag under this blog post to see the many product reviews I created back in the day. If you're really bored, here is an online photo album with my relaxed hair progress!

Read More......

MAC "Look in a Box" Collection

MAC finally came out with a genius idea.  The title explains it all, everything you need for the specified look is provided for you in the set!  Here's one that will look great on people of all colors. All of the products in each kit are permanent items, so play close attention to make sure you don't pick up items that you already have.  

Seductress Look Box

Belightful Iridescent Powder - Gilded peach bronze (Permanent)
Naked Lunch Eye Shadow - Minimal pink with shimmer (frost) (Permanent)
Knight Divine Eye Shadow - Carbon black with silver/blue reflects (Veluxe Pearl) (Permanent)
Bare Slimshine - Light neutral pink with subtle gold pearl (Frost) (Permanent)
Mini Zoomlash Mascara in Zoomblack - Pure black (Permanent)
#181SE Mini Kabuki Brush - Compact-sized buffer brush with a dome-shaped, natural bristle head. Feels luxuriously soft on the skin. Deposits blush, flawlessly blends to provide a soft, even distribution of colour. Ideal for all powder products. The perfect size for your everyday makeup kit.

There's also a Sun Siren and Sweet Tease look box as well.  Each of these sets are $60 at Nordstrom stores and Nordstrom.com.   For more information and details on the rest of the sets, check out Specktra.net! 

Read More......

BET Awards Beauty Breakdown

What a very interesting event we witnessed last night. There were some good moments (Maxwell, O'Jays, Janet, Ne-Yo 'Singing "The Lady in my Life', 90's medley with Guy, Tevin Campbell and BBD) and there were bad moments (too many to name). I was a tweeter freak last night, I tweeted more than I do in an entire week!  But you all know me and my eagle eye, I was concentrating on the makeup! Here are my favorite looks breakdowns (The pictures aren't working for some reason, I apologize!  Check out BET.com for more images!)

Miss Keys was bronzed to perfection. She let her lips make the impact with a deep coral shade.  Reminds me of MAC Lychee Luxe lipglass.

Ciara wore a soft shimmery eye with a red lip.  I was definitely feeling this look (not the performance though).  Try Make Up For Ever Star Powder in #926 on the lid and Flirt! lipstick in Ace for the look.

Keyshia did it big with the magenta lip!  I was so proud! Girl About Town lipstick and Magnetique lip glass by MAC are the first items that come to mind! 

The nude face was worn by many tonight, but Taraji rocked it the best!  It was creamy and flawless.  The first foundation that came to mind was Make Up For Ever HD Foundation.  MAC Mad Cap Lipglass is one of my new favorite colors, try that for a sheer nude lip! 

Maxwell is just beautiful for no reason. Had to throw that in.  Were you waiting the entire 2.5 hours for him to perform like I was?!? Maxwell's album, BLACKsummers'night debuts July 7th! I'm picking it up on Amazon! 

What were your thoughts on the BET awards?! 

Read More......