Office essentials!

Hi Gorgeous,

Whether you work in a corporate office or for yourself, we all have office supplies to get us through each day.  He are my essential supplies! ;)

KIEHL'S Ultimate Strength Hand Salve- if you work in the city (or are just very 'germ conscious') you are familiar with how continuous hand washing and sanitizing can really dry out your hands, nails etc.  This stuff is gods gift to dry hands and I literally cherish every single squeeze!

KORRES Lip Butter/ Beurre Pour Les Levres in Jasmine! I love this for a quick butter like, colored lip balm.  Its consistency is lovely and the color pay off is just enough for the natural look!

Chanel Rouge Coco Shine in 68 CANDEUR - this is as much luxurious as it is sexy.  It gives your lips that glowy/dewy pink color that will brighten up any dull day or rough morning!

CARMEX- this lip balm will cure any chapped lip! From the freezing AC to the winter wind, this will get you through all year long!

YSL Touche Eclat Radiant Touch- for those mid day dark circles! Click and Swipe those bad boys away!

Gum- because yes, your breath does stink after your tuna melt!

Neutrogena Makeup wipes- sometimes you wake up in the morning and think you look great walking out of the house (ill blame the luminous 5am light - or lack there of) to only realize when you check the mirror at work that you look like you just did a drag tutorial- these guys will wipe away the fear! Or, just for those delightful spur of the moment rain showers that leak your mascara! This is a travel size which fits perfect in my desk drawer.

Bobby Pins - Bobbi Pins can literally save your life (*Please note that is not an actual medical fact). From keeping your hair out of your face, to creating a totally new style, or holding up that ripped hem- bobby pins are a must! And this case that these came in (believe its the goodie brand- I found mine in CVS) is genius! It keeps them all together :) which is great for a clutter freak!

Ibuprofen- because no matter how great our job/boss is, we all have 'headache' days.  I found this hilarious case of emergency Ibuprofen at Duane Read 'help, I have a headache'.

Your own Coffee/Tea Mug- sometimes its just nice to use your own mug instead of a paper cup or a corporate one! I love this personalized 'M' Mug from one of my fav. co-workers *KP* :)  You can find these babies at C Wonder- and PS. they make wonderful teacher/coworker/babysitter gifts!

Cheers to a beautiful you
             *MKG

Hey, don't touch my Oxblood!

Hi Gorgeous,

If you've been checking out the fall editorial spreads and other blogs you'll notice that the dark cranberry/oxblood trend is here again!

If you are like me, you love it! This year though, the market has really taken it to the consumer in every way, from tights to haircolor.  Here are a few of my 'Oxblood' must haves!

NARS Audacious lipstick in Bette

Rebecca Minkoff Satchel- Mini Perry

My Fall LUST- Michael Kors Miranda Tote - A girl can dream, right!?

Ugh - sooo in love with this! Find this Pin on Pinterest

Burberry Effortless Kohl eyeliner in Oxblood
Just saying this would look amazing with Brown/hazel/green eyes! GIMMEE

Charlotte Tilbury luxury Palette in 'The Vintage Vamp'

Cheers to a beautiful you,

             *MKG

TINTED!!

Hi Gorgeous!

Happy Friday!!!!! I don't know how your week was, but this week felt like forever! Now, on to what they say will be a beautiful weekend.

If you follow me on Instagram (@honeybeemkg), you know I posted a pic excited to try out the new Tint Skin from Beauty Counter! Long story short, my Aunts to Be (Shazi and Nicolle) are pretty awesome and always in 'the know' SO when Nicolle (follow her awesome blog My Jack and Salma) started telling us all about this awesome, non toxic, parabin free company- we all jumped in the band wagon for a ride!

http://instagram.com/honeybeemkg

Shazi recently placed an order for the Tint Skin that beauty counter recently released and out of the 2 colors she ordered- one was good for her and the other not-so-much = GREAT for me :)  She kindly passed down the color Sand to me, and this morning I gave it a test run (thank you again Shazi <3)

1st thing's 1st, I'm the realest (kidding but that Song is so addictive)!
Seriously, 1st impression:
     It is medium-full coverage and thick compared to other tinted moisturizers.  PS. I used my fingers- will try with a brush/beautyblender to see if the thickness is different
2: Pores do look smaller (Hallelujah!)
3: I thought it smelt a little like an SPF at first, but it doesn't look like it has any ... (could be wrong)
4: I'm combination skin and it took a little while for the moisturizing end to settle, so I used a little setting powder to speed it up before I left the house.
5: The GLOW is great! I feel like I have that dewy look that we all love so much (especially in the fall/winter) but without having to use illuminizers under foundation, highlighters on top etc.

Love that it has Hyaluronic Acid in it and that it comes in 7 shades (I think they could add a few more for better matching purposes)! This is a great buy- but at $38 is a bit pocket heavy so not really for my 16-25 yr/old chica's BUT fantastic for the woman who can't be bothered in the morning, wants something to throw on that is multi purpose, and perfects her skin! Add some Blush and a little of beauty counters Lip Sheers and you are 2 and threw girrrll!

Cheers to a beautiful you,
           *MKG

Stressed, but well ....

Hi Gorgeous!

I'm so excited to share my latest find with you!  If you are a makeup junkie like me, you might follow the Pixiwoo sisters (@Pixiwoos and @Nixiepixi1) on YouTube/Twitter, and Instagram- where you would have seen this photo...

Borrowed from @nixiepixi1 http://instagram.com/nixiepixi1

Well naturally, I needed to have this clutch immediately ! So after searching Zara's endlessly I turned to ebay! So excited to say that alllll the way from Portugal, this gorgeous clutch was received and is everything I hoped it would be :)

Material is awesome- easy to clean.  The white is crisp in color but not a blinding Diamond white, and it holds so much!

If you are like me and just need one in your life- there are a few sellers that still have some on Ebay, although now over priced!

Cheers to a beautiful you
              *MKG


PS (sorry this post is so late :( ... )

This Happened ...

Hi Gorgeous!

I hate showing things like this ( I do not believe they are available any more) BUT I purchased these hot mommas on HauteLook back in May and after a few wears I can tell you I LOVE THEM!

Meet Jeffrey Campbell's Malkin Mule <3

Not only are they the perfect sexy, yet conservative work shoe but they pair amazingly with boyfriend jeans! At first I was hesitant to how they'd fit- but to my surprise they are rather comfortable.  The heel is manageable at just about 4.5" and the mix of patent leather and leather are to die for!

A true score from HauteLook at $89.00 originally about $169 (eek)!

Sorry if your are on your hate flow right now, since they are not on HauteLook anymore- BUT I felt obligated to tell you about these gems in case they come back out on! :)

Cheers to a beautiful you!
             *MKG

PS the Suede version is hotttt and featured on WhoWhatWear!! Xx

Beauty Counter!

Hi Gorgeous!

I hope everyone is excited about the upcoming holiday weekend!

One of my favorite people (and fellow blogger Jack and Salma) has recently become a rep for this wonderful company, Beauty Counter.  Beauty Counter aims "to get safe products into the hands of everyone" by banning "more than 1,500 ingredients setting a new health and safety standard-"

Now, I acknowledge that many beauty companies today still use harmful ingredients in their products (lead, phthalates, etc.) and with that being said I am still going to use them!  I am in love with makeup and that is just not something that will change- but many companies are taking a stand and backing away from the ways of harmful chemical use (ex. Beauty Counter, Josie Maran, Bite beauty)

However, wherever i can take a step towards a better and safer makeup/body/skin care line, I will.
So, here I am at 9pm on a Wednesday night ordering from beauty counter, a few simple products!

As always, first thing I went for was the lip products! Since I'm usually a nude/pink girl i immediately gravitated towards the color below, Petal.  First off, helloooo look at that packaging! I mean the lipstick casing is heavy and durable not to mention uber chic!  The color pay off is as you'd expect- sheer and perfect for everyday!

Lip Sheer in 'Petal' 

Glow Sugar Scrub 

The Glow Sugar Scrub was my second go to- and mostly because with all the self tanning- sunscreen- and face it, sweat- exfoliation is needed a bit more in the summer time!  I must say, the smell wasn't my favorite as I guess I was expecting a warm rich vanilla/brown sugar smell.  This actually smells sweet like Honey.  I also wasn't fond of the waxy residue that was left behind after- I felt like I just wasn't clean yet!

Overall- it did its job but I wouldn't spend $38 on it- if harmful chemicals becomes an obsessive concern of mine- ill just buy a loofah!

Vibrant Eye Perfector

Lastly, I went for the eye creams and saw this beaut! targeting dark under eye circles while firming the skin, this eye cream feels hydrating and cooling as soon as you first start to apply it.  Again, the packaging is perfection!  I will keep you posted on my (dreadful) dark under-eye circles to see if this bad boy is the answer to my prayers!














Overall, my experience with Beauty Counter was fantastic! I received my order in about 3 days, packaged nicely and with care (thank you Gregg!). The information provided by the company and their research is phenomenal and educational! I will be recommending this company to my friends & family with young kids- as their sunscreens look worthy!

Cheers to a beautiful you,
              *MKG

"Bauble Bar, Bauble Bauble Bauble Bar"

Hi Gorgeous,

I received my first order from Bauble Bar!! I know, I cant believe it took me this long either lol-

I figured i'd share my first experience with you all in case you too, have yet to place an order.

Of course I was super excited - the site was an overload of beautiful gems both classy and wild! I had recently watched a YouTube haul (MakeupByTiffanyD) and immediately "needed" everything she ordered - classic Me lol.  Naturally, everything was back ordered and so I left the site. 

About a week later I was back and filling up my shopping cart.  Ironically while on the site a flash code appeared for me to "check out in the next 20min to receive 20% off"and since I'm a bargain gal at heart I made sure i checked out right at 18 minutes :)

About 4 days later my package arrived -

First impression: the packaging is cute ❤️

Second impression: the jewelry looked a little better online than in person (wompwomp) 

Third impression: the pieces feel nice- weighted. But the care tag indicates when worn often and exposed to lotion/water there will be tarnishing. Which to me is disappointing at the current price range of their pieces.

Last impression: TBD and as soon as I've worn each piece I Will come back to you :) #trust but see below the first of the 3 pieces I've worn

Pave Necklace in Gold- cute! but must say a but flimsy :(

Clock wise: Pave links Necklace
                   The Courtney Bib
I think the evil eye ring may already be off the site
                      :( Sorry guys!

                                                                                   


Hope you found this intriguing enough to check out the site and test out your own pieces!

Cheers to a beautiful (and accessorized) you,
            *MKG

"Because a tan makes everyone look a little ... well, HAPPIER"

Hi Gorgeous!

I hope you had sometime this weekend to enjoy the beautiful weather we are having!

BUT, if you haven't had a change to soak in some Vitamin D- then this product may be just what you are looking for.

Self tanners are liked by many, yet scary to most!  Between worrying about what color it will make you, whether you exfoliated enough, if you put enough lotion on your 'dry areas' and making sure that you don't have plans for the rest of the day- self tanning is overwhelming.

I have played with several different brands and like some more than others.  Lately, my schedule has been extra busy and I was looking for a self tanner that wouldn't take much of my time and that was easy to use.  I love using the St. Tropez self tanning mousse but it can be quite a process- and frankly at the end of the day I'm exhausted.

So, I was shopping around and figured that a gradual tanner would probably be my best bet for now. However, I had used in the past several gradual tanners and the smell bothers me (for example, Jergens natural glow), making it hard to get through the day (plus who wants to mix their perfume with the smell of a self tanner).  FINALLY I came across the Josie Maran Argan Self Tanning Cream.

Not only does this cream give you a touch of color, but with little to no smell!  Not to mention that it is "all-natural DHA" and without artificial dyes!  This self tanner with 100% Argan oil delivers color while nourishing/hydrating the skin!

A definite must have for anyone sensitive to the smells of a normal self-tanner!

PS.  I am hoping that this product becomes more readily available on the market, as for now it is only available on the QVC website. 

Cheers to a beautiful (and tanner) you,

           *MKG

"I was gone for a minute, now I'm back- it's the jump off"

Hi Gorgeous!

So obviously, I'M SORRY! Life can truly get too busy sometimes. Between personal ventures, work and family, it has been 4 months since I last posted (eek) :( Please forgive me-

Now that I am back, I am so looking forward to many posts full of great inspiration, products I love (and hope you will to) and of course some I am not so fond of!

Watch out summer, here comes honeyBee!


Cheers to a beautiful you,
            *MKG

LOVING these mirrored Ray Ban Aviators.  I found them at my local outlet store and at aprox. $140 it was a great investment.  They spice up every outfit :)

(PS I will try to upload new posts every Friday/Saturday and Don't forget to FOLLOW)

Valentine's Day Wish List

Hi Gorgeous!

Valentine's day is right around the corner- and regardless of your relationship status it is a day to celebrate LOVE.  So whether you are celebrating with a significant other, friends, or just loving yourself- here are a few items to fall in love with!

ZARA Red Sandals

Zara lace up ankle boot

bite Agave lip mask

Infinity knuckle ring

CHANEL Le Natural Travel

 Perfect Hair Day

Armani Exchange Aviators

Bite matte lip creme

Skull bracelet

Happy Valentine's Day!!! <3 xox

Cheers to a beautiful you,
              *MKG

6 more weeks of winter- my skin vs. the 'polar vortex' !

Hi Gorgeous!

If you in the tri-state area (or I guess all over the country at this point) you know it's been a bitterly cold winter!  Although beautiful to look at from your window when snuggled in bed- it has been tough on my skin! And unfortunately, according to our trusty NY groundhog,  Punxsutawney Phil, we will be stuck with 6 more weeks of winter!

So, here's how I've pushed back against mother nature and her cold shoulder!

At night:
Tarte Pure Maracuja Oil-  Although I tend to have a rather oily T-Zone your skin still needs oils to hydrate, flight against wrinkles and to fight the making of more natural oils in your skin (I know, this statement seems odd, but you need Oil to reduce oil !).
After I've taken a shower I like to lather this velvety goodness all over my face, neck, and decolletage.  I put my hair up (to avoid it getting oily as I roll around all night) and call it a night!

Kiehl's Ultimate Strength Hand Salve-  This rich hand cream is amazing!  It keeps my hands hydrated and feeling smooth all day!  I put this on after I've completed my face regimen and wake up with baby soft hands!

Sephora Super nourishing lip balm-  For all my beauty addicts we all remember when this made its appearance on Dr. Oz as a comparable lip product to Fresh's Sugar lip balm. Almost every Sephora as well as its online store, were sold out!  Luckily its readily available now and is divine!  I love to use this at night- its super nourishing, feels amazing and has long wear-ability before I feel the need to apply again.

In the a.m:
I wash my face with just water (luke warm) and follow up with the Mario Badescu Glycolic Ascid toner (mentioned in my Ulta Haul ! ) .

Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion + - even better then its original formula, the Dramatically different moisturizer + is my tried and true daily face moisturizer.  Light weight and easily absorbed, it fits right into my morning routine quickly- which is something I treasure at the wee hours of 5am!  This formula does not make my skin oily and leaves it feeling smooth.

EOS Lip Balm- I use this lip balm in the morning to hydrate my lips without the glossiness many chapsticks/balms give.  This is a bit more waxy allowing for lipstick to adhere wonderfully without smearing all over.  Plus these egg shaped balms are adorable!!

Only thing missing is my wonderful Lip Balm from Sephora! I just finished it this morning and threw out the container 

Let me know if you have any wonderful skincare secrets for these brutal winter days! Lets pray Mr.  Punxsutawney Phil is wrong- I miss SPRING :(

Cheers to a beautiful you,
             *MKG

ULTA HAUL!

Hi Gorgeous!

As I mentioned in my last post, Top 5 Looks of the Golden Globes, I placed a pretty large order with Ulta. For those of you who don't know what Ulta is, it is the baby of CVS (or any drugstore) and Sephora should they decide to 'hop on the good foot and do the bad thing!'- Austin Powers!

Its the perfect in-between store, with loads of high end products and the latest drugstore beauty lines, not to mention a Salon inside and a plethora of gorgeous hair tools and products.

I received a 20% off coupon and decided to put it to use on some products I was very interested in.

So here we go :

1. Neutrogena Makeup remover cleansing towelettes, night calm.  This is the only purchase I made that was not a 'new' product to my regimen.  I use these towelettes every night.  They take off my makeup easily with little to no force, the lavender is very calming for the skin and the pack last me at least a month.  This is a HOLY GRAIL item :)

2.  Mario Badescu Skincare, Glycolic Acid Toner.  This is a new product for me and I am very excited.  It has a 5 star rating on Ulta and has various other reviews that are in its favor all over the web.  I needed a toner that wasn't at the cosmetic counter price point.  I hope this meets all my expectations for the $18 it cost.

3.  Living Proof, full root lifting hairspray is also another new purchase.  I had received a sample of some items in the Living Proof collection (redeemed with Sephora beauty points) a few months back and loved the products in there.  This is new to the line, and as I am always trying to get more lift form my roots I jumped in and bought this.

The Goods <3  

4.  it COSMETICS, Vitality lip flush 4-1 reviver in Je na Sais Quoi.  it COSMETICS has just hit our market and is only sold at Ulta.com (a limited few of their stores carry it on shelf yet).  I have a CC cream from this company and it is amazing so after some research, I purchased two items and this is one.  PS.  I tried this right out of the box (hello Ms.Impatient) and OMG like a satin pillow case for your precious lips.

5.  it COSMETICS, Bye Bye Under Eye corrector concentrate cream was my second 'it' purchase.  With a mother load of skincare products in it AND corrective color, why wouldn't someone like me, with dark circles, try it!  I have yet to use it but the consistency feels nice, light.  Although I do fear its potential for creasing under the eye mid-day (I'll keep you posted).

6.  Philosophy, hope in a jar hydrating foundation in shade 5.  I have very little form Philosophy despite their rave reviews.  I am very excited to try this, it is 1 of 3 foundations they just released.  The shade seems spot on (its always so hard to pick out colors online) and the texture feels hydrating and light.

7.  bareMinerals, Marvelous MOXIE Lip gloss in Heart Breaker.  Their newest lipgloss for the Valentine's Holiday.  As mentioned in my Sephora Haul, I recently bought a gloss from the BUXOM line, which has been compared by others to Bare Minerals.  Since I truly love the Buxom gloss (LOL /cute moment: my fiancé sweetly said "my lips feel cool and tingle when I kiss you") I had to quiet the mind and try the bareMINERALS to see if they can compare.  The color online looked fabulous and it did not disappoint in person.

8. LIPSTICK QUEEN, All you need is nude gift set immediately caught my eye with just its name!  I am such a sucker for nude lips :)  All the products are full size and the packaging is so sleek.  It is totally expensive ( 3 lipsticks, one lipstick pencil, and a gloss) but I have faith it will be worth it.

A Closer look at Lipstick Queen, All you need is Nude, wanelo.com

Cheer to a beautiful you,

           *MKG

Top 5 looks of the Golden Globes

Hi Gorgeous,

Ok so If you are like me, then the Golden Globes this year didn't provide much inspiration :(
The Oscars better step it up!  From dresses, to hair and makeup I was left less than satisfied.

However, in light of the globes and the great hosting that was Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, here are the top 4 makeup looks I liked from the night:

www.rouge18.com

Reese Witherspoon:  On trend with the bronze tones, which also happened to look amazing with her blue eyes.  Cheeks and Lip coordinated well with mellow nude/bronze tones. The overall look tends to be more matte, i would have liked to see a bit more dewiness around her cheekbones. Overall, nothing too 'glam' and perfect for any summer occasion.

www.hollywoodreporter.com

Olivia Wilde: everything about her look was gorgeous.  From the green dress and ombre hair, to her plum smokey eye and nude lip!

This look could easily be replicated with as little as 6 products!
(Any foundation, Plum shadow stick, black eye liner, back mascara, rosy nude tint stick for lips and cheeks, nude gloss)

probeautyblog.com

Sandra Bullock:  Anyone else think her dress was perfect for her?! Loved it.  Her makeup has that very 'everyday' appeal.  I happened to be drawn to her lip color and the satin finish to her foundation.  This rosy-mauve is exactly what many of us try searching for in stores, but just can't find (gut tells me its a lancome lipstick- satin finish).

bellasugar.com

 Julia Roberts:  The makeup look her MUA chose, really brought out the color of her hair. Black kohl rimmed eyes, coral/rose cheeks and rosy lined lip with a pink based nude lipstick really did her justice.  She looked great!

www.hollywoodreporter.com

Emma Watson: I know the talk of the town was her outfit, but I must say her makeup matches the sexy/flirtatiousness of her outfit to a 'T'.  The overdrawn eyebrows is on trend with the latest runway looks.  The lightly smoked eye with a pink lip really brings that youthful pop to her look.  

Again, another look easily created with little to no product and most absolutely at the drugstore price!

Let me know what some of your favorite looks were!  Stay tuned for an ULTA haul coming soon :) !!!

Cheer to a beautiful you,

           *MKG

Prep, Set, & Go! Your review on a prep srpay and the ever so popular setting sprays

Hi Gorgeous!

Let's tackle the realm of prep and setting sprays!  It has been years since setting sprays hit the market but as they become more mainstreamed, the options have grown.  Today I want to review for you 3 setting sprays and the only prep spray I own!

Prep Spray:  Urban Decay B6 vitamin infused complexion prep-spray hit the market in the summer but did not take off as I thought it would ( at least form my POV).  The spray itself claims it "preps and hydrates as it reduces redness, minimizes pores and absorbs oils.  Vitamin E provides antioxidants, and willow bark (rich in natural salicylic acid) aids cell turnover. For all skin types" Now If that doesn't sound great to you, than I don't know what does!  It immediately caught my attention as its providing your skin with an assortment of nutrients via mist so its one less product caked on your skin.
As Urban Decay sprays are produced by SKINDINAVIA, I also felt that the product would be great. Aside from feeling refreshing on the skin and smelling nicely, I haven't really seen a change.  I do not feel that it minimizes my pores and since I do not have redness I can't say that it reduced it.
To purchase or not to purchase?  I say, skip it :( as much as I want to recommend it, I just can't justify it. First, it is $33 .... yeaaahhh $33 is a lot to spend on just a prep a pray that feels great on the skin.

Setting Sprays: M.A.C Fix + / Urban Decay All Nighter/ Urban Decay Chill
M.A.C Fix+ : $21 found at any M.A.C counter or online (sometimes at the Estee Lauder Companies Cosmetic Company Store, aka The CCO), was one of the first on the market and still my favorite.
It's fine mist coats the face with only 1-2 sprays.  Its light in weight and texture and there are rarely any heavy droplets to worry about.  It refreshes the face and keeps makeup looking more 'alive' when using only matte based products.  I will say that after a lot of uses and the amount of product decreases, it tends to spray less 'delicately' and sometimes a droplet comes out as apposed to mist, I just quickly dab it off :)

Urban Decay All Nighter:  $29 found at Sephora, Ulta, and online.  It too is a light weight mist that helps set your makeup.  This one specifically promises to keep your makeup on and fresh all night long (hence the name).  I would say, I agree!  I do feel that this spray tends to be more long lasting than the Mac Fix+.

Urban Decay Chill: $29 found at Sephora, Ulta, and online.  It is just like its predecessor, all nighter, is fine in its mist and keeps makeup on.  Although initially providing a cooling effect on the skin (therefor the name 'chill') it is not something I specifically look for, as any spray applied to the face would feel as such.

There is one more setting spray by UD known as De-Slick, which I have yet to try mainly because I use a matte primer to de-slick my oily spots when desired.

Overall I love all 3 and would recommend them if asked.  Of course explaining that it just makes more sense to go for the UD all nighter as opposed to the Chill.  Although I am sure you may use all 3 on your face to act as a light primer as well, the M.A.C Fix+ is the only one I use.  Simply because it feels better on the bare face and does not tighten/dry skin as I feel the UD does.

Recap- No to prep spray.  Yes to Fix+ at a great price.  Yes to UD all nighter for the long/sweaty night at the club!

Hope this was useful to you and please let me know if you have a setting spray that you recommend I try :)

Cheers to a beautiful you,
           *MKG