Beautylish 2011 NYC Spring Trend Preview

The lovely team at Beautylish.com held a spring trend preview event last night in NYC to welcome their new beauty director, Ning Chao. I was so honored to be invited to the event, which was held at the uber swanky Crosby Street Hotel in SoHo and featured makeovers, flowing cocktails, delicious h'ors doeuvres and of course, beauty products galore.

Makeup artists and stylists from Bare Escentuals, Tarte and Wella were on hand to demonstrate the smoky pastel eye, slicked back hair and bright lips -- three beauty trends that are sure to be hot this spring. I attended with a good friend, Melissa, and we had a blast getting our hair and makeup done, meeting other beauty bloggers, vloggers and editors, devouring decadent cupcakes and mini-grilled cheeses with truffle oil and drinking maybe one too many glasses of wine. 

Melissa (right) and I after getting our makeup touched up by Bare Escentuals artists. 

Donna Wagner, a stylist from NYC's Pipino Salon gives my hair a beachy, tousled look using Wella products. 

I left with an heavy goodie bag filled to the brim with new beauty products from Victoria Secret, Borba, E.L.F Cosmetics, Dior, Guess, Too Faced, Urban Decay, StriVectin, Sally Hansen, Talika, Reveal Halle Berry, Guess, the Balm, and much more! I am so excited to try my new products and share my reviews with you.

Thank you so much to Christina, Victoria, Ning and the rest of the Beautylish gang for a fabulous evening!

Getting to know... Celebrity makeup artist and YouTube beauty guru Kandee Johnson

I am so excited because today I have a special treat for all of you lovely Prettied Up readers. I was lucky enough to score an exclusive interview with celebrity makeup artist and You Tube beauty guru extraordinaire, Kandee Johnson!

She's done makeup for celebrities such as Janice Dickinson and Conan O'Brien and worked for big name television networks like MTV, CNN, and ABC but Kandee is probably best known for her insanely popular YouTube channel and beauty blog. With hundreds of thousands of YouTube subscribers and followers on Blogger, it's safe to say most of you already know and love Kandee.

I caught up with Kandee the other day to ask her some questions. Keep reading for our full interview.

How many lipsticks do you own? 5 gillion (ha ha ha) A ridiculous amount of nude shades!

Current favorite type of mascara: L'Oreal Double Extend Beauty Tubes (love it!)

Most essential makeup product: Oh golly. . . probably my Laura Mercier foundation. That and smolder eyeliner from MAC.

No. 1 beauty item on you’re currently lusting after: Oh man, I don't know. . . that's a tough one! Maybe some some Cle De Peau concealer (I've never tried it but everyone that uses it has raved about its amazing-ness!) ha ha ha

Biggest regret purchase: The Amazing concealer. I spend like $40 on it . . . and it was soooo not amazing! ha ha ha

First makeup memory: Either watching my little sister draw red lipstick on the underside of the dining room table . . . or staring with amazement at my moms makeup desk! ha ha ha

Thanks so much to Kandee for participating! I definitely have to try the Laura Mercier foundation and L'Oreal Double Extend Beauty Tubes mascara! Have you tried any of the products Kandee mentioned?

Getting to know... Meli of Style by Meli

Today's featured beauty blogger is Meli, a talented makeup artists who I actually know from high school. Her blog is called Style by Meli, and it's packed with tons of advice about makeup and style. I find her blog so informative and fun to read - she's always reviewing products and giving me new ideas! I highly recommend checking it out! 

I caught up with Meli recently to ask her a few questions about, what else -- makeup! Keep reading for our full interview.

How many lipsticks do you own? Honestly, I have never counted. If I had to estimate, about 100! Sounds crazy but I'm a total lip junkie!

And she has a ton of glosses too. Check out her amazing lipgloss bar!

Here she is! 

Current favorite type of mascara: I'm actually one of the few people you'll ever meet that is not a huge mascara person. However, when I wear mascara, I always prep the lashes with MAC's Prep + Prime lash for extra volume and length. There is a dramatic difference and it's totally worth the extra step!

Most essential makeup product and why: BLUSH! I cannot live without it and my heart seriously drops when someone tells me they never wear it. Besides giving life to the face, it just makes the face look soft and pretty!

No. 1 beauty item on you’re currently lusting after: Josie Maran Argan Oil. I have been dying to try this! I'm obsessed with face oils and believe they are the secret to beautiful, ageless skin.

Biggest regret purchase: Anything with sodium laureth sulfate. I had read that it is harmful to the skin, hair, and body and try to avoid it at all costs. I ended up having to throw out a handful of products that contained it, even brands that are classified as "all natural."

First makeup memory: I started to dabble with makeup on an everyday basis around age 14. My everyday look at that time was a black shimmery shadow on the whole lid. I remember thinking, "Wow, this makes me look so pretty!" I obviously had no idea what I was doing and going through a very experimental stage of my life.

Thanks so much to Meli for participating! I have never tried a face oil but now I feel like It's a must! Also, thanks for letting us know about the danger of sodium laureth sulfate.

Have you tried any of the products Meli mentioned? Do you also avoid sodium laureth sulfate?

Getting to know... Shaylee of Cosmetically Curious

It wasn't until I started blogging about three months ago that I discovered that this whole world of beauty bloggers that I never knew existed. I am so happy to have found this massive online community of people like myself -- who love to talk about beauty products, share tips and learn from each other!

In this brand new regular feature here on Prettied Up, I'll be introducing you to some of the fabulous beauty bloggers I have come to know. First up, we'll be getting to know Shaylee of Cosmetically Curious! I caught up with Shaylee the other day to ask her some questions. Keep reading for our interview. 

How many lipsticks do you own? Not too many. I'm more of a balm/gloss girl. If you want a number -- five, and I don't use any of them!

Current favorite type of mascara: I have two: Revlon Grow Luscious and Ojon Restorative Lash Treatment & Mascara Duo.

Most essential makeup product and why: Concealer, concealer, concealer! If I have nothing else but concealer I'm happy! (You don't want to know how many of those I own!)

No. 1 beauty item on you’re currently lusting after: I can only choose one?! In that case, anything from 100% Pure's line! Preferably a kit of some sort. I'm really into natural products right now.

Biggest regret purchase: I do a lot of research before I purchase things so I (hopefully) rarely fully regret things. That being said, I hated my Tarte 4-Day Lash Stain, wow terrible! My lashes felt like sticks. They wouldn't bend, move and you cannot get it off no matter how hard you try.

First makeup memory: This is funny! My first makeup memory is this silver lip gloss I had and absolutely loved! I just saw a picture of me with it on and oh my god, terrible! I remember everything about that gloss - the taste, the smell, the color! Ack!

Thanks so much to Shaylee for participating! I'll make sure to steer clear of that Tarte 4-Day Lash Stain. Have you tried any of the products she mentioned?