I’m so excited about…Cosmoprof North America this weekend!

If you had told the 13-year-old me that at age 36, I would be a beauty expert who would be flown to Vegas, stay at the Mandalay Bay and get to see thousands of new beauty products at Cosmoprof North America and share them every day with the world – via video I would have been pretty sure that you were talking about heaven.

I am thrilled - and honored - to serve on the Beaut-E Zone panel at Cosmoprof North America at Mandalay Bay in Vegas this weekend! Bring on the beauty!

As a little girl-turned-teen who used to spend my spare time wandering the makeup counters of Neiman Marcus in Dallas – and begging makeup artists to put makeup on me – beauty was an early passion of mine.

When it was time to get a job in college, I stayed true to that wide-eyed, beauty loving kid and, at 18, worked as the youngest makeup artist for Trish McEvoy at that very same Neiman Marcus.

See, I loved beauty. I LOVE beauty. And, most especially, I love sharing my favorite beauty products, tips and secrets with other people. I love getting to try beauty and lifestyle products every day and weed through them so I can share my favorite picks with you.
So I am beyond honored, thrilled and delighted to serve as a panelist & liasion on the Beaut-E Zone panel at Cosmoprof North America in Las Vegas this weekend. I will report to you daily on the best of the beauty products and services I see.

And lucky me! I will be joined on the panel by some of my favorite fellow beauty experts – who just so happen to be my friends – including Susan Yara (former editor of New Beauty and now of Mixed Makeup) and Jennifer Chan (The Fabulous File), Cassandra Bankson and Tati Westbrook.

The show is not open to the public so we will be the eyes and ears to thousands as to what’s trending next in beauty. Will it be organic skincare, beauty gadgets, makeup hues, hair or nails? With over 900 beauty brands, who knows?! But, boy-oh-boy, am I ready to find out!

So stay tuned as I report back live daily (Saturday 7/12 – Tuesday 7/15) from Cosmoprof North America at Mandalay Bay on the newest launches from beauty brands you may have never heard of – to brands you know and love, such as Moroccan Oil, Creative Nail & Design, OPI, Joico, Essie, DryBar, FHI and more!

The 13-year-old me is so excited she can barely stand it!

xoxo,
BF

BF Asks: Got any brands I should be on the lookout for? What new products would you like to see?

HIGH-LOW 10/13/13: Hallmark Home & Family happiness…and a mistake of misjudgment

This week was the very definition of a High-Low. It was one of my favorite, most-fulfilling, most epic weeks ever with a little low that could have disrupted it. But you know what? It didn’t. I wouldn’t let it. Not when I’ve worked so hard and not when my heart is so big.

So what was the high? Well, there were so many, I don’t even know where to start  - between fun time with friends like Jennifer Chan, Lindsey Vaerst, Amy Opoka and Aphrodite Camello and getting to do my weekly Beauty Beat segment on The Moll Anderson Show on I Heart Radio, the week was filled with happiness, friends and daily delights. But if I have to pick one…

HIGH: Home & Family on Hallmark

My high would have to be getting to be a guest on Home & Family on The Hallmark channel.

Being a guest on Home & Family on The Hallmark Channel was the HIGH of my week!

I was invited to be their beauty expert for Makeover Monday where we took Celia – a Home & Family set accountant, mother of 4 boys and an amazing woman who went back to finish college 3 years ago – and helped her discover her beautiful best.

With help from my fellow glam squad members -hairstylist Robby LaRiviere and stylist, Laurie Graham - Celia went from dependable set accountant to sexy birthday girl ready for a night out on the town.

Celia's Glam Squad on Home & Family on Hallmark (from L to R): beauty expert Dawn McCoy of BeautyFrosting, hairstylist Robbie LaRiviere and stylist Laurie Graham

 

Not used to being the center of attention, Celia enjoyed the primping but I think she realized that being behind the camera is much more relaxing.

As you can see from my face here, Robby ALWAYS has me in stitches!!

As for me? Oh, I loved being on camera. I’m a cheeseball like that.

Robby & I feeling verrrry comfortable on the set of Hallmark Home & Family - the warmest set I've ever been a part of!

But you know what I loved even more? Getting to know Celia and being a part of a team that hopefully helped her discover that her outer beauty is just as beautiful as her inner beauty.

And I can’t say enough about the kindness of the Home & Family family and crew. The set was one of the warmest I have ever been a part of and the hosts Cristina Ferrare and Mark Steines, guests and crew were so kind and generous that my heart just about melted. Thank you for having me, Home & Family family! I can’t wait to come back again!

And, you KNOW I had to take some baked goodness! So my family recipe of “More-More Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting” went right along with me. There wasn’t one left by the end of the day!

A sweet start to shoot day with my homemade "More-More Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting" - here with producer extraordinaire, Amy Webber and stylist Laurie Graham

 

So you wanna see the makeover? Well, you’ll have to watch Home & Family on Hallmark today at 10 am PST/EST & 9 am CST!!

LOW: A Mistake of Misjudgment

Amen, brother. "The only real mistake is the one from which we learn nothing." John Powell

So what was the low?

I made a big, big mistake. The kind of mistake you’re not supposed to make as an adult. See, my whole life I’ve really prided myself on my instincts when it comes to judging people. I can tell a bad guy a mile away and I steer clear of ‘em like nobody’s business. But it’s the ones who aren’t bad who are maybe just troubled and confused that can sometimes lead us astray. But after years of being spot on, well, I misjudged. Ugh. So while it’s been a very up & down week, all I can do is learn from this. Forgive myself and move forward.

And through this mistake, I learned such a big life lesson that I actually said this out loud in my bedroom before bed the other night: “Thank you for such a powerful and LOUD life lesson. I hear you. And I have learned.” Does that make me a dork? Oh, ABSOLUTELY. But it also makes me someone who learns from my mistakes, doesn’t make them again and moves on quite nicely.

BF Asks: What was your High-Low this week? 

*So what exactly is a High-Low, you ask? High-Low is the BEST & WORST part of your day, week, month, etc. I started this tradition with friends & family after I discovered it through a movie decades ago. Not only is it useful for reflection sake but it is also an excellent way to communicate with your spouse, kids or friends over the dinner table. By introducing this tradition to folks, parents have told me that their kids have opened up more and friends have told me that their spouses have become more communicative. Try it for yourself and let me know what your experience is!