Perfectly Imperfect: A Hanger String Aint No Thing

Something I learned from this pic I just saw up on @GuestOfAGuest of me at a @PeroniUSA event?
Mayyyybe someone should have told me that my hanger string was all hanging out.

A hanger string aint no thing. You gotta be able to control what you can, and leave - and laugh at -the rest.

A hanger string aint no thing. You gotta be able to control what you can, and leave – and laugh at -the rest.

Ok. Let’s get real here for a sec, folks.
There are plenty of perfect pics of people in perfectly cute outfits all over social media and the internet.
But here’s some realness.
It’s life. It’s imperfect. It’s real. And, let’s be honest…it’s hilarious!
I find that being able to laugh at myself – pretty much daily – is one of the best gifts I was ever given. And I do it OFTEN!
Life is so beautiful in all of its imperfections. Control what you can.
Cherish what matters.
And, let go – and laugh about – the rest.

 

xoxo,

Dawn

#StigmaFree : The Hope & Grace Luncheon at The District

Dawn McCoy at the NAMI & Philosophy hope & grace Luncheon at The District. *dress by Band of Gypsies/shoes by Latigo Footwear

Dawn McCoy at the NAMI & Philosophy hope & grace Luncheon at The District. *dress by Band of Gypsies/shoes by Latigo Footwear

In today’s social media age, we’re all about shedding skins and being honest about what makes us unique as individuals. So, it’s surprising to me that, for many, mental illness still carries a stigma with it. Well, Philosophy’s hope & grace initiative is hoping to change that with their #stigmafree campaign.

Katrina Gay, Catt Sadler, Morgan Stewart and Tiffani Carter at the NAMI #stigmafree lunch sponsored by hope & grace fund  *Photo by Eric Charbaneou

Katrina Gay, Catt Sadler, Morgan Stewart and Tiffani Carter at the NAMI #stigmafree lunch sponsored by hope & grace fund *Photo by Eric Charbaneou

In celebration of May as mental health awareness month, and to raise awareness, Philosophy has partnered with the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) to launch the stigmafree campaign, a national effort focused on shattering the stereotypes associated with mental illness. NAMI is the largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to building better lives for the millions of Americans affected by mental illness. On May 28th, I was honored to join E!’s Morgan Stewart, Catt Sadler and Natasha Bedingfield at The District for the Hope & Grace #StigmaFree Luncheon to help spread awareness on this initiative.

Dawn McCoy and Natasha Bedingfield at the hope & grace luncheon with NAMI and Philosophy at The District

Dawn McCoy and Natasha Bedingfield at the hope & grace luncheon with NAMI and Philosophy at The District

A Few Facts From NAMI :

  • 1 in 5 Americans are affected by mental illness in a given year.
  • Only 41% of adults in the U.S. with mental health condition received mental health services in the past year.
  • 22 veterans die by suicide every day.
  • Approx. 26% of homeless adults staying in shelters live with serious mental illness.
  • Approx. 50% of students age 14 and older with a mental illness drop out of high school.
  • Suicide is the 10thleading cause of death in the U.S.
  • Suicide is the second leading cause of death of our youth – 90% of those who die by suicide had an underlying mental illness.

Here’s to hoping that we can make a difference and that we all can live our lives #stigmafree…

The Malibu Minimalist: The Launch of Lilah B

I LOVE a good launch party.

attends the lilah b. launch event at Ron Robinson Flagship on May 19, 2015 in Los Angeles, California.

Host, personality & writer, Dawn McCoy, attends the lilah b. launch event at Ron Robinson Flagship on May 19, 2015 in Los Angeles, California.

And I got just that at Ron Robinson in Santa Monica last week, with the launch of Lilah B.

Got an arm-in-arm tour with Mr. Ron Robinson, himself.

Got an arm-in-arm tour with Mr. Ron Robinson, himself.

With Lilah B , I get simple yet sophisticated makeup, and my skin just looks pretty and polished.

The Malibu Minimalist…with milkmaid braid. Thanks, Lilah B!

The Malibu Minimalist…with milkmaid braid. Thanks, Lilah B!

I call it “The Malibu Minimalist” look. Details about this new line launch later today on the blog!

Pictured here on me: Lilah B Lip & Cheek Divine Duo in b.sassy ($46) & Lilah B Flawless Foundation in b.natural ($48) Makeup by: @EricPolito

xoxo,
BF

The D Train Premiere

At The D Train premiere at the Arclight Hollywood last night

Last night, I was honored to attend the premiere of The D Train, starring Jack Black, James Marsden and Kathryn Hahn.

HOLLYWOOD, CA - APRIL 27: (L-R) Actors James Marsden, Kathryn Hahn, and Jack Black attend the Los Angeles premiere of IFC Films' "THE D TRAIN" presented by Banana Boat at ArcLight Hollywood on April 27, 2015 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Michael Kovac/WireImage)

Hosted by another co-star of the film, Banana Boat, the Arclight theater was filled with A-listers, while at the same time feeling like an intimate gathering amongst friends.

HOLLYWOOD, CA - APRIL 27: (L-R) Writer/director Jarrad Paul, actors James Marsden, Kathryn Hahn, and Jack Black, and writer/director Andrew Mogel attend Banana Boat Presents The Los Angeles Premiere Of IFC Films' "THE D TRAIN" at ArcLight Hollywood on April 27, 2015 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Michael Kovac/WireImage)

The after-party at St. Felix was just as fun!

Girls' date! At The D Train after-party with Lindsey Vaerst

And, talk about product placement! Banana Boat sunscreen was an integral player in the film, as their ad is a connecting force between two of the characters.

Who knew a sunscreen could be a star?

I won’t give away anything else, but be sure to check out The D Train, in theaters, on May 8th!

HOLLYWOOD, CA - APRIL 27: (L-R) Actors James Marsden, Kathryn Hahn, and Jack Black attend Banana Boat Presents The Los Angeles Premiere Of IFC Films' "THE D TRAIN" at ArcLight Hollywood on April 27, 2015 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Michael Kovac/WireImage)

And don’t forget to wear your Banana Boat sunscreen this summer…

 

xoxo,
Dawn

Whatcha’ Wearin’ Wednesday, Kerry Washington?

Does Django Unchained & Scandal star, Kerry Washington, ever not look gorgeous with a capital “G”?

Take the example of her at the Academy Awards this past Sunday where she presented.
I mean she’s flawless.

 

Her hair, her dress, her jewels, her poise, her makeup.

Well, I can’t help you with the first 4 of those but I am here with the “how-to” on how to achieve her Oscars red carpet look!

Achieve her gorgeous look at home on your own gorgeous face!

 

xoxo,

BF

 

BF Asks: Who was your glamorous beauty pick from Sunday’s Oscars?

Whatcha’ Wearin’ Wednesday, SAG Award Winner Jessica Chastain?

ZERO DARK THIRTY’S Jessica Chastain was not just the winner of Best Actress at Sunday’s Screen Actors Guild Awards, she was also a winner on the red carpet with her old Hollywood glamour!

Now, lucky us, makeup artist Kristofer Buckle, shares with us how he revved up the gorgeous red head’s look for the red carpet!

 

xoxo,

BF

BF Asks: Have you seen ZERO DARK THIRTY? 

On the Red Carpet: The Screen Actors Guild Awards 2013

Oh, how I love Award Season! And the SAG Awards are near and dear to my heart as I’m a proud SAG-AFTRA member.

So seeing everyone in their Sunday best is always a delight!

Here are some of my favorite faces and frocks from tonight!

Sorbet Sirens

Jane Krakowski in a creamsicle dream, Lea Michele is a cherry chick, Freida Pinto in fun fuchsia and Sally Field in polished purple

 

 

Navy Nymphs

 

Best Actress Jennifer Lawrence, Jessica Lange, Amanda Seyfried and Nicole Kidman are nymphs in navy

 

Best of The Rest

 

Katrina Bowden shines in silver, Marion Cotillard in a ladylike frock, Jennifer Garner gives golden luck to Ben Affleck and Tina Fey channels old Hollywood.

 

xoxo,
BF

 

BF Asks: What was your favorite dress of the night? 

Whatcha’ Wearin’ Wednesday: Beyonce at President Obama’s 2013 Inauguration

Is there anything Beyonce can’t do?  Superstar chanteuse, actress, spokesmodel, mogul, mom, wife and fashion and beauty icon, Beyoncé, sang the National Anthem beautifully during the 2013 Inauguration and everyone was left talking about her…MAKEUP!

Famed celebrity makeup artist Mally Roncal, who gave her this signature, showstopping look for this historical day, shares her beautifying tips and tricks with us on how to steal this lovely look.

Beyonce & her celebrity makeup artist & friend, Mally Roncal

1) To first set the skin, apply my Perfect Prep Poreless Primer all over the face and my Cancellation Concealer directly underneath the eyes.

2) To achieve natural-looking coverage, first, apply my Ultimate Performance Liquid Foundation. Next, add a sweep of my NEW Diamond Unpowder that will illuminate the skin followed by brushing on my Effortless Airbrush Highlighter and Blush Duo to the cheeks in order to provide a soft, radiant glow to the skin.

3) To achieve a rich, smokey eye – try my Evercolor Shadow Stick in Saddle Shimmer. Apply this all over the eyelid and underneath as well. Next, select a few shades from the Mally Beauty In the Buff Palette and sweep that onto the eyelids. Finish the look by applying a small amount of my Age Rebel Shadow Stick in Chocolate Diamond on the bottom lid right under your eyelashes to open up the eye followed by using my Lightwand Eyebrightener to the inner corners to instantly brighten this area. Lastly, to achieve this bold eyeliner at-home, try using the Mally Beauty Evercolor Starlight Eyeliner in Midnight, layered with the Ultimate Performance Ink Eyeliner (which is exclusive to QVC.com).

4) Compliment this confident eye by pairing it with a mascara that will enhance the overall look – such as the Mally Beauty Volumizing Mascara and/or my NEW Instant Impact Mascara. To create glossy, Beyoncé worthy lips try my High Shine Lip Gloss in Mally’s Look or Mally’s Baby.

5) And last but not least, before you leave the house, apply the Mally Beauty Face Defender to lock your makeup in place and Perfect Prep Hydrating Under Eye Brightener to make the eyes pop!

Mally notes to BeautyFrosting that anyone can achieve this easy-to-wear look at home. It works on all ages, skin type and color!

These essentials from Mally Beauty can be found on QVC.com and MallyBeauty.com.

 

xoxo,

BF

BF Asks: What’s your favorite Beyonce look of all time? 

Tress Tuesday: Golden Globes Gorgeous ‘Dos & How-To’s!

Well, you guys loved the hair tips from yesterday so much, I decided I needed to have a Tress Tuesday with some of the most fun looks from the Golden Globes!

Here are more how-to’s for you when it comes to doing red carpet ‘do’s!

THE COMELY CLAIRE DANES – Bouncy Volume all night long!

The Homeland star and Golden Globe Best Actress in a Television Series Winner was simple and sophisticated in a red dress and bouncy, voluminous, frizz free hair!

Here’s how celebrity stylist, Peter Butler, did it:

Step 1 – Prep

  • Blowdry hair with a large, round, boar bristle brush. Take a curling iron with a 1 1/2 inch barrel and start curling hair section by section. Set the curls with Frizz-Ease Moisture Barrier Firm-Hold Hairspray ($5.99 at drugstores).

Step 2 – Style

  • To create the perfect wave, use a paddle brush to brush through curls. Apply Frizz-Ease Secret Weapon Flawless Finishing Crème ($5.99 at drugstores) throughout the hair–it will soften hair and add shine while leaving the curls chunky and intactStep 3 – Perfect
    • Finish by adding a fine mist of Frizz-Ease Moisture Barrier Firm Hold Hairspray to lock in the style.

    .

*******

BEAUTIFULLY BRAIDED & BUNNED – The Vampire Diaries’ Nina Dobrev

Nina Dobrev’s ‘do was uniquely gorgeous & sweet, like her dress, and looked extremely challenging to do!

But before you give up before you even start, here are all the tips, from by stylist Riawna Capri of Nine Zero One Salon, so that you too can have a unique-to-you ‘do!

PRODUCTS: ULUXURY Shampoo ($43), U LUXURY Conditioner ($47), UNITE 7SECONDS Conditioner ($26.25), UNITE 9-Row Denman Brush ($51.95), UNITE BEACH DAY ($29.95), UNITE GO365 Hairspray ($31) and UNITE SHINA-Mist ($26.25). Available at Unitehair.com.

PREP:

1.)    In order to smooth Nina’s hair and add shine, her hair was prepped with U LUXURY Shampoo and Conditioner, which are infused with crushed pearl, Hawaiian white honey and Argan oil. Next, Riawna used UNITE 7SECONDS Conditioner to detangle condition and protect hair.

2.)    Next, she blow-dried hair using the UNITE 9-Row Denman Brush to smooth the cuticle of her hair.

3.)    Nina then flipped her head upside down while Riawna completed a classic braid from the nape to the crown of her head.

4.)    All remaining hair was pulled up into a ponytail.

5.)    UNITE BEACH DAY Spray was spritzed throughout the dry ponytail to add density to the hair.

6.)    The hair was wrapped and pinned into a classic bun.

7.)    The final look was held in place using UNITE GO365 Hairspray and polished off with UNITE SHINA-Mist.

*****

PUNK-PRETTY & POLISHED – Safe Haven’s Julianne Hough

To add a little punk to her polished & pretty dress, stylist Riawna Capri of Nine Zero One Salon, relied on texture, volume and height for Julianne Hough’s Golden Globes look. Here’s the how-to 411:

Products: UNITE Blonda Shampoo ($26.25), BLONDA Condition ($28.75), 7SECONDS Condition ($26.25), EXPANDA Volume ($27.50), Pro-System 74mm Round Brush, EXPANDA Dust ($26.25), Session Max Hairspray ($29.95).

Available at Unitehair.com.

PREP

1.) Julianne’s Hair was prepped with UNITE’s  Blonda Shampoo & Condition to brighten the tone of Julianne’s blonde hair for the special event and followed with a ton of UNITE 7SECONDS Condition. UNITE 7Seconds was used to not only detangle and condition the hair, but the extreme amount helped to make the hair super clean and slippery to ensure that some hair fell out to add to the final edginess of the look.

2.) For maximum root volume, UNITE EXPANDA Volume was applied 1-3 inches from the roots.

3.) Hair was then round brushed with a UNITE Pro-System 74mm Round brush.

4.) Once hair was dry, UNITE EXPANDA Dust was sprinkled throughout the root area on the top of the head

5.) Starting in the back, Riawna used small, horizontal sections on the top of the head, backcombing the hair 1-2 inches from scalp to create instant volume. She then continued forward to the hairline leaving out the final front section. The final backcombed “mohawk” was clipped out of the way.

 

SIDES

6.) The sides were slightly teased throughout for added texture and volume.

7.) A soft, natural parting in the hair was made on both sides near the temple area.

8.) Each side was split into a top and bottom section. Each section was twisted into the back towards the nape, made into a mini ponytail and pinned.

TOP

9.) Starting with the front 3 inches of the top section, Riawna twisted the hair over towards the left and pinned in place. The second section was then alternated to twist toward the right side and pinned in place. The alternating sections continued until the top section was complete creating a “twisted mohawk”.

10.) Once hair was set in the general form, she sprinkled UNITE EXPANDA Dust on areas that still need more texture, pulled the hair slightly with fingers and rubbed together to create whispy strands

11.) The look was finished with UNITE SESSION-Max Hairspray for extra strong hold to last all evening.

12) UNITE SHINA-Mist was applied for overall red-carpet shine

 

Quotes from Riawna Capri, Nine Zero One Salon:

“Sheek, Edgy and sophisicated”

“Julianne ’s dress was so beautiful and glamorous, we wanted to add a bit of edge with the hair and makeup to give a slight contrast that created the final overall look.”

 

Please let me know if you’re interested in more information or images of UNITE Hair Care.

 

Red Carpet Ready: Kerry Washington shines at the Golden Globes

If you’re like me, you were utterly smitten with Kerry Washington‘s sleek do and subtly sultry makeup.


Now, you can replicate this red carpet-ready look at home!
Today, we’re showing you how to do both her hair AND makeup! Woo-hoo!!
Here are all the details:

MAKEUP

HAIR

Step 1 – Prep

  • Spray Frizz-Ease 3-Day Straight Semi-Permanent Styling Spray  ($9.99 at drugstores), throughout wet hair and comb through to distribute the product evenl

Step 2 – Style

  • Blowdry hair straight. Take a flat iron and straighten hair section by section–the heat of flat iron will activate 3-Day Straight, to ensure sleek style that lasts all night long.

Step 3 – Perfect

  • Smooth Frizz-Ease Secret Weapon Flawless Finishing Crème ($5.99) throughout hair to give a smooth, shiny finish.

.
Are you gonna try this sexy & sleek look for your next big night out? If you do, please post post a pic on our Facebook page: www.Facebook.com/BeautyFrosting

 

xoxo,

BF

BF Asks: Who rocked your favorite hairstyle at the Golden Globes last night?