[Make-up is wonderful, but it can also be confusing. There are so many shades and colors and sheens and reasons to wear it, that a girl can get completely lost attempting to find what fits her face best. What’s the best blush color for a redhead? How do you really put on lip-liner? Is there such a thing as too much eyeshadow?In this weekly series, actress / model and fabulous CC blogger, Jen, will be using her makeup know-how to teach us all how to look flawless in class, out at a party, or grabbing coffee with that cutie from Psych 101.]Makeup usually tends to focus on the exterior, but there are some products out there that can enhance your beauty from the inside out. A body spray that can help you live your best life? It exists, and Jen found it.

In the spooky Halloween excitement, we’ve all fallen prey to the same trap: spending a ton of dinero on things you never use again (those white go-go boots seemed so versatile at the time!). To help you out, here three makeup items that are perfect costume accessories and beauty staples every girl should have in her makeup arsenal.

Nars Lip Pencil – Jungle Red ($20 sephora.com)

If you decided to skip the lingerie and animal ears and go for something ghoulish, this blood red pencil is perfect. You can easily draw blood droplets, gashes or scars. Try lining you eyes with it for something really creepy.

When the costume craze is over, line and fill your lips with this deep shade. Put a clear gloss over it for a glamorous look on a special night out.

Benefit BADgal Eyeliner ($20 sephora.com)

This fat eye pencil is perfect to black out some zombie eyes. It’s also a quick way to draw on mustaches or bushy eyebrows – hey you could be the Mario Brothers! Or you can easily draw on some tattoos for your Amy Winehouse costume. It also perfect for an Egyptian eye if you want to do the Cleopatra thing.

When fright night is done, simply smudge this pencil out for a quick and easy smoky eye. Or use it to create a sleek cat-eye look for something more glam. Read More »

I’m not going to pretend that I don’t play favorites. I have a favorite pair of jeans, a favorite band, a favorite bra, favorite beauty products and most recently – a favorite blog. Jolie in NYC is the ultimate source for all things beauty and pop-culture related.

Nadine, the blog’s author and former Ladies’ Home Journal beauty editor, was outed (and fired) back in 2005 for having an anonymous blog under the pseudonym “Jolie in NYC” where she wrote about the beauty industry and her current pop-culture obsessions.

Don’t feel bad for her though…she’s been blogging away ever since and personally, I find that Jolie in NYC has the most honest, straightforward beauty advice out there. I can also totally relate to her obsessions with Mandy Moore, Bare Escentuals cosmetic products and leading the fight against all the Nicole Richies and Kate Moss’ out there (with their damn skinny jeans that really don’t flatter anyone over 95lbs.)

Nadine also has a non-fiction beauty book coming out October 2007 called Beauty Confidential: The No Preaching, No Lies, Advice-You’ll- Actually-Use-Guide to Looking Your Best – so stay tuned and check out the blog if you want amazing beauty counsel…or if you have a girl-crush on Mandy Moore.