We are in the last month of 2011 so we might as well end it with a bang! Looking your best for less will give you extra pocket change to buy all the Christmas presents on the lists of your extra-needy family and friends. You don’t always have to run to the MAC counter or Sephora to get some great beauty products for your makeup bag. Sometimes less really is more, especially when you’re talking about paying less. Here are my top drugstore makeup finds to check out.

How do you know when it is time to toss your cosmetics? It is important to know that makeup does go bad–really bad. Just like you wouldn’t eat Thanksgiving leftovers in January, you should never put makeup past its prime on your face. Here are a few guidelines to help you determine the life of your products.

If you look on the box of your products there should be a small, opened “tuna can” with a number on it. That indicates the life of the product once opened. (Product is good for 12 months after opening for example).

With the fall upon us and winter approaching, many of us are dreading losing our summer hues. Sunless tanners may not be the first thing you think of to preserve your gorgeous chocolate tone, but let me tell you, you should! Light to dark skin and every shade in between can benefit from a bronze boost in a tube. Seriously. I’m all for achieving a beautiful, rich color without whipping out my passport. Here is my guide to unleashing your inner sunkissed goddess minus the sun.

The appearance of unsightly stretchmarks and other imperfections can be drastically reduced by using tanners. The darker pigment gives the optical illusion of a smoother texture by causing the “problem” to recede, but all tanners are not created equally. Strolling down the aisle at the local drugstore may not be the best way to achieve the glow in your mind’s eye. Remember the Oompa-Loompas from Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory? Well, steer clear of tanners that promise a one-tan-fits-all approach to the color selection. Aerosol sprays generally come in a generic color and can be difficult to apply evenly. Or if looking like a zebra isn’t your fancy, know that some liquid tanners can leave you with streaks! Be sure to exfoliate and shave any area you are planning to apply a tanner to. The smoother the skin the better.

For best results, try Miracle Skin Transformer! The creamy consistency glides on with ease and even has a SPF of 20. Just rub it on and go! The quick-drying, natural formula gives glow to skin all year round that looks as if you were born with the richness of cocoa.  But it’s not just another sunless tanner, it’s a moisturizer that leaves skin instantly transformed. Skin looks smoother, firmer, radiant, and totally flawless in the same time that it takes you to apply lotion.

Miracle Skin Transformer Body SPF20 is made with the M3 Complex designed to improve the look and feel of skin. Here are a few of the benefits of this product.

• Tone: The transfer resistant formula lasts all day and night without leaving a trail on your clothes.
• Dryness: Dry, rough skin will no longer be a hinderence to feeling confident enough to be touched. Skin will feel noticeably softer, smoother and moisturized.
• Sun damage: The look of age spots, sun damage and discoloration will be minimized.
• Contouring: Works to restore the skin’s natural collagen and elastin levels so skin looks firmer, tightened and toned.
• Texture: The silky cream works to go beyond the average moisturizer. It will minimize the appearance of minor scars.
• Radiance: Colored mineral pigments leave skin looking younger, brighter, and totally luminous. It’s the perfect skin accessory for a night on the town.

Treat yourself to gorgeous skin by heading to the nearest Sephora to choose from three Miracle Skin Transformers to find the perfect one.

Mikki Bey is a Celebrity Makeup Artist based in Los Angeles. Her work has been seen on E!, BET, VH1 and published in Essence, Ebony, Vibe, Jet, Upscale, OK! and Life and Style magazines. Check out her website www.mikkibey.com.  Tweet your beauty questions/comments to her @mikkibey.

Everywhere we look people and companies are “going green.”  Cosmetic lines have also followed that trend. I have not been a proponent of natural makeup because I was not willing to sacrifice my aesthetic for the sake of being mineral based.  I’ve always used the best product to accomplish the overall goal (a whipped face) regardless of the ingredients until I encountered the black-owned, eco-chic brand, LAMIK Beauty! Celebs like Chrisette Michelle, Jennifer Holiday, Kendra Wilkinson-Baskett, The Real Housewives of Atlanta, Elise Neal, Kim Burrell and Yolanda Adams have all worn the Houston-based cosmetic line developed by licensed esthetician and CEO of LAMIK Beauty, Kim Roxie.

The weekend is here! The hustle and bustle of the work week can take it’s toll on a lengthy beauty regimens. If  you aren’t feeling up to doing anything that requires much effort, here’s a few tips to perk you up  just in time for the last happy hour of the week. Nothing over-the-top, just a little bit to freshen you up!

Ahhhh, the smokey eye….all women want it but most don’t have a clue how to achieve it.  Although this look is an example of the great effects of black eyeshadow, it can actually be achieved with any color. It can be a blue, purple or green smokey effect, whatever you like, because the color is not all that important.  Smokey eye is not about color, rather technique. What most black women really want to know is how to make eyes look smoldering, Hot, and sultry. Let’s go over the basics.

Chances are, you have admired Nadia Vassell’s work on one of your favorite stars and didn’t know it. Celebrity hairstylist, salon owner and entrepreneur, Nadia Vassell  has an impressive client list that includes Rihanna, Chrisette Michelle, Ashanti and Tika Sumpter. She is a trendsetter and innovator in the beauty industry. Armed with beauty and brains, she is much more than meets the eye.

Sporting a bad weave is letting the beauty “secret” out of the bag. Luckily, Nadia has a solution. Known for her mastery in weaving, Nadia is regarded for her braiding technique that allows her to create extremely natural looking extensions. After becoming frustrated with the lack of quality human hair she kept seeing on people’s heads, she decided to take matters into her own hands and start working some mircales. NV Hair Extensions is her premium hair extensions line that is available online at  http://www.nadiavassell.com. And on top of supplying folks with the hair they need, she fixes the messes you make on your own hair. Vassell thinks the “do-it-yourself” method is okay, but there’s just so much you can do on your own before you tear up your hair:

“I think the mistake that most women make with their own hair is believing in the do-it-yourself method,” says Nadia. “Women who opt to doing their hair themselves might be causing more damage to their hair. Ultimately, they have to visit the salon professional to fix the problem they have caused to their own hair.” If you are guilty of this, grab a hat or a scarf and head over to  The Nadia Vassell Salon located in Manhattan’s Lower East Side for a quick fix.