I got a chance to work with one of my favorite clients HGTV for 3 seasons of "Bang For Your Buck". The show goes all over the United States looking at homeowners renovations to see who used their money to get the best "bang for your buck" with design and resale value.

This month I hit the road to work with Monica Pederson in New York, Vern Yip in North Carolina and David Bromstad in Colorado. You can see more behind the scene images and video by clicking onto a picture.

The homes that we go to are always so beautiful and I always get a new tip on what you should and shouldn't do for spaces but sometimes each location can be an adventure in itself.

My adventure this time?....New York!

When heard I would be working in New York I got excited because I love New York. --Who doesn't?!--but then I heard it was Albany New York. Hmm...."Don't know too much about Albany," I thought "Great! A new city to explore." I decided to be adventurous and fly into New York city at the JFK Airport and drive to Albany, you know, so I can catch more of the scenery. With my trusty GPS system I couldn't get lost! Besides Albany was only about 1 1/2 hours away. I'll have plenty to see.

I picked up my rental car, threw on the radio and started driving. Everything seemed fine until my drive turned into 3 1/2 hours long. "Oh my goodness! Why is this taking so long?!" I thought as I looked at the clock as midnight quickly approached. "I should be at my hotel now!" Frustrated and tired, I stopped for gas and a snack but I knew I had to press on. I jumped in the car and started down the road again.

The road started changing from the alternate highway to a dark curvy rural road. I thought "This area looks like one of those horror movies where someone winds up dead! I hope no deer jump out and make me crash." For some reason it never dawned on me that I was mainly driving the back roads and by-passing the main highway until then. "Okay, where is the stupid highway?" Ranting, I looked out of the window to see nothing but black. "I'm in a different country, aren't I? Where is civilization?!? Maybe there is something wrong with the GPS system? Why didn't I think of that 4 hours ago?" I yelled as I grabbed the small computerized box off of my windshield.

I selected the tools and settings to see if it was told to avoid the highway.

NO!

Now let me check to see if it was told to avoid traffic.

NO!

Okay, well maybe it was me! Maybe I didn't map out the length of time it would take correctly before I booked my flight. *sigh!* I'll just keep going and hopefully I won't die out here in Never Never Land!

Finally it said I only had 15 minutes left before I would get to the hotel. Yey! Seeing that on the GPS gave me the energy I needed to stay awake for the last stretch! All I need to do is go down this road and turn left! As the light turned green for me to go, I noticed that I was being instructed to go down a one way street. "Okay! Can't go there! Maybe the GPS isn't updated to know this is a one way street." I shrugged, "I will go another way". So I turn left and try to figure out how to go around the street to the other side another way. After turning down a couple of dead ends and into a factory parking lot I finally found my way to the other side.

"All right! Enough is enough! There must be something wrong with this GPS!" It had never done this before. So upon arriving at my hotel, I parked my car for another closer look at that GPS again. I turn it off and turn it back on again to see if that would make a difference. When it came back on my hand accidentally hits a setting area that I wasn't aware of. "Oh, what is this? I didn't know that there are more setting options." These options can go from automobile to pedestrian?! Want to take a guess what it was on?! That's right! PEDESTRIAN!! So the whole time the GPS was thinking that I was on foot and so it chose a walkable route which took me 5 hours to get to instead of the 2 hour drive!

Come to find out, my husband decided to "experiment" with the settings to see how it would work while he walked around a few days before my trip and forgot to change it back!

Beauty Questions

Beauty question: "I am a medium toned african american woman with yellowish undertones. Normally, only red lipstick looks good on me. How can I find a nude lip color and gloss that will look great on me and won't make my teeth look yellow. Please help."- from Angela in Texas.

Answer: I like using Maybelling New York Color Sensational Lipstick. The texture is creamy so it glides on smooth and makes your lips feel moist and soft. They are specifically designed from the latest runway colors to ensure that your look is up-to-date yet wearable.

Picking a shade is easy because all of the colors are in categories of either plum, red, brown or natural. Since you want a nude color, I would suggest picking from the 'natural' catagory.

Start by looking at your lips to see if it has more brown or more pink-brown tones, then choose a shade that is the closest to that color. To make sure you teeth look their brightest avoid picking a color with a lot of yellow or orange to it. Opt for a more of a neutral or cool tone instead. One of my favorite natural shades is Autumn Rush because it has just the right amount of brown and pink to look great on most people.

Or you can try the Maybelline New York Color Sensational Lip Gloss. My favorite natural glosses are Touch of Toffee and Broadway Bronze.

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So do you have a beauty question? Come on, don't be shy. Ask me! I'll be happy to answer it for you.
Now it is time for.....

MY FAVORITE THINGS

My favorite thing this month is my Japonesqu makeup brushes. I love how thick and soft the bristles are. I have 3 full sets of brushes since I have so many projects. It makes it easier to just grab a clean brush when I need it instead of worring about cleaning it between applications.

My favorite brush is the blender brush, or some brands call it the blending crease brush. I use it to soften eye shadow color, and to apply face powder in small areas of the face, like around the nostrils. It picks up just the right amout of product I need!