Guest Blogger

Celebrity makeup artist Brett Freedman has worked with stars such as Camilla Belle, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Emily Blunt, and Selena Gomez, and now he's here to share his best beauty advice with us. So get ready for some insider tips, makeup how-tos, and Brett's infectious personality. We're thrilled to present to you his introductory post! Take it away, Brett.

How fun it will be to write for BellaSugar for the next eight weeks! To ensure you're just as excited as I am, I'm going to give you a rundown on who I am and what I'm about. I'm a LA-based makeup artist, creator of Vanitymark Cosmetics (a boutiquey line of brow products), and all-around awesome guy — at least that's what my assistant says. And if you like my tips and product suggestions, maybe you'll think so, too. Learn more about the man behind the makeup when you read more.

Editor’s note: The following guest post was written by Robert Reid, the US travel editor for Lonely Planet.

This will be my final blog post for you all! And this is your last chance to download any of our 15 free mini-guides off our website so go now and collect them all before they go away on September 5th.

Since this weekend is Labor Day, I’m sure many of you already have your travel plans set. Thus, I won’t give you new suggestions for where to go but rather give some advice that you can perhaps use this weekend, and for years to come.

With rising airfares, hotel costs, and gas prices, people fortunate (and unfortunate) enough to live in destination-friendly places often get a double-dose of cousins and friends dropping by to set up camp for a few days, or more.

But being a good host or guest isn't easy, so how do you make sure you're still friends at the end of the stay, and maybe even have plans for doing it all again next year? We need rules! So, we polled the Lonely Planet staff, and came up with a set of rules for hosts and house guests alike.

Lonely Planet co-founder Tony Wheeler was one of the first to offer a rule for house guests: "The oldest line is still the best — guests and fish begin to smell after three days. Or, like fish, guests should go off after three days." There you have it — Rule #1: Three days max, even for family. If you're staying longer, get a hotel.

A general rule everyone should follow: have fun, but remember to play fair.

For house guests:

• If you borrow your hosts' car, fill up the tank.
• Contribute to food: assist in shopping or offer money for groceries. Or replace things like milk and toilet paper as they are used. If you have dietary restrictions, bring your own food. Do the dishes. Or take your hosts out to dinner.
• Send a hand-written thank you note. It's a nice touch.

Read on for more house guest rules.

Editor's Note: This is an article written by Cooking Channel's Kelsey Nixon. Here, Kelsey debunks the idea that date night dinners are just for weekends.

This week, my husband and I celebrated our third wedding anniversary. It almost makes me sad that we aren't considered "newlyweds" anymore; thank goodness we still feel like we fit into this category. We're far from perfect, but we're still smitten with one another. I've been told that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach countless times, and while I partially agree with that cliché, the thoughtfulness that surrounds food often gets me much further.

Scheduling meaningful date nights can feel like another thing to pile on a to-do list — not to mention it can be tough on the pocketbook if, in your eyes, this means fancy restaurants and Broadway shows.

See how she transforms Tuesdays into terrific date nights — along with her favorite date night dinner! — when you read on.

Editor's Note: The following is an article written by Cooking Channel personality Kelsey Nixon. Here, Kelsey makes a case for summertime slow cooking.When I got married a few years ago, I was kindly gifted seven slow cookers. You heard me right: seven of them. One of them was even in the shape of a football! I tucked them away, giving them to friends and family who were interested, because I was sure I'd never have use for a slow cooker.

Thank goodness I've put that silly idea out of my head and started embracing my slow cooker! I really fell in love with this essential kitchen tool during cooler months for those hearty dishes that cook low and slow for hours on end. It's the epitome of little effort with big payoff. Ever since, I've been on a crusade to make sure that everyone I know is in on the slow cooker secret. Everyone should have one — I'm convinced.

Find out why slow cooker recipes are ideal warm-weather foods when you keep reading.

Editor's Note: The following is a guest article written by the always amazing Kelsey Nixon. Here, Kelsey explains how she comes up with the recipes that she features on her Cooking Channel show.

As I chat with friends and viewers about the new season of Kelsey's Essentials, one of the things they find most surprising is that an entire "season" is actually shot in about a week. When we shoot my show we basically move in to the set for a week, and then won't return to the set for several months until it's time to shoot the following season.

Right now season two of Kelsey's Essentials is just kicking off on Cooking Channel and I am in between seasons. As I gear up for the next round of filming, it is of the utmost importance that I am constantly in recipe development mode. After filming an entire season, which is usually around 50-60 original recipes, I am in serious need of some inspiration!

To find out what dish has Kelsey inspired in Italy, keep reading.

Editor's note: The following is a guest post written by Cooking Channel personality Kelsey Nixon; she's the host of Kelsey's Essentials, which debuts its second season tomorrow. In her first article, she discusses three of her Summer must haves.

To kick things off I wanted to share a favorite tip, tool, and technique that I consider essential in my kitchen during the Summer months.

• Tip: Break up with your oven. Preheating the oven on a warm, Summer day for dinner or dessert can send the internal temperature of your home or apartment soaring through the roof. Summer is a great time to make recipes that don’t require the oven. This usually means quick cooking times, fresh food, and cooler living spaces. On the first episode of Kelsey’s Essentials, airing June 25, I share my favorite Summer desserts that require no cooking in the oven. I’ll even show you how to bake a cake in the refrigerator!

See Kelsey's essential tool and cooking technique when you read more.

Ever since we met the perky blonde on the fourth season of The Next Food Network Star, we've been huge fans of Kelsey Nixon. Thus, we're incredibly excited to announce that the up-and-coming Food Network personality will be guest blogging here on YumSugar!

For the next couple of weeks, Kelsey will be sharing her tips and cooking essentials. She'll give us a behind-the-scenes look at what inspires her and even take us on her Italian vacation. We're thrilled about the partnership and can't wait to read what Kelsey has to say. Be sure to come back tomorrow for her first article.

Ever wonder what it would be like to travel the world teaching seminars on cheese? We have, so we asked the food industry's most glamorous cheese lady, Laura Werlin, to give us a glimpse at her delicious life! Here, she shares a recent experience.

Most people don’t feel sorry for me when I tell them I have to go to places like Aspen, Pebble Beach, South Beach and similar hardship locations to conduct cheese and wine pairings (not). This week’s trip was no exception. I got to go to the other mile-high city, Boulder, to talk grilled cheese and wine.

The event was a fundraiser for Attention Homes, which is a pretty amazing organization that provides residential treatment and shelter to at-risk kids between the ages of 12 and 18. Attention Homes is also heavily involved in helping the area’s approximately 150 homeless kids by getting them the help they need.

Who ever thinks much about the problem of homeless kids? Evidently it’s a much bigger problem than we knew. But I digress. What better way to shine the spotlight on such a great organization than through the joie de vivre that comes from an evening devoted to good cheese and wine in a fantastic setting?

To learn what kind of sandwiches she served, keep reading.

Last weekend was the Pebble Beach Food and Wine Festival. Since we couldn't make it, we asked cheese expert Laura Werlin to give us a behind-the-scenes look! Here she discusses her seminars and provides some pointers on how to pair wine with her specialty, grilled cheese.
When you think of Pebble Beach, you probably think of golf. But not me. All I can think of is that it’s the home of the utterly, completely, amazing over-the-top Pebble Beach Food & Wine event. The fourth annual extravaganza, which featured chefs like Tom Colicchio, Anne Burrell, Tim Love, Daniel Boulud, Stephen Pyles, Christopher Kostow, Chris Cosentino, Michael Chiarello, Gary Danko, Ming Tsai, and approximately 85 others, took place over a sunny weekend in April. I was lucky enough to be one of the presenters to do what I do — say cheese, of course. I gave two seminars, each with a different theme. One was grilled cheese and wine pairing (yep, you read that right) and the other was cheese paired with the über impressive wines of Oregon winery Domaine Serene.

For the cheese and Domaine Serene presentation, I paired six American cheeses with five wines that included Chardonnay, Pinot, Rosé and Syrah.

To see what cheeses she paired with the wines from Oregon, keep reading.