Blaq Vixen Beauty

Photographer Tyren Redd (@graphiqmind) posted this breathtaking picture as a Twitpic. Brittany Cooper (@BENTLEY_COOP) is the model. She is wearing Ja'Maal Buster's "2nd Date Guaranteed" Lashes.

Celebrity makeup artist Samuel Paul created this lovely look for Anika Noni Rose for the 3rd Annual Essence Black Women in Hollywood Luncheon. The rundown as follows:

eyes. "I blended NARS Single Eyeshadow Compact in Bengali softly around the whole eye and then lined the top lid with NARS Eye Liner Pencil in Black Moon, I applied MAC Eyeshadow in Carbon over the liner and blended it out. I also used NARS Eye Liner Pencil in Black Moon to line the inner eye rim. I then coated Rose's top and bottom lashes with L'Oreal Voluminous Mascara For Lashes in Carbon Black."

blush. "I used MAC Powder Blush in Sweet as Cocoa to contour the cheeks. Then used Cargo Blush in Laguna on the apples of her cheeks."

lips. "I fill in her entire lips with NARS Lipliner Pencil in Jilted Love and then filled in with NARS Lip Gloss in Dolce Vita."

As I mentioned yesterday, we have teamed up with Korres to give 3 (three) readers a chance to win Korres' newest primer: the Quercetin & Oak Age-Reversing Face Primer.

A powerful treatment and skin-perfecting facial primer clinically proven to improve skin texture by 97%.

What it does: This powerful treatment and skin-perfecting face primer in one instantly fills wrinkles and produces a smooth and perfected skin surface—ensuring long-lasting make up application.

The formula is enriched with powerful antioxidant Quercetin and Oak extracts, which improve skin cell functioning, repair fine lines and wrinkles, and improve skin texture and elasticity.

The revolutionary, breakthrough Quercetin & Oak Age-reversing Primer is clinically proven to improve skin texture by 97% and significantly increase skin elasticity by 88%.

It is formulated without parabens, sulfates, synthetic fragrances, synthetic dyes, petro-chemicals, phthalates, GMOs, and triclosan.

If for some reason you cannot see the box above, please visit our giveaway page on Contest Machine. Also, if you cannot wait to try this primer, remember to use our code BLAQVIXEN to get 20% off your order and a free deluxe sample of the Korres Quercetin & Oak Age-Reversing Face Primer with any $25 purchase on KorresUSA. This offer is valid until 4/23. Unfortunately, it cannot be combined with any other offers.

Three (3) entries will be chosen at random among the entrants (readers). This giveaway will end Tuesday, March 16, 2010 at 11:55 PM (CST). On Wednesday, March 17, 2010, Blaq Vixen Beauty will announce the winners' names. Only one entry per person, please; entering multiple times will not increase your chances of winning.

This Korres Quercetin & Oak Age-Reversing Face Primer giveaway is open to U.S. residents only. Please use an email address that you check often. If you are picked (at random through Contest Machine) as the winner, please respond before Friday, March 19, 2010. Please include your name and mailing address. If no response is received, another winner will be picked at random. Thanks for entering and good luck!

This promotion pic is from her upcoming album, "Fleshtones." When I first saw it, I had a sort of Avatar/Dune moment. Kelis looks like an "alternate universe" Na'vi. And if you're familiar with "Dune," then you would know that Chani (Paul Atreides' wife/concubine) has blue within blue eyes. Yes, I'm that chick.

Excited as I was to finally review Paula Begoun's "Don't Go to the Cosmetics Counter Without Me," 7th Edition, today I am even more excited because of two things. First, not only am I receiving the 8th Edition (which came out January 2010) but Ms. Begoun's office asked me if there were any specific lines that I think they should review.

My picks would be Steelo Cosmetics, Black Radiance, Black Opal, Iman Cosmetics, Flori Roberts, Fashion Fair, Interface, and the CoverGirl Queen Collection.

I'm extremely curious to know what WOC friendly brands you all would love to see in the book. Just leave a comment and I'll be sure to pass along the information!

As we all saw last night with Zoe Saldana, Paula Patton and Queen Latifah, flawless glowing skin is a requirement when gracing the Red Carpet. Besides the dazzling gowns, exquisite jewelry and accessories, your skin is not only your largest organ but it is truly your most prized fashion accessory. It requires maintenance, dedication and discipline. I would also like to add that it requires you to be hungry and meticulous to produce effective results. You have to possess that hunger, that fire to have skin such as these lovely ladies.

Maybe you've given up or you're slowly embracing the fact that you may never have such flawless skin. I can't tell you how many times I've told myself that it was okay that my skin isn't in the best shape. And no matter how many times I try to cover up my scars with makeup, I'm always going to look "off." Till this day, I am haunted by what fellow beauty editor Julia Conley (of All About the Pretty) said in a Blog Talk Radio interview about how your makeup doesn't look as flawless when your skin is jacked up...or something to that effect.

I try not to think about it too much but when I was writing my Opulent at the Oscars posts, I kept imagining myself with radiant, unblemished skin...without makeup. When I think of my skin history, I think about my struggles with chickenpox (childhood) and acne (teens and adult life).

This is why I want to invite you all to mySkin, an unbiased skincare advice community that I signed up for some months ago but haven't really had time to explore until now. Since this site is not open to the public yet and is only available to those with invitations, my special invite code is BLAQVIXEN.

mySkin offers you a virtual skincare cabinet stocked with products that were formulated specifically for your skin type and concerns. One of the highlights of this community is that they don't sell/make products, promote certain products on their site or feature advertising from skincare manufacturers. I love that mySkin isn't swayed by the latest, greatest or trendiest developments in the skincare market. They promise to remain "independent and neutral" so we won't feel obligated to purchase certain products.

Since this is just an introductory post, I don't want to go into too much detail about the site. However, I will say that because mySkin has so many features, I am planning to highlight a different feature of the site in upcoming posts.

In the meantime, what beauty applications/sites are you using to help you motivate you to improve/upkeep the appearance of your skin?

*Edit:* Use the code BLAQVIXEN to get a 20% discount and FREE Deluxe Oak Primer with a $25 purchase or more at KorresUSA. This offer is good through 4/23.

Shortly after I spotted Korres newest primer, the Quercetin & Oak Face Primer, in my latest Sephora Beauty Insider email, I received more information on why this primer is a wonderful beauty booster.

It contains oak extract, which "visibly increases elasticity and reduces wrinkles at the cellular level." In layman terms, it means that you can expect to see dramatically smoother, more refined skin. Also, you'll see the collagen levels in your skin "radically boosted."

The other ingredient, Quercetin, dramatically improves skin cell functioning returning cells to a more youthful state.

If you needed another reason to become a Sephora Beauty Insider, here's another: You can try Korres Oak Primer before it hits stores - for FREE. All you have to do is enter the code OAKPRIME at checkout to secure your deluxe sample (0.34 oz.; $11 value).

Not only that, but this primer claims to act as a beauty treatment by improving skin texture (97%), skin elasticity (88%), firming and tightening the skin (84%) and lifting the skin (75%).

Since Korres is so proud of this latest innovation, they offered me the chance to share the benefits of Quercetin and Oak with you all. I'm in the middle of discussing the details of a giveaway with Korres but I just wanted to give you all a heads up. Stay tuned!

“We wanted to achieve a sexy and sophisticated look while keeping it balanced with her dress. With luminous skin and neutral-glossed lips, I was able to really focus on her beautiful almond-shaped eyes.”

-Vera Steimberg for NARS Cosmetics

Even the 82nd Annual Academy Awards couldn't stop Zoe Saldana from living it up in the luminous lane on the red carpet! She wore a jewel-encrusted Givenchy gown from the Spring 2010 collection. The following NARS products were used to achieve a fresh, resplendent effect:

face. Instead of bothering with foundation or concealer, Steimberg turned to NARS Orgasm Illuminator. This allowed Saldana's skin to take on a wonderful incandescence.

eyes. Steimberg pat on Brousse Duo Eyeshadow. Of the Sable/Black Violet duo, Steimberg said it was "sexy and sophisticated." She then lined Saldana's eyes with NARS Eyeliner Stylo Eyeliner in Nuits Blanches. Steimberg applied several coats of NARS Larger Than Life Volumizing Mascara in Black. To complete the look, Steimberg decided to add shu uemura False Eyelashes Slant Black. She applied them with the shu uemura False Eyelash Applicator and then merged Saldana's real lashes with the falsies with the shu uemura Eyelash Curler. Although it wasn't mentioned, I'm sure Steimberg used shu uemura Eyelash Adhesive to apply the false eyelashes.

cheeks. To make Saldana's cheekbones pop, Steimberg used NARS The Multiple Multi-Purpose Stick in Lamu (which is, unfortunately, not available at the present time but keep your eyes peeled this April) as a contour, blending this product over the Orgasm Illuminator. However, you can also try NARS The Multiple Multi-Purpose Stick in South Beach to achieve a similar effect. As for blush, Steimberg reached for another yet-to-be-released product: Enchanted Cream Blush (also available this April) but for you glow-getters at home, Gueule de Nuit Cream Blush serves as a substitute.

lips. Saldana is wearing a combination of Love Devotion Lipstick (the third product scheduled to be released April 15th) and NARS Lip Gloss in Ophelia. Casblanca Lipstick can be substituted for Love Devotion.

Man, this chick keeps glowing, and glowing, and glowing...thankfully celebrity makeup artist Mylah Morales was able to keep this radiant mama-to-be looking gorgeous.

face. "I started by applying shu uemura Brightening Cleansing Oil to clean up her skin and create an ideal canvas for foundation application. Next I applied Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation in #8 and set the foundation with a sheer layer of shu uemura Face Powder Matte in 5YR Dark followed by CoverGirl Queen Collection Natural Hue Minerals Bronzer in Light Bronze for a gorgeous, bronze glow."

eyes. "To accentuate and enhance Paula’s stunning orange dress, I focused on gold and brown shades for her eyes. I applied gold powder shadow in the corners of her eyes followed by a layer of CoverGirl Smoky Shadow Blast Shadow Stick in Bronze Fire over her lid for a gorgeous red carpet eye look. I completed her eye look with a few swipes of CoverGirl LashBlast Length Mascara in Very Black for dramatic, ultra-long lashes."

cheeks. "To complete Paula’s overall look I applied NARS Powder Blush Cheek Color in Taj Mahal followed by shu uemura depsea water facial mist to lock-in Paula’s makeup and help it last her through the night."

lips. "For Paula’s lips, I kept them pretty natural and used a peachy shade of gloss that matched her natural lipcolor."