For our fifth giveaway this year, we are teaming up with Specific Beauty. In honor of their new Clarifying Wash Acne Treatment, Specific Beauty will gift one lucky Blaq Vixen Beauty fan/reader a Specific Beauty Regimen bundle and the Clarfiying Wash Acne Treatment (a $100 value).

Click here to see giveaway requirements and enter.

We are extremely honored as Specific Beauty is the first (ever) skin care collection collection formulated specifically (hence the name) for African American (brown), Latina (olive) and Southeast Asian women (tan). It is also paraben- and fragrance-free! Don't you just love when dermatologists create skin care lines that are effective but affordable? Kudos to Dr. Heather Woolery-Lloyd!

Also, you can save 15% with our special coupon code "BLAQV15" when you shop at SpecificBeauty.com.

Sun Care at Target

The Specific Beauty Regimen bundle includes:

Clarifying Wash Acne Treatment Cleanser ($8.99). A salicylic acid wash gentle enough for daily use, yet tough enough to get into the pores to help reduce acne blemishes.

Professional Moisture Complex ($14.99). Paraben free moisture complex that uses plant derived ingredients to mimic the structure of natural skin lipids

Daily Gentle Cleanser ($8.99). An ultra gentle cleanser designed to maintain and replenish the skins' natural hydration.

Exfoliating Cleansing Cloths ($6.99). Dual-sided to carefully exfoliate the skin, while providing a deep clean to remove impurities, all without the need to rinse with water.

Daily Hydrating Lotion SPF 30 ($17.99). Daily moisturizer that provides broad spectrum protection against UVA and UVB rays with SPF 30.

Night Treatment Complex ($18.99). Lightweight skin brightening formula that helps improve skin texture while you sleep. [La La Vazquez is a fan!]

Skin Brightening Serum ($24.99). A special multi-benefit complex of licorice, antioxidants, retinol and niacinimide - to provide the skin with the ultimate brightening benefits.

To enter (all is required to have your entry counted):

• Be a Specific Beauty FB fan:http://www.facebook.com/SpecificBeauty
• Be a Blaq Vixen Beauty FB fan: http://www.facebook.com/BlaqVixBeauty
• Comment on the corresponding status for this post on our Facebook page along with your email address in this format: your_email at gmail dot com. Let us know you completed the requirements of this giveaway.
• To decrease the risk of spam, please do not type it in this format: youremail@gmail.com.
• Please do not comment anywhere else as it will be deleted and you will not be entered in the contest.
• Have to be in the continential U.S. to win.

Contest will end at 12:01 AM on Monday, September 26, 2011. No other entries will be accepted after that time.

Winner will be announced on this post and our Facebook page. Winner has 24 hours to respond with complete mailing info (name, home/work address, phone number) to blaqvixenbeauty at gmail dot com. If initial winner does not respond within designated time frame, the winner-up will be contacted and so on.

Thanks for entering and good luck!

Enter my giveaway! Ends this Friday, April 8th at 11:59 PM.

bareMinerals recently found another way to keep their loyal customers (and possibly new ones) "naturally luminous." With the addition of the bareMinerals Skin Care line, not only do you have "makeup so pure you can sleep it in" but you also have skin care that were made to be "simple, super-effective and incredibly easy to use." These new products are also powered by the RareMinerals Active Soil Complex. If you didn't have much success with the bareMinerals makeup (even with the new shades), then maybe the bareMinerals Skin Care Line could help as it promises to:

• increase cell turnover
• decrease fine lines
• decrease wrinkles
• give your skin the famous bareMinerals Naturally Luminous Glow

Love to give you that glow!

From Brown Bombshell Beauty---I was initially confused when I read Gabrielle Union was launching a new skin care line for women of color on Twitter. Union has been a Neutrogena spokesperson since 2004. Among the many commercials she's done for Neutrogena, her Visibly Even commerical stands out because I thought it was specifically geared toward women of color. Just now, I logged on the website and noticed that the only product available for the Visibly Even line is the Daily Moisturizer SPF 30. Is the Visibly Even line being phased out to make room for this new collection exclusively for women of color? This might be the case!

I also checked out the Neutrogena fan page - there hasn't been an announcement confirming or denying these new products. When they do, I'll update this post. :)

Are you excited or skeptical? The announcement seemed to come out of nowhere from Women's Wear Daily (WWD) - well, not exactly since it was revealed after Gabrielle Union was spotted with Mena Suvari at Christian Siriano's show this past fashion week.

Face Moisturizers by Neutrogena

Image via buddytv

13 karat diamond hoop earrings (at a whopping $14,000) aside, I think my favorite part of the season premiere of What Chilli Wants 2 was the spa scene. As you could imagine, I was totally envious at the way Chilli's skin was glowing at the beginning and at the end of her treatment. Of course, Chilli is a big fan of drinking water (she does have an endorsement deal with Dasani)  and getting her beauty sleep, two resolutions that I need to keep for 2011. Vitamin C serum is one beauty product that she feels is "really, really important" according to an interview she did with Rolling Out magazine in 2008.

This episode kind of made me feel "unpretty."

More Clinique...

I've had some time to think about why I was having such adverse reactions to the Clinique Even Better Clinical Dark Spot Corrector six months after I stopped using it and updating you all on my progress. I've even managed to come up with a theory: If you have extremely sensitive, scarred skin (like me), you cannot use the Clinique Even Better Clinical Dark Spot Corrector and the Clinique Even Better Skin Tone Correcting Moisturizer without exfoliating.

Read more!

Editor's note: Since I only made it halfway in my Clinique Even Better Clinical regimen (6 weeks), I can't really write a full review on it yet. Since the majority of my visitors come to Blaq Vixen Beauty searching for information on this product, I figured I treat this post as a Q&A, not an official review. Updated 6 April 2011.

Question: Are you using Clinique Even Better Clinical Dark Spot Corrector correctly?

Answer: "Hannah," a Clinique consultant over at Paula Begoun's Beauty Bunch blog, provided this simple regimen (with some of my recommendations thrown in) just in case you are not sure:

1. Clean your face completely - simply removing your makeup does not count!
2. Apply the Dark Spot Corrector directly on the skin.
3. Apply Clinique Even Better Skin Tone Correcting Moisturizer.
4. Liberally apply a broad spectrum (protects against UVA and UVB rays), water-resistant sunscreen with a SPF of at least 30+ 15 to 30 minutes before going outdoors. Please be consistent in applying the sunscreen after apply the serum. Remember, a few hours of excess sun exposure can stimulate your pigment-producing melanocytes and undo week of skin care (source). DSC contains melanin-inhibiting ingredients which will make your skin sensitive to the sun.
5. Use twice daily - morning and night. One bottle is a 4-week supply if used correctly.

Prepare to invest in three bottles of Clinique Even Better Clinical to see the full benefits of the bottle but Hannah says that you should see results with the first bottle. I'm refraining from adding my two cents here. :)

Editor's note: The products mentioned in this article were sent for editorial consideration.

Yesterday night and this morning, I finally started my JolieMD Metamorphosis regimen, which goes a little something like this:

• Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser
• JolieMD Metamorphosis Softening Serum
• JolieMD Metamorphosis Enlightening Lotion
• Jan Marini Daily Face Protectant SPF 30 (will use this until I run out)

I've decided to exclude the 100% Natural Botanicals Witch Hazel Daily Facial Toner because the doctors (of JolieMD Metamorphosis) said that even though this toner shouldn't be a problem it could cause dryness. Furthermore, I shouldn't be using it with the products.

Now based on my experiences in the past, this particular toner has not dried my skin out at all. In fact, it did the opposite - it helped my skin stay moisturized. I'm not too pleased that I have to omit using a toner but if it will hinder my results, then I'll skip the witch hazel.

I just want to be successful.

A fellow beauty enthusiast spilled an invaluable beauty secret: the "pat/press" method. Finally, there's a way to "get your skin care down pat."

Risi Leanne, one of the editors of the Palacinka beauty blog, revealed, "I learned from the Clarins skin care team to always apply cleanser, eye cream and moisturizer (this is the correct order) with the "pat/press" method. Instead of moving the cream around my face in a circular motion, I warm it up in my hands - then press on. It gives my skin an instant glow and I find the product absorbs much better. My favorite is Clarins Multi-Active Early Wrinkle Correcting Lotion with SPF 15."  (beauty secret #5)

Still interested? Read on!

Today, after reading that Johnson's Baby Oil Gel with Shea Butter & Cocoa Butter won Best Body Oil in the Shecky's 2009 Beauty at Its Best Awards, I had a vintage Vibe Vixen moment. I swear I had a mental image of the Vixen favorite on an oiled, melon background.

Deemed as "Vixen Verified," this "Clear Winner" (Jun/July 2007)  remains the ultimate beauty multiltasker, according to Baze Mpinja. I'm sure your mothers, aunts and grandmothers were using this beloved oil back in the '60s and '70s, right? Of course, they didn't hesitate to slather a healthy amount of oil on you too! "You can still get the classic beauty staple in its original formula, which smells faintly of baby powder, or you can switch it up and try aloe vera or lavender, the other two subtle scents," Baze reminded us. Let's not forget about the other testimonies of its versatility: it's a makeup remover, a shaving gel, and brillance in a bottle (read: best moisturizer for a miniskirt!)

While I usually just stick to the original formula, I might just have to pick up this version infused with shea and cocoa butter, two of my favorite moisturizers ever. I predict that I'll be using this all-year long, especially in the summer when I take my second mini-vacay.  In addition, I'll be picking up another bottle of Johnson's Body Care 24 Hour Moisturizing Body Wash. I was in the market for a new body wash altogether. At first, I wanted something organic but the prices weren't exactly up my alley. I thought for sure that I would have to resort to my favorites - namely Tone or Caress - until I spied one of the products from Johnson's new skin care line for adults.

Does Johnson have your back?