Blaq Vixen Beauty

Rae from theNotice shares her skincare secret to flawless, pore-free skin.

Phyrra gives you an exclusive interview with Fyrinnae Cosmetics in February's Indie Spotlight.

Betty's Dragon Fruit Eye Look is now up at Betty Girl Makeup. It's her first tutorial and she's wicked excited!

Arianne at Glitter Geek is absolutely smitten over her new drugstore superhero -- Aveeno Hand Cream.

Lisa Kate attempts her first Konadicure...please help her!

Jellyminx goes shopping again and again and again and again!!

Sarah at I Heart Cosmetics hunted high and low, and finally managed to purchase the Estee Lauder and Michael Kors Very Hollywood Collection.

Thought you found your HG red lipstick? So did Hell Candy Make Up until she discovered this oh so glamorous lippie!

There be lemmings-a-plenty when Lipglossiping shows off NARS Purple Rain this week!

Tarte ReCreate Anti-Aging Foundation just so happens to be the answer to Prime Beauty's prayers.

Melovemakeup shows how gorgeous the eyeshadow in the Trucco Angelface Palette is - duochrome heaven!

Say bye bye to dark circles and hello to bright eyes with Liparazzi!

Maggie gets electrified by L'Oreal HiP's Black Shock.

This week on Get Lippie, Louise goes a little bananas at the makers of "Chemical Free" products and hopes she'll be forgiven.

Lisamarie from Beauty Crazed gets super excited by Chanel's new Fast Track Orient Extreme mini collection!

From Glamour's Girls in the Beauty Department---I follow Fiona Stiles on Twitter and her blog. I was so looking forward to reading about what products she used on Gabrielle Union at the 2010 BET Honors. As it turns out, she spilled the deets to Glamour's beauty blog instead!

[face] Stiles said, "Gabrielle was wearing a lovely pale gold beaded dress, so we wanted something glamorous but still young and light feeling. I focused on beautiful, fresh skin." Three products that Stiles used were Estee Lauder Individualist Natural Finish Makeup in Cognac, YSL Touche Eclat in #4, and Bobbi Brown Sheer Finish Loose Powder in Basic Brown.

[cheeks] Stiles blended NARS Blush in Lovejoy on the apples of Gabrielle's cheeks.

[eyes] Lancome Quad in Haute Sunset; Josie Maran Eye Shadow in Eternity; MAC Fluidline in BlackTrack. Stiles also focused on dramatic lashes, in which Shu Uemura played a part. Gabrielle wore two sets of Shu Uemura faux lashes. Stiles was going for "a bit of a 60's feeling." Lancome Virtuose Mascara helped merge the faux lashes and Gabrielle's real lashes together.

[lips] To finish the look, Stiles painted Union's pout with Lancome La Laque Fever Lip Shine in Lucent Nude.

Lip Gloss by Lancôme

Photo via Glamour

• Project Danielle wants to know what "Your Theme Song" is and is giving away Essie Mint Candy Apple polish in her first contest.
• Beauty is art. And The Glamour Whore proves it by debuting Guerlain's Cherry Blossom collection which is almost too gorgeous to use.
• You can't go wrong with Editor Picks by ferOHHHsh featuring the 3 S's to a fierce closet. Sequins, studs and symmetry.
• Everyone wants to start the new year off fresh but don't make the mistake of choosing the wrong hair color. Hot Beauty Health steers you in the right direction.
• A diva must be organized. Learn to make a DIY makeup brush holder over at Make-up/Music/Money/Me.
• Blaq Vixen Beauty may be refraining from New Years Resolutions, but she has 46 days left of the L'Oreal Lash Boosting Campaign
• Zoya's new duochrome collection Reverie  is hitting the streets this spring and Krasey Beauty has swatches to help you narrow down your selection (or convince you to get all of them!).
• Take fashion icon Michael Kors, team him up with makeup great Estee Lauder and what do you get? The Very Hollywood Collection which has Retro Diva smoldering.
• Even though it seems weird, putting something green on your face *isn't* just for costuming. Sparkle Crack Central investigates using color correctors.
• High End for Your Rear End shows you how to create wowza winter-wonderland looks, inspired by shopbop's ski-chic editorial. You're guaranteed some Aspen Aspirations.
• Diary of a Style Addict can't get enough of Ciara's photoshoot for French luxury magazine L'Officiel

Do you remember your first Fashion Fair product? Mine was the Oil-Free Perfect Finish Creme to Powder Makeup compact in Tender. This was back in November of 2006. I had just completed Navy boot camp and had transferred to Basic "A" Hospital Corps School, which was in the same city (Great Lakes, Illinois) but across the street.

After gushing to my mom about the massive selection of Dooney & Burke and Coach bags as well as shoes the local Navy Nex had, we decided to visit. You know that phrase, "Spending like sailors on leave?" Yep, that was me. I was buying all types of clothes, shoes, movies, etc. I wasn't as crazy about makeup though; the most I had ever experimented was with nail polish and lip gloss.

Still, to this day, I don't why I made my way to the Fashion Fair counter. I wasn't familiar with the other makeup counters - Lancome, Clinique, Elizabeth Arden, or Estee Lauder - so naturally I would gravitate towards the only Black makeup counter in the store, right? I read Ebony as well as Jet. I guess I was wondering if the brand was really as old-fashioned as the ads suggested.

If I remember correctly, the Fashion Fair rep wasn't there - in fact, it was someone else that matched me. I can't remember which counter she was from, but her makeup was flawless and she dressed like the girls I envied back in high school.

She did a great a job blending - I didn't look too made up and it didn't look like I had a mask on my face! Since I had no idea about setting powder at the time, my face was hella greasy-looking. I pretended that it just made my skin glow, just like that time I rubbed a Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula Swivel Stick all over my face. Glowing skin, my behind!

I tried it last year - the first time in two years - at the the Fort Sam Houston PX. That was the first time that I was matched for a Fashion Fair foundation in the Summer time. It looked okay - I can't remember which shade it was - but it wasn't until I stepped outside that I noticed that my face was darker than my face. This was before it oxidized. It was like prom night all over again!

Since then, I've thrown away my lone Fashion Fair foundation and haven't bothered buying another compact. Since I've found Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse foundation, I don't think I will!