Blaq Vixen Beauty

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."

Tia Lanell (of ArTIAstrty fame and "Brush Talk") is the one responsible for making Queen Latifah's mom look fab for the 2010 BET Honors on January 16th.

face. Lanell mixed foundations from her Make-up Designory Cosmetics foundation palette. She then set the foundation with Bobbi Brown Pressed Powder.

eyes. Satiny soft bronze on the lid with MAC Eyeshadow in Satin Taupe in  the crease. Deep plum shadow on the lower half of her lids and the outer corners. Ms. Owens also wore false lashes for the event which made her look that more fabulous!

cheeks. For a blush contour, Lanell reached for Cargo Bronzer in Coral Beach.

lips. Mrs. Owens wore a combo of peach lipstick topped with a golden gloss. Lanell assured, "Not too glossy though. It gave her a copper-toned lip to go with her stunning chocolate brown evening gown."

Oh, the joys of Twitter! I have celebrity makeup artist Tia Dantzler to thank for my recent discovery of Smoke and Mirrors Beauty by Stephen Moleski (also known as @themakeupman). Smoke and Mirrors Beauty is a 100% human hair lash line which consist of 7 styles - which are all named after famous cities. Khadijah Haqq is wearing the "Hollywood Lash" on both her upper and lower lash lines.

Haqq praised Stephen Moleski, saying, "Stephen is an amazing artist that you can trust to beat your face and make you fierce. Whenever I want to step it up a notch, lashes are a huge part of that and Stephen is the perfect person to create that lash."

If you want to experience the fabulous Smoke and Mirrors Beauty line for yourself, then you're in luck because Kim and Khloe Kardashian are holding contests on both of their Celebuzz blogs. Stephen Moleski and the Kardashian sisters have teamed up to give away 10 pairs of Smoke and Beauty lash sets!

All you have to do is visit the site and take a look at the descriptions for each of the lashes for inspiration. Then you are to choose any other city (doesn't necessarily have to be in the United States) and leave a comment revealing which city you chose, what your set of lashes would look like and why.

Also, check out Khloe's post which features Khadijah Haqq's sister, Malika. They went to the 2010 Sundance Film Festival together.

Ladies (and gents), I'd like to introduce you all to Leah Patterson, the creator of Etniq Minerals. Leah contacted me a little while back about her line and she even sent me some samples to test out. Unfortunately, this was during the time that I lost my camera. I was using my mom's camera but I knew that it wouldn't be able to capture the intensity or the vibrancy of the samples. However, I have my camera now so you can expect to see some photos of me modeling Etniq Minerals soon!

Here is a picture of Leah modeling some of the items from her line. She is wearing the following:

eyes. Midnight Shadow (lids), Snowbaby Shadow (highlight).

cheeks. Pumpkin Spice Shadow ("I created this warm burnt orange to celebrate fall, Thanksgiving, and of course pumpkins! It goes on with a nice shimmer for a perfect day time color. Add a little water and get a striking deep orange to spice up your night look!). I want to add that the color orange is on trend for Spring 2010. It was seen at the Erin Fetherston show - try the trend yourself by copping MAC Blushcreme in Optimistic Orange, a bright coral orange. I saw it today (at the MAC store inside Macy's at the NorthStar Mall) and I still wasn't sold on it. It's too loud for me!

lips. Rare Shadow.

The best feature of this line is that none of the products contain talc, bismuth oxychloride, preservatives, or synthetic fragrances. Also, each product is multifunctional - you can use each item as an eyeshadow, eyeliner, lip gloss/lipstick, or nail polish! Click here to read more information!

So again, please stay tune as I figure out some ways to incorporate Etniq Minerals in my upcoming face-of-the-days (FOTDs)!

Editor's Note: Recently, I found out that celebrity makeup artist Nick Barose initially did Kerry Washington's makeup, courtesy of Beauty Blitz. I think celebrity makeup artist Brandy Gomez-Duplessis may have retouched Washington. Anyhow, I've updated it to include which products that Barose used as well. Enjoy!

Celebrity makeup artist Brandy Gomez-Duplessis did Kerry Washington's makeup for the 2010 Sundance Film Festival. What I love about this beauty breakdown is that you can hit up your nearest CVS, Walgreens or Wal-Mart and buy all of these products. Did you know that Brandy has been a L'Oreal Pro Makeup Artist for 6 years? She says of the brand: "I can proudly say I enjoy working with L'Oreal Paris makeup. My many makeup kits are 95% L'Oreal. One of my favorite brands in the L'Oreal Paris family is the L'Oreal high intensity pigments HIP line which will soon be the Professional Studio Secrets."

"Kerry was such a sweetheart and was very easy to work on," Gomez-Duplessis revealed. Here is what she used from L'Oreal:

face. L'Oreal True Match Foundation in Nut Brown, L'Oreal Paris Bare Naturale Gentle Mineral Powder in Classic Tan.

eyes. L'Oreal HIP Color Rich Cream Eyeliner in Black, L'Oreal HIP High Intensity Pigments Concentrated Shadow Duo in Sassy.  Gomez-Duplessis selected the taupe shade from this duo. L'Oreal Panoramic Curl Extreme Curl & Separating Mascara in Blackest Black. Lancome Artliner in Noir.

cheeks. L'Oreal True Match Blush in Rosy Outlook. shu uemura Glow On Peach.

lips. First, Washington's lips were prepped with L'Oreal Bare Naturale Gentle Lip Conditioner in Soft Sugar to protect them from the cold Utah weather. Gomez-Duplessis kept Washington's lip color soft with L'Oreal HIP Shine Struck Liquid Lipcolor in Euphoric. L'Oreal Paris Infallible Never Fail Lip Gloss in Modern Mauve.

Here is another picture from the Entertainment Weekly Lounge presented by L'Oreal Paris:

Did you all catch the 2010 BET Awards last night? I catched bits and pieces of the show but I did manage to catch Jennifer Hudson singing, "I Will Always Love You," which was a tribute to the incomparable Whitney Houston. As always, Hudson delivered! I believe that we will always love Hudson as well.  I can't wait to see what else she has in store for us in 2010!

Celebrity makeup artist Tia Dantzler said, "I loved JHud's two outfits for the night so, makeup-wise, I went with a graduated smokey eye with a soft blended wing, pink blush and two beautiful lip glosses to finish off her look."  I hope I can get more details on Jennifer Hudson's look for the BET Honors. I'll keep you all posted, of course! I think celebrity hairstylist Lawrence Davis may have done Hudson's hair for the BET Honors but I do know for sure that he hooked her up for the Grammys!

Photos courtesy of Tia Dantzler's beauty blog, The Beauty Elixir. Follow Tia Dantzler, Lawrence Davis and Jennifer Hudson on Twitter.

Editor's Note: The CoverGirl product mentioned in this article was sent for editorial consideration.

After reading Zoe Saldana's exclusive beauty breakdown on Beauty Logic, I was prompted to do a bit of research of my own. It seems like I discover a "new" makeup artist everyday. Today, I discovered celebrity makeup artist Vera Steimberg. According to Hollywood Life, Steimberg is responsible for keeping the Dominican dime looking luminous at several events to include the LA premiere of Avatar, the London premiere of Avatar and most recently, the 2010 Golden Globes. After starring in "Avatar" and teaming up with Avon to make "Eternal Magic," I'm besotted with this babe.

The star products: Yves Saint Laurent TOUCHE ÉCLAT Radiant Touch Highlighter, RMS Beauty Living Luminizer, Guerlain Terracotta Bronzing Powder and Lea Journo Lumiere Illuminating Moisturizer.

I'm not too keen on using highlighters myself - I still have to master the correct way to wear them. However, I use the following products, one of which I haven't even mentioned yet. I want to live the luminous life to from time to time!

• IMAN Bronzing Powder in Afterglow - This product is one of Sam Fine's favorites of all time. Housed in a sleek, black compact, it is a bronzer, blush and highlighter in one -  yep, it's one of those "Holy Trinity"- type beauty products. I love that you can use each shade individually or together as one flattering, radiant shade. If I'm not mistaken, Sam Fine used this product on Mo'Nique at the Precious premiere at The Grauman Chinese Theater.
  

Fine said that the key was "to layer your bronzer and blush until it looks like a sculpted version of you." Above, Fine applied CoverGirl Queen Collection Natural Hue Minerals Bronzer in a dark hue - probably Brown Bronze - and then layered Afterglow on top. I never thought to try this technique until now. I haven't had Afterglow long - I got it on December 24th but I've only used it as a blush. It's intense in a goddess-like way when you use all three shades. The effect is similar to Ciara's spreads in L'Officiel Magazine. So if you were wowed by the vibrant makeup looks that Ciara modeled, you might just love Afterglow.

• CoverGirl Queen Collection Natural Hue Minerals Bronzer in Light Bronze - My first bronzer ever and probably the only bronzer I'll have in my collection until someone can convince me to try another brand (like Cargo perhaps?). The last time I've practiced my contouring technique was this past Summer. I made sure to apply it with a light hand. However, since I was curious to see if I provide the same glowy finish as my beloved Mineralize Skinfinish, I used it as a setting powder. I felt really pretty that day! Too bad I lost my camera the month before though! Please feel free to offer pearls of wisdom in the comments on how to use it if you want. I might just use it as a body bronzer too this Summer!

• MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Dark - At the suggestion of my supervisor (thanks, MSgt Mendoza!), I went to the Cosmetics Company Outlet (CCO) in San Marcos. One of the MAC products that I purchased was MAC Studio Fix Powder Plus Foundation in NW45, which turned out be a bit dark. I think I'm NW40 - as that is the shade that I have in the Studio Sculpt SPF 15 Foundation in NW40. But I know better. I purchased it back in May 2009 so I might just be lighter. An upcoming MAC visit is in order. Anyway, I mentioned this product when I recommended Paula Begoun's "Don't Go to the Counter Without Me." It's a fabulous product. So fabulous that it's one my staples. Simply click on the link to find out why.'

What products do you use when you want to "live life in the luminous lane?"

Editor's Note: This post will be updated as soon as find more information. I am so thankful that Mr. Sam Fine is sharing what he used on Mo'Nique via Twitter. I wish more celebrity makeup artists would do the same! You can also follow him @SamFineBeauty! All pictures taken from his Facebook account.

It all started with a question. Amber from Brown Bombshell Beauty asked Sam Fine on Twitter what type of lashes he used on Mo'Nique for the Golden Globes.

face. Sam Fine described Mo'Nique's Golden Globes look as "classic glamour." He sculpted her face with one of his favorite drugstore foundations for women of color, Black Opal True Color Creme Stick Foundation with SPF 8. Next, he dusted CARGO Bronzer and MAC Bronzing Powder on cheeks to achieve a glowing complexion.

eyes. Fine chose the #747 in long, a wispy style from the Image Exclusive store in Los Angeles. The #747 is Fine's favorite style and it also comes in small and medium. To make Mo'Nique's eyes pop, Fine reached for Shiseido The Makeup Eyeliner Pencil Duo in Desert Dusk. Instead of using white eyeliner, Fine recommends that for brown-skinned babes, we opt for a beige eyeliner since it is more wearable. He used the Shimmery Beige shade inside the inner rim of the eye to make it appear wider and whiter. For her eyebrows, first he bleached them and then he filled them in with Maybelline Define-A-Brow Eyebrow Pencil in Medium Brown.

lips. Fine topped of Mo'Nique's look with Yves Saint Laurent GOLDEN GLOSS Shimmering Lip Gloss. This gloss contains 0.2% 24k gold, which of course was perfect for our Golden Globe Goddess. :)

Mo'Nique's glam squad, from left:  Stylist Pamela Macklin, hairstylist Lena Palm, and makeup artist Sam Fine.