Blaq Vixen Beauty

Channel Your Inner Coffy with Melody Ehsani and MAC

BlaqVixenBeauty — Fri, 14 May 2010 16:59:40 -0500

"This is the end of your rotten life, you motherf**kin' dope pusher!" And that was my formal introduction to blaxploitation screen goddess Pam Grier, starting with Coffy. When I saw this exclusive (at left) Melody Ehsani The Exclusive Swarovski Pow Gun Ring in Black, $48 ($43.20 with rep code BLAQVIXEN) over at Karmaloop, I was instantly reminded of this scene. Ehsani launched this ring four days ago after debuting it in the May 2010 issue of Glamour Magazine with Keri Hilson.

You didn't think you could learn a thing or two about beauty from Coffy, did you? Well, you're wrong. Peep the individual lashes, luminous cheekbones and nude lips. After a bit of research, I've found some products that you could use to replicate the look:

lashes. Try MAC's 2 Lash or even 4 Lash to get Coffy's wispy fringe. Apply black eyeliner on your lashline. You might have to trim the edges of the eyelashes to get a perfect fit. You can use cuticle scissors for this. Pick up the false eyelashes with tweezers and apply DUO Eyelash Adhesive on the edge of the lashes. Wait a couple of seconds and then apply the false eyelashes to your lashline, starting from the inner corners. Apply black eyeliner to conceal any visible glue. I love using L'Oreal HIP high intensity pigments Color Truth Cream Eyeliner in Black.

luminizers. Based on this photo, Moon Beam by Benefit Cosmetics, $24 is probably the perfect product to impart that golden apricot glow. If you can't find the top of your cheekbones, just smile and dab Moon Beam and extend up towards your temples. Buff into the skin with your fingers and then make a "v" by extending from your temple to your brow bone. Keep blending until you don't see any demarcations. You want to appear to be naturally iridescent and blessed with great cheekbones! I learned this technique from Spoiled Pretty last year.

nude glosses. My favorite part of the whole look, believe it or not! My ideal nude is MAC Lip Pencil in Chestnut with Viva Glam V Lipglass. But before I even get into your choices, make sure that you've prepare your pout. First, exfoliate. You can use a toothbrush, some of your facial scrub or even a lip treatment kit like ARTISTRY Lip Care Kit (clearly a luxury for $20). Next, moisturize. My top products would be Smith's Rosebud Salve, EOS Lip Balm (I love Sweet Mint) or even unrefined shea butter like Peace, Love and Sunshine's Pure Raw Unrefined Shea Butter. For nudes, Bobbi Brown and MAC have numerous options. In fact, Danielle from the Style and Beauty Doctor wrote a very informative article titled Nude Lipstick for Skin of Color. Go check it out to complete your fierce look.

What are your favorite Pam Grier movies?

Vixen, Validated: Anika Noni Rose at the 3rd Annual Essence Black Women in Hollywood Luncheon

BlaqVixenBeauty — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 02:55:25 -0600

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."

The Beauty Closet: Purple Lab Silk Sheets Luxe Foundation

BlaqVixenBeauty — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 20:06:54 -0600

Editor's Note: The product mentioned in this post was sent by Purple Lab NYC for an exclusive launch party in honor of Purple Lab NYC's debut on the Home Shopping Network (HSN).

If you follow me on Twitter, you may have read my tweets about Purple Lab Silk Sheets Luxe Foundation ($34.50). As it turns out, my experience with Silk Sheets have been mostly good - the formula itself is creamy, silky, blendable, and feels great on the skin. However, since I have to do quite a bit to correct the shade (as you can see on the left), I am hesitant to actually buy Silk Sheets. This is a shame because Karen Robinovitz (the creatrix of Purple Lab) included "coveted ingredients" in Silk Sheets to include algae, hyaluronic acid, silk, juniper, almond seed oil, Vitamin C, and nettle. It also firms the complexion, as you can hopefully see on the right.

Want to see how I made Silk Sheets really work for me? Keep reading for more information and photos!

FOTD: Purple Lab NYC Silk Sheets Luxe Foundation in Dark

BlaqVixenBeauty — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 00:40:04 -0600

Editor's Note: The product mentioned in this post was sent by Purple Lab NYC for an exclusive launch party in honor of Purple Lab NYC's debut on the Home Shopping Network (HSN).

Ladies, you are glancing at my first test run with Purple Lab NYC Silk Sheets Luxe Foundation in Dark. I applied the foundation for my guests so that they would see how it looks on the skin. What I found interesting is that my mom's best friend remarked that it reminded her of the Bare Minerals foundation. At the present moment, unless you are Adri's complexion (from Real Curb Appeal), this foundation will not work for you. You have to layer something over it so it will look as natural as possible. I opted to use a tinted setting powder and bronzer and here how it turned out.

Now, in this post I am not going to go into specifics about the foundation because I would like to see how it performs during the day. However, I will tell you what I am wearing in this picture:

face. Purple Lab NYC Silk Sheets Luxe Foundation in Dark. MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Dark. CoverGirl Queen Collection Natural Hue Minerals Bronzer in Light Bronze. IMAN Second to None Cover Cream in Clay Medium Deep.

cheeks. MAC Beauty Powder Blush in All's Good.

eyes. L'Oreal Brow Stylist Custom Brow Shaping Pencils in Darker Medium Brown. Tribute shade from ARTISTRY Colour Palette in Timeless.

lips. Thevi Cosmetics High Impact Lipstick in Sequin.

Vixen, Validated: Kerry Washington at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival

BlaqVixenBeauty — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 17:52:53 -0600

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: