Blaq Vixen Beauty

I've forgotten how fun it is to participate in a beauty tag...even if I tend to overthink my answers! The stunning Khadine from Cosmetic Passion recently tagged me on her blog in a beauty preference meme in which I have to choose one beauty product in a series of questions:

[blush] or [bronzer]?

Sure, I love using bronzer as blush, eyeshadow and as a highlight, but nothing beats a gorgeous, ethereal glow you can get with a coral-, orange- or peach-hued blush. My favorites:

Face Blush by Iman

[lipstick] or [lip gloss]?

Purple lipstick please! But I think I might be wearing a host of fun lip tattoos this fall just because I hear they stay on forever with minimal retouching. My favorites:

Lipstick by M·A·C

[eyeliner] or [mascara]?

I know winged eyeliner and its variations is hot right now but give me a great mascara to define my eyes. Too much work to get the perfect cat eye nowadays! My favorites:

Mascara at Target

[foundation] or [concealer]?

Hands down, I have to choose foundation---especially a cream foundation that can double as a concealer. My favorites: In progress.

[neutral eyeshadow] or [colored eyeshadow]?

I love a nice wash of a metallic, neutral eyeshadow just because I'm too lazy to blend colored eyeshadow and make it look presentable. Besides, metallic eyeshadow is a great Fall trend! See below!

[loose eyeshadow] or [pressed eyeshadow]?

I hate loose shadow (too messy) but it doesn't stop me from using the loose eyeshadows that I have. I love pressed eyeshadows in palettes though...granted that I don't break them! [laughs] My favorites:

More Ulta...

[brushes] or [sponges]?

Believe it or not, I prefer using my BeautyBlender over my makeup brushes. I know there are people out there who think the BeautyBlender is nothing special but I have to disagree. First off, you're supposed to use it to stipple foundation, blush, etc. on the skin. If you use it like a regular sponge, you'll be disappointed. I love it because the technique is so artistic to me. My favorites:

More Beautyblender...

Which ones would you choose?

Photo via WireImage

Happy first day of summer to all of you!!

If you liked the Johnson's Baby Powder as a body veil tip, maybe you'll love this next tip: layer Johnson's Baby Oil Gel over sunscreen. This is actually a Sports Illustrated (SI) Swimsuit Issue Beauty Secret I remembered reading on the InStyle website. Makeup artist Tracy Murphy says she reaches for the Johnson's Baby Oil Gel because "it's super shiny, repels water and looks absolutely stunning in pictures."

Who knew Johnson's Baby Oil Gel could be glamorous?!

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