When I sit to put my makeup on, I sometimes try to evoke the look of the beauty icons who inspire me the most. Of late, I’ve found endless inspiration in flapper chic and the biggest stars of that twinkling era. Especially if I’m going out on a romantic dinner date, or a fab night out with my girlfriends – I love decadent, 1920’s-style film noir quality makeup.

Consider the look of forgotten legend Nina Mae McKinney, who was known as the Black Garbo back in the 1930’s. Flawless. Timeless. Click here to read my Black Voices homage to her.

And behold, my forever inspiration, Josephine Baker. Drink in the stunning photo I found on the amazing Flickr site Discover Black Heritage. To me, Josephine is the definition of gorgeous. I wrote about her for Vogue Black this week, and they’ve posted some amazing photos of her to accompany the article. Click here for that.
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Karen Robinovitz may be the busiest woman I know. Besides being a writer by trade who knows everyone who’s anyone in NYC, she’s the creatrix of Purple Lab NYC, an indie cosmetic brand that’s about to hit the big time. She just hosted an insanely successful event — the “Find Your Luvah” speed dating party in Hoboken is being reported as the world’s largest speed dating event in history! AND she’s about to launch some super sexy new beauty products on the Home Shopping Network — her debut will air February 18th and 19th, and they’re doing FIVE different live shows. As I said to her on the phone yesterday, “OMG, Karen that’s HUGE!”

As stressed out as she must have been, Karen remained upbeat and excited.

“OMG, Patrice – these are my CHILDREN. Our cream blush, Cheek Implants? Patrice. You. Are. Going. To. DIE. It’s got all of the treatments I use on my skin, in a blush. It is SO good. There’s elastin and collagen in it…it’s so velvety and perfect. And I chose the names for a special reason — I think every woman should feel like they’ve got a Backstage Pass, and are wearing Six Inch Heels, even if they’re just going to the grocery store!”

Karen is a fashionista for the ages, I tell you. I’m extra super duper excited for Lashionista Modelista, a mascara infused with diamond dust for that over-the-top touch of glam. And I also love Purple Lab’s most popular product, Huge Lips Skinny Hips. This Hoodia-infused gloss is paraben free and gently plumps your lips after application. As a woman with a pair of naturally full lips I wasn’t really concerned about the plumping action so much, but my friends with thinner lips or with lines that can detract from their lips looking smooth and kissable would LOVE that effect. On me, it just makes my lips look full and smooth. Just the way I like em!

My favorite color is Worship Kate — a deep rose/mauve with a touch of glitter to it – very sheer, very layerable, perfect on any shade of skin. That was a big concern for Karen.

“My group of friends is like the United Nations. So I made sure these colors would work on EVERYONE!”

For a special giveaway just for Afrobella readers, Karen and Purple Lab are offering the ultimate gloss that will work on everyone.
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Shopaholics are SERIOUS about their business. When a hot store announces a sale, a dedicated shopaholic is the first one to tell all their friends. When an incredible new product launches, y’all are the first to know!

So my shopaholic bellas — put this on your radar. Tonight at 11 p.m. through 1 a.m. on 1/30 (and also 11am, 3pm, & 9pm ET that day), QVC is hosting Bare Escentuals sales and shows. Tune in, check em out, and shop it up!

But just in case you can’t wait and really-really want to get your BE on right this minute, I’ve got a giveaway for you! My first for the year!

The Bare Minerals Buxom Babes Winter Escapades Lip Color 4 piece set is everything you need for your lips to look ultra luscious. Four colors — Holly, Merry, Hope, and Joy, go far beyond the holidays and add glitter and glamour to your look whenever you want it.
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I’m looking forward to this weekend for the dorkiest reason — finally I’m going to unpack my suitcases, put away my summer clothes, and take my makeup and hair products out of my travel bag. Until February, when I go on another trip!

With all the traveling I’ve been doing, I’ve had to learn the art of packing intelligently. In these days of rising luggage fees, I need to be economical. That means packing products that are multi-use and uber-effective. Allow me to share some of my latest finds — the items that got road tested in Hawaii!

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There were SO many amazing makeup releases in 2009, it was really difficult to narrow down this list. Like, really difficult. I spent quite a while playing with makeup researching the best of the best for this post. I hope it helps to inform your next purchase, or at the very least let you know what will look d’gorgeous on your beautiful brown skin!

1. MAC’s Mineralize makeup. See, MAC makes me cheat on my list! I’ve gone and chosen a whole category of makeup because I can’t choose ONE item that I love more than others. MAC’s Mineralize eyeshadows and blushes rock my world. The eyeshadow duos pair together perfectly, and you get more bang for your buck thanks to the inspired color combinations. The mineralize blushes are so sheer, pretty, and give my cheeks that pop of color that makes me feel like a rockstar. I just can’t get enough!

2. OCC Lip Tar — yet another product I discovered at the Artist’s Summit this year. And I’m STILL in love! I’ve been using Lip Tar layered over lip pencil for all-day color impact. If you’re used to traditional lipstick, understand that this is a whole new ball game — like a stain but like a gloss. And VERY highly pigmented. This ain’t your everyday lip color!

3. Sally Hansen HD Nailpolish. I am terrible at doing my own nails, but this polish managed to make it a little easier. The initial HD collection was all about the summertime brights, but with colors like Opulent Cloud in their Fall line (see Vampy Varnish for deetz) – it’s become my new favorite range of polishes. At my most dire need for a pedicure, I was able to use this on the beach in the DR, and not only did it glide on smoothly, my pedi lasted — sans base or top coat — for a week and a half! Amazing!

4. By Lauren Luke makeup collection. Love this girl. Love her makeup. And if there’s any one thing you may want to gift yourself with post-holiday season, it’s one of her gorgeous makeup kits. They are perfect for makeup newbies as well as makeup addicts, and for someone like me who travels often – cannot be beat! If I had to choose ONE, it’d be My Smokey Classics — which includes shadow primers, eye shadows, eye liner, blush, and lip color — everything you need to look gorgeous for a night on the town in a slender and attractive little package that’s worth every penny. Each comes with a little note from Lauren to boost your self esteem. I am totally buying more of these, when my recovering bank account allows!

5. Sonia Kashuk gel eyeliner and brush. OK, I wrote about this in August, and there STILL isn’t a link on Target’s site. So you’re gonna need to go to the store and find it yourself! Sonia Kashuk’s Target line is great, great stuff. Lasting, rich color. And this eyeliner changed my whole beauty world — I can finally get that liquid liner cat’s eye look that eluded me for eons! It’s the brush, it’s all about the brush. I tried several gel liners this year and loved almost all of them — but for the price? Sonia Kashuk can’t be beat.

So there you have it! Please share your favorite makeup finds with me! And up next I’ll share my favorite style finds — so keep reading!

When I had the opportunity to talk with Doe Deere, also known as Xenia, the creator of controversial cosmetics brand Lime Crime, I was both excited and hesitant.

Excited because her makeup brand has a lot of buzz around it right now — Lime Crime is featured in the November issue of Nylon magazine, and I’ve heard many a beauty blogger rave over the range of crazy colors available in their Magic Dust eyeshadows and Candyfuture Lipsticks.

Hesitant because I’ve also noticed many a beauty blogger talking umbrage with Doe Deere herself, and disparaging Lime Crime as a brand.

You can read some of those posts:

here, at Gothique

here at Funny Face’s Place

here at the Examiner (those comments are off the chain)

here at Jessica Allison’s blog

here at Lipstick and Lightsabers (WHAT a great blog name!)

here at Sparkle is My Crack

here at Sparklecrack Central

and…you get the picture.

But for every hater, there’s a congratulator. There’s an army of Lime Crime and Doe Deere fans out there — say hello to Team Candyfuture! And besides the people who admire Doe’s appearance and personality, there are those who really are intrigued by the makeup itself, all chatter aside. I fall into the latter camp.

I heard of Lime Crime before all of the brou-ha-ha began, and the reason I heard about them was because people were raving over this hot new makeup brand, all packaged in pink with sparkly unicorns, dedicated to super intense pigments and bright colors. And I realize there’s a reason just about every post about Doe Deere online generates hundreds of bickering comments — she’s a fascinating figure. And the creator of a makeup brand that targets a very passionate audience.

When we started our interview, I offered Doe two options. We can start out fun and lighthearted and talk about the makeup itself…or we can wade immediately into the controversy and address it right off the bat. Doe chose the latter.

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