Bellas on a budget! I hear your cry. Your wallet is thin and your product stashes are running low. What can you get that’s new, amazingly effective, awesome, and AFFORDABLE?

Afrobella’s got your back! Here are some of the latest, greatest products I have been lucky enough to review, all available on the cheap at your neighborhood drugstore.

First stop — Palmer’s. The company known best for making delicious cocoa butter-based body creams has expanded their product line. So if you don’t know, now you know — Palmer’s is making coconut oil hair products! And olive oil hair products too!
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I’ve used Cover Girl cosmetics. I like Cover Girl cosmetics. But never before did I feel TRANSFORMED by Cover Girl, than at the CVS Reinventing Beauty lounge, when makeup artist Jake Bailey sat me in his chair and worked his magic on me.

Me and Julia of All About The Pretty

BAM!

Keep in mind, I’d already done my own face. But by the time Jake was done with me, I felt like a brand new woman.

Do you like? Here’s what he used:

Jake highlighted the apples of my cheeks with Cover Girl Simply Ageless blush #230 (or Lush Berry) – I was a bit apprehensive when he was putting it on. It seemed like A LOT of blush, but it photographed beautifully.

Then he went over my existing liner with Cover Girl’s Outlast Eyeliner in Indigo.

After that he used Cover Girl eyeshadow in Purple Pop, and WOW. Purple shadow with brown eyes FTW. Now there’s even more reason for it to be my favorite color.

On my lips, Jake used delicious Amazemints gloss in shade # 605, AKA Everything’s Rosy.

I was absolutely thrilled with my makeover, and Jake was so sweet and friendly and warm. He made me feel beautiful, and now it’s my turn to pay it forward!

TWO lucky Afrobella readers can win the four items Jake used in my Cover Girl makeover. All you have to do is tell me — do you have a favorite Cover Girl makeup item? If yes, what is it and why?

I’ll close these comments on Monday afternoon. And I’m about to make it rain with giveaways, so get ready! This will be an epic month!

Edited Monday 8:45 pm — Comments are CLOSED! I’ll choose winners at the end of this week!

Not to sound conceited (hopefully you know by now that is not how I roll) — but I’ve got some GREAT news to shout to the world!

Yours truly is honored to be part of an all star team of beauty bloggers on a brand new site.

Who’s The Fairest is the blog for beauty private-sale site The Fairest. Click there to sign up – we’re talking about 75% discounts off name brand makeup here!

Led by editorial director and all around awesome lady Nadine Jolie, my fellow contributors include Lianne Farbes (The Makeup Girl), Julia Coney (All About the Pretty), Shannon Nelson (A Girl’s Gotta Spa!), Michelle Mismas (All Lacquered Up), Christine Mielke (Temptalia), Robyn Cohen (Relevant Beauty), Marta Walsh (Talking Makeup), and Carolyn Hsu (The Daily Obsession). Together we are like a Justice League of beauty knowledge! Wonder Twin powers, ACTIVATE!

I’m going to be contributing regularly and writing about what I believe in — all things related to black beauty.

In fact, my first post there is a direct response to an Afrobella reader, Willow. Willow is a high school girl who left me a comment on an old post that I had to add my two cents to. So Willow, I hope you’re reading.

A Reminder: Black is Beautiful is dedicated to you and the other bellas like you. Every now and then, we all need a reminder to show ourselves the love we deserve.

Please comment, and share your views here, there, and everywhere. And expect the best from Who’s The Fairest!

Whew! I needed days of recovery after the madness that was Lollapalooza. More to come on this soon — you can read my first review here!

Over the weekend I dealt with the extremes of Chicago weather. Rain on Friday and blistering heat Saturday and Sunday. But through it all, my eyemakeup stayed in tact. How? I’ll tell you my latest little secret.

Gel eyeliner is my new best friend.

My hands are too shaky for liquid, and eyeliner pencils are frequently too waxy and smudgy for me. So when I want to get that kapow! liquid liner cat’s eye look, I reach for the gel. It’s forgiving and easy and lasts forever. Add a little eyeshadow primer and it gets even better!

Most department store brands have a gel or powder liner amongst their stock, but these brands are my favorites!
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Blue. Plum. Platinum. Fuschia. Teal. There’s a colored mascara on the market to match just about every shade of the rainbow. But maybe you’re cautious with your makeup, or reluctant to part with your hard-earned bucks for a product that isn’t guaranteed to make a visible difference to your look. You’re wondering — is it worth it?

Depends on what you’re looking for!

I enjoy wearing colored mascara from time to time, it’s such an effortless way to switch up your look. And it can be surprisingly subtle, too. Depending on the shade of colored mascara that you wear, people may have to do a double take, or catch you blinking in the sun before they notice — hey! Your lashes are a different color! Colored mascara is fun, it’s a trend that comes in and out of style, and it’s a trend that (in my funky opinion) works just as well for teenagers as it would for someone old enough to be a teenager’s mom. Just because you’re not a girl anymore, doesn’t mean you don’t still want to have fun!

I’ve been around the colored mascara block a time or two, so allow me to share with you the outstanding ones, and the ones that could use a little more oomph.

Blue mascaras make big promises. Supposedly they make blue eyes bluer, brown eyes appear golden, and hazel eyes look green. I dunno about all that. But I do know they’re fun, especially if you’ll be in the sunlight.

Benefit’s BADgal blue mascara is rich, royal, and instantly noticeable IMO. I love a bangin’ blue on my lashes, and this delivers pigment from root to tip. it’s $19, but worth it if you want a noticeable shade. This is a true blue through and through, unlike CoverGirl LashBlast in Black Royale, which is really just a black with a hint of blue. The LashBlast Luxe shades are subtler, good for an office or professional environment. But if you’re looking for bam! in your face color, you’ll be sad.

CoverGirl Black Platinum was honestly, a disappointment. I noticed hardly any shimmer or color, even in the sun my lashes just looked kind of washed out. Not even close to “platinum,” as I was hoping they’d be.

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I missed the BET Awards but I didn’t MISS the BET Awards, if you know what I’m sayin’.

Judging from the various indignant responses on Twitter, it seems I didn’t miss much. But thanks to some of my favorite sites — Oh No They Didn’t and Crunk & Disorderly, I saw all I needed to see. Red carpet fabulousity! And if you’re like me, you might be wondering — exactly how did these stars get so amazingly dolled up?

Today’s your lucky day. Celebrity makeup artist Ashunta Sheriff wanted to share her special makeup tips and tricks exclusively with Afrobella readers, and here’s the scoop on her lush looks for humanitarian award winner Alicia Keys, and one of my favorite child stars who’s gorgeous and all grown up, Tatyana Ali!

Take it away, Ashunta!

Alicia Keys
Inspiration: Moroccan inspired due to her recent trip there in May for the Mawaline Festival. Alicia’s short bejeweled shift dress in its soft aqua truly brought out her golden complexion. I wanted to give her a touch of sun kissed glow and egyptian/moroccan eyes with coral lips remniscent of the colors of a Moroccan Paradise.

Body: my secret weapon body glow mix is a combination of Dior Bronze Sun Powder Spray, Smashbox Bodylights body Lotion shimmer and Girlactik Beauty Gold Shimmer powder. The combination gave Alicia an amazing bronzed sun kissed glow to make her legs and declertage look flawlessly stunning.

Client: Tatyana Ali
Inspiration: Bollywood Princess, bringing out more of Tatyana’s Indian heritage I used metallic earth tones to shape and frame her eyes. Radiant bronzed skin works for her toffee complexion and an iridescent nude topped the look off.

Body: Palmers Organic Olive Oil Body Cream and Smashbox Bodylights Lotion body shimmer to make her legs look flawless.

Did she say Mary Kay? Palmers? Olay? Cover Girl’s Queen Collection? Black Opal? Ashunta is my kinda bella! There’s something so wonderful about knowing celebs are using the same products a bella on a budget might swear by, am I right?

I promise to fill in the complete list of products with links where you can check out these items ASAP! Right now it’s 1:30 a.m. and this blogging bella needs her bed.

Click here to visit Ashunta’s website to see even more of her amazing work, and click here to follow her on Twitter! Look out later today for even more BET Awards looks from the red carpet and the ceremony itself — Janet, Beyonce, Nichelle Nichols and more!