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!

Woo! The weather in Florida, I do not miss it one little bit. Hot, humid, sweltering… and look at that, it seems to have followed me all the way to Chicago!

When the days are muggy your makeup can get to melting. And nobody wants to walk around looking like a runny ice cream cone with raccoon eyes. What’s a bella to do? My advice is, use the right products to make your makeup last all day — especially if you plan to be out and about at an event where you might be photographed or something. Think wedding or special date. Here are some product suggestions — some I’ve tried, and some I certainly plan to try!

Being matte and perfectly made up all day starts after you wash your face with your moisturizer of choice. For daytime, I love products by Pur Minerals. The Under Control Mattifying Gel is light and does exactly what it promises, and the See No More pore minimizer leaves your skin super silky and primed for makeup.

For evening I like Lierac Mat-Chrono Creme — it’s an anti-aging, mattifying night cream that will last you FOREVER. That’s because only the teeniest dab will absorb into your skin! Just touch your fingertip to it, rub it on your T-zone and voila, oil begone. I dig it.

After you moisturize, then it’s time to get your prime on. MAC has two great options — Prep & Prime lotion, $23 and it really evens out skin tone, makes makeup last, and keeps oil at bay. Then there’s Prep and Prime transparent finishing powder, which you can dust on over your makeup. I love this stuff, and I hardly leave the house in this summer heat without a little dusting of it on my face.

Need an affordable alternative? I heart Valana Minerals Oasis Oil Control Powder. $15, and it really works. I love everything Valana, you already know that!

I’m intrigued by MakeUpForEver’s HD primers, because if they’re anything like my beloved HD Foundation, I won’t be able to leave home without it! The HD Primers promise to correct complexion and make makeup last under even to the closest examination. It’s made to withstand HD technology, so if it works under Hollywood’s hot lights, it should last in the most sweltering heatwaves.

There are other tips I’m sure many of you savvy bellas know — to make your lipstick last, start out with a lip pencil. Or better yet, line your lips, fill them in almost all the way, and slick on lipgloss for shine.

There are SO many great lip pencils on the market, but these days I’m partial to Prescriptives Deluxe Lip Pencil which comes in delightfully dark shades that last forever and look gorgeous on brown skinned bellas. Benefit’s d’finer d’liner clear lip liner is a clear stick that promises to make your regular lipstick stay put. I’ve tried it, but I gotta be honest - I haven’t put it to the ultimate hot weather test yet.

To make eye makeup stick — now THAT’s tricky. I speaking of Benefit, I personally prefer Benefit’s lemon-aid over Urban Decay’s classic primer potion — but bear in mind I haven’t yet tried the new Urban Decay Primer Potion in Sin 0.34 oz Sin. I hear it’s gorgeous, even without shadow.

Lemon Aid is “a warm yellow correcting cream” that hides eyelid discoloration and has the added power to make eyeshadow last for ages in the heat. And like the Lierac, all you need is the teeniest dab. This will last for a LONG time, trust!
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One of my beauty blog besties, Julia of All About The Pretty recently featured a blog post that made me squeal with delight. It was a behind the scenes interview with renowned makeup artist Pat McGrath, revealing this season’s hottest trends and drugstore essentials for bellas on a budget. Now any bella who has been reading this site for a while knows how I feel about Pat McGrath - she’s amazing. Ever since she got involved with the Max Factor brand, I’ve been paying special attention.

Recently I was lucky enough to get my hands on some Max Factor favorites, so let me break it down for you!

Word on the street is when the economy sucks, women buy lipstick. So the time is now to invest. AATP gives high points to MAX Factor Vivid Impact Lipcolor, and I resoundingly concur. I’m diggin’ Hipster, but if you’re seeking a more summery shade, check out Ms Behave, for a pretty coral pink pout.

OK bellas, if you are looking for a mascara that is going to leave your lashes defined, thick, and perfect for batting at that cute guy across the bar, look no further than Max Factor 2000 Calorie Extreme Lash Plumper. At around $8.50, this is a drugstore find worth scooping up. The applicator brush is plump (and very reminiscent of Cover Girl’s Lash Blast) - all the better to make sure each individual lash is coated with dark makeuppy goodness. And because it’s waterproof, my lashes stayed pretty all day through a good cry and the Miami heat. Yup, I’ve been having those kinda days in the midst of this move. At least my mascara’s up to the job!

I’ve got my eye on more products in the Max Factor line — I LOVE the bright, punchy summer bright shades of eyeshadow in their three-color palettes, and AATP also raved over the eyeliner. I might be due for a trip to the drugstore!

Have you tried any Max Factor products, bellas? Any personal faves?

I’m not sure what rock I’ve been under that allowed me to somehow miss the rare beauty that is Chantal Biya, First Lady of Cameroon. But please believe me, following her recent appearance at the Leadership for Health Summit in Los Angeles, I’m sitting up and taking notice now.

Wow. All I can do is quote Tim Gunn. “That’s a lot of look!”

AfricanLoft phrases it more charitably - “Her fashion sense is very bold.” Yes indeed. I’ll go a step further and say her fashion sense is straight outta Dynasty. Most makeup artists will advise clients to choose a strong lip or a strong eye. Not both. Chantal Biya says to hell with those silly rules — her look can be described as opera diva. You can spot her a mile away.

Bold eyes. Bright lips. Blush like “blaow” on her cheekbones, and eyebrows that are calling out for Damone Roberts’ expert hand. It’s like she’s been shot with Homer Simpson’s makeup gun.

And then there’s the hair. Goodness gracious, then there’s the hair.

Drink it all in with the Telegraph’s 17-image slideshow of the First Lady. Boston Globe style writer Christopher Muther has called her “a saint of style,” and added “you can tell that the Pontiff was thinking “How can I grow my eyebrows like that” through the entire encounter,” during her meeting with the Pope.

Now here at Afrobella I strive for positive vibrations and constructive criticism, so I’ll just say — less is more. There’s no denying that Chantal Biya is a beautiful woman, but I think she manages to hide that by taking her look into a clownlike stratosphere. Just imagine what a makeunder would do — soften those unnatural brows, bring her hair two decades forward, and give her a subtler makeup look. She’d be a show stopper — in a much different way than she is now. But that’s just my opinion.

What do you think, bellas? Any style advice for Chantal Biya, or do you applaud her passion for fashion?

As I type this, bellas I’m in a moving car in the front seat, laptop on my lap, North Carolina zooming past me outside. But I’m bearing glad tidings of fabulous makeup tips, thanks to the gorgeous and wonderful Patrece Williams!

We met and clicked right away at the Macy’s Women of Color event, and it’s rare that I meet someone who I can instantly say, someday I’m gonna be like “I met her when.” I say this because I know Patrece is a star on the rise. Someday I want to click on Bravo or the Style Network and watch her dispensing makeup tips on her own show - she’s THAT sweet, warm, funny, and has presence and personality for days. And her attitude was both refreshing and inspirational. “A humble person is a successful person,” she believes, and let me tell you - from interviewing so many people, that is rare to hear, and even rarer to experience. I can’t say enough nice things about her.

Patrece is the makeup artist of choice for Laila Ali, Colin Cowie, and Debbie Turner Bell. And you can see her hard work every morning bright and early — Patrece is holding down the fort on the CBS Early Show, doing makeup for Maggie Rodriguez, Harry Smith, Russ Mitchell and Dave Price along with all of the celebrities and dignitaries who come through the green room before their interviews. And it all began when she moved from Fort Wayne, Indiana to NYC, and worked at the MAC makeup counter.

“I am living my dream,” she declared during her presentation, and I know she inspired many of the aspiring artists and cosmetics employees at Macy’s that day. I managed to put together a little video of highlights from her demonstration. Click below to watch, but be forewarned - I’m the worst videographer ever. What are you in for here? Terrible, terrible camera angles, misguided attempts at zooming in, continuous shaking, not-so-great audio, occasional applause with the camera-in-hand, and cackling laughter from myself and the loud, loud lady right next to me. Oh, and amazing makeup tips!

Mark my words, one day Afrobella will have a video person down to produce some slick content. One day it won’t be up to me and my complete inability to film.

On this day, she admitted she wasn’t feeling well and her mom (who is her rock and her guiding light), had to stay behind to care for a sick relative. And very sadly, that relative has since passed. Please join me in sending positive thoughts and prayers to Patrece and the Williams family.

Despite the personal burdens in her own life, Patrece pulled it together and taught me and the audience so much about makeup, and about grace under pressure. I’m happy to share some of her top makeup tips!

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I’m making a prediction right here and now. Sometime in the not-too-distant future, Damone Roberts’ phone is gonna ring. And on the other end, will be someone making an appointment for the First Lady.

Damone Roberts is known as the Eyebrow King. He believes that every face deserves the perfect frame, and makeup starts with a good brow. He’s got a salon on New York’s Fifth Avenue, and another in Beverly Hills. His artwork has graced the faces of celebrities like Madonna, Beyoncé, Mandy Moore, Vanessa Williams, and Brandy. He believes in the power of attraction and he is putting it out there to the universe — he wants to work with Michelle O.

“I would LOVE to get my hands on those brows! Because she’s a beautiful woman, but her arch is too extreme. I want to make it a little softer, a little prettier,” he explained, as we met during the Macy’s Women of Color event — here he is in the green room with the lovely Patrece Williams. Look out for her makeup tips next week!

Naturally, I took the opportunity to ask Damone all about his specific makeup tips for beautiful black women who want to enhance their natural beauty. Some of his tips were downright surprising! Without further ado, here are some top tips from The Eyebrow King.

1. “Anything who knows anything about eyebrows knows it’s not about trends — thick or thin brows. It’s about finding the best shaped brow for your face. And I say the thicker the better. It really makes a difference. Thin brows can make you look too stern.”

2. “When I shape brows, I start with wax, but then I tweeze. I’m not a personal fan of threading. The thread is kept in their mouth and it’s constantly moved around… it’s not the most sanitary method, in my opinion.”

3. “If you need to fill in your brows, don’t use an eyeliner pencil. They’re too soft, they’re waxy, and they don’t look good. Get a brow pencil, or brow powder with the right brush. It all depends on your personal preference.”

Damone sells his own brand of brow pencils, powders, gel… everything. And for women of color, he recommends his soft black brow pencil. The name of the color? Miss Ross. Love it! He also loves MAC’s brow pencils in Strut and Spiked for brown skinned bellas.

4. “I want to tell women of color about the power of pink! We’re so safe with brown, bronze, and gold makeup. But pink is gorgeous on our skin! We can wear EVERY color on our skin! So get away from the typical deep berries, bronzes, golds…and go for something different instead.”
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