All hail the QUEEN...

These days most of you are used to seeing Queen Latifah on the big screen, hearing her voice overs, or seeing her Cover Girl ads so much that you forget why we love her so.....well, I feel the same way! It wasn't until I was blessed with the opportunity to do her makeup for a performance. Thank God for favor, because I was front and center to watch the entire thing!! She did everything from 'Unity' to 'Ladies First' to 'Come Into My House' to so much more, and I was in awe! To think I grew up listening to her music, and here I am now having just finished her makeup watching her perform....words can't describe how thankful and hype I was all at the same time!!

Once the makeup was on, I was in straight fan mode singing along. She is an amazing performer, and her unique voice is like no other. Here are a few shots from that night. She wanted a smoky eye, and pretty much a look that would pop from the stage. It had to be heavier than usual so I went in deeper with the highlight and contour. I have since downloaded all of her music, new and old!! I can't wait to work with her again! xo

Here comes the prize.....

I was a vendor at healthy hair care event about a month ago, where they raffled off a complimentary makeover done by me. The winner was the lovely Brittney Page!! She's not a big makeup wearer, so she had to find something worth getting her makeup done for. Well, it seems she was ready to go this past weekend! Brittney arrived at my makeup studio early afternoon, and we started the session with a consultation. I then explained to her what I was going to do to her face, and why. Joining us was my good friend, David Javier, to catch it all on video....so you will be able to see the transformation very soon. In the meantime, here are a few shots from the day. Brittney goes from "regular ma'am" to "red carpet glam"!!

BEFORE

She took that hair down and started to glow! We had a good time, and I hope she learned a lot. One thing I try to teach is that makeup is different things for different people. It can be as simple as bronzer, mascara, and a gloss...to a full on contoured, smoky eye beat down. However you feel the best YOU comes through:)

AFTER

Thanks Brittney for being a good sport about the video! You looked fabulous!! xo

Loving my new MURAD!!

I was invited along with other industry makeup artists to an event for Murad Skincare held at the W Hotel in Hollywood. I just have to say first that I appreciate a brand that takes the time to educate people on their products so they can be used effectively. I am a firm believer in less is more when it comes to make up, so good skin is a must. The event focused on different skin concerns from acne prone to wrinkles and fine lines. There were round table discussions and very detailed information given about each one of their products. Generous gift bags were given, and I've been using the products ever since. I am in love with them!! I use the the Intensive-C Radiance Peel on myself, and my skin is brighter than ever.

The Skin Perfecting Primer (shine control) helps keeps the skin matte for 8 hours, and it's amazing. I used it on Vivica Fox our first day of shooting her new show, and I barely had to touch her up! I have yet to use everything in the bag, but I will soon. Thanks again MURAD!! xo

DJ John Digweed...

I was booked for the most amazing shoot today. I say amazing because it's always like magic when you work with a great team on a project. True professionals came out today to shoot with popular English DJ, John Digweed. Styled by Lisa Bae, hair by Eric Sebag (Fekkai), makeup by me...photographer Carlos Armando....need I go on?? Lol! It was exciting to say the least. I was also joined by friend, and fellow make up artist, Nicole Rofeim...so it was jokes all day. The shoot was 70s themed and we really took it there. Carlos is a very particular photographer, with a huge eye for detail. He knows the shots he wants, and he gets them! I'm not sure what the pictures will be used for, so I can only give you a sneak peek behind the scenes...

For the makeup I had to channel my inner Charlie's Angel, That 70s Show, and Donna Summer looks! I just kept it sparkly, dewy, glossy, and bold. Eric added to the "over-the-topness" (Yes, I make up words) with his dynamic big hair. We had fun with it for sure!

I had to pull out the old school MAC Glitter Gel liners for this look.

YSL #1 Rouge Pur Couture on the lips!

If you don't know already, John Digweed is more than just a DJ. He is a producer, a promoter, and record label owner. His sounds of Trance and Progressive House, pack venues just to get a listen. His demeanor is cool and laid back, but he is a beast when it comes to the music. He was an absolute pleasure to work with today. Check out www.johndigweed.com and www.carlosarmando.com for more information on these incredible talents!

Black Women Rock in St.Louis...

Beverly Bond's, Black Girls Rock, has gained much attention in the urban communities. It is a movement that brings recognition to black women doing what they do, and being amazing at it. From business owners to entertainers to phenomenal mothers...there is much respect for those women who make it happen daily! I was very excited to be back in St. Louis. I was born there, but moved to Houston when I was 5, so I still have family there that came out to support the event as well. I've actually done Beverly Bond's makeup before, and it's amazing to see how her movement is growing!

Young girls rock too!

Vivica Fox was asked to present a few awards at an event built around the black women who rock in St. Louis. This event was held at Lights On Broadway, and it wouldn't have been an STL party if Chingy didn't perform! We had such a good time, and there was so much love in the place. It's nice to see women put an event on, come together, dress nice, compliment each other, and work hard to keep that momentum going. A tornado hit this same night, but that didn't stop anyone from coming out. Chingy did his thing, new songs and old songs...we had a blast to say the least. Check out Vivica with Chingy and some of the young women from the event. Black "Women" certainly Rocked....STL style:)

It's not cool to be a BULLY!

PSA's are a great way to get an important message out to the world, and an even better way is to have celebrities help with that message. Vivica Fox was asked to do an Anti-Bullying campaign with Erik Estrada for the Cool Cat series. Cool Cat's character comes from an interactive family series created by Derek Savage to teach important lessons to children. The lesson for this video was that it's not cool to be a bully. It was super cute, and the video got right to the point. I can't wait to see the finished product! Vivica is pictured here with the cast.

Blac Chyna.....up close:)

I haven't worked with SMOOTH Magazine in ages, so I was definitely hype when they reached out to me to do makeup for one of their summer issues. The last issue I did was with The Game, and it was a cover shoot....so I was curious to see who we were shooting this go round:) Well, well, well.......to my surprise one of the models was Miami dancer/Nicki Minaj stunt double/Tyga's boo with the killer body, Ms. Blac Chyna. You've seen her in the Rack City video, and all over the Internet, but I had no idea who she was until that day. She was an absolute doll to work with, she was super sweet and actually pretty shy??..I know, right! Lol!

YSL Golden Gloss 20

Stila Kajal Eyeliner

GET THE LOOK: She said she was trying to get away from the pink lips, so we went with a nude mouth for the entire shoot. I smoked out her eyes with MAC Artjam paint on the lids, using Stila's Kajal eyeliner pencil in the water line and smudged across the top. To make her brown eyes pop, I used NARS Duo Eye Shadow in Cordura on her lids and under the bottom lashes. Her lip color was Yves Saint Laurent's Rouge Volupte 4, with YSL Golden Gloss 20 on top . Her lashes were her very own, and they had to be big so they could be seen through the bangs. She told me that if she doesn't like the makeup on a shoot, she will wipe it off and do it herself, so I was glad she approved:)

I've had my share of oiling up scantily clad ladies early in my career, but it's always a pleasure to work with Sandy (owner of Smooth). Shooting with her is always a good time. Wardrobe styled by Brea Star, hair by Anthony Cherry, assisted by Aden Marq....this shoot was FIRE! Needless to say, I look forward to seeing how this issue sells out in stores. Thanks again SMOOTH!! xo

See Blac Chyna's own behind the scenes post at www.blacchyna.com