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Valentine's Day Beauty Roundup

Tuesday, February 9, 2010 - 7:10 AM

by Tia Williams

Whether your Valentine's day scenario involves partying with your single girlfriends or cuddling up with your boo, we sincerely hope you have an appropriately scandalous time! To help prepare you for the sexiest day of the year, we've compiled a list of favorite get-in-the-mood beauty essentials. From a "walk of shame" beauty kit to candy heart-inspired lip balm, check out our Valentine's Day must-haves.

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Features

Independent Spirit

Closet We Envy: Shingai Shoniwa of The Noisettes

Tuesday, February 9, 2010 - 6:55 AM

by Alexandra Phanor-Faury

Music and fashion have long made for an explosive, potent twosome. After one look and listen to the UK's The Noisettes, it's obvious that when met harmoniously in the middle, the twosome can be mind-blowing. The trio consists of a guitarist, a drummer, and a singer/bassist Shingai (shin-guy, "persevere" in the Zimbabwean Shona language) Shoniwa. The Noisettes blend psychedelic, indie-rock, jazz, electro punk, blues and pop influences to create a sound that is uniquely their own. In addition to being the poster children for the mixing of musical genres, The Noisettes have introduced the world to a one-of-a-kind, ferocious front woman who approaches fashion with the same gusto and non-conformist manner in which she approaches music...

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Fashion

Jason Wu Designs Black Doll For Madame Alexander

Monday, February 8, 2010 - 5:00 PM

by Jenisha Watts

We all remember the stunning gown First Lady Michelle Obama wore during the inaugural ball. Now, famous designer Jason Wu is wooing the fashion world with his new line of Cissy dolls styled for Madame Alexander. His favorite doll headlining the collection is a glowing chocolate African-American brown eyed stylish figure.

The beautiful high fashion mannequin is sporting an off-white corset trimmed with white soutache that is combined with a skirt, three layers of gathered white netting and a fabulous flocked polka dot detail. The bella is named Bon Bon. The cute model is finished by rocking silver rhinestone earrings, dark brown tights, hot pink over-the-top vinyl lace-up platform shoes and an ultra chic hand-shaped, black and white houndstooth hat that is perched fetchingly upon her head.

Oh, and she is wearing some super fierce purple eyeshadow. Pretty little Bon Bon is a Web exclusive so the doll is available only on MadameAlexander.com. Kudos to Jason Wu for hitting the mark!

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Beauty

Latifah Rocks The Superbowl In Cover Girl

Monday, February 8, 2010 - 3:36 PM

by Tia Williams

If you caught Latifah's stirring performance of "America the Beautiful" kicking off last night's Super Bowl, then you know that the Queen's eyes looked prettier than ever. "She was wearing a black and gold jacket with a black tank and dark-wash jeans, so I wanted to compliment that look," says celebrity makeup artist Monifa Mortis, who created Queen Latifah's big game face. "Plus, I wanted to make sure that her eyes had smoky definition so all the fans could see her!"

Here, a step-by-step breakdown of how Mortis created the superstar's sexy eye look. After rimming the eye with a simple black eyeliner, Mortis applied a black eyeshadow to the outer corner and crease of the lids. For a pop of color, she blended a shimmery cranberry shadow in the center and inner corner of Latifah's lid. Try CoverGirl Smoky ShadowBlast in Purple Plume. To finish her look, Mortis applied a double coat of CoverGirl LashBlast Volume Mascara to her lashes.

All CoverGirl products are available at Drugstore.com.

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Independent Spirit

Closet We Envy: Gallerina Nicola Vassell

Monday, February 8, 2010 - 1:15 PM

by Yolanda Sangweni

Besides the red-hot artists she represents, former model turned gallerina, Nicola Vassell is one of the most exciting figures in the art world. Known for her impeccable taste both as a director at Deitch Projects--an art gallery on the forefront of the art universe--and her carefully curated wardrobe choices, the Jamaican native has long been a poster girl for downtown New York style. Now luxury brand Cole Haan has tapped her as one of the faces of it's "Inspired Life" ad campaign which features the coolest kids in New York.

After years spent working for the likes of Oscar de la Renta, Ralph Lauren and Donna Karan, Vassell hung up her modeling gloves for the glamorous grind of the art world. But she didn't leave her eclectic fashion sense behind, which is why she's constantly on our radar of need-to-know style arbiters...

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Features

Accessories

Fire & Desire: Red Shoes Bring The Heat

Monday, February 8, 2010 - 1:15 PM

Valentine's Day is the perfect excuse to wear red. Here, we follow Beyonce's lead and show you some of the hottest red shoes, booties and heels to add a little spice to your life. Check out the hot steppers.

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Beauty

Top Ten Black Beauty Mavericks

Monday, February 8, 2010 - 7:05 AM

by Tia Williams

Whether it's 1940s-era designers copying our Sunday church hats or Bo Derek rocking cornrows in "10," Black women have always inspired the world with our effortless personal style. But throughout history, a handful of women have taken the "style muse" thing one step further, making a culture-altering impact on the business of global hair, beauty, and skincare.

From Madame C.J. Walker to Naomi Sims, these powerful Black beauty pioneers have shaped the way we present ourselves to the world. In honor of Black History Month, we salute the top ten black beauty movers and shakers of all time.

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Beauty

Chanel Iman Adds 'DJ' to Her Resume

Sunday, February 7, 2010 - 8:35 AM

by Tia Williams

As if Chanel Iman couldn't get more fierce, the supermodel added "DJ" to her list of fabulous accomplishments last week. Joining the storied ranks of all the model-turned-spinners that came before her (hello, Kate Moss, Agyness Deyn and Erin Wasson), the comely catwalk queen rocked the ones-and-twos at the Sonia Rykiel Pour H&M Collection launch party at Bobo in New York City. Before the fete, she told WWD, "I don't want to see anyone out there not dancing. I'm going to make this party as hot as possible." She met her pre-party goal, moving the crowd of hard-to-impress models, journalists and fashionistas with a mix of '90s dance hits, Akon and indie-ish bands like MGMT.

We definitely think she's found her calling--but even if she hadn't, how fly does she look in her oversized headphones and peekaboo lingerie moment? As we all know, looking good is half the battle...

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Hot Topics Fashion and Beauty

Kimora Lee Simmons Lectures on Fashion Industry

Saturday, February 6, 2010 - 12:00 PM

Aspiring fashion moguls rejoice. The reigning queen of fabulosity, Kimora Lee Simmons is scheduled to teach a one-day seminar at The Learning Annex in New York City on February 10th. Among Kimora's topics for the evening class titled "How To Succeed in The Fashion Industry," will be how to develop a unique fashion identity, what you need to know about the business of fashion, what it takes to start a fashion business, and most importantly, how she created her empire.

Kimora's starting 2010 in a big way. On top of wrapping up filming for the third season of "Life in the Fab Lane" she recently launched a new line, Kouture by Kimora, at the Beverly Hills Center.

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Beauty

Office Obsession: C.O. Bigelow Lemon Body Cream

Saturday, February 6, 2010 - 9:25 AM

by Tia Williams

We happen to enjoy many aspects of the winter (hot cocoa by the fire, cozy cashmere sweaters, no insane pressure to have a flawless pedicure at all times)--but dry, ash-prone skin is not one of them. There's nothing less attractive than rough, scaly elbows, knees and hands! C.O. Bigelow Lemon Body Cream ($19.50), the newest obsession to hit the Essence.com offices, is an instant cure-all for winter-worn skin. The totally luxurious, fast-absorbing lotion is blended with all kinds of good-for-you moisturizers, like shea butter and kukui nut oil--plus, it's spiked with a generous amount of lemon oil, which contains skin-brightening vitamin C and has the distinction of making the cream smell like the world's sexiest lemon meringue pie. For the softest skin, apply it fresh out of the shower, before you dry off. Trust us, you're skin will thank you.

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Office Obsession: Michelle Obama's New Bob
Office Obsession: Kerry Washington's Pale Pink Lips

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