Aaaah! The collective sigh of relief of spring after a long dreary winter. Everything is coming up roses and daffodils and it is time to get seriously gorgeous… for the beach, red carpet and just life… from head to toe. These are few of my favorite things:

1. IMAN Luxury Radiance Liquid Makeup with Minerals

IMAN Luxury Radiance Liquid Makeup with Minerals available at DrugStore.com

2. Diana B. Black Fig Sugar Scrub

3. SK II 3-D Redefining Mask

4. IMAN Global Chic accessories at hsn.com

5. Metallic Mani

CONTINUED AT ESSENCE.COM

To me, a “fresh start” is all about turning your attention to your own health and happiness. I start my fresh start right during the Christmas holiday, since I’m usually being pampered in some fab getaway, with no mommy duties (like homework, after school activities, play dates etc…), or homemaker duties. I know you’re thinking “homemaker duties? Are we talking about Iman?” CONTINUED AT ESSENCE.COM

SAM FINE

1. Who are your clients?
I’ve worked with celebrities such as Vanessa Williams, Patti LaBelle, Mary J. Blige, Queen Latifah, Mo’Nique and supermodels Naomi Campbell, Tyra Banks, Chanel Iman… and one of my personal favorites, Iman!

2. What are your 3 all time hall of fame/fave products?
Yves St. Laurent Semi-loose Powder Natural Radiance – Fellow makeup artist Fran Cooper turned me onto this incredibly silky loose powder and I’ve been using it my entire career! It never settles in fine lines or looks heavy!

IMAN Cosmetics Sheer Finish Bronzing Powder in Afterglow - Bronzer and blush all in one? Who could ask for more!

Stila Eyeshadow in Twig – A rich brown shadow with flecks of gold that looks great on everyone from fair to deep complexions.

3. What are your mistake proof tips for holiday festive makeup?
Glitter liquid liner makes eyes sparkle and is one of the easiest products to use! Simply apply a bit to the inner corner of the eye (nearest the nose) to add a touch of holiday sparkle or layer over a dark smoky eye for all out glamour!  My fave is IMAN Luxury Liquid Eyeliner.

Wearing lipstick in rich shades ranging from red to bordeaux look amazing when paired with a clean eye and a defined brow… very old Hollywood!

4. What are your quick makeup fixes that all women need to know?
Apply lip liner in a coordinating shade over the entire mouth before applying lipstick. Not only will this keep lipstick from bleeding, it will last longer while you dance the night away!

Don’t have room for a compact? Simply pack a few blotting tissues in your purse to absorb oil throughout the evening.

If you feel you’ve applied too much foundation, simply take a two-ply tissue, separate, and blot. Not only does this absorb excess foundation, it also allows the skin to show through for a more natural looking, flawless complexion.

5. Are you working anything new that we should know about?
I recently released my first instructional makeup DVD, Fine: The Basics of Beauty available now on Amazon.com! This step-by-step tutorial features three individual makeovers and addresses a myriad of beauty challenges! Check it out!

ASHUNTA

1. Who are your clients?
Some of my clients are Alicia Keys, Keri Hilson, Sharon Stone, Mary J. Blige and Rihanna.

2. What are your 3 all time hall of fame/fave products?
My three all time favorite products are Laura Mercier Perfect Primer, Mary Kay TimeWise Targeted Eye Revitalizer and IMAN Cosmetics Creme To Powder Foundation.

3. What are your mistake proof tips for holiday festive makeup?
Play up lips and try a bold brick red, or deep wine. If you are not used to these colors make sure to use a warm brown lip liner line and fill in the lips then apply lip color. This always works well when wearing bolder colors is new to you because the warm brown lip liner tones down the brightness of red to create a more sultry color. This is a great tip to ease you into the color. For lighter complexions I suggest doing the same with a nude lip liner.

Also for holiday time using a fun eye liner like emerald, blue, or purple only on the lash line with 2 or 3 coats of Mascara is a great way to try a new look. My favorite eye liners are Makeup Forever Aqua Colors because they’re water proof and come in amazing shades. I love Dior Iconic Mascara to achieve full long lashes. When applying mascara wiggle the wand in a fast motion from side to side almost like teasing hair carefully. This insures that every lash is coated evenly.

4. What are your quick makeup fixes that all women need to know?
I always keep a Ziploc baggie with Q-tips inside with eye makeup remover. I let it marinate over night so the makeup remover is really soaked up by the Q-tips. This is great for runny eye makeup or makeup mishap quick fixes on the go – or if you want to change eye makeup from day to night you can easily remove only eye shadow so you can build up eyes or change without the heaviness layering makeup sometimes does.

A lot of women are always surprised when they see that I work on eyes first. It is a great tip because when you focus all the attention on the eyes then you can just clean up any fallen shadow or mascara. It’s easy to get a flawless finish with your foundation afterwards.

I am always asked how I get Alicia’s skin to glow. I always buy empty plastic jar containers from Ricky’s or Alcone – both fabulous stores for beauty junkies like me. I am a firm believe of removing products from their packaging to mix and create my own. I love being creative with makeup because it’s like painting so it should be fun. I actually learned this from two people I greatly look up to in beauty; Iman and Pat McGrath. I remember when I became a makeup artist I read Iman’s book, “The Beauty of Color: The Ultimate Beauty Guide for Skin of Color,” and she said she was always mixing things because brands didn’t make colors for her skin-tone. Pat is constantly mixing products to make the perfect shade so it became a trick of mine and it works. One of my biggest tricks to glowing skin is I take Tinted Moisturizer from Mary Kay, 24 Karat Gold Shimmer powder from Jane Iredale and Cover Girl Queen Collection Natural Hue Mineral Bronzer and mix it together to make a perfect flawless base that covers with glow.

5. Are you working anything new that we should know about?
Yes, I am working on a TV show, a book about green beauty, a blog, and a green product line. Plus always busy with my various clients and their projects. It is going to be a busy year and I feel very blessed.

BEAU NELSON

1. Who are your clients?
I have worked with Taylor Momsen, Lindsay Price, Mary J Blige, Lucy Liu, Iman, Blake Lively, Amanda Bynes, Mariah Carey, Kristen Stewart, Zoe Kravitz, Becki Newton, Brooke Shields, and Sienna Miller amongst others.

2. What are your 3 all time hall of fame/fave products?
Yves Saint Laurent Faux Cils Mascara makes lashes thick and dark without clumping. A real classic.

Shu Uemura and IMAN Cosmetics Stick foundations; between these two brands I have any skin tone I would ever need, and they both offer incredibly adjustable coverage, from the sheerest wash of color all the way up to full coverage, but have a satiny finish that never looks like MAKEUP.

Beauté Cosmetics Liqui-Gel Stain for Cheeks and Lips; I designed these as pure pigments suspended in a liquidy-gel base so they are bendable and super long lasting and look great on all skin tones.

3. What are your mistake proof tips for holiday festive makeup?
For daytime activities I think a little extra blush in a muted berry tone is a really pretty way to go, it makes you look like you have been out in the snow for a bit. And for evening a smoky dramatic eye looks amazing with a hint of silver or gold blended over the inner eye corner to light up the look.

4. What are your quick makeup fixes that all women need to know?
Brushes are your best friend! They make applying professional looking makeup a breeze, so make sure you invest in a nice set. That being said, sometimes nothing works better than your fingers, especially with emollient products like concealer and crème blush.

When using concealer under the eye, use your finger in a tapping motion rather than a rubbing one to blend the pigment under the eye, that way you will get the fullest coverage without it looking heavy. Use a small fluffy clean shadow brush to lightly dust loose powder under the eye after applying concealer to set it. This will control the amount of powder you are using making sure it doesn’t look dry or cakey.

For perfect red lips (or any other dark color) I apply a pencil in a lipstick matching shade and fill in the entire lip, I then use a clean lip brush to soften the pencil line very slightly. I use the same brush to apply a matching lip color all over the lip. Sometimes I refine the line further by using a straight edged flat liner brush dipped in makeup remover along the outside of the lip to define the shape even further.

5. Are you working anything new that we should know about?
It’s my goal in 2010 to expand the distribution of my brand Beauté Cosmetics to more locations in the US, so look out for us! Beyond that I’m continuing my work with my amazing clients and will hopefully have even more incredible ladies to work with soon.

To my surprise this year I received an email from Glamour magazine Editor in Chief Cindi Leive asking me to present an award to Rihanna. I say surprised because I had never met Rihanna and was even more surprised that Rihanna requested me. Of course, I know and admire this young beautiful girl for her music and fearless fashion.

When she cut her hair she really turned into a real star… a Grammy winner who sold millions of albums and has become the fashion darling of the fashion world. But, I and the entire nation, were mesmerized how graceful, fearless, articulate and emotional she was talking about her abuse with Dianne Sawyer: “The thing that men don’t realize is that when they hit a woman, it is the face, the broken arm, the black eye…. That’s going to heal. That’s not the problem…. it’s the scar inside.”

She is an individual who is using her voice with her Believe Foundation, a fund that provides educational and medical supplies to needy children. She was as sweet as she can be and told me that for her it was a no brainer when she asked for me, and even told me “I hope I grow up to be just like you!” awwww…. I forget she is only 21 years old.

She looked fierce as always with the tightest longest dress… cute and sexy at the same time – and loved my dress…. so, Jason Wu, you will be hearing from Rihanna very soon.

She brought her entire family from Barbados which was lovely to see… I see where she gets her beauty… her mom!

The event was amazing and I think Maya Angelou almost stole the entire show with 2 standing ovations! She is smart, sassy and a phenomenal woman at the tender age of 80!

Serena Williams looked strong and sexy at the same time… Susan Rice powerful and feminine, Amy Poehler hysterically funny but graceful, and Stella McCartney wore the shortest of dresses I have ever seen but with the most amazing legs…. if I had those legs I would walk around with the skimpiest of dresses as well but … alas, I don’t!

I wore a Jason Wu cute light as a feather of a dress…. it was actually feathers! Beautiful soft color and the most amazing emerald ring by Lorraine Schwartz! My makeup was flawless and I was glowing all courtesy of Sam Fine – girls, get your DVDs, The Basics of Beauty by Sam Fine, to master this glow and buy yourself IMAN Afterglow, the yummiest of bronzers! … at www.drugstore.com.

Iman, in a Jason Wu dress and Lorraine Schwartz jewelry, with Rihanna at Glamour's 2009 Women of the Year Awards.

How did you start in the business?
I moved to New York at the tender age of 17 with hopes of becoming a fashion illustrator. During that time, I began working for a small cosmetic company, Naomi Sims Cosmetics. Within three months, I fell on my tail and returned to Chicago, until one day they called and asked if I was interested in returning to the Big Apple to work at their first cosmetic counter in Manhattan… and of course I jumped at the chance. It wasn’t long before I fell in love with the art of makeup and began assisting makeup pro, Fran Cooper. As fate would have it, Fran wasn’t available for a booking with Naomi Campbell for People’s 50 Most Beautiful People, so Naomi called personally and asked if I would work with her… the rest is history!

Your dvd, The Basics of Beauty, is beyond…. why did you decide to do one?
Having authored, Fine Beauty: Beauty Basics and Beyond for African – American Women, I realized that writing about beauty was great, but nothing could compare to watching it being applied! So, I decided to create my first makeup instructional DVD, Fine: The Basics of Beauty.

You have a profound knowledge of makeup. Will women be able to learn how to apply makeup like a pro from your DVD?
Fine: The Basics of Beauty DVD is the ultimate tool in which to learn proper application and product selection! However, you don’t become a “pro” overnight… it takes practice!

In addition to performing three makeovers, I offer an insightful tool review, include pop – up information and provide bonus footage following each makeover… and then, there’s the Special Features with behind-the-scene footage of you and I working together on a photoshoot to further demonstrate how the basics of beauty work on, well, everyone.

What are your all time favorite products?
Wow! Here goes… 

- Iman Luxury Pressed Powders – Your pressed powders have the perfect level of coverage and include a variety of shades that work for all women of color! And I absolutely LOVE your bronzer/blush AFTERGLOW… it provides subtle, shimmering color and a lot of gorgeous glow!!!

- Maybelline Expert Eyes Twin Brow and Eye Pencil – These two-for- one pencils are affordable and come in a great shade range and aren’t too waxy.

- L’Oreal Voluminous Waterproof Volume Building Mascara – mascara should have two things – a great brush and formula – This mascara has both! The brush is full and dense so it catches the finest of hairs… and the formula is rich enough to build thick, “voluminous” eyelashes.

- Iman, Black Opal, and Bobbi Brown Stick Foundations – I love stick foundations because they offer a variety of coverage options, making it easy for any women to achieve her desired level of coverage.

You love nude lips …. what are the best nudes out there for women of color?
Finding the right nude lipstick is like searching for the perfect color of nude pantyhose – It changes depending on your shade! And it’s not just about color, it’s also about consistency, so I prefer lipstick from Iman, Dolce & Gabbana, MAC and Nars.

No one does eyebrows like you, Sam, will I be able to learn this from your dvd?
Aw, thanks… Each “real” woman featured in Fine: The Basics of Beauty possesses a different brow shape, which allows the viewer to see how to trim, tweeze and enhance her brow – no matter the shape or size. The editors tried to get me to condense some of the eyebrow demonstration, but realized that it was such a special part of the DVD that they couldn’t cut out one step!

In terms of makeup what would you splurge on and what would you save on?
I always splurge on products that I feel are important to have in my kit. Whether it’s a loose powder by YSL or a lipgloss by Christian Dior. However, I’m so lucky to “steal” products from Iman Cosmetics, Black Opal and Queen Latifah’s Covergirl Collection because I would pay “splurge” prices for any item from these brands!

You are the only makeup artist i know who likes to do makeup in the darkest of rooms….. Why?
LOL! It’s not the darkest room… I simply like to have a single source of light, which usually makes it a more “dimly lit” room. With a single light source, I’m able to see the natural contours of the face, which helps me to apply makeup that looks more like the clients natural features.

What advice would you give to aspiring make up artists?
Practice, Practice, Practice!!! In an era of retouching, I don’t think today’s artists realize the level of detail that goes into making up each face. The job of a makeup artist is to give the retoucher something to follow; they’re job is to add the finishing touches to our work, not do our job for us!

When we are at a shoot you have so much input in how the hair should look and also about the styling and lighting…. have you ever considered doing a beauty book where you do the makeup, styling it and take the photos like Francois Nars?
No! I love collaborating with a great team. I truly enjoy being surrounded by other talented professionals that bring something new and different to the table.

Iman and make-up artist Sam Fine attend the launch party for Sam Fine's "The Basics of Beauty" DVD.

The Basics of Beauty DVD by Sam Fine at amazon.com

 The First Lady applauded ABT for reaching thousands of students  in some of the most underserved schools and communities across the nation with its award winning education program. Both as mothers, Veronica and I share belief that even a child’s first encounter with the arts can be a life-changing experience.

I chose to wear a Donna Karan burgundy cashmere long dress which I saw in the window of her Madison Boutique and that stopped me in my tracks! The color is just breathtaking on dark skin and it fit like a glove.  I then proceeded 2 doors down to Fred Leighton to borrow some spectacular jewelry.

For my makeup I ventured into darker burgundy lips and as you all know, I usually go with a nude lip, but I loved it.

What say you about the dark lips with dark eyes?

Please, post your comments.

Iman in a Donna Karan dress and Fred Leighton jewelry

Iman with honorary co-chair Veronica Webb

Alicia Keys, Padma Lakshmi and I co-hosted our yearly fundraiser for Keep a Child Alive (www.keepachildalive.org) at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York city…. and what a night it was!

We honored President Bill Clinton, Sir Richard Branson and African musician Youssou Ndour. The evening celebrated the work of the world’s most influential humanitarians, prominent entrepreneurs, entertainers and politicians who continue to attend and lend their support each year.

The Hammerstein Ballroom was transformed into a glamorous African tent where we gathered to talk, entertain, celebrate and highlight the work of Keep a Child Alive.  Our emcee Queen Latifah was funny and engaging and gathered everybody to raise the funds during the auction.  At one point she was trying to outbid Tyler Perry…. Go Queen (but she lost it to him – all for a good cause!) The auction kicked ass!

The celebrity quota was very high this year from Halle Berry, Kerry Washington, Mary J Blige, Estelle, Usher, Tyler Perry, Tonya Lewis and Spike Lee, Tommy Hilfiger, Jeffrey Wright, Adrian Grenier, Erica Reid and L A Reid, Nick Cannon, Paula Patton and Robin Thicke, Samuel Jackson, Al Rocker and many more (sorry, if I missed your name!) My highlight was seeing the lovely Halle Berry… she is beautiful in pictures but my God she is breathtaking in real life and motherhood suits her gloriously!

Iman and Halle Berry at Keep a Child Alive Black Ball

I have made a new friend in Kerry Washington who invited me to the opening of her broadway debut Race… can’t wait.  But my new BFF is CNN’s Christiane Amanpour who was a guest at my table, also including Cindy Leive, Editor in Chief of Glamour, Sir Richard Branson and his wife, my dearest friend Bethann Hardison, Tyson Beckford and of course my husband David Bowie.

With fearless performances by Alicia Keys and her band, Chris Martin of Coldplay, John Mayer, and Youssou Ndour, as well as the African Children’s Choir….. the kids which ranged from 7-10 years old got the most applause!  Chris Martin (who bought one of the auction pieces which was Alicia Keys piano with a lesson from her!) was so sweet and engaging on stage and I was floored by John Mayer and Alicia’s rendition of “Ain’t no Sunshine.”  A standing ovation from the whole house!  We ended with Alicia and Chris Martin duet of Coldplay’s “Viva la Vida.”  Everybody was on their feet dancing.

Iman at The Black Ball wearing a Thakoon dress and Fred Leighton jewelry

It was an evening to inform, inspire and have fun and what fun we had.

One of the reason I joined this organization was NO bureaucracy, no bullshit. It remains small and bureaucracy-free, so the speed of response is never hammered.  

Keep a Child Alive is fearless, rebellious, irreverent, cutting edge and not afraid to push limits…. We are the punk rock of charities!  There is no hierarchy, only shared passion for moving our agenda forward which is to save as many lives as possible.  100% of the public’s donation to KCA go directly to support essential treatment and support services for children and families living with HIV/AIDS. 

You want to help? It is as simple but monumental as:

– Make an immediate $5 donation to KCA by texting “ALIVE” to 90999

– visit www.keepachildalive.org to learn more ways to Get Involved

Noah Mushimiyimana from Rwanda was chosen by Keep a Child Alive to be given the opportunity of a lifetime! Noah lives in Rwanda and had a dream… to make an album so that he can help children living with HIV/AIDS in his country. Alicia Keys took him to American Idol and sang making his dream come true. He showed all of us that living with HIV doesn’t have to stop you from reaching for the stars. Help Keep a Child Alive by donating… www.keepachildalive.org.