Precious Monique!

Hey muchachas,
Okay, so I don't have the balls to see Precious just yet (**ducking tomatoes**). I don't know, something about the profound sexual and emotional abuse in the story just really brings me to my knees. It might be because I'm a mom now (my excuse for everything). When I had La Lina a year ago tomorrow, I turned into a big, throbbing heart...it was like I took on all the suffering of the world. I had to stop watching America's Best Dance Crew because JC's critiques were like daggers in my heart. But I digress. Anyway, I'm giving myself until next Monday to see "Precious." I'm a writer; I work best with deadlines.

Since I haven't seen it, I can't comment on the movie, but I can talk to you about Monique's GORGE makeup look at the November 1st premiere! Of course, she owed her stunning face to my lovely and fierce friend, legendary makeup artist Sam Fine (if you haven't gotten his genius new how-to DVD, "The Basics of Beauty," what are you waiting for, woman?). Here, he breaks down the myriad was he hooked up Monique, with her sure-to-be-nominated-for-an-Oscar self.

FACE: “The key is to subtly layer your bronzer and blush until you create a softly sculpted look. After finishing her base, I used a dark-hued bronzer from CoverGirl Queen, and then layered it with the Iman Sheer Finishing Bronzer in Afterglow, which contains a bronzer, blush and highlighter trio.”

EYES: “I lined her eyes, and then used a beige liner on the inner rim of her lower lash line. Beige liner is much more subtle than white but still opens up the eye area. Then, I applied golden hues on her lids, like Stila Eyeshadow in Twig ($18), and Nars Eyeshadow in NightStar ($22). Lashes are a must on the red carpet, so of course I used false lashes! After applying the falsies, I fused them to her natural lashes with a couple swipes of L’Oréal Voluminous Mascara ($7.50) I finished the look by adding a touch of gold glitter on the inner corners of her eyes to offset her dress!”

LIPS: “I applied golden shades on Monique's lips, taking the same layering approach I used on the rest of her face. To complete the look, I used lip liner, lipstick and a golden gloss (try Dior Addict Ultra Gloss)."