Beyonce Paints L'Oreal Red

In May of 2009 I met Beyonce backstage at the Greensboro, North Carolina stop of her 'I Am Sasha Fierce' tour. Surprisingly, it was a major moment in my life.

See, Beyonce and I are the same age. In meeting her, it was obvious that she was living inside her passion, using every talent she had been given and not apologizing for any of it. I saw with my own eyes that she is 1) an angel and 2) embracing and being just exactly who she is at all times. So when she reps L'Oreal I believe her. For reals. Her new commercial for L’Oréal Paris’ latest Infallible Stars Never Fail Lipcolour Compact has just hit the airwaves. (You must check out Beyonce Red)

Funny thing is, no matter how beautiful she is on screen or in film, in person she is absolutely ethereal. For today, we'll settle for the film footage. Enjoy!

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Me & Beyonce

The night before she sang a stunning tribute to Michael Jackson at the BET awards, Beyonce's big red tour bus rolled into Greensboro and I was lucky enough to meet this prolific siren of screen and (musical) stage. To say that she is a legend, to say that she is beautiful, is not enough. Odd as it may seem, her show changed my perspective, even, my life. We are, in fact, the same age. We both adore L'Oreal. She on the one hand has never apologized for who she is, or how she was made. While I, on the other, have spent veritable ages scrutinizing my large nose and impenetrable love handles which are perched atop a pair of oddly large hips.

Her performance, her persona, her rockin' 10 piece all female band showed me more about beauty than I've learned in two years of beauty blogging. Watching the spectacle of music, dance, acrobatics, and theatre that intersect on Beyonce's stage, one gets the feeling that she is more than an excellent dancer, a talented vocalist and one of the most beautiful women ever made. She is, it seems, a channel. Unlike many of us who bury our talents where no one can see, criticize, or steal them, Beyonce is brave enough to lay each and every one of her gifts (not to mention emotions) before the world.

My friend Julia tells me that as a little girl, B used to sing until she couldn't sing any more to the patrons (including Ms. All about the Pretty herself) in her mother's Houston hair salon. B was born with it.

B also happens to be entirely kind and somewhat daunted by the prospect of people's reactions to her. Poor girl tried to have a normal conversation with four fully grown women who could barely speak after seeing her performance. We all settled for hugs, handshakes and one professionally taken photo. I learned on this sweaty southern summer night that beauty, in its truest form, is divinely given and decidedly unapologetic.

Thanks to Beyonce and her incredibly hard working team (including the aMAzing all-female band and hot HOT dancers) for what was one of the best nights of my life.

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Beyonce Raves About Carol's Daughter InStyle

When I spoke with Carol's Daughter founder, Lisa Price, she mentioned that Brangelina loved her products but she forgot to mention that Ms. B ranks among her most famous brand loyalists. Beyoncé reveals in the September issue of InStyle Magazine (on stands now) that Carol's Daughter is one of her skin-care obsessions and says, "Carol's Daughter moisturizers -- I like to try them all!" To get glowing skin like Beyoncé, try Carol's Daughter Body Butter in Jamaican Punch and Mango Mélange ($18)