When it comes to looks, ageless beauty Vanessa Williams seems to know what works and stick with it, so when she started working with makeup artist Sam Fine, she refused to let a good thing go. Eighteen years later, he's still the only man who knows her skin as well as she knows it herself! Here's how Fine achieved Vanessa's sexy, classic look for the December issue of Ebony Magazine.

FACE
According to Fine, "perfecting the canvas is essential to any makeup look." He first applied Laura Mercier Oil-Free Foundation Primer ($30, lauramercier.com) as a base, then used Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage Concealer in SC6 ($28, lauramercier.com) for complete coverage and to highlight the undereye area. Next Fine spot-treated with Black Opal Stick Foundation in Heavenly Honey ($9.50, blackopalbeauty.com) to correct any unevenness in tone. Finally, Iman Cosmetics' Luxury Mineral Enriched Semi-Loose Powder ($14.49, drugstore.com)set the foundation for a flawless complexion.

CHEEKS
While Snooki may have given this product a bad name, "bronzer is important for everyone, regardless of season," says Fine. Take it from the experts: when applied correctly, bronzer gives skin contour, dimension, and glow - perfect for pictures. For Vanessa, he chose Cargo Bronzer in Dark, then layered various blush shades such as Bobbi Brown blush in Apricot ($22, bobbibrowncosmetics.com), Cargo blush in Laguna ($26, cargocosmetics.com), and NARS blush in Angelica ($26, narscosmetics.com)to create a multi-tonal look, as opposed to one major hue.

EYES
Simply grooming your brows can take even a makeup-less face from plain to va-va-voom, but according to Fine, "a dark brow can age the face." He recommends using a color lighter than your hair to "give the entire face a more golden look." To achieve this, Fine filled in Vanessa's brows with Lancome's Le Crayon Poudre pencil in Blonde ($24, lancome-usa.com).

An eye-popping tone is great for a party, but for Vanessa's cover look, Fine went for sexy, not sassy. "I wanted the emphasis to be on the eye shape, not the eyeshadow," he says. To do this, he blended beige and brown tones with Lancome's Color Design Sensational Effects Eye Shadow Quad Smooth Hold in Showstopper Style ($42, lancome-usa.com). He then added beige liner inside the inner rim using Shiseido's Corrector Pencil in Medium ($17, sephora.com), making eyes appear wider and brighter. With a few false lashes and a couple coats of Lancome Hypnose Waterproof mascara in Black ($24.50, lancome-usa.com) on top and bottom lashes, Vanessa eyes were unstoppable!

LIPS
"With a dramatic eye, lips should take a back seat," says Fine. With Vanessa's pout, he always begins by lining lips with a brown liner a few shades deeper than her skin tone, like IMAN's Perfect Lip Pencil in Spice ($7.99, drugstore.com), blending inward toward the center of the mouth. Next he used Dolce & Gabbana Classic Cream Lipstick in Cashmere ($30, saks.com) to give Vanessa's lips a full look and satiny finish. Finally he brought on the shine with Dior Addict Ultra Gloss in #227: Beige Tweed ($26.50, sephora.com).

To find out more about Vanessa, pick up the latest issue of Ebony or visit, Ebony.com.