Kelly Rowland played guest editor on Essence.com this week, writing an essay detailing what makes her feel beautiful. She first took fans through her memories of being a newbie artist with girl group Destiny’s Child. Desperately wanting to emulate the skills of professional makeup artists, she recounts the many times she looked a complete mess.  “I remember I walked around looking like a dragon because I was trying to contour my face the way the makeup artists did. [laughs] I spent a lot of time looking crazy.”

After some trial and error, Kelly says she finally figured out exactly what looks best on her hue. “The makeup lines I really love right now are Scott Barnes and Bobbi Brown; Scott Barnes’ concealer and Bobbi Brown's foundation. I remember going to that counter for the first time and going "OMG, it’s so awesome to find my skin color.”

Oprah Winfrey resides on the list of Rowland’s beauty icons. “I love that fact that she's so comfortable with herself.” Her admiration for the TV mogul also revealed her own personal longing for self-worth. “It took a long while for me to know that I’m beautiful. I remember going through this phase when I was younger of wanting to pass by mirrors and not look at them. That was so ridiculous. I’ve learned now that beauty starts from within. If you don't know your worth, if you don't know your value, if you don't know how fantabulous you are—it's going to be hard for other people to see it. Being appreciative of self, is beauty to me.”

(Photo: Anthony Stanley/WENN.com)