Beyonce is gilded in glitter... and not much else as she appears nude on cover of Flaunt magazine

Beyonce Knowles has posed for her raciest cover yet, as the mother of one appeared nude for magazine Flaunt. With her blushes spared only by a liberal coating bronze glitter, it is possibly her most revealing cover to date. The daring editorial by photographer Tony Duran was shot in 2011 as part of her Year of 4 album campaign, but now the pictures have emerged in a stunning editorial in Flaunt magazine. Another picture from the magazine sees the singer's curvaceous figure lying prone on the floor with the same body paint. And in other photos she is covered in multi-coloured tribal style make-up with her hair painted gold for the latest issue of Flaunt Magazine. In the accompanying interview she responds to talk that she is a gay icon, and shares with fans what she puts in her picnic basket. 

In answer to the question about why gay men are drawn to the singer like 'gay icons' Judy Garland, Barbra Streisand, Cher, and Madonna. 'I'm flattered if I'm in the company of those great women. I think they love that we are bold, unafraid to love, and flaunt our sexuality and strength,' she told Flaunt. And if you're hoping to enjoy a picnic with the award-winning singer, don't worry it won't break the bank. In her picnic basket she revealed she'd simply  like: 'A cozy blanket, red wine, fruit, '90s R&B playing on my iPod. I don't think you need much else.'
The feature delves into the singer's philanthropic side - she gave a quarter million dollars to Hurricane Katrina relief; helped raise $1 million to aid Haiti after the 2010 earthquake; and recently signed on to Gucci's widely successful Chime for Change campaign to promote equal rights for females. 

And it's an area she uses to  connect with her fans. While some dismiss this generation's youth as the "me me me" generation and 'slack-tivists' [people who are activists online but not in the real world], Beyonce says her fans show her the opposite of that image.' She told Flaunt: 'At my concerts I see the opposite. They are engaged in making a difference. We have collected tons of donations that will go towards creating jobs and helping people get jobs. 'That's something I want to celebrate. For Chime for Change we raised awareness and over $4 million in one day for equal rights for girls everywhere. 'So many people at that concert were young. They are more socially responsible than they get credit for.'

Meanwhile pop's ultimate power couple go from strength to strength.