It has taken me years to. truly understand and appreciate the importance of moisturising, I don’t know why but when I was growing up my mum would literally have to force me to moisturise because I hated it, I didn’t see the point of it and it seemed more like a chore to me than anything else. The funny thing was that I always thought I could get away with not moisturising, only problem being that I was a chocolate kid meaning that you could instantly tell when I hadn’t moisturised because I’d end up looking like Caspar the freaking ghost. But eventually I stopped being a stubborn little brat and came to realise that mom knows best and that moisturising has so many benefits and I have come to love it. It’s now like drinking water to me, it’s a necessity!
Why is Moisturising so Important?
It helps to keep the skin looking young which is why black never cracks! The skin on your face is very sensitive to environmental changes and is one of the most frequent areas of the body that is known to develop skin cancer as it is exposed 24/7. The face also shed cells more rapidly than other parts of the body and therefore needs moisture to repair itself, which allows for younger skin cells to rise to the surface. It is also thought that the massaging affect that is used when applying lotion helps stimulate blood circulation and new cell generation.
Moisturising everyday reduces skin problems as it can reduce the chances of developing extreme dryness or oiliness which are both harmful for the skin and cause common skin conditions like acne.
Moisturising can reduce the appearance of other blemishes. This is because freshly moisturised skin has a healthy sheen, which can even out any existing blemishes. As well as this some moisturisers have some sort of tint or self-tanner that can work with any skin tone to even out the skin.
Moisturising helps in fighting wrinkles. According to the British Journal of Dermatology, people with properly moisturised skin accumulate wrinkles at just a fraction of the rate of those with dry skin.
Finding The Perfect Moisturiser for you
With there being so many moisturisers available on the market, making a decision on which one is right for you can be quite overwhelming and one of the biggest and worst mistakes people make when using products on their skin is using a product that doesn’t necessarily fit their skin type.
Oily: “Look for lotions instead of creams,” advises Dr. Lain. Find formulas that have exfoliating ingredients, such as lactic glycolic and salicylic acids. Find the perfect moisturiser for you!
Dry: Definitely find a cream, especially in the winter weather. “There is more oil in a cream, therefore it is a thicker substance and more moisturizing. The greater the oil content, the better absorption through the skin barriers to hydrate the tissue,” says Dr. Frank. Find the perfect moisturiser for you!
Combination: While Dr. Lain believes this is the hardest skin type to find products for, he recommends “lotions with no acids, something bland such as Cetaphil, Cerave, Aveeno, Neutrogena, or Lubriderm.” Find the perfect moisturiser for you!
Normal: “I always tell people with normal skin to put a very thin layer of ointment on at night, such as Aquaphor,” says Dr. Frank, adding that this will help protect you against the forces of nature.Find the perfect moisturiser for you!
Sensitive skin: Those having sensitive skin must use a moisturiser that contains soothing ingredients such as chamomile or aloe vera. Make sure the product does not contain fragrances or dyes or acids as this can irritate your skin. Find the perfect moisturiser for you!
Mature skin: As you age, your skin tends to become drier as the oil-producing glands become less active. To keep your skin soft and well hydrated, opt for an oil-based moisturiser that contains petrolatum as the base, along with antioxidants to combat age related skin problems like wrinkles, fine lines, age spots and so on. Find the perfect moisturiser for you!
I honestly don’t know how many times I’m going to have to write about the lack of inclusivity within the beauty industry for people of colour. It is 2018 and what is the Tarte doing?
I don’t know whether or not this is a Pr scam or whatever but at the end of the day why? I don’t know how many times I’m going to have to have this conversation with you guys but I am sick and tired of it. I am sick and tired of beauty brands overlooking POC when it comes to releases. Why do we have to be an afterthought, we contribute 80% of the beauty industry’s makings so why is this happening? There are so many o us out there yet we are still disregarded within the beauty industry. This is a prime example of how Beauty brands and their backwards thinking. We still have a very long way to go until the beauty industry is well and truly diverse. If I am being completely honest with you guys I have to say that I am pissed off! I just don’t get it, I will never get it.
After the release of Fenty Beauty, you would think that brands would step their game up but Tarte is doing the complete opposite and doing the absolute most. I am honestly lost for words. It is 2018 but why does it seem like we’re going back to the 1990s, this is not okay and Tarte needs to know that this is not okay! They have the best selling concealer in the US and it has 20 shades, 20 different shades so can somebody please explain to me why they released 15 shades that do not even show any gradient whatsoever. They released 12 different shades of beige. It seems as though they added the three darkest shades for the fun of it, they were like OMG we forgot to include dark shades and we’re going to get hate for this. It seems like no thought was put into this release and I am so incredibly disappointed. This release is laughable. But the most disappointing factor of all is that they decided to release these foundations on Martin Luther King Jr day, they had the audacity to release a foundation with limited shades that don’t cater to a wide range of POC on a day that celebrates equality and celebrates a man who fought equal rights not on the in the US but around the world. So I asked myself this question again what was Tarte thinking? Who is decided this was okay? Most importantly why did they think it was okay?
In light of the situation representative for Tart cosmetics has said that there will be a further release of 10 different shades. However in my eyes I simply think that it’s too late. Why could they have not released or 25 shades at one time? Why did they have to wait for people to react in order to say that they were releasing 10 more shades? I know that releases like this can be quite expensive, however, Tarte is a very well known brand who are known to take away influences on the most amazing trips so if they can afford to do that then they can surely afford to release all 25 shades at once.
As a result of the release many beauty gurus on YouTube for stated that they will no longer be purchasing the Tart shape tape concealer and that they will no longer be using the new foundations. I am so incredibly proud that people are taking steps like this so that brands like Tart can truly understand the consequences of their actions. By boycotting talent they are highlighting the importance of including every ethnicity and they are highlighting the importance of this issue that cannot be ignored!
2017 was a big year for the beauty industry and a lot of it was due the release of Fenty beauty. Every year the beauty industry is getting bigger and better and evolving, it has come a very long way in the last 10 years but there is still an even longer way to go until we can officially say that there is a range of diversity within the beauty world, whether that be high end or drug store beauty products.
Eventhough Rihanna released Fenty Beauty weeks ago Instead of doing a review I have decided to explain to you why I believe that Fenty Beauty has officially changed the game forever! Ever since I started my blog I have always expressed my opinion on the lack of diversity within the makeup industry and I am just happy that Rihanna finally answered every woman of colours call! Somebody in this industry finally gets it!
No matter how overrated you may believe Fenty Beauty to be at the end of the day we cannot ignore the fact that Rihanna release 40 SHADES! And they’re not all different shades of caucasian but a range of beautiful shades for women of different undertones and complexions. This was and currently is the most shades a brand has ever released during their first product launch. This has now for me set the bench mark for beauty brands when releasing anything like foundation, concealer etc.
Although I am happy about this it’s just a shame that it took this long for it to happen and that it was done by a woman of colour who saw this problem and decided to fix it herself. However I hope that more brands like kylie cosmetics that released 30 concealer shades will follow in Rihanna’s foot steps, especially drugstore brands for all those women on a budget!
Growing up a woman of colour has never been easy, everyday we struggle with our identity and constantly have to be reminded that we are the minority within the western world.
One of the hardest things that we struggle with is finding makeup products that suit our skin tones because at the end of the day there isn’t just one shade of black and we all have different undertones, but it is especially hard to find good contour products.
In all honesty I don’t see why brands particularly drug store brands don’t create contour products that cater for all skin tones because in reality it would give them a more positive brand image as well as increasing their total revenue simply due to the fact that they have a wider audience.
However here are my top contour products for my women of colour;
It has taken me a couples of years to truly understand my skin type and what’s best for it. I used to think that I had dry skin but I realised that it was the products that I used that caused my skin to become dry and that In reality I actually had normal skin. However In extremely hot weather conditions I usually end up with oily skin, so every season I have to switch up my routine to suit the weather. I also have to change my foundation but it’s hard to know which ones best for your skin type because the worst thing you could do is spend more than £25 on a foundation that is completely wrong for your skin. But that’s why I’m writing this blog post to make it easier for you!
DRY SKIN:
There are so many different issues when applying foundation to dry skin from a caked finish to flaking skin to emphasising patches of dryness and fine lines, put the wrong foundation on it, and you can end up making things look a whole lot worse – and end up feeling self-conscious while out and about as a result.
Charlotte Tilbury, £29 – Vitamin C, hyaluronic filling spheres, mushroom extract; Charlotte Tilbury’s Magic Foundation is packed with nothing but nourishing ingredients for the skin.
Mac studio face and body foundation, £22 – In every make-up artists pro kit, MAC’s Face And Body formula is conditioning and the finish is sheer but buildable for more coverage.
The struggle is real when it comes to finding a foundation that controls excess oil and stays in place all day. To say that wearing foundation when you have an oily skin type is tough may be a massive understatement, but it’s not completely impossible. When you have oils skin it’s best to stick to matte foundations and one that are oil free.
Giorgio Armani Power Fabric, £40 – Lasts for hours and hours, offering great SPF protection, concealing pretty much every blemish and dark circle, and it locks down any excess sebum production.
One of the very first ever blog posts that I wrote was on whether drug store companies in the UK are racist and I feel as though a lot has changed in the last year and a half so I thought that I would do an updated blog post and evaluate on just how much things have changed within the beauty spectrum.
In the past couple of months numerous beauty brands have released new formulas of foundation in a number of different shades and I have never been so happy. It now means that I can officially retract my statement on the idea the drugstore brands are racist. If you have not tried lo’real true match foundation you are missing out, it is the most amazing drugstore foundation out there and it’s only £10! Nyx and maybeline also have a great range of foundations at affordable prices. Now that there are a range of shades available for women of colour like myself, it saves me having to spend £28 or more on a foundation that will last me less than 4 months.
However, on the other hand, it is a completely different story for concealers and contour kits, as of now unless you’re purchasing the La girl pro concealer which is AMAZING by the way, concealer costs more than foundation, well for my skin tone anyway, which I believe to be incredibly ridiculous! Although a lot has changed in the last few months there is still room for improvement. In addition to this there are not a lot of contour kits in drug stores for dark skin, the only good one that is available for a reasonable price are the sleek and nyx contour kits.
It can be so hard trying to find hair products that are suited to protective hair styles on the high street but I think I’ve finally found my perfect solutions. Over the last few weeks since I’ve had my braids in I’ve been using the got 2 be oil Licious styling oil, it’s instantly become a favourite for me and my mum, it gives your braids the perfect amount of shine. They look brand new! And it smells like mangoes, and if anyone knows me they know I love mangoes so this is like heaven for me. Personally I think it’s so important for hair products to smell good because after all, this is something you’re applying on your hair and it’s just like your body, you want them both to smell good.The best thing about this is that it’s not greasy like other oils and it doesn’t stick to your hands, it honestly has no faults. I find that the best way to apply the oil is if you first apply 2 pumps into the palm of your hands and then rub it in and then apply it onto the braids, if you feel like you need a little more feel free to add more pumps.
Another product I’ve been trying out is the got 2 be glam force fast dry spray gel. We all know how important it is to keep our baby hairs intact. It took me a while to get used the spray idea but know I honestly can’t go back to using normal gels. The formula is amazing it’s not stiff or sticky in any way and it’s smells so so good, it’s only fault is that it doesn’t last for the entire day but I guess it may depend on how much apply. In my opinion I think that the best way to apply this gel is to spray it directly on the hairs rather than on a towel that way you get as much product as possible but make sure that your hair is damp before hand that way it is easier to lay the hairs when you brush them through. Lastly, the key to this is to ‘set’ the hairs by wrapping a scarf, a headband or some tights over the hairs, this will give them the ultimate lasting power.
I have recently been doing a bit of spring cleaning and in the last couple of weeks I have cleared out my my entire wardrobe and makeup draw ready for the summer! My mother calls me a hoarder which I think is nonsense. Every single year without fail she has managed to secretly get rid of a couple of my things and either thrown them away or given them to other people. However this year instead of waiting for her to do it again I decided that It would be best if I did it myself. I hate spring cleaning and I hate getting rid of things especially those that are sentimental to me and hold a lot of memories but sometimes it needs to be done in order to make space for new and exciting thing in our lives!
Now that I have thrown away all of my old and out of date beauty products I am going to need more makeup and skincare so what better place to go than the land of beauty bay! If you live in the UK and have never heard of beautybaty, where have you been living for the last couple of years? It is the go to when it comes to beauty products, they have an amazing range of products from ABH to Morphe, I mean what more could you want!
Although we may not follow them as religiously, just like fashion there are trends within makeup, we mostly see them on the runway or on celebrities but you rarely see the average person testing out beauty trends. But why not change that? Take a risk this summer, be bold and try one of these beauty trends!
This season it’s all about water colours of every colour, skin so glowy it’s almost illegal, and all around total gorgeousness. The stand out looks at this years runway shows were brighter and bolder than ever before, inspired the most colourful decade ever – the 80s. Even though the 80s were an absolutely tragic era for fashion it was a truly revolutionary era for beauty and makeup. It was a decade in which people started to see the art within makeup and turn away from simple looks to start experimenting and seeing how they could enhance every single feature of their face.
Beauty trends of the season;
Glitter lips – Last year, Pat McGrath introduced us to the beauty of glitter dusted lips and it’s going to be a big hit this spring. it’s a lot more wearable than you think!
Red lippy – will red lipstick ever go out of trend? I don’t think so, at least not anytime soon.
‘no make up’ radiance – This spring its about simplicity and maintaining a radiant glow so it never looks as though you’re trying too hard.
Colour – Spring/ summer is all about colour with a twist – colour is no longer just for you eyelids!
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