Some melanin goodness; Lupita Nyong'o

Ahhh... I'm in love with the way her skin shines. She makes melanin look so good!!! This is exactly what i'm talking about when I see a dark beauty. Her skin looks well toned and I mean, it's not coke, fanta and sprite all over. Dark women need to understand that their skin is beautiful and more when well taken care of.

Lupita was recently on the cover of the October edition of Vogue magazine and I thought to create an album on here of it. Hopefully someday, I'd get to interview her about her skin regime. I also included some of her other pictures that I love. Here goes some Eye candy. Enjoy!!

I particularly love her hair too :D

So girl, Convinced now?? Love the skin You're in!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Image Credit; Vogue.com

Skinlovin': Regular skin care routine for beginners

Hey guys,

So, because I get complements from people about my skin and questions about how I manage it, I have decided to write this. This is really basic and cost effective. It doesn't cost so much and will give good results. I decided to go this route because I am still not ready to experiment with other skin products until I have done a thorough research on them. I don't want anything that will harm my skin or anything. So here's what I do on a regular;

1. Exfoliate.

Exfoliation helps to remove dead skin cells on the surface of your skin, revealing new & brighter skin. I exfoliate once every week because I work 5 days a week and I get home pretty late on those days. I used to twice every week but couldn't keep up. My immediate suggestion is that you do it twice a week.  Make sure to use lukewarm to cold water so you don't strip off all the oil on your skin. Use a exfoliating sponge to get better results but be careful not to scrub your body too hard. I got the Eden apricot scrub for face and body 227g and the exfoliating sponge from Eko market for 500 Naira and 200 naira respectively.

2. Cleanse.

Because I have been using warm water lately, I started using the dove moisturizing cleansing bar as I noticed my skin was drying out and wrinkling. This helps replace all the stripped oil from your skin. Also at night since I don't moisturizer, I add a little bio oil to my water. Depending on your skin, you may find out that you don't need to add oil to your bathing water nor use a moisturizing cleansing bar but if you don need I suggest asides using bio oil, you can get the Neutrogena body oil.

Also, watch your skin as I hear these oils tend to make one darker. I was gifted the Bio oil but that bottle is about 1000 naira. The dove beauty bar comes in a pack of 4 and cost between 500 to 1000 naira depending on want to purchase it

3. Moisturize.

This is my favorite part!!! I love using this because every time I have a bath and put it on, I see my skin come alive. As we all know cocoa butter is excellent for healing and repairing skin and adding shine to dark skin. I got this 1,150 naira in goodies supermarket in onikan but it's way cheaper in Lagos. There is the anti-aging version which i haven't tried so i can't say much about it. Interestingly, I hear a woman is supposed to start using anti-aging products from 25 so yeah, why not? I'd probably do a review sometime soon.

4. Protect.

Yes! Use sunscreen. As you know, sunscreen helps protect you from the harmful rays of the sun and your skin is better off with than without it really. I use although the Forever living aloe sunscreen SPF 30. Actually, I just mix mine with my body lotion. It has aloe vera which is very good for your skin. It's quite pricey in my opinion and costs between 2,500 to 4,000 Naira in Lagos.

So, any products you've discovers that works for your skin? Please leave a comment below. Would love to hear from you.

x
Ifeoluwa

An acne girl's guide to wearing makeup

Most believe that once you are acne prone, it's best to stay away from make-up which is neither true nor right. What having acne simply means is, you have to be quite selective with the kind of makeup you wear. Makeup enhances your facial features, so why not? Because our skin is sensitive, there are dos and don'ts with regards to finding and wearing make-up on your skin.

1. First things first, treat your acne. Don't skip over it and pretend like it's not there. Treat acne from inside and outside. Use cleaners, washes, exfoliating products, blackhead removers or even get a spa treatment. Have a regular cleansing routine and try to keep it. Consistency goes a long way. I can testify! Do as much as you can to improve your breakouts. If so bad, see a dermatologist. Study what kinds of food breaks you out and avoid it or eat in less quantity. Eat fruits, vegetables and drink lots of water. Incorporating a blood purifier in your diet may also help. Stay away from fizzy / carbonated drinks & sugar. Cleansers help clean your skin from all the sweat, dirt and build-ups that have accumulated through the course of your daily activities. Because some type of acne is caused by dirt, oil and bacteria trapped in the skin, most people think that using cleansers that leave your face dry is the way to go. However, drying out your skin only forces your skin glands to work overtime producing excess sebum and the oil leads to only more break out. Products like simple  help clean your skin without completely drying it out. Acne caused by hormonal imbalance can be regulated by taking supplements such as fish oil supplements and other health vitamins.

I will write another post explaining my daily cleansing regimen and why I use these products.

2. Wear non-comedogenic makeup products. From your concealer to your foundation to your powder to your bronzer to your blush! They are usually water-based with little or no oil in their composition as opposed to oil-based products. They also help to minimize the frequency of your breakouts. Matte concealers, foundations and powders are usually the best types for acne prone skin. Thankfully, many beauty products are beginning to see the light and include these type in their product range. For a start, I went for the MAC Pro longwear waterproof nourishing foundation and I must confess, it has been treating me well. I also use the Maybelline clear smooth all in one powder along with it. Both are matte and are good for acne prone skin. What's even better is that my foundation has skin reparative ingredients. I almost leaped for joy after watching this in a review. I bought a win-win!!

3. Keep it clean & hands off. NEVER go to bed with your make up on. Cleanse your face every night even if you didn't wear makeup through the day. Keep your sheets clean as much as possible. I suggest you change them every 2 weeks or even 1. Keep your hands away from your face and touching your pimples. You'll find that as one day rolls into the other, you'll have beautiful skin and less often breakouts and you'll be able to maintain your skin even as you look gorgeous in your makeup. 

Any other thing you'd add in your routine? I'd love to know!

xx

Ifeoluwa