Skincare Archives

Beauty

Skin Cleanser Cheat Sheet

Arianne Suggs January 6, 2016January 6, 2016Leave a Comment

Beauty Quickie: Cleanser is not a one soap fits all type of deal. To maintain gorgeous, radiant skin it is important not to use product that is going to affect your skin’s natural moisture negatively. For instance, if you are not sure if your favorite cleanser is the cause your skin feeling like as dry as sand dunes ask yourself, “After I rinse away my face wash does my skin have a squeaky clean feeling?” If so, your face wash may be excessively drying out your skin which is a look that does not look good on any gal.

Therefore, what is the solution to cleansing your face safely? Simple… use a cleanser that is suitable for your skin type. The problem is that many women are not quite sure which products they should be using, here is a cheat sheet:

Dry Skin: Moisturizing Cream Cleanser

Oily Skin: Scrubbing Bead Washes or Foam Cleansers

Combination Skin: Gentle Formula Cleansers With Slight Lather

Beauty

Expired Beauty Products- Sunscreen

Arianne Suggs January 4, 2016January 4, 2016Leave a Comment

Beauty Quickie: Can we please put the myth to rest that black women do not need to wear sunscreen? It does not matter how dark your skin is or how much melanin you possess the sun can still cause havoc to your skin if is not protected. Black may not crack but due to environmental effects such as global warming and the disappearance of the ozone layer it is a very good idea to give your skin a little protective barrier to stay un-cracked.

Does sunscreen ever expire and if so when should it be replaced? Yes, sunscreen does indeed expire and the problem is most gals hang on to their bottle longer than they should. Most sunscreens have a shelf life of about three years then after that it should find a new home in a dumpster.

What happens when sunscreen expires? The ingredients found within the formula begin to separate thus becoming less and less effective. Therefore, if you are wearing expired beauty products such as sunscreen you are not really receiving the protection that you need.

Beauty

Don’t Apply Foundation Over Concealer

Arianne Suggs November 30, 2015November 30, 2015Leave a Comment

Beauty Quickie: Beauty experts and MUAs agree that us gals are applying our concealer all wrong. When trying to cover up those blemishes or dark under eye circles from the previous night’s festivities it is a girl’s rule of thumb to reach for the concealer. However, applying foundation over concealer basically defeats the purpose of applying concealer in the first place.

When foundation is placed over concealer, the concealer is then thinned out providing less coverage on the area or spot you are aiming to conceal. So then, what is the technique that should be used when making trouble areas less noticeable? After applying foundation you then want to dab concealer over the foundation in any area where you feel hasn’t been completely camouflaged.

Beauty

Beauty Question: Are Alcohol-Based Toners Good For Oily Skin?

Arianne Suggs November 30, 2015November 30, 2015Leave a Comment

Beauty Answer: Whether your skin is more prone to be oily or not it is highly recommended to avoid alcohol-based toners at all cost. We know it can be quite tempting to opt for products that seem to really be doing a bang up job in the skincare department. Many consumers love the feeling alcohol-based toners give their skin after use which is why they buy them. In a toner, alcohol is the ingredient that gives skin a taut or tight feeling as though the skin is now extremely clean. Nevertheless, is that what it is truly accomplishing?

Sorry to burst another beauty bubble, but that couldn’t be farther from the truth. Alcohol is an extremely drying element that has the ability to wreak havoc on your skin and cause oily skin to be more slick. Since the alcohol sucks up your skin’s precious moisture the skin then turns around and increases oil production in order to fix the problem. Therefore, if your goal is to be less oily avoiding ingredients that are very drying is the key.

Beauty

Beware of Water Temperatures For Beautiful Skin

Arianne Suggs November 24, 2015November 24, 2015Leave a Comment

Beauty Quickie: That dry skin you are experiencing can literally boil down to one thing… water. Not so much as the bonded hydrogen and oxygen itself, but the temperature of the liquid-y goodness. Many know the long hailed beauty tip to never wash or shower in hot water but do not really know why that is the case. What happens to the skin when exposed to hot water?

Hot water wrecks havoc by stripping your skin of natural oils thus leaving it parched and dry. This is true whether rinsing hands, showering or even simply splashing your face. Moreover, going a step further during the winter season the air is particularly dry so then by tacking on the habit of hot water use you are in for a season of really dry skin. That is so not cute by any means, shape or form. So then, how can you prevent this from happening? Instead of using hot water opt to rinse with warm or cooler temp water instead.

Beauty

Beauty Question: What Should I Look For In A Moisturizer?

Arianne Suggs November 23, 2015November 23, 2015Leave a Comment

Beauty Answer: We have said it once and we will say it again, don’t look at the brand or the fancy presentation; the real answers lie on the back of the packaging. Before purchasing any product always educate yourself with what is find inside a various product by perusing the ingredient list. There you will be able to look over the good, the bad and the ugly when it comes to what you will be applying to your body on a regular basis.

When it comes to moisturizer and the same also holds true for lip balms avoid products containing petrolatum or mineral oil. These ingredients aid in trapping in moisture due to the occlusive barrier that they create on top of the skin. However, they do very little when it actually comes to skin penetration.

Skin that is already seriously dry or becoming parched needs ingredients that are going to seep in and really do some business. Look for products containing oil, hyaluronic acid as well as ceramindes which do not just rest on top, but penetrates skin giving it the real moisture it needs.

Got a question? Drop a comment down low or hit us up on our Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr or tweet us @1966magazine.

Beauty

Beauty Question: What on Earth is an Emulsifier?

Arianne Suggs September 24, 2015September 24, 2015Leave a Comment

Beauty Answer: Emulsifiers are soap-based substances that are added to numerous beauty products to ensure any water-based or oils remain binded together. Naturally, oil and water do not mix with one another. For instance, if you have ever boiled pasta you must likely added oil to the water to prevent the pasta from sticking together. Nevertheless, if you took a closer look into the pot most likely you noticed that the oil and water did not combine or mix. The oil stayed completely intact in little oil droplets.

So then, this means that emulsifiers help achieve something that is not a natural process. Since emulsifiers are added it allows users the convenience of not having to constantly shake a product in order to get the product ingredients to bind back together. Although they obviously help to save time, does this mean they are completely harmless?

Not quite, our beauty lovelies, here is something you might not know about emulsifiers. These substances can be found in products that we use everyday such as lotions, creams and body washes. Once these products are applied to the skin and any oil or water is absorbed or evaporated the emulsifiers are left behind leaving residue. This very residue can cause damage to your skin’s protective layer and produce dryness. When we are young our skin tends to produce more oils but as we get older or skin is dryer which causes our skin to age faster. Therefore, avoiding dryness is like protecting our fountain of youth.

Beauty

Milk Does Your Body Good

Arianne Suggs August 20, 2015August 20, 2015Leave a Comment

It is a popular tag-line that has had children and adults gladly giving themselves liquid mustaches for decades. Nevertheless, as fun and cute as a selfie could look from said mustache the question remains… is milk really beneficial? Inquiring minds have wanted to know for some time and decided to seek some definitive answers.

The fountain of youth may not have been discovered as of yet; however, one simple drink may hold more beauty as well as health benefits than this undiscovered gem. Milk is a natural beverage that contains nutrients and vitamins that can benefit the skin right down to your smile. Here are just as few of the many ways that milk can do your body good!

Due to the proteins it contains milk has the ability to rebuild muscles.
If you are aiming to drop a few pounds make sure you drink a glass a snack or with a meal. Research has shown that women who do so on average lose more weight than those that do not. Literal food for thought…
Milk is made up of amino acids that are able to keep skin well-hydrated and moisturized.
Also, on the beauty tip, milk contains enzymes as well as lactic acid that behaves like an exfoliant which will encourage skin to be touch-ably smooth.
Lastly, make your dentist a happy camper by consuming milk regularly. Milk not only makes teeth stronger but will ward off cavities and tooth decay.

©Maximilian Toonz Photography — Maximilian Toonz Photography

Thoughts? Join the discussion on our Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr or tweet us @1966magazine.

Beauty

Why Drink Filtered Water

Arianne SuggsUpdated on August 5, 2015August 5, 2015Leave a Comment

We all need water to live and if we try to go without consuming it within days we would perish. Moreover, there are many beauty benefits that come from drinking the daily recommended amount of H2O. Beauty experts agree that drinking 8 glasses of water will keep your body healthy and your skin glowing.

However, the scary part is the kind of water that most city dwellers have available to them. Most tap water is filled with various impurities and some can even cause cancer. Well, what’s a girl to do to be able to get her daily intake of water in without causing other health problems?

Some have turned to bottled water, but is that truly the answer? Unless, you have hundreds of extra dough available to spend on a yearly basis that may not be the best route. Instead buying a device to filter your water could be a more suitable choice.

For instance, Brita has designed a facet water filtration system that removes the following from your tap water:

Benzene
Lead
Asbestos
Toluene

The only thing Brita will leave behind and not filter out is fluoride. This is actually beneficial because fluoride helps to keep your teeth strong. Therefore, protect yourself from harmful chemicals in water and your body will reward you.

Beauty

Beauty Question: Can Facial Scrubs Damage My Skin?

Arianne SuggsUpdated on August 5, 2015July 28, 2015Leave a Comment

Beauty Answer: As much as we would like to say all scrubs are harmless and do exactly what they advertise the truth is we cannot. Like many products its not the idea behind the product that’s bad, it’s what is in it. Do you know what is in your favorite facial scrub?

We always recommend taking a closer look at the ingredients contained in your beauty products. These days it is not always wise to simply grab anything off the beauty aisle before taking a deeper look into things. Speaking of deep the whole reason why women use facial scrubs is to deep cleanse their skin. In order for this deeper cleansing to take place a coarse texture is needed to exfoliate the skin which involves the removal of dead skin cells.

Nevertheless, many mainstream products contain jagged particles made from walnut or apricot seeds. At first, that could sound quite harmless, safe and all natural. However, those particles do not cleanse skin but rather cause tiny incisions in your skin. The little bitty cuts may not be noticeable, but they are big enough to allow bacteria to seep in and wreck havoc.

What could be the result from these tiny skin tears? Such cuts could lead to inflammation, redness and yikes… more blemishes! Therefore, it is important to only use products that contain ingredients that are safe and nourish skin.

Thoughts? Talk beauty with us on our Facebook, Tumblr, Instagram or tweet us @1966magazine.