Healthy skin comes from positive habits

The best way to have clear, smooth skin throughout your entire life is to start taking care if it as soon as possible rather than waiting till the signs of damage show up. Using the right African American skin care products is a good start to achieving healthy skin, but it's also important to develop positive habits.

For example, knowing your particular skin type is the key to knowing how to take care of it. Most products are designed for oily, dry or normal complexions and you want to use the ones that will be most effective for you. Another habit you should get into is using sunscreen.

Regardless of your skin type, it's important to use sunscreen to protect against the harmful UV rays produced by the sun. The American Academy of Dermatology offers an answer on their website for who should regularly apply products that contain SPF.

"In a word: Everyone! More than 3.5 million skin cancers are diagnosed in more than 2 million people annually. Many studies have found an association between sunburns and enhanced risk for melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer," stated the organization.  

Magazine experts discuss how to get the look Hollywood and runway stars

Recently, Allure Magazine spoke to celebrity makeup artist Brigitte Reiss-Andersen, who has worked on over 20 Oscar-winning actresses, to get some cosmetics tips. The expert offered some advice use your African American skin care product to create a Hollywood look and discussed the difference between "glamour" and "fashion" makeup. 

Glamour makeup is what you see when you look at a star on the red carpet or in the movies. It's that naturally flawless look that most women are trying to achieve. Reiss-Andersen said the key to this look is to layer, but not look overdone.

"Keep it sheer by only applying foundation where you need it, but then build it up in [problem areas of the face]," said Reiss-Andersen, quoted by Allure.

Fashion makeup is the wild and fun look that the runway models have. It's a little less natural than glamour cosmetics, and more of a nighttime look. Marie Claire Magazine says that the key to this is to go bold, using bright colors and blush. Sometimes, it can be fun to wear that color lipstick that you always thought was too bright or that fabulous glittery eyeshadow.

 

Dermatologist recommends sticking to one product at a time

When you find that perfect African American skin care product, why would you mess things up by mixing it with cosmetics from inferior companies? Recently, dermatologist Jason Rivers issued some warnings against mixing makeup, especially if you have rosacea or other sensitive skin conditions. 

"Mixing a variety of skin care and beauty products is not only expensive, but it can further aggravate skin conditions like rosacea," said Rivers. "People with sensitive skin and rosacea should be particularly careful over the holidays when trigger factors are high."

Rosacea is a skin condition that causes a person's complexion to appear red and make small blood vessels on the nose and cheeks more visible. The "triggers" that Rivers referred to are things such as alcohol, stress and embarrassment, all of which can make these symptoms worse.

This condition can occur in people of complexions, and while it make be tempting to use a variety of skin care products for dark skin to hide the excess redness, women with this condition should stick to one cosmetic at a time to avoid aggravating their sensitive skin.  

Beauty sources offer DIY wedding makeup tips

A wedding can be the the most special day in a woman's life, so it makes sense that you'd want your skin care product for dark skin to look perfect. Many ladies spend hundreds of dollars for professional makeup artists to come in and make sure that the whole wedding party looks flawless, but why bother when you can just do it yourself? 

Nola.com explains how to get the bride look for less, and their first suggestion is to make sure that your makeup is enhancing your natural beauty, not overpowering it. You don't want people to look up at you and only see your cosmetics, you want them to think that you just wake up looking that fabulous every day.

"Foundation should be blended into the jaw line, and the color should disappear into your skin. Foundation is meant to even out your skin tone and nothing more. If you choose to use a powder with your foundation, it should match your foundation," according to Nola.

Glamour magazine also offered tips on doing wedding makeup. First, do you eye makeup before anything else, since eye makeup can flake on to the skin so you'll want to be able to wipe it away without smudging your foundation. Next, apply foundation and then pick on one feature to shine. For example, if you have bright eyeshadow, then choose a more neutral lip shade.