Esperanza Spalding may single-handedly bring the Afro back

 

Singer and bassist Esperanza Spalding has long been a proponent of natural African American hair, routinely sporting a full kinky-curly 'do. But when she stepped onto the red carpet at the 2012 Oscars, she stunned in a different look which could be described as a modern take on an Afro.

The juxtaposition between her voluminous hair and her sleek, baby blue gown was perhaps one of the more memorable looks from this year's Academy Awards.

To top it all off, Spalding gave a flawless performance of Louis Armstrong's What A Wonderful World during the show's In Memoriam segment.

The singer wisely kept her makeup look simple with a sweep of black liquid eyeliner and raspberry-toned lipstick. She also looks as though she has little more than a sweep of bronzer on her cheekbones to accentuate her mocha complexion.

Ladies looking for a face as flawless as Spalding's may want to look into skin care for black women that contains antioxidant-rich ingredients and hyaluronic acid, which helps gently brighten and even out skin tone. 

Start getting in the habit of applying SPF now

 

While it's important to be sure you're wearing SPF all year round – as the sun's UV rays don't take a winter vacation – it's especially beneficial during the warmer months. Too often, people forget about this and end up with a severe sunburn on the first sunny day of the year.

In order to prevent this from happening to you, start being diligent now about applying your African American skin product with SPF.

While a sunburn will heal with time, it can sometimes cause long-lasting damage, such as dark spots on black skin, blisters or scarring. You can try to keep these effects at bay by applying aloe vera to your skin immediately after the signs of a burn start to show. This will promote healing and cool the surface of your skin.

Additionally, skin care for black women often contains ingredients meant to even out skin tone, which may help fade dark spots that pop up due to sun damage.

Of course, prevention is always the best medicine, so be sure to slather on your sunscreen to protect your beautiful ethnic skin from damaging rays.

 

Skin care products from your kitchen

 

If you use the best African American skin care products on the market, then you probably care a lot about your complexion. While there are many creams and powders you can buy to keep your skin looking its best, what do you do when you run out of your favorite moisturizer and it's going to be a few days before you can pick up more?

According to Health24, there are many natural ingredients that you can find in your kitchen that can treat your skin. For example, honey is a natural moisturizer that can actually work to keep moisture in your skin. Also, this product can also help your hair on those days when you forgot to pick up conditioner.

Next, if you have a jar of old-fashioned oats around, you can use them to fix a number of skin problems.

"Keep a carton of old-fashioned oatmeal in your pantry to use as a bath additive that will keep dry skin at bay," said holistic aesthetician Stephanie Tourles, quoted by the news source."Oats have been used for centuries as a skin-pampering ingredient in facial scrubs, body scrubs, masks and anti-itch remedies for such things as poison ivy."

SimpleOrganic.net also has a fun tip for skin care products you can find around the kitchen. According to the information provider, you can dab a little olive oil on a cotton swab and use it to gently remove eye makeup. 

Celebrity planner offers wedding tips

 

If you're planning on getting married soon, then hopefully you've already determined how you're going to wear your African American skin care product. If not, get cracking because makeup is not something you want to leave to the last minute. Recently, the Huffington Post spoke to celebrity wedding planner Jung Lee about the secrets to a having a Hollywood wedding.

Among the many tips the the expert gave to Post readers was that a bride needs to have her makeup schedule planned out.

"It is essential to create a hair and makeup schedule for you and the bridal party that has realistic start and end times. Treat this time like a salon by asking everyone to arrive early and make sure your stylists stay on schedule. A lot goes on before you walk down the aisle," said Lee, quoted by the news source.

Lee also added that you should plan the lighting in your wedding venue. According to the expert, lighting sets the mood for the event and can be the difference between whether or not you look flawless in pictures.

Brides.com recommends getting your nails done the day before the big event, rather than trying to fit a manicure in the day of the wedding.