Octavia Spencer's makeup withstands teary Oscar acceptance speech

 

Perhaps the only thing more captivating than Octavia Spencer's performance in The Help was the emotion and sincerity behind her acceptance speech for the best supporting actress award at the 2012 Oscars - not to mention that her flawless makeup managed to stay put during her teary dedication.

So, what kind of African American skin products was she wearing? Essence magazine spoke with Spencer's makeup artist Valerie Noble on how she achieved the fabulous look.

"We used two different foundations and just blended it. I do the same with the powder - I use one that’s a little bit lighter on the T-zone and darker around the jaw line," said Noble, quoted by the news source.

In order to highlight Spencer's cheekbones, Noble instructed the actress to make a "fish face" before sweeping a dark pink blush on the apples of her cheeks.

Let's not forget about Spencer's gorgeous gown, which the Huffington Post reports was designed by Tadashi Shoji. The sparkly silver gown had a cap sleeve and was ruched at the bodice for a flattering silhouette. 

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.