Month: January 2024

Prep, Prep, Prep

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I wanted to take a step back and discuss the skin prep that needs to be done prior to obtaining a flawless beat. As I find myself scrolling through social media, I find that I am constantly bombarded with skin care products, hacks, and techniques. Skincare shouldn’t be stressful or overwhelming, so here, I’m going to breakdown skincare, give practical step-by-step routines, and product recommendations.

SKINCARE

Maintaining a proper skincare routine makes it easy for your skin to remain clear and fresh, despite the dirt and debris that can accumulate throughout the day and while we sleep. Effective skincare cleanses the face of oil and dirt, prevents pesky acne and pimples from popping up, and makes sure your skin is looking its best. 

As much as skincare is viewed and treated as a luxury, it’s actually not, and rather a vital part in taking care of the largest organ on the human body, the skin. Maintaining healthy practices and sticking to an effective routine will allow us all to achieve healthy, plump, and refreshed skin. 

BUILDING A ROUTINE
Step 1: Cleanse

Using a cleanser is pivotal in preparing the face for other skin care products, or a full face of makeup. There are two main types of cleansers on the market, oil-based and water-based. The main differences between the two are that oil based cleansers remove oil-based impurities and cleanse deep beneath the skin. In contrast, water-based cleansers remove water-soluble impurities and target the outermost layers of the skin.

There are a ton of amazing cleansers on the market, but some of my favorites include the CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser and PanOxyl Acne Foaming Wash With 10 Percent Benzoyl Peroxide. Don’t be afraid to experiment with different products and figure out what works best for you and your skin!!

Step 2: Moisturize

Similarly to cleansing, moisturizing your skin is essential to a good skincare routine. After using a cleanser your skin may feel a bit dry or tight and it’s important to replenish it with moisture. Moisturizers will vary in thickness and heaviness, so once again, work with your skin and experiment with various products to find what works better for you.

Personally, I enjoy the Cetaphil Daily Facial Moisturizer with SPF 15 or the CeraVe Daily Moisturizing Lotion.

Step 3: Protect 

Finally, protecting your skin is essential, so be sure to apply SPF daily to protect your skin for the sun! Personally, I use the Black Girl Sunscreen which has grown in popularity because it doesn’t leave a white cast on pigmented skin.

The routine I discuss here is very bare-boned and only includes products that I feel everyone should be using for their skin. You can build upon the routine adding serums, oils, and acids to target specific skin needs, but it’s not necessary to start out with.

Skincare may seem a bit daunting, but there’s no harm in experimenting and finding what works best for your skin so that as we build on makeup or choose to go without, your skin is looking and feeling its best!

Intro + Overview

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Hi everyone and welcome back to my blog. For this new semester of class, I will be continuing to consistently blog on this page. However, rather than continuing the original blog topic from last semester, the crosses, similarities and differences between Nigerian culture and African American culture, this semester I’ll be changing some things up.

Specifically, my blog will be transitioning into a makeup journey and inspiration blog. Over the past few months, makeup has become something more prevalent in my life, and I have taken a great interest in improving my skills and learning more about the craft. So, I’m hoping to use this blog to share my journey with experimenting with makeup, documenting my growth, and sharing tips to help others who may be interested in the subject as well.

As for the vision of the blog, I really want to use the platform to really highlight the makeup journey from a Black perspective, taking the opportunity to highlight brands who work to create inclusive product lines, and discuss the struggles and strengths in learning to do makeup with limited access to appropriate complexion drug store products. I also want to use this platform to showcase Black makeup artists who defy odds and excel at the craft, and use social media platforms like Tik Tok, Instagram, and Youtube, to share their skills with Black communities around the world.

Some topics that I hope to touch upon include, finding an appropriate shade match, building a flawless base, understanding different products, analyzing differences between powder, cream, and liquid products, bold and beautiful lip combinations, and many other interesting topics related to makeup as a whole.

As excited as I am to document this semester-long journey and share my findings with all of you, in this first post, I would really like to emphasize the idea that makeup is never a necessity for one to be deemed as beautiful. We all have beauty within ourselves and our unique features, and makeup simply provides us with the opportunity to enhance and play with our features as we desire. Makeup is not a need, but rather an art craft and form of expression.

                          

Through this blog, I really hope to emphasize that whether one chooses to wear makeup or not is a personal choice, and nothing is wrong with either option. Makeup is free for us all to experiment with and learn from and I’m really excited to have the opportunity to do this in a safe and supportive environment.

I really hope you all have an amazing semester, and stay tuned for an amazing semester of fun colors, looks, and experimentation on this journey.

See you all soon,

Yeems <3