Sun-Proof Skin: Products I'm Loving

My 'Sun-Proof' heroes

London has been blessed with some lovely sunshine recently and I thought I'd share with you how I 'Sun- Proof' my skin. 

I should begin by stating that I have eczema and years of sufferation visits to the Dermatologist have taught me to always wear protection no matter the weather (skin cancer is a real threat to Black people!).

Skin Care: Moisturisers:

Olay's Essentials Complete Care has been my default face moisturiser for a good number of years as I find it provides a good balance all year round. During the changes in seasons I find that my face often becomes dry and add Elizabeth Arden's Perpetual Moisture Crème (Crème Hydratante Continue) underneath as this rich crème provides the necessary moisture my face so desperately craves. Warning: this product is extremely moisturising, to avoid overloading my skin I usually put it on in the mornings to afford me a defence against my office's air-conditioning.
Seriously, I love this product and am dreading having to search for a replacement as they appear to have discontinued it :(.

I began using IMAN Cosmetics Time Control when I ran out of  my Olay and needed a moisturiser with SPF (15) in it. I was pleasantly surprised with this cream as I found that it helped to keep my oily T-Zone under control, longer. On the days where I wear full makeup I now make a point of using this, paying particular attention to my T-Zone. 
Both Oilatum creams provided to be a life saver for me in the middle of February, I was experiencing the first bout of hay fever and had rubbed the skin around my eyes to irritation; the cream helped sooth my skin and the Natural Repair has been used by me on my eyelids to help combat some of the damage.

The Witch facial wash is in this post as I found that using it in the mornings, coupled with either the IMAN Time Control or Olay Essential made a significant impact on the amount of oil I produced. I make a point of including it in my morning regime when I wear make up. 

Makeup: 

The standing ovation for my 'Sun-Proof' face has got to be given to IMAN Cosmetics pressed powder in Earth Dark.
OH MY GOSH!!!!!!! This powder rocks!!!!!!  
In addition to stepping up the flawlessness of my face a good five notches, this bad boy helps take away the extra oil my T-Zone produces throughout the day and even sets my under eye concealer in place. As the weather heats up I try hard to keep it simple and spot treat my face with concealer, lightly dusting this powder over my face if I'm going to add blusher.  

What products do you use during warm weather and how do you 'Sun-Proof' your face?

*Post contains press sample(s)

Sleek MakeUp: Westfield Pop-Up & Base Duo Kit

Over the Jubilee weekend I decided to  visit Sleek's Pop-up store in Westfield Stratford to pick up a few bits. I love the idea of a pop-up store and attended their last event in Westfield Stratford where I was sucessfully matched in thier foundatuion range (Choclolate Fudge) and manged to pick up a few blushes at a decent price. 

If you’re new to Sleek then their Pop-Up store is an excellent way to learn about the products in their range, directly from their makeup artists. A vast array of their products was on sale, with some lines being discounted. 

Base Duo Kit (Foundation): 

I was pleased to see that Sleek had also allowed visitors of the Pop-Up store to get their mitts on their forthcoming Base Duo: a compact that contained a cream foundation and with the corresponding powder to be placed on top. You can tell that a lot of thought has gone into this product; the addition of a mirror on each section and a compact design ensured that this new product will fit into all of my hand bags without any problem. 

Purchases:

I decided to add three new lipsticks to my collection and try the Kajal in Odyssey, a vibrant metallic purple. Bare All and Barely There are two shades that I have been trying to get for a while, seeing them in the Pop-Up store it was a no brainier that I would make them mine as they are always sold out in Superdrug.  In keeping with the ethos of my blog I have provided swatches below of each product.

 

Overall I was pleased I attended the Pop-Up, nothing beats being able to play around with products in a relaxed enviroment!

Black Hair Debate -it rages on

Whilst checking out Natural Belle's blog I came across a video she had embedded from YT that I wanted to share with you. A group of university students had taken the time to film a discussion on 'Afro Hair'.

 I feel that increasingly, as the battle lines are drawn between Natural /Perm /Weave - we, as Black women, are being drawn into an unhealthy and self defeating debate over something that is in danger of distracting us from 'real' pertinent issues in society. I would rather us talk about the removal of established access routes into higher education by the imposition of tuition fees; removal of racism off of the political agenda and promoting positive images of all ethnicities within the City to positions of 'power & influence' than shoot the breeze of such trivialities of the state of someone’s hair....but I know that not everyone thinks I like me.

Check out the clip below

Debate on Afro Hair, hosted by Dwayne Wright, vice president of ACS MANCHESTER (African Caribbean Society). Filmed on the 12th December 2011 at Manchester Metropolitain University. (23:10)

My final thought is this...
We all come in differing shapes, sizes, hues and temperaments – surely our hair will not all be the same. 

Lets respect each other and stop making assumptions.

Focus on Acessories: Brooches

Now I have to confess that I often skip on this type of accessory but when one of the most stylish women I know came in wearing these brooches I sat up and took notice (Yes, you Rebecca!!!).

I loved how she had mixed the textures and placed all three together.