Tips On How To Choose The Best Foundation For Darker Skin

Finding the right foundation for dark skin can be tricky. Too dark and you look like a distant cousin of RuPaul, too light and you’ve earned a starring role at your local funeral parlour.

Our major challenge as Black and Latina women is finding a brand that has yellow, olive or caramel tones. But beyond picking the right hue for your face there are a few other factors that you need to consider before purchasing a foundation.

Research the brands. From consumer comments to beauty blogger reviews, someone has already done the work for you. Google the brand and the product name and chances you will find all the answers to your questions and a few answers you weren’t even thinking of. If you’re lucky you’ll even find a YouTube video.

Choose 2-3 shades that are close to your skin tone. Test the makeup above your jawline on clean dry skin. Evaluate if the colour matches in the mirror. The colour should blend with your natural skin tone. Make sure you do not see a big line of demarcation, which is indicative of a poor match. If you do not think you have a good match, continue testing shades until you find a suitable colour.

Take your besties with you. We all love those sales girls but they are sales girls. They have a goal to meet and commission to make. Their opinion could be biased. So treat your best girlfriend to an afternoon snack or a late dinner and spend the day shopping for new foundation.

Ask for a sample. Don’t feel pressured to buy something that day. Ask the beauty consultant write down the color you decided you liked the best. Don’t be afraid to ask for a sample. Wear the foundation home, and see how you like it outside in natural light.

Follow those four steps and I guarantee you’ll have flawless looking skin. Just remember: your shade will change with the seasons, so come summer and winter you’ll be back at it again.




#hellobeautiful
#gorgeousingrey

Lupita Nyong'o, Elle Fanning, And Others Cover 'Marie Claire'

 

Lupita Nyong'o for 'Marie Claire.'
Photo: Marie Claire




Lupita Nyon'o for 'Marie Claire.'
Photo: Marie Claire

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: Lupita can do no wrong. For her cover, Lupita wears a hot pink snakeskin-trimmed gown by Christopher Kane. Inside she wears a black-and-white optic Dior stunner which she accessorized with a ribbed scarf and a Graziela Gems ear cuff. And in her interview, Lupita is as poised as ever, on the topic of other peoples’ opinions: "Being called gorgeous is not a bad thing! But at the same time, I don't want to thrive on people's opinions of me."

As for her path to fashion darling-dom? It has a lot to do with her stylist Micaela Erlanger, who covered the Hollywood Reporter with Lupita earlier this year. "I wasn't a follower of fashion. It was a world unknown,” Lupita says, “Then I met my stylist, Micaela Erlanger...and we came to interpret my style: clean lines, strong color."




Elle Fanning and Elizabeth Olsen for 'Marie Claire.'
Photo: Marie Claire



Elle Fanning also knows a thing or two about strong color, wearing a tangerine Fendi dress with jewelry by Graziela Gems and Kismet by Milka for her spread. Fellow Miu Miu campaign co-star Elizabeth Olsen, on the other hand, stuck with neutrals and went with her usual low-key boho look, with unbrushed wavy hair and a beaded Maison Martin Margiela top.


Emilia Clarke and Kate Mara for 'Marie Claire.'
Photo: Marie Claire

Meanwhile, Emilia Clarke and Kate Mara sparkled the most. On her cover, the Game of Thrones breakout star wears a sequined romper and, inside, she dazzles in a sequined Louis Vuitton dress with a Graziela Gems ear cuff and a royal blue Michael Kors dress. Similarly, House of Cards actress glitters in a gorgeous mint dress with a beaded neckline on the cover and, inside, wears her own royal blue Fendi dress.

For more of Lupita, Elle, Lizzie, Emilia, and Kate's spread and interviews, peep the photos and excerpts at marieclaire.com or in Marie Claire's May "Fresh Faces" issue which hits newsstands April 22.

#mtv.com

Jennifer Aniston and Justin Theroux 'to wed in Hawaii with only 20 guests'

Jennifer Aniston had strongly considered tying the knot with fiancé Justin Theroux in Mexico.

But lately the 45-year-old actress has had a change of heart and is now interested in getting hitched in another tropical location - Hawaii - according to a Wednesday report from UsWeekly.

The ceremony will still be small with only about 20 people in attendance, added the publication.




Aloha: Jennifer Aniston and Justin Theroux, pictured in 2012, want to wed in Hawaii, according to a Wednesday report from UsWeekly






Nice view: It has not been specified which island the two will tie the knot on, but the publication noted only 20 people would be invited



The Hawaiian islands are a fond place for the couple, who have been engaged for nearly two years.

In 2011 they vacationed in Kauai where they were seen holding hands and enjoying the laid back beach lifestyle. They reportedly were staying at Ben Stiller's mansion.

'They had a very special trip there,' said a source.




The place has a special place in their hearts: The couple of three years vacationed in Kauai in 2011



Aniston has also worked in Maui, where she filmed the Adam Sandler comedy Just Got With It. The two were spotted at several hotels in the area where they spent several months.


And Hawaii is also where Jennifer has been seen paddle boarding with her friend Courteney Cox several years ago.

Not wedding date has been set yet for the Wanderlust co-stars, but the weekly has reportedly the duo will definitely walk down the aisle in 2014.




She loves sand and sun: The 45-year-old shooting Just Go With It in Maui in 2010



Though Jennifer and Justin have been working on separate coasts - he has been in New York City making HBO's The Leftovers while she has been in LA shooting Cake - they did reunite on Tuesday when he stopped by her film set to see her.

Dressed in a white T-shirt and with slicked back hair, the 42-year-old looked handsome and in shape.

The Friends star has drastically changed her look for her new film role. Instead of long blonde locks she has been sporting short brown hair and no makeup.




The future Mrs Theroux: Aniston, in Hawaii in 2010, will tie the knot in 2014






Not her best look: The Friends star dyed her golden locks brown for her new role in Cake opposite Sam Worthington




#dailymail
#usweekly

What Is The Best Time To Eat If You're Trying to Lose Weight?

 

The question: To lose weight, does it matter when I eat? Or just what I eat?
The experts: Susan Kleiner, Ph.D., R.D., Sports Nutritionist for USANA Health Sciences; Jacqui Justice, clinical nurse specialist, director of nutrition at Womens Healthy Hormones
The answer: Just like romance and bargain shopping, healthy eating is all about having the right timing.
Sure, a calorie is still a calorie, but how you time those calories can influence your metabolism and satiety levels, potentially making the difference between weight lost and weight gained. “Body weight control is a complex dance between the drivers of metabolism: the brain, hormones and neurotransmitters, and your metabolic processes," says Kleiner. And if any of those factors perceives that you're low on calories throughout the day, it'll slow metabolism, increase appetite, and stall your weight loss efforts.
So first thing's first: Eat breakfast! And not once you get to work—we're talking first thing in the morning. Justice recommends eating within an hour of waking up, and if you can get in some water then, all the better. Both ramp up your metabolism by telling your body it doesn't need to conserve energy (aka calories). If your stomach is uneasy in the morning, at least drink some water. Just remember that the longer you wait to eat breakfast, the longer you wait to burn calories.

Next, don't go more than three hours between meals and (protein-packed!) snacks. "This will help to keep your blood sugar balanced throughout the day, your metabolism revved, and your energy up," says Justice.

And as the sun sets, so should your eating for the day. "My experience is that my clients that finish dinner by 7:30 lose more weight and have more energy the next day than do my late eaters," says Justice, who notes your metabolism starts to slow down around 4p.m. and hits its lowest point when you're sleeping. After all, your body doesn't have to burn through as many calories when you're zonked out.

Of course, there's no strict mealtime schedule that will guarantee weight loss, but if you're looking to slim down, Justice suggests eating your bigger meals earlier in the day and lighter meals in the evening. Luckily, if you load up on a healthy and satisfying breakfast, the rest of your day—and weight loss—should fall into place more easily.


#womenshealthmag

What's Better For Your Skin: Face Wipes or Cleansers?

 

The question: Sometimes it seems way too difficult to wash your face—especially when it's so easy to just grab a face wipe instead. When it comes to everyday use, what's better for your skin: face wipes or facial cleansers?
The expert: Board-certified dermatologist Michele Green, M.D.
The answer: Both options are effective for removing makeup, dirt, and oil, says Green. "The wipes are certainly more convenient. But in reality, a cleanser with water probably works much better to actually clean your skin."

That said, they're perfect to keep in your purse or gym bag to remove makeup before a workout or to whisk away sweat and oil on super-humid days. And it's fine to use them once in while (like when you just don't have the energy for a proper face wash)—but Green wouldn't recommend using them in place of your cleanser every single day.

When you do opt for a face wipe, pick a formula without dyes, perfumes, or artificial ingredients, says Green. If your face feels a little filmy after you use them, it might mean it has an extra moisturizer packed in. That's fine if you have dry skin, but stay away from those brands if you have acne-prone or oily skin, says Green. And when it comes to your daily face wash, be sure to stick to the real soap-and-lather routine.


#womenshealthmag.com

Human Barbie doll a.k.a. 'racist space alien', blames plastic surgery rise on mixed-race marriages

 

Living doll: Valeria Lukyonova is, we assure you, a real human being

The twisted, plastic world of a Ukranian woman who transformed herself into a human Barbie has been in a startling interview.
GQ writer Michael Idov travelled to Ukraine to meet Valeria Lukyanova, a 28-year-old model who remade herself into a living doll.
But instead of meeting a sweet lady living her childhood dream, he met a plastic surgery fanatic who he describes as a "racist space alien."
Lukyonova admits to using makeup and contact lenses to enhance her bizarre look, and admits to having breast implants.
But she claims her painfully thin figure is a result of diet and exercise - she exists on an entirely liquid diet - and denies having enhanced her waist with surgery.
"Everyone wants a slim figure," Lukyonova told Idov. "Everyone gets breasts done. Everyone fixes up their face if it's not ideal, you know?"
In Idov's eye-opening interview, he delves into the psyche of a woman obsessed with an impossible idea of beauty - and finds a wealth of strangeness beneath the surface.

For starters, Lukyonova blames the increase of plastic surgery on race-mixing.
"For example, a Russian marries an Armenian, they have a kid, a cute girl, but she has her dad’s nose," she said.
"She goes and files it down a little, and it’s all good. Ethnicities are mixing now, so there’s degeneration, and it didn’t used to be like that.
"Remember how many beautiful women there were in the 1950s and 1960s, without any surgery? And now, thanks to degeneration, we have this.
"I love the Nordic image myself. I have white skin; I am a Nordic type - perhaps a little Eastern Baltic, but closer to Nordic."

WENN / Instagram

Barbie and Ken: Lukyanova and Justin Jedlica, known as the human Ken Doll

Interviewer Idov added: "I realise that just like everyone reading about human Barbie I had a simple narrative prepared in my head: A small-town girl grows up obsessed with dolls, etc.
"But instead I get a racist space alien."

#GQmagazine
#mirror.co.uk

Presenter Peaches Geldof dies @ 25

Peaches Geldof.

Presenter Peaches Geldof, second daughter of musician Bob Geldof and Paula Yates, has died aged 25.

The daughter of Bob Geldof and Paula Yates was found at her home in Kent, the BBC reported.

Cops were called to her home in Wrotham following concerns about her welfare.

She was later pronounced dead by South East Coast Ambulance Service.

A spokesman for Kent Police said: "At this stage, the death is being treated as unexplained and sudden."

R.I.P.

#sundayworld