When I saw the photos of Sammy Sosa that have been circulating online, one dancehall classic came immediately to mind.

There’s a few more photos on Huffington Post that show the sharp difference in his pigmentation.

The story Mr. Sosa is sticking to is that a skin rejuvenation procedure has made his skin appear lighter, and besides that the lighting made him appear significantly fairer skinned than normal.

If that’s true, then it’s a shame that Mr. Sosa had a facial treatment that resulted in such marked discoloration. Any technician worth their salt will tell you, laser treatments can be very problematic for black skin, and deep chemical peels can damage black skin. So I’m curious as to what kind of treatment Mr. Sosa may have had, so I can make sure not to ever get it myself.
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The Artist’s Summit Chicago was jampacked with all kinds of goodies from the world of makeup and beauty. Some brands I was already well familiar with. Others, I was happy to get to know better. And as luck would have it, I was introduced to a skincare brand I’d been wanting to check out for a while — Mario Badescu.

I got lucky — by visiting their booth at the Artist’s Summit, I was able to get a skincare analysis by the lovely lady representing the brand. She gave me specific products to deal with my skincare issues, and I’m gonna review them all for you!
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Bellas on a budget! I hear your cry. Your wallet is thin and your product stashes are running low. What can you get that’s new, amazingly effective, awesome, and AFFORDABLE?

Afrobella’s got your back! Here are some of the latest, greatest products I have been lucky enough to review, all available on the cheap at your neighborhood drugstore.

First stop — Palmer’s. The company known best for making delicious cocoa butter-based body creams has expanded their product line. So if you don’t know, now you know — Palmer’s is making coconut oil hair products! And olive oil hair products too!
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Being the generally optimistic person that I am, I want to believe that makeup options for women of color are becoming better and better. There are more and more upcoming boutique brands catering to our skin’s unique needs, and even the mainstream brands have expanded their color palettes over the years. Then you get news like this and it knocks the wind out of your optimistic sails.

Estee Lauder is closing their Prescriptives brand. Yes, Prescriptives, the brand that catered to the specific needs of customers of color, will soon shuffle off this mortal coil. My amiga Shannon, who blogs for Pierce Mattie PR, seems to think the brand can be saved.

I want to hold out hope for Prescriptives, but I think the stars have collided against it.

Brands like Bobbi Brown and MAC tend to steal the limelight as the go-to department store brands for women of color, and despite a range of excellent products that in some ways go beyond what those aforementioned brands offered, Prescriptives was never able to capture that elusive youth market that breathes eternal life into even the most classic brands. The price point factor, the unexciting packaging, the importance of the in-store experience for this particular brand, the focus on skincare and foundation versus hot hot new colors every month to dazzle the consumers… I think many factors came into play here.

But still, ain’t that a shame. Prescriptives isn’t the kind of makeup that jumps off the glossy magazine page or the computer screen and screams, “buy me.” It’s all about the in store experience, where the range of possibilities becomes instantly apparent. If ever there was a time to stock up on custom blended makeup, it’s now.

Before Prescriptives has gone completely, I will highlight my top favorites, the items you absolutely gotta get before they pack up those department store shelves for good.
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Sugar? Or salt?

When it comes to body scrubs, there’s no debate. I generally prefer the former. If you have sensitive skin — or heaven forbid have a cut — a salt scrub can bring you to tears. Sugar makes you smell good, makes you practically edible to your significant other, and doesn’t sting at all.

I’m team sugar all the way.

I’ve had some incredible sugar scrub treatments at high end spas (Ritz Carlton Key Biscayne offers a heavenly treatment called Coco-luscious. OMG). I’ve also done some wonderful exfoliating skin treatments right in the peace and serenity of my own bathroom. And guess what – you can too! Here’s my scrubby shower ritual.

1 — Do my basic shower first. Meaning, soap and water to cleanse my essentials.

2 — If I’m doing a conditioner wash, I slather on some condish on my hair from root to tip and let it marinate.

3 — most important — turn off the water. Not only does this save water, but it helps to save your scrub! Your skin is wet enough to enjoy the decadence you’re about to unleash. Scrub a dub dub, and while you’re at it, this is a great time to wet your wide toothed comb and do a little detangling of your hair’s ends.

4 — wash it all off and finish detangling your hair, rinse well

5 — moisturize and finito!

This may all seem very elementary, but just that little tip to turn off the water while doing my sugar scrub was something that didn’t occur to me before, and I washed so many wasted granules down the drain. Be smarter than I was! Sugar scrubs can be way too pricey for that kind of excess.

Having said that, here are some of my latest faves and not-so faves.

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Woo! The weather in Florida, I do not miss it one little bit. Hot, humid, sweltering… and look at that, it seems to have followed me all the way to Chicago!

When the days are muggy your makeup can get to melting. And nobody wants to walk around looking like a runny ice cream cone with raccoon eyes. What’s a bella to do? My advice is, use the right products to make your makeup last all day — especially if you plan to be out and about at an event where you might be photographed or something. Think wedding or special date. Here are some product suggestions — some I’ve tried, and some I certainly plan to try!

Being matte and perfectly made up all day starts after you wash your face with your moisturizer of choice. For daytime, I love products by Pur Minerals. The Under Control Mattifying Gel is light and does exactly what it promises, and the See No More pore minimizer leaves your skin super silky and primed for makeup.

For evening I like Lierac Mat-Chrono Creme — it’s an anti-aging, mattifying night cream that will last you FOREVER. That’s because only the teeniest dab will absorb into your skin! Just touch your fingertip to it, rub it on your T-zone and voila, oil begone. I dig it.

After you moisturize, then it’s time to get your prime on. MAC has two great options — Prep & Prime lotion, $23 and it really evens out skin tone, makes makeup last, and keeps oil at bay. Then there’s Prep and Prime transparent finishing powder, which you can dust on over your makeup. I love this stuff, and I hardly leave the house in this summer heat without a little dusting of it on my face.

Need an affordable alternative? I heart Valana Minerals Oasis Oil Control Powder. $15, and it really works. I love everything Valana, you already know that!

I’m intrigued by MakeUpForEver’s HD primers, because if they’re anything like my beloved HD Foundation, I won’t be able to leave home without it! The HD Primers promise to correct complexion and make makeup last under even to the closest examination. It’s made to withstand HD technology, so if it works under Hollywood’s hot lights, it should last in the most sweltering heatwaves.

There are other tips I’m sure many of you savvy bellas know — to make your lipstick last, start out with a lip pencil. Or better yet, line your lips, fill them in almost all the way, and slick on lipgloss for shine.

There are SO many great lip pencils on the market, but these days I’m partial to Prescriptives Deluxe Lip Pencil which comes in delightfully dark shades that last forever and look gorgeous on brown skinned bellas. Benefit’s d’finer d’liner clear lip liner is a clear stick that promises to make your regular lipstick stay put. I’ve tried it, but I gotta be honest – I haven’t put it to the ultimate hot weather test yet.

To make eye makeup stick — now THAT’s tricky. I speaking of Benefit, I personally prefer Benefit’s lemon-aid over Urban Decay’s classic primer potion — but bear in mind I haven’t yet tried the new Urban Decay Primer Potion in Sin 0.34 oz Sin. I hear it’s gorgeous, even without shadow.

Lemon Aid is “a warm yellow correcting cream” that hides eyelid discoloration and has the added power to make eyeshadow last for ages in the heat. And like the Lierac, all you need is the teeniest dab. This will last for a LONG time, trust!
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