Blinging Beauty Letters to the Rich and Famous: Dear Oprah… “O Can Glow!”
Dear Oprah,
I admire your drive, your smarts and the fact that you have set the standard for women's entrepreneurship. However, I'm not so impressed with the way you are taking care of your skin. Or the way you are wearing your makeup. Okay, I'm sure you are saying, "Who is the blogger chick telling ME—Oprah—that I'm not flawless?"
Well, it's my duty, O! You have that gorgeous hair, and a blinging ice game that even the most gangsta rappers can't match. (I always check out your earrings.) But, when I saw the closeup photos of you at the Kennedy Center, that reality show "Intervention" came to mind. Yes, Oprah, this is your beauty intervention—my suggestions so that "O can Glow!"
I'm a fifty-something woman, also with black skin, so here we go. My recommendations for your best skin care and makeup.
This is the photo that inspired this letter, which by the way is going to be a series, because I'm going to be checking up on you!
Oprah Winfrey at the 33rd Annual Kennedy Center Honors at the Kennedy Center Hall of States on December 5, 2010 in Washington, DC. Gettty Images
Your skin care concerns:
- Uneven texture
- Hyperpigmentation
- Fine lines
- Crow's feet
- Under eye dehydration
Your daily skin care regimen:
1. Cleanse AM & PM
We are not the young chicks we used to be. Therefore, exfoliation is a must. I'm an exfoliating fool, and you should be too! You need 2 cleansers— a gentle yet efficacious cleanser, one that exfoliates, yet does not strip your skin for use at night, and one that simply refreshes your skin and prepares it for treatment product for day.
For AM Try: Ole Henriksen African Red Tea Cleanser
A rich, creamy, revitalizing antioxidant facial cleanser rids skin of impurities without stripping essential moisture, even removes makeup.
For PM Try: Murad AHA/BHA Exfoliating Cleanser
Cleanses and refines skin by polishing away dullness and dehydration and improving texture and tone. (I've been using this cleanser for years.)
2. Treat AM & PM
To fix what's gone wrong and prevent future mayhem with your skin it's necessary to nip all that nonsense in the bud. Your best treatment options are a vitamin c serum for day, and a retinol for night. These two ingredients will fight free radical damage (sun, stress, lifestyle), even your texture, brighten your skin and help it firm up.
For AM try: Dr. Dennis Gross Hydra-Pure® Vitamin C Brightening Serum
A powerful antiaging serum for brighter, firmer, and more radiant skin.
For PM try: Philosophy Miracle Worker™ Miraculous Anti-aging Retinoid Pads and Solution
Loaded with antioxidants, skin conditioners, and soothing agents, this multitasking blend delivers results that can be seen within one week. Discover new skin-confidence as wrinkles and discoloration fade to reveal flawless clarity and healthy radiance.
3. Moisturizer AM & PM
I'm not sure if you skin tends to be on the oilier or dryer side, but I'm guessing that by this time in your life, if it was at one time oily, it must be drying out a bit. So you need to bump up your moisture levels with improved hydration. I'm a fan of double-duty products, so a moisturizer that has additional good-for-your-skin properties is a win-win. The primary extra I look for in a day product is an SPF (yes, you need it). And for night some good stuff like peptides, antioxidants and tea.
For AM try: Kinerase Daily Defense SPF 30
An antiaging lotion with SPF 30 protection.
Maybe "Black don't crack" but brown skin ages, just differently from our fairer counterparts. Brown skin tends to lose elasticity and firmness with texture and hyperpigmentation being major problems. The majority of the aging is from sun exposure, so it's important to use an SPF on a daily basis.
For PM try: DDF Advanced Firming Cream
Strengthens the complexion's natural moisture barrier, and promotes surface-cell turnover to help reverse the visible signs of aging courtesy of the breakthrough Turmeric Complex with glycerin, zinc, and copper.
4. Eye care
Yes, it's true—the eyes are often the first to "go". So it's important to nourish and protect the delicate skin under the eyes as well as prevent damage.
Try: Dr. Brandt Lineless Eye Cream
An antiaging, antioxidant-enriched eye cream with vitamins C and E and green tea extracts.
5. Weekly treatments
Exfoliate! Why? Our skin turns over slower as we age. Regular exfoliation reveals fresh skin and insures that treatment products work efficiently.
Try: DERMAdoctor Physical Chemistry
Exfoliating properties retexturize dull, dry, or blotchy complexions while minimizing the appearance of fine lines, ultraviolet damage, post-acne discoloration, enlarged pores, and facial keratosis pilaris (surface bumpiness). Smoother, vibrant, younger-looking skin is revealed.
(I use it 3 times weekly, but then I'm an exfoliating junkie)
After your exfoliation, mask.
Try: Ole Henriksen Feel the Difference™ Perfecting Mask with African Red Tea
Caffeine helps to de-puff and define the facial contours, while algae extract and wheat protein offer firming benefits. Natural oils repair and retexturize the skin's surface while grapefruit, orange, and tangerine extracts gently stimulate the cellular turnover rate, and impart a naturally uplifting aroma.
So Oprah, if you apply these easy-to-do tips, you will have glowing skin. Skin that rivals those rocks in your ears.
Check back tomorrow for my makeup recommendations.
2 Comments
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Thais
I have a micro-sculpting serum (am/pm), a deep wrinkle treatment (am/pm), a wrinkle smoothing cream (pm), and an anti-aging eye-roller in addition to my .05% retinol. All from Olay.
What do you is the sequence to all tjis stuff? Serum first? Retinol first? I never know.