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"It Is No Secret What God Can Do" is a song that will give you healing for your body and soul. This is a beautiful rendition by Saxophonist, Keven Bonfieldwas produced by Howell Allen

Rob Sheffield pays tribute to mercurial rock icon David Bowie. Zuma Planet Earth is a lot bluer today without David Bowie , the greatest rock star who ever fell to this or any other world. He was the hottest tramp, the slinkiest vagabond, the prettiest star who ever shouted "You're not alone!" to an arena full of the world's loneliest kids. He was the most human and most alien of rock artists, turning to face the strange, speaking to the freak in everyone. He stared into your twitchy teenage eyes to assure you that you've torn your dress and your face is a mess, yet that's precisely why you're a juvenile success. Whichever Bowie you loved best — the glam starman, the wispy balladeer, the Berlin archduke — he made you feel braver and freer, which is why the world felt different after you heard Bowie. This man's spaceship always knew which way to go. That's why he always inspired such fierce devotion. As a teenager in the Eighties, at home glued to my radio on Saturday because I couldn't get a ticket to the Bowie show in Boston, I listened as a group of WBCN DJs arrived at the studio fresh from the show, with a cigarette butt they'd swiped from an ashtray backstage. And I listened with goosebumps as they ceremonially smoked it on the air. Bowie fanatics are like that. Which is why so many different people have heard themselves in his music, whether it's Barbra Streisand covering "Life On Mars?" in 1974 or D'Angelo covering "Space Oddity" in 2012, George Clinton namechecking him on Mothership Connection or Public Enemy sampling him in "Night of the Living Baseheads." Somehow I really thought he'd outlive us all. After all, he'd outlived so many David Bowies before. The weekend he died, I was listening to nothing but Bowie. On Friday night, his birthday, I went to see the tribute band Holy Holy play The Man Who Sold the World in New York, with producer Tony Visconti on bass, original Spiders drummer Woody Woodmansey and Heaven 17 singer Glenn Gregory. After finishing the album, they did another solid hour of early Seventies Bowie classics from "Five Years" to "Watch That Man." Visconti had the crowd sing "Happy Birthday" into his phone and texted it to Bowie. "David's at his birthday party," he told us. "This isn't it." (Were we all secretly hoping maybe the Dame would show up? Of course we were.) I got weepy when Visconti's daughter sang "Lady Stardust," a song that has always made me verklempt because it's reminded me Bowie was going to die someday, though Friday night, that still seemed far away. I spent the rest of the weekend listening to Station to Station and Low — an ordinary weekend, since those are easily the two most-played albums in my apartment — along with the 1974 outtake "Candidate (Demo)," and of course the new Blackstar, an album which sounded very different 24 hours ago. As Visconti said last night when the news broke, Blackstar was a "parting gift." In his last couple of years on the planet, Bowie threw himself back into the music career everyone figured he'd long since retired from gracefully, making The Next Day and Blackstar as his farewells to the flock he'd assembled over the years. Heading for the final curtain, Bowie chose to face it the way he faced everything else — it was cold and it rained, so he felt like an actor and went to work, going out at a creative peak. No other rock artist left a final testament anything like this. Nor like the excellent off-Broadway musical he debuted last year, Lazarus, which I was lucky enough to see in December — definitely the only time I've ever seen actors sing "Heroes" while swimming like dolphins through a puddle of milk. For all his spaciness, it was his crackpot compassion that made him Bowie. You can see that even in a movie like The Man Who Fell to Earth, which barely has a single coherent scene. The movie is a mess, just because Bowie is too hot to share the screen with anyone — you can see all the other actors watching him, wondering, "Is David looking at me? Does he think I'm pretty? Does he respect my creative process?" Bowie's at his most zonked out, yet he still seems like the least confused figure there. But he looks so cool (orange hair! Borsalino hat! Trench coat and tennis whites and silver pants!) that I've seen this movie several dozen times anyway. As the Martian lodger stranded on earth, Bowie records an album for his wife back on his home planet, The Visitor, hoping it will get get played on the radio and his wife out there in space will hear it. That music — we never hear it in the movie — might have been the hazy cosmic jive Bowie hears on the radio in "Starman," the hit that made him a true star in the U.K. after years of false starts. He performed it on Top of the Pops, taped on July 5, 1972 and broadcast the next day, a scene witnessed by every future musician in the British Isles — everything halfway interesting in British rock goes back to that four minutes of glam, yet watching it today is still startling. The best portrait of Bowie in the 1970s remains the BBC documentary Cracked Actor, where he twitches, sniffles, sings along with Aretha Franklin in the back of his limo, and does his onstage Hamlet-in-shades routine, holding a skull in his hand and jamming his tongue down its throat. Suck, baby, suck. He hit Number One in the U.S. with the disco John Lennon collabo "Fame," which got instantly plundered by James Brown for "Hot" — making Bowie the rare rock star who could truthfully claim James Brown ripped him off. (Shortly before he died, the Godfather said that if he ever had a tribute album, Bowie would be his choice to do "Soul Power" — one of the weirdest things JB ever said.) His "plastic soul" period culminated at the 1975 Grammy Awards, where Bowie, looking dashing but scarily drug-ravaged in his tux, greeted the crowd: "Ladies and gentlemen — and others." He gave the Best R&B Performance trophy to Aretha Franklin, who gushed, "Wow, this is so good, I could kiss David Bowie! I mean that in a beautiful way, because we dig it!" Bowie and L.A. had a toxic fling — as he recalled, "I blew my nose one day and half my brains came out." But he was just beginning his most golden years, assembling the best band he ever had, probably the all-time greatest unnamed rock band: the core rhythm section of drummer Dennis Davis, bassist George Murray and guitarist Carlos Alomar. Armed with this crew, and other key collaborators like Tony Visconti and Brian Eno and Robert Fripp, Bowie made his five best albums in a five-year blaze from 1976 to 1980, the best five-album run of anyone in the Seventies (or since): Station to Station, Low, Heroes, Lodger and Scary Monsters. In this timespan, he also made the two albums that brought back Iggy Pop from the dead — The Idiot, prized by Bowie freaks as a rare showcase for his eccentric lead guitar, and Lust for Life — and his finest live album, Stage, from the 1978 tour, absurdly turning the ambient instrumentals from Low and Heroes into arena rock. As he put it at the time, "I'm using myself as a canvas and trying to paint the truth of our time on it. The white face, the baggy pants — they're Pierrot, the eternal clown putting across the great sadness of 1976." He returned in the Eighties with Let's Dance, moving in on the New Romantic pop he'd created in his own image, with genuinely great moments like "Criminal World" (covering the German Bowie clones Metro) and "Modern Love" (wailing that "church on time" call and response like his life depends on it). After a decade or so in the wilderness, he began writing strong songs again in the mid-Nineties, with Earthling and Hours, exploring what became the grand theme of his final phase — true love, the kind he'd found with Iman. "Looking for Satellites" on Earthling, "Seven" and "Thursday's Child" on Hours — sincere and soulful tunes, yet overlooked because it was hard to find them under all the cheezoid production glop. (Too bad he never got a chance to redo these songs with his more simpatico recent band.) But in the final 20 years of his life, he never made a weak album. Heathen, Reality, The Next Day and Blackstar were up to his own highest standards. But everything that made Bowie my hero — it's all there in "Young Americans," from 1974, a song of almost bottomless compassion. He belts it in his tortured Elvis voice, over grand glam-funk, a pushing-thirty limey rock star full of yearning and affection (and lust, lots of that) for the young Americans he sees around him. He wishes he could be as real and open-hearted as they are, but those kids are the song that makes him break down and cry. Especially the two lovers on the road, all the way from Washington, who pose a question anyone can relate to: "We've lived for just these 20 years — do we have to die for the 50 more?" Bowie's answer was no, and he proved it — he kept expanding and mutating right up to the edge of 70, celebrating his 69th birthday with an album that lived up to all the restless spirit he'd chased his whole career. He assured his fans we didn't have to give up on life, didn't have to play it safe, didn't have to fall into a rut — and he proved it was possible in his own music. (If he says he can do it, he can do it — he don't make false claims.) When I saw him live for the last time, at Madison Square Garden in 2003, he did three songs from Outside, a forgotten (and frankly awful) 1995 album he was fully aware nobody liked. Yet he was just obeying his code: a whole career without a predictable moment. What a trip to be a fan of his. Thanks, David Bowie. Source: Rollingstone

Hailing from the beautiful Island of Barbados Nikita’s music is a fusion of all sounds - R&B/Soul music, Pop, Alternative, always with the sweet base and music of the Caribbean. She is vision of Caribbean beauty and her voice will take you on an escape, to a world of soul, expression and richness that grips her every fibre as a Caribbean woman! Her sound is eclectic, with Caribbean rhythm at its base and fused with sounds of other genres, ultimately enveloping your ears with a sound that croons and sooths your soul. As destiny would have it, Nikita was born into a family of great singers and song competition winners, names synonymous with music in Barbados. It is no wonder that from age 4, she dominated the stage! That first performance at her pre-school graduation led to performances at school, church and family gatherings creating the foundation that has ultimately resulted in Nikita performing on almost every major stage in Barbados and dominating competitions along her path! In 2007, Nikita shared the stage with the Queen of Soul herself, Patti Labelle, at the Hilton Barbados; an opportunity that is revered by singers across the globe! Nikita has established a deep-seated presence in the hearts of Barbadians. For the last three years has serenaded tourists to the islands’ shores as the guest singer at the 5 star hotel, The Sandy Lane Hotel Barbados, known as the premier address of the region, hosting royalty, celebrities and the rich with the likes of Queen Elizabeth II, Oprah Winfrey and Tiger Woods. Nikita is intent on sharing her Barbadian voice and expression with the rest of world, warming hearts, provoking smiles and being the messenger of inspiration for her listeners. Red carpet moment at the Barbados Music awards 2016, where she took home the “Breakthrough Award” for her achievement

Lady Saw (Marion Hall) , the newly converted dancehall artist is set to perform at the One Love in the Park show slated for Valentine’s Day, February 14, 2016 at the Vincent Torres Park in Lauderdale Lakes. This will be Lady Saw’s first South Florida performance since she shocked the dancehall world with her baptism in December. The former dancehall artist, who has been known for her raw lyrics and R-rated onstage performances for decades, has vowed to put all of that behind her and sing for the Lord. Lady Saw will be joining headliner, veteran artist Leroy Sibbles , and a host of other performers for the 2nd annual show. According to promoters, they had booked Lady Saw prior to her conversion, but kept her on the bill because they knew she would fit right in with her gospel music, especially with another gospel artist in the lineup. “ This show will have something for everyone. It’s where reggae and R&B meet lover’s rock and gospel.” Fans who are expecting to hear hits such as “ Sycamore Tree” and “It’s Raining ” will be disappointed, but will get to see and hear the other side of the artist, who has shed the stage name Lady Saw , and is going by her given name, Marion Hall. She is expected to show off her admirable vocals in this debut gospel performance.

Reggae artist Sizzla released his new EP, “ Sizzla in Dub ,” Friday, January 8, 2016 on iTunes, Amazon and Spotify. The four-track EP exhibits dubstyle renderings of Sizzla’s culture hits, “ Vision,” “Burn It Down,” “One Day” and “Blessing Us, ” produced by Kemar “Flava” McGregor for the FM Records label. Born Miguel Orlando Collins on April 17, 1976 in Kingston, Jamaica, Sizzla is a top-selling reggae artist who has appeared on the Billboard Reggae Albums Chart 28 times between 1997 and 2014. His 2013 album, “ The Messiah ,” was nominated for “ Best Reggae Album ” at the 2014 Grammy Awards. He has released more than 70 albums during his career.

Naomi Campbell has joined the # BalmainArmy for their /Summer 2016 ad campaign shot by Steven Klein. Campbell, 45, joins Cindy Crawford, 49 and Claudia Schiffer, 45 as the stars of Balmain's spring/summer 16 campaign . These women looked stunning in the latest Balmain campaign. They were the original supermodels of the 90s and now Cindy, Naomi and Claudia prove they've still got it as they reunite for a sizzling fashion campaign.

There is something about Reggae music that stars divert from their main genre to sample or record it. Brazilian R&B artiste Negra Li diverted from regular recording to team up with her husband Jr Dread to do the song titled "Sunshine". CEO/Producer of Donsome Records, Adrian "Donsome" Hanson explains that it all came about when while listening to Jr Dread on the track he thought it needed 'a woman's touch'. And of course he didn't have to look any further than to the artiste's wife who is already an established singer, actress and model. Having recorded singles as well as being featured with Akon on 'Beautiful' and starring in the television musical Antonia. "I knew it would be perfect seeing that it is a love song. And I knew and loved her vocals on the song Beautiful the producer shared. After sending the beat to Jr Dread he came with a perfect love song that was just missing the female verse. I listened to his verse and in less than five minutes came up with the words that would match his lyrics and show a female's sincerity to her soul mate," he said of his penning input on the song. Negra Li was more than up to the task as this is not her first reggae flavoured song. "I always loved reggae music. And on all of my R&B albums I include a reggae song on it," she said. It is even more enjoyable as she gets to record with her husband whose response "It's always a joy and an honour because not only am I her husband but I'm also her biggest fan. Music is an integral part of our life," he said of the combination. 'Sunshine' a song about love blooming was the perfect fit for the couple and needless to say the chemistry was spot on from the natural love flow. Right now both husband and wife are focused on different projects with this one song in common, but as far as her husband is concerned ... you never know! More combinations could be in the works. With Reggae music being a powerful force in Brazil ... think Jimmy Cliff and other artistes that the country has embraced, it is not surprising that Negra Li admits her thoughts on reggae as being "one of the most powerful and beautiful music". "It always brings a positive and revolutionary message. And it doesn't matter if you are old or a baby, it's a sound that everyone loves," she shares. An admirer of the late reggae legend Bob Marley for his impact on the music of this century she also loves many artistes and groups such as Israel Vibration, Sizzla, Dezarie, Steel Pulse and Queen Omega to name a few. Although Negra Li is actively involved in dancing, acting, modeling and singer, for her nothing beats the music. "Cause it's a universal language that can last forever and influence people in a positive way. It helped me to be an actress and to be strong and passionate about life. The Brazilian beauty is presently recording her third album laced with a lot of influences. Her ultimate goal though is to one day do a full reggae project.

The annual Young View Awards (YVAs) will be held live on February 20th at the National Indoor Sports Centre Kingston. This year’s international guest artist is pop sensation Pia Mia , along with other local artist such as Vershon, Vanessa Bling, Dexta Daps, Devin Di Dakta, Christopher Martin, Bling Dwag and more! Pia Mia is an American singer, songwriter, and model from Guam and is best known for her song "Do It Again"(featuring Chris Brown andTyga) The elegant affair will hosted by Bambino & Bella Blair. For tickets and more information visit YVAs

The French Caribbean island is about to have a moment—here are four reasons to visit in 2016. Guadeloupe is, as Derek Zoolander might say, so hot right now. The French Caribbean island, often twinned with nearby Martinique, has always been popular with French tourists. Now, it has become easier than ever for Americans to visit thanks to new direct fares from New York and Boston on low-cost carrier Norwegian Air. The island is so buzzy that Condé Nast Traveler named it one of the top 16 places to visit in 2016. So, why should you book a ticket? Here are four reasons to go now. T'S EUROPE, BUT NOT. As an Overseas Department of France, Guadeloupe is officially part of the E.U., meaning that you can spend the leftover Euros from your last trip to the continent. It also means that the bulk of the travelers who visit are French nationals who come for weeks at a time thanks to generous vacation policies, particularly in the summers, so the accommodations lean more toward guesthouses and rented homes than expensive hotels or all-inclusive resorts. One thing to keep an eye out for: Most cars on the island are stick shift, so if you're not comfortable driving one you'll need to book an automatic as far ahead as possible, since most of the rental agencies only have a few. You'll also be able to stock up on French products like La Roche-Posay sunscreens. Photo by Corrie Vierregger Pigeon, Basse Terre THERE'S A BEACH FOR EVERYONE. Guadeloupe may be small, but it has a wide range of beach options. In the town of Sainte-Anne, there's a white sand beach (no pebbles in sight) just a two-minute walk from shops and cafes, which makes it a good option for people who want to multitask or mixed groups who want options. Near the capital of Basse-Terre are black sand beaches like Malendure, whose turquoise-turned-cobalt waters are reminiscent of Lake Tahoe. The beaches at Pearl Beach are ringed with beautiful coral formations, and Courvelle Beach's clear, still waters draw snorkelers from around the world. AND THERE'S ALSO A GROWING CULTURAL SCENE. On a rainy day (more likely, a rainy afternoon, as the humidity often breaks following a shower around 3 or 4 p.m.), check out the Mémorial ACTe museum, which opened in summer 2015 near the airport in Pointe-a-Pitre. Housed in a stunning lattice-work building, the multimedia exhibits discuss the history of the slave trade around the Caribbean. Also in Pointe-a-Pitre is a the Musée Sainte-John Perse, which honors the Guadeloupe-born poet who went on to win the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1960. YOU CAN LEARN FRENCH AND EAT FROMAGE... WHILE SIMULTANEOUSLY WORKING ON YOUR TAN. Sure, it's fun to study French in Paris. But if it's the middle of winter and strolling the Seine doesn't seem quite as appealing as usual, you can always practice your parlez-vous while lying on a beach, getting a tan, and sipping a rum punch (often at the same time). The France-meets-Caribbean vibe means you can enjoy fancy cheeses and pastries while also wearing shorts and flip-flops. For French-Creole fusion at its best, head to the restaurant Le Mabouya dans le Bouteille in the lively Marina de Saint-François: the fish dishes are changed based on the day's catch and the dry French wines are stored in one of the island's few climate-controlled cellars. Written by Lilit Marcus Cntraveler

Last night Lip Sync Battle kicked off its second season and it was a night to remember. This must-see episode of the season featured Channing Tatum vs. his wife, Jenna Dewan Tatum . Channing competed against his wife, Jenna, on Thursday’s night’s episode of Lip Sync Battle with “ Run the World (Girls) ” the actor brought his A-game dressed like Queen Bey herself in a wig, thigh-highs, fringe booty shorts, a bra as a top, and some sort of necklace-belt torture-contraption-as-fashion. Beyoncé joined in on the epic the performance. Jenna herself gave a not so PG 13 performance of emulating her husband’s Magic Mike character for a lip-sync performance of Ginuwine’s “Pony” that included a little bit of a lap dance. In the end the host, LL Cool J declared the competition a tie. Hosted by LL Cool J and Chrissy Teigen Lip Sync Battle is on Spike tv Thursdays at 10 PM EST Who do you think should have won?

Having zits and wrinkles at the same time just can't be legal, right? There’s nothing more disappointing than waiting until your 20s to finally have clear skin, and then learning the hard way that bad breakouts don’t necessarily end when your teenage years do. Coming to terms with adult acne is difficult—best rest assured, you’re not the only grown woman dealing with zits. “Put it this way: it is so common that pimples are meeting wrinkles,” dermatologist Neal Schultz, M.D., creator of Beauty Rx Skincare, tells SELF. “For the last 10-20 years, adult acne has been increasing. It can even go into your 50s, right to menopause.” If you had acne as a teen, chances are you’ve got oily skin that’s prone to breakouts. But even if you didn’t, it’s still possible you’ll end up with adult acne. Even though the outlook seems dreary (acne and wrinkles sounds like some sort of sick joke, right?), knowing what’s causing your complexion woes can help you clear up your skin and keep breakouts at bay. The Causes 1. Your hormones may be to blame. “Fluctuation in hormones, such as before one’s menstrual cycle, is the main cause,” explains dermatologist Julia Tzu, M.D., ofWall Street Dermatology. Specifically, androgens (male hormones) like testosterone. This usually rears its ugly head in the form of deep (painful) cystic acne around the chin, neck, and back, says dermatologist Rebecca Kazin, M.D., F.A.A.D., of the Washington Institute of Dermatologic Laser Surgery and the Johns Hopkins Department of Dermatology. 2. Stress can be an extra (and very influential) driving force. Another source of hormonal changes: stress. Whether you work full-time, are a full-time mom, or juggle both, chances are your stress levels are high. “When you’re stressed, you have an organ called the adrenal gland that makes the stress hormone cortisol, and puts it out into the body to help the body deal with stress,” Dr. Schultz explains. Unfortunately, a tiny bit of testosterone leaks out with it. For a woman, this male hormone can drive the oil glands to produce more oil—the root cause of breakouts. (Thanks a lot hormones!) 3. Pollution isn’t helping your case either. “Air pollution just puts this layer of crap on your face,” Schultz says. Especially if you live in a city. Go walk around outside for a half hour, he suggests. When you come home, wipe your face with a toner pad or face wipe, and see what color it is. Warning: You’re not going to like what you see. 4. You may be using the wrong products. If you have oily or combination skin and are prone to breakouts, you should be using skincare products labeled “oil-free,” “non-comedogenic,” or “water-based,” Schultz says. Just one of these will ensure that the lotion you’re slathering on isn’t going to clog your pores and make matters worse. Try a gel-based moisturizer like Belif The True Cream Aqua Bomb; for an SPF option, we like PCA Skin Weightless Protection Broad Spectrum SPF. 5. You’re cleansing too frequently and intensely. “Over-washing your face can make acne worse,” Kazin explains. Cleansing more than twice a day is too much, and can just dry out skin, “which can cause [it] to produce more oil to overcompensate.” Your Clarisonic addiction may not be helping either. “It helps remove all makeup and helps your cleanser work better, but I worry about the coarse ones. It’s almost like giving yourself microdermabrasion twice a day, which can cause a breakout,” says Kazin. Schultz seconds that: “Anything that rubs skin will, to a small extent, promote acne.” That includes a grainy or gritty cleanser, too. Try these two gentle face washes instead: Phace Bioactive Detoxifying Gel Cleanser or Frank Body Creamy Face Cleanser. 6. Specific foods may or may not have an effect—the evidence is all super fuzzy. We’ve all heard the foods that allegedly cause acne—chocolate, fried foods, pizza, caffeine, nuts. But Schultz reminds us that in large statistically significant studies, these have not been proven to cause zits, but there are always exceptions. “If you break out when you eat chocolate, don’t eat chocolate.” Same with dairy, which again, has been shown in some cases to have an effect but no concrete cause-and-effect relationship exists. The one food Schultz does recommend to avoid is iodine. “Iodine causes acne in everyone if you eat enough,” he says. You can find it in shellfish, like lobster, shrimp, crab, and some greens like kelp and spinach. The different between iodine and those other “acne-causing foods” is that iodine builds up over weeks and months before it starts to affect skin. 7. Your sweet tooth is causing a skin problem. Another potential skin saboteur is sugar because it raises your insulin level. More and more evidence shows that insulin may boost those oil-triggering male hormones, Schultz explains. Stick to low-glycemic foods—ones that have complex carbs like whole grains, which break down slower in the body and cause less of an insulin spike. Your health will be better for it, too. The Treatments: 1. The ingredients to look for: Salicylic acid is the gold standard of acne treatment. It’s also called a beta-hydroxy acid. Salicylic works by exfoliating gently to unclog pores. It’s in a ton of OTC cleansers and spot treatments, and it’s gentle enough to use on your whole face. Benzoyl peroxide works by actually killing the acne bacteria, while exfoliating the pores at the same time. It’s not so gentle, and can make skin really dry and irritated if you use too much. Stick to spot-treating with this one. Sulfur draws oil out of skin and has a drying effect, making it another great spot treatment. You’ll also find it as the active ingredient in some face masks, like Cosmedix Clear Clarifying Mask. Glycolic Acid is an alpha-hydroxy acid, and an exfoliating ingredient that targets both acne and wrinkles at the same time. “The same way it helps acne, it helps wrinkles—by removing dead cells on surface. If you have effective exfoliation, you’re stimulating collagen and hyaluronic acid,” Schultz explains. This will help improve skin’s texture and reduce fine lines and wrinkles while also clearing up breakouts. Retinol is a vitamin A derivative, which the skin absorbs and converts to retinoic acid. Retin-A is the prescription form. “Topical retinoids are fortunately one of the most effective treatments for acne, and also happens to be a highly effective anti-aging ingredient, because of its collagen-building properties,” Tzu notes. The biggest downside is they’re harsh, and can sometimes be too much for sensitive skin. For an elegant OTC option, try Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare Ferulic Acid + Retinol Brightening Solution. 2. Exfoliation is key, and something you should do more regularly. This is Schultz’s number-one piece of advice. “Exfoliation is the most important thing you can do on a regular basis to be fighting acne both in terms of preventing it and treating it.” His go-to ingredient? Glycolic acid. While a glycolic cleanser will help, a treatment that really soaks into your skin is what will give you the results you want. Try BeautyRx Advanced 10% Exfoliating Pads or Drunk Elephant T.L.C. Framboos Glycolic Night Serum. 3. Always keep a spot treatment handy. Spot treatments are key for treating a pimple ASAP. Benzoyl peroxide is often vilified for being harsh, but when it comes to really zapping a zit, it should be your best friend. Just dab it on the trouble spot to dry it out and kill bacteria. For heavy-duty action, try Neutrogena Rapid Clear Stubborn Acne Spot Gel; for something gentler, we like Arithmetic Acne Control Complex, which has soothing ingredients to counter the drying effects and is made with adult skin in mind. 4. Look for products that also fight inflammation. Inflammation is always involved when you have a breakout, causing that swelling and redness we all work hard to cover up with our best concealer. We like Groh Ergo Boost Skin Repair Treatment—it’s rich in antioxidants that help calm down irritation, and ergothioneine, a compound naturally occurring in mushrooms, helps repair damaged skin cells. 5. You may need more than just topical treatments. Hormones are ruthless, and all the topical treatments in the world won’t make a difference if yours are seriously out of whack. In that case, you need to fix things internally first. “Medications that manipulate hormonal levels, such as oral contraceptives and spironolactone are helpful in curbing hormonal chin and lower face outbreaks,” Tzu says. Ask your derm about what might work for you. 6. Never try to extract cysts on your own. Those big, painful zits will leave a scar if you pick and prod at them—”the only way to reduce it quickly is to drain it, and that’s not a DIY deal,” Schultz warns. The reason they’re painful is because quick expansion stretches the nerves. “Drinking good red wine is often helpful [to numb the pain],” he jokes. Take Advil, apply a warm or cold compress (whichever feels better to you), and go see your derm. “Cortisone shots are the true ‘spot treatments’ for painful cystic acne lesions,” Tzu says. 7. There’s a difference between scars and hyperpigmentation. Scars that are indented aren’t going to go away on their own, and most likely need professional treatment. Talk to your derm about laser options, as well as subcision and microneedling—all proven methods to get rid of scarring. But those brown spots left behind once a zit goes away? You can treat them at home if you’re diligent. Schultz says you have to stick to a regimen of daily sunscreen use, exfoliation, and application of a bleaching product that will help remove the excess pigmentation in the skin. Try Murad Rapid Age Spot and Pigment Lightening Serum. ( Self.com)

Loretta Collins Klobah , author of The Twelve-Foot Neon Woman , is visiting Trinidad for the first time since winning the OCM Bocas Prize for Poetry in 2012. On Monday 11 January, the NGC Bocas Lit Fest will host a celebration of her prize-winning book, joined by Trinidadian poets Andre Bagoo (author ofTrick Vessels and BURN) and Shivanee Ramlochan (whose poems appear in the recent anthology Coming Up Hot). In the work of these three writers, the forces of the natural world contend with human nature, and the supernatural erupts into the everyday. Join us at Alice Yard, 80 Roberts Street, Woodbrook, Port of Spain, for an evening of startling poems and conversation. All are invited.