Hello Biuties!
Today I want to talk about our skins,
no matter what your complexion or skin type getting your skin regimen right is the base for a nice and flawless makeup.I'll be the first to stand up and say my skin is less than perfect. I have large pores and freckles (which I love! (thanks dad)), I have hairs, I have some discolorations and I embrace all that.
As I've always said I can go out without any makeup on my face and still feel beautiful and don't feel like I need to hide anything just because I know that my naked face is ok and is being taken care of.
Here are pictures of my naked face:
And here are pictures with just foundation on:
As you can see
the freckles are gone, the dark spots have been covered and you can't see the pores and discolorations. (I used MAC studio fix liquid foundation)
But its important to say that not all that is down to the foundation, what you do before is just important!
I used to have horrible skin and pimples all the time it was just yuck!
At some point I used to use 70% pure alcohol on a cotton pad to "kill" and make disappear the pimples and prevent them from coming back. (God only knows where I got that idea from!)
DO NOT USE ALCOHOL ON YOUR FACE!what it does is strip your face from its natural oils and its protective layer and you end up with a defenseless skin and a super oily skin at the end of the day.
My skin problems were solved with
drinking loads of water (I literally walked around with a 2L bottle with me),
Moisturize, moisturize,
MOISTURIZE NO MATTER WHAT YOUR SKIN TYPE IS!Even if you have oily skin you still need to moisturize. However do not use a cream or lotion, it is better to use a serum or a gel or a moisturize containing salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide. This will not add any oil to your face but soothe it and moisturize it.
When applying your moisturizer you do not want to pull or rub and tug. Just stroke your face with your fingertips and massage your face with circular and upwards strokes. Make sure your hands are clean or else you will transfer whatever is on them to your face. You can also use a foundation brush to put your moisturizer on.
I often use Aloe vera gel on my face after cleansing. It is great with healing the skin and keeps it soft while moisturizing it. This is the type of gel I am talking about above.
It is important to say that
you don't have to have 1 skin type. It can change according to your mood, your health, weather you are pregnant or not or even if you have your periods. Hormones can mess your routine up so I feel that i
ts best to work on your skin as it is now and not stay with a set regimen regardless of the changes your skin is going through. (Unless you don't have any issues with your skin of course)
Personally in summer I have extremely oily skin and during winter it can get as dry as the desert.
This does not mean that I have tons of products either.I have 2 different moisturizer 1 facial toner and 1 cleanser. Simple but effective!
The type of cleanser you use is also important. Don't use your soap, its just too harsh for the face no matter your skin type.
There are endless products for different types of skin out there and you just need to find what works for you and that isn't going to strip your face from all of its natural oils.
Using a facial scrub is also a great idea as it will remove any dead skin from the face and will leave you with a truly smooth face. If you haven't tried a facial scrub yet please do and you will see the difference it makes!
My cleanser doubles as an exfoliant (which is just like a scrub but a lot gentler). It is very gentle since I use it everyday. Normally a facial scrub is used 1 to 3 times a week. But since I have oily skin I need it everyday to lift those dead cells off and clean out my pores from all the products I use on it.
Here's what an oily face looks like at the end of the day (with absolutely no makeup retouching during the day- Just to show the extremes)
You can not change your skin type!The result seen above can not be avoided, my oily skin produces too much sebum and you can only prevent it from producing more than it already does by using the right products and not force it to stop producing what it was meant to produce.
A good way to avoid the result above is of course
retouching your face during the day and
use blot film/paper which absorbs the excess oils coming out of your skin but it does not budge your makeup at all.
A few bits and bobs that are also important:
Remove ALL of your makeup at night. And if you can wash you face as well, moisturize and go to sleep! Even after a long night out it just takes 5 minutes and is well worth it!
Don't forget your lips!! they also need to be moisturized with lip balm or something like that so that you don't end up with flaky and patchy lips!
Eat your 5 a day (even more). Make your own smoothies and fruit salads. Its a great way to mix your fruits, eat them and of course its delicious!
Don't forget to drink lots of water and most importantly
WEAR SUN PROTECTIONS!!! No matter your skin type or complexion and the season, protect your face AND your body from the rays of the sun. A lot of moisturizers and foundations out there contain SPF so there's no excuse!
I know it was a long post and probably a bit erratic but I hope you got what I was trying to say. Take care of your face to have a beautiful makeup finish!
