Everyone has their daily/nightly routines right? We brush our teeth, we brush out hair, we apply our face, pick our outfits. But what about our skin? Our skin is our home, and our base for any makeup application.
Step One: Cleansing. I cannot express enough the importance of not only cleansing the skin, but also REMOVING THAT MAKEUP! Trust me, I understand the annoyance at the end of the day of having to add that extra step before we can finally get to bed. HOWEVER, your skin needs to breathe! But before I get too far ahead of myself lets start with your morning routine. It is important to wash your beautiful face in the morning and prepare it for what the day will do! I know time can be tight in the morning, wake up, shower, make time for that cup of coffee, and then run to work. Its easy to squeeze this into that quick morning routine, add it into your shower routine. Apply to clarisonic, pore cleansing pad, or simply your fingers and with circular motions apply to the face and rinse. This will in the long run help keep your makeup looking fresh and smooth... clean skin is happy skin! Now for the biggie, take that makeup off at the end of the day/night. This is very important to your skin if its not getting cleansed at the end of the day. Dirt and dead skin cells are not being removed, which can cause clogged pores, inflammation and blemishes. This can also make skin appear dull. Dirt and makeup trapped against your skin cause environmentally-induced oxidative damage. Which in normal terms means a breakdown of the skin barrier and premature aging of the face, and I know that none of us want to look older. Moral of this story, wash that face before bed! (Tip: leave a small pack of cleansing wipes on your night stand for those nights that you just cant. I love me some CVS cleansing wipes!)
Step Two: Exfoliation. Do you do it? Exfoliation is one of the most important things we can do for our skin. There are several different types of exfoliators, all with the purpose of removing layers of dead skin. This allows your moisturizer to penetrate the skin more effectively, and gives your foundation a smooth and even surface for application, with none of that pesky texture!
When it comes to exfoliatiors there are always options:
- Physical Exfoliation is any type of facial scrub with small bits (usually sugar or a biodegradable water-soluble beads). Apply using gentle circular motions. This exfoliates and stimulates circulation, so your cheeks look naturally rosy and your complexion brighter, with a nice natural glow. It's instant gratification for your skin.
- Chemical Exfoliation typically include low-percentages of gentle acids to remove those dead skin cells off your face and make way for new cells to turn over, revealing smoother and brighter skin. They come in many forms including toners, cleansers, moisturizers, and facial peel pads. There are several different types of acids that appear in chemical peels. Always be sure to check the ingredients to make sure you're choosing the right kind for you. Alpha Hydroxy Acids are great for you if you have normal to sensitive skin or have skin concerns revolving around sun damage, uneven texture and pigmentation. It helps to keep that top layer of skin free of pore-clogging dead skin so new cells can break through to the surface. Look for lactic acid and glycolic acids if you think Alpha Hydroxy Acids are for you. Now if your major concerns pertain more toward black heads or large pores Beta Hydroxy Acid is the one for you! Beta Hydroxy Acid more aggressively breaks down those pore clogging materials that we may not always notice. Salicylic acid is a Beta Hydroxy Acid used most times as an active ingredient in treating acne. One of the best perks of a chemical exfoliant is that they do more than just smooth your complexion, they can help stimulate collagen production, reduce wrinkles, firm skin and brighten!
Step 3: Moisturizer. Sometimes there is just no better feeling than that moment your skin drinks in some good old fashion moisture! After cleansing your skin it's always important to feed it, especially if you're throwing a nice exfoliation in there as well. Why you may ask is this important? Well look at it this way, by cleansing and exfoliating we're taking away all that dirt, grime, and dead skin, so now we must also give back and feed it. There are millions of moisturizers out there to choose from. Day cream, night cream, eye cream, multi useful moisturizers. If you're questioning what may be best for you I am always available via the comment section below or via my email, which is located in the contact section of the site.
Extras: Masks. Masks are fun and helpful to our skin! A mask is not something that is always necessary all the time, however is often helpful about once a week. Recently they have become more and more popular. Sheet masks are all the rage, and can accomplish so many things. PLUS they're fun. They essentially are what they sound like, a sheet! With holes for eyes and mouth, typically soaked in whatever treatment they're targeting. There are also more hard core treatment geared masks, such as purifying masks, brightening masks, acid peel masks, or hydration masks.
At the end of the day it's important that we take care of our skin, it is our main foundation for everything that follows ESPECIALLY that flawless makeup.
If ever you may need a little extra skin advice pop over to my Contact tab and send an email I'm always more than happy to help out!
- Hayley