Skincare Basics - A Beginner's Guide
Being a makeup artist, I am constantly questioned on how to make skin glow or how best to cover a breakout. Over the years I have learnt a few tips & tricks to give the illusion of eight hours sleep & #justwokeuplikethis beauty, however, my overall belief is that makeup always looks best on a perfect canvas. So in order to keep things simple, here is my beginner’s guide to skincare basics.
If your skin feels tight after cleansing, your product may be too astringent for your skin type.
STEP 1. CLEANSE
Walking through any supermarket, boutique, chemist, online store, you name it, we are faced with an overwhelming plethora of choice when it comes to choosing the right cleanser for what suits our skin best. In general, you want one that doesn’t strip your skin & leave you feeling tight after you’ve finished cleansing. If you feel or hear a squeak, then it’s time to find a new one. Listed below are three of my favourite tried & tested cleansers that get the job done without the squeak.
Malin + Goetz – Cleansing Oil : This oil to milk cleanser is a real powerhouse when it comes to melting makeup & cleaning the skin in one swoop without any leftover oil residue. Best used with a muslin cloth, it leaves the skin soft & comfortable due to the chamomile & avocado extracts, while eucalyptus & lavender will help with bacteria. Perfect for oily skin through to dry skin types.
Flower Infused Cleansing Milk – Chantecaille : When I first came across cream cleansers, I’ll admit I found them a bit strange. I couldn’t quite fathom how something that essentially looked & felt like a moisturiser was going to be able to clean my skin. Turns out they really aren’t that difficult. All you do is pop a small amount either on a cotton pad or your fingertips, massage into the skin & rinse. Pretty simple. The rose water base keeps skin hydrated while effectively removing makeup & the inclusion of blue cornflower gives eyes a soothing yet radiant boost. This is particularly good for stubborn mascara that doesn’t want to budge. For those of you who have more dry & dehydrated skin, consider this your new best friend. You’re welcome
In Transit No Traces – This Works : Perfect for travelling or the lazy girl. Now now, don’t be so shocked! I know plenty of you damsels are falling asleep with yesterday’s face on because you’re too tired to walk to the basin. So let’s bring the basin to your nightstand. Packaged in a set of 60 pads, these rosewater & mint soaked wipes will remove makeup & the London air while leaving skin refreshed. It’s a no brainer, really.
STEP 2. TONE (Optional)
Toners. Some of us have them, but what do they do? Put simply, toners were developed to remove your cleanser because European waters were too harsh on the skin & could cause issues & irritation. I like to follow the same use when thinking of a toner. If you don’t need one, then skip it. For those of you who do, I suggest Pixi Glow Tonic. This best selling formula has a touch of glycolic in it, which gently exfoliates skin & gives an even radiance to lacklustre skin without feeling sticky or tight. What more could you want?
STEP 3. SERUM & MOISTURISER
When it comes to anti-aging, nothing does it better than a serum. These littles gems are loaded with peptides & antioxidants that will do everything from prolong botox effects to completely changing the surface appearance of the skin. I find it’s best to add a serum when you are wanting to gain added benefits from your skincare regime.
For some people, keeping a skincare regime as simple as possible is what works for them so they choose to stick with a moisturiser. One favourite of mine is the QI Energy Moisturise from Beauty Pie, which is like a gel lotion great for men & women with dry to combination skin types that massages easily into skin and sinks in quickly to reduce redness while combatting the first signs of ageing.
If you’ve never tried their products & are curious to give them a go, here is a code you can use which will allow you to shop the range at member’s pricing without the joining fee – https://share.beautypie.com/x/thTGHR
So there you have it, three basic guidelines to keeping the skin you were born with. Of course, there are a million more tips & tricks out there, but as long as you master the basics, your skin should treat you as well as you treat it.
