You want your makeup to last all day and lay beautifully on your skin but you‘re not sure where to start?
You have dry skin or oily and not sure what kind of products to use?
First things first, you need to figure out your skin type before you can design a personalized skin care regimen. Most times I find my clients that don’t wear makeup often and have minimal skin care, don’t really know what type they are. The easiest way to find out is by going to your local Shoppers Drug Mart and have them check your skins moisture content.
Otherwise here are some tips to figuring this out at home:
Dry skin may feel tight and flaky and look dull.
Normal skin will be harder to determine but it should have a slight amount of oil that doesn’t worsen over the day.
Oily skin will usually feel oily and worsen over the day and likely look dewy or “glowy” especially in the T-Zone (nose, chin, cheeks and forehead).
You can also test out how much oil your skin is producing by using a blotting sheet on a bare face with no product. Dry skin would pick up very little, if any oil, normal skin would pick up slight oil, and oily skin would pick up a substantial amount of oil on the blotting paper.
Now once you’ve figured all that out, here’s how we should prep for a great makeup base:
Dry Skin - a fantastic way to help your skin draw in moisture is to ensure you are hydrated from within; DRINK. LOTS. OF. WATER! Along with this, hyaluronic acid is a great product to assist your moisturizer or facial oils to penetrate your skin better than they would on their own. Get familiar with the ingredients in your moisturizers, there are many beneficial ingredients that will hydrate better than others, do your research on these to better understand. As a side note to remember while your shopping, the keyword is “Hydrate”. You’ll also need to exfoliate, get rid of that dead skin on the very top layer of your epidermis, do this a few times a week. Personally I recommend going for a hyaluronic acid as your first step after cleansing with a gentle hydrating cleanser, then using a serum to target any skin issues, and last a gel moisturizer/oil to seal it all in. You can also follow these steps for normal skin.
Oily Skin - first off, oily skin is usually caused by clogged pores that are trying to work overtime. Just because your skin is oily does not mean you should be afraid of face oils. As always, keep hydrated on the inside. A cleanser and exfoliator that targets removing excess dirt from your pores and salicylic acid to calm breakouts. Opt for a face mask a couple times a week to draw out impurities and target any problem areas. Use a toner. Choose moisturizers that work with oily skin, rosehip or squalane oil will help regulate your skins excess oils.
As always, do your research based on your findings to figure out a process that works best for you and your skin, keep an eye out for products that contain irritants and perfumes. Opt for a quality skin care regime and don’t put just anything on your face. This doesn’t mean you have to spend a lot of money, as there are skin care brands that make hella good products for a fantastic price.
Your skincare is super important to ensure your makeup looks as amazing as the base it’s on!