I pride myself on being a great makeup artist, but what some of you may not know is that I was the Training Executive for a luxury skin care brand for several years before starting BRIDEface Richmond. Working with that brand, I learned quite a bit about the skin, how it functions, and how to keep it healthy. I also learned that many skin care lines want you to pay LOADS of money for their products.
In my honest opinion, you just do not need to do that. However, I will add a caveat here. If you start early to keep your skin healthy you will not need to spend loads of money on products, but if you wait until the damage is done, that is another story.
Taking care of your skin is a simple process. There are five basic items that everyone should have. By "have" I mean you should use them too! It doesn't help to own them if they just sit in your bathroom.
The five essentials are; cleanser, exfoliator, moisturizer, eye cream, and SPF. Your cleanser should be one that is good for your skin type and, if you are wearing makeup, it should also be a makeup remover. Many cleansers are just for washing away environmental debris, so make sure you pick one up that also removes makeup.
Be careful when purchasing an exfoliator. You want to fine one that is not too abrasive. I like to use ones that say "milled" or "rounded" when referring to the bead. Usually jojoba beads are going to be the best. I am not a fan of the St. Ives as I find it too aggressive. The reason why you exfoliate is that moisturizers can't penetrate dead skin cells so we need to get them off the surface. How often you exfoliate is determined by your skin type. For drier skins usually once a week is enough. For oily skins it may be 3 times a week. If the skin starts to get red, you are doing it too much.
Moisturizers and eye creams are essential to replenish the vital nutrients the skin needs to remain healthy as well as a great way to protect the skin from the nasty free radicals. Those are the things in the environment that cause the skin to degrade and what makes us look older. Think of a carpenter's nail that is left out in rainy weather. It starts to oxidize and rust. That basic breakdown also happens to our skin with free radicals, thus, why we want to look for moisturizers that provide antioxidant protection. Vitamins A, C, and E are all great antioxidants. Resveratrol is also a great one to look for as it is extremely potent and stable so it doesn't break down easily. And yes ladies, I truly believe an eye cream is essential. There are lots of articles on the web that say you don't need a separate eye cream but just go to the mirror and look at your skin. On the face you see lots of pores, but you do not see that around the eye. The skin there IS different so you need a different product. Most eye creams are made with ingredients at a smaller molecular weight so that they can penetrate skin that doesn't have a lot of large pores.
Finally, SPF is a must. The number one things that prematurely ages us is the sun. Yes, we all look pretty with a tan, but being 25 and looking 45 is not so pretty! Come on, you all have seen "Tan Mom", right?? Remember that the basic idea for the SPF number is as follows: The average skin tone can be in the sun for about 10 minutes before it starts to take on damage (fairer skins less time and darker or olive skins get a bit more time). You take your SPF number and multiply it by 10 and that lets you know how long your protection lasts. So if you are using an SPF of 20 you have 200 minutes or 3 hours and 20 minutes of protection. If you perspire or go in water you will loose some of that SPF. And also remember your protection starts at the time you put it on, NOT WHEN YOU GO OUTSIDE!! That is why you need to reapply your SPF throughout the day. And one last point; an SPF over a 45 or 50 is just not worth it. SPF does not stay stable for longer than that. Maybe one day technology will find a way, but not right now.
Nivea, Nutrogena, Cetaphil, Olay, are all brands that you can pick up at your local drugstore and are often the items that dermatologists will recommend. I have been using the Simple line and I love it. It is great for sensitive skins. Basically your skin will let you know if your products are working or not.
Please feel free to message me if you have any skin care questions. I love talking about the skin and how to keep it healthy. Coming up in a future post..."What do I use if the damage has already been done to my skin?" Stay tuned!
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