As a make-up artist, I get asked to fix all sorts of skin issues. Usually with a full coverage foundation/powder or a good concealer. However, my answer to these requests will always be the same. You absolutely HAVE to go back to skin basics and address the issues at the very core. Foundation, no matter how full coverage (and I DO NOT use Full Coverage often…) isn’t there to fix your skin. It’s not the foundation making your skin look dry and patchy. Your skin IS dry and patchy; the foundation is only exacerbating the issues already there. Don’t put too much pressure on your poor foundation, even if it did cost you a lot. It’s not ready for that level of responsibility!
So, where do we start?
Cleansing
Always start at the beginning, which must be your CLEANSE. If you’re currently using wipes, heed this. They are NOT cleaning your skin properly. They are merely moving the stuff around your face and leaving a weird coating on that you should really rinse off. The same goes with cleansing creams/milk/micellar waters that need cotton pads. You will go through half a pack of pads before the skin is adequately clean. Keep it quick and keep it simple. A cleansing balm or oil is the most efficient way to thoroughly remove all make-up, dirt, oil, pollution and leave the skin CLEAN, yet NOT stripped. Nothing foaming, even you oily gals. As a fellow ex oily skinned person, I get the temptation to clean it til it squeaks. But trust me, your skin doesn’t like it and you’re just making the skin oilier. My favourite cleansers take off all eye make-up and are easy to rinse off, leaving NO residue. A great one to start with is Evolve Organic Beauty Cleansing Melt
If you prefer a little more luxury and an intoxicating scent, the Jane Scrivner Cleansing Balm is loaded with 8 essential oils and is incredible One full tub will last you 4/5 months minimum.
Exfoliation
After cleansing the next step we need to take to get our skin winter ready is exfoliation. As a huge fan of exfoliating, I’ve tries numerous. I always go back to an AHA/BHA liquid over anything abrasive or glycolic. An exfoliator that is gentle enough to use daily is Skinfoliate by Jane Scrivner. (I’m a huge fan of her work by the way). It’s Natural, Organic and functional! Start off using 2/3 times a week and build up to daily. It will give your skin smoothness, clarity and help hugely with absorption of your other products. When this step is skipped, I just find that all the following steps become less effective.
If your skin is still oily or prone to breakouts then these 31st State Overnight Clearing Pads have Lactic Acid, Zinc and Tea Tree oil in and smell amazing. These will help with breakouts without drying.
Hydration
Then we need to hydrate. Hydrating is different from moisturising. Think of hydrating (water based) as your skin drinking and moisturising as your skin eating. They both need to happen.
Hydrating takes care of the water level of your skin and keeps it plump and bouncy (and helps makeup stay on by preventing the skin from absorbing the make-up to get the hydration!) and quite often people misdiagnose their skin as dry when actually it’s dehydrated. Targeting the wrong one can lead people to get trapped in a cycle of spots (by over moisturising) and dryness, aka dehydration (which is actually a lack of water, not oil). Plump up the skin using a hyaluronic serum such as Evolve Hyaluronic Serum or for INTENSE plumpness, good old Jane S has one called Bioluronic Buzz and I am obsessed with it. (the name comes from one of the ingredients – muscle relaxing Spilanthes Acmella (buzz button). Also a really great one if you’re looking for anti aging as it’s great for fine lines.
After you’ve given the foundation of your skin a drink you can then move on to taking care of the top layer.
Moisturisation
If you’re on a budget and SPF is a something you require, the Elizabeth’s Daughter range is great. Simple and fuss free and affordable
For skins that require a little more nourishment, again, Evolve Organic Beauty is a winner. Daily Renew Cream also gives a great base for make-up and smells like holiday which is lovely to be reminded on as we stand out in this blustery rain…
If you have the type of skin that is a walking contradiction, I feel you. I have combination sensitive skin but I want anti aging results. Too much though and my skin turns teenage again. D’alba is a Korean skin care range and I am laying myself down to worship at the feet of this little bottle. Repair Cream Peptide No Sebum is designed to work within those skin conditions and is free from irritants such as parabens, pigments, artificial fragrances, animal ingredients, mineral oil, and Silicone
I bloody love it.
THE best anti aging moisturiser for combo/oily skin.
Eyes
For the eyes, it’s only ever between these 2 for me. Antonia Burrell has some incredible products and her claims are big but proven. Bright and Light Eye Cream is divine.
Madara have a great anti fatigue (I need!) eye cream too which is a good all rounder.
Those of you who are REALLY dry and get drier and more uncomfortable in this weather, may I suggest you look at the whole Jane Scrivner 5 step routine and get oils and balms in there as part of your daily actions.
Lastly, I want to clarify- this shouldn’t take more than 5 minutes twice a day. Most of that in the evening is going to be spent cleansing because I’d suggest doing it twice. Once to remove make-up and the second time to really clean the SKIN. Then it’s a swift process from there.
This is an example of an evening routine and a morning routine.
Evening – Cleanse and rinse thoroughly with a fresh flannel soaked in warm water. Cleanse again. Sweep an exfoliator on a cotton pad all over the face and neck, ½ pumps of serum followed by eye cream then moisturiser. I don’t wait for each layer to absorb. In fact, my moisturiser goes on much better and gets absorbed much more efficiently when my skin is still damp.
The morning routine should be similar but whether you cleanse first thing is up to you. I personally prefer to just rinse my face with a flannel in warm water and repeat steps from Exfoliate.
If you are going from literally nothing, ie wipes and sometimes a moisturiser when you remember than this may seem overwhelming. Introduce one new product each week and give yourself at least 4 months to get your skin looking lush before the wedding and I will lay MONEY on it that you won’t revert back. Great skin is THE key to looking fresh and glowing on the day.
Keep it simple but BE CONSISTENT. There’s little to no point doing this one or twice a week, just like eating takeaways Monday to Friday and salads at the weekend isn’t a weight loss programme.
For further advice, ask me at your trial and we can get you some products to work specifically for YOU.
Katy x