Thursday Beauty

So, I take it y'all like giveaways?  LOL

Happy Veterans' Day to my grandfather, cousin, husband, and many friends who have served or are serving in the US military.  Thank you for your service and your sacrifice.

This week, we're going to talk about the basics of skin care vs. make up.  One of the lessons I learned early on as a skin care consultant is that "no amount of make up can hide a poorly cared-for complexion."  Make up is designed to enhance.  That's all.  If your skin is in great condition, it will enhance your gorgeous skin.  If it's less than perfect, make up will enhance your flaws.

The only way to actually improve the condition of your skin (to make the flaws go away) is to wash your face and moisturize.  Start a regimen early enough, and you can prevent the signs of aging.  If the signs are already there, then you should consider using a firming serum.  As we age, our bodies don't make as much collagen, and without collagen our skin sags, forming wrinkles.  Next week I'll talk about anti-aging products, because it's going to take some research to make sure I'm providing truly up-to-date information for you.

So let's talk about cleansing and moisturizing.  It's super-duper important to wash your face morning and night.  Super-duper.  Even if you don't wear make up.  Our skin acts like a magnet for all the bad stuff in the air, and that bad stuff breaks up the bonds between skin cells.  Skin that isn't strong develops wrinkles.  Cleansing is the number one thing you can do to prevent the signs of aging.

Moisturizing is the second most important thing you can do.  Even if you have oily skin.  Oily skin is dry skin with an identity crisis.  Meaning, it thinks it's dry, so it produces more oil.  Use a moisturizer that is appropriate for your skin type - lightweight for oily skin, creamy for dry skin.  Moisturizers that include sunscreen are great for daytime use.  Make sure your moisturizer includes anti-oxidants - Vitamins A, C, and E.  These will help to provide a barrier against the "bad stuff" and protect your skin.

I always recommend a botanical-based product.  Stay away from anything that has "petroleum" or "petrolatum" in the first 5 ingredients.  Petrolatum is a by-product of processing petroleum - the oil companies sell it to skin care companies because it makes the products feel "nice".  But it doesn't actually provide any benefits to your skin.  Your skin is mostly water - petrolatum is mostly oil.  They don't play nicely together.  Plant-based products, on the other hand, have a lot of water in them.  They will talk to your skin in a way it understands.  The goal is not to just change the "appearance" but the condition of your skin.

If you're looking for a good botanical product, the line that I've used for over 10 years is called Aloette.  They have an aloe vera-based formula, and cleansers and moisturizers at different price points.  If you'd like more information about Aloette's products, please visit their website or leave me a comment (or both).