Finding the time to keep your skin fresh and flawless isn’t always easy. Busy days can sometimes get in the way of maintaining the perfect skin routine, and your face is the first to show it.
If you’re prone to blemishes and breakouts, but can’t pinpoint the cause, try these 7 staple better beauty make-up habits. By making slight tweaks to your everyday routine, you’ll witness a massive difference to your complexion. Here’s to glowing skin!
Wash Away The Day
No matter how tired you’re feeling, always make the time to remove your makeup. Sleeping in a full-face of foundation seems harmless enough, but done regularly, it can damage the skin. By not washing your face twice a day, you allow your skin to cling on to the harmful free radicals picked up from the open-air, resulting in spots and irritation. A build-up of makeup both clogs pores and breakdowns the production of healthy collagen; leading to tired, dull, aging skin.
Make a healthy skincare routine your number 1 beauty priority. Cleansing is key to keeping your skin makeup free before bedtime, minimising pores and enabling your moisturiser to work to its full potential. Forget toners; a good cleanser is all you need. Professional makeup artist, Bobbi Brown agrees "often sold as a must-use step, toners are truly optional."
What cleansers do is balance the skin’s PH levels, removing harmful pollutants and controlling the oil production. Wipe away the day using cotton pads and your favourite cleanser for a flawless complexion.
Scrub Your Brushes
Like your skin, it’s also important that you regularly wash your makeup brushes. Foundation pads, blusher brushes, mascara wands – they’re all breeding grounds for bacteria.
Cosmetic Dermatologist Dr. Ayyaz M. Shah explains "when using brushes, pigments from different makeup products and bacteria from the face can get caught in the brush." Repeatedly reapplying dirty brushes to the skin can cause an oil-build up, irritation and breakouts. Shah recommends that you wash your brushes using warm water at least once a week to keep your complexion spot-free.
Keep It Clean
The causes of skin conditions like acne are primarily due to hormonal imbalances and overactive sebaceous glands. However, there are other ways in which the pores can become blocked. If you often touch your face without realising, you could be transferring harmful bacteria to your skin, so remember to always keep your hands clean and washed.
Not only that, be sure to clean up any other items that regularly come into contact with your complexion, like your mobile phone. These seemingly innocent pieces of technology are covered in pesky bacteria.
In a study conducted by a Northern Ireland hospital, "nearly all mobile phones showed evidence of bacterial growth and 15% of phones were growing bacteria known to cause infection." Time to dig out the antibacterial wipes!
Get Your Beauty Sleep
There’s truth behind the concept of beauty sleep. When we sleep, our skin replenishes and repairs itself, ready for the next day. Neglect your forty winks and your skin can lose its elasticity and natural glow. Be sure to get your recommended 7-8 hours for gorgeous skin.
Not only that, there are other ways in which you can make your sleep even more skin-beautiful. Opt for a silk pillowcase over cotton; this material is said to be kinder to the skin as you snooze, resulting in less wrinkles. Sleep on your back, as this again helps to reduce the risk of fine lines.
New York dermatologist Debra Jaliman explains "it's best to sleep on your back... so you don't crunch your face against the pillow" and cause wrinkles. If you’re guilty of leaving the same bedding on for weeks, sleeping on your back also prevents you from coming into contact with any bacteria living on your pillowcase. Top tip: tie back your hair when you sleep to avoid oil build-ups.
Don’t Overdo It
The question of whether makeup actually absorbs in the skin remains hotly debated, but you’ll agree from experience that makeup-free days leave your skin feeling so much better. Your skin benefits from a break once in while, so brave the au naturel look and let your pores breathe.
Be careful what you apply to your face day in day out. Read the small print, and avoid moisturisers and makeups laden in chemicals that harm and age the skin. Even heavy-duty cleansers can be harsh to your complexion. Whilst you need to wash away the dirt, avoid scrubbing away the natural oils that preserve and protect the skin. Organic and fragrance-free products are essential for those with sensitive skin.
Stay Hydrated
Hydration lies at the heart of flawless skin. Through drinking lots of water, eating plenty of fruit/veg and frequent moisturising you help to keep the skin smooth, supple and plumped to perfection. Hydrated skin also acts as a protective barrier that helps aid and repair broken skin.
TV’s Dr Oz agrees that maintaining healthy water and moisture levels is crucial to radiant skin; “in order for the skin to protect our bodies from UV radiation, microorganisms and toxic agents, it must be hydrated.” Otherwise, our complexion becomes dull, lacklustre and without the necessary strength to fight free radicals.
Find a moisturiser to suit your complexion and apply twice a day. Dry skin, stick to gels and hydrating solutions that leave your face velvety soft; oily skin? Go oil-free, simple. Homemade facemasks are great moisturising agents; try mashing up a medium sized banana into a paste and leave on the skin for 10 mins.
Sun Cream
The best way to beat any beauty woes is to load up on the SPF. Whilst catching a few rays can leave you looking fabulously sun-kissed, it also ages the skin immensely. Invest in moisturisers/makeup that already contain the necessary SPF, so the hard work’s done for you.
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