Hiya!

Sorry for the long time no update but it's been a long two months for me. In the past two months I've been in makeup artistry school learning and practicing makeup, and then I had two weeks to let my face heal from the whole ordeal. I learned much in school and I'll probably end up sharing them randomly with you guys but in the mean time I will talk about something that drove me nuts during my time in school. Skin.

Now everyone knows that glowing beautiful skin is a sign of good health, and who wouldn't want to be in good health? It's also the canvas you work on when doing makeup and trust me when I say it's a LOT easier (Faster too) to do someone with nicer skin's makeup then it is doing someone who has, well, not so nice skin.

The caring and protecting

First thing is first, taking care of the skin properly is a major factor in having nice skin! Drinking lots of water keeps it hydrated and taking your vitamins (Especially omega-3) really does help (So does eating healthy, lots of fruits and vegetables). You'll notice that the Japanese tend to have really nice skin and that is mainly because fish is such a big part of their diet (lotsss of omega there!). Antioxidants are always good for the body as well, try eating more avocado, blueberries, and pomegranate or use an avocado mask. Along with eating well you have to care for the rest of your body as well, good food and hydration only go so far if you're staying up til 4 am sitting on the couch watching re-runs of your fav. show! Get your beauty sleep, there is a reason it's called that! Working out also helps you sweat out those nasty toxins in your body that may be part of the cause of bad skin. Remember to wash your face day and night and make sure it's clean! There was one girl I had to do makeup for who still had mascara left on from the day before! If you feel like you're not cleaning well enough use makeup remover first to remove all your makeup before washing your face with a cleanser. Of course, one VERY important step in caring for your skin is wearing sunscreen!! My boyfriend used to not wear sunscreen and his skin was already bad to begin with and after a trip to Vietnam he learned his lesson. Preferably one that is at LEAST SPF 30 with UVB and UVA protection (I recommend Neutrogena Ultra sheer dry touch sunscreen in SPF 55 or 100). Don't forget your lips and eyes when you're protecting your skin from the sun, use a lip balm and an eye cream that contain SPF!

The products

Okay, if you do all that great then you are a good step closer to having wonderful skin! Now come the products; along with having well hydrated skin, please exfoliate your skin even if it's a day or two away from a big night out and you're going to get your makeup done professionally. I can't tell you the countless times when I had to do some ones makeup and they had flakey skin (Not to mention my bad in forgetting and having flakey skin for people to work on)! If you have oily skin you can get away with exfoliating 1-3 times a week, for drier skin try to limit yourself to once or twice a week. There is nothing you can do about flakey skin don't try to cover it more as it will just look cakey, maybe add a bit more moisturizer in that area but for the love of god, don't over do the makeup! I have heard of MUFE HD elixer which I would love to try out if it weren't for the fact it's Sephora exclusive and online only *Grumble*.

Now, it's important to choose a moisturizer that is good for your skin type, a majority of the population has combination skin (Oily t-zone, dry everywhere else) and in major cases one may require two different products to control this problem. Otherwise there are a good amount of creams out there for you to pick. Remember to tone your face as well as this helps even out the pH of your skin which should be at about 5-5.6. If you find that you are extremely dry try a hydrating mask (Dior Hydraction has a nice one, but avocado mask is good too!), if you have lots of acne, blackheads, or really oily skin try a clay mask about once or twice a week.

Pre-makeup

Okay now you know about the protecting and caring for your skin, now there is a step I understand many women skip when putting makeup on and it's absolutely horrible! It's called primer people! Now, not only does primer make your makeup last longer it also protects your skin from the actual makeup itself which can clog your pores! Not to mention the dirt and grime that settles onto your face throughout the day!

If all else fails...

If you find that you have really bad acne that doesn't seem to go away perhaps it's time to see your derm about it, for some people it's genetic/hormonal. If you're on the pill it's a good to take it at the same time everyday to help prevent your hormones from fluctuating randomly. And that is all I have to say for today. Take good care of your skin. It's a good indicator or how fast you're aging. Now back to cleaning the house before I go biking.

-Very angry if she has to do makeup on bad skin, Brenda.

I was going to add pictures but my camera is broken...darn you camera...darn you.