I come from a Communication background and have journalism experience so I know that it’s really important to identify your sources. However, there are some beauty things that I know; things I’ve learned throughout the years. I can’t quote you exactly how I know these things – but I do. Let me share my wisdom. ;-)
- NEVER EVER sleep with makeup on. I can’t even begin to tell you how bad this is for your skin. Google “sleeping in makeup” and you’ll find plenty of insight into why this is bad. Basically, makeup blocks your pores and while that’s okay for a little while, it’s really bad for overnight. Your skin needs time to breathe and release sebum from your pores. Also, leaving eye makeup on overnight can cause infections – ick! I know what you’re thinking, “But, K, sometimes I’m just too tired to wash my face at night!” Well, I’m here to tell you that there’s no excuse! Keep a pack of makeup remover wipes on your bedside table so that you can remove your makeup quickly. Know what else works well? Baby wipes! You must, must, must remove your makeup before bed.
I use the Equate Facial Cleansing Towelettes ($5.97)
Photo taken from Walmart's website
- On that same note: You MUST wear SPF every. single. day. Excuses for not doing this range from “Well, I need some sun” to “I’m never outside!” to “I don’t like the way it smells.” Don’t make excuses for leaving off SPF. You’ll thank me 20 years from now when your skin looks more youthful and has less age spots and wrinkles. Oh, and SPF in your foundation is NOT enough. You need about the size of a shelled almond worth of sunscreen to adequately cover your face. Don’t skimp on the SPF, either. You need at least SPF 15, if not SPF 25. I recommend Neutrogena Oil-Free Moisture Facial Moisturizer with SPF 15 ($9.99).
Photo taken from Walmart's website
- In reference to number 2, the only time you SHOULDN’T wear SPF is when you have a big event where you’re going to be photographed a lot. Proms, weddings, photoshoots, formal occasions, etc. are all events where you might want to skip SPF, as it can sometimes give a white-ish cast to the face.
- If you’re doing a dramatic eye, skip the dramatic lip. Makeup (like life) is about balance. You know the old rule that if you’re wearing exposed legs you should keep your arms covered? Same thing here. If you’re doing a ridiculously smoky black eye, you might want to skip the vampy lipstick. Too much makeup and you look clownish.
Photo taken from Target's website
- You know that St. Ives Apricot Scrub that you have sitting in your shower? The one that you dutifully wash your face with? STOP. Stop doing that. Take the advice of someone who decimated the pores on her nose with St. Ives. The tiny apricot seed pieces that exfoliate are jagged and irregular, meaning that they can actually TEAR your pores. EWW! Despite the claims of many, many products, you cannot shrink your pores. (Unless you go to a dermatologist and have a chemical injection. I’m talking about at-home stuff here.) So once you tear your pores and stretch them out, you’re kind of stuck. I used to have large pores on my nose and I thought I was really going to clear them out with St. Ives. Lo and behold, I actually made them bigger and more noticeable. St. Ives is great for your skin, but STOP using it on your face. Instead, pick an exfolliator with spherical beads. Round beads don’t snag your pores and stretch them out. I recommend Biore Pore Unclogging Scrub ($7.45 for 5 oz).
Photo taken from Amazon.com
- Don’t bite your nails. Not only is it a nasty habit, it puts germs in your mouth. Ick! And, it’s bad for the nails. Just stop, okay?! One way to prevent this is to keep your digits polished. Much harder to bite when they’re covered with pretty polish! You can also buy ill-tasting products to put on them to help you stop. One such product is Mavala Stop ($11).
Photo taken from Amazon.com
- Don’t over-twease your brows. I’ve done it…it’s bad. Enough said.
Photos taken from Tweezerman's website
- Popping pimples is bad – really bad. It can cause lots of scarring and make pimples worse. Nothing worse than a big infected place on your face. As tempting as it is, try to leave them alone.
- If you can do it, please line your waterline. When I was first learning about makeup, my mom taught me how to line my waterline and then line along my lashes. Thank goodness! I thought everyone knew how to do this and was shocked when they didn’t. It’s called tight-lining and it makes your eyes look more defined and your lashes look fuller. Tight-lining also can involve going between each individual lash to make the eyes really pop. I only do that on special occasions when I have enough time; however, I find that lining the waterline and the lashline is normally enough.
- I can tell you where a learned this tip. I told a salesman at Sephora that I was having trouble shading my crease – why didn’t it look right?! He told me that closing your eye completely and trying to fill in the crease is not the right tactic. Instead, close your eye about halfway. This will be a more natural crease than if you close them all the way. Buff in tiny circles with a blending brush and voila!
Sephora Collection Pro Crease Brush #10
Photo taken from Sephora's website
- Don’t leave home without something on your lips. (That’s my mother’s advice! And she’s right – everyone looks a little better with some color on their lips!)
- Find your best feature and highlight it. High cheekbones? Make sure you hit those babies with some bronzer to make them stand out! Beautiful eye color? Keep your eye makeup as your central focus. If you don’t know what your best feature is, ask someone close to you like a parent or best friend. They’ll tell you the truth! For me, I’ve always liked my teeth, so I think it’s fun to wear interesting lip colors. It draws people’s attention to my teeth and that’s where I like it!
- Oily skin needs moisture, too. In fact, sometimes our faces produce oil in response to the fact that we aren’t getting enough moisture! Our face rushes to make up for our dried-out skin by producing oil. Make sure you moisturize each night! I recommend Garnier Nutritioniste Moisture Rescue Refreshing Gel-Cream ($6.71).
Photo taken from Amazon.com
- Here are two lipstick tips for you. First, you can make your lip color really pop by applying your foundation over your lips. Then apply your lipstick and make sure to blot with a tissue. Just put the tissue between your lips and close down, pursing your lips. That’s an old, old tip but still worth sharing!
Like I’ve said before – I’m no expert. However, these are beauty tips that I think you’ll find useful!
Do you have any tips that you’ve learned along the way? What ones have I forgotten? I’m sure a bunch will come to me as soon as I publish this!
XOXO
-K
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