Have you pored (no pun intended, really) over the magazines
and online gossip rags, looking at the pictures of
beautiful actresses, wishing you could have skin that seems
to emanate a glow from within, and reflects the light just
right so that it almost looks as though she has an aura
about her?
Well, there are several tips and tricks you can use in your
skin care regimen as well as your makeup application
routine that can help you achieve this exact look without
paying big bucks at the dermatologist for weekly facials,
acid peels or microdermabrasion sessions and the like.
You will see that there are, as follows shortly, several
ways you can use your makeup application techniques as well
as the makeup you apply to your face itself as a tool to
getting yourself one step closer to that coveted luminous,
fresh look.
The first tip is to use a cleanser that preferably has
Vitamin C or some other sort of exfoliating and brightening
ingredient in it. Other examples of exfoliating or
brightening ingredients would be perhaps pomegranate seed,
grape seed, alpha lipoic acid, a light alpha hydroxy acid
if you are not too sensitive to these fruit acids, or even
salicylic acid, which is in fact an exfoliating as well as
brightening agent.
Basically, when buying a cleanser for the face, look for
one that proclaims it is non-drying, yet contains some of
these examples of light exfoliating ingredients that also
contain some sort of a mild acid for exfoliating, which
also helps to polish and brighten the skin at the same
time. If you start your "slate" off right, then it can
make all the difference when you apply your other
techniques to make your skin glow later on.
It's important not to get a cleanser that is too drying, or
one that is filled with too many oils, because you want
just the right balance to give you a glow, but not saturate
your skin with too much surface oil so that your foundation
seems to lay on top of the skin instead of blend into it as
one.
Once you are done cleansing, thoroughly dry the face off by
patting it gently with a towel. My next favorite thing to
apply for maximum glow and that earthy, dewy natural look
is a serum of some sort that also contains a gentle fruit
acid, such as Vitamin C, hyaluronic acid, which is also
firming, or any other fruit or exfoliating acid.
This does not have to be the main ingredient, but you can
look for serums that specify they are "brightening" or
"illuminating", as this usually indicates it has the right
ingredients for the effect we're going for.
I apply a thin layer of serum to the whole face, let it
dry, then apply my normal moisturizing lotion with SPF over
that and let that completely sink in as well before the
other steps come into play.
Next to come is your foundation. Be sure to choose a shade
of foundation that is not too dark, nor too light. You
should hold the bottle up to your face and even test it out
if you're at a makeup counter where they allow you to test
the colors right there to make sure that it suits your skin
tone. I prefer the warmer shades, such as a warm ivory or
bisque color rather than the shades with red undertones,
which can lead to a ruddy look, or make a ruddy complexion
look a bit more severe.
The fourth step in creating a luminous look is to either
find an illuminating cream which is almost a sheer tint, or
to mix a good moisturizer with fruit based acid or other
illuminating ingredients, some may find even soy works for
them, right with your foundation.
What I do is actually take my foundation, just a dot no
bigger than the diameter of a dime, and put it on a sponge
applicator makeup pad made especially for applying
foundation, and then I add a couple of small squirts of my
illuminating cream on top of it, and blend it all together
in circular motions on my face until it is well blended
into the hair line and along my jaw line as well.
If you're unsure of what type of illuminating cream to buy,
there are a few good ones made by common drugstore brands,
and also as I understand it, there are some new ones that
can be purchased at major cosmetic retail outlets if you
ask for help. Just refer to what you are looking for as a
sheer tinted illuminating cream, and they should be able to
direct you to one or a few choices. All an illuminating
cream does is to reflect the light and bend it in such a
way that your face actually looks like it is in a softer
light all it's own.
Now that we've gone over the steps to getting a dewy
complexion, let's talk about getting into maintenance mode
to make sure your skin stays in the best shape to create
the best surface to create this look all of the time.
Start off by making sure you exfoliate your facial skin
well at least once, if not twice a week. One good pointer
I've heard for women who like to make their own concoction
is to mix sugar with a few drops of fresh lemon juice to
get a fresh glow for little money.
There are even many good home microdermabrasion kits out
there that help to exfoliate for a fraction of the cost of
professional in-office services. Also, you may want to try
an at-home do it yourself acid peel. There are some great
gentle ones out there now that can be applied weekly that
helps slough off the surface skin cells to reveal new, and
yes, more radiant and glowing skin just below those dull
ones that are ready to be swept away.
If you follow a careful skin care regimen and also apply
the makeup techniques discussed here, you are sure to keep
people staring at your gorgeous skin and asking what you
did to get it for years to come!
----------------------------------------------------
Danna Schneider has written articles and reviews on her
experiences with skin care products, techniques and
procedures, and also contributes to wrinkle cream reviews
and acne product reviews at
http://www.cosmeticsgalore.com/wrinkle-cream-reviews.html ,
and moderates and writes for a popular blog all about acne
and acne rosacea at http://www.acnemagazine.com .
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