Ask any professional makeup artist and they will tell you the best way to create gorgeous makeup looks starts not from the expensive products you buy; its starts with how you look after your skin.
After all, if you don't look after your canvas, how can your create a masterpiece?
I'm a HUGE fan of skin care and believe that is the key to flawless makeup. Whenever I have a bride walk into my beauty studio for a bridal trial I always start by asking about their skin care routine and how they look after their skin. It's not enough to slap on some makeup - I need to understand their skin and I want to lend my knowledge as a makeup artist to improve their routine as best I can.
So let us begin...
1. Know your skin
I know this sounds basic but it's true, knowing your skin type will help you buy the right skin care products. Is it combination? Sensitive? Oily and Flaky and the same time? Do you have redness (rosacea)? Large pores? There is an abundance of skin types, so get to know your skin.
If you don't know then ask some of the experts, either a makeup artist or beautician.
2. Get some good advice
As a makeup artist I can give you some basic knowledge to help you improve your skin, but if you have problem skin like acne or rosacea, then I would seek the advice of a beautician or even better, a dermatologist. They'll be able to help you with your skin problems, but always use your intuition to know what works for you. If you've been prescribed something that you know deep down isn't working, then ditch it and start the search for something that will work.
How to do this?
Talk to people with similar skin issues, read forums, change your eating and drinking habits, or get back to just some basic skin care. Knowledge is the key, so research, learn and find your holy grail of skin care products.
My motto is to always to use skin care products that are as natural as possible, we as humans come in contact with so many different ingredients and chemicals every day, so reducing the amount we are using on our face isn't a bad thing.
3. Exfoliate
Our skin has a life cycle and when we hit our thirties, our skin cell production starts to slow down, so our cells don't generate as efficiently. This means we need to help our skin shed those dead skin cells.
This is where exfoliation comes in. It helps to shed minor flaky skin, brighten and smooth out our complexion. In your 20s you can exfoliate once a week, but in your 30s we need to exfoliate 2 to 3 times per week.
This applies to people who have oily skin and is oh so important if you have oily skin with dry flaky areas.
Why is this important for your makeup application?
When you apply foundation to flaky skin, the foundation will just grab onto the flakiness and be super obvious, and there is not much we as makeup artists can do to as a quick fix, so please exfoliate.
4. Don't treat your face as one even entity
The skin on our face is not all the same. We might have dry patches, pigmentation and oiliness, so why treat your face with 2 or 3 products all over?
You need to treat the problem areas differently, so if you have more dryness on the forehead for example, use a heavier cream than on your T-zone at night. If you have dry lips, hit them with a lanolin balm to really let the hydration penetrate (and don't forget to exfoliate your lips too!)
5. Be kind to your skin
The secret to youthful looking skin is looking after it. This means treating like a new born baby!
- Invest in good products that suit your skin and don't be afraid to get some advice from an expert or even the girls at Mecca or Priceline.
- NEVER sleep with your makeup on. It's the worst for your skin and your eyelashes!!
- Drink water! I cannot stress this enough. We are made up of 80% water so hydrating your body means hydrated skin.
- Don't smoke, this is a sure way to dehydrate your skin and age you considerably.
- Use an SPF moisturiser during the day. A sure fire way to aging is not protecting your skin from the sun, so get that SPF on your skin daily.
- Try to use natural based products where possible. I'm a big fan of Drunk Elephant which are high end amazing skin care products with a massive philosophy on using natural ingredients.
- Stress less - stress has a profound effect of your skin so take some time out for yourself to relax.
I could talk skin care all day but my children are needing food, so if you have any questions, I am more than happy to answer any you have.
Take care and look after your skin as we only get one face, so look after it.
XOX
Lu Lu Makeup Artist
Servicing: Wollogong, Berry, Bowral, Southern Highlands, Sydney and internationally
Credits:
Photographers - The Evoke Company, Pure Breeze Pixels, The Robertsons Photography
Makeup - by me Lu Lu Makeup Artist