Going over the basics of skincare to determine your skin type, what you’re allergic to, and how it reacts to certain ingredients, is vital for healthy, supple skin. A good start is finding a reliable and trusted skincare professional or esthetician in your local area to schedule a consultation. They’ll surely be able to recommend which products would work best with you and how to improve your skins health. Keep in mind that it’s better to prevent than repair. I find it more logical to take care of the problematic areas first, then begin cosmetic enhancement such as laser hair removal, strong facial treatments, etc.

I can’t stress enough that if you don’t take care of your skin first, you can’t expect makeup to cover up the problematic areas. To simplify, when you have texture such as acne or a rash, the epidermis (skins surface) has an uneven surface to begin with. So, when you’re applying a concealer or foundation over the area, it’s still going to be uneven, sometimes making it appear even worse. That is why many beauty lovers tend to get disappointed when they buy a foundation thinking it’s going to cover and blur their imperfections, when in fact, there’s a better way to solve the issue: a skin care routine! AND a silicone-based primer. Yes, that’s the key to truly blurring your imperfections and reducing the appearance of blemishes… However, I’ll save that conversation for the next blog post.

Don’t know where to start? Here’s the five most important steps in a skincare routine:

Cleanse
Exfoliate
Tone
Moisturize
Protect

Dry skin should avoid Foam Cleansers because it tends to dry out the skin even more; it’s not very hydrating. I would say they work best for Oily skin types. On that note, Oily skin should avoid Milk Cleansers, due to it’s highly emollient ingredients. I’ve tried this, (Oily/combo) and my face didn’t necessarily feel ‘clean’. It felt uncomfortable as I had felt over-moisturized! However, the Predire Paris Milk Cleanser worked wonders for me during the winter. At that time, my skin is way drier than usual due to the cold environment outside. Thus, I typically go for Milk cleansers during winter months only. One of my favorite artists, Mathias Alan, advocates that you can never use too much moisturizer, but the milk had made me feel a bit greasy during the warmer months. Perhaps others don’t feel this way but my skin is also sensitive. Sometimes cleansers can throw your pH balance off too making the surface feel a bit weird.

When getting into exfoliation, you need to observe and learn more about your skin. The natural cycle of your facial skin cells are twenty-eight days. Newly created skin cells are made in the Dermis, in which the skin cells life cycle begins. Throughout those twenty-eight days, they travel up through the Epidermis going through a living and degeneration process, eventually becoming dead skin cells. At this point, they are on top of the epidermis. So, if you do not exfoliate regularly, you run the risk of having an excess amount of dead skin cells that typically results in clogged and blocked pores. When this occurs you will begin to have breakouts, pimples, black heads, etc. I recommend that you try to exfoliate 2-3 times a week.

Once we have gotten rid of those dead skin cells and purified our pores, we need to bring your skins pH balance back to neutral. pH is a balance between acid and alkaline (basic) components, marking 7 as neutral on the pH scale. . Essentially, this is what toners are used for. As well as removing makeup residue, detoxifying the skin and preparing your skin for moisturizer. A word of caution for Dry and Mature skin types; avoid toners with alcohol because it will dry your skin out and won’t feel that pleasant. The skin on our face is much more delicate than elsewhere on our bodies.

The topic of moisturizers can be controversial because we are often not told which ones we should put on first. With such a wide range of serums, emulsions, hydrating lotions, etc. we want to be mindful of how our skin reacts to certain consistencies. Which ones should be applied first? Always go by the texture because the skin is like a sponge and absorbs water and/or liquid products more easily. Although, avoid SPF 50 in your moisturizers, since it’s known to get oily and causes problems in clogging pores. Apply low density products first, then apply higher density ones last. For reference:

Liquid Texture: Low density.
Creamy Texture: Medium density.
Paste Texture: High density.

Remember that eye care is a must, too.

In some instances, some are left with acne scarring, whatever their case may be. There’s different types of pimples:

Red Bumps
Cystic Acne
Whiteheads
Blackheads

The most common types of pimples more susceptible to leaving scars, are red bumps, cystic acne and white heads. That is why you’ll hear people like me, highly suggest that you do not pick at acne, because once your skin breaks, it produces melanin which results in acne-scarring. There’s two types of acne-scarring:

Brown/Black scarring produced by melanin (much easier to remove).
‘Ice Pick’ Scarring, tends to leave dents and/or holes in your skin; severe cases. It’s shaped like this because the surrounding skin cells have died.

Ice-Pick scars can only be removed by either laser treatment or dermabrasion; microdermabrasions. Skincare can be a tedious process but well worth the results! Please leave any questions or experiences down below. We love hearing from you!

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Skincare Basics

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