With the New Year come new features! This special little
series of tutorials will be called Tips and Tricks. While it is all well and
good to present my readers with detailed tutorials of specific looks or
treatments, these articles will feature small bits of wisdom that while not
enough to warrant a full tutorial, are nonetheless, important details.
For my first Tips and Tricks article, I present you with a
set of Beauty Commandments that should never be broken!
1) Thou Shalt Never Sleep With Thine Make-up On
I cannot stress this one enough! No matter how tired you
are, how long the day was, or how hard you partied, never, never, NEVER sleep
with make-up on. When you sleep, your pores secrete sebum, your skin’s natural
cleanser and moisturizer. Make-up, no matter how natural, will block the pores
leading to a buildup of dirt and bacteria. Worse, if you sleep on your stomach,
that lovely little cocktail will rub off onto your pillowcase, making sure you
always have a fresh supply of ick to slather your face in. Also, make sure to
take special care if you’re a fan of heavy eye makeup. All those liners and
mascaras could lead to irritated eyes, or worse, infections. If the regular
remover you use for your face leaves plenty of stuff on your lids, invest in
one made especially for eye makeup and use both every time you put anything on.
On that note…
2) Thou Shalt Keep Thine Make-up Brushes Impeccably Clean
The dirt and oil combo I mentioned above? It loves to gather
up on more than just pillowcases. Your makeup brushes will collect it every
time you use them. In a perfect world, I would suggest washing them after every
time you use them, but sadly, between the washing itself and the drying, who
has time for that? So the next best thing I can suggest (other than having a
brush for each day of the week!) is washing them once a week and using a
spray-on cleaner in between uses. There are several online recipes for brush
cleaners/sprays and I recommend doing your homework and making sure it’s
beneficial for synthetic vs hair brushes, depending on what you have.
I
personally prefer store bought cleaners designed for this specific use, as they
won’t harm your brushes or make them shed.
3)Thou Shalt Use SPF, Even when Thou Dost Not Think Thou
Should
Whenever I tell people that I don’t go out of the house
without putting on sunscreen first, many will react as if this is weird or
obsessive. But I beg to differ. Even if it’s overcast, rainy, snowing, or in
afternoon, if the sun is still out, harmful UV rays can still reach you and
hurt your skin. So please, even if it’s one of those barefaced days when you
don’t even want to wear concealer or moisturizer, at least use a broad spectrum
sunscreen (protection against UVB and UVA) before you leave the house. I
personally recommend having one specifically for your face (less oily/more
absorbent) and one for your body. And ladies who don’t want to feel “greasy” or
smell like a “coconut,” fear not! There are many unscented, oil-free varieties
out there. It’s just a matter of finding that perfect match.
4) Thou Shalt Never Apply Nail Polish to Thine Nails Without a
Basecoat
Who doesn’t love a classic red manicure? The shiny finish.
The rich red color. The… yellow-stained nails when you take it off…? Sadly, the
prettiest colors can leave us with the nastiest of nails if we forget to use a
basecoat. And if this isn’t enough to convince you, using a basecoat will make
your manicure last longer by giving the polish something to adhere itself to.
There are several varieties of base coats that can also be beneficial, from
containing ridge-filling properties to being fortified with vitamins for
healthier nails. However, I do need to say now that you should never use a top
coat/base coat 2-in-1 product. Don’t get me wrong, I love products that can
multitask, but in this case, the two products are serving a different function
and neither will have enough of what makes it uniquely useful to be worth it.
Speaking of 2-in-1’s that aren’t good…
5) Thou Shalt Not Use a 2-in1- Shampoo/Conditioner
Plain and simple if you use one of these, your hair is
either not going to be clean enough (Hello, Professor Snape) or not conditioned
enough (yay, frizzy breakage!) And while we’re on the subject of washing your
hair…
6) Thou Shalt Not Wash Thine Hair Everyday
This might sound a little gross to some, but your
hair needs its natural oils to be healthy. Washing it every day will strip it
of them and lead to dryness and thinning. Try to stick to every other day. Even
if you sweat a lot (such as when keeping your New Year’s resolution to hit the
gym often!) a good rinsing with water should help keep your hair fresh. If this
proves to not be enough invest in a dry shampoo or even baby powder for those
days in between.
7) Thou Shalt Not Use Heat on Thine Hair Without Thermal
Protection
There
is no kind way of putting this: Heated tools are horrible for your hair. It
doesn’t matter the type, how advanced the technology is, whether it’s ceramic
(which is arguably better) or metal, they’re still damaging. That being said,
there are certain looks that are just not possible to achieve (or would be
ridiculously difficult to do so) without them, so they’re a necessary evil. Reverse
some of the damage by making sure that whatever styling products you apply
while using them have heat/thermal protection (which is not the same as thermal
activation) properties.
Depending on what you’re doing (curling, straightening, or
blow drying) there are different ingredients in these products that help keep
the hair cuticles from bristling and cracking, many of them also helping to
moisturize it.
8) Thou Shalt Not Pop Thine Pimples
Listen to what your mother said! Remember all that
gross build-up that we talked about earlier? Oftentimes it leads to acne. And
if you get into the habit of popping it, not only do you risk scarring your
face, but you likely won’t squeeze all of it out and now the pore will be open
and ready to gather up more dirt and oil along with the infection it already has.
This can lead to even worst skin complaints, like cysts, so please, if you need
to pop something, pick up some bubble wrap!
9) Thou Shalt Be Conscious of Thine Skin Type When Purchasing
Products
After working in a beauty store, I cannot mention how
many times I saw somebody choose a face product over another simply because it
was cheaper. Or worse, because it
“smelled good!” Ladies, those few saved dollars and pretty smells aren’t going
to help your skin any. You need to be conscious of what your skin type is, be
it oily, dry, combination, sensitive or any other concerns you may have
(anti-aging, dullness, dark spots) for it. Learn what active ingredients your
skin reacts well to and which will break you out or give you an allergic
reaction. Websites like http://www.cosdna.com/
can tell you if a certain product has ingredients that tend to cause either of
the above.
10) Thou Shalt Exercise Cleanliness When Trying Products Out in
Stores
Who doesn’t love to try out new shades of lipstick
and eye shadow at Sephora? We all do! Meaning… we all get to share cooties when
we do! Ew! Luckily for us, beauty stores are conscious of this and should
provide us (if one doesn’t, do not sample the products!) with clean, disposable
applicators. Make sure you don’t actually rub the product itself with your
fingers. I personally do not like to try anything out on my face in-store, and
use the back of my hand instead. If I end up really hating the product, I can
return it without risking infection. Also, when trying out a lipstick, use
product from the sides and not the tip for extra cleanliness.
11) Thou Shalt Not Wash Thine Face With the Same Products as Thy
Body
Again, different products, different functions. The
skin on your face is much more sensitive than that of your body. Body washes
are simply too harsh and could lead to anything from dryness to an over
production of oil/acne depending on how your skin reactions. Also, whereas body
washes are designed to simply be cleansing and occasionally moisturizing, all
skin washes are made to address different skin issues. Don’t deprive your face
of what it needs!
12) Thou Shalt Not Be Afraid of Trying New Things
Enjoy beauty! Don’t get stuck in make-up ruts.
Sometimes it’s easy (especially when juggling school/work/the rest of life!) to
get into a fixed go-to routine. It’s familiar, it’s quick and easy and we could
apply it in our sleep. But give yourself the change to switch it up every so
often. And don’t shy away from trying something that goes completely against
your usual style (play with it at home before you decide to take it out.) You
might find something new and exciting that you wouldn’t have thought of before!
