Tips and Tricks: Beauty Commandments

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!