Determine Your Skin Type
Before you can possibly find the right skin regimen for you, it is imperative you understand the type of skin you have so you can avoid certain products and embrace others.
Dry skin is characterized by flakiness, cracks, or rough texture. Sometimes the skin will feel tight, or the dryness may be caused by outside elements, such as wind or lack of water consumption. Those with dry skin will often need to stay away from (or at least be wary of) products that are more extreme in their ingredients. Toners may be unnecessary for dry skin, because toners help to regulate and reduce oil production, and dry skinned users do not suffer from an excess of oil, making this product potentially superfluous. Many acne treatments contain ingredients that are drying, so it is important to make note of your skin’s reaction and whether it dries out, so that you can moisturize more thoroughly during certain treatments.
Normal skin is skin that does not feel greasy, but it doesn’t feel dry either. These are lucky patrons, as they have soft skin that looks naturally lovely with no need to control oil production or increase skin moisture. Even those with normal skin will periodically find that their skin will change through the year or even over time; normal skin may be found throughout the year until the harsh winter abounds. Middle-of-the-road products work well for normal skin, and with today’s range in skincare, it is much easier to find products targeted to specific skin type.
Oily skin may feel greasy (or look it for some) and may also have increased pore size. Sometimes those with oilier skin may be more acne-prone than others, especially past adolescence. Unlike dry skinned users, oilier skin requires less moisturization, but it doesn’t mean you should skip it altogether. It is important to find a moisturizer that is suitable for oily skin, so it doesn’t complicate or add to the problem, but it still gives your skin the proper moisture level it needs. Toners are great for oil reduction/control, and it may be a product to be added to your skincare regimen. Ultra-thick, luxe creams are generally not needed by those with oily skin, because they are much too intense.
Combination skin is often when you have an oilier T-zone (forehead, nose, chin), but the rest of your face is either normal or on the drier side. Sometimes the reverse occurs, and sometimes only the cheeks are dry. Your forehead might be oil-slicked while your cheeks are parched, which means you will most likely need products that are either targeted for combination skin or have a few to use and choose from. For example, using an all-over facial moisturizer meant for oily skin, but then applying more generously over dry patches (OR getting a thicker, richer cream for those areas altogether).
Sensitive skin is an additional component to dry, oily, or combination skin that is essential to know. Sensitive skin is marked by reacting more often than the normal person to certain products, ingredients, weather, or other environmental factors. Someone with sensitive skin may experience a rapid change in skin appearance simply with using a new cleanser. If you have sensitive skin, it is important to be wary whenever trying new skin products, and spot testing may be advisable. Stronger products, like expensive anti-aging creams and treatments, may be too strong for sensitive skin to handle. Those with the most sensitive may even find that natural, organic, or home-made beauty products are the only ones they can use without fear.
Temptalia asked you only a week or so ago what beauty products did you not understand, and what better inspiration for this post than that? I’m happy to introduce Beauty Discovered, where I will help you understand some of those confusing products. If you are totally at a loss about a product, feel free to submit it as a suggestion to me.
Anti-aging cream
Anything that reverses the aging process or prevents has become the must-have beauty product in the past few years. There are products that claim they are miracles in a jar (and it’ll take a miracle to afford most of them), like La Prairie or La Mer (which is slightly more attainable for the working woman aged 30 and over). There are a variety of products, some targeted for the entire face, others for eyes, lips, or even the neck; companies covet certain ingredients, even though they often come down to the same basics.
Many anti-aging creams are essentially replacements for your regular, old, non-fountain-of-youth moisturizer. Instead, picking up a moisturizer with ingredients such as retinol may help stimulate skin cell renewal and dark spot reduction. Anti-aging creams come in a range of types that you are sure to find one appropriate for your skin type or for a specific area on the face (e.g., eyes) that you want to target when turning back the clock. Those with sensitive skin will always want to be on the look out for creams specifically made and tested for sensitive skin.
It is imperative that with any higher grade anti-aging product that the user spot-test to ensure that they will not have an adverse reaction, preferrably on their inner forearm (we don’t want to see you ruin your face in the name of beauty!). Higher grade anti-aging products are those such as Prevage and N.V. Perricone products; this family of products have higher concentrations of the essential ingredients that are said to prevent or reduce the signs of aging. Cost is generally higher with these products. Lower-grade products have smaller concentrations, and many of the anti-aging regimens found in drugstores will be in this category. This is not to say that paying $500 for a jar of anti-aging face cream means it will have $500 worth of ingredients–it is best to look out for reviews, ask for samples, and buy within your budget.
Many anti-aging creams work using antioxidants, collagen stimulants, sunscreen, and assortments of vitamin C or E. Retinoids (Vitamin A) help rejuvenate the skin, giving it a renewed appearance, and it is often considered a wrinkle-reducing ingredient. Alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs) and beta hydroxy acids (BHAs) help with the removal of dead skin cells for a fresher appearance.
If you have a question, feel free to send it to temptalia@gmail.com.
Q: What kind of makeup should I do for my graduation photograph?
A: So this is kind of my general take on graduation photographs based on what I wore for my photograph. The best thing you can do is take your time to make your skin look as flawless as possible. I would use a light to medium coverage foundation, with a large powder or buffer brush (my favorite is the 182 brush), spritz with water (or Fix+), and then pick up foundation and apply over. If you’d like, set with a powder. Lightly contour the hollows of your cheeks, add a touch of blusher – either glowy for a bronzed look or peachy-pink if you’re warm toned (NC) or cool-pink if you’re cool toned (NW) for a slightly blushed look. I would go softer rather than dramatic on the eyes. Play up lashes with a good black mascara, line eyes carefully with thin lines of black eyeliner. For shadow, try something neutral. I find golds to work lovely, with a warm or cool brown in the crease to define the eye better. Lips should be more dramatic than subtle, but I wouldn’t necessarily pick a red. I find dark peachy-pinks, plums, and raspberries to be great ideas to try, depending on your eye choice. If you go warm, I would look at a warm raspberry or peachy-pink lip. If you go cool, try a plum shade. Oh, and skip adding additional SPF on this day — sometimes too much SPF can wash you out in photographing lights!
Continue reading →
Have a question you’d like to ask? E-mail questions to temptalia@gmail.com – if your question is time-sensitive, please be sure to let me know so I can do my best to answer it in time.
Q: Which eyeshadows have good color payoff: Fade vs. Tilt; Parfait Amour vs. Satellite Dreams vs. Beautiful Iris? Do you have any suggestions for blue and purple on the lid?
A: Tilt has good pay off. Satellite dreams I think has the best. Parfait Amour is awful. For a true blue, nothing is better than Freshwater. Purple? MAC has yet to make a fantastic permanent true purple. I love Stars ‘n Rockets, but it’s a magenta purple. Beautiful Iris and Satellite Dreams are your best bets for a purple, as you mentioned.
Q: I am slowly building my collection of MAC (getting quite obsessed with it now!) but only have one pigment pot. I love them but have only recently gained confidence in using them. Please can you recommend a few must-have pigments as staples in my makeup kit that could get me started?
A: Oh, goodness, must-have pigments? I could name you a dozen. I love Fuchsia, Golden Olive, Melon, Pink Opal (excellent cheek highlighter), and Teal. Those are all permanent, readily available pigments at most MAC freestanding stores. You may love Vanilla or Frost, both white-based pigments, too.
Continue reading →
Have a question you’d like to ask? E-mail questions to temptalia@gmail.com – if your question is time-sensitive, please be sure to let me know so I can do my best to answer it in time.
Q: Where is the best place to apply eyeliner under your eye, above or below the lashes? I generally use it below the lashes but i wonder if it would look better if I put it above the lashes.
A: Above the lashes is called the waterline, and below is the lower lash line. Either one is acceptable – waterline lining doesn’t usually last very long, because of the nature of it, with how it’s slightly watery at all times. Most do both!
Q: What is the best way to clean brushes between various applications? Let’s say I have to do 5 girls’ makeup back to back, what is the quickest way to do this?
A: The best way is to invest in a brush cleanser, like MAC’s, which is meant to dry quickly. Professional makeup artist Billy B recently shared a tip with Karen from Makeupandbeautyblog.com that using Anti-bacterial Wet Ones makes a great quick cleanser for brushes in between doing models.
Q: I want to avoid buying tons of foundation at this moment. What is the most feasible way to get various shades of foundation using the most minimal approach?
A: I would try to purchase three warm shades, three cool shades. Go for the lightest and darkest in both ranges, and then pick a middle-of-the-ground one. This will allow you to mix different shades together to achieve the best shade. You can start out light, add a touch of a deeper color, and so on. Many artists end up having to do this, even if they have a whole range of shades available to them, to create the most flawless skin.
Continue reading →
I thought I’d share my personal skincare routine, which isn’t much, with everyone. I’m still tweaking it a bit in some areas, and I’m hoping to add a bit to it eventually. I definitely don’t think any of these products will make a departure from the routine, though – that’s for sure!
I love makeup remover wipes for easy removal – no fuss, no mess, and it’s so quick to do. I find that these are perfect for those nights when you want to crawl in bed so badly, but remember you can’t sleep in makeup (so, so bad!). Grab one of these and you’ll be able to go to sleep guilt-free knowing you rid your pores of all the day’s dirt and grime. Always use these when I’m wearing super heavy eye makeup – like my all black smokey eye – because that’s just too much to rinse off! I don’t have a brand favorite; I’ll often buy whatever is on sale or even the generic brand. I don’t buy the ones in the container because these keep well in the plastic packaging. Or else just use any air-tight container you have at home!
Continue reading →
