One of the most important things to achieving your desired makeup look is skin care. Proper skin preparation is essential for that smooth, dewy look that you are trying to achieve. There are different skin types which may affect what regimen to use, however depending on the products you use most of the regimen is the same. The goal is to have skin that looks and feels smooth and dewy. Makeup is amazing and can make you feel confident and beautiful, however without the proper skin preparation even the best makeup won’t give you the look you want. There are 4 skin types to consider when discussing daily skin care: dry, combination, oily and mature.

First let’s discuss dry skin. If you have dry skin, you may want to avoid washing your face twice a day as this will dry out your skin more. Washing twice a day does not allow enough time for your skin to recover back its natural oils making the skin drier. When you wash your face, you should use a cleanser that is great for dry skin. A milk-based cleanser will add moister to the skin without being too harsh. Maskcara Beauty makes an excellent line of milk-based skin products that I absolutely recommend for your skin care regimen. Next you can apply a toner however if you notice your skin drying out, you can always skip it in your routine. You should apply a moisturizer daily to the skin to help keep it looking beautiful and smooth. If you notice your skin feeling flaky or rough, that means your skin has a lot of dead cells and it’s time to exfoliate. I recommend doing this at least once a week, and if your skin still gets flaky, up it to twice a week. Finally, you should drink lots of water. Yes, you can hydrate your skin by drinking more water.

The next skin type is combination skin. If you have combination skin, that means you have a mix of dry spots and oily spots. Skin preparation for this type is the same process as for dry skin. The difference here depends on whether you get breakouts from your oily skin. If you do, you should add the toner to your regimen and use it on your oily areas. You should also use the toner just before you apply your makeup to remove excess oil, and then lightly apply moisturizer. As with all skin types, you should exfoliate 1-2 times a week to help rejuvenate your skin and keep it nice and smooth.  

The next skin type is oily skin. Many people with this skin type may think it means their skin is not dry. This is a common misunderstanding, however having moisturized skin means there is water on the skin. We apply moisturizer to keep water on the surface of our skin to make it look luminous and alive. Just because you have oily skin doesn’t mean you should skip the moisturizer. You should add a toner to your regimen, and toners with witch hazel are excellent and natural and will help you not look oily throughout the day. You should apply the toner before you apply your makeup to remove excess oil and start with nice fresh skin. A small amount of moisturizer is still important to keep your skin looking luminous! A mask is great to add to your regimen once or twice a week and will help control the pH in your skin.

As we start to age, and our skin is more mature we need to pay special care to it. Aging causes us to lose collagen, our skin is not as firm, and of course our beauty lines become more defined. The wrong foundation can make this even more apparent. This is why it is extra important to use the right products. Make sure to use toner and moisturizer in your routine to help minimize wrinkles and lines. The type of moisturizers you use are even more important with this skin type, because some moisturizers can clash with the foundation and change the way it looks on the skin. Moisturizing the eye area is essential in all skin types but especially with aging skin. The skin around the eye area is the thinnest layer of skin on our faces and dries out the quickest. Lines are more prominent in the eye area and when you apply foundation it can easily crack and look worse. Moisturizing the eye area will help with this, in addition to applying the right foundation.

Now the question everyone asks – do I need a primer? Not everyone needs a primer. For instance, if you have skin with even tones and minimal lines, then you can use moisturizer as a primer. Primers are used to help even out your skin and tones. It will also help keep your makeup in place longer. Primers are still not necessarily something you may want to use every day, but may be great for a night out, or an all-day event. In most cases a little moisturizer can act as the primer and work for your needs. If you do find that your makeup doesn’t stay long enough then you may consider a primer. You can also try a stay spray with a little SPF which can also cut down on all the different products needed in your daily regimen since you should always protect your skin from the sun. Maskcara Beauty makes an amazing stay spray with SPF that I love to use. If you find you still want a primer then I recommend Stila one step correct by Sephora, it is great for all skin types.

Your skin is your canvas for a beautiful makeup application. Skin care is essential to ensuring your canvas will be healthy and smooth. This aids in your makeup looking beautiful, fresh and dewy. You should care for and protect your skin so that applying makeup is easy and gives you the results you want. I recommend the Maskcara Beauty skin care line because it is milk-based, natural and I have personally seen amazing results on myself and my clients. If you want to find out more check them out, and if you have any questions feel free to contact me. Take care of yourselves, love yourselves, and remember you are beautiful!