How to Properly Prep Your Skin Before Applying Makeup
Contrary to popular belief, achieving flawless looking makeup isn’t only about the concealer, eye shadows, and mascaras you use, it’s also about how you prep your skin beforehand. Figuring out the right skincare products for your skin type and applying them in the correct order is crucial for your makeup look. Properly prepping your skin helps to ensure even application of beauty products and maintain the overall health of your complexion.
So, instead of reaching for your foundation right away, consider following these six easy steps to properly prep your skin before applying any makeup.
Step 1: Start with clean skin
Before you do anything, you’ll first need to remove your makeup and cleanse your skin. For your skin to be free of blemishes and dead skin, it needs to be clean of any grime and oils. However, you must choose a cleanser that isn’t too harsh on your skin. If you don’t it’ll end up stripping it of its natural oils, causing it to become dry and/or inflamed. For this reason, it’s best to opt for a cleanser that comes in the form of a cream, gel, or oil as these tend to be more gentle on the skin. This will reduce the chances of skin irritation but still adequately cleanse it. When you’re finished, gently pat your skin dry with a towel.
Step 2: Tone it up
Next, you’ll want to apply a balancing toner as a final step to your cleansing process. This will allow you to remove any additional impurities and dead skin cells that your cleanser may have missed. Along with this, toners also serve as a base for the rest of your skincare products. Whether you apply your toner by spritzing it on your face, or by saturating a cotton pad and wiping it onto your skin, is completely up to you. Although either method is okay, most dermatologists will recommend using a cotton pad because it’s more effective in getting rid of any cleanser residue and diluted water chemicals that occurred from step one.
Step 3: Treat with care
After you cleanse and tone your skin, it's best to apply any skincare treatments at this time. When your skin is free of oil, dirt, and other pore-clogging buildup, treatment products like an anti-aging cream or acne spot patches, for instance, have a better chance to penetrate the skin. Keep in mind that the type of products you use will be dependent on both your skin type and needs. For some people, preventing fine lines and wrinkles may be their biggest skincare concern, whereas other people may be more concerned with fighting off their unwanted blemishes. Whatever your focus is, remember to be selective when choosing your treatment as these products are designed to be rich with highly concentrated ingredients so that you can attain optimal results quickly.
Step 4: Boost skin hydration
Natural makeup looks for women in business by WarPaint International.
Regardless of the skin type you have, moisturizing is a must. In addition to enhancing your natural glow, using a moisturizer can promote an even application of foundation or concealer and help your makeup stay on longer. There are a variety of ways you can add moisture to your complexion. Between face serums, oils, and moisturizers, it’s easy to boost skin hydration. While all of these skincare products can pair well with each other, you should still be mindful of your skin type before deciding which of these products you’d like to incorporate in your skin regimen. Those of you with dry skin, for example, may benefit most from using a hyaluronic acid serum first, followed by a moisturizer with a heavy-cream based formula. Depending on how flakey your skin is, you may also want to apply one or two drops of face oil to lock in the moisture. For those of you with oily skin, on the other hand, you’ll want to avoid pairing these types of products together as they may cause excess shine and clogged pores. Instead, stick with using an oil-free moisturizer so you can condition and hydrate your skin without leaving it feeling greasy.
Step 5: Prep your pout
As you wait for your skin to absorb the added moisture, it’s time to move onto your lips. For all you lipstick lovers out there, this is an especially important step for you to follow. Prepping your pout can make for a smooth canvas before putting on your favorite bold colors. To achieve this, try using a lip scrub! Lip scrubs are an efficient way to exfoliate the dead skin cell buildup on the surface of your lips, making for desirable soft lips. All you have to do is apply a little bit of the scrub onto your lips and massage in a circular motion and leave on for two to three minutes. Despite the fact that you can purchase a lip scrub from many makeup brands, you can also try creating your own using a few common household ingredients, such as raw honey and brown sugar. To learn about different DIY lip scrub recipes, check out this link!
Step 6: Prime your base
Now that you’ve cleansed, toned, treated, and hydrated your skin, you’re ready to prime your base. Primer is the last and arguably one of the most essential steps to prepping your skin before applying your makeup. This product serves to support a polished, long-lasting make-up look because it’s designed to smooth fine lines, wrinkles, and large pores. Primers can come in the form of mists, gels, or powders, so make sure you pick one that aligns with your skin type and suits the overall look you’re going for. For a seamless finish, apply a small amount of primer to your fingers and massage onto face. For liquid primers, wait a couple of minutes to ensure your skin is dry before you start putting on other makeup products. Or, if you’re using a powder-based primer, you’ll want to begin by tipping a small amount of powder into the lid of its jar first. Then, grab a makeup brush and tap off any excess powder and apply it to your face in a circular motion.
For great tips and advice on how to prep your skin, check out Skincare Routine 101 For Every Skin Type by Natural Acne Clinic.