The beauty and makeup gurus we admire and follow today have all been through the stage we cannot picture them to have ever been in: the starting phase of beauty exploration. But no one becomes an expert without that spark of interest, right? And by searching this article, you are well on your way to becoming a beauty expert.
In this article, we have gathered some of the basic advice that people interested in beauty should be aware of—and of course, some of them involve skin care.
Use sunscreen.
One of the most urgent skin care advice that often goes unnoticed is to use sunscreen or sunblock. We are living in a planet that is already so vulnerable to the rays of the sun, and our atmosphere’s natural protection is becoming more and more depleted. This means that we are increasingly getting exposed to the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) radiation, and the damage it can do to your skin ranges from accelerating signs of aging to causing skin cancer.
Fortunately, we have sunscreen. The way sunscreen works is it creates a barrier between your skin and the sun-produced UV radiation by means of absorption or reflection, according to an article by Research Chemist Kerry Hanson published on CNN’s official website. “A film of [sunscreen’s molecules] forms a protective barrier either absorbing (chemical filters) or reflecting (physical blockers) UV photons before they can be absorbed by our DNA and other reactive molecules deeper in the skin,” she said. By consistently using sunscreen, you are protecting your skin from life-threatening illnesses and from visible signs of aging.
Apply sunscreen on all the parts of your skin that may be exposed to the sun: your face, your arms, your legs. According to an article by Queensland Health, it is best to apply sunscreen 20 minutes before you go out to give the product time to bind to your skin.
Try serums and face masks.
Serums and face masks are quite like the "organic makeup" of skin care trends due to the purity of their ingredients, and although they are a rather recent trend, their benefits can give your skin long-lasting results.
Serums, which can also be found in face masks, are “highly concentrated formulations that are designed to sink into the skin quickly,” according to an article on Harvard Health Publishing. By going deep into the skin, the serum delivers active ingredients that address common skin issues.
Harvard Medical School Instructor Dr. Abigail Warren said serums have anti-aging effects as well and recommended "a combination of vitamin C, vitamin E, and ferulic acid". Ferulic acid is an antioxidant that is used in anti-aging products partly because of its boosting effects.
"There is good literature that shows that vitamin C in particular can prevent brown spots, reverse damage from [UV] rays, and simulate the growth of new collagen," she said in the same Harvard Health Publishing article.
But serums and face masks are not for everyone. Dr. Jessica Wu, a dermatologist based in California, said these substances may not be compatible with people who have skin conditions, such as eczema and rosacea. In an article by WebMD, Dr. Wu said that because of the weakened barrier caused by these skin conditions, people with eczema or rosacea might experience irritation with serums. So remember: consult your doctor first!
Know your undertones.
Knowing your specific undertone saves you a ton of time from a common beauty mistake: skin color and makeup color incompatibility. Fortunately, good resources online are available to help you determine your undertones. Undertones are “the color[s] from underneath the surface of your skin that affects your overall hue”—an article by Beauty Bakerie said—thereby affecting what your compatible makeup tone is.
According to the same article, the three types of undertones are cool, warm, and neutral, where cool refers to skin that has underlying hue of blue, pink, or red; warm refers to skin that has an underlying hue of peach, gold, or yellow; and neutral refers to a mixture of both or complexion that falls under neither. An article by Healthline, however, said that there is another type of undertone that is more “ashen or gray” called the olive undertone.
Each undertone matches with specific makeup colors, and this applies to foundation and lipstick. Skin that has a warm undertone, for example, looks good with foundation colors that lean toward yellow, whereas skin with a cool undertone will appear more compatible with pinkish foundation colors. As for lipstick colors, a warm undertone will look better with red- or orange-hued lipstick, whereas a cool undertone is more compatible with blue- or purple-hued lipstick.
Start with primer.
Imagine your face as a rough, bumpy canvas, and your makeup as the paint. Because of the unevenness of the canvas’ surface, the paint might not cling so smoothly.
The same is often the result with a non-primed face. According to Cosmopolitan Senior Editor Chloe Metzger, primers “are a gel, cream, or liquid formula that, when smoothed over your skin, fill in your tiny creases, large pores, flaky patches, and bumpy textures.” They primarily ensure that your skin is as smooth as a baby’s before you actually apply your makeup, giving you that poreless, flawless, airbrushed finish.
Additionally, the newer primers in the market have extra benefits, according to an article by Allure. “They can also brighten, fade fine lines and wrinkles, target acne, and add tons of moisture,” the article said. It even reports that some of these new primers can give you a temporary face-lift. But it is also important to note here that primers, while extremely beneficial, are not necessary, and it is ultimately up to you to decide how you want to look and how you want your look to be done.