Creams and makeup don`t make miracles; Outer beauty also radiates from inside.

 

Many Beauty brands promise that their products will do wonders for your face, body and hair, solving then, your beauty issues. Unfortunately I have to say that there is no miraculous cream. What they do is only help to improve, (some better than others) the appearance of our skin. The result of a beautiful and healthy complexion  comes from  a sum of factors which contribute for this final result. The efficiency of our creams can be increased if worked together with those other factors . See the list below: 

Don`t forget water baby: Some people say you should drink 8 glasses of water a day but actually depends on your body weight and how watery is the food you eat as well. Reduce the caffeine intake and try some green or white tea both of which are packed with skin saving anti-oxidants and polyphenols.

.Fruit and Veges: Increase your intake to combat the free radical damage that accelerates ageing. Those fruit and veges with dark or bright colours are best-berries are a best source.

.Get the good oils: Make sure you include the good oils in your diet. Such as Olive, flaxseed and fish oil. They nourish dry skin from inside, and especially fish oil helps with weight loss and helps with acne treatments.

Take easy on sugar and fat consume: Sugar is responsible for another ageing process called “glycation” (sugar molecules links to skin proteins suck as collagen causing stiffness of those proteins, so those proteins lose their elasticity function leaving the skin sagging and wrinkly. And excess intake of fat food goes to subcutaneous tissue in an irregular manner, causing localized fat problems and cellulite.

Get moving: 20 or 30 minutes daily is not asking much. Come on!!  It is all you need to boost circulation and improve your metabolism and quality of your sleep besides helps to fight against cellulite, localized fat and flaccidity.

Beauty sleep: Skin cells regenerate at night so it`s important to get at least 8 hours of sleep. When we sleep we produce growth hormones and also Melatonin, the hormone responsible for regenerate our skin. Those hormones are calming and repairers. Lack of sleep cause stress and don`t give to the skin the time its need to recover from the aggression it’s suffer during the day and the result it’s a tired and lifeless skin in the next day plus some dark circles under your eyes.

Stop Smoking: Every cigarette reduces oxygenation of the skin for 90 minutes! Imagine those who smoke more than one per day! Result: The skin is thick and yellow, because of nicotine, without the freshness and opaque. Besides all the problems it causes to health, smoking also causes disturbances in metabolism and accelerates the loss of collagen, the cells responsible for giving support and elasticity to the skin. Summarizing: The act of smoking causes wrinkles particularly around the lips and around the eyes, as the smoker partially closes his eyes to protect the eyes from smoke.

Release your Stress: Emotional stress alters your hormones, increasing the release of endogenous corticosteroids and adrenaline, for example. "This can leave the skin more oily and acne. Stress also makes our immunity system weaker leaving the skin prone to diseases and infections such as cold sores, rashes, psoriasis and vitiligo.

But also don’t forget.......

Your cleaning routine: Take your skin care routine seriously. Morning and night: Make sure you are cleaning your skin with the cleanser for your type of skin (dry, combination or oily skin) then apply the toner to close your pores and calm your skin and lately apply a moisturizer according to your type of skin

Sunscreen protection: Do I still have to say this?  Yes, I will keep saying because I see people around me who doesn’t wear sunscreen and they keep saying they wear but I know it`s not true. (Yes this was for my friends and family).  Up to 80% of prematurely aged skin is caused by sun-damage, Use skincare or makeup with SPF everyday. According to the Brazilian dermatologist Daniela Taniguchi, Solar radiation is a potent cellular oxidant. The radiation penetrates into the skin and causes changes in the DNA of the cells directly and indirectly. It  causes chemical reactions that alter the DNA and collagen and elastic fibres, .According to her, even though our body has its defence mechanisms and antioxidant action, this is not enough to prevent these reactions. The result is what we call photo aging. And the result of this photo aging is brown spots, freckles, flaccidity, rough skin, wrinkles in some cases, skin cancer. The daily SPF, should be 30 + to face, neck and hands (areas where skin is more sensitive) and 15 for the rest of the body

avoid polluted places and moisturize your skin always:  We need to protect our skin from the external aggressors such as wind and sun  and from the pollution as well. The gases found in polluted air  form a film of toxins  that ends up being absorbed by the skin, increasing the oxidation reactions causing  formation of free radicals that damage skin. A face and body well hydrated seals the skins protecting it from those externals aggressors. If your skin is dry it can lead to consequences such as dermatitis and peeling. As we age, the sebaceous glands decrease in number and size, leaving the skin drier." dryness of skin cause itching and allergies, decreases skin elasticity and leads to those undesired wrinkles. So don’t forget to apply your moisturizer everyday and especially after shower, when your skin is still damp, to seal in moisture.

  

Primer: must have pre-makeup item. As It disguises skin imperfections

Primer is a powerful pre-makeup cream, composed with micro shiny particle, that hide what you want to hide and improve the general appearance of the skin. The Brazilian makeup artist Fabiana Gomes, from MAC, defines the effect of it: "Is the Photoshop of the makeup”.

These bright particles are optical diffusers, reflect light and thus do not show skin blemishes causing an illusion of an even skin tone. 
The result is a smoother skin, looking healthy and natural. The primer also helps reduce visible lines and pores - which, in some women, are very open and obvious. 

How to apply 

Before using, thoroughly clean the skin. Use this product after the moisturizer and before foundation. "It can be applied with the fingers, but with a brush gives a better result, as this will help the product not to dry out early. 

If you still want to use your fingers, be gentle. "The facial skin is thinner, so the touch must be soft so as not to stimulate the oils."And this hint goes especially for the eye region. "In this area, use the ring finger, which is weaker than others." 

Other products like primer 

For lips: its purpose is to let your lips appear smoother and fix your lipstick in order to prevent it draining over your  skin; 

Eyelash: This primer hydrate the lashes, define, gives more volume, curl and make them longer. (Beautiful, everything we need and want!)

For fine lines too??? Yes. For minimize appearance of lines, It`s a cream to be used only on lines that is evident, like the crow feet or the well-known (and hated) "Chinese moustache"; Its more like a concealer. 

I use: Deluxe luminous primer by lR® 

My super Hot Tip: To have a natural and long lasting look, after primer, with a big fluffy brush, tap some mineral foundation (powder version) into its lid for  removing the excess of powder from the brush then buff  onto skin in a circular motion. Then, proceed as usual with your lipstick, mascara and eyebrow pencil. Forget about councealer, liquid foundation, blush, eye shadow bla bla bla.....That is all you need to look naturally beautiful all day long. 

Types of makeup brushes and their functions: Learn how to use the right brush with your makeup.

I always see at pharmacies or beauty shops shelves of many different types of makeup and brushes and it can be quite hard to guess what each one is for because they can look similar and it can be confusing sometimes.  I can remember before get into the beauty industry; I was always wondered why we need all those makeup brushes.  To use the right makeup brushes will allow you to get better results and looking more professional. They help makeup blend better to your skin.

 Here you find some main types of brushes and its functionality: 

Brow comb and brush: the brush side is used to comb the eyebrow and the little comb removes (clutter) from your eyelashes and align them

Powder brush: It helps to smooth the powder all-round the face and gives the makeup a good finish. Have to be used in circular motion

Highlighter brush: used to illuminate and enhance the look. You use it especially for apply highlight shades, Ensures a more beautiful and professional look. 

Liquid foundation brush: Great for spreading the base evenly and leave the makeup more natural and less cluttered. Because of its shapes, fits perfectly around the eyes

Angled Face brush: Use this brush to apply powders and mineral foundations around the eyes and nose area.  Or, use it as a blusher to contour cheeks!  It's a great multi-tasker for detailed makeup application

Eye liner brush: The anatomical model used for making a smoky eyes effect when you apply a pencil and eyeliner on the eyes. This brush is also excellent to fill out the eyebrows with tint. The result is a more outcome and lighter look

Lip liner Brush: It allows you to use less lipstick but it also can be used to soften the line of your lip liner. With the brush, you can blend it right into the lipstick so that it is not visible. It can fit perfectly on your lips shape to fill it with least chances of mistake. 

Eye shadow brush: This model is used to smudging eye shadow. This brush fit well inside the eyes corners thanks to its shape.

Concealer brush: ideal to use with powder concealer  under the eye area. It is also recommended for precise application in small areas.

Mineral foundation Brush (buffer brush): Use this brush to buff the loose powder into your skin to achieve a highly blended look. The more you buff, the smoother the application of your foundation. To achieve more coverage, simply apply another layer.

Contouring Blush: It’s good for accentuate, contour and blend Mineral Foundation or Bronze. Designed with the ideal brush to glide effortlessly over the contours of the face.

Perfect for precision application of Mineral Foundation or dusting off excess powder.

Please clean your brushes properly:  Dirty brushes are a place for bacteria, which can led to acne, clogged pores, and impurities on your skin. You don’t need to by a brusher cleaner for this, you can dab some shampoo into the palm of your hand and swirling the brush around in it under warm water should do the trick. Facial cleaners work well too. After that you can make a solution of one part vinegar and two parts water. Dip the brush into the vinegar solution and rinse in clean warm water.

I hope this information can help you to apply better makeup and even perhaps saving yourself some money by doing your own makeup for parties and events with a professional touch. 

Sources: www.eyespice.co.nz

                www.trulybeautifulonline.com

                www.sheercover.co.nz

                www.essentialbeautysupplies.com

                www.makeupgeek.com