Make-Up For Beginners #1 - Skincare

Recently I was chatting to a friend who is very interested in make-up but hasn't a real clue about where to start. She always comes to me for advice and if she needs her make-up done for special nights. One night she said she would love if I could tell her what she needed to know and she could write it down - this sparked an idea for a great new series.

Each Monday -hopefully- for the next number of weeks I am going to go through what I consider to be the basics that every beginner interested in make-up should know. It will hopefully be simple and easy to understand yet full of all the useful things a budding make-up enthusiast needs to know.

First up in this series is skincare.

Skincare is something that I personally don't have the best track record with but it's something I am trying to get better at and I think the first step in that is knowledge and knowing the basics about your skin.

1. Know Your Skin Type
First off, you need to know what kind of skin type you are. This may be anything from dry, oily, combination, normal or sensitive. Knowing this information allows you to get the most out of the products you use, whether that be the basics or if you have a very complicated routine.

2. Get To Know The Ingredients
The next thing is to get to know the ingredients that go into the products you are using. You don't want to be adding more oil to already oily skin and if you have dry skin you don't want to be using anything with alcohol such as Isopropyl Alcohol as this will draw the moisture out and make your dry skin even drier.

3. Routine
Having some kind of routine is important for your skin - this is where I struggle the most. Now when I say routine I don't mean something that has to take hours each day/night. This can be as simple as washing your face every morning and applying a moisturiser. It's just important to remember to follow simple steps mornings/evenings.

4. Clean & Clear
Make-up applies best to clean skin. You get your best results when your skin is prepped and ready for the application of products. This will mean ensuring that all the dirt and grime from the day is gone. I would recommend regular exfoliation but don't take this step everyday as this will strip the skin of the essential oils that it naturally has on its surface.

5. Products - What Do I Need?
This is something that is very personal to you. Realistically what products you need depends on what you want to use. For example, the kind of skincare products I use and the kind my mum and friends use are totally different. We all have things we want to use and some we don't see the point in. I've put together a small list with a little explanation beside each to help you pick the products you might want to use:

• Make-up Remover - can be in the form of balms, gels, creams
• Wipes - good for quick removal but not for use regularly
• Cleanser - for removing any traces of make-up that the remover didn't take off
• Toner - removes last traces of dust/pollution after washing/cleansing the skin
• Micellar Water - great for gentle make-up removal and cleansing the skin
• Masks - always good to add moisture to the skin or in some cases clear out clogged pores
• Exfoliators - to remove any dead skin cells on the face
• Serums - designed to deliver high powered ingredients directly to the skin in smaller molecules to allow it to go deeper
• Moisturisers - add moisture to the skin and stop it from being too oily or dry

6. Things To Keep In Mind

It's always important to keep in mind the effect the elements has on your skin. If you can prepare for the conditions outside this will help your skin be the best it can be. For example if it's very cold ensure to moisturise your skin before any make-up so that it doesn't dry out. Likewise, if you are going out into the sun it's important to have SPF somewhere in your routine as your facial skin is easily effected by the sun.

Another thing to keep in mind is that when removing or applying any products to the skin you don't want to be using any kind of downward dragging movements. It's important that everything is done in upward motions so as not to pull at the skin or increase the risk of sagging or wrinkles.

I hope this introduction to my new series has shown you the kind of things that I hope to be covering over the next number of weeks.

If you have any questions please leave them in the comments.

Good make-up starts with good skin