SKIN CARE TIPS

Make up by Olumakeovers

“Would you let me see beneath your beautiful?

Would you let me see beneath your perfect?

Take it off now, girl, take it off now, girl

I wanna see inside

Would you let me see beneath your beautiful tonight?”

I absolutely love this song by Labrinth! So subtle yet so strong….but this isn’t a music post is it? lool

But how many of us would be absolutely comfortable if we were told the words above?? (well i know the song is not about makeup, more like defences, but you get the connection hehehe!) “take it off now girl”….ehn?  take what off? of course not my makeup…odikwa very risky!

How many of us actually have blemish free skins or smooth and soft skins beneath our ‘beautiful’?

This post is going to show you how you can take care of your skin and how you can build up your own skincare regimen.

L-R: Queen Helene Gentle Oatmeal ‘n Honey Facial Scrub, Queen Helene Mint Julep Masque, Aveeno Daily moisturizing lotion, Queen Helene Mud Pack Masque, Clarins Extra Comfort Toning Lotion, Clarins Moisture-Rich Body Lotion, Clarins Gentle Foaming Cleanser

Before you start building your makeup regimen you should know what type of skin you have. Dermatologists have classified skin types based on the following:

Dry or oily

Pigmented or non-pigmented

Wrinkled or tight

Sensitive or resistant

After knowing what type of skin you have, you may now proceed to prepare for your daily skincare routine

CLEANSER:

This is a product that is used to remove make-up, dead skin cells, oil, dirt, and other types of pollutants from the skin of the face. This helps to unclog pores and prevent skin conditions such as acne.

Most people use the regular toilet bar soaps to cleanse their face or remove makeup..STOP IT!!!

• Bar soap has a high pH (in the area of 9 to 10), and skin’s natural pH is 5.5. This means that soap can change the balance present in the skin to favor the overgrowth of some types of bacteria, increasing acne.
• Using bar soap on the face can remove natural oils from the skin that form a barrier against water loss. This causes the sebaceous glands to subsequently overproduce oil, a condition known as reactive seborrhoea, which will lead to clogged pores.

I use the Clarins Gentle foaming cleanser with cottonseed. I’ve been using this cleanser for over 5 years now and I’m not going to stop anytime soon! It does everything for me, remove make-up, dead skin cells, oil, dirt, fade blemishes and spots and prevents acne. The only con is it is quite expensive for a cleanser.

Drugstore cleansers also do the job and are budget friendly. My favorite drugstore cleansers have to be Cetaphil and SuperDrug’s Tea Tree facial cleanser. Neutrogena’s oil free acne wash is good for acne prone shin and it is also budget friendly.

 

TONER:

 A skin toner or toning lotion is designed to cleanse the skin and shrink the appearance of pores. Toners can be applied to the skin in different ways but most found on the market are usually applied with a damp cotton wool.

Have dry or sensitive skin? Use an alcohol-free toner. Those with dry skin should avoid using astringents or toners that have retinols, glycolics, or benzoyl peroxide in them. These will be too drying and may even cause the skin to breakout.

Astringents are the strongest form of toner and contain a high proportion of alcohol (20-60%), antiseptic ingredients, water, and a humectant ingredient.’These are strictly for oily skins as they are drying. I stay away from astringents and I highly recommend that if you have to use it (i.e if you have OILY, ACNE PRONE SKIN) it should be applied only to problem areas of skin, such as spots because the removal of oil from the skin can lead to excess oil production as the skin tries to compensate for this and prevent moisture loss.

                  

I use the Clarins Extra Comfort Toning Lotion for Dry or sensitized skin and again I’ve been using this for years and it does everything!! The price and availability are the only issues I have with it.

*BUY: Clarins products can be found at KONGA. Another online store that stocks Clarins is glamour .com and you can find them here .You can find these drugstore cleansers pictured below at any Health Plus, Medplus pharmacy the Palms shopping mall, Lekki, also at Ikeja shopping mall. Be sure to look for good licensed pharmacies too as most of them stock drugstore skincare products

MASK: 

Masks are important but most people do not know this! In fact this is one of the most important products in MY skin care routine!  Masks have different purposes; deep-cleansing, by penetrating the pores; healing acne scars or hyper-pigmentation; brightening, for a gradual illumination of the skin tone. Some masks are designed to dry or solidify on the face, almost like plaster; others just remain wet. They revitalize, heal and refresh the skin

I use Queen Helene Mint Julep and Mud Pack with English Clay masques! They are AMAZING! I’ve recommended this to a few people and honestly I haven’t heard any bad reviews! They dry up acne pimples, rinse away blackheads and shrink enlarged pores.It’s like magic in a tube. When you rinse off the mask you get a brighter, tighter and firmer skin! The Mint Julep masque is especially good for oily, acne prone skin and the mud pack masque with English clay is good for tightening pores, fighting age lines and wrinkles (yes I’m already protecting myself from these evil wrinkles seeing as I want to look as radiant as Agbani Darego when I’m thirty!)

These products are highly recommended and as i find no fault in them.

FACIAL SCRUB


A facial scrub is used for exfoliating the face. Exfoliating helps in removing dead skin which leaves a layer of younger, healthier skin behind. Regular use of an exfoliant can keep skin smooth and glowing, by constantly exposing new skin. Many face scrubs also include moisturizers, so they nourish the skin while removing dead skin. Use of a face scrub can also remove lingering facial makeup which may not have been totally cleaned earlier.

I use the Queen Helene Oatmeal and Honey Facial scrub. Made from natural oatmeal and soothing honey, the extra gentle exfoliating action of oatmeal draws out impurities, unclogs pores and removes dry, dead cells from the surface of your skin.Honey helps replenish lost moisture and protects your skin from the harsh elements. The result is skin that looks fresh and healthy and feels soft and smooth. It can be used on ALL skin types. this also doubles as a full body scrub. i use it in the shower to exfoliate my body, i also use it as a lip scrub for my chapped lips. Winner? hell yeah!

                                    

*BUY:  You can buy these Queen Helene products listed above at OluMakeovers. Just send a mail. You can also get these products at licensed and good pharmacies. At least that way you are sure of getting the original. Trust me fake cosmetic and makeup products are dangerous to your skin and health

MOISTURIZERS

Gently cleansing the face removes dead skin cells, dirt and bacteria, but it also strips the skin of needed hydration. Water not oil in the skin keeps it plump and smooth, whereas dry skin loses elasticity, making it more prone to developing wrinkles. Facial moisturizers, which are usually lipid-based, lock in that water by either blocking it from escaping from the outermost layer of skin or drawing water from the inner dermis toward the top the of skin
If you have sensitive skin, fragrance-free and oil-free moisturizers would work for you. For oilier faces, make sure you look for the noncomedogenic (non-clogging) formulas.
I would also advice you look for moisturizers with sunscreen. This helps prevent the damage sun rays cause and help with a better looking complexion

I use the Aveeno daily moisturizer because it is oil free, fragrance free, chemical free and it locks the moisture inside for up to 24 hours…best believe. This moisturizer is great for those with dry skin even as all over body moisturizer. It also has dimethicone which is a skin protectant. ( i have a love-hate relationship with sunscreens but dimethicone works perfectly for me)

*BUY: I recently purchased two bottles from www.konga.com when my mum and I ran out and as usual, it was priced reasonably and delivered on time. Goooo Konga!

Olay, Sebamed, Eucerin  Neutrogena also do wonderful moisturizers..they are drugstore products so you wont have to pay through your nose

*BUY: They can be found at Health Plus pharmacy the Palms shopping mall, Lekki, also at Ikeja shopping mall. Be sure to look for good licensed pharmacies too as most of them stock drugstore skincare products

ROUTINE!

* I cleanse my face and neck, morning and Night with my Clarins Cleanser, sometimes with warm water..(if i have makeup on, I use baby wipes to wipe off the makeup before cleansing).
* Next i use cotton-balls to apply my toner all over my face and neck (toners/astringent are not meant to be pressed into the skin. Gently use a cotton ball in circular motions to lift dirt off)
* Next I use my Aveeno moisturizer all over my face and neck. Fin.
* I use my Queen Helene Scrub twice a week, normally before I use the cleanser.
* My Queen Helene masks i use also twice a week. I scrub, cleanse, then apply the mask. After taking off the masks I complete the routine with my toner and moisturizer as stated above.

That’s it! That’s my personal skincare routine. Even as a product junkie i try to keep things simple using as few products as possible. So please dust off the laziness ( I know how skincare routine can be tedious and all that), and help your skin glow, so we can be able to ‘take it all off’ without being insecure of what’s beneath. Besides makeup lays better with a more healthy skin!

What products do you use in your own routine, do you know about some amazing products? Please use the comment box to share!

Omosalewa

Omosalewa is a professional makeup artist! Semi-professional fashion designer and amateur photographer and a certified Makeup Junkie! She has a blog: TheMakeupTales