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Mineral face powder. (Courtesy of Terra Firma Cosmetics)
It is the desire of every woman to have beautiful and flawless skin. Often we turn straight to makeup for that quick fix but neglect the fundamentals of holistic skin care. Get beautiful from the inside out by following these simple steps.
Eating Right
Healthy skin will always result in a better makeup application. Maintain a well-balanced diet with regular intake of vegetables, fresh fruits, grains, fish, and foods that are rich in antioxidants and vitamins A, B, C, and E.
An abundant supply of these nutrients helps the skin rejuvenate, repair itself, produce collagen, moisturize, and stay healthy. Select food as natural as possible and avoid those that are processed.
Basic Skin Care
Every woman's basic skin care routine should be made up of three main components, morning and night: cleansing, toning, and moisturizing. If you are short on time, cleansing and moisturizing are most important.
A More Effective Regimen
For a more complex skin care regimen, there are many things you can do to combat your individual skin issues.
Exfoliate your skin to eliminate old skin cells and start growing new ones. This process can be done manually with a facial scrub or by applying a glycolic peel made from fruit acids.
Masques that contain vitamins and minerals help to correct many things, including wrinkles, flaky dry skin, skin irritations, and tired-looking skin. Your skin will be left feeling much smoother and softer. It makes you feel years younger.
Serums are intensive composites of ingredients that go into beauty products. Concentrated ingredients are packed into a serum, which can penetrate the skin much quicker and more deeply for an intensive treatment. Serums can also help address certain skin problems, such as dehydration and dullness.
Sunscreen
The importance of sunscreen cannot be overstated! The reason why sunscreen is important is that the number-one cause of aging and damage to the skin is sun exposure! Sun protection is the most important skin care product you can use everyday. Sun exposure leads to wrinkles and uneven pigmentation by damaging the dermis of the skin. It is also blamed for skin and lip cancers.
Safe and Natural Beauty Care Products
Always check the labels of what you buy and make sure the products don't contain harsh chemicals such as petroleum, parabens, alcohols, or artificial fragrances. By going to http://www.safecosmetics.org you can research the ingredients on the labels of all your beauty care products.
Makeup Transformation
The biggest way to improve on your makeup is by applying a foundation to even out your skin tone. An even skin tone will make your features really stand out.
Every makeup artist will tell you the importance of starting with a clean palette of smooth, even skin. Create a flawless canvas with foundation or concealer, and everything that follows will look better.
It's important to find the right product for your skin type and color. Proper skin care starts with knowing the type of skin you have. There are five types of skin: oily, dry, normal, sensitive, and combination skin. Before you go shopping for any skin care products, you need to know exactly the type of skin you have. This will help you in buying the best skin care products.
Then select the right color. The wrong color foundation can make skin look washed out or unhealthy. Wearing foundation should never look like you're wearing a mask. A perfect match will enhance the skin you have in a natural-looking way.
To determine what shade of foundation to use, test your foundation on your jawline. The perfect shade is one that disappears on the skin.
Colors
Now for the fun part—applying color on the face. There are so many colors to pick from for blush, eye shadow, lipstick/gloss, mascara, and eye liner. Don't be afraid to try something new. Most companies offer samples of their products, so you don't have to invest so much money in something that might not work out.
Loose mineral cosmetics are fun because you can wear them wet or dry. Minerals that are in loose form allow you to mix different colors together to make your own creations.
A Few Beauty Tips
1. Allow enough time for your moisturizer to set in.
2. Use good quality makeup tools when applying your makeup, and the result will
be much better.
3. Just like skin care, cosmetics that are formulated for your skin type will give you the optimum results.
Dori Patrick and her sister Merri Yardley are developers and owners of Terra Firma Cosmetics, a natural mineral makeup company that believes in "Beauty and Earth in Balance." They can be reached at www.terrafirmacosmetics.com.
