Sunday, August 14, 2011

the simplest beauty secret

the simplest and yet most important beauty secrect I know is not really a secret at all, yet it is overlooked by many. we all want young suptle looking skin right? well if you are preteen-teen, you are really in luck!  if you are 20-30 something start now! and if you are already in the graceful years well then theres still something you can do.

GOLDEN RULE
WASH YOUR FACE

NEVER NEVER NEVER SLEEP IN MAKEUP. 
if you do, at least do it only a few times a year and have a good excuse, not just "i'm too tired" or soon your skin will show just how tired you've been. if you go to slumblerland without washing your face, makeup clogs your skin, does not allow it to breath and distrubs the natural ph balance of the skin leading to breakouts, acne and premature wrinkling. 
yikes!

my skin care is so simple - its not expensive and it gets the job done.  i'm into my 30's now without a sign of real wrinkles yet.  yes they will come and i will either accept them (or not- hello botox, ha ha!) but there are actual simple steps for all ages that are a must for the health of your pretty little face.  and you only have one so - take care of it!

SKIN CARE BASICS
1.Wash your makeup off with a decent cleanser. It doesn't have to be fancy just don't use regular ol' soap. Get something for your skin type.
2. Tone - using a toner to remove left over traces of dirt, oil, makeup and cleanser residue. You'd be surpised how much your cleanser misses. if you are using a drying treatment for acne, make sure you use a toner very low in alchol to prevent excess drying.
3. Moisturize - Every skin type needs moisture. Even oily! Oily skin without moister = oilier skin. Also having hydrated skin is one of the first steps to fine line prevention.

There are lots of other fancy little products you can use in addition to these for whatever you skin condition may be but you must do the basics!!


PRETEENS-TEENS
the biggest and best habbit I ever formed was WASHING MY FACE.  my mom even told a deramatologist i once saw that i was religious about it.  it's true, i was.  lets be honest, it was more middle school and high school vanity than anything but it formed great habits that have lasted me till now and i definitely can see the fruit of my labor.  so girls and boys, wash everyday!  

20's-30's
this is huge friends! you either don't have wrinkles yet or are just starting to show the signs. my advise if you can, is to tackle it before it's an issue. prevention vs treatment is smart. start treating your skin to anti-aging products before they come. nothing like being prepared and i don't know,  somewhere in my mind it just makes sense.  if you have fine lines already, do the basics but switch your skin cleanser to one with glycolic acid.  this will renew the outer layer of your skin one layer at a time. you can spend hundreds or even as cheap as $5-$10 for something like Oil of Olay's Regenerist. there is something in almost everyones price range. then, add something to treat trouble areas i love good ol' retin A.  again, i don't have the trouble areas yet but now that i've reach the big 30 i'm using it in the areas prone to wrinkles.  this is only available by RX but there are many alternatives on the market in the anti-aging section. all rentin a does is super exfoliate and take off all the dead skin cells. i use this very sparily as it's super drying.  

THE GRACEFUL STATE AND BEYOND...
well you are here and time has shown either how much you've sunned, laughed, cried, smiled and frowned. plenty of women look stunning with aged skin as it tells our lifes tale. there are plenty of non-evasive and evasive steps you can take if you want to tackle those life lines - just be sure not to take away beautifuly earned character. that itself is beautiful. look at Michelle Pfeiffer - gorgeous!
53 years old


~HERE'S TO HAPPY HEALTHY BEAUTIFUL SKIN~
(all photos via google images)

okay, i couldn't leave you without a funny for the day... check it to wreck it
a few photoshop effects can give everyone their teenage face and better. 
 HA HA!
even the untouched is pretty darn good for 52 though ;)