H is for Habits..thegood ones you need to get into
There seems to be so much to do to keep yourself looking good, that the odd bit of neglect can easily creep into your beauty routine. Or maybe you just never realized how important some steps are.
I came across this article by Jennifer Blevins at Divine Caroline that talks about 7 bad beauty habits we can easily get into.
Add that to the 8 common beauty mistakes that you shouldn’t be making that I posted about the other day and there are 15 things to change that will have a big cumulative effect on your looks, especially if you’re getting all of them wrong!
Using Dirty Brushes
Makeup brushes are the best way to apply most types of makeup. But if you don’t keep them clean, you are applying bacteria along with the makeup, which may cause infection and skin breakouts. Jennifer suggests washing the brushes now and again in mild soap and water but also using Clinique Makeup Brush Cleanser in between shampoos.
My 2 cents: I don’t bother with the cleanser and just was the brushes every time. A quick 5 minute job.
Not Removing Makeup Before Going to Bed
No matter how tired you are, always remove your makeup. Otherwise it gets pressed deeper into your skin and can cause a breakout. If you are really too tired and are tempted just to go to bed use a cleansing wipe instead for fast cleansing such as Klorane Soothing Make-Up Remover Wipes so you can just wipe and sleep.
My 2 cents: If I have wipes at home, I’m tempted to be lazy and use them most nights, so I just remove my makeup every night no matter what.
Not Properly Removing Eye Makeup
Don’t just remove face makeup because eye makeup left around your eyes can cause not only panda eyes in the morning but also ugly styes, which can take months to get rid of. Jennifer suggests using Johnson’s No More Tears Head-to-Toe Baby Wash, which is ultra-mild and recommended by ophthalmologists to gently remove eye makeup.
My 2 cents: That’s a new one on me.I must try it. I wonder how it will do on waterproof mascara…
Over-Exfoliating
Manual exfoliation is excellent for removing dead skin cells from the surface of the skin but if you are too harsh, you can damage your skin. Jennifer suggests using a product like DDF Glycolic 10% Exfoliating Moisturizer which contains ingredients like glycolic acid, zinc, and vitamin E as this helps expose fresh skin cells without scrubbing.
My 2 cents: I prefer a gentle manual solution with a brush or cleanser with fine grains. See How to Exfoliate For Clear Beautiful Skin.
Forgetting Sunscreen
Make sure you remember to apply a good sunscreen with high SPF La Roche-Posay Anthelios Ultra Light Sunscreen Fluid SPF 60 at all times to prevent aging sun damage and skin cancer.
My 2 cents: I do wear sunscreen all year round but not as high as SPF 60. I heard that above a certain level you don’t get that much more protection so it is not worth paying silly money for extra high SPF
“SPF is not a consumer-friendly number,” says Florida dermatologist and American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) spokesman James M. Spencer, MD. “It is logical for someone to think that an SPF of 30 is twice as good as an SPF of 15, and so on, but that is not how it works.”
According to Spencer, an SPF 15 product blocks about 94% of UVB rays, an SPF 30 product blocks 97% of UVB rays, and an SPF 45 product blocks about 98% of rays.
“After that, it just gets silly,” he says.
Source: Web MD
Lining the Rims of Eyes
Be extra careful if you decide to line the rims of your eyes because it can be easy to get an eye infection as a result. Make sure that the pencil point is rounded, soft and very clean and free from any fragments that might damage the skin around your eye and leave it open to infection. Jennifer suggests using a Laura Mercier Flat Eyeliner Brush to press color near the rim of the eye for a similar effect without exposing your eye to so much risk of infection.
My 2 cents: Make sure any brush you use near your eyes is clean (see point1!). I also like those soft eyeliner crayons like Avon Glimmersticks that you wind up rather than sharpen, which avoids the danger of any jagged edges around your eye.
Neglecting the Décolletage
“This often-overlooked thin and delicate region is prone to the same signs of aging as the face. And if this area is left untreated, age spots and crepey skin will rear their ugly heads”
Jennifer suggests using a rich cream such as Estée Lauder Re-Nutrive Intensive Lifting Cream for Throat and Décolletage on the neck and chest area.
My 2 cents: I prefer a cheaper solution and that is using the same products I use on my face on my neck and chest. Far less fuss!
