In the pageantry, a flawless presentation from head to toe, is a non-negotiable! So naturally, having a dedicated skincare routine can be your backstage pass to radiant confidence.
Consider this post a helpful guide on your skincare journey. It’s an exploration into the importance of a tailored, skin-focused routine and the transformative power it wields.
From understanding your skin type to choosing the right products, we’ll guide you through the essential steps to kickstart your skincare routine. The right products and tips can not only enhance your pageant glow but will become a daily ritual of self-love and empowerment.
Here are some foundational skincare and beauty tips to help you look your best everyday! You’ll ‘glow-away’ the competition.
Foundational Skincare Habits:
Daily Cleansing:
Cleanse your face twice a day (morning and night) to remove dirt, oil, and makeup. Use a gentle cleanser suitable for your skin type.
Choose one that is gentle, non-abrasive and that does not contain alcohol. If your skin is prone to dryness, you’ll want to avoid any cleansers that list sulfates as an ingredient.
Wet your face with warm water and gently massage the cleanser on with your hands. Try to use light fingertip pressure and make tiny circles. If you wish, you can also use a soft wash cloth.
Resist the temptation to excessively rub or pull on your skin, because this can irritate sensitive skin.
Rinse with lukewarm water and pat dry with a soft towel.
Exfoliation:
Proper skin exfoliation helps remove the outer layer of dead skin cells. This buildup can clog pores, make skin look dull, and make you more prone to blackheads.
Gentle exfoliation uncovers the fresh new skin cells below the layer of dead skin. Removing the top, dead layer of skin cells allows moisturizing products to penetrate deeply into the skin. This makes them even more effective.
A regular exfoliating routine is imperative to your skincare routine. It will leave your skin looking fresh and healthy. Aim to use an exfoliating face wash or serum 2-3 times a week. The goal is to remove buildup and promote healthy cell turnover.
Choose a mild exfoliator like a scrub with tiny particles or even a mild acid, such as an aha (alpha hydroxy acid) or bha (beta hydroxy acid). Start with a low percentage to avoid any irritation.
Hydration:
Dehydrated skin often feels tight or even itchy. Dry skin is also more prone to sunburn and other forms of UV damage. So, it’s important to keep your skin hydrated by using a good-quality moisturizer.
Arguably, a moisturizer might be the most important step in any skincare routine. It delivers hydration, seals in important natural oils, and strengthens the skin barrier. This means the skin (especially the delicate facial area) can better defend itself from harsh elements like excessive sun or the bitter cold.
Hydration helps improve skin elasticity, which reduces the appearance of fine lines or wrinkles. Proper hydration will help also help control oil production, reducing the likelihood of breakouts.
If you are looking for the best ingredient for dry or dehydrated skin, look for products taht contain hyaluronic acid. It’s a key ingredient is most moisturizers due to its ability to hold up to 1000 times its weight in hydration.
Time to swap those raisins for grapes!
Another easy tip is to use a sheet mask as a quick, fun way to infuse a mega-dose of moisture. Be sure to gently massage in any remaining serum from the face mask once you finish with it.
Use sheet masks once or twice a week as needed. Think of it as an extra boost of hydration and nutrients in your skincare routine. Look for masks with ingredients like hyaluronic acid or collagen to up the hydration factor.
Eye Care:
While a regular moisturizer is great at providing general hydration, under-eye creams are specifically formulated to address eye concerns. Things like dark circles, puffiness, and fine lines.
Eye creams often contain specialized ingredients and a lighter texture to avoid irritation. Often these creams contain the same ingredients as regular facial moisturizers, just at different potencies.
Specialize eye creams include skin-restoring and replenishing ingredients to help hydrate, reduce the appearance of puffiness and dark circles, and defend against UV rays and other environmental aggressors.
Choose an eye cream that specifically addresses your eye area concerns like dark circles or puffiness.
Remember to apply the eye cream gently, using your ring finger, and pat it in with a gentle tapping motion.
Serums and Targeted Treatments:
Incorporate serums or other topical treatments to address specific skin concerns.
Vitamin C serums can help with brightening, while hyaluronic acid serums can boost hydration.
Consider products packed with squalane or even glycerin, which are great at calming redness and wonderful for boosting hydration.
Need some guidance on skincare serums for your skin type?
Dry Skin:
If your skin is feeling extra dry, can opt for a thicker moisturizer at night. This will allow your skin to soak up all the extra moisture while you sleep.
Keep an eye out for products that are high in:
- Hyaluronic acid: helps prevent free radical damage and stimulates wound healing, helps reduce the visibility of fine lines and wrinkles while retaining moisture
- Vitamin C: great for concerns such as uneven skin tone, rough texture, fine lines, acne scars, and general dullness
- Vitamin E: moisturizing and anti-inflammatory benefits, helps with hyperpigmentation caused by sun damage, aging, and post-breakout inflammation
These can help boost your skin’s hydration and appearance that can improve elasticity, smoothness, and rejuvenation. You can also use moisturizers that contain shea or coconut that can improve skin health.
And don’t forget the importance of hydration. Drinking enough water throughout the day will also improve skin hydration.
Combination Skin:
Combination skin is skin that is dry in some areas, but oily in others. This type of skin can be more challenging to treat.
The key is to use hydrating ingredients on dry areas and mattifying ingredients on the oily areas of your face.
Lightweight serums are great to try. This way you can see what works well for your specific skin. Look for ingredients like:
- Hyaluronic acid: helps prevent free radical damage and stimulates wound healing, helps reduce the visibility of fine lines and wrinkles while retaining moisture
- Niacinamide: can help reinforce skin barrier and improve long-term skin health with its anti-inflammatory properties
- Ferulic acid: a powerful antioxidant that neutralizes free-radical damage from pollution, ultraviolet light, or infrared radiation, which can accelerate skin aging
Oily Skin:
Hydrating oily skin can seem counter-productive. Excessive oil is actually a sign that your skin is dehydrated, and it’s expelling more oil than usual to try and rehydrate it.
Combat this by using lighter products, but ones that still offer hydration. You can use serums with ingredients including:
- Alpha hydroxy acid (AHA): helps to neutralize free radical damage, clear out and shrink pores, and brighten pigmentation
- Vitamin C: great for concerns such as uneven skin tone, rough texture, fine lines, acne scars, and general dullness
- Salicylic acid: helps slough off dead skin, remove excess oil, and reduce acne like whitehead and blackheads
Sunscreen:
Wearing sunscreen is one of the best — and easiest — ways to protect your skin’s appearance.
Our skin is susceptible to the sun’s rays, even on cloudy days. This can lead to skin cancer, discoloration, and wrinkles over time. Sunscreen, thankfully, protects us from it’s damaging UV rays.
Used regularly, sunscreen helps prevent sunburn, skin cancer and premature aging. Look for a broad-spectrum sunscreen with at least SPF 30. Apply it every morning, as your last step before makeup.
Remember to use daily, no matter the weather, AND on days when you’ll be indoor most of the time. Why indoors?
UVA light, like the light that comes from screens, and LED lights, causes premature skin aging. It actually breaks down collagen and elastin tissue, contributing to the formation of skin cancers.
The artificial blue light, produced from devices like smartphones, tablets, computers and televisions, not only has negative impacts on our eyes and sleep patterns, but it also affects our skin.
The free radicals formed by blue light cause premature ageing, age spots due to increased melanin, and sagging skin from a decrease in collagen.
Prolonged blue light exposure (anything more than an hour) can cause cell shrinkage and even cell death.
So it’s important to incorporate a mineral based, broad-spectrum sunscreens, in your routine. Look for products that contain iron oxide, zinc oxide or titanium dioxide. These can provide a barrier between your skin and environmental pollutants.
Increasing your antioxidant intake (like vitamin C) will also help mitigate the impacts of blue light on your skin.
No matter what products you are using, make sure to always start with clean, damp skin so that the products will be absorbed the best.
Regardless of what products are in your lineup, make sure to start your application with the lightest consistency first. Think fluids and serums, and then begin to layer the other products on, building in heaviness. Creams next after serums and then oils applied last.
Don’t forget the nutritional component of great skincare. You can improve the health and appearance of your skin by eating foods like cucumbers and celery for hydration, papayas for skin brightening and skin repair, and seaweed to boost radiance and blood flow.
If you’re looking for additional ways to use nutrition to help you glow from within, check out my post about nutrition and how to balance your plate for optimal results.
As you step into the spotlight, your skin will be an integral part of the story you tell. Looking and feeling comfortable in the skin you’re in has not only aesthetic benefits, but also fosters confidence.
It’s time to unveil your radiant best and let your skin glow under those bright stage lights! Be sure to tune into my next post, where we dive into beauty and makeup routines to help you look your best.