Some Tips Before We Proceed...

The end result of a good makeup is supple-looking, even skin, balanced features and a youthful appearance overall.



Now that you've taken the steps to revitalize your skin with proper skin care, and invest in your face value, it's easy to make a few small errors in your makeup that will age you more! Remember the blush... circular shapes on the front of the cheeks, not the angular line along the cheek bone...? Let's look ahead to developing our look, and skip the downfalls that could decrease your face value.



Priming your skin, choosing the correct foundation type, and applying a shade of blush that isn't too overpowering and placed correctly should give your skin an even and supple appearance. The idea is to have your makeup enhance your skin, not coat it like a clay mask. The less makeup you wear, the more natural it looks and the younger you appear!



CHOOSE A FEATURE:



When doing your makeup, you can choose to pull attention to your eyes, your lips, or balance the look with some focus on each.



Some women feel that to have one featured over the other that the eyes or lips must be darker in color. While this can work, using shimmers and colors that attract attention can work just as well as going smokey or vamp. In fact, lighter shades that reflect more light, make features appear larger and can attract more attention on a more mature face.



When doing your eyes, try not to use colors that are too dark or too glittery, and keep these products away from the outer corner of the eye. These colors will define any sagging or crepiness in the skin...settling into the fine lines, and exaggerating your age. Keep the color and shadow on the eyes focused on the lid, and under the brow...less on the crease and outer corner.



Lips should always be lined. Lining the lips and using a lipstick or gloss over a lip that has been filled in with a pencil will really help define the lip line, as well as keeping color from bleeding into the fine lines around the lips. You have to worry about this less if you wear neutral and soft shades.



Brows are also a feature that needs to be enhanced. Using two shades of powder or a combination of powder and pencil will give you a nice natural look, and frame your eyes...and highlighting the area under the brows can give you a bright lift that lifts and shapes the area around the eyes. In my personal opinion, youth is in the cheek and the brows!



Now with this in mind, let's move on to eyes...

Color of Youth...

Now that you're face has been properly cleaned, primed, and you've applied the perfect foundation product, the next step is brighten your complexion with a little blush or bronzer. It is the one product that can age you ten years, or increase your face value by a few!

Take a look at the following images:

This is an image with slightly exagerated blush. For most, this is how we were taught that blush should be applied: in an anglular shape from the side of the apple of the cheek blended up toward the temple, accentuating the line of the cheek bone.

The goal of this application is to "lift" the face, accentuating the angles in the contours, which works to also accentuate the loss of adepose tissue in middle-aged women, any sagging of the jowls, and, in the process... aging your face!

Doing your blush in this way can add up to 10 years to your face...decreasing your face value.

In this image, the same face, same blush, but look at the difference of face shape... notice how the cheeks look fuller, the face more youthful?

By applying the blush in a rounded shape, on the front of the apples of the cheeks, you create the illusion of rounded, cherubic face. This technique is used by a lot of actresses to play younger characters. If you take a look at Ashley Judd in DIVINE SECRETS OF THE YA-YA SISTERHOOD, she ages from 15 to 35... and the difference in looks?

You guessed it: blush position!

Blush and bronzer can be used interchangeably. I like looking for formulas that have some shimmer, they added glow really brings a angelic glow to your face...adds to your face value.

A tip about some bronzer: don't apply it as a foundation. Bronzer is meant to be a "highlight"...a way to make your face look as though it's gotten some sun, a little color...but not a full color base. That weird, orange tone is meant to compliment most skin tones on a SHEER level. It is not supposed to be a skin tone!

Young skin that is orange doesn't help your face value. Old skin that is orange doesn't help, either.

Face value is about standing out for the health and vitality of your skin, how young you look compared to your actual age. It's not about standing out for looking like an oompa-loompa, or for laying in a tanning bed until your skin looks like cheap leather. Here is another image to think about:

Not even a bold, fashionable bag, a cute bikini and a blonde do can increase your face value if you get this far!

Don't get this far!

No one should ever get this far!

Color Me Perfect

After applying primer to perfect the surface appearance of the skin, and highlighting or brightening flawed areas, it is now time to apply foundation for an even skin tone. This is not a maditory step...unless you are going to be in front of a camera, and let's face it, in these technologically savvy times, we're always on camera.

For those lucky folks that have clear, even skin, a light powder over a little highlighter can do marvelously well. For the rest of us, there are three types of foundation: creams/liquids, wet/dry pressed compacts, and loose powders.

As was true for cleansers, the same applies for foundation: choosing the best product for you is dependent upon your skin type. Creams and liquids were designed for those users with dry skin. The added moisture provides a "binding" benefit for the skin. Wet/dry pressed compacts tend to be the most versatile products, giving levels of coverage depending on whether they are used wet or dry with a sponge or a brush. These compacts are ideal for normal/combination skin. Loose powders are ideal for oily skin types. The powder absorbs oil, binding it to the skin for the longest wear without becoming shiny.

Foundation should be light on the skin, and hardly noticeable. Your skin should look soft, supple, and perfected...never dry, never oily, never painted on.

If you choose the proper product for your skin, the only other consideration is the proper tool for application. Brushes will give you the softest finish, and a light to medium coverage from most products. A sponge deposits the most pigment and provides a heavier coverage. Used together, a brush and sponge can create beautiful effects on the skin.

Don't be afraid to layer products to get the best coverage. If your liquid is too light, don't apply more liquid, but set the liquid with a wet/dry powder using a brush. The combined coverage of the two products will make a huge difference and provide a soft finish together.

Next up: Bronzers and Blushes

Highlighting Your Flaws = Younger Looks...?

Once your skin has been cleansed, treated, moisturized and primed, the next step is to highlight your flaws: dark circles under the eyes, broken capillaries, hyperpigmentation (sun/age spots) and blemishes.

It's okay, you can pick up your jaw. I heard it hit the floor.

Yes, I meant to write highlight instead of hide.

Most of these imperfections will show through foundations, and then we reach for concealer. This building up of pigment over these areas can lead to a heavy-handed look and can make them appear even darker. The idea is to mute these areas before applying foundation.

Some companies offer face primers in sheer tints... green to counteract red, mauve to counteract green, and yellow to counteract purple. It comes down to basic color theory... complimentary colors, those colors that fall directly across from each other on the color wheel, cancel each other out... create a neutral. For instance, using a green tinted primer over Rosy cheeks can mute the redness and allow for a more even color in the foundation.

If that's too much thinking for you, try using a highlighting pencil... make sure that it has a soft, creamy "lead" that can be easily blended with a concealer brush or fingertip. The brightening effect of a highlighting pencil can usually provide muted coverage for these trouble areas. Once, these discolorations have been highlighted, your foundation application will usually kick these highlighted areas back toward the shade of the foundation.

This is a technique that is very useful and cost-effective. You will hardly ever need concealer, or the tinted primers. If you bought every primer needed to balance all of the tonalities of your skin, you'd go broke!

The highlighting pencil has a lot of uses:

1. Highlighting Imperfections;



2. Lifting the Brows;



3. Making Eyes appear brighter;



4. Making Lips appear fuller;



5. Correcting noses;



6. Counteracting sinking cheeks...

... just to name a few.

So, before you apply foundation and grab the concealer, try highlighting those little imperfections and watch them disappear! It's a nifty trick that is inexpensive and can increase your face value.

To Serve and Protect

Sixth and Final Step: PROTECTION

The final step to any skin care regiment is to apply a layer of protection from the sun. Skin that has been deep pore cleansed and exfoliated is succeptible to damage from the sun; not just direct contact with sunlight, but the sun's reflection. It can also be harmful.

Skin that has been revitalized and refreshed can only stay that way if we take the proper provisions to protect it.

The sun not only hardens and knits collagen and elastin cells, forming wrinkles, but also activates melanin which can lead to hyper and hypopigmentation. Dehyration also occurs from sun and heat exposure. Healthy skin must be protected.

So, the billion dollar question... what is an SPF rating? How does it work?

SPF, or Sun Protection Factor, is essentially the base of an equation for the level of protection provided by a product or ingredient.

S x B = X... or Level of SPF (S) times the amount of time you can be in the sun before burning (B) equals how long you can now stay in the sun before burning (X).

If you can be in the sun for ten minutes before you begin to burn, and you apply an SPF of 30, that would mean that you can stay in the sun 30 time longer. You would now be able to stay in the sun for 300 minutes before you begin to burn.

That's 5 hours, folks! 4 hours and fifty minutes longer than without any sun protection.

So, when you're told that anything over an SPF of 45 is just a marketing ploy, the truth is that for even the most sensitive skin, there is hardly ever a time that you would need to be in the sun for 7 hours!

There are two types of SPF:

1) Physical

2) Chemical

Physical protectants include minerals like Titanium Dioxide, which reflect the sun off the surface fo the skin. Chemical protectants include compounds like Parcol 1789, which absorb UV rays. Some products contain only one or the other types of SPF, but the most successful protectants contain both, and provide what is called "full spectrum" protection.

Full-spectrum protectants manage to deflect and/or absorb UVA (aging), UVB (burning) and UVC (cancer) rays.

If you are concerned with tanning, and a person who is hoping to increase their face value is not, then you can apply an SPF of 15 to your body and SPF 30 to your face. You can still tan with SPF, it just takes longer. Which brings us to the next million dollar question... are tanning beds really that bad?

And the answer is: ABSOLUTLEY!

If the sun is bad enough on its own, what do you think putting youself inside a plastic tube with lamps radiating UV rays over ten times as powerful is doing to your skin... and in particular, your face?

For a healthy tan, there are definitely alternatives... sprays, cremes and gels... and times have changed. They no longer turn you orange. Powder bronzers give you wonderful layers of colors, too. There are alternatives to tanning.

However, before we get into bronzers and cosmetics, let's wrap up the skin care regiment. When you have finished the process of cleansing, exfoliating, balancing, treating, and moisturing your skin, take the final step and apply an SPF of 30. It's that simple. These six steps... a full skin care regiment... can do wonders for your face value.

Make the investment and start here. The results... younger looking skin... being mistaken for thirty-five when you're forty-three... is well worth it!

As Fresh As the Morning Dew

Let's chat moisture, folks.

There are a lot of misconceptions about moisturizers. Some people believe that without oil content, a moisturizer can't possibly work. Other think the opposite. What is the truth to this question?

Moisturizer... moisture... has to do with water content. Oil has nothing to do with hydration, but does meet a need in terms of lubrication and moisture retention, and to function properly, your skin needs both!

In order to clean deep within the pores, to break down the dirt and debris trapped in those tiny pockets of oil, we have to strip the skin of its oil content during cleansing. For someone with dry skin, they lack oil production and therefore also lack moisture retention. So, their skin readily accepts any moisture from the products used on it after cleansing, although without products that contain some oil, their skin will never hold onto that moisture.

For someone with oily skin, once their skin has been cleansed, their skin immediately begins to produce oil again. In this case, moisturizing is key. If the skin is trying to overproduce oil to protect the moisture balance, without applying moisturizer can lead to what can effectively be referred to as a grease slick!

The skin produces oil to keep the dry, flattened protein cells that make up our outer most layer of epidermis, called the corneum, pliable. This oil on the surface of the skin also helps to keep moisture from evaporating, and thus protects the skins moisture balance. If we don't drink enough water or spend a lot of time in a hot, dry climate, even oily skin can become dehydrated. The reproduction of skin cells and cell health does not require oil, but water.

So, how do you choose the perfect mositurizer?

If you have dry skin, meaning that you have very little oil production, you want to use a rich emollient. A heavy-weight creme that contains both oil and water. The skin will absorb the water, while the epidermis will stay lubricated and soft as it keeps this new dose of moisture from evaporating.

For somone with oily skinm stay away from heavy cremes and choose lighter moisturizers that are oil-free. You produce enough oil. What your skin needs is moisture, and this dose of moisture will keep your skin from overproducing oil to make up for a lack of water.

People with combination skin should choose a moisturizer that meets the need of the majority of thier skin. Combination types often lean more towards oily or dry rather than being an even split. So, combination skin types tending toward oily skin should use the oil-free moisturizer... the lighter cream. The combination type tending toward dry should use the heavier creme... the emollient.

Remember that healthy skin is well moisturized and lubricated. There has to be a balance of both oil and water for proper skin function!

We're almost to the last step: SPF!

Revitalizing for Radiance

Step Two: EXFOLIATION

Exfoliation is an important step in a skin care regiment, although not a step that should be included on a daily basis. Even with the oiliest of skin types, three times a week is more than enough.

Exfoliation is the process of sloughing or buffing off the excess dead skin cells from the surface of the skin, revealing the fresher, younger cells beneath. While some cleansers contain acids that also affect cellular turn-over, a manual scrub can be used to finish the job. As the plump cells that are formed in the basal layer make their way to the surface, losing moisture and flattening out before finally setting on the surface, they can get caught up in excess oil, and need to be cleared away so that younger cells can take their place, and new cells can be formed.

As we age, the production of fresh cells slows, and exfoliation is the key to keeping the skin working!

Even for someone with dry skin, using a manual exfoliant once every few weeks will help to stimulate cell production and turn-over, leading to stronger, firmer, less sensitive skin.

Be careful not to use products that contain materials that are too sharp, like apricot kernels or walnut shells. While ideal for your feet, these may be too abrasive for your skin, causing microscopic tears in the skin. Instead, look for a scrub that uses jojoba beads, silica crystals or physician's grade microdermabrasian crystals to help buff away excess skin cells.

If you use an exfoliant that is too harsh or use it too often, your skin will be dry, irritated and red, and will not function properly. As nice as your skin feels after an exfoliation, too much of a good thing is definitely bad in this instance.

Next up, Step Three: Toning.

A world without skin care...

...would be a world of ugly people!

It's the question that the majority of Americans ask every time they hear about skin care: What's the big deal?

Your skin is the largest organ of the human body. Its purpose is to protect the musculature and systems underneath from the sun, from airborne pathogens, and dehydration. Taking a vitamin supplement or detox concoctions may fortify and enhance the performance of our internal organs, but what about the skin? It is abused far worse than any other organ on a daily basis.

Skin health, endurance and longevity are somewhat genetic, with people from warmer climates and darker skin tones getting the better genes. Heredity, though, is not a fail-safe for younger looking skin. External factors, like environmental pollutants and lifestyle, affect face value as well.

Environmental:

The sun has a great deal to do with the decrease in face value. Spending time, unprotected in the sun, depreciates your skin the same way that driving a classic car in a smash-up derby depreciates its value. UVA (aging), UVB (burning) and UVC (cancer) radiation are all bombarding our skin each day. While they may lead to a darkening of the melanin in our skin, leading to a beautiful tan, which is actually a safety protocol to keep the radiation from reaching our internal organs, other effects are also taking place.

Collagen production decreases, elastin proteins knit together creating wrinkles on the skin's surface, and melanin production can become irratic, leading to hyperpigmentation (sun spots) or Hypopigmentation (when melanin is no longer produced leaving pale white splotches on the skin, which cannot be corrected). All of these lead to skin that looks older than it is... and a decreased face value.

Environmental pollutants can also cause skin damage, like burning and cancers.

Lifestyle:

Medications, legal and otherwise, can cause skin damage by dehydration, hormonal imbalances and severe breakout. Alcoholic beverages don't just leave you with a dry mouth in the morning, but can severely dehydrate your skin as well. When the body is lacking moisture, it will take it where it can... even reallocating it from one organ to another.

Your skin requires a healthy balance of oil (lubrication) and water (hydration) to function properly.

Tanning and cosmetic procedures can also lead to skin damage. If the sun causes the most damage to the skin, imagine the damage that is being done when you increase the exposure to UV radiation to 3x the amount of the sun in order to tan faster. The perfect analogy for vising a tanning booth is placing a grape in a food dehydrator. This does nothing to increase your face value.

Some products that are found in the current skin care market are developed for the ideal skin type: normal/combination, tending toward oily in the T-zone. However, these ingredients are not strong enough to treat oily skin types, and are too astringent for drier, sensitive skin types. Other treatments, which may be marketed to solve acne and the like, may dry up the blemishes, but also strip your skin of oil and moisture, which leads to dry, sensitive skin, and in some cases even more oil production.

If redness or irritation that last longer than 5 minutes occurs after the use of any product, discontinue use immediately! In a professional setting, with an esthetician or dermatologist, therein lies the exception, although they too should be providing treatment maintenance products that would reduce the redness, irritation and swelling caused by the treatment.

The Big Deal...

Skin care is important to our overall health, because skin that cannot or does not function can lead to serious illness. It is one of the keystones to living a better, healthier life. Proper skin care fortifies the barrier function of the skin, which allows the skin to accept moisture, but keeps moisture from evaporating, and assists in the healing of breaches in the skin. It also provides avenues for the enrichment of the skin with topically applied vitamins and minerals to calm, soothe, and promote more efficient organ function. Skin care also provides the opportunity to add moisture to the skin, and to apply additional SPF protection.

Proper skin care is the most powerful ally in increasing your face value!

What Is Your Face Value?

Okay, to begin, this is not a scientific method. It's a concept that I've been working on to help inspire my clients to take better care of their skin. Face Value refers to the balance between your age and how old you look.

For instance: if you are 40 years old, but you look 30, then you have a higher face value than someone who is 40, but looks 45. The older you are, and the younger you look, the greater your face value. The goal of most clients is to look younger than their age, thus they are investing in a program of skin care to increase their face value.

Skin care is an investment. It has nothing to do with money, although some skin care lines can definitely break the bank, which isn't an issue if the product works, but proper skin care treatments and at-home maintenance require an investment of time and a commitment to being consistant. Just visiting a skin care therapist for a monthly facial isn't going to increase your face value. You have to maintain the health of your skin between visits, and take precautions to curb any future damage to your skin.

Increasing your face value is a time commitment, a financial commitment, and well worth all of it! Looking younger, being mistaken for twenty when you've just turned thrity-one is a huge ego boost. Not only will your skin be in better condition, but you will feel so much better about yourself.

What's your face value? Are you ready to make an investement...?