Foundation: The base for your make up routine

Welcome back everyone! Since my last post talked about how to make your face healthy and clear we will talk about the next step, make up. When doing your make up routine the first thing you want to start with is your concealer, foundation and powder

Step one: Concealer
The first thing you need to do when applying make up is to add concealer. Concealer is used to cover up, or conceal, any trouble spots you may have such as acne, birthmarks and/or age spots. It is also used to cover up dark bags under the eye. Concealer typically comes in two types: solid stick or liquid.

Solid stick and Liquid Concealer



When choosing a concealer you want it to be one shade lighter than your foundation. This way the concealer will be covered by your foundation and will reflect light off of the trouble spots. Picking a concealer with a pink undertone will really help cover dark under eye circles because it contrasts with the dark color as well as reflect light making the circles appear lighter.

You should place a small amount of concealer on all trouble spots and blend in with a finger or concealer brush. Now you are free to continue to the next step.

Step two: Foundation
The next step is to apply your foundation. The first thing you need to know is what shade of foundation you will need. A good way to determine this is to match the color to the skin on the back of your wrist. Since your face gets a lot of sun it may be a different color than your body. Simply put a small amount of foundation on this area and find the closest match. It may be necessary to mix different shades to find a perfect match.

Other than selecting your shade you need to decide what type of foundation you would like to use. This will also determine how to apply the foundation. Today the make up market is full of various types of foundations. The main types are liquid and powder. Variations of these forms have arisen such as mousse and spray foundation.

Liquid foundations have been the norm for years. Many people have probably seen their mothers use liquid foundations or have used them themselves.

Liquid foundations have the reputation of being thick, cakey and heavy. With new formulas that have been developed liquid foundations are not as oily and do not have as many chemicals in them. A new twist on liquid foundations is tinted moisturizers which is healthy for your skin.

Liquid foundation should be applied with a foundation brush or your fingers. Sponges are ok to use but you should throw them away at least once every two weeks because they can gather bacteria. Place a dab of foundation on your forehead, nose, under each eye, each cheek and chin and then blend in. Make sure that you blend in well so you do not have lines and continue foundation to your neck if it is not the same color as your face and the rest of the body.

Powder foundations are becoming increasingly popular because they have a lighter feel on the face than liquid. A lot of powder foundations today are mineral foundations which are really healthy for your skin.

Mineral powder foundation

To apply this type of foundation you will need a brush. The bigger the brush the more naturally the powder will go on and the easier it will blend. You need to dip the brush in the powder then tap the access off. Next apply the powder to your face starting at your forehead. You want to apply the foundation in small, fast, circular motions. Once you have covered you entire face you are finished with this step.

Step Three: Powder
The final step of this process is applying powder. Powder is used to seal in your foundation and be a primer for the rest of your make up. You apply powder the same way as powder foundation since it is the same form. After you apply your powder you are finished with the first part of your make up routine.

I hope that these tips are easy to follow and will help you start your make up routine. In upcoming posts I will walk you through more steps that will become part of your make up routine.

The first step to a beautiful you: Skin Care!

Hey everyone! Since the goal of this blog is to help you be the most beautiful you, I think that it is important to start with the foundation of your beauty regiment, YOUR SKIN! It does not matter how much makeup you try and pile on your face, if your skin is not healthy you will be able to tell! I am going to share with you the basic routine needed to keep your skin healthy, primarily that on your face.

SKIN TYPES
To begin with you need to know what type of skin you have. The basic categories break down into dry, oily, normal and combination. Now a days skin care products are designed to specifically fit different skin types. Skin care is NOT one size fits all! Most cosmetic brands carry skin care products and will carry the full line of products you will need for your skin care routine. Although all your products do not have to be from the same brand, most brands have developed their line to work together to give you maximum results.

STEP ONE: MAKE UP REMOVAL
For the first step of your skin care routine, I would recommend using a makeup remover. I know what you are thinking, won't my cleanser remove my makeup? The answer generally would be yes but sometimes cleansers leave things behind. You will also get a deeper clean if there is not a layer of make up on your face. Another bonus, avoiding the "raccoon eyes" you get from trying to wash off eye make up! Most makeup removers today come in a convenient wipe, if not you will need to apply the remover to a cotton ball or round and rub the make up off with that. After you have finished this step you are free to move to step two.

STEP TWO: CLEANSE
The next step is to cleanse your face. For this step you want to wet your face with warm water. The warm water opens up your pores and loosens up all the dirt, germs and any debris left on your face. Next you want to apply a dime to nickel size amount of the cleansing product onto your finger tips. You will be able to tell just how much product to use after a time or two. Some products go farther with a smaller amount. Once you have your cleanser ready you want to warm it up in your finger tips and then apply it all over your face using small, circular, massaging motions. The goal is to get the cleanser deep into your pores to remove all the bad stuff in them. An exfoliating cleanser will help too get rid of dry dead skin as well. Once you have done this for about 30 seconds to a minute, you can rinse the product off with lukewarm or cool water. Now it's time to move on.

STEP THREE: TONE 
Cleansing the skin has opened up the pores of your face to remove the dirt in them. When you rinse off the cleanser, your pores start to close. It is the job of the toner to open those pores back up. It is also the job of the toner to tighten the muscle tissue in your face as well as removing any left over oils and chemicals from your cleanser as well as restoring the skins pH levels. Toners, also referred to as astringents, can help to clam skin irritations as well as prevent black heads and blemishes. To apply the toner you want to pour a small amount of the product onto a cotton round and rub it on your face focusing primarily on your "T zone" (your forehead nose and chin) where all skin types are most oily. It is best if you apply the toner in upward strokes so the product will get into the pores. Let the toner dry before moving onto the final step.

STEP FOUR: MOISTURIZE 
This is an important step that most people leave out of their skin care routine. No matter what skin type you have you should always moisturize after washing and toning your face. This is because all of the chemicals have removed the natural moisture from your skin and if you do not replace them your skin will become very dry, tight and even irritated. It is important however not to apply too much moisturizer. For most people you will only need a dime size amount, but as I said before this will also be determined by the product you are using. For this step all you will need to do is pour a dime sized amount of moisturizer onto your fingertips and then massage it into your skin. You should look for a moisturizer that has an SPF in it to add protection for everyday sun exposure. Once this step is complete you are done with your basic skin care routine!

I hope that you will find this step by step routine easy to do. Most people would recommend doing a skin care routine twice a day but once at bedtime is a good starting place. Also, if you have trouble with acne add an acne treatment into your routine at the end after your moisturize. And remember, you do not have to go out and buy fancy skin care products that are really expensive, you can find good brands of products at a drugstore. Now get out there, get these products and start your skin care routine today!

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WELCOME!

Welcome to my very first blog! I am really excited to take on this new experience and glad that you are taking this journey with me!

When trying to figure out what my blog should be about, I started racking my brain for subjects that I was interested in. It took me about a week and then I thought, why not blog about something that is a part of my everyday life, BEAUTY. And no that was not me being conceded, I am actually referring more to my beauty regiment which contains, skin care, hair, make up, health and even some fitness every now and then. You know, the things that most women go through on a daily basis not only to look, but to feel beautiful.

Now I know what you are thinking..."Who is this girl and why should I listen to any beauty tips she gives me?" Well I will tell you. When I was in high school I got the opportunity to take college classes from the local community college. A close friend and I chose to take Cosmetology classes. I was really excited to actually get to earn college credit learning how to do hair and make up! I took Cosmetology classes for two years and am certified to practice under a licensed Cosmetologist.

During these two years I have gained knowledge in the area of Beauty and have picked up some tricks I would like to pass along to you. My goal to make you the most beautiful you that you can be! I hope that you will follow along and I can't wait to start sharing!