Skin Acne

Okay we’ve all probably had our fair share of skin problems, spots, skin acne, red patches and the list goes on. According to leading health experts most of us don’t even know that we have skin problems until later on when they are much more visible and harder to treat.

Skin acne is a common problem.

1: Causes & Description:
•    Inflammation of skin because of infection
•    Sebum (oil) created by our glands joins forces with dead skin and blocks the hair follicles. This basically allows for oil to build up beneath our skin until spots erupt.
•    Normally occurs on the face, but can also occur on chest and back
•    Can be started due to: Stress; Bacteria; Excessive Scratching; Hormonal related

2: Skin Acne Treatments:
•    Dermatologist: (may need to be referred by Doctor) He / she may prescribe you with antibiotics that will reduce Acne. But remember that your body may become immune to the antibiotics and the acne that returns after may be stronger
•    Foods / vitamins containing vitamin A are known to reduce oil on the skin. There are also some medication that have high levels of Vitamin A (ask Dermatologist)

Home Remedies:
•    Cleanse face on a regular basis to take away any dead skin. There are special acne related cleansers around that are built specifically for the condition (examples include: Zeno)
•    Most likely to be stress related, so get to the route. Yoga can help and deep breathing exercises

If you do have skin acne, don’t let it get to you. In the majority of cases it is just a short term problem and if treated correctly can be reduced and wiped out.

Pretty

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Makeup powder

I remember before I was into the whole makeup and beauty thing I used to dread the site of makeup powder because I was afraid of the chalky look. Since then the industry has updated the ingredients and uses of makeup powder to make it more user friendly and useful.

Uses of Makeup Powder:
•    Take away excess shine / oils (sebum) from your skin
•    Helps foundation and eye shadow set in and last longer
•    Adds smoothness to skin surface

There are two types of makeup powder in the market: Loose and Pressed Powder

1: Loose Powder
•    Normally applied using brush
•    Loose powder is more popular as it is easier to apply
•    The quality of the brush you are using can effect the success of the powder application so ensure that the brush has a good density of soft natural fibre bristles

2: Pressed Powder
•    Normally applied using a powder puff
•    Can easily be used to touch up makeup during the day

Tips:
•    If you over apply makeup powder simply take a clean powder brush and gently remove the excess by smooth strokes
•    Ensure that the powder (which ever you choose) is blended in properly before applying eye shadow
•    Loose Powder: After dipping the brush into the loose powder gently shake off any excess and apply to the face focussing on the oily parts like the T zone and blend in

You can in most department stores or makeup boutiques purchase makeup powder to suit your skin type, for example if you have oily skin then it is likely that you will need a specific makeup powder designed to soak up the excess oils (sebum) that your skin produces.

Any questions or comments, let me know below.

Pretty x

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Skin Tone

Making sure you know your skin tone before you go out and buy those must have beauty products is as important as knowing your shoe size before you buy some shoes.

What some of us do is to assume that we have a certain skin tone and go out and buy foundation only to realise that we may need to buy another as the last one didn’t match our skin.

Skin tones can be broken down into the following 6 types (use this list to identify your skin tone):

Skin Tone (6 Types):
1: Very Light:
•    Tanning: Likely burn / very rarely tans
•    Typical Likely Hair Colour: Red / Blonde
•    Typical Likely Eye Colour: Blue / Green / Grey

2: Light Skinned:
•    Tanning: Sometimes burns / rarely tans
•    Typical Likely Hair Colour: Light / Dark
•    Typical Likely Eye Colour: Blue / Green / Hazel / Brown / Grey

3: Light Intermediate:
•    Tanning: Sometimes burns / usually tans
•    Typical Likely Hair Colour: Brown
•    Typical Likely Eye Colour: Blue, Green, Hazel, Brown

4: Dark Intermediate
•    Tanning: Rarely burns / often tans
•    Typical Likely Hair Colour: Dark Brown
•    Typical Likely Eye Colour: Dark Brown

5: Dark / Brown
•    Tanning: Naturally brown skin
•    Typical Likely Hair Colour: Black – Brown
•    Typical Likely Eye Colour: Black – Brown

6: Dark / Black
•    Tanning: Naturally dark skin
•    Typical Likely Hair Colour: Black – Brown
•    Typical Likely Eye Colour: Black – Brown

Example of the famous orange foundation look: Woman has skin tone of dark intermediate, she then goes to the department store and buys foundation made for very light skin tone. Goes home applies it correctly only to realise that it makes her look orange or chalky, oh dear.

Once you have identified your skin tone there is less chance of you buying the wrong products for your skin, and when you apply the right foundation for your skin tone the difference is amazing.

Any good makeup counter will provide you with a colour spectrum to match your skin type (but doing your research before hand is always a bonus).

What is your skin tone?
Any questions or comments let me know below.

Pretty x

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