The Right Way to Moisturize

While this seems like a fairly straight forward topic, there are actually a few different faces to your everyday moisturizers. Most people think as long as you're doing it somehow, you're doing well. In actual fact, you could be doing more damage to your skin then you think.

Moisturizing creams are the most common of these products. A day cream, as long as it's not made for dry skin, can suit most people with normal to combination and slightly dry skin types. A night cream tends to be pretty heavy and isn't really necessary, but if you have dry skin it can do wonders. The main thing to remember is that if you have oily skin, try to avoid anything that's a cream.

A moisturizing fluid is the best way to go when it comes to oily skin. Normal moisturizers are usually oil based because that's what people with dry skin need. If you have oily skin, an oil based product is the last thing you want on your face, but you're skin can often lack the water it needs to be healthy. This is what's called dehydrated skin. To prevent or fix this, a fluid contains very little oil and adds back the water your skin craves.

For dry skin, companies usually release a formula for normal to combination as well as for dry skin. If you have really dry skin, you'll notice your face could feel tight and flakey. If you feel like that, you'd probably benefit from the dry formula.

You can also find gels and balms. Just remember that a gel will usually be water based and better for oily skin, where as a balm will usually be oil based and better for drier skin types. In addition, most of the higher end skin care brands will have a serum. As a rule, they are applied before your moisturizer unless designed differently. Some people believe these products do nothing for your skin, but they're actually made with more active ingredients, which are the ingredients that are actually doing the work and are much more concentrated. While a serum can be a great product to add to your regimen, it's by no means a necessary one.

So why are moisturizers so important? They have many benefits, for example after cleansing your face, you skin can become aggravated with even the gentlest products because it can wash away the natural oils in your skin. Using a moisturizer after restores what you need, calming down any irritation. For oily skinned people, using a mattifying moisturizer can help the keep the natural oils from making your face shiny throughout the day. Many moisturizers can contain SPF, to prevent sun damage, but anything less than 30SPF doesn't really do a whole lot of anything. Also, while nothing can really prevent wrinkles, using the proper moisturizer hydrates and helps keep the elasticity in your skin, which in the long run can hold back the ageing process. Not taking proper care of your skin can speed up the ageing process, so try to keep that in mind next time you're trying to convince yourself to take the time to do it!

If you have any questions leave a comment and I’ll answer them as best I can! If I don’t know the answer, I’ll try my best to hunt it down for you!

Thanks for reading!

- Jinx

Your Skin and How it All Works

More than a few of us have only gone along with what we’ve been told about our skin and how to take care of it. While doing something is better than nothing, your best bet is knowing a little about your skin and how it works.

First off, there are 3 main skin types, which you’ve already got the gist of; normal or combination, oily and dry. Normal or combination skin is probably the most common of the three. It’s normally characterized by oily skin in the T-Zone area with normal or dry skin, if there’s any issue at all. Your T-Zone is around your forehead, down the bridge and sides of the nose, and can continue right down to your chin. Oily skin is normally much oilier and spreads over the whole face, as opposed to just the T-Zone. People with oily skin often have a problem with a shiny finish to their face. They can also have very large pores and be prone to acne. Then there’s dry skin. People often confuse dry skin type with dehydrated skin condition. Dry skin is when your skin lacks sebum (oil). You might notice your skin feels tight or looks dull, but for the most part, it can be handled with a good moisturizer.

Skin type is the way your skin always has and always will be, where as a skin condition is something that can be treated. Now, as with anything, there are MANY skin conditions. So let me clue you in on a few of the most common, in fact some people might not even think of them as “conditions” anymore. While you hear so much about acne, the most common condition is probably dehydration. It’s confused with dry skin because it shows itself in much the same way; tight, flakey, dull looking skin. The difference is that where dry skin lacks oil, dehydrated skin lacks water, so even oily people can have dehydrated skin. Your skin can get dehydrated as easily as not drinking enough water. It can be treated by adding more water to your diet or even just using a good water based moisturizer. Remember, you’re not missing any oil, so stay away from heavy oil based moisturizers, they could break you out.

Speaking of breakouts, acne is probably the most well known. A breakout could be cause by hormones, a bad diet, stress, clogged pores, but it’s most common in oily skin types, because there’s an abundance of oil there. With acne, it’s important to use oil free moisturizers and makeup to avoid breaking out. To treat it, there are HUNDREDS of different products, and it can be frustrating because you’ll have to hunt down thew type of products that will work with your skin, but with time you’ll find products that will work for you! But, we’ll get more into acne and how to handle oily skin in the future.

Another common and commonly unrecognized disorder is Rosacea. This is characterized by sensitive skin, prone to flushing and tiny broken blood vessels. It causes red blotchiness on the cheeks, nose, chin and sometimes the forehead. It can also be followed with oiliness and is more common in more extreme climates. While no one is sure what the cause is, they know that certain things can cause flare ups, like spicy foods, alcohol and heat. Be careful with what you put on your face, wear sun screen, and don’t exfoliate the affected areas of your face. If you’re not careful, rosacea can continue to get worse.

So, I’m willing to bet all you readers with normal skin are feeling pretty lucky right about now! If you’re going to take any information from this entry, because I know it’s pretty dry, just remember to TAKE CARE OF YOUR SKIN! Good skins care in important to manage and even prevent these disorders from happening to you!

If you have any questions about the skin types or disorders, leave a comment and I’ll answer them as best I can! If I don’t know the answer, I’ll try my best to hunt it down for you!

Thanks for reading!

- Jinx

The World of Beauty and it's Cynics

So, it's no secret that the beauty industry has been pegged as shallow and narcisistic for ages now, but have you ever really stopped to think anything more of it? There's a reason, believe it or not, why people in this industry are out painting your toes and putting makeup on your face for a living!

I started my journey through this because I loved makeup. Along the way I've come to realize that there's MUCH more behind it. This industry is about teaching people that we don't need to look like Victoria Beckham or Angelina Jolie. It's about showing people how to make the most of the beauty they already have. It's about bringing out your cheekbones. Accentuating your eyes. Framing your face. Making your skin look like it's glowing from the inside out... If you'd notice "bringing out" "accentuating" "framing", all these words and phrases remind you that we're showcasing what you already have, not envying what you don't.

Now, if this all sounds interesting to you, keep an eye out for my next blog. You never know, you might find hidden beauty you never knew you had!