How to be a Fashionable Pinay (Part 3)

The 2020 fashion essentials series ends with the most fashionable asset that goes with anything – your skin. 

image c/o Freepik.com

 

So, you’re dressed to the nines and accessorised to the hilt supposedly accentuating your fab assets. until you realise that something’s quite amiss … it’s your face – which has totally gone a bit … dull. You’ve totally forgotten that the best polished look is healthy looking skin!

So, here’s an “essential” to-do list to keep you perky and shiny in the right places.

1. UNDERSTAND YOUR SKIN TYPE. This will be the best information you’ll ever need because from here you’d know what will work for you or against you. There are a lot of products out there that will tell you that they are dermatologically tested or contains the latest scientific breakthrough but the best advice will still have to come from your dermatologist. We do, however, have some basic tips to help you get by while waiting for that appointment. You’d need to get a blotting paper for this.

• If your blotting paper gets soaking wet … you got it! You’re oily. This is characterised by profuse sweating and enlarged pores.
• If your skin tends to wrinkle up (crow’s feet, lines under the eyes, and forehead) and may obviously show your laugh lines, your skin may be dry.
• If your t-zone (forehead, nose and chin) is oily and your cheeks dry, then you have combination skin.
• If your skin tends to turn red immediately under the sun or when exposed to free radicals (smoke, dust, pollen etc.) you may have sensitive skin.

       This gives you the information on which product to get to do the next step.

2. ALWAYS CLEANSE, TONE and MOISTURIZE!  Forgetting the triumvirate of skin care is a cardinal sin. Having the right products to clear away the city from your skin, so to speak allows your skin to breath. I’ve been asked a couple of times if the toner is also a cleansing agent and this is what I tell them – the toner is a necessary to bring back your acid mantle – the thin layer of oil that protect the skin from bacteria. Cleansing strips your face of the acid mantle which takes about 20 minutes for the skin to produce once its cleansed. You don’t want to expose your skin to free radicals in that time so don’t risk it. When toned, your skin’s pores “relaxes” and minimises leaving it looking flawless. Moisturising then hydrates the skin to keep it supple and helps in the healthy look when you put your make up.

3. APPLY THE RIGHT AMOUNT OF MAKE-UP. Always remember that less is more. When people see your make-up when they look at you, then it’s an epic fail. Make-up should just enhance your look and bring out your assets and not draw back on your face. There’s a lot of make-up products out there that is just so fun to use but it should be said – if you can’t see your actual skin, then it provides more of a distraction than an actual attraction to your face. Simple things to live by when putting on your make-up:

1. COLOR MATCH – it’s matching your face to your body and not the other way around. Otherwise, you will have a floating head that leave people talking and not admiring. Know your undertones to prevent your skin from turning grey.
2. BLEND. BLEND – this prevents streaks and hard lines from appearing on your face leaving a natural look.
   
   
3. NON-TOUR – powder only on the planes on your face to keep that natural healthy shine. Overly powdering mattifies your face and makes you look more statue than human. More powder dries up your skin and will more likely crack as the day progress.
   
   
4. BUILD AND NOT PACK IT ON. – Start with a thin layer and work from there. It’s easier to add than to erase. Choose a foundation with good coverage and apply dots and buffer it into your skin until it melts into your skin.
   
   
5. HIGHLIGHT AND CONTOUR PROPERLY – I’ve heard somewhere that if your highlight can’t. be seen from the moon, you might not be applying enough. Not when you’re walking under the sun. It would just make your face look too oily. Contour on the other hand creates the right shadows on your face to create the illusion of having chiselled features all the time and not make you look like someone slapped you and left a bruise on your face.

4. HYDRATE. HYDRATE. HYDRATE. – A large percentage of our body is made up of water which allows your bodily functions to operate seamlessly and makes the largest organ of your body looking more supple and healthy. We’re subjected to a lot as we go through our day that depletes our body from the hydration that it needs. So, it’s necessary to replace the water we lost by drinking more than 8 glasses of water.

 

5. EXFOLIATE. – At least once a week for both your face and body. This takes out the dead skin and exposes the newly generated skin that makes you look more flawless. Dead skin makes you look drier and your make-up patchy.

 

6. SLEEP. – it’s the time when your body recuperates, and your skin repairs itself. If you don’t allow your skin to do that, no amount of make-up or cover up will hide the tired look. Dark circles will come out and your skin will appear drier. Lack of sleep is one of the main causes for make-up to not bond properly on your skin.

 

Make up should be “invisible” to showcase the real you and having healthy skin matches any look that you’d like to put together. Do this checklist and you surely will be a fashionable Pinay.