How to get perfectly prepped skin

It’s no secret that a flawless make-up look needs a clean, primed and prepped base that not only will give an airbrushed outcome, but will also keep your products in place for hours.  It’s said that a combination of different products in different areas of the face should be used to best suit each different skin type. This includes the eyes, lips, face and eyebrows, so follow this advice to create a faultless base that’s perfect for any make-up look.

The first step is to gently exfoliate; this removes dead and dying skin cells from the face, resulting in the new and fresh skin cells beneath being revealed. The exfoliation also helps to invigorate the skin and promote circulation. Opt for an exfoliator which has natural beads within the product, such as sugar, to reduce plastic wastage.

The skin must then be moisturised. This is the most important step to add moisture back into the skin. It will stop dryness and in effect break outs, which can be caused by the skin becoming irritated due to dryness. It is recommended to massage your moisturiser into your face for around 15 minutes. Once again this promotes circulation and causes skin cells to become awakened, resulting in a fresh, supple feeling.

This is where the steps become much more interesting; when you would usually now apply your make-up, this stage requires some extra care. Once the moisturiser has fully absorbed into the skin, take 1-2 drops of your favorite facial oil on to the skin and follow with another massage – this time only five minutes long. This adds extra moisture into the skin and hydrates the whole face. Of course skin types vary, so if you have very oily skin, just use this step during your nighttime routine.

Now you have fully cleansed, hydrated and awakened your face, it’s time to concentrate on other areas. This is a great time to invigorate your lips with a lip scrub – just mix a teaspoon of honey with a sprinkle of sugar and scrub the lips for 30 seconds, rinse and follow with a balm. This step creates a smooth base for lipstick and also improves plumpness.

A step, which many people forget, is eye cream. This is necessary for all skin types and is crucial to caring for under-eye skin health. The skin around the eyes is much thinner and more delicate, so an eye cream will act as a barrier against dryness and wrinkles.

Lastly, a primer and illuminator are the finishing touches to fully pepped skin. A primer is your saving grace when it comes to long days that require make-up to stay on, so opt for one which has no silicon. The other use of a primer is to fill pores and blur fine lines; this is where the airbrushed look comes from. Concentrate the primer in the T-zone, which is where pores are most visible.

To get that natural glow from within, add a small amount of illuminator to your face before foundation. It gives a soft glow to the face that emulates a more natural and dewy look.

Don’t hesitate to take a few minutes out of the day to fully prep your skin. You wont regret the results.

Holly Godfrey