If you were born with lovely skin, consider yourself lucky coz for some of us perfect skin can only be a dream; we cannot undo this'curse' coz no potions or lotions will ever change the genetics of our skin. But what we can do is be our own skin expert & design a daily regimen of face care to maintain/enhance our skin [or whatever is left of it;)]. Regular face & body care is also necessary to prevent premature aging, however face care does becomes difficult coz the face is the most exposed part of the body which has to bear the harsh sun's rays, dirt/grime; causing conditions like acne, rashes or other allergic reactions.
For our face skin care, we need to follow just a simple regime on a daily basis every morning [and if possible at night]. With new creams and ingredients being launched every day, it's easy to get confused by all the options. And unless you're willing to spend hours on your skin care routine every day by incorporating all of these different lotions, you'll need to pick n choose which basics are right for you. Here are the bare minimum five products you need - cleanser, toner, moisture, sun block, eye cream:
Cleanse: your skin with a face care product that is reliable, matches your face skin type. Start by cleansing dry or sensitive skin with a gentle, non-stripping gel cleanser. If you have oily, acne-prone skin, find a gentle cleanser that's made specifically for your skin type & follow with a non-alcoholic toner. Try the alpha-hydroxy acids(AHAs) products coz they work well to help smooth the skin's texture. Whilst cleansing pay special attention to the'T'-zone - nose, forehead & cheeks - as dead skin cells tend to cling to the sebum produced by oil glands in these areas.
Ones to Try: Synergie's gentle cleansing milk - cleanses & tones [Rs. 66], Nivea Visage cleansing milk - with Provitamin b5, suitable for all skin types [Rs. 60], Synergie's Deep Pore cleansing Facewash - Anti bacterial & Alcohol free [Rs. 69]
Tone your skin to neutralize it so it will accept all other face care products to enhance the texture. Some cleansers [like the one mentioned above] also tone at the sametime so it's not necessary to buy a separate toner.
Ones to Try: Synergie's Clean Feel Toner - pure fruit waters [Rs. 50]
Do the dew: use a rich moisturizer that absorbs completely into your skin to nourish, firm & minimize dull looking skin or lines. At night, use an even heavier moisturizing cream. Get the most out of moisturisers by applying them to damp skin, to ensure maximum absorption. If you have any extremely dry spots, apply an AHA lotion on those areas. Try to remember sun block protection should be an ingredient in your moisturizer face care product. When you moisturize make sure that you don't neglect the neck, as skin here gets old before other parts of the body. Apply creamy lotion in upward motion & even when you moisturise, also wear sunscreen when you go out.
Ones to Try: Lakme Maximum Moisturiser with peach milk, Garnier's Essential moisturiser Rs.70
Block the sun: make friends with the sunscreen lotion & don't ever go out in the sun with it. Sun damage will speed up the aging process. With a sunscreen you can not only turn back the signs of time & sun damage but also lower the risk of developing skin cancer. If you use only one product, sunscreen should be it.
Ones to Try: Lakme Sunscreen Lotion TPI 70 With Alpine Mint [Rs. 84], Avon's UV sunscreen [Rs. 75]
Eye cream: The skin under your eyes is more delicate & dry than the skin on the rest of your face. It's wise to invest in an eye cream, which treats the eye area with more moisturizers. Some eye creams even claim to minimize dark circles and temporarily tighten fine lines. Nourish your eyes with a face care product that will diminish fine lines around the delicate skin around the eyes & reduce puffiness. Keep your eyecream in the fridge for a more soothing n refreshing feeling.
Ones to Try: Avon's soothing eye gel [Rs. 120]
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Rekh's Face Care Tips:
Treat yourself to some basic beauty routines that'll keep you looking and feeling fantastic all day long - all in the comfort of your own home.
CLEANSE' your face every night - Don't wear your makeup to bed as left on overnight can clog pores & lead to acne. No matter how tired you are or what method you use - just make sure to cleanse without fail & remove your makeup thoroughly with a compatible skin-type face care product. This has been made so easy with the all ready cleansers available that just do the needful with the swipe of a cotton ball. Make use of the eye makeup remover too.
Summer wash: With this killing heat & pollution our skin undergoes undue torture hence the skin requires frequent washing & more face care attention in the summer. On days when you really need to exfoliate, use a gentle, grainy scrub(try Avon's apricot scrub Rs:110). If you've got oily skin, you'll want to exfoliate twice weekly, concentrating on blackhead-prone areas like the nose & chin. One must be careful to be gentle when using a scrub as overdoing it may cause breakouts/broken capillaries in your skin. Also try the enriching moisturising face masks available in creams or clay; to revitalise & improve skin texture [Avon's milk n honey hydrating mask Rs. 135, oriflames creamy clay mask Rs. 130]
Keep your hands away!: When we cannot keep our hands away from our face; without even realizing it, we maybe adding oil or dirt particles to our skin. Most common habit would be to pull on our eyelashes or rub our chin or poke at our zits! This may lead to scarring & the spread of infection.
AHA!: Use products that have alpha-hydroxy-acids even though they won't remove the deep scars & flaws; some of these help to reduce rough, dry surface skin & can prevent aging. If suitable to your skin these can work wonders & aren't just hope in a bottle.
Retinols: really work! be it wrinkles, acne or pigmentation spots, a face cream with retinol can help. After years of suffering from acne, I could get rid of them with RetinoA. However, care should be taken while using this as it can cause irritation to fair sensitive skin. Retinos should be used in night-time for maximum advantage.
Shake up Make up?: Please keep away your foundations, mascaras, eyeshadows for special occassion, given the humidity in Bombay these should not be worn everyday [unless you wanna end up looking patchy n pathetic]. A day makeup should be only a dash of eyeliner & of course Lipstick; for the instant brighter & pinker perk to dulling complexions. A proper shades of lip color(warm/cool/neutral) will perk up your face considerably and make you look more alive, even on a dull day/night. [my above lipstick dominated foto was clicked at 1.30am, lolz]
Love your raybans: wearing sunglasses will really keep your eyes looking younger. Invest in a pair you'll love to put on & carry them everywhere!
Eat healthy: a well-balanced diet of vitamins A, C, E [antioxidants] & if possible a multivitamin - can help reduce sun damage & fight certain cancers, including skin cancer. If you want beautiful skin, avoid crash diets as they rob the skin of vital nutrients.
contd.as usual in comments;)
