Cosmetic and skin-care companies tell us that they’ve got the answer. They have that special ingredient, the secret formula that will make our skin younger, firmer, clearer, and more radiant than we’ve ever dreamed. And, of course, we want to believe it, so we buy the product. It doesn’t work, so we go on to the next company and we buy some more. We are spending our money on yet another attempt at skin perfection. Yes, those marketers know how to push our beauty and vanity buttons so very well.
Your skin should be your first beauty priority because it’s the canvas for the rest of your looks. Your makeup, no matter how expensive, can’t possibly look good on neglected, abused skin. Your skin is cost-effective. Take care of it, and you’ll end up spending less on corrective products like concealers, clarifiers, and the like.
The water content in moisturizers do somewhat help replenish some moisture, but it cannot penetrate the lower layers.
Don’t spend a lot on a moisturizer. They’re pretty much all the same. If you’re looking for extra moisture, don’t pay for vitamin E-added products, add your own. Take a vitamin E capsule (1,000 units), puncture it with a safety pin, and add it to a thumb-sized dollop of moisturizer. Vitamin E contains properties to help heal scar tissue and neutralize damaging free radicals. It’s known as the skin vitamin. Mixing it fresh gives the product more potency.
Do the same with vitamins C and A.
Vitamin C is essential to the formation of collagen, and has been proven to protect the skin as well as fade age spots. Vitamin C also shrinks pores by helping oil-secreting glands function properly.
Vitamin A regulates skin hydration and repairs skin. It stimulates the growth of new skin cells and helps with acne.
All are available in capsules so that they can be mixed easily.
Use these added elements at night—they are not for day use. During the day, you want your moisturizer to stay on top of the skin. This keeps your makeup on top of your skin and stops it from sinking into your pores.
Give your face a treatment each time you moisturize. Tap your moisturizer into your skin. Never pull or rub. Tap up and down your face. Pressure tap under the eye area.