Smashing Skin

CEBU, Philippines - There’s really only one secret to looking smashing every day and it has everything to do with the largest organ in your body—your skin. From head to foot, we’re covered with skin. Among all the organs in your body your skin is the one that’s most exposed to the elements—the scorching heat of the sun, the smog that we have to walk through and endure in the big city, salty water as we hit the beach. The skin is the first to come into contact with anything. You feel with your skin, but most of all, your skin is the canvass of beauty.

Knowing how to keep this canvass in good condition and knowing how to paint this canvass is crucial when you want to look fab without necessarily busting your budget or killing your precious time. It is for this that chic and confident Cebuanas thanked the heavens when Smashbox Philippines with their chief makeup artist and trainor Lourd Ramos decided to hold the first Smashbox Master Class outside imperial Manila.

It was an afternoon of sheer kikay talk, debunking makeup myths, and getting the tips and tricks straight from the experts. And yes, when it comes to make-up, hands down Smashbox is the expert in bringing make-up from the frou-frous of the runway to the convenience of your everyday routine.

But first things first: Before you open your multi-layer, 365-shade eyeshadow palette and start swiping the perfect shade of blush over the apples of your cheek, you need to know the basics in prepping your skin and making sure that your natural canvass is flawless without the excess layers of concealer and foundation.

Here it is, ladies, the skinny on skin straight from the experts at Smashbox. If you missed the Master Class, here it is right at your fingertips.

Caring for your skin comes in four—not just three—easy steps, according to Lourd, who held our undivided attention during this one of a kind class. To keep your skin at its best condition, the routine simply consists of cleansing, toning, moisturizing, and protecting.

Cleansing the skin means more than just removing the layers of dust and dirt. It is also about detoxifying the skin and making sure you return it to its natural state—sans the makeup, sans the layer of other products you put on as you prep for a long day ahead. The first step in cleansing is studying the condition of your skin. Next, choose the kind of cleanser that’s best for your skin. If a previous cleanser you’ve been using proves to irritate your skin, ditch it stat.

Before you touch your skin, keep your hands germ- and dirt-free by washing it thoroughly. Wipe off the dirt and the dust by sweeping cleanser over your skin in a clean, smooth butterfly stroke—from the base of the T-zone (bridge of your nose), over the eyebrows, gliding over the cheek, and completing the butterfly wing by tracing the area near your jaw line and ending on your chin. You can repeat this process on the other side of your face.

Also, keep a great facial wash on hand and part of your daily routine. You should never be too exhausted to cleanse your face every day. And I mean every single day!

If you tend to put on eye makeup like eye shadow and mascara, do not rub these off. Remove eye shadow with cleanser or eye makeup remover in gentle downward strokes. Remove mascara with a Q-tip dipped in cleanser or oil (only use oil for long lasting mascara. As much as possible, skip oil because it has the tendency to cause wrinkles and to irritate) and gently run the Q-tip down the length of the lashes until the mascara is off.

Toning is one of the most neglected steps in maintaining great skin because many of us believe that cleansing alone in enough. Toning is about as important as cleansing precisely because toning removes any residual dirt on the face and it prepares the face for moisturizing by restoring the skin’s pH level or natural level of acidity.

Your tools of trade here are naturally the toner and the cotton ball or cotton square. When toning, do it in upward and outward strokes, against the pull of gravity. When toning, skip the eyes and the lips.

Moisturizing, the third step is about keeping the skin hydrated and restoring the skin’s natural moisture hence giving you back that youthful au natural look. Your hands should be clean as you moisturize. Follow the same butterfly stroke as you apply moisturizer, use just enough moisturizer lest you run the risk of clogging your pores and irritating the skin.

Moisturizer is perhaps one of the most misunderstood products which is why some women shun it. The common thought is that moisturizer feels heavy on the skin but really, you do not need to slather your skin with dollops of moisturizer just to make it work. All you need is a pea-sized amount. 

Take note that one kind of moisturizer does not apply to all skin types. Choosing the wrong type of moisturizer can result to breakouts (skin disaster, ladies!). If your skin is naturally oily or acne-prone, take great care to choose a moisturizer that’s oil-free or one that doesn’t have added oils that intensify the greasiness of the skin. this may only clog your pores and encourage acne breakouts. In choosing your moisturizer, read the labels carefully and choose one with exfoliating ingredients like salicylic acid that encourage the regeneration of new skin.

The final step is protecting the skin. Sunlight may activate Vitamin D in the skin but too much can fast track the aging process by damaging and darkening the skin, causing wrinkles, fine lines, and dark spots to appear in the most unlikely places. Protect the skin by choosing products with SPF or sun protection factor that keeps the skin from sizzling under the sun for a certain period of time depending on the SPF level.

Add – ons

For those of us who prefer to step out into the world with a least some light make-up on, it pays to make sure that on top of already great skin is an equally great foundation. This is optional however, as to provide a base for your make-up, you can easily use tinted moisturizer for an even lighter feeling.

One tip in creating a smooth and seamless foundation application is to use photo finish foundation primer to correct any discolorations and zap any signs of imperfections. There is also a special primer that you can use on the lids to really make eye shadow color pop.

Prepping the skin is about the most important thing in the prettification process so it’s one that should be fit into your daily routine. After all, with great skin comes great responsibility. ?