Getting to know your skin

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You will need to know your skin in order to be able to choose the regimen and products that are best for you. Ask yourself a few questions to determine your skincare regimen. There are many different products on the market right now and it makes it hard to determine which one is best for you. Knowing your skin will help guide you to the right products. 

• Skin Type
• Are you sensitive
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Skin type

There are several different products on the market. There is a customizable regimen based on skin type.

If you have oily skin, you will need an oil control,  oil free regimen. Does your makeup slide off? Do you see a shine? Are you oily in certain areas or everywhere? Oily skin can also lead to acne or enlarged pores.

You skin will feel flaky, uncomfortable and tight if your skin is dry.

How does you skin feel throughout the day before and after washing your face. Your skin is dry If you have tight skin before washing your face. Gently push your cheeks up with your index finger. Do you see soft lines forming? Those soft lines are due to lack of hydration.  Your skin is thirsty and needs water. Dry skin can cause premature lines. If you notice flakiness, the your skin is extremely dry. 

Combination skin is when you have a combination of both. Sometimes you are more dry than oily or vice versa.  When I am feeling both, I like to use a cleanser that will address my oily skin and a hydrating moisturizer to help soothe my dry skin.

Sensitive

Do you have redness irritation? You might want to look for fragrance free and alcohol free products if your skin has irritation.  Sometimes people are allergic to certain ingredients and that will cause an reaction if you use any product with that ingredient.  The product could  be fragrance free and made for sensitive skin but it will cause irritation if it contains the ingredient you're sensitive to. Be sure to work with your dermatologist to determine what ingredients you're allergic to and read the ingredient list thoroughly to make sure the product doesn't have that ingredient 

It COSMETICS has a great skincare line for those with sensitive skin. It's hypoallergenic and developed by plastic surgeons. They have a great skincare line. People usually know them for their makeup but then makeup also has great skincare benefits as well. I love the confidence in a jar moisturizer.  My skin feels so smooth afterwards.  It's a thick, rich texture that feels so great on my skin. Your collagen will be improved and it will help build your skin's moisture barrier. It COSMETICS has a soothing moisturizer If redness is a concern. It helps soothes redness and is great for those with sensitive, dry skin.

Concerns

What are you concerns? Do you have acne? There are treatments for acne prone skin. Do you have redness or rosacea? Clinique has a redness solutions like to soothe rosacea.

What are you concerns in terms of aging. Do you have dark spots,  saggy skin or lines? There are targeted skin care solutions for anti aging.  Do you have more than one concern or a just one specific concern you want to address the most? 

Dull Skin

You are lacking radiance and your face lacks energy. This can usually be due to loss of sleep. Lack of radiance in your skin can lead to premature aging. 

Goals

What would you like to achieve with your skin care regimen? Do you want smooth, soft skin and improve your texture. 

What do you want to improve? Do you want your lines to be less prominent? Do you need your dark spots to fade? Do you want an all over smooth skin texture? 

Each skin care line addresses certain goals. The targeted treatment are formulated to repair certain damages to your skin when you need a more intensive repair. 

For example, the Lancome Visionnaire helps address the texture of the skin such as pores, lines and skin texture. They have a line of serums, face creams and moisturizers as a whole skin care regimen 

If you need a more transformative, all in one repair Lancome has the absolu serum that will deeply repair and nourish your skin. 

Time available 

How much time are you willing to put in your skin care every day? This is important because you need to be consistent in order to achieve results. Are you willing to take three or more steps in your everyday skincare? You are not going to lose weight by running a mile for just one day and not do it again. You have to build yourself up and run consistently for three months to see a major difference. You must be consistent to maintain your health once you reach your goal. This is the same for skincare. Are you willing to commit to several steps to reach your goal or is an all in one repair more suited for you?

Your environment 

What is your every day environment? Are you outside in the sun all day or is your exposure to the sun minimal? You do need some kind of protection from the sun whether your in the sun all day or just a couple of hours. The level of sun protection depends on your environment. 

Your skin type will change as well based on the environment and the seasons. You will be more oily during the summer and drier than the winter time. You will find yourself needing to change your skincare when your skin changes with the seasons and environment. 

What products are you not willing to give up?

Everyone has there favorite products that they are loyal to and are not willing to give up. Do you have that favorite cleanser that you enjoy. Great! Keep on using that cleanser and add in a toner to work on your goal. 

Skin Type Dry Regimen: 

Your skin is tight, flaky and uncomfortable after washing your face. You want to minimize the hot showers and use more gentler face scrub and creamier texture in your moisturizers and cleansers.

• Hydrating Cleanser
• Hydrating face scrub * 1 or two times a week
• Hydrating Toner
• Serum that also hydrates
• Eye cream
• Face cream
• Face oils
• Sunscreen
• Hyaluronic acid*

Skin Type Oily: Your skin complexion is shiny, you might have more prominent oils, dirt that could enlarge your pores and cause excess build up of dirty and oils.

• Oil Control- Gel like cleanser
• Oil Control Face Scrub
• Oil Control Toner
• Glycolic Acid*
• Serum
•  Moisturizer Gel / mattifying moisturizer
• Eye gel

Your skin still needs hydration but it needs to be lightweight. Your skin will overcompensate if not properly hydrated and produce excess oil. 

*These are add on steps that help treat certain concerns and only use when needed. 

Skin Type Combination: 

You skin is both oily/dry in some areas. You need to think where your skin is oily and where your skin is dry and use a face mask to utilize those concerns as a spot treatment. In this case I like to mix up my routine with an oily free cleanser, use a serum to address my main concern such as dark spots, lines/wrinkles. I than like to use a moisturizer that's thick in my dry area and tap in a lightweight gel where I am oily. Most companies usually have their products with normal skin with the blue color. Clinique has four skin types: Oily, oily combination, dry, dry combination. Dry combination is when you feel more dry than oily and you have flakiness in some areas. Combination Oily is when you are more oily some areas but comfortable everywhere else. 

Sensitive Skin: Avoid certain ingredients such as fragrance and alcohol

• Usually fragrance is the first ingredient list
• The ingredients are usually alphabetical order
• Foreo Luna 3 for sensitive skin
• Gentle Cleanser
• Alcohol Free toner
• Gentle serum: Lancome antioxidant serum
• Moisturizer: Tatcha moisturizer is great for sensitive skin, It cosmetic redness moisturizer, 

What do you love about your skin?

Tell me, what do you love about yourself? Beauty consultants usually ask what you don't like about yourself or what you want to change about your skin. I want to end on a more positive note. You can use skincare to enhance your best parts of your face. I like to add a little dab of oil on the top of my cheeks to bring out my glow even more.

What did you learn about your skin today? 

Other good readings:

1. Clinique three step
2. Night skin regimen

  

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