Momma told me to always get along with others, stay within the speed limit and never go to bed at night without washing your face. Although all solid advice, I completely ignored the first two. I did, however, cling dearly to the third and can count on one hand the number of times I fell into bed without scrubbing my face. Good skincare helps you look your best in photographs.
You wouldn’t think that caring for your skin had anything to do with photography, but it does.
I often find I “smooth” people’s skin to cover unwanted blemishes and lines at their request. These are the first things you notice when looking at a face in a picture. I gently erase the offending spots so the eyes and expression are where you put your focus. Some of these offenders can be avoided with a good skincare routine.
It’s never too late to begin caring for your skin or upping your skincare game. In fact, I believe this is something you owe to yourself, whether man, woman or child. It shouldn’t take more than five or six minutes to wash away the grunge of the day and slather on protective healing to replenish the water loss. Your skin loses the protective layer of oil at night so moisturizing helps rebuild and repair cells while you sleep.
Besides protecting your skin from the sun, and that goes without saying, getting into a night time routine gives your complexion a well-earned R&R. Your skin is the largest organ in the body and needs attention to look your best in photographs.
- Start off with a good cleanser, preferably organic, or without harsh chemicals — Cleanse twice, once to remove surface dirt, and second to cleanse pores.
- Exfoliate a few times a week — You can buy cleansers with small smooth beads to massage into your skin and remove the dead skin. I prefer a battery operated exfoliator with a rough pad by Neutrogena. It does a more thorough jobs of removing any build up. Don’t exfoliate more that a few time each week, or you risk damaging the deeper layers.
- Don’t neglect the neck, décolletage, and hands – they are all skin which means they will lose collagen and elastin as you age. Your face covers all the territory from you boobs to your hairline.
- Moisture morning and night — Choose a lighter day time moisturizers that contains SPF to protect from the sun. Moisturizing at night is vital for healthy skin and your moisturizer should be a richer, thicker one to heal and rebuild. And yes, you need both.
- Relax with a facial — At least once a week I slather on a good organic facial and leave it on for 10 or 20 minutes depending on how much time I have. Sometimes I take a few minutes to rest, and other times I carry on with my tasks. Either way, take the time for this little luxury.
- Use a good eye cream — Under eye areas are thinner, fragile skin so a lightweight cream is best to avoid dragging and tugging on this sensitive area.
- A toner is a bonus — Many people skip this step, but I don’t. A toner balances the PH in your skin and helps to absorb the moisturizers more efficiently.
Try this routine for a week or so and I dare you to tell me you don’t notice a difference. It’s one more step to look your best in photographs.