5 Simple Changes That Will Improve Your Beauty Routine

Many of us have our beauty routines set so that we have a system that allows us to efficiently get ready in the morning and get ready for bed at night.  However, there are a few non-obvious measures we can take to tweak our beauty routines in minor ways that produce huge results:

1.  Moisturize right within a minute of washing.
Apply a healthy moisturizer like the Hempz Age Defying Herbal Body Moisturizer ($25 at Ulta) IMMEDIATELY (within the first 2 minutes after cleansing is ideal) after washing your face or your body to most effectively hydrate your skin.  Moisturizers work by trapping moisture from the air into your skin.  Plus, the water will allow for a smoother moisturizer application...it will be easier to rub into your skin, it will feel less greasy, and you will end up needing to use less lotion.  Keep your lotion in your shower/next to the shower so that it's handy as soon as you're done washing. 

2.  Wash your hair at night instead of in the morning. 
This revision in your beauty routine can actually improve the appearance of your skin.  Going to sleep with greasy, dirty hair that contains products like hair spray, mousse, etc. can allow that stuff to get all over your skin (or get all over your pillowcase and then your skin) while your snooze.  All of that gunk can clog your pores during the crucial time of repair and recovery that occurs when you are asleep, which can lead to break outs.  Since your hair is also likely to be filled with aging pollutants that tag along as you go through the day, it is also important to keep them from migrating onto your skin.  Wash them off to help ward off premature signs of aging.  And don't forget to follow up each hair wash with a face wash.  Many shampoos and conditioners contain harsh detergents that can strip your skin of good natural oils as well as lipids (that give products that thick consistency) that can clog your pores.  Make sure you clean all of traces of those products off of your face to prevent dryness and/or breakouts.

3.  Use a moist egg-shaped sponge to apply your foundation.
I've only recently started using an egg-shaped sponge to apply my foundation (where have I been all this time?).  It honestly makes my foundation look great!  In general, I prefer sponges over brushes (which sometimes leave streak marks) and your fingers because it's easier to blend everything together in way that doesn't appear too thick on your skin.  Plus the egg shape of egg shaped sponges really allow you to get all the hard to reach areas of the face like around the nose and under the eyes.  I bought the Ulta Super Blender Sponge ($5 at Ulta).  I must say that it certainly makes my foundation look so light and natural on my face.  Wet it and then squeeze out the excess water before dipping it into your favorite foundation, BB/CC/DD cream, tinted moisturizer, powder, etc.  This will keep the foundation on your skin rather than in your sponge as well as give you that even, airbrushed finish.  

4.  Exfoliate regularly.
Two to three times per week swap your night face cleanser for a cleansing facial scrub (make sure that it will cleanse your skin as well as exfoliate) like the JUARA Rice Facial Scrub ($29 on skinstore.com), and trade your body wash for a body scrub like the 100% Pure Pink Grapefruit Body Scrub ($25 at Ulta).  Or simply, wash your face with a facial brush using your regular cleanser 2-3 times per week.  Overall, this simple step will give your skin a radiant glow.  In addition, exfoliating will improve the efficacy of both your makeup and your skincare:   

• Dark spots, hyper pigmentation, and scarring will fade faster.
• There will be fewer dead skin cells to clog your pores and cause breakouts.
• You will have a smoother canvas on which to apply your makeup.  It will go on more easily and stay on for longer.
• Your skincare products will work better.  Moisturizers and serums won't have dead skins cells standing in their way of penetrating your skin.

Be careful not to overexfoliate because that can irritate your skin, damage your skin cells, and overstrip your skin of good, natural oils.

5.  Do your face makeup after your eye makeup.
It's common to apply foundation, concealer, and powder before applying your eye makeup.  However, when we apply our eye makeup, we often find ourselves smudging, leaving specks of shadow under our eyes and on our cheeks, etc.  Rather than having to clean it up and then touch up your face makeup, put your eye makeup on first.  It saves you a clean up and looks way neater...putting undereye concealer on after eyeshadow really masks any traces of eye makeup that may have fallen onto your face during the application process and makes your eyes look brighter.  We also tend to rest our hands against our cheeks when applying eyeliner or eyeshadow, which can botch up your foundation.  

What's great about these suggested modifications to your routine?  They don't require you to spend more time or money on looking and feeling fabulous.  It's simply a matter of rethinking beauty rituals that most likely already exist in your day. 

Are you a part of the BB bandwagon or CC crew?

Beauty for Life wouldn't be a beauty blog without at least 1 post about BB and CC cremes.  So here it is:

If you haven't heard, BB's have been the latest buzz in beauty within the past few years. Although they've been around in Asia for a while, they made it over to the Western world around 2 years ago.  Companies ranging from Palmer's to Chanel have branched out to make these facial products.  Overall, they offer a few more benefits than tinted moisturizers do.  Like tinted moisturizers, BB's and CC's are hydrating and may provide SPF protection. How are they different?  First, BB's and CC's provide a slightly heavier coverage than a tinted moisturizer, which offers a sheerer coverage.  They also combine multiple skincare products - moisturizer (hydrates), primer (protects and smoothes), serum (repairs and protects, foundation (blurs imperfections and evens skin tone) - into one, easy step.  

The amount of coverage as well as the finish (dewy, matte, natural, satin, etc.) will vary based on a brand and/or product.  In addition, both the number and types of skin benefits such as anti-oxidant protection or radiance boosting, which you would get from a serum, will vary by brand and/or product. For example, the REN Satin Perfection BB Cream Sunscreen ($38 at Sephora) has photo-rejuvenation technology to diminish the look of fine lines, while the Dr. Brandt CC Glow Broad Spectrum SPF 30 ($39 at Sephora) has brightening ruby crystal complex and vitamin C. 

Then, how are BB's different than CC's?  Essentially, BB or beauty/blemish balm, and CC or complexion correcting creams are very similar.  The only differences are, compared to BB's, the focus of CC's are on color correction for issues like redness or dark spots, meaning that they often have slightly heavier coverage, a lighter feel, and contain more vitamin C than BB's.  On the other hand, BB's have a little bit of a lighter coverage and generally have the advantage when it comes to antioxidants and age-slowing ingredients.

Here are some of my recommendations broken out by skin type.  Just FYI all of these products are toxin-free and are formulated with physical sunblocks.

Unfortunately, there aren't a ton of healthy BB's and CC's on drugstore shelves currently.  The ones that I do really like are the Physicians Formula Super BB All-In-1 Beauty Balm Cream SPF 30 ($15 at Ulta) and the oil-free Maybelline Dream Fresh BB 8-In-1 Beauty Balm Skin Perfector SPF 30 ($9 at Ulta).  For a CC cream, try the Yes to Grapefruit Correct & Repair CC Cream SPF 18 ($16 at Ulta).  

Recently, some new types of CC products have launched on the market:

• Try a BB in powder form with the Physicians Formula Super BB All-in-1 Beauty Balm Powder ($14 at Ulta) or in a creamy compact with the Too Faced Air Buffed BB Creme Complete Coverage Makeup Broad Spectrum SPF 20 Sunscreen ($39 at Sephora)

• Try a creamy compact CC with the  Dr. Jart+ CC Essence Balm ($42 at Sephora), Perfekt Skin Protection CC Creme SPF 30 ($42 at Sephora), or the Amore Pacific Color Control Cushion Compact ($60 at Sephora)

In addition, BB/CC's have been branching out to other products besides just creams.  Tarte makes a BB Tinted Treatment 12-Hour Primer Broad Spectrum SPF 30 Sunscreen ($34 at Sephora), and Physicians Formula makes a Super BB All-In-1 Beauty Balm Concealer ($14 at Ulta). One thing to watch out for is the use of the terms, "BB" or "CC."  Usually, when we throw these terms around, they refer to a tinted facial moisturizer product.  However, sometimes these terms are slapped on products to describe their complexion correcting benefits even though they may not actually be providing coverage.  For example, the Ole Henriksen Perfect Truth CC Eye Cream is a sheer cream that simply eliminates dark circles under the eye area.  So make sure the label says pigmented!

I think that BB/CC creams are a must-have for every girl.  Why?  Well, moisturizers with SPF are a must in the mornings.  For those of you, who use foundation on top, a CC will combine the moisture and coverage steps into one.  For those of you, who don't wear facial makeup, replace your regular moisturizer with a BB.  Just make sure that like with all sun protective creams, you apply an adequate amount.  BB/CC's are often healthier for your skin (allow it to breathe and offer protective benefits) and easier to apply (no brush or sponge necessary).  Plus, a hint of color never hurts!  

Personally, I opt for a BB for daily wear and foundation for special occasions because even though BB's offer good coverage, I find that they still don't cover as well as a traditional foundation.  And hey!  I don't forget about tinted moisturizers.  They're great for layering under foundation or as a light-weight moisturizers with sheer coverage on a hot day.

In the end, by merging the worlds of skincare and makeup together, BB/CC's are a part of the recent growing trend of makeup that's good for your skin.  And watch out!  DD's, which stands for dynamic do-all, are coming next with even more benefits in 1 tube.  By combining the anti-oxidant power of BB's and the color correction of CC's and adding even more powerful anti-aging technologies, they bring you the best of both worlds.  Brands like Dermadoctor ($38 at Sephora) and Pur Minerals ($35 at Ulta) already produce a DD cremes.

Are you a BB, CC, or DD kind of gal?