These tips might have been obvious to everyone else but these a few simple things that are a part of my beauty routine that work me. I have picked these up along the way through magazine articles, Youtube videos and sometimes were just trial and error. So I decided to put them all down in black and white for other people to benefit from.
Only conditioning the ends of your hair. Through my teens and early twenties I defintely went through the oily phase and this wasn’t helped by liberally applying conditioner from root to tip. Your roots get natural moisture as they grow out from your scalp. The lengths are the driest part of your hair because the longer your hair gets the less natural moisture it gets so this is where conditioner comes in. If you apply from the mid shaft down then you can keep your hair looking healthy for longer. Applying a conditioner to your roots can make them get oilier a lot quicker and weigh your hair down. Obviously this depends on your type of hair but I think it is a good general rule to go by. It is also good to note that nothing can bring dead hair back to life so regular visits to the hair dresser are a must!
Rinse conditioner out with cool water. The cool water will seal the folicles in your hair which will lock in all the good stuff that you have just let sit in you hair for the past couple of minutes. I find it also gives my hair a little extra shine. I won’t lie, this is a bit of a tough one to do in winter but it does work.
Leave your shampoo in for a minute or so. This one was a somewhat new to my routine and it seems to be a bit of a game changer for me. It is always recommended to leave your conditioner in for a few minutes but shampoo you lather and rinse straight away. But if you think about it, if you want your shampoo to do what it says on the tin then you need to let the ingredients have some time to do their job.
If you have used lots of product in your hair, shampoo until the product lathers properly. Have you noticed that sometimes you start working your shampoo through your hair and it doesn’t foam properly? Instead it has more watery consistency. This is because the shampoo is breaking down the build up of product (mousse, hairspray, etc.) in your hair. If you rinse your hair and reapply the shampoo, you will see that a stronger lather starts to build meaning that the shampoo is now cleaining your hair properly.
Use your shampoo for the effect you want to have on your roots and a conditioner to suit the length of your hair. Am I the only one who would walk into Clicks and buy a shampoo and conditioner pair without thinking further? When I actually thought about it, I have always bought hydrating hair products and found my roots to be weighed down and a bit lifeless. Then the penny dropped and realised that if I wanted lift at the roots then I need to be use a volumising formula. I have thick-ish hair so I don’t need volume in the lengths of my hair so I stick to my shine boosting conditioners and I don’t think my hair has ever been happier!
When cleansing your face, massage for about a minute. Giving your face a light massage helps improve your blood flow which assists in repairing imperfections and evening your skin tone.
Use a facial oil before your moisturiser. If you are apply the moisturiser first, the larger oil molecules can’t penetrate through to the skin and do the job you want it to do.
Don’t suck all the moisture out of oily skin. If you have oily skin, don’t strip all the natural moisture from it with harsh products. If you do this then your skin tends to produce more oil to compensate for this causing break outs and irritated skin. Looking back this was probably a problem of mine during high school. I have noticed that since I have started using more moisturing (not instense moisturising) creams and/or cleansers then I used to and my skin has calmed down a lot. I do still get the occassionally break out but that can be attributed to bad eating or hormones.
Use sun protection. I stayed away from this for a long time as I always found sunscreens to be sticky or greasy. Then I discovered the world of facial sunscreens and started using the Eucerin sunscreen for oily/combo skin and it works like a dream. It is so important to protect your skin from the sun’s effects and if you find one that works for your skin then there is no excuse.
Use a damp sponge and loose powder to set your under eye. This trick was a revelation for me, I have some fine lines under my eyes and any concealer I have ever used has creased. By using the damp sponge, it seems to melt the powder into the skin and the concealer doesn’t budge!
Use a tissue to remove the excess moisture from your foundation. If I want my make up to last all day I apply my foundation, wait a minute or so and then use a single layer of tissue and blot my face. This is also great if you have oily skin to help extend the life of your makeup.
Use a wet brush to get more intense colour payoff from your metallic or shimmery shadows. This is a more commonly known one but I thought I would include it as it is useful. When you want your eye look to have a bit more “wow factor”, using a wet brush will amp up the pigmentation of your metallic shades. The shadows will have more of a vibrant sheen and that extra colour payoff is very satisfying.
I hope you found some useful tips that can help you improve your beauty routine! What are your favourite beauty tips?
Christy Bronwyn 