Beauty musts: Skincare and makeup tips and recommendations

The word “natural” never fails to send a sense of comfort to us beauty junkies, especially when skin is involved. So it’s no wonder that Korean company The Face Shop has become a fave among skin savants.

Last month, it celebrated its ten-year run worldwide and the opening of its branch in Shangri-la Mall in Mandaluyong. The brand's tenure in the business is owed to its use of natural ingredients, and many of its skin-saving, beauty-amping products have become must-haves for every kikay. So we’ve enlisted their makeup artist, Marge Apacible, and created an abridged guide to getting the skin of your dreams.

Included are some product recommendations featuring a variety of brands as well as techniques on how to get the most mileage out of your purchases.

The night before

To get maximum results, prepping your skin well before you sleep will do wonders. During slumber, our bodies go into repair hyper drive, fixing the natural damage the environment beats down on us. The body increases melatonin—an organic antioxidant that fights age spots and wrinkles. It also boosts growth hormones that regenerate collagen-producing cells, which keep skin tight and plump. Supplementing your slumber with the right care ritual will aid your skin’s nightly repair process and give you better, brighter skin when you wake.

“Exfoliate, cleanse, then use an intensive mask sheet,” says Marge. “You’ll wake up having the perfect skin condition the morning after.” Cleansing is the holy grail of great-looking skin; not removing your makeup before bed makes it grind up into your pores and eventually clog them up. This leads to blemishes, pimples and blackheads.

Try The Face Shop’s White Jewel White Peeling pack to exfoliate and cleanse; it’s mild enough that it won’t irritate your skin. Follow this up with a ten-minute soak in their 3D Ampoule Mask Sheet with Hyaluronic Acid & Colostrum to stimulate your own collagen production—your skin will look taut and bright the next day.

If you want something more intense, try Shiseido’s White Lucent Power Brightening Mask. It has ion force technology that saturates skin with a generous amount of brightening ingredients.

If you want to scale back though, Tony Moly’s I’m Real Aloe Mask Sheet Moisturizing is a cute wonder sachet. It’s made with aloe vera to moisturize, reverse wrinkles and even fight acne.

To get more out of your mask, try applying a warm compress on your skin (a small towel doused with warm water will do) for five minutes or until the towel cools. The warm temperature will open up your pores, making the mask’s nutrients seep in better.

The right moisturizer

Think of moisturizing as the equivalent of drinking eight glasses of water everyday. It’s the beauty counterpart of keeping hydrated. As we get older, the natural tendency of our skin is to become drier; moisturizers that enable water retention will police this. More moisturizers multitask nowadays, giving you everything on the benefits scale. Look for something that has SPF (for the day), collagen (for women concerned with aging) and a formula that best works with your purpose.

It’s better to use your rich anti-aging creams in the evening rather than applying it first thing in the morning since most hard-core anti-aging products are heavy in consistency. Using a lighter moisturizer (something water-based) in the day won’t affect the makeup you apply.

The H2O Plus Face Oasis Hydrating Treatment is a water-based moisturizer in gel form that deeply moisturizes skin and has marine botanicals for intense hydration. If you have a bigger budget on you, La Mer Crème de La Mer Soft Moisturizing Cream is an airy, fluffly moisturizer that locks in water while brightening you up. It’s an indulgence for sure but its powerful miracle broth (a formula anchored on the benefits of sea kelp) has been proven to improve skin condition in leaps and bounds.

For daytime, you can also try The Face Shop’s Chia Seed Moisture Holding Seed Cream. It’s a gel-like moisturizer that absorbs within seconds, plus the benefits of chia seed in the hydrating department are unmatched.

Trade up

Used to a BB cream? Trade it in for its CC counterpart instead.

The BB cream ("BB" stands for blemish balm) was a breakthrough when it arrived. The miracle blob threatened to do the job of six of your beauty products. Formed to be your moisturizer, primer, sunscreen, skin treatment, concealer, and foundation, the BB cream immediately became the recessionista’s best ally.

Enter the CC cream (or color correcting cream), which is a more refined BB. The CC adds into the mix a color-correcting attribute, usually achieved with light-diffusing particles. The CC therefore makes redness and sallowness a thing of the past!

“The major differences I’ve noticed between a CC cream and a BB cream are the coverage and tone. The CC cream has a lighter texture yet somehow covers skin imperfections flawlessly, giving you a barely-there finish,” says Marge.

After applying a thin veil of your primer (The Face Shop has an ultra-smooth variant called Face It Velvet Skin Primer that feels like silk but weighs like a feather) with a foundation brush, apply the Aura CC Starter with a dense sponge applicator to get an even coverage throughout the face. Blend out areas that need focus with your fingertip—the warmth of your own skin will help blend the product evenly.

If you want more options, Clinique’s Moisture Surge CC Cream with SPF 30 is a very sheer and very light product that leaves a flattering glow across skin.

Chanel’s CC Cream with SPF 30 blends with ease but might leave a faint white cast on olive-skinned women. However, it sure does an immaculate job of evening out your complexion.

Highlight

Most people don’t include highlighters as a major part of their emergency kit, not knowing the many tricks this incredible tool can do.

“Liquid highlighters are the easiest to blend and can cover a larger surface area. It can also be mixed with your moisturizer or with a matte foundation. Used with a moisturizer, it creates a sheer veil of subtle sheen but when used with foundation, it adds depth and dimension to facial contours,” says Marge.

Either way, it’s meant to boost the radiance of lackluster skin. Use highlighters on your cheekbones, nose bridge, brow bone and cupid’s bow. These are the higher planes of the face and highlighting these areas will emphasize your bone structure while adding a flattering glow.

The only thing you should be cautious about liquid highlighters, such as The Face Shop’s Cell Lightening Highlighter Beam, is its tendency to migrate to different parts of the face as compared to its cream counterpart. Make sure to use a primer if you’re opting for this variant so the product stays put.

If you do want a cream version, Benefit Cosmetics’ Watt’s Up is the one to buy. Its mechanical twist up contraption makes storing easy (just retract back when you’re done!) and is absolutely mess free. Its fine flecks of shimmer make it flattering on all skin tones too.

Mary Kay's Facial Highlighting Pen, on the other hand, is a light peach liquid highlighter that is easy to use and carry. The nylon brush tip attached to the pen dispenser makes on-point application possible, plus it spreads smoothly on focal points.

Blush

The trick to applying blush is knowing where to put it and when to pull back. Always apply on the apples of your cheeks upwards towards the area just below your temples. Apply with a round brush and build-up application in thin layers. This method ensures you don’t go overboard with the flush.

Picking the right shade for you is another thing. Best to visit your favorite makeup store and test the shade that goes perfect with your complexion. Peach and coral universally flatter olive skin tones while lighter pink shades look great on fair skinned women.

The Face Shop’s Pastel Cushion Blusher range has a wide array of hues you can choose from. It’s light and a tad creamy, making it look even more natural when applied.

A little shimmer in your blush can enhance glow by a mile. If you’re feeling this, MAC’s Mineralize Blush in Love Thing is an old rose shade fit for Filipinas.

Bobbi Brown’s Shimmer Brick Compact in Bronze offers a five tier color range to let you adjust pigment depending on your mood. This compact also has some fine shimmer to it so a little dusting should do the trick. — BM, GMA News