Honestly, I wanted to name this post, "Things I Hear That Make Me Say Whaaaa!" but that would have been confusing. As a follow up to one of my most popular posts,
Concealer Pound Fail, I find it absolutely necessary to briefly discuss a few things I hear regularly that are detrimental to a beauty girls' ears.
What I love most about my career as a makeup artist is the opportunity to chit chat about all things beauty. Below are the top 7 things I hear in conversation often that can create unnecessary problems in your beauty journey.
1. "I do not wear moisturizer." Different skin types need different products. No matter if your skin is oily, dry, or combination it is essential to put on some type of moisturizing product whether it be an oil free lotion, gel, or cream. A lot of moisturizers have SPF in them, which is absolutely necessary. Moisturizers with SPF help with anti-aging, hyper pigmentation, and skin cancer. If your skin looks or feels dry, lacks radiance and vitality, moisturizer will at least make your skin look prettier. If the best one for your skin is selected it will even help make your makeup look better and sometimes last longer because it is protecting the outer layer of your skin. You might have to change moisturizers depending on the season and where you live, but all in all, you want a product that helps your skin retain moisture.
2. "All of my makeup and/or skincare products need to be from the same company in order to work properly," or "I ONLY wear MAC!" Not true. You don't cook with just one seasoning so mixing up makeup brands and products is usually fun and can be very beneficial. It is important to not mix too many active ingredient skincare products together that may react to each other. Also if your skin is sensitive it may be best to not change too many things at the same time. Give yourself adequate time to know which products are working for your skin.
3. "If I try a product once and I get a pimple, it broke me out." If you experience an immediate reaction of discomfort, that might be a reason to discontinue using a product, but usually it takes a week or longer to see if a makeup or skincare product is working for you. A lot of times a breakout would have occurred regardless of you using that product. It could be the result of a number of things. Give a product a chance. Do not expect overnight results with skincare and make sure you are doing the proper steps with makeup to get the maximum benefits.
4. "Because I have oily skin I can only wear a powder foundation." There are some great liquid and cream foundations on the market that look amazing on people with oilier skin. It takes the right prep which include moisturizer, primer, and setting products to ensure a great looking foundation.
5. "I only wash my face once a day and I use bar soap." This is a little controversial, but I recommend washing your face morning and night. Washing your face at night is more important because it essential to cleanse your skin from makeup and all the debris collected throughout the day. Some argue that you don't need to use harsh cleansers in the morning, which is true because how dirty can your skin get overnight. I always wash my face morning and night. Nothing wrong with facial bar soaps, but they can be a little drying. Bar soaps for the body and antibacterial soaps can be too harsh on the face for most people.
6. "I only buy a new mascara because it dried out." Mascara should be replaced every 6-8 weeks; 3 months is pushing it and is enough time for your mascara to be contaminated about bacteria. You can do what you want, but itchy eyes, flaky mascara, and other random issues can be the result of old mascara.
7. "I didn't know I needed to wash my makeup brushes." I hear this so often! At home wash your personal makeup brushes at least once every 2 weeks. Don't let a month go by without a deep shampoo (my favorite is antibacterial dish soap, Parian Spirit, or Cinema Secret's Brush Cleanser). MAC, Sephora, and Ulta all carry fast drying antibacterial brush cleansers for quick cleaning during the week.
I hope this post helps anyone who may have been misinformed about their beauty regimen or about makeup products. Feel free to leave questions or comments about beauty misconceptions. Let's discuss!
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Brandalyn Fulton is a Makeup, Wig/Hair Artist, Beauty Expert, and Motivational Speaker. She graduated from the University of Michigan where she studied Theatre Production & Design and Sociology specializing in Design Rendering and Color Theory. Brandalyn is known for her attention to detail and is continually sought out for her efficient and flawless makeup application. In addition to TV, Bridal, and Print work you can find Brandalyn doing makeup backstage for New York Fashion Week and backstage for Broadway shows such as The Lion King and Mary Poppins. Brandalyn is also the co-founder of BR Brides (www.brbrides.com) an on-location makeup/hair luxury service. When not doing makeup or wigs/hair, Brandalyn is writing and speaking all about beauty and empowerment at www.bstandsforbeauty.com. Her work can be found at www.brandalynfultononline.com.