Top Ten Myths about Skin Care Debunked!

You’re planning your big day, you’ve secured the venue, you’ve ordered the invitations, you can’t wait to see the flowers.  What about your skin?  Maybe you’ve lined up a makeup artist but what about your skin BEFORE your makeup is applied?  There’s an old saying that goes, “Good glamour will last 15 minutes but good skin care will last 15 years.”  There is definitely some truth in that statement.  If you’ve been blessed with good genes and have great skin with minimal effort, you are one of the lucky ones.  For most of us, a good skin care regime is a necessity and if you haven’t started one yet, it would be to your advantage to get started at least three to six months prior to your wedding.

Having worked with hundreds of women and brides in over 15 years in the cosmetic industry, I’ve seen and heard just about everything.  Here’s my top ten list of skin care myths DEBUNKED.  Use this list as a point of reference when shopping around for a quality skin care line to get your skin in tip top shape before your big day.

Its ok to use a facial cleanser to remove eye makeup.  This is a big no no!  The skin around the eyes is much thinner and more delicate than the skin on the rest of the face, treat it accordingly.  Find an oil-free eye makeup remover and use it before you use your facial cleanser.

I have oily skin, I don’t need moisturizer.  This is a huge misconception!  Even oily skin can get dehydrated.  If you wash your face and don’t replace the natural oils that are removed along with surface dirt and makeup, your body will actually overcompensate by sending more oil to the surface of the skin.  That’s why you’re so oily by noon.  Find a good moisturizer that is oil-free and noncomedegenic (meaning it won’t clog your pores).  You’ll notice a difference almost immediately after you start to use it.

I should find my foundation color by matching the color on the underside of my wrist.  Hello!  The 1970s called, they want their makeup tips back!  This is outdated information and should no longer be used.  Foundation should be matched along the jawline and blended into the neck.  When you blend it in, you should not be able to see it.  There should be no line of demarcation.
My foundation color can be any shade I want; darker if I want to look tan, lighter if I choose.  Foundation is meant to even out your skin tone, nothing more.  If you are darker during the summer, match appropriately.  You might need a summer shade and a winter shade but your foundation should always be as close as your skin tone as possible.

I don’t need an extra moisturizer around my eyes, my regular moisturizer should suffice.  See point number one in this article.  Your eyes need extra care and extra moisture.  Everyone, and I mean everyone, should be using an eye cream.  Get into the habit now and you’ll be thankful in years to come.

If I wash my face at night, I don’t have to wash it again in the morning.  It seems logical, doesn’t it?  When you rest at night, that is when the cell renewal process takes place.  The cells “turn over” and you then have dead skin cells on the surface of your skin when you wake up.  Washing your face in the morning will wash all those dead skin cells down the drain and reveal the fresh new skin underneath.  Additionally, some night time products are not to be exposed to sunlight so you want to wash them off before leaving the house.

No need to worry about taking care of my neck until I’m at least 40.   You know the old saying, “Old habits die hard?”  Well, when it comes to good skin care and developing a good routine, if you develop the habit early, it will stay with you for a lifetime.  With that being said, its never too late to get started either.

A good lip balm will take care of my chapped lips.  It might work temporarily but it isn’t a long term solution.  When your lips are chapped, you already have a layer of dead skin on the surface of your lips.  By putting lip balm on top of that, you are moisturizing dead skin.  Yikes!  That won’t help anything.  What you need to do is exfoliate that dead skin and moisturize the fresh skin underneath.  I know of only one skin care line that offers a lip mask and that’s Mary Kay. 

I don’t need to worry about my neck in terms of skin care.  Oh yes you do!  We’ve  all seen the ladies with the dreaded “turkey neck.”  Use your skin care all the way down to your chest area (or décolleté area).  You need sunscreen on the neck and the chest every day.  If you have short hair or you wear your hair up a lot, put sunscreen on the back of your neck.  You don’t want to have a gorgeous strapless gown on your wedding day and have a chest that looks like a well-worn leather bag.  Protect yourself now.
 
I don’t need sunscreen, I never go outside.  Really?  It must be hard to plan a wedding and be a recluse at the same time.  We all go outside, even if its for a short period of time.  Use a moisturizer with sunscreen or a treatment product with sunscreen every day.  Incidental sun exposure adds up over time and you must protect yourself on a daily basis.  
Get your skin in optimal condition now.  Find a routine that you love and stick with it.  You will be looking at your wedding photos for the rest of your life so make sure you love what you see.