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The most important thing in maintaining your beauty and youth is taking proper care of your skin. It’s not just about using the right products. Proper skin care starts when you are still young enough to think you don’t need to do anything for it. This is the biggest mistake people make regarding their skin – waiting until they start to age before they try to do anything about it. The majority of women with great skin started maintaining it when they were young. I was guilty of waiting until I started to age to start taking better care of my skin and I’m never going to catch up. I can, however, teach you the tricks that I have learned along the way.

The most important thing I can teach you is to start drinking water like it’s going out of style. Soda is my biggest weakness and I have paid for it because my skin has never been as good as it could have been but I’ve been working on changing my habits this year. Fill up a water bottle (stop using the water bottles that get thrown away because you’re killing the environment) and carry it with you throughout your day. When you crave sugary drinks, think of the pimples and wrinkles bound to spring up and you’ll go back to your water bottle. Also, stop tanning. Just stop. Whether you are in the tanning bed or out in the sun, you are destroying your skin and you are going to age a lot faster, not to mention oh so sexy skin cancer. Your skin color is not a deal breaker, meaning a man is not going to choose you because you’re tan, and if it is a deal breaker, then you don’t need a man willing to put your health at risk for beauty. If you need color, use a spray-on product or a bronzer. Then, an overlooked aspect of skin care is sleep. If you’re not sleeping enough, you’re going to look tired and old throughout your day and you’ll have to basically plaster your face in makeup to look awake. Lastly, maintain a skin regimen. Scrub, exfoliate, moisturize, etc., every day. Moisturizing is important even if you have oily skin because it’s not always going to be oily as you get older. Dry skin is tired skin.

Here are some of the skin products that I use regularly.

Avon Clearskin® Professional Acne Treatment System, $32.00

Step 1: Cleanse Deep Pore Cleansing Scrub contains our exclusive Oil Control System. Exfoliates pores; leaves skin feeling cool, clean and healthier-looking. 4.2 fl. oz. Step 2: Tone Clarifying Toner Pads specially formulated to help retexturize, calm and soothe; skin looks and feels smoother after just one use. 45 pads. Step 3: Treat Daily Correcting Lotion multi-tasking treatment lotion visibly minimizes pores and controls surface oil. Proven to even skin tone. 2 fl. oz.

I have always had terrible skin as far as breakouts go, especially around that time of the month. For a long time, I used the Proactiv line of treatment products but I found their toner to be too harsh and their lotion to be too oily. The toner made my skin peel like a reptile and the oily lotion just made me break out again. Clearskin from Avon is based on the Proactiv system but it’s gentler. You won’t see results right away like Proactiv gives instant gratification but one day you’ll look in the mirror and realize your skin has been clear for a while. I also noticed that Proactiv eventually stopped working but Clearskin still works on a consistent level. It’s gentler, lasts longer and it’s less expensive. I do this daily. I do it twice a day around that time of the month.

Oil of Olay Total Effects Daily Moisturizer, $19.99

Total Effects Daily Moisturizer provides the total anti aging power of hydration fused with vitamins and antioxidants for visibly younger-looking skin that looks more resilient to aging. Total Effects fights 7 signs of aging (fine lines and wrinkles, rough texture, uneven skin tone, dullness, prominent pores, age spots and dryness) by: • Minimizing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles • Moisturizing to soothe and nourish dry skin • Balancing color and tone while reducing the appearance of age spots • Smoothing skin’s texture with gentle exfoliation • Refining to minimize pore appearance • Protecting skin’s surface with antioxidants • Firming skin’s appearance with hydration. Oil-Free. Fast-Absorbing. Dermatologically tested. Non-Comedogenic (Won’t Clog Pores).

It’s important when you’re shopping for a daily anti-aging moisturizer that you look for things that are oil-free and non-comedogenic. It needs to be light but perform its job. You don’t want something that is going to cause you to look heavy or make you break out. Don’t undo the cleansing and toning products you used before you put on your moisturizer. I also wait about an hour after cleansing and toning before I put on my anti-aging moisturizer or makeup. The act of cleansing and toning aggravates your skin and it needs time to be in the open air and settle before you do anything else to it.

Avon Ideal Shade Cream-to-Powder Foundation SPF 15, $10.00

Formulated with PreciseLight Technology. Foundation, concealer and powder in one! Mattifies oily, breakout-prone skin. Flawless medium-to-full coverage with a natural matte powder finish. “Preciselight technology” has innovative light-adjusting pigments, making your skin look natural wherever you are. Also available in shades for foundation in deeper skin tones: Rich Expresso, Dark Cocoa, Sable and Caramel.

When I’m ready to put on makeup after I’ve done all my cleansing, toning and moisturizing, I start with this one. It really is as it describes – foundation, concealer and powder in one. It’s got the texture of a creamy powder. If you’re not careful, it can get cakey, so I suggest you start with a light coat and add to your problem areas as necessary. For me personally, it does not even out my skin color well enough so I have to add the Perfekt Skin Gel (see below) on top of it. If you are mixed race like me and have a blotchy skin color like me, you might need another concealer in addition to this product.

Perfekt Skin Perfection Gel, $57.50

A multitasking all-in-one vitamin enriched, sweat-resistant and water-resistant skin perfector. Glides on effortlessly to instantly improve skin tone, reduce redness, and help minimize the appearance of enlarged pores and fine lines. Enriched with powerful antioxidants including the universal antioxidant alpha lipoic acid, and vitamins A and E to help repair, protect, and fight future environmental skin damage, this lightweight gel helps maintain hydration leaving the skin with a healthy, even glow by locking in moisture and absorbing excess skin oils. And the best part? You can take this handy size with you anywhere. Oil Free. Fragrance-free. Paraben-free.

If I tell anyone to spend money on one product, it’s this one. I always have problems with my skin color being weird and uneven because I’m mixed race, and I have problems with makeup rubbing off because I rub my face on things a lot. This is the only product I have ever tried that stays put even if you sweat or get wet and it is the only product that evens out my color. If I’m going for a basic look, I just use this and skip the Avon compact above, but if I’m going for serious nighttime wear, I put on the Avon and then Perfekt on top of it. It’s magic. Yes, it is expensive but it’s worth it. There is also eye concealer and cheek color in this line of products. I’ve only seen it at Sephora. Drop everything and run out to Sephora right now!

Avon Ideal Shade Concealer Stick, $6.00

Formulated with PreciseLight Technology. The perfect cover-up. Seamless, skin-true, full coverage. Visibly conceal undereye circles & blemishes. Eyes look tired? Gently pat concealer along undereye circles from inside out, then blend. Now you’re out-the-door ready with spot-on confidence.

This is a very handy little tool that you can carry with you should you need any last-minute touch ups. It’s the size of a thin lipstick and rolls out just the same way, which makes it easy to use. It goes on smooth and it will last a long time because you won’t need to keep rubbing it on like some concealers. I use it mainly under my eyes because I’m an insomniac, so I have bags and circles under my eyes a lot. Most of the time, people can’t see how tired I usually am because of this handy little concealer stick. It also matches my skin color very well. Once I swipe it under my eyes and blend it in, you can’t tell I used anything to brighten up my tired eyes.

Tomorrow we are going to talk in detail about products for your eyes.