This post is part of my People’s Choice Awards partnership on behalf of Walgreens and Procter & Gamble and Covergirl.
If you’re anything like me, you’re probably on a continuous quest for perfectly smooth and glowing skin… you know the complexion dreams are made of? I have a friend actually, who inhabits this miraculous skin, and she’s in her 40s. It can be done, ladies -it’s truly possible, BUT I think on some level we have to give into our genes and our past sun exposure, eating and lifestyle habits and accept what we’ve got and do our best to keep it looking as radiant as possible.
Below are my 9 best tips for keeping your skin luminous, soft, smooth, and glowing now and for years to come.
Wash your face before bed ALWAYS!
I like to double cleanse my skin at night before bed. First, I remove makeup, dirt, and bacteria with a gentle soap cleanser and finish with a light exfoliator.
Skip the morning face wash
Over-washing removes natural oils which can actually cause your face to also over-produce oil. To combat this, skip harsh soaps in the morning and opt instead for a warm, wet towel to wipe any oil produced from your night cream, exfoliate a bit but also, to keep moisture in.
Exfoliate, but not too roughly
Exfoliate each night to purify your skin, sloughing off dead skin cells so that new ones can bloom. For a deep exfoliation, simply cleanse in circular motions LONGER, not harder, when using abrasive exfoliant scrubs or cloths.
Stay hydrated
Drink water and eat it too! When you eat hydrating fruits and vegetables, the water penetrates and plumps up cells better than by just drinking water. Greens like spinach and arugula are packed with naturally occurring antioxidants, avocados contain healthy fats and vitamins C and E to keep skin plump, bright, and hydrated, and lemons support your liver and kidneys, and studies show there’s a clear connection between healthy organs and healthy skin. Vitamin C-rich foods such as oranges may help prevent wrinkles, too. You can also hydrate all of your skin from the outside-in by using an ultra moisture body wash.
Eat a well-balanced diet
Stock up on superfoods like carrots and tomatoes which are stocked with phytonutrients and antioxidants, both of which protect against damaging free radicals. The beta carotene and lycopene found in these superfoods also protect your skin from sun damage and repair skin cells to boot.
Avoid sugar! Apparently sweets and processed foods that spike insulin, trigger a surge of other hormones as well that cause blemishes and lack luster skin appearance. Proteins in your skin react with excessive sugar, causing your skin to age faster too. Low-glycemic diets, on the other hand, full of veggies, whole grains, and healthy snacks like almonds, fish, and fruit, full of good fats like omega-3s, help your body regulate insulin, clear your skin, and keep your skin cells plump and healthy, reversing sun damage to boot.
Don’t pick at your face.
When I was told this when I was younger, I basically blew it off because my young skin would heal very quickly and appear to leave me scarless… cut to twenty years later, when all those random little scars I couldn’t see then are suddenly much more visible on my face, along with the fact that it takes a little longer to heal twenty years later as well. So just keep your fingers away from your skin, even if it means keeping your nails either very short or tipped with thick acrylics to prevent your OCD self from doing it.
Don’t smoke cigarettes!!!
Ladies, I’m telling you, if I could go back into my teenage years and never start smoking, I would. Not only is it horribly unhealthy overall, which we all know very well, it causes lackluster skin and wrinkles later in life.
Keep sunblock on your skin when it’s daylight
Apparently you can get some natural sunscreen from the inside out by eating pomegranate or swallowing a pomegranate-extract supplement {up to 60 mg} which enhances the skin’s sun-protective properties by 25%. But by all means, do NOT skip your SPF, even when it’s overcast.
Sleep! Sleep! Sleep!
There are tons of reasons to sleep more, and depriving your body, mind, and soul from sleep also wrecks havoc on your skin. So sleep in if you have the chance, but lay on your back as often as you can to avoid wrinkles from sleeping on and thus smashing your face throughout the night. Changing your pillowcase often will keep breakouts at bay as well.
But Here’s How You Fake Luminous Skin!
Now, there are some who are just blessed with amazing skin whether they work at it or not, and mostly, they don’t even realize how good they’ve got it, but that’s true with anything we take for granted right? But what’s kind of amazing is that we’ve got tons of makeup and beauty products and sneaky tricks to fake perfectly smooth and glowing skin, and here’s how…
Use a really great moisturizer or even a hand cream
Sometimes, if my skin is really dry, I’ll mix a little bit of a super-thick hand cream in with my foundation to really moisten it up. It’s too thick for everyday use, but once in a while, it works like a charm. For daily use though Olay Regenerist Luminous Brightening & Protecting Lotion is perfection.
Say yes to highlighter
We all know that highlighter is the new contouring {though I never contoured really because it just feels like SO MUCH MAKEUP!} but if you remember the late ’90s and early ’00s of shimmer face city, then do the exact opposite of that. Keep a soft and luminous look by applying just a hint to your cheekbones, nose, brow bone, and cupid’s bow, and you’ll be set!
Don’t over powder your face
As much as we want to cover it all up with powder, too much of a good thing is all kinds of wrong. Not only does over-powdering create thickness which settles in lines, making them appear deeper than they are, it dulls the natural beauty and any highlighter we may have used to illuminate and glow. So powder skillfully and carefully. Try CoverGirl Ready, Set Gorgeous Fresh Complexion Powder Foundation for all-ver coverage that doesn’t “cake”.
Take a really steamy shower AFTER you’ve done your makeup
Now, this really only works if you’ve showered earlier and washed your face and hair, then much later in the day you can apply your makeup, turn on the shower as hot as it can go to steam up your space, then get in for a quick rinse for about 2 minutes then get out. Keep the doors and windows shut for maximum steam soakage and you get a perfectly dewy look!
You can also fake this with a hand-held clothes steamer, but it’s not quite as good. However, for those who are worried about frizzy hair, it’s the better option.
Smile! Smile! Smile!
Not only does smiling {even a fake smile} trick your brain into sending happy hormones into your system which is proven to actually make you happier, a great big smile disguises all your perceived flaw and acts like an invisibility cape on your wrinkles, and a leaves you with only an infectious glow. Grab Crest 3D White Whitestrips Teeth Whitening Kit to get those pearly whites shining their best!
Giveaway! Giveaway! Giveaway!
To help you get red-carpet-ready every day, I am giving away some great beauty products, and a gift card to Walgreens where you can find fabulous beauty brands like CoverGirl, Olay, Pantene, and Crest!
- $75 Walgreens gift card
- CoverGirl TruNaked Eyeshadow Pallet {Obsessed with CG eyeshadows!}
- CoverGirl Plumpify Mascara
- CoverGirl Outlast Longwear Lipstick
- Secret Clinical Stress Response {NEW FAV!!!}
- Venus Razor Swirl
- Olay Body Wash Ultra Moisture
- Pantene Hairspray
- Pantene Total Damage Care 3 Minute Miracle Conditioner
Don’t Miss…
* My Red Carpet Photos and our glam makeovers.
* My Red Carpet Style… the dress I chose and wore to the event.
* My Bardot inspired hair and my PCAs highlights
* This post is brought to you by Walgreens and Procter & Gamble. All opinions are my own.
