Beauty Doc

Freckles, uneven skintone and dark shadows…

Beauty Doc Tip: For beautiful healthy skin, make sure you don't go to bed with makeup on! Your skin breathes and repairs while you sleep, so if you regularly go to bed wearing makeup, any makeup left on overnight is more likely to clog your pores, leaving your skin looking and feeling congested. Whenever you wear makeup, make sure that you do a double cleanse before you go to bed - the first cleanse to get the makeup off, the second time to cleanse your skin.

My skin!
My skin is uneven in colour. It is pale and dull, with freckles and I constantly have dark shadows under my eyes. Is there anything I can do to even out my skin colour, give it a bit of colour and get rid of the shadows (and without using makeup)?

Hi,
When skintone is dull and uneven, you may need to change your cleansing routine. If your skin is feeling sluggish, looking dull or lifeless, fine-tune your daily cleansing routine - be sure to include a gentle creamy cleanser to remove makeup and / or city grime, then do a second cleanse for your skin, follow with a floral toner and a lightly textured hydrating moisturiser. Once or twice a week get into the habit of facial massage, and exfoliation, especially when skin has an ashy or sallow undertone, you need to exfoliate on a regular basis.

Exfoliating speeds up the process of the constant shedding of the epidermis' top layer of the skin. The stratum corneum, is the outside layer of the epidermis, so when you exfoliate, you are sloughing off this cell layer, which is what makes your skin feel smoother and look more even toned.

Some people really do get dark circles from not enough sleep, so if this is you, you already know where to start... Whether your darkness is from lack of sleep or hereditary, a simple daily skincare system with regular exfoliation and massage will improve your skintone and texture.

ESTEE LAUDER'S UNCIRCLE

You may also find a specific eye treatment like - dark circle gel-creme eye treatment designed to "diminish the appearance of dark undereye circles and discourage their reappearance".

Makeup is the simplest way to add colour or even out skintone, so you will need to use at least a tinted moisturiser if not a foundation (especially if you are wanting to cover your freckles). Shu Umera have a sheer under makeup mousse that protects skin from the environment while stealthily disguising uneven skin to look natural and flawless. Meanwhile, stay out of the sun to discourage them becoming more prominent, and a light application of makeup will even our your skin colouring and texture, lightly hide freckles and minimise dark circles. If you are unsure of how to use these makeup to cover your freckles check out MaQ

If you need to conceal further to disguise your under eye circle, use a light creamy textured concealer with good coverage (1/2 - 1 shade lighter than your foundation / skintone). Maybe you have used too much concealer (or a concealer that was too pale for your skintone) in the past as you seem a little shy of using it, as when you have applied too much concealer, it can end up making the problem more obvious... Instead, use a neutral eyeshadow on your mobile lid, and a slight very sheer shimmer on your brow bone as a highlight. Only use mascara on your top lashes, as the "fallout" from bottom lashes will add to any darkness under your eyes, and replace mascara as soon as it starts to become dry or flaky in the tube to help prevent the fallout. Keep your eye makeup fresh and neutral, to draw attention away from under your eye area.

For more makeup tips on concealing under eye circles, check out this MaQlink: "Covering overly dark circles" - learn how to choose your concealer tone and other makeup concealing tips.

Bella *}{*
Let your natural beauty shine!

For more makeup information and inspiration checkout:
FACEART: www.faceart.com >>> the makeup webzine.
MaQ: www.maq.com >>> frequently asked Makeup Answers + Questions