Sunday, September 13, 2009

Reader's Request: Pre-makeup routine

This post is for Sulli, who requested that I do a post on how to put moisturizer and sunblock before makeup. I hope you find this post helpful! Anyway, let's start talking about the CTM routine. Just so we get everything straight, CTM stands for cleanse, tone and moisturize! So let's get started.

Cleanse. Of course, it's best to put makeup on a clean face. Slather on your favorite facial wash. Just make sure that it's right for you and your skin type. For myself, I use Cyleina Black Pearl Soap, Cyleina Rice Bran Soap or Skintel pimple soap.

Tone. Toning is an extra step but it gives your skin added benefits. Likewise, know the type of toner that is right for you. For dry to normal skin, choose a toner that's very gentle and make sure that it's alcohol-free. For oily skin, some people prefer to use astringents. Again, it all depends on each person's skin. When applying toner as a pre-makeup routine, apply it in a DOWNWARDS motion. Why? Applying upwards will make the pores more visible and will make the hairs stand. The toner I use is Dickinson's Witch Hazel. It's alcohol free but still helps clean my face. Make sure that the face is already dry before proceeding to the next step. If you'd like to apply a face serum, you can do so after this.

Moisturize. I recommend that everyone should use a moisturizer regardless of the skin type. I have REALLY oily skin but I still use moisturizer twice a day. It really helps makeup glide on your skin. And besides, putting makeup tends to make dry spots more obvious so it's best to moisturize those spots before putting on makeup. As always, apply moisturizer in a downwards motion for the reasons I mentioned above. Be sure to choose one that's non-greasy and non-comedogenic. In my case, I use Leyende Face Canvas.

Sunblock? It's not part of the CTM but I recommend that you slather one on. If you do, apply it BEFORE moisturizing and wait for the face to dry before applying moisturizer. Just note that a lot of sunblocks give off a whitish cast that's why some MUAs recommend not using one during shoots. Personally, though, I can never leave the house without putting sunblock. Too lazy? Choose a moisturizer that has SPF protection already. Just make sure that it has UVB protection too!

Now we can begin our makeup routine. But wait! There is still something that you can slather on: a primer! A primer can help makeup last longer as well as blur imperfections and control the oilies. People with dry skin can opt to skip this step. For people with combination skin, you can choose to just apply primer in the oily areas. However, for people with oily skin (especially me since I'm a greaseball) I'd recommend using a primer on the whole face especially if you notice that your makeup tends to slide off during the day.

I hope that this post was helpful. I'm on to a very busy week! I'm hoping that I'll still have time for blogging. Ciao!

4 comments:

mrs.lee said...

very helpful tips, thanks!

btw, just curious, how do you retain your widgets in your sidebar when you change your template? makes me crazy following the instructions, cant seem to get it right...
thanks again :)

Crystal said...

imlee, i wasn't able to retain them. i had to put them back one by one hahahaha.

mrs.lee said...

@crystal,

how about your followers? was it automatically installed?....

Crystal said...

no it didn't. I had to put it back too.

More Stories You Might Like:

Related Posts with Thumbnails