How to: Prep your skin

Makeup can do a lot. It can make you feel good, it can turn your look from drab to fab, day to night, casual to formal - all with the right products and a little time in front of the mirror. 

But there's only so much makeup can do if your skin hasn't been prepped properly pre-application (and this involves a lot more than slapping on a primer). For a final result you'll be thrilled with, try these tips BEFORE you even think about reaching for your makeup bag. Because happy skin shows, even underneath it all. The proof is in the before and afters...

SCRUB

If you've ever tried to apply your makep on top of old, dry makeup, you'll know the results are never that great. There is something about starting with a fresh, blank canvass that really makes makeup application work harder. This is also why you should exfoliate lightly before pre-application. A gentle scrub will remove any dead skin cells sitting on top of your face, as well as old traces of makeup - which can both contribute to a dry and dull complexion - as well as removing oil and sebum, leaving the your skin soft and ready for whatever makeup look you wish to throw at it. Just be careful not to scrub too hard, or choose an exfoliant that's rough and harsh on your skin. You don't want to cause truama or redness!

Insread, try the Bioderma Sebium Exfoliating Gel - a deep cleansing scrub, designed to refine skin, and remove impurities, without causing irritations.

MASK UP

A cloth mask is one of the fastest and easiest ways to hydrated and plumped skin. The cloth base, soaked in potent skin solutions, are the equivalent of serums on steriods - read: amazing for your skin! By taking just 10 minutes out to mask up before applying your makeup, your skin will feel fresh, smooth and incredibly hydrated. You can even choose a brightening mask, to help even out your complexion before you apply your base. Genious!

Try the Lonvitalite 24K Active Gold Yulan Oil Face Mask - it helps to clarify an uneven skintone and is super soothing to boot.

HYDRATE

Even if you've done a cloth mask, you must apply a good moisturiser before your primer. The right moisturiser will lock in the moisture content in your skin (hopefully already lovely and lush thanks to your mask, previously) and create a smooth surface for makeup application. On a more technical level, adding water back into your dermis helps to attract and transmit the light better, making you appear fresher and younger.

If you are applying makeup for a day event, choose a cream with an added SPF, like the Nivea Visgae Daily Essentials Light Moisturising Day Cream SPF 15

For night, try the emerginC Hyper-Vitaliser Cream - it hydrating whilst being anti-inflammatory, so it allows for the optimum refreshed complexion.

See, that wasn't too bad was it? And hardly a mention of primer at all... until now! Just remember to apply a primer to help your makeup last the distance once applied, and you are good to great creating!

What are your pre-makeup application tips for the best skin canvass? Please do share them! - Lauren