- You have time. I often time a basic routine with my clients who don’t feel they have the time, especially in the morning. I am a slow poke for sure, and in my own lackadaisical application, it takes less than three minutes, start to finish.
- You can afford it. It used to require a lot more searching, but now it is so easy to find effective skin care at any price point. A good cleanser, serum, eye treatment and sun and environmental protective product, and boom, you’re out the door.
- Tinted moisturizers are not moisturizers—they should be approached like light foundation (the same goes for BB, CC and any tinted product for the evening of skin tone and texture).
- Concealer should always go after foundation, tinted moisturizer, etc. Tap and press concealer in thin layers only on spots that need a bit of extra coverage after you apply your base—otherwise you’re just wiping it all off.
- Rogaine is awesome. I once lost almost an entire brow to a fellow student when I was in aesthetics school, and my instructor put me on a Rogaine regimen. My brow had returned within about eight or nine weeks, and it didn’t turn me into a dude or anything! Women’s Rogaine is now available with a higher percentage of minoxidil (5%, as opposed to 2.5%, previously the maximum dose for women). It’s important to do a little patch test, as with any introduction of an active ingredient you’ve not yet tried, but I haven’t had a single negative report from anyone. Make it part of your routine at nighttime only–takes about one to two minutes to apply on brows and scalp, and in about seven to eight weeks, new growth appears.
- Makeup setting sprays are genius. Mist one over the face after you apply your makeup, and everything stays put all day without any powdery residue or cakey-ness settling into fine lines. I love it. MAC Fix+ is brilliant (and also turns any powder shadow into a liner), as well as Urban Decay Chill Makeup Setting Spray, and more are arriving all the time.
- Your brows are a big deal. A great brow brings the whole face together. Go to a pro and tell her what you want and what you want to avoid. And bring pictures if you’d like—it’s always good to make sure you’re on the same page with your esthetician, and photos are more universally understood. If you’d like to fill in your brows, there’s a whole world of great options—my current favorites are Tarte Amazonian Clay Waterproof Brow Pencil, Anastasia Beverly Hills Tinted Brow Gel and Dior Diorshow Brow Styler Ultra-Fine Precision Brow Pencil. Look for a shade a bit lighter than your hair if you’re brunette, a taupe for blondes and auburn or light brown for redheads. Many people use brow pencils that are too dark.
- Always cleanse twice at night, and never apply a granular exfoliant before cleansing. Otherwise, the granules can grind dirt and impurities deeper into pores. Keep a pack of face cleansing wipes on hand at all times—I like the grapefruit ones from Burt’s Bees and Shiseido facial cleansing wipes—so even if you’re exhausted, you never go to bed without cleansing (more important than cleansing in the morning). Use two, one right after the other.
