Our resident makeup expert, Rosemin, shares her easy tips on beating acne and looking your best!

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Having dry skin problems can be painful and it can drive you up the wall. It can make you feel infested, keep you up all night scraping your skin with whatever you can find. Research shows there are around 100 million itchy people in a country alone. Xerosis is the medical term for dry skin.

There are many good reasons to put down the scraper and do something about the itchy skin for example looks, health and the most important one sanity. Causes include using harsh soap not suited to your skin, the material of clothes you wear, the type of moisturiser you use and even having hot showers (believe it or not!). In addition, a number of medical conditions like diabetes and malnutrition can cause the skin drying out.

Healthy skin has a thin layer of natural liquids or fatty substances, which helps the skin stay soft and flexible.

In not taking care of dry skin, research shows that the skin can start to age quicker then normal skin. Dry skin is one of the major causes of wrinkles. Why is this? Simply because when the skin is dry it shows the lines more, compared to someone with oily skin. One of the ways to prevent dry skin is to put some oil into your moisturiser and rub in circular motions on your skin. A lot of people forget to put moisturiser under their lash line, you need to be careful of this and also apply it under the eyes as this is the place where the wrinkles start. When applying serums and creams you need to make sure you are applying it in an upward motion as you do not want the gravity to pull your skin down.

This is my recommended daily skin care routine for dry skin. Good skin is usually the basis for flawless makeup.

DRY SKIN TREATMENT ROUTINE
My skin care routine usually works best before going to bed. However you can do it in the morning after you wake up as well you can start from the 3rd bullet point if you decide to do this in the morning.

1. Take of all makeup using a makeup wipe that is alcohol free or use baby wipes. Baby wipes are really good as they are made for sensitive baby skin and people usually under estimate the use of baby wipes but they are really good on any type of skin. Wipes containing alcohol usually destroys the skin slowly.

2. Next, remove the makeup from the eyes. For removing eye makeup I would recommend the MAC remover, called Pro eye makeup remover. It is really good for eyes as it is sensitive and doesn’t smudge the makeup across the face. This remover will not clog up the pores around the eyes.

3. Use a gentle cleanser to wipe off any left makeup and to cleanse the skin fully. I would recommend the Estee Lauder soft clean tender crème cleanser, this is great for dry skin as it doesn’t tighten it when applied. Just apply it to the skin and use a tissue to wipe off any excess.

4. After cleansing you need to tone the skin. This usually rebalances and refreshes the skin. I would recommend the Estee Lauder soothing spray toner. This is alcohol-free and also helps reduce redness that occurs around sensitive skin. You need to apply this to the face after cleansing. The other advantage of this toner is that doesn’t strip your face of the natural oils.

5. Then you need to apply a moisturiser. I would recommend the MAC studio moisture cream. It has a lot of great skin nourishing extracts which give a healthy radiance.

I think that’s it really, it may seem like a lot but it will give you beautiful glowing skin. If you are strapped for cash then there are other brands such as NO7 that do a cleanse, tone and moisturise kit. Many brands market this kit and you just need to look around and see which one suits your skin the best as there is no right or wrong answer. Try the product on the back of your hand to see how it feels. I would recommend using the same brand for cleansing toning and moisturising.

HOW TO APPLY FOUNDATION TO DRY SKIN
Here are a few quick tips on how to apply foundation to dry skin.

1. Using a triangle cut sponge apply a little bit of moisturiser on the sponge and spread evenly.

2. Apply your foundation to the sponge. The lotion gives the face a little bit more moisture while you are applying the foundation and stops it looking dry.

3. If you suffer from a lot of dry skin, then after you have applied the foundation use the clean side of the sponge put a little bit more lotion onto the sponge, again spread it evenly and dab the sponge onto the dry area of the skin. By dabbing it no foundation will come off and more moisture will be added.