Always cleanse your face before applying makeup. Look for soap-free face washes with natural ingredients like aloe vera and neem. These ingredients gently cleanse the skin without drying it out.
Follow up with a toner to remove any left out oil or grime. Avoid alcohol-based toners as they strip the skin off its natural oils. Instead, opt for toners with Lemon extracts as it lightens the skin and controls excess oil secretion.
Moisturising your skin before you apply your foundation / concealer will help your makeup last longer. Also, if applied over the moisturiser, the foundation will spread more easily, making it blend smoothly with the skin. Use a light moisturiser enriched with aloe vera and Wheatgerm oil to rehydrate your skin and restore its vitality. You could also mix your moisturiser with the foundation and apply.
The night before the occasion indulge yourself in a D-I-Y facial. Use a scrub enriched with natural ingredients like apricot, neem and walnut that gently remove dead skin cells, blackheads, whiteheads and grime. Rinse with lukewarm water and pat dry.
Follow it up with a face pack. A fruit pack is a good choice, especially in the winter months because it does not dry the skin out. Papaya and apple are excellent ingredients to find in your face pack. Keep a face pack for about 15 minutes on your face. Rinse with water and pat dry.
To get glossy lips, dab on lip butter after you have applied your lipstick.Look for cocoa butter in your lip butter. Its rich, creamy texture will leave you with moisturised lips all day!
And after you have called it a day, do remember to use a deep cleansing milk to remove all the make up!
The author is Senior Research Scientist, R & D, The Himalaya Drug Company.