Carmindy Lovin

Hey guys!

One of my favorite makeup artists is Carmindy, from TLC's What Not To Wear. She's done makeup for Elle, Cosmopolitan, Seventeen, Maybelline, Covergirl, and tons more.

Her makeup style is super classy, timeless, and focuses on accentuating naturally beautiful features, instead of piling on makeup to change your whole face. She says, "The key to a gorgeous face isn't expensive cosmetics, complicated makeup regimens, or cluttering your bathroom counter with bottles and tubes -- it's using the right products in the right places to enhance your own unique, natural beauty" (The 5 Minute Face).

Her book The 5 Minute Face is fabulous. It has skin tips, brow tips, makeup color tips for your skin tone, and tips for doing a perfect makeup job in 5 minutes.

So what I thought I'd do is integrate elements from her book, her website, and some other websites and do a Carmindy makeup-themed post every once in a while. Sound good? :)

Let's start with skin. Because skin is important, people. And if you don't take care of your skin now, you'll regret it later, I can promise you. Make sure you cleanse twice a day, and MOISTURIIIIIZE. Even if you have oily skin, moisturizing is super important because your skin produces more oil when it's not moisturized.

If you have oily skin, Carmindy recommends a foaming gel cleanser (Estée Lauder has a good one, although it's a little pricey). It will break down oils and won't leave behind extra moisturizers. And for moisturizer use an oil-free lotion (check out Neutrogena's).

For combination skin, try a liquid cleanser, because it's more balanced and will cleanse your skin without overdrying it. Use a light lotion to moisturize, and at night you can add a heavier lotion to dry areas (you might like Ponds Smooth Perfection Moisturizer).

If your skin is dry, you probably want to use a creamy cleanser for extra moisturization. Use a cream moisturizer (maybe Olay Active Hydrating Cream), and at night, a super-rich cream. And remember you can help keep your skin from drying out by drinking lots of water and using a humidifier.

Mild toners can be helpful for all skin types to get rid of excess oil and clear away dirt and makeup. Just be careful that yours doesn't leave your skin too dry. And exfoliators are awesome for removing dead skin and clearing your pores. Make sure you don't use them too often though.

And last but not least, always. use. sunscreen. The sun does irreversible damage, so protect your skin. Try to buy foundation with sunscreen in it (most are about 15 SPF) and if you're going to be outside for extended periods of time add 30 or 40 SPF sunscreen. And trust me, I know tans are nice, but having paler skin is a small price to pay for not having wrinkles, discoloration, roughness, or skin cancer. And hey, maybe you could even try a tanning lotion.

Well, that's it for now! Until next time.....

xoxo,

Amanda