Skincare Regimens

Read about the importance of a skincare routine.

Try the Eyewear

Something to ponder next time you're trying on eyeglasses and sunglasses at the store. Who has tried them on before you tried them on?
It's more noticeable when trying on clothes, the telltale makeup smears on the necklines of shirts and such. Ick! Trying on eyewear is a bit different but it doesn't hurt to be conscious of skincare the next time you put a pair on your face and check yourself out in the mirror to see if you'd like to buy them.
Just a thought.

Happy Holidays!

Here's wishing everyone a very joyous Holiday season! May you receive many great skincare products and cosmetics as gifts. Makeup is great for gift-giving, too.

Cooking Oil is NOT for your Face

They're called medical professionals for a reason, folks. Do not attempt self-surgery. Just take a look at what happened to this Korean woman.

Whoops, that link is now dead. Try this one:

Clear Up Skincare Program

What a great program! It helps to raise the self-esteem of adolescents and solve their acne issues at the same time. The teen years are tough enough, and then throwing acne into the mix just makes it worse. Read about Clear Up Skincare and give them a round of applause. They also accept donations, as it is a not-for-profit program.

Skin and Household Chemicals

Okay, when the label on that bottle says, "Avoid exposure to skin, may cause skin irritation" they're not kidding! I am ill today, it started yesterday after I sprayed my carpeting with a household chemical. I'm attributing my illness to that. Read those labels, folks and heed the warnings.

What I should have done was to rinse my skin with copious amounts of water to get rid of any residue of the spray.

Skin Care Teacher Online Notification

The functionality of "online" notification has been added to the skin care teacher dot com website. Just go to skincareteacher.com and look for the "ONLINE NOW" button on the front page, or the "Ask An Expert" page.

Skin Care and Diabetes

Diabetes can really mess up your skin. Up to 1/3 of people who have diabetes will at some point develop a skin disorder which will have been caused or affected by diabetes. A skin disorder can even be an early warning sign of diabetes. This link will give you tips on how to prevent diabetes from even happening in the first place. It's both preventable and reversible!

If you do have issues with your skin as a result of diabetes, there are some skin care steps you can take to help keep your skin healthy.

If the winters where you live are cold and dry, keep a humidifier handy.

Keep your skin clean and dry. Use talcum powder in areas where skin contacts skin, such as armpits and inner thighs as well as the groin area. Do not use feminine hygiene sprays, though.

Make sure the skin on your feet is healthy. Check the skin daily for sores and cuts. Wear flat shoes that fit well.

Avoid very hot baths and showers. If your skin is dry, don't take bubble baths. Try installing a shower filter, which can remove many skin-drying chemicals from your water.

Moisturize your skin to prevent chapping, and avoid scratching/itching your skin as this can foster skin infections.

See a dermatologist (skin doctor) about any skin problems you're not able to solve yourself.

Skin Care for a Sunburn

Sunburn (erythema) is your skin's natural defense against overexposure to ultraviolet rays.

Spending a day in the sun is an idea of a great time for many folks. But just one sunburn can severely damage your skin, and it can also increase your risk of skin cancer.

The best thing to do, obviously, is to take care and prevent a sunburn in the first place. Many cosmetics now have sunscreen built in, so you can protect your skin just by putting on your makeup. Avoid the sun between the hours of 10am and 3pm, when the sun's rays are strongest. Wear wide-brimmed hats, sunglasses with UV protection that wrap around to protect the skin at the corner of your eyes, long-sleeved light-colored clothing and sunscreen. Reapply the sunscreen to your skin every couple of hours, and don't forget areas like the tops of your feet and your ears. Beware of tanning beds, which can also burn your skin.

If your skin does end up getting sunburned, to care for sunburned skin you can try the following home remedies:

Take a cool shower or bath, and/or apply cool compresses to the affected skin for 15 minutes a few times a day. Gently pat your skin dry with a towel - do not rub.

Cut the leaves of an aloe vera plant lengthwise, remove the gel inside, and smear the gel on your sunburned skin.

Soak a small piece of cloth or some cotton gauze in whole milk and apply carefully to the burned skin. Leave it on for about 15 - 20 minutes, and then rinse the skin with cool water.

Slice open a cucumber and wipe it directly onto your skin.

The information provided is not a substitute for professional medical advice and care. Severe burns to the skin can require immediate medical attention. If you get a fever, nausea, dizziness, become sensitive to light or experience severe pain, see a doctor at once. Doctors can prescribe a corticosteroid cream that soothes the skin and can speed up the healing process. A family member of mine was prescribed "silver cream" for his skin after a burn injury. It's expensive, but it's worth it. Your skin is worth it. Skin is the body's largest organ, after all.

Katrina Price is an authority in skin care and cosmetics. Her website, www.skincareteacher.com contains great information on how to care for your skin.

Foundation: A Good Base for Your Face

by Katrina Price


You know nothing can be built without a good solid foundation. It's the same for your face, it needs a good base.

To prepare your facial skin for a good foundation, first go through your skin care routine. If you don't have one, here's what to do. First cleanse, then use a toner, then mask for exfoliation. The mask doesn't need to be done daily, just perhaps twice per week. It's important to exfoliate so you don't have those dead skin cells ruining your makeup look, and causing your foundation to ball up when applied.

Next, you want to moisturize. At this point you can choose a moisturizer which already has sunscreen built in and is tinted, for those of you who prefer just a sheer layer of foundation. Apply that and then go to the "powder" step below. If you prefer normal coverage, opt for a moisturizer with just the SPF in it (unless you're allergic to SPF).
After you moisturize, you can apply concealer to any problem areas. One tip I learned is to use your concealer all over your facial skin as your base, then just use a very light layer of your foundation. I've tried this and I absolutely loved the results. Truly flawless skin!

Next step is your actual foundation. There are liquids, creams, creme to powder, sticks, mousse and more. You'll have to try them and find the right style and shade for your skin type, as well as the season. You'll need to switch up your foundation if you're prone to dry skin in winter. If you're using a powder foundation, apply that with a brush and you're ready to apply your color cosmetics. If you've used concealer as a base, just use your normal foundation very sparingly at this point. If you've just dotted your concealer onto the problem areas, then use a normal layer of foundation. Be sure to use the right shade of foundation. I see it time and time again, the neck is pale and the face shade is darker. Blend well at the jawline so people won't be able to tell where your foundation ends and your neck begins.

When applying foundation to your skin, use outward and downward strokes on your face, never go upwards. Apply with your fingers or a cosmetic wedge. I use the wedges, but they're not my favorite as they tend to soak up a lot of the foundation. They give a much nicer finish than when I just use my fingers, though. Also, they are more gentle to use in the delicate eye area. You don't want to do any pulling or tugging there.

Now you'll want to apply powder to set your foundation. You won't need to do this if you are using a creme to powder foundation. It will go on creamy and then dry to a light powdery finish. I like this kind of foundation, as I don't have to touch-up as much during the day. Powders come in different formats as well, typically loose or pressed. Loose powder can be whisked on with a large fluffy powder brush, or patted on with a powder puff. Pressed foundation in a compact gets applied with a small powder puff or cosmetic sponge. I'd been taught that powder gets applied in a downward motion, since you'd want all the tiny hairs on your face facing the same direction. I follow that suggestion when I'm using the pressed powder, but when I let loose with the loose powder, I'm just all over the place with my powder brush.

So there you have it, a base for your face. Now you're ready to apply some color. Even those of you going for the natural look will want at least a little lip gloss or mascara. I'll touch on color application in a future article. If you simply can't wait, then go to my website.

Katrina Price has over eleven years experience as a skin care and cosmetics consultant. Her website is http://www.skincareteacher.com

CHEERS FOR ELEVEN YEARS!
Today marks the 11th Annversary of my being in business as a skin care and beauty consultant.
Here's to eleven more years! At least!
I truly love what I do and I like being my own boss. Plus, getting all my beauty supplies at wholesale is pretty nice, too. If you think something like this may be what you want to do with your life, visit my site and take a look around. Then, touch base with me and let me know what you thought.

It Ain't Easy Being Blue. Check out this story about Paul Kerason who's skin has turned blue. He even had to move from Oregon to California due to people not being too nice to him.
Paul thinks that a colloidal silver ointment that he used on his face contributed to his bluish/purple facial skin condition.

Accutane and Acne Issues. Wow, just saw a story about Hans Peterson's adventure with Accutane. He murdered the doctor who prescribed it to him and then fled to St. Maarten to be under the protection of France.
There's no reason for issues with Acne to be that complicated! Check out this page on solving acne problems.

Prescription for Disaster? Just heard that between 1997 and 2005 prescription drug use was up by some 90%. This upset me just a little bit. I understand that a good portion of that is because of the aging population and their dependence on painkillers as they grow older. However, I'm not a fan of prescription pills. In my opinion they lead to skin problems and when people tell me they can't use anything on their skin my first inclination is to ask them what prescriptions they're on. I often don't do that because I don't want to be nosy about people's medical conditions, so what I usually do is tell them that some prescription drugs have been known to cause skin problems, which is the absolute truth.
I hate to think that people are suffering through all the side effects of these pills and not taking care of their skin the way they should. It's a shame.

Don't Rub Your Eyes. Not only should you avoid rubbing the eye area for reasons of a foreign object in your eye, you should never rub your eyes, period. If there's a foreign object in there, flush with water and pat dry with a towel. Don't rub! It will scratch the delicate surface of your eye.
Don't rub your eyes when you are tired because you will stretch the skin around your eye area and this leads to wrinkles. It's best to refresh your tired eyes by misting or splashing some cool water on your face and then gently pat dry with a towel. Or you can use eye drops. If you wear contacts, make sure you use the drops that are especially for contact lens wearers.

Is Your Face Running? Does your makeup just slide off your face in the heat and humidity of summer? You may not be able to use the same foundation year-round, you may just have to switch it up and opt for a lightweight tinted moisturizer during the summer months. These are great if you want sheer coverage for all those fun summertime activities. They work well year-round too.

Check out this article which talks about using probiotics, a healthy bacteria in skin care and beauty products because of it's anti-aging abilities.

A Healthy Within will get you Beautiful Skin. I know you've heard it before, you are what you eat. So why ingest anything that's not good for you? So many skin problems can be traced back to bad eating habits, so go organic, get off any drugs you're on and quit smoking if you smoke. You'll be amazed at the results and you'll be so much more healthy. YOU are the only thing you've got, so take care of YOU!

D.C. is the Sun Smartest! I'm proud to live in the DC Metro area and now I have another reason to be proud. I just heard that residents in the DC region scored the highest in a Sun Smarts quiz, correctly answering questions such as
Is it good to get a base tan?
Are tanning beds safe to use?
DC was ranked 1st in Sun Smarts - even over sun-drenched cities like Tampa and Los Angeles!
Remember, May is Skin Cancer Awareness Month! Go and soak up some knowledge about how to stay safe in the sun.

One Mold You Don't Want to Fit. Mold is not good for your health. If you live in NJ, DE or PA, you can give Mold Managers in NJ a call to help eradicate any mold issues you have in your home. Mold can lead to skin rashes along with numerous other health problems. Just run an internet search for "mold dangers" and you'll see what I mean.