Ode to my terrible skin

I've admitted it time and time again. I have terrible skin. Okay, it's not TERRIBLE by any standards, but I wouldn't exactly call it glowing, even, and radiant. So, I fake it! Having terrible skin and loving makeup don't exactly MESH well (that would be my ode to Clueless, my all time favorite movie). Since they don't MESH well, I have to over compensate in other areas.

1.) I never never never sleep in my makeup. It doesn't matter how tired I am, I am taking that makeup off! I use MAC wipes if I don't have time to go through my whole face washing routine.

2.) I clean my face brushes religiously. Yes, I'm talking like clock work. Twice a week, I wash and sanitize my face brushes (my other brushes get washed once a week). I use a mixture of water (4 parts) and Mac brush cleanser (1 part) to sanitize. You can also use alcohol. I don't use it straight because it will dry my brushes out. After I do my first wash with my mixture, I use Target baby shampoo to complete the process. I wash and wash and wash until the suds run clean.

3.) If my foundation lasted long enough, I would replace it twice a year. No questions asked. There is no reason to keep bacteria floating around for any longer than that. Yes, liquids hold bacteria. All hail powder foundations! If I could find one that I loved more than my Studio Fix Fluid, I would be in LUST. For EVER!

4.) Sometimes, you gotta know when to quit. If I'm experiencing a terrible breakout (which doesn't happen that often, all hail Retin-A) I know when to fold on the makeup. There isn't enough makeup in the world to compensate on some days so I just say uncle and suck it up.

5.) I also recognize and believe that on some level, makeup does provide a barrier between my skin and the environment. That makes me feel good. It also helps that my foundation contains sunblock. It's only SPF 15, but on the RARE mornings I get so ahead of myself that I forget to put sunblock on, I don't feel like a total slacker. (I also have sunblock in my car, so if I'm not wearing makeup, I'm covered. The sunblock in my car is for my hands, but that's another post!)

Toodles,
ms.new.beauty