10 beauty mistakes you might be making!

Taking care of our skin is something that can often be a pain in the neck: you're too buzy, can't be bothered, don't have time, you're exhausted etc. Any excuse will do.Well, maybe for now you have a good looking skin and you don't think that skipping your skincare could have any consequences: WRONG.

With the coming years, your skin will probably start to show up the first alarm signs and you will most likely be regretting not taking good care of your skin in the present!

I made a list of 10 mistakes I often see people making with their skincare routines and hopefully this will be helpful for many of you reading this :)

1) NOT EXFOLIATING 

Exfoliating it's a very important step to take in your skincare routine because it helps expose that glowy skin that resides under the surface by removing dead skin cells. I mean, who wants dead skin cells hanging out on them anyway? And a good exfoliation routine is the best way to prep your skin for those fancy creams and treatments that you spend so much money on, because when you slough off old cells, your products can really get down to work. And exfoliation isn't just for your face but for your whole body as well. 

(in depth post on exfoliation be coming very soon!)

2) NOT USING A TONER

Why is toner a perfect addiction to a skincare routine? Basically because it is the base layer, after cleansing, for the rest of your skincare products. Always choose the right one for your skin type (oily, dry, combination, sensitive, etc), avoiding the ones with harsh ingredients as alcohol or fragances. A toner will hydrate and replenish your skin, rebalancing the PH level and providing beneficial ingredients. 

3)HARSH APPLICATION 

When applying any skincare product we have to pay attention to the way we are doing the application motions. Never be too harsh with your fingers, especially around the eye are when applying eye cream as this could lead to wrinkles and fine lines. The products have to be tapped, NOT RUBBED, into the skin. 

Around the eye area  skin is much more thin and sensitive and when applying eye cream you should, ideally, use your ring fingers as they are the strongless ones and have minimum impact. 

4)IGNORING YOUR NECK

I don't know why, but in our skincare routines we tend to forget about the neck area and I am sometimes still guilty of doing this. They say if you want to know how your skin is going to look like in 10 years, just look at your neck. It is as important as your face so you'd better not forget to exfoliate, tone and hydrate it as well. Another important trick is to always do uplifting motions when applying products, never drag down the skin.

5)NOT REMOVING MAKEUP PROPERLY

If there is one thing I can't never ever skip is removing my makeup at the end of the day. Sleeping in your makeup is the worst thing you could ever do: not only all the makeup products you applied are clogging your pores and avoiding skin to properly breathe, but they also collect all the dirt and pollution particles found in the air. I just can't imgine sleeping with my skin having a layer of junk on it. 

If you tend to do this, please try and quit the habit: there are tons of products which help getting rid of makeup really fast. Don't be lazy and use them: your skin will thank you. 

PS: No, using just makeup removing wipes it's not enough. :(

6)NOT PAYING ATTENTION TO YOUR SKIN TYPE

In order to properly take good care of our skin, we have to know exactly what skin type we have. It can be normal, combination, sensitive, dry, oily, etc and each and every one of them has to be treated with the right and corresponding products, otherwise the ending result could potentially be very problematic. A dry skin has to be well hydrated and using products that are meant to be for oily skin, for instance, will most likely strip out that little hydration that the skin has left. Always read the product's labels and purchase what it's meant to be for your skin type.

7) SPF

Raise your hand if you're guilty of not applying SPF! This is another thing I'm trying to get better at, even though I still have a long way to go..:( Everyone of us knows how much sun rays can be dangerous for our skin. In the summer months it's important to apply it all over the body before we expose to the sun but, what the majority of us seems to ignore/skip is that our face, even in the colder months, is constantly exposed to the sun and ALWAYS needs an SPF protection, even when the sky is cloudy and we think we don't need it. Sun exposure without SPF protection can have very serious consequences as it can lead to long-term damaging effects, like wrinkling and premature aging in the first place and, even worse, skin cancer. So please do your research, inform yourself and NEVER SKIP SPF APPLICATION!

  8)PIMPLE POPPING

Ok, we all know that the most appropriate method to pop a pimple is to have it done by a professional beutician, but since the majority of us are doing it at home, at least try and do it the right way. I'm not encouraging you to do it (and I never do it unleast it's like a massive vulcano :D), but if you are the kind of person that cannot resist, please try and follow this easy steps: always clean face and hands before popping a pimple, VERY LIGHTLY squeeze it but never with bare hand (use a cotton pad or 2 ear sticks), disinfect the area. Keep in mind that popping your pimples could leave the skin with scars and discoloration, hence why you should have it done by a professional. 

9)CLEANSING MILK ON COTTON PADS

If you always thought that the right way to use a cleansing milk is by appling it on cotton pads and rub them on your face, surprise surprise, you're wrong. Yeah, I know, a myth collapsed. In order to make the product work its magic, the right way is to apply it as if it were a cleansing balm: gently rub it in between your hands and allow the product to slightly warm up; then massage it into the skin in order to break the makeup and THEN remove it with cotton pads. By doing this, the cleansing milk manages to remove dirt more effectively and achieves its purpose in the best possible way.

10)WRONG ORDER APPLICATION 

Last but not least, products need to be applied on the skin in the right order, as to allow them to work effectively. After the cleansing process, the secret is to apply the products in order of consistency, from thin to thick. Cleanser - toner- (exfoliation if needed)- serum - moisturizer (eventually with sunscreen)- oil (if wanted).

Are you guilty of making any of this beauty mistakes? :D Let me know!

Kisses, Antonia :)