Big Diva

Hi everybody!

You know how you build a house, from the foundation to the roof? Well, today, I’m going to talk about your make-up’s foundation (and no, I don’t mean liquid make-up).

First things first. As skins differ a lot, different skin types should heed different rules. But no matter your skin type, there is one thing we’ve all got in common: we should all use skin care. That’s right. Before any make-up goes on your face, you should feed it some yummy, perfect-for-it skin care. Now some women like to use a lot, some women are happiest when they can just use one cream. Both of these decisions are valid. I do it this way: I have a small range of facial creams which do the same thing, moisturise, in different variations. Moisturising is the most important thing about skin care of any kind. This counts for the entire body. Where the face is concerned, however, you’ve got to be a little discerning.

Do you have young skin (i.e. under 20 years of age) which tends to have some acne?

Use a cream that moisturises only a little and that is non-greasy. Ideally, have one that is actually made to fight blemishes.

I recommend this one by Garnier (site in German but you can go here for the English equivalent), which I still use on days where my skin isn’t doing so well, for example when I’m ill or getting my period. Hey, I’m just keeping it real here! Anyway, this cream is more of an opaque gel, it smells a little of fresh cucumber water, it’s absorbed quickly by the skin and it makes it nice, soft and keeps it hydrated.

Or this one by L’Oréal Paris (it’s the one to the very right). This one is for really desperate times and harder-to-get-rid of blemishes. It works like magic, I swear. Within an hour, my skin is less red and has calmed. This cream also leaves it super soft.

Are you between 20 and 35?

Let me just say this: you don’t need wrinkle cream yet! Many women think the earlier they use anti-wrinkle cream, the longer they will delay them. That is a myth, ladies. Skin care products which are meant to reduce wrinkles, lift, tighten and whatnot all contain substances that accelerate the renewal of the skin cells. That is why some, some of these products work. If you use them too early on, they will have the contrary effect: they will make your cells renew faster than they were programmed too, thus making you look older in the long term. How come? Cells, like everything living, have a life-span. Which can be shortened. You don’t want to do that.

Instead, focus on creams that moisturise (can’t say that enough), because a lot of skins get drier as they age (at least mine does) and are nutritious. Creams that contain some vitamins etc are fine too. The key here is to do it regularly. If you take care of your skin everyday, you will enjoy it, feel good and not need to worry about wrinkles for a long time. If you are really worried about those creases (which in my humble opinion, you shouldn’t be because you can be beautiful at any age and it’s not about wrinkles anyway), then use the time when you put on your cream to give your face a quick massage. Make the same movements, just stronger. And at the end, lift your chin and make a few vigorous, downwards-stroking motions. That helps double chins. Trust me, I know! This is good for circulation and facial muscles and it doesn’t even take up a lot of time. I know that, just like me, you wanna get out of the bathroom in as little time as possible. Even if it ends up taking half an hour or more. Right? Right.

For this category, I recommend this great cream by Vichy. It’s stabilising, hydrating, smells very lightly of peach (it also has a nice pale peachy colour), is absorbed quickly, leaves skin unbelievably smooth (like silk, I swear!), is non-greasy and hypoallergenic. It also contains Vichy thermal water. Is there anything to be missed here? No, I didn’t think so.

Are you over 35?

Then you need rich creams. Really chock-full of moisturising agents (I wonder if they wear blue suits), vitamins, enzymes and anything else you or the cosmetics companies can think of. Unfortunately, I don’t have any experience with those and can’t tell you much more about them. Except that from 35 onwards, it’s okay to start using anti-aging creams. But only if you really are beginning to have small wrinkles! Only then!

But wait, I can tell you more! Because I just asked my mother who is 49 and has the skin of a 25 year-old. I swear, I had better have inherited those genes or else I’m gonna fling myself out of the window. Actually, her skin now is a lot better than mine, except that it needs a lot more care and I’ve got a thyroid problem that affects my skin. Anyhoo: she says she prefers using oils by Décleor (like this one) as well as anti-wrinkle creams by Nuxe or L’Occitane. By the way, the L’Occitane apple-almond one smells so heavenly that I almost threw a fit when I realised I couldn’t use it on my skin yet (my mum and I bought that one together).

Last point of order: night creams, yes or no?

Opinions differ greatly on this one. My friend Carola swears it’s essential. I use one sort of every other night. My mum used one for several years and now claims it’s bollocks and has stopped using it (but what would she know, her skin looks like a babe’s bottom anyway). A lot of my friends don’t use night cream because the thought they could hasn’t even crossed their minds.

So these, ladies, are the few facts I know to be true:

- during the night, cells get some rest, they are in sleep mode and that makes them regenerate more easily (daytime stresses like sunshine, smog, extreme heat or cold are gone)

- the skin absorbs and processes creams faster (even really rich ones)

- some creams even contain agents that can only do their thing (whatever that may be) without light and thus you need to put them on at night

Personally, I love my Vichy NormaDerm Nuit cream. It’s rich, smells terrific and leaves velvet-like skin. It’s also against imperfections, which my skin sometimes has plenty of. It works for me but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’ll work for you. You’ve got to test one and pay close attention to how your skin responds. Then decide.

Major Make-Up Rule

Skin care goes before liquid make-up, powder and anything else. It’ll protect your skin, keep it soft and make whatever you put on top of it hold a whole lot better.

Now go feed your face!

Anna