C. Skin Types

It’s been said that “great make-up application starts with great skin care” and while I can’t fault the general idea behind this statement, I personally think that it’s more a matter of “great skin care can eliminate the need for make-up” – at least, in some regards. But before you get into the specifics of skin care, you have to recognize that there are different skin types and the needs each has and the challenges they present.

       Traditionally, skin types have been broken down into 4 basic groups: Normal, Dry, Oily and Combination skin. However I’ve always felt that there should be two other types that must be considered: Sensitive skin, and Problem skin. Here’s how these skin types are defined:

Normal Skin

       Normal skin is just that – normal. It’s not too oily, not too dry, not too sensitive, has very little the way of problems. It generally does its job of protecting the body from infection by various bacterial and viral organisms as well as regulating the body’s temperature. Normal skin is smooth and has a clear tone and consistency. It’s blemish-free and has healthy glow.

       Normal skin types can use most cosmetics on the market, though they rarely need much coverage. Clean healthy normal skin can employ tinted moisturizer or a lightweight liquid foundation as a ‘base’ for any other cosmetics and usually would do so only to provide a hint of color. Even though normal skin is usually resilient, you should develop habits that can help you to avoid problems, such as twice-daily cleansing and moisturizing, and never leaving your make-up on overnight.

       When caring for your normal skin, you should select a cleanser that is gentle, but that leaves your skin feeling clean and refreshed. Wet your face with warm water and apply the cleanser and gently massage it over and around the face using the tips of the fingers without pressing down. You can also use a cotton puff to do this and provide a soft “scrub”. Rinse the face using warm water. This can be most easily done in the shower, but if you’re working over your sink, simply soak a face cloth on warm water and completely saturate it. Take the dripping cloth and use it to wash away the cleanser from top to bottom, leaning over the sink to prevent the water from dripping all over you.

       Afterward, gently pat the face with a clean, dry towel, and use a mild astringent to remove any residual cleanser. You can use the product you like best, but for an inexpensive and simple product, try Witch Hazel which can be purchased from your local drug store. After the astringent has been applied and allowed to dry, use a nice fast-absorbing moisturizer to keep the skin’s moisture balance optimal.

       {Note: with any skin care routine, you can test your cleanser to see if it’s doing the right job for you. After using your cleanser, rinse the skin and pat it dry then let the skin finish drying on its own. As the skin dries, it should feel firm and slightly taut, and clean. If the skin feels too tight, or even a little itchy, your cleanser may be too harsh for your needs. If the skin feels s lick and begins to feel oily within an hour of cleansing, then you may need a stronger cleanser.}

Oily Skin

       Oily skin is probably the type most commonly named among women who try to assess their own skin. There are a lot of women with Oily skin, but there are many women who incorrectly think that their skin is abnormally oily. Oily skin is typically identified by being ‘shiny’ which can mean a slight sheen on the skin where light strikes it and can be as serious as to result in disrupting the coverage of make-up products being worn. The problems are often worse in warmer months and these times of year often necessitate some serious adjustment in the skin care routine.
 

       Those with oily skin should pay careful attention to avoid purchasing and using cosmetics that contain oils in their ingredients list. An oil-based foundation applied to oily skin is simply a recipe for creating a clumpy-looking finish in a few hours of wear. Look for pressed-powder foundations and make-ups, or investigate the many “mineral make-ups” that are becoming widely available. These provide light coverage, and help to absorb the excess oil from the skin, to give you a fresher, healthier glow and control the shine. (Regardless of the specific product you go with, aim for a matte finish, which will help your skin look healthier and will help you know when oil is resurfacing as a problem. With oily skin, you will want to cleanse the skin at least twice a day (morning and night), adding a third cleansing in whenever possible (perhaps when you come home from work), and like with normal skin, never sleep in your make-up.

       Cleansing and caring for oily skin requires the same kinds of care given to normal skin, but using slightly different products. In most cases, you can simply use a gentle cleanser, much like the kind you’d use with normal skin, but feel free to use ‘stronger’ cleanser formulas if you don’t feel that the cleanser is getting your skin clean enough (if it feels oily again within a few hours of cleansing). Rinse the skin initially using warm water, but follow up using a cool water rinse, which helps to close the pores and can slow the oil production. After cleansing, use a good, skin freshening astringent, either store-bought or you can make your own, to complete the pore-tightening process.

       After applying the astringent, allow the skin to dry and use a very light moisturizer. I actually recommend using a “hydrating spray” which contains a suspension of very light emollients and is designed to offer some SPF protection and light moisture coverage.

Dry Skin

       Dry skin is the type that seems to always feel tight and itchy, and absorb moisturizers readily and greedily. In some cases, the dryness is severe enough to result in flaking and shedding of skin in tiny flakes. This can sometimes be confused with more serious conditions like psoriasis and eczema as it is often accompanied by some redness and irritation. The true differences lie in the severity of the symptoms and the fact that simply “dry skin” is easily treated and soothed by moisturizing.

       When it comes to cosmetics and dry skin, the key is moisture. Prior to applying a foundation, apply a base layer of moisture cream to help hydrate the skin. If you need a foundation color, use a liquid or cream foundation that has light fruit oils that will both smooth the skin and seal in moisture. If you aren’t a fan of traditional foundations, look at the tinted moisturizers which can serve dual purposes of evening skin tone and hydrating and soothing the skin.
 Cleansing and caring for dry skin means being very gentle. Use a rich, hydrating cleansing cream to remove make-up and cleanse the skin, followed by a warm water rinse and a pat dry. Remove any residue from the cleanser using a mild astringent such as those containing rosewater, or the do-it-yourself astringent for dry skin in the graphic. Follow up with a creamy moisturizer containing fruit oils and emollients that will not only add moisture, but help lock-in the moisture already there.

Combination Skin

       Combination skin is pretty self-explanatory: the skin has areas that are dry and some that are oily. Commonly this results in a T-zone of oily skin across the forehead or the tops of the cheeks and straight down the nose and chin, accompanied by dry patches along the jaw or other peripheral areas of the face and body.

       With combination skin, you can look for those hybrid cosmetics such as the “liquid/powder” make-ups which have hydrating emollients that absorb into the skin and dry to become oil absorbing finishes thanks to the cosmetic clays that are incorporated. In this case, mineral cosmetics are also beneficial since you can use moisturizer in areas where you need the extra softness, while the mineral powder cosmetics will help to absorb and control oiliness in those places where it’s important. Again, NEVER sleep in your cosmetics.

       Caring for combination skin is also a matter of using what is needed where it’s needed. Start with a good, gentle cleanser, and repeat the cleansing step in the “T-zone” if you need it. After rinsing the face with warm water, use a good astringent in your T-zone and perhaps a milder one in the other facial areas. Finally, use a light moisturizer and reapply after a few minutes in your traditionally dry zones.

Sensitive Skin

       The final two classifications of skin types I use overlap with the common skin types in most cases. With sensitive skin, I find that it is also often dry skin as well. In sensitive skin, the skin often reacts negatively to relatively minor irritants and may have specific allergens that cause reactions. It often is not only dry and itchy, but becomes blotchy and shows inflammation and irritation when exposed to allergens and harsher products.

       Those with sensitive skin need to look for cosmetics that are hypo-allergenic and are specifically lacking the ingredients that most often cause irritation for that person. The new mineral make-ups are often good choices because the base products and pigments tend to be very stable when it comes to whether or not they react with certain skin types. Even more than other groups, it is very important to avoid prolonged exposure to cosmetics for those who have sensitive skin. Very often, some cosmetics that may not irritate when applied fresh can undergo minor chemical changes as the age on the skin or combine with biological or environmental contaminants, resulting in irritation over longer periods of exposure. In some cases, it’s simply that the make-up may make an irritant adhere to the skin and facilitate irritation. Removing the make-up when it’s not necessary is always the best course of action.

       Cleansing sensitive skin requires using gentle products and literally handling the skin with care. Use light cleanser that are hypo-allergenic and formulated to rinse clean. Use a very mild astringent and a soothing moisturizer (like Eucerin and others) to help salve irritation while moisturizing the skin.

Problem Skin

       Just as sensitive skin most often is an overlap of dry skin, what I refer to as “Problem Skin” is usually also oily or combination skin. The excess oil products often results in clogged pores and then inflammation and eruptions in the skin because of the impacted pores. As a child it was widely held that “acne” was caused by eating chocolate, drinking sodas and eating fried or greasy foods. The implication behind this was often that those whose skin was problematic were responsible for the condition.
 Fortunately, I encountered a dermatologist my senior year of high school who diagnosed my cystic acne condition and explained to me that the root cause had no connection to what you ate or how often you washed your face. He explained that while a diet high in junk food, combined with a lackluster cleansing routine can result in acne breakouts, in most cases, the cause was more involved – ranging from hormonal shifts to low-grade systemic infections. To really understand the cause of your particular problem skin, you should always see a doctor.

       For problem skin sufferers, make-up is a double-edged sword. It often seems necessary in order to conceal and camouflage the blemishes and breakouts, but the very products that hide the flaws can make them worse. If you have problem skin, you MUST make sure that any cosmetic you use is tested to be non-comedogenic. That means that it won’t clog your pores and create more problems for you. It is also MOST imperative that those who have problem skin always remove their make-up as soon as possible and NEVER, EVER sleep in their make-up.

       Cleansing problem skin should usually include a medicated cleanser. If you aren’t under a doctor’s care and using a specific medicated cleanser, you can find mild skin cleansers that contain salicylic acid to help cleanse the skin, open the pores, and remove bacteria and dirt. Any astringent used should be formulated to really pull the residue and oils out of the pores. Getting the skin as clean as possible may not resolve the root cause, but it will get you on your best footing – minimizing your breakouts as much as possible.

Cool tones

 People who are cool toned are usually people with pink under tones. It is a common misconception that only

Added by konjo doll

people who are fair skinned are the ones with pink undertones. However, this is not true and any skin tone can have pink undertones. How to Tell:

• If you look better in colors such as silver and blue, you are cool toned.
• Take a piece of fabric and see if you look better in white or off-white (peachy white, vanilla, etc). If you look good in pure white,  you are cool toned.
• Check to see if the veins in your wrist are either blue or green. Blue means you are cool toned.
• If you go out in the sun for an extended period of time and you get sun burn easily, you are cool toned.
• If you look good with hair colors that have ash tones (green, blue, or violet undertones).
• Go have your makeup done professionally and the makeup artist will most likely do an accurate match for your skintone.

Remeber that not everyone is cool toned and it can get tricky when trying to find out your undertone. Sometimes you look good in both cool and warm tones when it comes to makeup and hair and that means you are neutral. Not everyone can get it right the first time and it can take various different trial and errors in order for you to find the perfect foundation shade and undertone.

Warm Tones

 People who are warm toned are usually people with yellow undertones. Most people of latino or asian descent have yellow undertones. However, this does not mean yellow undertones are only limited to latinos and asian. Anyone ofany skin color can have a warm undertone

How to Tell:

• If you look good in colors such as gold and brown, you are warm toned.
• Take a piece of fabric and see if you look better in white or off-white (peachy white, vanilla, etc). If you look good in off-white,  you are warm toned.
• Check to see if the veins in your wrist are either blue or green. Green means you are warm toned.
• If you go out in the sun for an extended period of time and you get tan easily, you are warm toned.
• If you look good with hair colors that have warm tones (red, orange, or gold undertones).
• Go have your makeup done professionally and the makeup artist will most likely do an accurate match for your skintone.

Remeber that not everyone is warm toned and it can get tricky when trying to find out your undertone. Sometimes you look good in both cool and warm tones when it comes to makeup and hair and that means you are neutral. Not everyone can get it right the first time and it can take various different trial and errors in order for you to find the perfect foundation shade and undertone.

olive tones

 People who are olive toned are usually people with green and gold under tones. Olive skin is very universal as it can be found with many different undertones. It is named because the color of this skin resem

Emmanuelle Chriqui has Olive Toned Skin.

Added by konjo doll

bles the color color of an olive. Most olive toned people have naturally tan skin. Olive toned skin can be very similar to having a warm undertone because almost all the same rules apply.

How to Tell:

• If you look good in colors such as gold and brown, you are olive and/or warm toned.
• Take a piece of fabric and see if you look better in white or off-white (peachy white, vanilla, etc). If you look good in off-white,  you are olive and/or warm toned.
• Check to see if the veins in your wrist are either blue or green. Green means you are olive and/or warm toned.
• If you go out in the sun for an extended period of time and you get tan easily, you are olive and/or warm toned.
• If you look good with hair colors that have warm tones (red, orange, or gold undertones).
• Go have your makeup done professionally and the makeup artist will most likely do an accurate match for your skin tone.

Remeber that not everyone is olive toned and it can get tricky when trying to find out your undertone. Sometimes you look good in both cool and warm tones when it comes t

o makeup and hair and that means you are neutral. Not everyone can get it right the first time and it can take various different trial and errors in order for you to find the perfect foundation shade and undertone. Keep in mind that olive toned people should stay away from color with purples or violets in them because it will clash with their skin tones. Purple and yellow are opposite color on the color wheel which is why it will not flatter people with olive toned skin.

Neutral Tones

Neutral tone can be found is anyone of any skin color or race. Luckily neutral tones have the most variety out of all the other undertones. 
How to Tell:

• If you look good in colors such as gold, brown, silver, and blue you are neutral toned.
• Take a piece of fabric and see if you look better in white or off-white (peachy white, vanilla, etc). If you look

  
  

  good in both,  you are neutral toned.
• Check to see if the veins in your wrist are either blue or green. If it does not look either green or blue, you are neutral toned.
• If you go out in the sun for an extended period of time and you get tan easily, you are neutral toned or possibly leaning closer to the warmer side.
• If you look good with hair colors that have warm tones (red, orange, or gold undertones) or cool tones (green, blue, and violet), you are neutral toned.
• Go have your makeup done professionally and the makeup artist will most likely do an accurate match for your skintone.

Remeber that not everyone is warm toned and it can get tricky when trying to find out your undertone. Sometimes you look good in both cool and warm tones when it comes to makeup and hair and that means you are neutral. Not everyone can get it right the first time and it can take various different trial and errors in order for you to find the perfect foundation shade and undertone. It can be a little trickier when dealing with neutral toned people because they can sometimes lean closer to either cool or warm but they still look good in both. I am personally neutral toned but I do lean closer to the warmer side. However, I am not so warm in a sense that I have a strong yellow undertone which is why I choose a neutral foundation.