Fashion & Style

Achieving radiant skin is not an easy task. Of course, you should first make sure that you are properly taking care of your skin through daily health practices. Basic steps toward taking better care of your skin include getting enough sleep, eating nutritious foods, drinking lots of water, and exercising regularly. But some people who do everything right still end up with lackluster skin. If you are one of those people, use these tips to achieve radiant skin today.

Exfoliate. When you exfoliate you are sloughing off dead skin cells that make your complexion look dull. At the same time, you are making way for the fresher skin cells underneath to shine through.

When choosing and exfoliating scrub, select one based on your skin type. Exfoliants with large granules obviously are more abrasive while the smaller ones are usually softer and not as rough on the skin. Skin that is oily is also usually thick than and can therefore tolerate scrubs with large granules. (However, harsh abrasives will further irritate pre-existing acne so if your skin is oily and has acne any size of granule can do more harm than good.) People with sensitive skin would do best using fine grained scrubs.

Glycolic acid, an ingredient used in some skin care products, is also used in facial peels and is well known for its excellent exfoliating qualities. While glycolic acid can work wonders, there is definitely a danger in too much of a good thing. Restrict yourself to getting one glycolic acid facial peel done per month to avoid damaging or irritating your skin. To maintain the glowing effect of a glycolic facial, take extra time to do a thorough job during your daily cleansing and exfoliating regimens.

Apply sunscreen everyday. After you receive a glycolic facial, your skin care professional will warn you to stay out of the sun for several days. Freshly exfoliated skin is very sensitive; it doesn’t take much to irritate such vulnerable skin. To keep that fresh skin looking radiant, protect it from sun damage by using a broad-spectrum sunscreen with an SPF 15 or higher.

Moisturize your skin so it doesn’t dry out after an exfoliation. To get the best result, pour cold water over two towels and refrigerate them for 30 minutes. Then apply a thick layer of moisturizer to your face and neck and cover them in the cold wet towels. The cold, wet towels on top of a layer of moisturizer will noticeably increase the moisturizer’s effectiveness.

Makeup is one thing that can really dull down the skin’s natural radiance. For makeup that makes you glow look for a foundation that contains light reflectors. You don’t want glitter, but you do want a little shimmer. Apply the foundation over your nose, forehead, chin and the apples of your cheeks. Skip applying matte pressed powder. If you must use powder at all, lightly dust over it with a translucent powder so as not to dull the shimmer too much. Also try using a natural looking shimmering bronzer or blush that is just a tad darker than the shade of your skin.

By: Angela McKendree