Obvious Beauty!

How do – I’m DEEEElighted to be guest blogging for the fabulous Squibb Vicious!

Let me introduce myself first – I write a humour and lifestyle blog called The Demon Gin from my wee home in Canterbury. Feel free to visit and learn more of my failed attempts to stumble through life, my bar reviews and why my no make-up selfie will scar you for life.

But today, I bring you a little something from my regular series, Obvious Beauty.

You see, over the years, I have bought and used a lot of beauty products. And over the years, I have managed to still have a face. This seems like as good a reason as any to inflict my trumped up views on beauty on the lot of you. With that in mind, I have put together my basic guide to what I believe are solid beauty & skin care ‘essentials’, suitable for both girls and boys. (None of that inner beauty stuff here, I’m not a soul wizard).

Now I am not an expert; my advice is based on research and guidance from those in the know (including a doctor and registered dermatologist). It’s also based on about 20 years of personal experience and a LOT of trial and error, including painful allergic reactions and spending far too much on marketing gimmicks. Man, that YSL Manga pink lipstick was fun, though…

But seriously, the main reason for me sharing these ramblings is that I have seen so many friends ruin their skin by focusing more on make-up instead of skin care IN THEIR 20s. It’s important to start early, because if you leave it until your 30s, you will be sorry. If you’ve already got a great skin care regime, bravo and please share your own tips!

I’ve purposely provided tips that should be suitable for all skin types (I have sensitive skin, so I always err on the side of caution), but pls use your judgement and be cautious if at all in doubt. Or message me for advice, I will always try to help!

So here, we go – the Obvious Beauty Basics, and my golden rules at the end. Read, devour, enjoy!

• Be sure of your skin type before forking out for ANY expensive products. I used to think I had oily skin, until an expert showed me I was actually sensitive with patches of dryness – years of money spent on the wrong products that were doing more harm than good. For a professional verdict, I recommend Dermalogica’s skin analysis and facial service Find a participating salon here >>>
• Moisturise. Cleanse first, then moisturise. Face and neck, twice a day, every day. For ever. Until your dying day. I don’t care whether you die in bed, in a blimp accident or on a battlefield – your final act with your last ounce of strength should be to put on more moisturiser.
• You need less product than you think. Take a pea-sized blob (SERIOUSLY), dot it around your face and neck, and massage in. This will sound obvious to some, but until a beautician showed me how, I was wasting a LOT of product.
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• Organise all your facial beauty products in a row. How many products are you using in total over a week? Are they all for the same skin type? How often do you use them? How old are they? Why did you buy them and have they delivered results? It could be time to start whittling…
• When did you last clean the applicators, or your make-up brushes? Do it now, for the love of God, go and do it now.
• With skincare, you get what you pay for (mostly). Put the best that you can afford directly on to your skin (cleanser, moisturiser, masques, and foundation/powder) and save on the rest of your makeup (pencils, lipsticks, eyeshadow, blusher, mascara, liquid liners). My personal favourites are Dermalogica, Lancome and Clinque. I NEVER use Clarins, as it once nearly burned my face off, but a close friend swears by it….each to their own!
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• Don’t strip breakouts with cheap astringent. PLEASE don’t do this, unless you have specific prescription medication. More often than not, sensitised or angry skin needs a rest and a gentle touch. I put MORE oils on my face when I am blemished, but I make sure they are working for me.
• If you suffer from aggressive acne, don’t waste your money on over the counter products. Save up the cash and visit a good dermatologist instead.
• Don’t use toothpaste on spots, it does nothing. Some people disagree but it frequently does more harm than good – tea tree oil is better.
• Did you know using whitening toothpaste can actually cause spots on your chin?
• Body lotion should be a daily habit. The oil below (see? see?) is luxurious, great for freshly shaved legs, and I slap it on my face for an occasional night time treat.
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• Drink lots of water, you know it works. Probably because the amount of time you spend running to the loo or fighting the urge to piss yourself distracts you from smoking or eating a tray bake.
• Whether you use your cleanser or a separate lotion, your eye make-up should come off easily. If you are pulling and rubbing repeatedly, you are giving yourself wrinkles. Oil based ones are often best, just make sure you gentle clean off excess.  Plain raw coconut oil works wonders>>>
• Make sure you apply eye cream in the right place. Take a look >>>
• For a facial exfoliator, do the following: go to a supermarket’s baby section, pick up a bag of muslin squares for about £5, cut each one in half (or smaller), use as a face cloth. Bosh – a brilliant exfoliator that’s gentle enough to use every day. I won’t go anywhere without one. Even to the opera. And I don’t even go to the opera.
• While that super-light youthful lotion won’t work forever, beware of therapists forcing anti-aging creams on you once you pass 30; most are designed for already wrinkled skin and can be too rich for younger flesh. If in doubt, insist on a sample.
• Speaking of which…if you buy regularly from decent brands, you’ll never need to fork out for those luxurious serums because you can clean up on samples. I have a mountain of Genifique, Dior and Dermalogica serums, and they go a long way. Money in the pocket, my friends. (My sister once tried to throw out a full sample eye cream from La Prairie. I nearly died)
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• Consider making your own face oils and masques. Plenty of recipes online, using all natural ingredients, and they usually give great results. Try this one from Miscriant >>>
• Olive oil and avocados may be classed as fatty foods, but they are better for your skin, hair and nails than ten diet packaged products. Never banish them.
• Blend your various lipsticks to find the right shade. If you ever find one lipstick shade that is perfect alone, buy ten of them.
• ALWAYS use an SPF and stay out of the sun if you want to stay wrinkle free. Sorry, but it’s the truth. The sun will fuck you up. Have you seen the size of it? Don’t try to take it on, you’ll lose.
• If you get a fake tan, be prepared for many, many disasters before success. I am the colour of milk and have tried EVERYTHING. Spray booths work best for me.

And always remember the golden rules…

1. Your skin is going to change, even if you don’t see it. And it IS going to age. Work with it, not against it.
2. Back away from your skin when it needs space. Your body and your skin is designed to survive and its objective is to protect you, not to look pretty. Don’t hinder it when it needs to breathe or heal. The more you pollute it, the more it will poison you.
3. Treat skin like (I can’t believe I’m about to write this) your favourite garment – care for it gently. Don’t expose it to excessive heat, don’t overload it with chemicals, don’t pull and pick and pester it, don’t leave it crumpled and parched. It will never look as good as it did when it was brand new, but it’s not old – it is vintage. And it needs care, because it’s one of a kind.

Edited blog post from www.thedemongin.com. All photos copyrighted.