Skin Care

I've been thinking about posting about skin care for a while now, but I couldn't really figure out how to relate it to cosplay. I finally decided, you generally want to look good in your cosplay/at conventions/in photos, in addition to in general, and I definitely believe that it starts with good skin. So here goes.

(Please note that because of varying skin types and conditions, this advice may not work for everyone.)

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For the body
I lotion everything. Yes. Everything. However, I think the most important body parts to lotion are your face, chest, arms, and legs (see? everything). I'll address the face later though. I always try to lotion after shaving. Your skin is most vulnerable after you shave, because the razor scrapes off of a layer of skin. If you use chemical hair removers (Nair or Epil Stop), some don't damage skin as much, but you're still putting chemicals on your skin.

Tip: If you're using lotion or body cream without shaving, rub the lotion in the direction that you want the hair to grow/lay, so if you're using it on your legs, rub downward, toward you foot. It will take a few times doing this, but eventually the hairs will lay in the same direction.

Now, when I said lotion your chest, I did mean what you think I meant. I mean the collar bone area and the breasts, so the whole chest. It's important to moisturize the collar bone area, just as it is important to put sunblock on it, because it's prone to sun damage. The breasts, well, supposedly lotion helps prevent sagging. I have no information to confirm or deny this.

I've used a variety of body lotions, but I think my favorite so far has been Ulta's Berry Crush Hand and Body Cream (which of course I can't find online anywhere). I like the scent and consistency of it, and I got it at a really cheap price when it was on sale (I think it was $2 for a small tube that lasted a few months of weekly use).

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For the face
I have tried, and still use, so much stuff on my face, trying to find what's perfect for my skin type and particular issues. So, again, this may not work for everyone. The picture to the left is the best, most recent picture that I have that shows the skin on my face (click to enlarge). It's pretty smooth, and this is all of the stuff that I do to keep it that way.

At night before bed, I wash my face with Clean & Clear Daily Pore Cleanser©. I have major issues with my pores, they're huge! Like craters! So of course I'm bound to go for a pore scrub. It also of course helps with typical acne, but because it has micro-scrubbers, it can be rough on pimples, so if you're issue is more with pimples than pores, you'll definitely want to try something different. The micro-scrubbers also help smooth skin in general and get rid of any leftover dirt or makeup that regular showering or makeup cleansers leave behind.

Tip: Before using this wash, I wipe off makeup with Walgreens Make-Up Remover Cleansing Cloth Towlettes©. They work just as well as the (more expensive) Neutrogena ones and get off all of my makeup, including my water-proof eyeliner.

For my acne, I have a $5 tube of 5% benzoyl peroxide cream (Kaiser Permanente brand). I'm fairly confident that any brand of benzoyl peroxide will work just the same, though, and you can also get 10% by prescription. Whenever a particularly bad pimple shows up, I dab this on it, and it speeds up the healing process. I do not recommend using this on your whole face, as it will dry everything out horribly, even if you use moisturizer.

Twice a day, once before applying makeup and once after washing before bed, I use Clean & Clear Dual Action Moisturizer©. It moisturizes and (supposedly) fights acne. Since I haven't had any horrible bouts of acne in a long time since beginning using this, I'm fairly confident that it works, and it definitely makes my skin a lot softer.

I also have horrible under-eye bags and wrinkles. In an attempt to combat them, I use Garnier Skin-Renew Anti-Puff Eye Roller© two to three times a day. After using this product for about a year, I still can't come to a conclusion about it. The up-side is that one roller has lasted me this long, the down-side is that I still have under-eye bags and wrinkles. However, I'm also Vitamin D deficient, anemic, and an insomniac, all of which contribute to this issue. So, I believe that the eye-roller does help as much as it can, it just can't completely get rid of my under-eye bags.

Tip: For covering under-eye bags, try using a yellow-tinted concealer, the yellow contrasts the purple/blue. If your under-eye bags are puffy (like mine) use slightly more/thicker concealer in the lower creases, usually near the inner eye/nose.

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A while back, I posted about Almay Blemish Reducer. I have since stopped using it, but I can't fully figure out why. I still fully recommend it, I think that the powder just got annoying to put on or something, I also couldn't sleep with it on, so I couldn't use it at night like I can with the scrubbers and lotion that I use now. I've also expanded my daily makeup routine and had to cut a few things out that just didn't work with everything, and unfortunately, this was one of them. I still fully recommend it for how well it works, it just didn't fit into my daily skin-care routine.

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So that's about it, then. I'll either post again or come back and update this if/when I find new things. I also may or may not post about my varying makeup routines and recommendations. I'm really wanting to at least post about my basic cosplay makeup routine (with theatrical makeup).