For the past couple of years, everyone on social media (Instagram particularly) seems to be concerned with physical health – does #fitspiration ring a bell? When I’m scrolling through the trending page, all I’ll see are pictures of sweaty muscular bodies accompanied by tags like: #gymlife #gymrat #fitness #doyouevenlift. Even though I’m definitely a big supporter of a healthy lifestyle, everyone seems too obsessed with taking care of their bodies that they completely forget to take care of one essential thing: their face!
Think of it this way: like your body, you only have one face. It’s what makes you unique, beautiful, and memorable. How you look like when you’re 50 is very much dependent on how you took care of your face in your twenties! I’m not saying that you should start using all the anti-aging products you can find right this moment, but I’m definitely saying that a lot of us collegiettes (yes, even me!) do things that aren’t the best for our faces. So in the spirit of fitness, I’ve come up with 10 habits to improve our facial fitness! Let’s go from #doyouevenlift to #doyouevencleanse? Trust me, your skin will thank you in the best way possible – by making you look and feel 10 times better.
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Wash Your Face in the Morning, and at Night
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If you’re anything like me, sometimes washing your face twice a day is more of an obstacle than anything else. In the morning, it takes up 5 minutes from your usual routine, and at night, it’s what’s standing between you and your beauty sleep. To save some time, I started to use those super handy cleansing cloths instead. However, I realized that the more I used these cloths, I also began using more concealer to cover up break outs.
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Washing your face, with actual cleanser and water, helps get rid of all the dirt and impurities that inevitably come into contact with your face during the day. By washing your face in the morning, you can start your day feeling fresh and awake. By washing your face at night, not only does it feel refreshing, but you can wash off your makeup fully without having to worry about foundation rubbing off on your white pillowcases. Cleansing cloths will not clean deeply into the pores of your skin, so you’re basically leaving the dirt in there to do its thing (aka involve into blemishes and pimples).
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Moisturize Everyday (twice a day if possible)
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Just like your face needs to be cleansed twice a day, you also need to moisturize everyday after cleansing. By moisturizing your face, you keep it from getting dry, and at the same time, help prevent fine lines and wrinkles from appearing. Plus, I hate that tight, dry feeling!
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Make sure you pick a moisturizer that’s good for your skin type. If you’ve got sensitive skin, opt for one that’s fragrance free and intended for sensitive skin. If your skin is oily, opt for one that’s oil free
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Exfoliate Your Skin Once a Week
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The difference between exfoliating and cleansing is that when you exfoliate, you’re basically scrubbing off the dead skin cells which build up on your face while clearing your pores. Cleansers aren’t really used for the dead skin cell removal, although you can definitely find 2 in 1 products. It’s a good idea to keep exfoliating to at least once a week, so your skin will not appear dull from a buildup of dead skin cells
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Product wise, you can use St. Ives Apricot Scrub, which is pretty popular
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You can also purchase this product in a tub size container that goes on sale for about 5-6 bucks in most stores
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Wash Your Makeup Brushes Every 1-2 Weeks
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Washing your makeup brushes is SO important! Even though the product on the brush is meant for your face, it can often get mixed up with dust particles, dirt, and allergens that float around in the air while they sit out on your dresser table. When you postpone washing your brushes, the amount of dirt and dust just builds and builds-and you’re putting it on your skin everyday! You don’t want to use a giant dust/allergen bunny as a makeup brush do you?
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A trick you can use to get stubborn makeup out of your brushes is to soak them in the sink with warm water and a gentle shampoo (I suggest Dove, it leaves my brushes super soft) for about 5-10 minutes. After they’ve been soaking, drain the makeup water, gently work up a lather on the brushes, and rinse thoroughly. They’ll look and feel, like brand new brushes
If you don’t want to use your sink, you can always use a bowl, bucket, mason jar, or whatever can hold em’ and soak em’
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Check the Expiry Date of Your Makeup When Purchasing it, and at Least Once a Month
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Not many people realize that makeup does have a shelf life. When buying makeup, always take a look at the box before you pay for it. I’m not a scientist, but expired makeup can’t be good for your skin. Even when you’ve made sure the product will be A-okay for the next year, always check the expiry dates of your products at least once a month. It’s something we don’t really think about, but a lot of beauty products contain chemicals that can be pretty harmful if expired, or if bacteria has been given enough time to develop
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To help you keep track of the expiry dates, make a note on the calendar of your cell phone, or make a small note of it and post it somewhere near your makeup space! (I love post-its)
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Try to Incorporate Makeup Products that Don’t Rely too Heavily on Harsh Chemicals
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In a nutshell, parabens are the harsh chemical in question here, and they can mess with your hormones and result in breast cancer in the most serious cases. Now, I hope I’m not scaring you – they’re usually used in very small amounts, but they do add up if you use products that contain parabens, or any other harsh chemicals daily
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A great brand you might want to try is Physicians Formula. Aside from being paraben free, they also have an organic makeup line and are oil free, fragrance free, and gluten free just to name a few! Another brand that happens to be paraben and gluten free is Tarte. Even though some of your fave brands might use parabens in their products, they also might have a product line or some products that steer clear of them. Nivea makes paraben free moisturizers, and certain Neutrogena cleansers are paraben-free as well
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Don’t Share Makeup (Well, Too Often)
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You might think that letting your bestie borrow your lip balm or mascara is “nbd”, but it actually kind is! Sharing makeup can lead to the sharing of the b-word: bacteria. You would not believe how many horror stories google is housing on all sorts of makeup sharing gone wrong situations! So to make a long story short, do not share any kinds of eye makeup, or lipstick/blam/stain/whathaveyou.
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ALWAYS Remember that Testers are Shared!
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Never, ever, ever, EVER forget this. When you’re browsing through Sephora and see that really cute lipstick color you’ve always wanted to try but never got the chance to, DO NOT just grab the sucker and put it directly onto your lips. Hundreds of girls have probably touched this lipstick, either with their fingers, or worse, have put it directly onto their lips! (If that doesn’t freak you out, please re-read habit 7). On top of that, you don’t even know how long the lipstick has been sitting there, it could be 1 week, or 3 months (yuck!)
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Next time you want to use the tester, try to be as hygienic as possible- like use the tissue or cotton pad with a little bit of rubbing alcohol on it to wipe away the top layer of the lipstick first, or use the disposable mascara wands Sephora gives you. You definitely don’t want to end up with a cold sore or pink eye a couple days after your makeup haul!
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Change Your Foundation Routine Seasonally
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In the winter, your skin typically needs more moisture than the summer. Using a liquid foundation helps to keep your skin hydrated through the bitter cold that comes with our beautiful Canadian winters! In the summer, you can switch to a powder based foundation that’s lightweight, or a BB/CC cream that has SPF in it. UV rays can be really harsh on your skin especially if you’re out and about in the summertime
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If you want to stick with a powder, a lot of moisturizes have SPF already built in, so you won’t have to worry about applying it twice!
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Remember That Your Eating Habits Affect Your Face and Not Just Your Body
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Last but not least, eat healthy ladies. It’s good for you mentally, physically, and facial-y. I’m not saying that you can’t have French fries anymore, but if you tend to break out if you eat too many oily foods, I suggest not having them as often and go for something healthier. Moderation is definitely key here.
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Foods like yogurt, leafy veggies, fruits (avocados especially!), walnuts and oatmeal have a lot of vitamins and nutrients that taste good and are good for your face! One of my favorites is salmon – did you know that it makes your face temporarily ‘glow’ (not literally though) thanks to all those omega 3 fatty acids? Hello date night food!
Being healthy doesn’t have to be limited to having a six pack or having the ability to lift an insane amount of weight on a barbell. It can also mean that you take really good care of your face while having a radiant complexion to show for it. All in all, I think a healthier face is a happier one, and a happy face is always beautiful.
Stay Classy,
Vanessa
Photo Sources:
http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mav82htUZl1ryo8w7o1_500.gif
http://rootwholebody.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/avocado-mask.jpg
http://dollfacespa.com/dollfacetop5-body-scrubs/
http://www.girlslife.com/post/2014/02/08/Good-question-Do-you-really-hav…
http://www.aboutthebeautifulthings.com/2014/08/how-to-clean-your-makeup-…