ny professional makeup artist worth her weight in mascara knows problematic skin is a challenge, but good makeup starts with healthy skin. In fact, this challenge led me to become an esthetician. I was constantly working with clients who were using makeup to conceal skin imperfections caused by acne, scaring, and aging. In most cases, attempting to hide imperfections under makeup doesn’t improve your skin’s appearance—it just looks like you’re wearing gobs of makeup. The secret to looking good, with or without makeup, is taking proper care of your skin.

	Good skin is the best makeup canvas.

Know Your Skin

Knowledge is the first skin care tool you’ll need, so let’s go over a few facts and terms. Everyone is born with a skin type: dry, oily, combination, or sensitive. That skin type remains with you throughout your life except when you have major hormonal changes, such as during pregnancy and menopause. Skin type is different from skin condition. Skin condition refers to the skin problems you may encounter including acne, dehydration, and discoloration. Skin conditions are (or should be) temporary and can be treated to return any skin type to its natural glory.

Achieve a Balance

Good skin requires equilibrium. Your skin looks, feels, and behaves its best when it’s balanced—this is where all those skincare products we obsess over can help. Thankfully, having balanced skin does not demand a medicine cabinet full of masques, scrubs, and rinses. In fact, you don’t need many products at all, but each one must be appropriate for your skin type.

Makeup Cleanser

First you’ll need a cleanser.

• A foaming cleanser works best for oily skin because the detergent that causes the foaming action is also responsible for removing excess oils. A gel cleanser is appropriate for combination skin types.
• Gel cleansers will usually foam a little to remove excess oil and provide some hydration to balance finicky combination skin.
  
• Those with dry skin should stick to milky cleansers, which clean the skin without removing the natural oils. Since dry skin is already low on oil, a cleanser that will clean and hydrate is the best choice.

Exfoliation

After your skin is clean, use an exfoliant to remove dead skin. Exfoliation is important to any skincare regimen and is the step most often missing from my clients’ routines. Lack of exfoliation is a major contributor to many skin conditions including acne, fine lines, and dehydration.

There are two types of exfoliant: physical and chemical.

• Physical exfoliants, most commonly called scrubs, remove dead skin by sloughing it off the surface. Since the active ingredients in physical exfoliants vary, they are good for a range of skin types except oily skin and should be avoided by any skin type with acne.
• The active ingredients in chemical exfoliants destroy the bond between live and dead skin cells. The exfoliant then dissolves the dead skin from the bottom layer upward. Chemical exfoliants range from mild to strong, which makes this type of exfoliant appropriate for all but the most sensitive skin types.

Skin Moisturizers

The last, absolutely essential skin care product is moisturizer. The drier your skin, the oilier your moisturizer should be. On the other hand, if your skin is oily, you will need an oil-free moisturizer, which hydrates with water instead of oil. Many of my clients with oily skin and acne are terrified that moisturizers will cause breakouts—but I assure them that they won’t last if the product is truly oil-free.

Combining At-home Care with Facials

While the right combination of products will help maintain good skin, you’ll need regular facials to keep your skin clean. Unclogging pores are crucial to skin health and vastly improves the look and feel of your makeup, but you can’t do it alone. A good esthetician will determine your skin type and decide how often you should have a facial.

Good Skin is the Best Makeup Canvas

Once you begin routine maintenance and cleansing, you’ll be ready to flaunt your natural glow. Your skin will look and feel good, and will be the perfect surface for flawless makeup application. You will start using makeup to enhance, rather than mask, your complexion and features—and you will love your skin again.