Little beauty tips

OK! I was in one of these days where I had nothing to do and just wanted to chat online a bit (yes, that happens). I was in a girly board to which I subscribe to, then one of the threads was about beauty tips, namely, you should go there and add some beauty tips that you judge are handy, or cool, or beauty things you can't live without.

I have some. As in Brazil we say, if a piece of advice were really worth it, then it would not be given but sold. What I mean is, I don't follow all (or rather part of) these tips every single day, of course not. But I can safely say that I try and practice most of them.

I think it's always good to share those things.

- Do not wash your face with soap. That's my Mom's wise advice. She is 62 and has got gorgeous skin. Only water and products with no soap, no alcohol or abrasive chemicals are enough.

- Always use a sunblock. At least SPF15, even when it rains, in the office, whenever exposed to daylight, directly or indirectly.

- Do not use a cream with sunblock at night time, when going to sleep. It will irritate your skin. Use instead, if needs be, a night cream. Your skin has different rhythms at night.

- Do use oil for cleansing your face: Shu Uemura (my favourite), FANCL mild cleansing oil, or RMK are great options. It leaves skin baby-soft and it's much milder than exfoliators.

- Do use a primer before foundation and after moisturiser. Clarins Perfecting Touch is gorgeous and does not irritate problematic complexions.
- Do glow: undereye concealer and a nice subtle shimmery veil always look nice. I use the Shiseido concealers or Clé de Peau stick (also from Shiseido), and for the "shimmery" touch a Japanese pressed powder called "Maikohan", from Sana. This goes over everything else: foundation, powder, blush if any, always dusted very lightly.



- Do not smoke.

- Do drink lots of green tea.