These suggestions are compliments of my makeup artist-

Digital photography is a sharp medium, so skin care is especially important. However, be gentle! Remember, your face is sensitive!

Everyone (even men) should have a skin care routine. But, if you don’t currently have one, please begin at least a week before your appointment.

The following steps are simple, and will take only a couple of minutes to do:

1. Wash your face in the morning and before you go to bed with a gentle cream cleanser. If you have very oily skin, you can use a foaming cleanser, becuase foaming agents help to dry out your skin. (Please note that having an oily t-zone is considered normal skin, not oily).
2. Get rid of the extra impurities left behind that the cleanser cannot get by using a gentle toner (meaning, if it stings, it's too harsh!) Toners also add nutrients to the skin, and help its overall health and appearance.
3. Moisturize! If you have oily skin, use an oil control moisturizer. (Yes, even you have to moisturize!) Moisture is important for so many reasons. It prevents premature aging, fine lines and wrinkles, promotes healthy cell rejuvination, fills in your pours instead of dirt, grime and/or makeup, as well as keeping your skin properly hydrated, which all skin types need. The more you do this, the less you'll have to worry about exfoliating...

**Exfoliation is an important step for particularly dry skin--meaning, skin that feels scaly, cracked, peeling or flaking. Normal skin types can exfoliate, too--but please, no more than once a week. If you continue to flake after one exfoliation, you can repeat the process one or two more times during the week. Do not exfoliate every day! This will irritate your skin... and you don't want that. If you choose to exfoliate, do this as the very first step. But remember--be gentle. No harsh scrubbing or rubbing! Steer clear of the sensitive under-eye skin and eye lids--just don't go near there--and use gentle small circular motions. Have I made myself clear to be gentle?

**Additionally, please use lip balm (not gloss) to keep your lips hydrated. If you find that they are peeling a lot, there are great lip pumices that will help exfoliate the lips.

My suggestions for cost efficient and effective over-the-counter products:

MOISTURIZERS:

anything where WATER is the first ingredient on the ingredient list is going to be ok.

Dove Face Moisturizer-- one of my favorites. A thicker face lotion, but very sensitive.
Cetaphil Moisture Cream--another inexpensive moisturizer for dry/ sensitive skin. This gentle moisturizer tends to have a slightly greasy feel. But unless you are bothered by that, it is another great product.

CLEANSERS (cream/foam):

Typically, anything by Neutrogena, Olay and Cetaphil are good ones. Acne-targeted cream cleansers can have alcohol in them, and can be a little harsh. Remember, if it stings, it bad for your skin!

TONERS:

OLAY makes a very gentle, non stinging toner.

EXFOLIATORS:

The key to exfoliators is that the exfoliation beads should be teeny tiny! The cheapest exfoliator is taking Sugar and mixing it in to your moisturizer. Ta da! You have just made your own exfoliator. Cheap and effective. However, if home remedy is not your cup of tea, Neutrogena makes a very nice gentle exfoliator. ***Please do not use St. Ives Apricot Scrub! I don't know why this is such a popular product--they must have geniuses in their marketing department. The exfoliating beads are huge and ineffective for proper skin care, and often times create very bad reactions. Just stay away. Period.

LIPS:

Vaseline Lip Therapy; basic lip balm (great value!)

Carmax, Blistex or Burt’s Bees Lip Balm:leaves your lips tingling (from the peppermint oil), and comes in a tube or a pot.

Smith’s Roses Salve; this product is gentle and sweet staple of lip care-- and even comes in two flavors (plain and strawberry).

FYI: On the day of the shoot, if you wake up with puffiness under the eyes, put any kind of cold compress on them. The cold will help the swelling go down. A second option is to refrigerate boiled green tea bags. The cool will de-puff, while the antioxidants in the tea will help with any discoloration (dark circles). But in all honesty... don't stress! By the time your makeup, hair and pre-shoot business is done, your swelling will most likely have disappeared.

OTHER PRODUCTS THAT I LOVE:

SKINTELLIGENCE is a gentle, all natural skin care line that I use on all of my clients. They range from Cleansers, Toner/PH Balancers, to Moisture for Normal and Oily Skin. They even have anti-oxident skin protection. I love this line and it is good for all skin types, including sensitive and allergy prone skin.

MOTIVES professional makeup line also offers a great lip pumace to exfoliate dry and peeling lips, as well as a moisturizing vitamin E lip balm that can also double as a gentle eye cream, and a moisturizing lip plumper to moisturize as well as fill in fine lines on your lips.

For more information about these lines and products, please request my contact information from Jordan!