Great skin comes from your genetics, but it’s also a result of a good skin care regimen.  We deal with makeup, pollution, smoke, and tons of other environmental hazards that can leave our skin pretty disgusting by the end of the day.  Here are 5 steps you can take to have great skin.

1.  Cleanse. Use a cleanser that works for your skin.  Use exfoliating scrubs about once a week, any more can be too abrasive for your skin.  On a daily basis, stick to simple cleansers that get the job done.  Be gentle, and work in soft, circular motions throughout your face and neck.

2.  Tone. A toner helps remove any residual soap, dead skin cells, dirt or makeup from your skin.  Some toners also help minimize the pores on your skin and decrease the amount of oils produced by your skin.  The point of toner is to help balance your skin’s pH level and to prepare it for moisturizer.

3.  Moisturize. Your skin gets dehydrated, so a good moisturizer adds water and offers relief for your parched skin cells.  Look for one that suits your skin type.  This means you should avoid oily moisturizers if you already have a lot of shine.  Keep in mind that the winter season makes our skin more dry, so you may need to apply more moisturizer during those times.  When you’re moisturizing your face, avoid the eye area.  Skin around your eye is generally more sensitive towards the heavy ingredients in normal moisturizers.  Get a separate eye serum for the area around your eyes.  Be gentle when applying, and move upwards instead of tugging down at your skin.

4.  Protect. During the day, it’s important to apply sunscreen to your face, neck and chest.  Apply sunscreen after you moisturize, but remember to wait about 15 minutes after moisturizing so that your skin has time to absorb the moisturizer.  I prefer a sunscreen that has a high SPF so I don’t have to reapply throughout the day.  Sunscreen will protect your skin from the damaging ultraviolet rays that can speed up the aging process.

5.  Exfoliate. Removing dead skin cells so that your skin can breathe is very important.  You only need to do this once or twice a week.  Exfoliating too often can irritate your skin.  Consider this as a mini spa for your skin after a rough week.

These steps will bring you great skin, and while it may be a struggle to follow the routine initially, hopefully you’ll build a healthy habit of taking care of your face.  If you need motivation, just think how you will feel when you are the youngest looking grandmother in your group of friends!

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Marlena from Makeup Geek has grown into an online phenomenon among women who love makeup or want to give it a try.  Her youtube videos offer detailed tutorials on how to make any look work.  The Conscious Snob was able to ask Marlena a few questions about how she started this project and her favorite products.

How did your passion and skills with makeup start?

Since I was just a little girl, I loved putting makeup on my Barbie Head and doing it’s hair. And when I got bored with that, I would have my mom be my “model.”  I have always been a girly girl of some sort, but really got into makeup last year when my friend Lauren took me to my first MAC store in Chicago.  All the gorgeous colored lipsticks, the brushes, the rainbow of eyeshadows– I felt like I was in heaven! So, I purchased my first “high end” products, and practiced as much as I could.  My passion continued to grow, and I couldn’t wait until the next day when I could try a different look.  The end of that year, I quit my job as a music teacher and became a makeup artist.

How did you start your website and make it grow?

I started the site by first doing makeup tutorials on youtube.  Once my audience grew bigger, my husband and I realized that we needed a website to help the many women who wanted to make themselves look and feel better. So, we started the site makeupgeek.com to help those who wanted to learn everything they could about makeup.   By word of mouth and through youtube exposure, the site has been growing very fast!

What type of skin care regimen would you recommend to women who want healthy and beautiful skin? What about your favorite products?

To achieve that healthy skin, you really need to do 4 steps each day:  cleanse, exfoliate, tone, and moisturize.   It sounds pricey and a lot of hassle, but it takes next to no time to add 1 or 2 steps that make a big difference in the condition of your skin.  My favorite skincare products are by Mary Kay, and I love St. Ives Apricot Scrub to exfoliate.

What are your top 5 beauty/makeup products?

Makeup Forever Concealer Palette
Makeup Forever HD Powder
MAC Fix+ Spray
Bourjois Clubbing Mascara
MAC Dazzleglass Lipglosses

What advice do you have for women who are new to makeup and want to start experimenting?

Take baby steps.  Start by wearing mascara, then add concealer, foundation, eyeliner, etc.  Always remember that movie stars have professionals applying a full face of makeup, and even then have their pictures edited quite a bit.  So don’t expect miracles overnight- in time you will find “your” look!

The most impact you can have starting out will be to wear mascara, a little concealer, lipgloss, and a bit of eyeshadow smudged along the upper lashline to make the lashes look thicker.  If you feel confident in applying those items, you can move on to adding blush, eyeshadows, and foundation.

Marlena’s favorite look is Ashanti’s fierce eyes, and below is the video of that tutorial.  Be sure to check it out and also look at her other videos.  We hope this inspires you to experiment and have fun with makeup!

See youtube video here.

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We have all heard about the health benefits of olive oil.  Filled with mono and polyunsaturated fats, it helps decrease cholesterol levels and decreases the risk of heart attack and stroke.  What we haven’t discussed yet are the beauty benefits.  Olive oil is superhydrating, full of antioxidants, and helps keep wrinkles and dry skin away.  Full of vitamin E, it has a soothing effect on your skin and even your hair.  Here are some products that contain olive oil to make you your most beautiful yet.

Give Frederic Fekkai Glossing Cream, With Pure Olive Oil a try.  It contains sunscreen to protect your hair and eliminates flyaways without waying your hair down.

Kiehl’s Olive Fruit Oil Nourishing Shampoo is formulated to replenish dehydrated, under-nourished and damaged hair.  It also has avocado oil and lemon extract to give your hair shine and softness.

Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps provide rich lather to cleanse your face and body.  It comes in beautiful scents such as lemon, hemp rose, and peppermint to reinvigorate your body.  Dr. Bronner sources 90 percent of its organice olive oil from a fair trade organization in Palestine.

Creme D’Olives provides soothing moisture to your skin and smells delicious.  Slather it on generously to your face, neck and around your eyes regularly to revive your skin.
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Life gets pretty busy, and I want things to be simple, effortless and easy with my makeup so I can go about my day.  That’s why I have started to look for alternatives to eyeliner.  Most eyeliners require constant sharpening, as you get the best look from a fine edge.  But the sharpening and the clean up takes up time we don’t have.  Having sampled a few sharpener-free eyeliners, here are two that I have come to love.

Chanel’s Waterproof Long-Lasting Eyeliner lasts all night.  It resists smudging and smearing, and since it rolls out, no need to sharpen– ever.  The great thing is that it has a tip at the opposite end for you to do any touch ups throughout the night, though I have yet to need it.

Shiseido’s Accentuating Cream Eyeliner is also a phenomenal treat.  It comes with an adorable compact eyeliner brush to give you more control and freedom to line your eyes however you want.  This cream eyeliner can be applied to be as sharp as you want for a liquid eyeliner effect, to a smudgy, smoky look that is sure to drive men wild.  It takes some practice to use it, but once you have the hang of it, the effects are amazing.

Give these two a try and let us know if you find other great eyeliners!