Made-Up or Masked?

I don't know if it's a London thing or if it's just that now I ride public transport everywhere, but I'm noticing every morning there is always someone applying their make-up on the tube. I've become fascinated with watching the layers upon layers that they apply, yet underneath their skin is a real mess. Granted I'm guilty of scrutinising peoples skin at any time and cant't help think to myself what I would do if I were able to treat it, professional hazard I guess. It seems to me that they are intent on masking and covering their skin and their imperfections by applying as many coats as possible. But I wonder, what are they actually doing to treat their skin? Now I've never been a big make-up wearer but I do believe the purpose is to accentuate what you've got rather than cover it up.

I read an article the other week that was titled "what makes a woman sexy" and the answer was: rosy cheeks, pink lips and clear eyes. This got me thinking as I believe this is what women should be embracing, sure we all have imperfections we want to cover up but how much do we really need? Primer followed by concealer, foundation, translucent powder, bronzer...is all this necessary? In short no. What I work towards with my clients is giving them clear, glowing skin so they feel confident to walk out with the bare minimum on. This is achieved through good skin care, healthy diet, exercise and of course regular treatments. With this combination almost all skin concerns are improved. Of course I will never leave the house without the bare minimum; mascara, lipstick/gloss and perhaps a little bronzer, but lately I've scraped my foundation and I can honestly say how much better my skin is for it. Gone is the lumpy surface that was starting to develop on my forehead and it is so much more hydrated. Its a bit of a vicious cycle, whenever we have a blemish or an imperfection the first thing we do is turn to concealer to hide it. But what you are really doing by masking that imperfection with a product full of chemicals is not allowing that part of the skin to breath, meaning the area is not healing and the blemish will be there for a lot longer.

Of course there are nights out and occasions where it is an essential to be fully made up, but the point I'm trying to make is to embrace your skin, you don't need to mask it constantly. Try it for a few days and see how much better your skin is for it, and you are guaranteed to save a whole lot of time in the morning!