• Home
• About Healthy Times
• Advisory Panel Squidoo Lens
• Media Health International Pte Ltd – Disclaimer

PART 1 – Healthy Times very own skin care expert Dr Sylvia Ramirez gets you clued-up about make-up and ensure your sparkle in 2009.

PART 2 will include more make-up tips and will be posted on Monday.

There is nothing more effective than a good make-up touch-up to improve your self-esteem. Numerous studies have documented an improved quality of life with the regular use of make-up, particularly in individuals with skin conditions.1

Furthermore, in a study evaluating whether cosmetics enhance attractiveness, both men and women rated the use of eye make-up as having a marked impact on facial attractiveness.2

Understanding that attractiveness has a positive impact on mood and well-being, suggests that regular make-up use may be beneficial. But how do you choose between the hundreds of make-up brands that are available in the market today?

Your skin and make-up.

Make-up colour selection is an art. It’s primarily a lifestyle choice rather than a medical opinion. However, consider the following points in using and choosing make-up.

Most make-up is safe when used properly although some individuals may be sensitive or allergic to certain components of make-up.

Less is more. Try not to overload your make-up and skincare schedule. Talk to your doctor about the types of skincare products which will suit you.

Consider using mineral make-up as it contains natural minerals which provide benefits such as sun-block. Also mineral make-up may be less likely to irritate the skin as it does not contain talc or oral fragrances/preservatives.

In choosing a mineral make-up brand, look at the ingredients. It should include protective minerals like titanium dioxide and zinc oxide, but it shouldn’t include talc.

Finally, when selecting a foundation, make sure that it matches your skin exactly – this is more practical rather than medical advice! The aim should be unobtrusive, flawless coverage without tide marks around the face.

Take care of your skin.

Have a good skin care regimen that suits your skin before you put on make-up. Use a broad-spectrum sun block with a minimum SPF of 30 to make sure that your skin is protected from harmful UV rays.

If you have an active inflammation, whether it’s due to acne or skin sensitivity, be particularly careful in applying make-up. Mineral make-up contains ingredients that may actually be anti-inflammatory reducing the redness and irritation.

Always remove make-up and cleanse the face before going to bed. Cleaning the face removes dirt and bacteria on the skin surface. Avoid using soap-based cleansers as these increase skin pH and may affect the skin barrier.3 Non-soap based cleansers are gentler, with minimal change to skin pH.

To be continued…

1 Korichi R, et al. Why women use makeup: Implication of psychological traits in makeup functions. J. Cosmetic Science 2008 Mar-Apr 59(2): 127-37.

2 Mulhern R, et al. Do cosmetics enhance female Caucasian facial attractiveness? Int J of Cosmetic Science, 2003, 25:199-205.
3 Kuehl BL, et al. Cutaneous cleansers. Skin Therapy Letter 2003; 8(3):1-3.

If you enjoyed this post, please consider to leave a comment or subscribe to the feed and get future articles delivered to your feed reader.