How to Have a Pretty Face

Taking Care of Your Skin

Keep your skin clean. When your skin isn't properly washed, it becomes clogged, patchy and develops dark spots. Always remove blackheads, dirt, and oil to maintain clean skin. Your skin is the foundation of a pretty face, so it is important to take great care of it. Use a cream cleanser that suits your skin type and is for daily use. Get in the habit of washing your face every morning and every night.

Practice weekly exfoliation treatments for beautiful skin. Exfoliation removes dry, dead skin cells that keep your face looking dull and uneven. Dead skin cells don't reflect light like fresh skin does, leaving you without a healthy shine. Whether you use a scrub cleanser, mask, or wash cloth, be sure to consistently exfoliate. Be gentle when exfoliating by applying light pressure and using circular motions. Also, always stop when your skin starts to feel uncomfortable. It is best to limit exfoliation to once a week, especially if you have sensitive skin.

Use baking soda to exfoliate for extra soft skin. When you mix baking soda with warm water, you will create a great exfoliating treatment that is safe and gentle on your skin. All you do is mix equal parts of baking soda and water and rub it on your face using circular motions. Keep massaging for about one minute and then wash it off with warm water. Finish the process with a great face moisturizer to hydrate you skin. Skin can become dry after you cleanse or exfoliate it, so be sure to replace any moisture lost back into your skin.

Stop touching and tugging at your face. There are certain times when it is impossible not to touch your face, but it is important to limit how much contact actually happens. Every time you put your chin in your palm, pop a pimple, or even rub your tired eyes after a long day, you are damaging your skin. Our hands clog our pores with dirt and oil and all of those rubs and tugs create fine lines, wrinkles, and micro tears on our faces.

Be consistent with face moisturizer. No matter what your skin type is, you should be using a facial moisturizer to hydrate and nourish your skin. When choosing the best face lotion, find products with all natural ingredients that are oil free. This will give your skin the benefits of essential botanicals like aloe vera, but it won't clog your pores. Look for a moisturizer that contains hyaluronic acid or ceramides. These ingredients are extra hydrating. Use a hydrating lotion within two minutes after getting out of the shower or bath because the skin becomes porous and better absorbs lotion. When applying, be gentle and make sure you rub the lotion in completely. Don't forget to use the lotion on your neck too. Dry winters, air conditioners, makeup, and wind can all lead to dry skin, so make sure you replenish your face with moisturizer everyday.

Wear sunscreen every day. If you leave your skin exposed and unprotected for too long, it can cause irreversible damage because of the UV rays that come from the sun. The sun causes wrinkles, dark spots, and skin cancer that will slowly develop over time. An easy way to wear sunscreen every day is to buy a face lotion that also has sunscreen in it. Look for lightweight lotions that use natural ingredients. Lotions that contain sunscreen are easy to wear underneath your regular makeup and will give you the protection you need. Use a sunscreen that contains at least SPF 30.

Using Makeup to Enhance Beauty

Don’t pack on too much makeup. Certain foundations and bronzers can be very thick, causing dry skin and clogged pores. These products can also use unnatural ingredients that tamper with skin's natural chemical balances, causing uneven complexions. The best method to create an even skin tone with makeup is by using a lightweight tinted moisturizer. It will give you the natural looking coverage you crave and also hydrate your skin. Remember to always wash your face at night and remove all traces of makeup to keep skin clean and clear.

Add a healthy glow to your cheeks with blush. Finding the right color blush for your skin type can be very flattering. It adds a healthy flush to your skin and helps the apples of your cheeks stand out. Take a big round brush and dip it into your favorite blush color. Use circular motions to apply the blush to the apples of your cheeks. Find the apples of your cheeks by smiling in the mirror and applying the blush to the roundest part of your cheeks. Only add enough to give you a healthy glow. If you have cool toned skin, try using a pink or cranberry colored blush. For warm toned skin, peach and red colored blushes will look best on you.

Cover your dark circles with an under eye concealer. The skin underneath your eyes is very thin and sensitive, and this often leads to dark circles that can make you look tired. To help them blend in with your regular skin tone, lightly apply an under eye concealer to disguise discoloration. These concealers contain green undertones that help cancel out the purple hues underneath your eyes. Rub your finger in the eye concealer and dab it under your eyes. Always start from the outside corner of your eye and work your way in to prevent wrinkles. Never rub the skin under your eye when applying. This will also lead to wrinkles and broken capillaries, which causes even darker circles.

Experiment with face contouring. You can play up or play down certain features on your face with a brush, a brown bronzer and a makeup highlighter. Contouring can help your cheekbones stand out, redefine your jawline, or even make your nose look smaller. Contouring can be tricky at first, so to help you along, try watching a makeup tutorial to get you started. Makeup highlighters are used to bring attention to features that you want people to focus on such as your cheekbones or jawline. Bronzers help to shape under your cheekbones to slim down a face. Begin with a brush that has lightly been brushed into bronzer. Dust off the extra bronzer and start by applying the brush at your temples and working your way down to your cheekbones using circular motions. Keep going until you reach the middle of your jawline and then stop. This is an easy step to give you beautiful cheeks.

Wear mascara to open up your eyes. Black mascara is flattering on everyone and is easy to apply. It pumps up thin lashes and helps lengthen short ones. For a softer look, you can try using a brown mascara. After you apply mascara, curl your lashes with an eyelash curler that will open your eyes up even more. Don't apply more than one coat of mascara because it will begin to clump up and make you look unkempt. Keep it simple with one coat and wash the mascara off every night.

Try shaping your eyebrows into a flattering arch. Well groomed eyebrows will enhance your natural cheek and eye curvature, which brings out beauty and femininity. Head to a saloon so that a professional can wax your eyebrows to give you the best shape for your face. You don't want to pluck your eyebrows too thin or too short. Keep the natural lines of your eyebrows to help create definition in your face. If you need to add to your eyebrows, purchase an eyebrow pencil that will fill in or darken areas on your brow to give a fuller look.

Starting from Within

Get plenty of sleep. It is very important for your overall health to get at least eight to nine hours of sleep every night. A lack of adequate sleep will translate through your face with dull skin and dark circles under your eyes. Also, once you miss a night of sleep, you cannot make it up later by over sleeping because the damage is already done. In order to keep your skin looking fresh and bright, create a regular bedtime schedule. Plan your sleep schedule accordingly so you can fit in the recommended amount of sleep every night.

Eat the proper foods your skin needs to thrive. By following the FDA regulated food pyramid, you are setting yourself up for a healthy inside as well as a healthy, glowing outside. What you decide to put into your body reflects on the outside through your skin and face. Our skin gets its nourishment from the vitamins and minerals in the foods we eat so be sure to eat fruits, vegetables, grains, and proteins, which are especially essential to our skin because it is what our skin is made up of. Proper nutrition will help your skin steer clear of acne and pimples, whereas too much sugar can cause your skin to breakout.

Drink a lot of water. Water helps cure many problems associated with skin. It clears breakouts, creates more vibrant skin, softens and hydrates skin and helps even out skin tone. The minimum amount of water recommended per day is eight glasses, but if you can, drink even more. This is a vital step towards having a pretty face. Always carry water by your side throughout the day. This will encourage you to drink more water. Water helps skin become supple and promotes healthy cell rejuvenation.

Reflect beauty from within with a smile. A smile is one of the best ways to achieve a pretty face. The first thing people see is your face and the first thing they notice is your expression. Let everyone see your inner beauty by wearing a smile on your face as much as possible and laughing often. When you greet someone or are having a conversation, flash them a smile to show them you are confident and happy. Happiness radiates, and often a person's personality will come through as physical attractiveness to others.