Stuff I learned from the Makeup Workshop - Skin Type and Skin Care

Stuff I learned:

1. You'll get alien eyebrows if you're Filipino and you follow the advice of Youtube Gurus.
2. Fanny Serrano vs. MAC = MAC wins obviously. But FS puts up a good fight.
3. Mascara on lower lashes emphasizes eye bags.
4. A ton of other things I already know but take for granted.
5. Beauty is HIGHLY subjective, what's beautiful to a makeup artist may be ugly to a regular person. So, beware when hiring makeup artists.

OUTLINE OF THE COURSE:

1. Skin type and skin care
2. Choosing the right makeup and tools
3. Perfect Brow
4. Highlighting and Contouring
5. Eyeshadow design and application
6. Daytime corporate makeup
7. Evening makeup
8. Smokey eye

The workshop was hosted by Ms. Donnabelle Bata Aquino herself with the aid of a powerpoint presentation, 2 assistants, and a young chinita model. Participants started registering at 11 am. Freebies, which I discussed rather disappointedly at length here, were given after registration. Ended with the awarding of certificates by 6 pm. All in all, it was worth the P2,000 registration fee.

I. Skin Type and Skin Care

There were 21 or 23 participants, and 2 makeup artist assistants, and I really wished they spent time analyzing each of our skin types. That would not have taken more than 10 minutes. Instead, Ms. Donna just read through her powerpoint and discussed them and asked us to raise our hands to see if we understood what our skin types were. I mean, if I were a beauty amateur, I would not have known my skin type was sensitive+combination and would have gotten lost in a sea of products meant for oily skin.

My sister, for example, has normal skin but uses products for oily skin because for years, she was convinced she's oily. She says her skin gets sticky by the end of the day, yeahno, it's the humidity not your skin that's causing that, silly. See now, without proper information, we can do substantial damage on our skin just by using the wrong products for our skin types! Products for oily skin used on dry skin can cause excessive dryness and wrinkles. Products for sensitive skin used on oily skin can "underclean" the skin and allow the proliferation of bacteria on sebum and oil not washed away by cleansers that are too gentle.

Anyhow, there were things I truly liked about this part of the session. Like how Ms. Donna was so game at poking fun at herself and her skin. I truly appreciate it when women are comfortable in their own (flawed) skin. Years back when I was losing my soft, clear skin to acne, I'd cry at the slightest hint of a joke that made fun of my pimples. These days, I could not care less, I would joke about my acne scars myself. I love it when women make an effort to normalize flaws.

Oily Skin
Use alcohol-free products. Neutrogena was recommended.
Use oil-free moisturizers and cleansing gels. Celeteque was recommended.
Avoid glossy/satin/luminous products. So much for the Korean Dewy trend.
Avoid touching the face. Makeup easily transfers when skin is oily, plus bacteria from your hands can cause pimples.

Dry Skin
Prone to hyperpigmentation, so avoid sun exposure.
Avoid long showers.
Use body wash and cleansing gels instead of soap.
Use moisturizers and night creams.

Sensitive Skin
Use hypoallergenic products. Obviously.
Avoid scrubs.
Avoid icing. Ha! I have friends with poreless skin and they swear by icing. I keep trying to ice my face every few years just to see if my skin has changed and adapted somehow, but no, every time I ice my face, my skin just turns red, but not in a mestiza kind of red, but patchy, rough, and angry-looking red and it would stay that way for DAYS.

Care for all types
Sleep. Important if you want to avoid lines, bags, and wrinkles.
Water. Dehydration causes wrinkles.
Sunscreen. The sun is the ultimate enemy of good skin.
NEVER. EVER. SMOKE. EVER. I have met models who would otherwise have perfect skin but smoking ravaged their skin causing lines and spots around the mouth and large pores in the cheeks and nose. The damage doesn't show until a few years later.

Basic Skin Care Steps

1. Cleanse. Wash face twice a day. Ms. Donna mentioned that if you have oily skin, it's very tempting to wash your face every time it oils up, especially in the summer. This is dangerous, however, as it dries the skin too much, triggering it to produce more oil and drying up the areas that don't oil up, like the eye area and the sides of the face. Also, use cleansing oils or cold cream instead of soap.
2. Exfoliate. Limit to once a week to avoid overprocessing the skin.
3. Tone. There's mix literature about the need for toning. I have long been convinced it's a waste of money, time, and there's risk of damaging the skin in the long run. This is a step I personally skip, no matter how tempting it can be to douse my oily skin with alcohol-based toners. Ms. Donna recommends Evian and Human Nature Rosedew Mist. I am yet to like HN Rosedew Mist, I broke out after using it as a setting spray, but then again, it was the week before my period so it could be hormones. I'm gonna give this product a try when I've no event coming up. I like Human Nature products.
4. Moisturize.  Ms. Donna emphasized the need for moisturizing. We, Filipinos, tend to skip this bit because our skin can get sticky with the humidity. She suggests using night creams especially those nearing their 30s. Eye creams, serums, moisturizers and sunblock are a must even, and maybe especially, for oily skin.

Next up will be "Choosing the Right Makeup and Tools". I learned so much from the workshop that every item on the course outline deserves a stand alone post to discuss everything in detail. I am now in search of more workshops (if you know of any that's free, please let me know!!!) and seminars and any makeup/beauty-related activity. I signed up for product freebies and am currently waiting for the deliveries. I'm actually excited for what this makeup workshop has started, like I am now always on my toes whenever somebody mentions makeup and beauty products. This beauty blog is beginning to take over my life.