Study Your Face { + a free printable!}

Hello! Today we start a new series: How To Transition To Natural Cosmetics! I'm excited to share with you what I'm doing as I make this change myself and I hope you come along for the ride! There is SO MUCH out there on makeup/products/brushes/skin-care routines/what's good and what's not/miracle cures, etc. I know I'm not the only one who finds the world of "beauty" overwhelming and I would like to suggest that it doesn't have to be complicated if we don't want it to be. Make-up is fun to play with, but when it comes down to the daily grind, we want a routine that is simple, effective, and good for us. 

Before you can make a change, you have to assess the current situation. So, today, let's study our faces! One very appealing benefit of homemade, natural make-up + skincare is the ability to work into the products ingredients that are beneficial to you specifically. By including healing components in your concoctions, you can treat skin conditions instead of just mask them.

I was only going to include the above picture/graphic in this post, but as I was asking my sisters which image I should use, they suggested I use each one to illustrate a different area. :D

Complexion: 

Look at your clean skin. Do you have redness? Acne? Dry areas? Oily areas? Dark circles? Each of these have a cause and with some research, you should be able to figure out some solutions. Acne can be caused by a food sensitivity or over-enthusiastic oil glands, among other things. When I get pimples, I look up a face acne map (like this one) to see if there might be an internal issue my body is dealing with that I need to address. Dry skin could mean you need to drink more water. Dark circles or puffy eyes might suggest you ate too many tortilla chips before bed (salt causes puffy eyes). Or, maybe you have fairly clear skin, eat a healthy diet, and drink enough water, but your skin is just thin and veins show through (like my case is). Google the layers of the skin and discover natural sources of retinol (some retinol products come from aborted baby cells-- yikes!) to plump up and encourage a more even complexion. My point is, do some research! There is so much information available at our fingertips. 

There are all kinds of natural ingredients that you can add to your make-up to help with acne, redness, etc., so you should research those as well. For example, tea tree oil helps calm over-productive oil glands and carrot seed oil helps clear up age spots. There are also different types of actual oils that might help different issues, like almond oil, castor oil, or vitamin E oil.

 Complexion Continued:

While you're thinking about your complexion, identify the make-up products that will help you achieve your desired look. So, dark circles = concealer, redness = foundation, healthy look = blush.

Eyes:

 Do you have thick, healthy lashes or could they use some bolstering? Maybe you could wear a serum at night that encourages lash growth. Are you getting wrinkles? (I know I have some older readers here) Research natural ways to plump those and consider ways to apply make-up that don't stretch your skin further. Just as with complexion, write down some cosmetics that may enhance your features. Mascara, eyeshadow, non-clumping concealer, etc.

Eyebrows:

Does their shape compliment your face shape? I think proper eyebrow grooming can be one of the most effective ways to bring out your natural beauty. Are they too thin or too thick? Identify ways to improve that. Maybe add brow powder to your list of cosmetics.

Lips:

 Dry lips, yellow teeth, and unwanted "mustache" hairs may be issues to identify here. Maybe it's time for a weekly lip exfoliate. Do you need to brush your teeth after your morning coffee? Research effective hair-removal methods that you're comfortable with, whether that's sugaring or iodine + babyoil.

Routine:

What is your daily skincare routine? Are you using unnatural products? Purpose to find and switch them out for natural/organic ones. Make-up remover, cleansers, lotions, deodorant, and even toothpaste is subject to scrutiny! :)

As we are examining our faces, let's remember that while it is good and right to continually make God's world more beautiful outwardly, it's primarily our hearts and minds that bring Him glory. :)

To make this exercise easier, I've created a free printable for you to use! Click HERE to download the pdf and fill it out to help identify your cosmetic product "needs"!

In the next post in this series I'll be sharing how I did some research and started buying all the ingredients I need to make my own cosmetics/products, based off of the issues I identified I wanted to address. I hope this post was helpful and that you decide to transition your cosmetic stash, too!

Have a wonderful day!