The First Step for a Good Make-up

The first step in caring for your skin externally, is cleansing. Perspiration, grease, dust, stale make-up, dirt and bacteria all collect on your skin and must be re­moved completely. As an artist prepares a canvas, a wo­man must prepare her skin for good make-up. The first step in make-up is cleansing.

Soap and water removes most of the impurities but it does not remove make-up completely, hence cleansing is required. Foundations and powders are designed to remain on the skin as long as possible. If you wear make-up during the day, the first step in cleansing your skin at night should be with a cleanser of some kind: cleansing cream, lotion, milk or just plain cold cream. The cleanser must be massaged into the skin with a light upward and outward movement, paying particular attention to the creases of the nose, under chin area, neck and ear lobes.

It is necessary that the cotton wool used for cleansing is moist, as dry cotton wool absorbs moisture from the skin. Repeat the cleansing process two or three times until the tissue is clean. The heavier the make-up you have been wearing the more times you will have to cleanse your skin. If your skin is too much greasy or blemished, you may follow your cleansing by washing with soap and water using a medicated soap and rinsing very thoroughly with clean water.