10 Beauty Tips I’ve Learned as a Beauty Writer

beauty columnist Rebecca Wilkinson

Four years ago I thought I knew all I needed to know about beauty. But the tips and tricks I’ve learned from being a beauty writer are amazing.

Hey guys, Rebecca here. I’ve been writing beauty for Bondi Beauty now for around four years or more, I’ve lost count to be honest. During that time, I have had some pretty amazing conversation with many industry experts in beauty sharing their top tips and even creating my own along the way when researching the latest beauty hacks around the world.

If you have been following Bondi Beauty for a while you may have come across a lot of my stories along the way. I have written about travel, lifestyle, fitness, yoga, health and of course a lot of beauty.

Now, I have decided to devote myself entirely to beauty. Say hello to your new beauty columnist. To celebrate and kick of this new series of beauty columns, I am starting by sharing with you ten beauty hacks and tips I have learned over the last four years being a beauty writer.

Growing up in the eighties was so much fun as child, as my mother had an arsenal of makeup and other fabulous beauty products, like cobalt blue eye shadow, tomato red lipstick, and hot pink nail polish.

Needless to say, as a child I was absolutely obsessed with makeup and beauty; which I’m sure most of you can relate to.

I won’t lie, I wasted a lot of my mother’s products and tried to hide the fact I was using them, especially her vibrant coloured eye pencils, where I would use a tissue to clean up the pencil afterwards, so she wouldn’t know I was playing with them all. I think she secretly knew though, but loved me too much to say anything. Thanks mum.

I spent countless hours in the bathroom exploring everything my mother had, and had a particular interest in her luxurious Shiseido range, which if I understood how expensive this brand was back then, I most likely would not have ever touched them, maybe.

As an adult, my obsession with beauty has only grown and I absolutely love having the chance to explore new products; both skincare and makeup, and attend some pretty awesome beauty events and new product launches along the way.

Whilst on this journey, I’ve learned some of the most interesting, fun, fascinating and weird beauty tips, here’s ten of my favourite.

You Don’t Need Expensive Products to Look Good:

Don’t be deceived by the price tag of beauty products. Many products promise to deliver on so many GREAT and WONDERFUL miracles to help you conquer any skincare concern. And, if I’m being perfectly honest with you, some products (with a hefty price tag) really do deliver on providing incredible instant results.

However, I have also learned along the way, many expensive products are not necessary to obtain youthful and beautiful skin. Often it’s the simple underestimated products which get sidelined by the over priced ones, which truly do deliver on giving you the right results. It’s all in the ingredients.

Products with vitamin C are perfect for all ages and a lot of brands include this into their products without the product being too expensive. Products with natural enzymes made from pumpkin, pineapple or papaya are a better (and cheaper) alternative to expensive products which contain glycolic.

The Importance of Using a Makeup Brush:

Did you know, every time you touch an object or shake someone’s hand, you are picking up on average around 1,500 bacteria particles eek! This means, if you apply your foundation onto your skin using your fingers, you are essentially now transferring all those icky germs and bacteria particles onto your face. Gross.

And if you use those same germ infested fingers to touch the foundation still sitting in the bottle, they are now transferred to your entire bottle of foundation. Pass the makeup brush, please. Just remember, you must clean your brushes regularly to prevent any bacteria sitting on the brush to transfer to your face also.

Vitamin C in Skincare Products Can Expire Within 7 days:

Yep, you heard that right. Vitamin C is both oxygen and light sensitive. Meaning, every time you lift the lid off your favourite vitamin C product and expose it to the elements, it will expire a little more each day. Brands such as Garnier and Clinique have come up with revolutionary ways to counter this oxidisation effect, by creating powder and liquid form of Vitamin C sachet, which can be added to your treatment daily to prevent all the vitamin C going bad at once.

So, just keep that in mind the next time you purchase a vitamin C serum bottles which looks like it will last the month, chances are, by the end of the week, the vitamin C would have expired and your once magical serum is not just your average serum.

Bronzers Are WAY Better Than Contours:

Unless you are a professional makeup artist, contours should really be left to the professionals. I have had multiple conversations with makeup artists who cringe when they go out to events and see how many women are contouring and getting it so wrong.

It’s to easy to go over the top contouring and defining features of the face so much, until your face becomes completely unnatural to look at and obvious to an onlooker those high cheekbones are seriously not real. Use a bronzer to define features of the face instead. Looking more natural with a sunkissed glow is easier to achieve for anyone who is not a makeup artist and makeup artists all agree.

If you’re looking for definition, focus on the eyes and the lips and keep the rest of the face as natural as possible.

It’s Okay to Use Clay Masks Daily:

If you have oily congested skin that is. Once skincare professional who created her own line of products told me if I find myself having super congested and oily skin at the end of each day after wearing makeup, it’s okay to use a clay mask after cleansing to control the oil and clear out all the dirt.

However, the best types of clay masks are those which don’t crack and dry out. Gel-based ones where they stay fairly moist and hydrate the skin whilst drying on the skin are best as they won’t zap all the skin moisture out of the cells. Though if you do choose to use a mask which dries out, fill an empty spritz bottle with water and spray lightly on the face when the mask starts to dry so it doesn’t dry too quickly and dehydrate the skin.

Make Sure You Cocktail Your Hair Products:

If you don’t know what cocktailing your beauty means, it’s when you mix up your beauty products so they aren’t all the same brand and change up the routine and types of products you use weekly (or even daily). Why?

It’s simple really, because your skin and hair will adjust to the same products and routine. Especially with haircare. Using the same haircare products daily for months on end means your hair becomes conditioned to the product and stops benefiting from all the goodness the product has to offer. I use different products to accommodate different needs and different seasons.

For example, when my hair feels dry I use Function of Beauty to reboost my hair’s hydration and moisture and when my hair has been over style and is dirty, I use the new Micellar collection by Pantene to deep cleanse all the dirt and excess products.

Stay Away From Powder Foundation When You’re Over Thirty:

This also means, don’t use any highlighters which are powder.

For all women, at the age of twenty-five, our bodies all stop producing natural collagen. Collagen is what keeps skin smooth, supple, and youthful looking. And when your body stops producing it, skin will begin to show signs of ageing. From lines appearing where they shouldn’t, to dry spots, excessive dryness and then some.

Using powder styled makeup products like mineral foundation and sparkling highlighters means skin will be prone to dry out faster and more lines will show. Particularly around the eye area. Stay away and use liquid products only to keep skin looking as young as possible.

Match Your Skincare Routine with your Age:

Okay, so as weird as that sounds, I have learned from many industry experts you must change your beauty and skincare routine to match with your age.

An example of this is, from the age of twenty-five, all women stop producing natural collagen. The effects of this are then seen on the skin, especially the face, where small lines begin to appear, elasticity seems less and you begin to notice your skin favouring rich hydrating products, rather than the light and airy ones. Whatever products you were using in your early twenties, no longer have an effect on the skin now in your thirties.

For example, at the age of twenty using light and airy products which work to reduce excess oil would be recommended to help prevent your pores from blocking with excess oil and grime, which then causes breakouts. At the age of thirty, those oils generally begin to dry up and instead you need to start using thicker creams to help boost the natural oils of the skin to prevent it drying up and blocking pores with dried up dead skins.

Many industry experts, such as the French Facialist in Melbourne have told me, changing up your skincare routine at least every ten years, is recommended to maintain good skin health. If you’re unsure where to start, book in to see a therapist and find out.

Cleanse Your Skin Morning and night:

Four years ago, I totally underestimated the concept of a good cleanse. Now, I can’t get enough of it and can’t stress the importance of it to pretty much anyone where beauty is the topic of conversation.

Cleansing is not just to be reserved for the the end of the day when you need to remove makeup, dirt, old product or anything else for that matter. It also plays an important part in your morning skincare routine. This is because not only do your pores collect dust and dirt throughout the night after cleansing from the night before, your skin also sweats, might breakout in blemishes from something you ate the previous day and pores get clogged with dust and dirt.

Cleansing first thing in the morning ensures your pores are open and ready to absorb all the goodies from your facial serums, oils, and moisturisers you use, allowing your skin to reap the proper beneifts of all your products, which help to protect the skin and reduce the signs of ageing.

Don’t Wear Mascara on Your Bottom Lashes:

As bizarre as this last beauty tip sounds, I have been told by many a makeup artist and makeup specialist who explain when you wear mascara on your bottom lashes, you age the eyes.

Yep, it’s true. I haven’t worn mascara on my bottom lashes in more than two years since learning this bit of information and I’ll admit prior to that, I was feeling and looking tired under the eyes when I was attending a variety of events, even after having specialised eye treatments and using a plethora of products at home to keep them from ageing.

Who would have thought such a simple makeup tip could dramatically reduce the signs, or rather the look of ageing around the eyes. Now for my bottom lashes, I use a clear mascara which keeps lashes well moisturies and hydrated for a more youthful look and only wear mascara on the top lashes. Try it and see for yourself. You’ll be amazed.

My Favourite Beauty Product of the Week:

NIP+FAB Glycolic Fix Night Pads Extreme 60 Pack RRP $34.99

NIP+FAB Glycolic Fix Night Pads Extreme 60 Pack

Oily skin? Congested skin? Blemish prone skin? If you add these fabulous night pads to your skincare arsenal, you will seriously notice a massive reduction in all of those skin issues.

I love a good glycolic product, but it can often get pricey purchasing high end glycolic products from my beauty therapist. Finding an alternative which does the same job, but only costs a quarter of the price is a real winner for me.

Depending on what’s going on with your skin, whether you have some inflammation from some blemishes or you may have just given yourself a deep exfoliation to remove any dead skin cells, you will feel a slight sting when using the pads after cleansing. Don’t be alarmed though, this is the glycolic working through the cells and removing all the gunk collected in the pores.

Rebecca Wilkinson

Beauty Editor

Rebecca is a freelance content creator and beauty editor for Bondi Beauty. She is a pescatarian, who may yet become vegan. She loves all things beauty, health & travel, has a weakness for coffee and is obsessed with cats and yoga. If she's not answering her mobile - it's probably because she's trying out the latest beauty trend, like massaging crushed pearls into her skin for the ultimate collagen and vitamin boost to skin cells.

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