this ones for my mom

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I just got a text from my mom. 'tell me something about dry skin' it said.

Well mom, here you go:

My poor fiance has about 2 inches of space in our medicine cabinet. I on the other hand, have 3 shelves and most of the counter. See, I'm a freak about my skin. I Wash (Keihl's Herbal Wash), Tone (Rosewater), Treat (Keihl's ABCD Cream, Fresh Black Tea Eye Cream), Brighten (Laura Mercier Brightening Eye Serum), Exfoliate (Fresh Appleseed Brightening Exfoliant and PTR Anti-Wrinkle Pads), Mask (Bliss Steep Clean, Fresh Black Tea, Aveda Tourmaline, Fresh Umbrian Clay), and Moisturize (Fresh Umbrian Clay and Black Tea Perfecting).

In my line of work I come across woman everyday who don't know about proper skin care. I even had a lady last week at an event tell me that she washes her face with shampoo and doesn't moisturize. She came in wondering why her wrinkles were getting so deep. Gee, I wonder. Needless to say, the treatment nazi that I am sent her home with a whole new regiment (and a hefty credit card bill).

When it comes to dry skin, I can't say it enough, MOISTURIZE. I'm a big fan of cleansing oils (Shu Uemura and Laura Mercier make my favorite) and eye cream (Laura Mercier's Flawless skin line and anything by Korre's and Fresh). As far as facial moisturizers go, you pay for what you get. Many brands you find over the counter and in drug stores are filled with Alcohol which will only dry your skin out in the long run. Spending extra on your face is well worth it. Some of my favorites are Korre's, Laura Mercier, Bobbi Brown and Fresh.

Now, as for make up, everybody is different but one thing i cannot stress enough, NO POWDER foundation for dry skin types. Think about this, powder is DRY and nothing heels dry skin more than something WET (ie moisture!). Every since Bare Minerals hit the market, woman everywhere have been plastering it all over their faces and I am here to say, IT DOESN'T LOOK GOOD!. I have NEVER in my make up career seen someone using Bare Minerals that actually looks good. That's what you call good marketing, not good make up.

Now...Some of my favorite products for dry skin. Primer is KEY and some is a creamy moisturizing foundation. Translucent powder to set and you're good to go. As for brands, my favorites are Laura Mercier, Bobbi Brown, Hourglass, Stila and Chantecaille.

Step 1: I start with a hydrating primer when I'm applying make up to dry skin types. The only one I trust is Laura Mercier's Original Primer formula or Hydrating formula for dry skin types.

Step 2: Find the right formula for your skin. Do you want sheer tinted moisturizer (a favorite), medium coverage, or full coverage?

-I recommend tinted moisturizer for almost anyone. It will even out skin tone and you can go in with a concealer if you need more coverage. My favorites are Laura Mercier tinted moisturizer (she invented it after all) and Hourglass Illuminating Tinted Moisturizer. Both go on sheer but immediately even out skin tone and come in an array of colors. I apply with my hands or with a rubber sponge (never foam-it will soak up your product and it hoards bacteria).

-If you are concerned about redness, age spots or rosacea and need a little more coverage than a tinted moisturizer, I recommend a fluid foundation that goes on creamy. My favorites are Laura Mercier Moisture Blend, Bobbi Brown Luminous Foundation, Hourglass Veil and Chantecaille Future Skin (expensive but worth it). Choosing the right foundation will ensure that your skin is even, not flaky and smooth. I like to apply these with a fluffy foundation brush, buffing it on in circular motions, starting with a little at a time. I usually use the Stila Blush Brush or the MAC #129 for this. Because you are applying a wet product to natural fibers, it's important to wash your brush daily. I use the Laura Mercier brush cleaner.

-If you feel as if you need full coverage I recommend a buildable foundation. The Hourglass Veil and Chantecaille Future Skin are two formulas that you can build on top of each other. Stila's Illuminating Foundation is another. Laura Mercier's Silk Creme Foundation is full coverage but NEEDS to be applied to very moist skin with a rubber sponge to ensure that it doesn't get too cakey.

-Step 3: Conceal. Under eyes nothing works better than Laura Mercier Secret Concealers set with Secret Brightening Powder. It is creamy, covers well and doesn't budge ALL DAY. Bobbi Brown also makes a great 2-step under eye regiment but it tends to wear off on me through the day. Cle de Peau has an amazing concealer that comes in a stick form but it is spendy and doesn't necessarily work well on very dry skin. Hourglass has a nice stick concealer for normal under eyes as well. It has built in illuminator that brightens as it conceals. A lot of people go crazy over the cult classis Touche Eclat by YSL. I like it, but it needs to be used with another concealer for coverage. It's important that under eye concealer is creamy and thick and must be set with a sheer powder.

Step 4: Setting your make up is crucial. Especially for dry skin. But this is where it gets tricky. It's important to have a sheer powder that doesn't get dry and cakey on the skin. My favorites are Laura Mercier and Bobbi Brown Translucent powders, Hourglass Invisible powder, Stila Hydrating Finishing Powder and Laura Mercier Mineral Powder Loose.

-If you feel that you need concealer on your face, I recommend Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage. She has long been at the forefront of make up and this is an award winning product.

Step 5: I recommend creme blush for dry skin because the color can soak into the skin and look more natural instead of sitting on the surface. Stila's Convertable Color is still one of my favorite cream blushes but I also like Laura Mercier, Bobbi Brown and NARS for their creams as well. Tarte makes a fantastic gel blush that I also use. If you aren't comfortable with applying cream blush with your hands, enlist the help of a cream blush brush or even use a fluffy blush brush. It will be easy to apply and will blend flawlessly.

Step 6: Not a necessary step but a good one none the less. Because dry skin can tend to look dull and matte, and our goal here is to make it look moist and supple, using an illuminator is like icing on the already delicious cake. If you already used an illuminating foundation don't worry about this step. Laura Mercier's Illuminating Tinted Moisturizers come in 4 shades and I like to either mix them in with foundation or pat them on before I put on powder. A little on the apples of the cheeks, chin, forehead and bridge of nose can make the skin appear super moist and glowing.

Good luck!

Get all products mentioned here at:
www.nordstrom.com
www.barneys.com
www.hourglasscosmetics.com
www.stilacosmetics.com
www.bobbibrowncosmetics.com
www.narscosmetics.com
www.lauramercier.com