Hey, it's Sarah and Lizzie, the Best Friend Beauty Reporters! With your formal just around the corner, now is the time to get your skin sorted out. Here are the answers to your party skin dramas.
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By the end of the day the skin on my face is greasy, shiny and tired looking - is there anything you could recommend to stop me looking like an oil slick at the formal?
Oily skin is more common among teenagers than you might think, due to those crazy changes in hormones. Thankfully, with good skin habits you can say goodbye to excess oil. Follow this routine twice a day and your skin will be formal fabulous in no time.
Step 1: Cleanse It's important to use a cleanser twice a day – in the morning and before going to bed. Try Clean & Clear® Self Foaming Facial Wash, which is light enough to clean the skin without leaving an oily residue.
Step 2: Tone Toner is great for removing any remaining dirt or oil on the face after cleansing. It keeps your pores unclogged and helps prevent pimples forming. Clean & Clear® Oil Controlling Toner removes excess surface oil and dirt deep within your pores where pimples start.
Step 3: Moisturise It's a myth that moisturisers make your skin oily. Leaving your skin to dry out will encourage oil production. Choose an oil-free moisturiser such as Clean & Clear® Skin Balancing Moisturiser. It’s light, absorbed quickly and leaves skin feeling soft and smooth.
On formal night, try carrying some blotting paper in your purse to absorb excess oil and sweat quickly and discreetly.
I get blackheads a lot and I use a cleanser every night and it doesn’t stop them. Please help me look good for the formal!
To banish blackheads you'll need more than a regular cleanser. Try a special blackhead solution like Clean & Clear® Blackhead Clearing Cleanser. It contains gentle beads that break down trapped dirt, oil and dead skin cells that can cause blackheads without over-drying the skin. And it works really quickly too. You'll see fewer blackheads in just two days.
You should also follow up with a toner to remove the last traces of dirt and oil from your pores — before they get trapped and turn into blackheads. Clean & Clear® Blackhead Clearing Toner leaves behind a deep cleansing ingredient that helps prevent blackheads from coming back.
Finish up with your regular oil-free moisturiser. Have fun at your formal!
How can I get that sun-kissed, glowing look at my formal?
Every girl wants to glow on their big night! If you want to look as fresh and glowing as Mandy Moore try using a good exfoliant after cleansing. Exfoliants scrub away dull, tired-looking skin to reveal softer, more radiant looking skin. We love Clean & Clear® Morning Burst Facial Scrub.
After moisturising and applying a light foundation, brush a bronzer over your cheeks, forehead, nose and chin for that super sun-kissed look.
What can I do to keep my skin clear leading up to the big night?
It's impossible to completely pimple-proof your skin, especially when you're a teenager. But by setting up a good skin care routine you can help prevent breakouts from happening. Look at the skin care section of this site for heaps of cool tips on staying breakout-free.
You can also keep your skin clear and glowing by keeping healthy from the inside out. For the six weeks leading up to the formal, try to eat a balanced diet with plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables. Drinking six to eight glasses of water per day will keep your skin refreshed and hydrated.
If you can, 30 mins of daily exercise will get your heart rate pumping and increase the flow of blood and oxygen to the skin cells. That means rosy, glowing skin! Also, when you sweat, your body expels toxins through the skin from the opened pores. Sweating helps cleans the pores of dirt and the dead skin cells which lead to breakouts — eww!
How come my skin never looks as good as the celebs' in magazines?
There is nothing worse when you are having a bad day than flipping through mags and seeing perfect faces stare out at you. But remember that celebrities have whole teams of make-up artists and stylists to make them look perfect for the red carpet.
Magazines also use programs like Photoshop to disguise skin flaws in celeb photos. You can bet that all your fave stars have the odd breakout, they just make sure to stay away from the cameras that day!
Look after your skin by following our skin care tips and invest in a good concealer to hide spots and dark circles under the eyes. You’ll be picture-perfect in no time.
How can I stop my skin from breaking out after the formal?
Late nights and sleeping in make-up can cause clogged pores and dull, tired-looking skin. No matter what time you get home from the formal you need to wash off your make-up before heading to bed. A cool trick is to keep a packet of Clean & Clear® Deep Action Cleansing Wipes and some moisturiser next to your bed so you don’t have to cleanse with water. Plus you won't wake up your parents!
Help! My formal is only three days away and I've got a big pimple on my chin.
Don't panic! Pimples always seem to pop up at the worst times, like just before your school photo or dance. Did you know that stress can actually cause some breakouts? If a pimple does flare up and you need to fix it fast, resist the urge to pop it. Believe us that this will just inflame the area around your pimple and spread breakout-causing bacteria.
Keep your skin clean by cleansing, toning and moisturising twice a day. Then target that spot with Clean & Clear® Active Clear Speed Clearing Gel. You will start seeing an improvement in 24 hours!
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