PERFECT SKIN SOLUTIONS

By THÉRÈSE MARGOLIS    

When it comes to makeup, your skin is your canvas, and without a clean, flawless canvas, no amount of foundation or other cosmetics are ever going to give you that fresh, wholesome look.

That is why it is so important to take care of your skin with a twice-daily routine and products specifically suited to your skin type.

True, good genes can help and are definitely a blessing, but without a tailored morning and night routine to cleanse, tone, moisturize and protect your skin, your face can begin to look drab and flawed.

Stress, poor diet, lack of sleep and external factors such as contamination and sun exposure (let’s hope you are already using a daily sunscreen and reapplying it every few hours) can also take a toll on your complexion.

Fortunately, the modern science of beauty has created an entire arsenal of skin-type-specific cleansers and treatments that can help give you a picture-perfect complexion in just a few days of faithful use (and what it cannot immediately heal, it can conceal so that no one but you knows about that unsightly blemish on the side of your cheek).

Here are some of the latest and greatest new products to help you keep your skin radiant, glowing and blemish-free.

Blemish Be Gone 

Oily skin breakouts, especially adult oily skin breakouts, are one of the most difficult skin conditions to treat, and it affects a staggering number of Mexican women..

In fact, while most people think of acne as an unpleasant teenage rite of passage, an annoying condition that they will outgrow by their early 20s.

But a staggering 50 percent of Mexican women between the ages of 25 and 40 have moderate or severe acne, and nearly 20 percent of Mexican women over age 40 have moderate to severe acne,

Because Mexicans tend to have oily skin, they are more apt to suffer from adult acne.

And while the breakouts of adult acne are just as emotionally devastating as teenage blemishes, the adult condition is very different from the adolescent ailment.

Now Uriage has developed a discreet little two-in-on, fit-in-your-purse Hyséac Local Skin-Care Bi-Stick suited for all ages that dries, purifies and conceals blemishes all day long.

Quick and easy to use, Hyséac Bi-Stick is a clever double-action skincare formula that can be applied either under or over foundation.

This must-have, take-everywhere treatment for flawless skin is based on a hydro-alcoholic formula, enriched with keratolytic and anti-seborrheic agents, to dry imperfections while soothing skin with Uriage’s trademark thermal water.

Made with soft-focus-powders, the tinted correction stick conceals imperfections and has a antibacterial agent.

It can be applied up to four times a day as a quick and effective treatment to oily skin blemishes.

Deep-Cleaning Masks

Some stubborn impurities need a little extra help getting ousted from your skin, and that’s where deep-cleaning masks come in.

Face masks are an easy and inexpensive way to perk up your complexion and pamper yourself.

Most beauty experts recommend a cleansing facial mask about once a week, best applied before a nice, long soak in the tub so that you can relax while the mask works its magic.

Also, the steam from the bath will help open your pores so that the mask can penetrate to the deeper levels of your skin.

It is important that you choose a mask suited to your particular skin type.

Fortunately, Sephora has a new collection of super-affordable sheet masks that come with a variety of key ingredients, such as Green Tea (perfect for troubled skin or acne-prone skin), Aloe Vera (for quenching and replenishing), Coconut (for nourishing and smoothing), Pearl (for perfecting and brightening), Rose (for moisturizing dry skin), Pineapple (for pore perfecting), Grape (for anti-pollution defense) and Algea (for purifying and detoxifying).

The list goes on and on, so you can choose the one that best suits your skin’s specific needs.

Instant Beauty

Need a quick pick-me-up for dull and tired-looking skin?

MartiDerm — the Spanish smart-aging brand that pioneered the ampoule vile — has the solution.

MartiDerm Flash Ampoules instantly banish signs of stress and fatigue, while moisturizing and firming all skin types, including sensitive skin.

Enriched with hyaluronic acid, natural silicon, firming proteins and reflective particles (which help create a soft-focus effect and give your complexion a natural-looking radiance), these little glass vials help to revitalize skin and reduce roughness, leaving your face immediately smoother and softer, while creating an elastic film with a resculpting effect.

They are ideal skin energizer after too much partying or for special occasions, and are a perfect face refresher after a long flight.

And MartiDerm Flash Ampoules can be used by both men and women.

Sold exclusively in specialized pharmacies, each box of MartiDerm Flash comes with five ampoules and each ampoule contains enough product for two applications that can be used on alternating days.

Head-to-Toe Protection

It’s not just your facial skin that needs daily love and care.

Your entire body should be moisturized daily with a hydrating and nourishing cream.

CeraVe, the Number One dermatologist-recommended bodycare line in the United States, is now available in Mexico.

Developed with medical skincare specialists and enriched with a blend of three essential ceramides (1, 3 and 6-II), fatty acids and other lipids to help repair and strengthen skin’s natural barriers, the entire CeraVe is designed for all skin types, including sensitive, allergy-prone and delicate skin.

A revolutionary delivery system releases moisturizing ingredients over the course of 24 hours, layer by layer, to help keep skin soft all day long.