HOW TO PREP SKIN FOR MAKEUP

The path to achieving glowing skin starts with a hydrated facial canvas. This means that, before concealers and radiance-boosting blush can enhance your beauty, you’ll need a rebalancing skincare routine to establish an effective base. In this sense, your skincare products and makeup go hand in hand.

A primer can’t do all the heavy lifting; the nourishment offered through skincare products helps to prepare skin for makeup application. Skin cell renewal, which comes through cleansing and exfoliating, removes roughness and makes way for permeable, youthful-looking skin. Alongside those steps, your hydrating products ensure that your surface level layer of skin is naturally radiant and retexturised, before you apply foundation primer.

In this article, we will guide you through how to prep skin for makeup with a supportive skincare routine and efficacious products.

7 Steps to prepare skin for makeup

Skincare routines are often thought of as separate to makeup application. The reality is that the two work in unison to give skin its refined texture and radiant allure, while also preventing cakey makeup. Your morning routine can include the following stages:

Cleanse the skin of impurities
Exfoliate dead skin cells
Refine with toner or essence
Apply a targeted serum
Moisturise to boost suppleness and hydration
Protect the skin with SPF
Apply your primer

Read on as we guide you through each step of this skincare routine before makeup application.

1. Cleanse

To prepare your skin for makeup, first start with skin purification.

All skin types benefit from cleansers, as the removal of impurities like pollution, bacteria, makeup and dirt regulates natural oil production and provides much-needed moisture.

Knowing how to clean your skin properly starts with finding the right cleanser for your skin type. For instance, makeup prep for oily skin and combination skin is going to demand different steps and products than dry skin types.

Foaming cleansers are ideal for oilier skin types because they help clarify the skin and tackle excess sebum. We suggest the Crema Nera Supreme Foam-In-Cream Cleansing Moisturiser, which is formulated with glycerin and Reviscentalis to detoxify and regenerate skin. Oil-based cleansers, however, are well-suited to dry skin types since they support both clarity and hydration. Opt for our oil-in-gel Crema Nera Cleansing Moisturiser to retexturise rough skin and gently cleanse impurities.

2. Exfoliate

Exfoliators are essentially texturising tools.

Makeup won’t blend well into skin that sits on dead skin cells, and foundation and blush may end up transferring throughout the day. The removal of dead skin cells promotes radiance and helps smooth the skin surface for makeup application.

One to two times per week, apply the Crema Nera Acqua Pantelleria Antioxidant Treatment Lotion to assist with your skin prep before makeup. This formula is enriched with Kaolin clay (a cleansing agent) and Reviscentalis (a cellular reparative) to exfoliate and soften skin, leaving a subtle mattified effect.

3. Use a toner and essence

Cleansed skin is permeable, meaning that high-potency products can be absorbed deeply and be most effective. This is where you can apply a toner and essence.

First, a toner will help remove any trace impurities missed during your cleansing and exfoliating steps. Make sure you choose a toner that complements your like type – like a pore-refining toner for blemish-prone skin or a hydrating toner for dry skin.

Next is facial essence, a long-used skincare product in Korea, which has a small molecular structure that allows it to permeate and firm the deep layers of skin. Apply an anti-ageing facial essence like the Crema Nera Acqua Reviscentalis Reviving Treatment Lotion, which uses four vital minerals and Reviscentalis for immediately firmed and contoured skin.

4. Apply serum

By properly hydrating your outer layer of skin (called the epidermis), your base for applying makeup is fully prepped, and skin is able to absorb and retain the products that follow.

One of the best skin prep products for makeup is a hydrating serum to nourish and pump the skin surface. Apply a few drops of Crema Nera Firming Plumping Facial Essence over the face and neck to imbue the skin with moisture, increase softness, and amplify radiance – a winning formula to achieve a perfectly prepped makeup base.

5. Moisturise

Moisturising your skin protects it from external stressors and enables it to blend with makeup products for a radiant finish. This is a key part of makeup prep for dry skin – but it’s just as important for oily skin types to keep sebum levels balanced.

To this end, apply a hydrating and anti-ageing cream – like the Crema Nera Supreme Reviving Light Cream, which is infused with Reviscentalis to encourage younger-looking skin – every morning. The undereye area is prone to dryness and dark circles, so it requires specific anti-ageing protection. Pair your moisturising cream with a targeted eye cream like the illuminating Crema Nera Light-Reviving Eye Cream to combat puffy eyes.

6. Protect with SPF

One prep step that should never be overlooked is applying sunscreen.

So ensure that you wear a broad-spectrum sunscreen with a high protection factor (SPF50+) to shield the skin from harmful UVA (skin ageing) UVB (sunburn) rays. We recommend testing out different sunscreens to see if the consistency and colour is compatible with your makeup. For instance, if you have oilier skin, you may want to seek out lightweight, non-comedogenic formulas. Also, some sunscreens leave behind a white cast that is visible under foundation, so make sure you do a trial run with your formulas.

It’s important to wait about 5-10 minutes after applying sunscreen before you continue with your skin prep for makeup or foundation application – as this may interfere with the effectiveness of your SPF.

7. Apply primer

Each stage of your skincare routine has been building to this final step to prepare the skin for makeup – applying primer. A makeup primer ensures that your complexion is smooth and supple, while giving your foundation something to grip onto.

For those looking for the best primer for dry skin, our Luminous Silk Hydrating Primer smooths and softens even very dry skin to improve the wearability of foundation. If you’re seeking a primer that caters to oily skin, our UV Master Primer contains oil-regulating lipids alongside UV skin protection to lightly mattify while supporting the skin’s radiance.

Now you’ve unlocked these essential tips for how to prep your skin for flawless makeup, find out how to choose a foundation for your skin tone so you can be your most radiant self.