#steach

Basic Skin care, Prep and After Care

It is best to test allergic reactions for products before using them using a patch test at home. Most folks are comfortable with using the skin on their arms or the back of their hands. But for those who are slightly image conscious, the skin on your neck that is located behind the ears is usually a recommended patch testing area. Simply put a bit of the product on your chosen test area and wait for a reaction. If you feel an uncomfortable or burning sensation from a certain product, do not attempt to use it again as there are several alternative products that you can use in lieu of the product you are allergic to. 

There are a few things one must know to before we start and that is simple skin care basics that will help your work last longer in terms of adherence to your skin. Although most SFX makeup supplies are skin safe, given you are not allergic to certain ingredients such as latex, gelatin, rosin and the like, it is still recommended that you take great care of your skin before and after you put it through its paces. 

To ensure smooth and hassle-free makeup application, it is sensible to exfoliate your skin first. By removing the dead skin cells and dirt on the surface of your work area you are ensuring that your makeup will adhere to it longer. Dead skin cells, dirt and sebum tend to ruin the application and as a result the effect and resilience of the applied products will not be as satisfactory and resilient as they should be. 

There are plenty of commercial products out there that you can use to exfoliate your skin such but the best thing is still plain baking soda. With a small amount in the palm fof your hand, add a small amount of water to make a paste then rub your skin firmly to gently. Avoid the eye area and do not scrub too roughly. 

After exfoliating apply your choice of facial toner and let it dry before moving on to our next step. Avoid toners with high alcohol content as it dries skin out and encourages the over production of oils on the skin.

After applying your toner it is a good idea to moisturize lightly. This is a must as it helps your skin compensate with the loss of the natural oils that you have just scrubbed off it and helps skin avoid staining from products that are notorious for staining skin (ex. Fake blood).

If applying appliances, prosthetics or any product you will most likely want to shave or wax that area. This is NOT optional. As it is extremely painful to pull products that have a strong adherence on your work surface off when they are attached to hair. 

After care is just as easy as your preparation in application. Start off by removing your appliance or the products that you have applied with makeup removers, be gentle and work your way slowly. Do not pull it off quickly, doing so will cause trauma to your skin. 

Wash your work surface off with your choice of soap or facial cleaner until your surface has no traces of the products left then pat your surface dry gently, moisture and you’re done.