How to Get Baby-Soft Skin

At one point in life, we all had our dream skin. Of course, at the same time, we were pushed around in a stroller and unable to speak in full sentences. That baby-soft skin texture is enviable in many ways: it’s soft, supple and absolutely blemish free. But as we get older and submit our skin to external aggressors, it gets harder and harder to preserve that flawless texture.

Thankfully, we don’t need to time travel to get baby-soft skin again. It’s all possible by taking care of our current skin, using the proper clean beauty and techniques. We spoke with Blass Laner, Senior Manager of Global Education at bareMinerals and Lee Etheridge, Executive Director of Global Education about how to get smooth, soft skin. Listen up, and get ready to relive your skin’s best days.

Moisture is Key

When your skin is dehydrated, it tends to feel scaly, flaky and rough. Make sure that you’re taking care of your skin by moisturizing it daily. “In the morning, apply a lighter moisturizer (we recommend using one with SPF) before any makeup products,” Blass explains. “In your nighttime routine, use a richer moisturizer — you won’t be applying makeup over it and your skin can soak it in overnight.”

Adding hydration may be skincare 101, but there’s an important caveat: your skin’s moisture levels also depend on the strength of your skin barrier. “As we age, skin starts to lose its elasticity and suppleness; use products that will strengthen the skin to help keep moisture in,” Blass says. The NEW SKINLONGEVITY Long Life Herb Collection addresses this head on. It’s largely thanks to our exclusive boosted ingredient, Long Life Herb. The mineral-rich plant extract, responsibly sourced from Okinawa, Japan, strengthens and smooths skin texture, while helping to resist visible signs of aging caused by daily damage.

Protect Your Skin from External Aggressors

While your personal skin type and DNA definitely affect your skin’s softness, you should also defend against external aggressors.

“Our body needs vitamin D for strong bones, yet too much exposure to UV rays can cause skin damage, and in the long term can lead to early skin aging, dark patches and loss of skin elasticity,” Lee says. Beyond this, living in cities with low air quality can cause skin congestion, smoking cigarettes can result in skin wrinkling and indoor heating or cooling can make our skin build up excess toxins.

In order to fight these aggressors, Lee suggests building and sticking to a custom skincare regimen. Cleanse your skin every evening to remove dirt, makeup and SPF. “AM cleansing is critical for removing dead skin cells and sweat that builds up on the skin overnight,” Lee notes.

In the morning, follow any treatments and moisturizers with an SPF of at least 30. Finally, “strengthen your skin’s barrier so that it is better equipped to protect itself from these aggressors.” Our SKINLONGEVITY Long Life Herb Serum is up for the job, as it strengthens skin by 45%.*

Don’t Over Exfoliate

Yes, exfoliating is good. Too much exfoliation? Not so good. This can lead to drying out your skin and potentially causing microtears. Lee recommends exfoliating around 2 to 3 times per week. “When dead skin cells become stuck on the surface, you may notice clogged pores and dry and rough patches,” Lee says. “Regular exfoliation removes the buildup of dead skin cells resulting in a smoother, brighter complexion.”

Try a formula that’s gentle on all skin types. “Forget the harsh scrubs of the past and focus on products with ingredients that won’t irritate the skin, like superfruit acids,” she says. The PORELESS Exfoliating Essence helps minimize the appearance of pores and reduce excess oil with a mix of prebiotics — Sugar Cane & Sugar Maple — and superfruit acids — Bilberry, Noni Fruit, Orange & Lemon Extracts.

Prep for Lasting Makeup

Sometimes, you might find that your skin is soft from your skincare regimen, but by the end of the day it’s cracking from dried up makeup settling into fine lines. No need to worry! Correct makeup application can help — plus choosing makeup that doubles down on skincare benefits.

Lee recommends starting with a primer and foundation with hydrating properties. Primer is a crucial step, as it can help prevent products from settling into fine lines. The COMPLEXION RESCUE DEFENSE Radiant Protective Veil can be used as an all-in-one moisturizer and primer that provides indoor and outdoor protection. It features Cacao Extract to defend against blue light induced damage; Sugar Molecules that protect against carbon particles, particle matter and heavy metals; plus Camellia Flower Extract to protect skin from environmental stressors and pollution. As for foundation, our COMPLEXION RESCUE Collection packs hydrating skincare benefits with buildable coverage and protective mineral-based SPF. You can take things a step further by mixing your makeup with skincare. “Mixing your serum, such as SKINLONGEVITY Long Life Herb Serum, with your liquid foundation helps to sheer the foundation and add a hydration boost,” Lee says.

And the secret to making it all last? A light dusting of finishing powder should do the trick. You’ll also want to avoid applying too much foundation. “Use a featherlight brush, such as the Shade and Diffuse Highlight Brush to lightly buff makeup around the eye and lip area where the skin is more prone to line and wrinkles,” she suggests.

*Based on an 8-week Canadian clinical study of 29 female subjects (TEWL 4-week data read).

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