1. Washing your face with hot water.

Never wash with steaming hot water. How water on your skin can be very drying. For the best results, wash your face, using lukewarm or warm, not hot, water. After cleansing, use cool water as a final rinse and pat gently with a clean towel.

2. Exfoliating your skin every day.

Exfoliation helps slough off dead skin cells, remove dirt and keep pores looking smaller — all for a more glowing complexion. On the other hand, excessive exfoliating can disturb your skin’s barrier which translates to rough skin and dryness.

Instead, follow these guidelines to get your freshest, most youthful-looking skin.

25 to 35 - exfoliate once a week
35 to 45 - exfoliate twice a week
45+ - exfoliate three to four times a week

3.  Exfoliating with microbeads is ok, isn’t it? 

NO. It is not ok!! Too small to be sifted out at sewage treatment plants, the tiny microbeads end up in the ocean where the plastic, which does not biodegrade, becomes a persistent pollutant ingested by wildlife and toxic to marine organisms.

Lawmakers around the globe are taking on the challenge in the fight against plastic pollution in oceans, lakes and rivers. But it is a long process, that can simply be avoided if you do not purchase products that contain the microbeads.

Instead look for products that use the best of nature to provide your skin with a rejuvenating experience that will leave it feeling smooth, moisturized and radiant.

Xtend-Life’s Age Defying Exfoliating Scrub includes rhyolite exfoliator.

Rhyolite exfoliator is all-natural and more gentle than the harmful microbeads used in most exfoliating scrubs. Rhyolite polishes away dead skin cells, exposing the skin’s surface, while the luxurious moisturizers we include help soothe and support the skin. The rhyolite will not rip your skin like plastic microbeads can.

4.  Sleeping with your makeup on.

We all know that sleeping with our makeup on is not ideal but we’re all guility of having slept without removing our makeup once or twice. The occasional night, sleeping with our foundation or mascara seems harmless enough… right? Wrong -
Leaving your foundation and mascara on when you sleep can do some serious damage to your skin- yes, even if it only happens once in a while. Why, you ask?
At night your skins most important function is to renew itself. If you leave your makeup on it interferes with this renewal process.

5.  Touching and picking your face.

Most of us know we shouldn’t do this, but lots of us do it anyway. Anytime you pick or pull at your skin, you are causing damage and creating irritation, scars and wrinkles. Just...stop. Also, for those of you who rest their hands on their skin when working at their desk…it’s time to stop that as well as the bacteria from your fingers may cause blockages and infections.

6.  Applying makeup to dry skin.

Foundations look best when your skin is hydrated and well moisturized. Even the best foundation wont give you great coverage if your skin is dehydrated or flaky, if it is a flawless finish you desire, always apply a quality moisturizer first.

7.  Neglecting your neck and decolletage.

This is a key area that is often overlooked, and trust me in time you will regreat this. The skin on your neck is equally vunerable to dryness, and it is one of the first places to show signs of premature ageing. Get into the habit of applying anit-aging moisturizer, all the way down your neck to your decollage to nourish and protect this delicate area.

8. Ignoring your eyes.

There is no set age to start incorporating anti-aging into your routine.

The new approach is to protect the cells responsible for the regeneration and to repair the damaged structures. Applying a high quality eye cream from your twenties onwards will pay dividends. However, it is important to look for natural eye creams or serums designed to work to deeply nourish your skin with active ingredients such as Eyeliss™. This French formula will help reduce the puffiness and bags under the eyes by reducing fluid buildup while strengthening capillaries and boosting the elasticity of skin.

9.  Using dirty makeup brushes.

Yes, it’s doing more damage to your skin than you think. Keeping your brushes clean will ensure no dirt or old makeup build-up is going to effect your skin. If you use a foaming facewash like I do, use a few pumps into clean a bowl, and wash the brushes in the facewash. Double rinse in warm water and dry on a paper towel – it’s that easy, do this every week.