We all experience it: stage makeup caked on your face, irritatingly sitting in your fine lines and wrinkles.  Even if you're under the age of 30, stage makeup still has a way to pronounce certain flaws as much as it tries to cover other flaws up!

As belly dancers, we want to create a glamorous, ageless appearance, and visible wrinkles on the forehead, crepe paper-like skin around the eyes, deep nasal labial folds and neck lines are in contrast to that image.  While belly dance certainly celebrates women of all ages, there are things we can do to maintain a healthy, age-appropriate (and even age-defying) appearance.

So first and foremost, the appearance of your skin is affected by how much time you spend in the sun and if you wear sunscreen or not.  Other factors like how much sleep you get, if you drink or smoke, how healthy your diet is and how hydrated you keep yourself also contribute to the appearance of your skin.  All of these (very important) things aside, here are some tips for creating a virtually wrinkle-free foundation (or at least significantly less wrinkled foundation).

My personal regimen involves the following steps to prevent my stage makeup from settling in my fine lines and wrinkles:

1) I start with a clean and exfoliated face, neck and decolletage.  I use something like Origins Modern Friction face scrub to get rid of build up so I have a super polished canvas to start with.

2) Next, I use a firming serum which tightens the skin, but also moisturizes it.  I apply this to my face and neck.  My go-to is Living Nature's Firming Flax Serum.  It's pricey, but the little jar lasts forever, and when you see your wrinkles disappear before your eyes, it's worth the $$$!  

3) Don't forget your eyes!  Living Nature also has a Firming Eye Cream that really plumps up the skin around your eyes so they don't look as crepe paper-like when makeup is applied over the fine lines.

4) Primer!  A must for a smooth, pre-foundation canvas.  My favorite right now is Tarte's Clean Slate Poreless Primer.

5) A trick before foundation: fine, translucent powder!  This sets the primer and creates an even more smooth surface to apply your foundation.  I love Makeup Forever's Microfinish HD Powder - matches every skin tone out there!

6) Then the foundation: the evil culprit of showcasing our wrinkles, which often times, weren't even visible before we put that stuff on!  But, I have found an amazing liquid foundation: Makeup Forever's Invisible Cover Foundation.  This formula is full enough coverage that you may not even need concealer, except maybe under your eyes.  

7) And finally, repeat a light dusting of the Microfinish HD Powder and you have created a radiant, smoother base for all of your colors and contouring.

8) Be sure to COMPLETELY remove all of your makeup after your performances.  I start with eye makeup remover and face wipes.  Then I use a foaming cleanser with my Clarisonic scrubbing brush, followed by a gentle toner like witch hazel.  That should be enough to clean off all the heavy makeup.  Pay special attention to your hairline and neck.

9) One more tip: FROWNIES!  They are like muscle memory training for your wrinkles!  They are literally stickers you apply to your forehead over your wrinkles.  You sleep with them on and wake up with no more wrinkles!  Although it's a quick, temporary fix, they are great for appearing extra refreshed for a high profile performance.  Or, you can wear them all the time and see long-term results.  

I hope my tips helped - I will create a video sometime in the near future that actually shows how I apply all my makeup in more detail.  Thanks for reading!  Feel free to share.

Belly dancers need glowing skin to match their expensive costumes and immaculate hair and makeup!  The best way to achieve that is by exfoliating the entire body and moisturizing!  Here are a few products that should help!

I LOVE THIS STUFF!  The first time I used this, I didn't like it.  But that all changed very quickly when I got out of the shower and saw how moisturized, exfoliated and shiny my skin looked!  

This body scrub has a really high oil content, so you are actually oily after using it and it doesn't all wash off.  But that's the beauty of it!  After you dry off, your skin just looks and feels moisturized, not sticky.  You don't even have to use lotion after you get out of the shower.  It's really great for the winter months when the air is very dry.  Plus, it's all natural!

Here are a couple of tips:
Don't use it before shaving, as the oils in it with clog up your razor.
Be careful in your shower because it can become slippery, once again due to the high oil content.
For extra extra moisture, follow up with the matching scent body cream from 100% Pure.

Click on the title to visit the 100% Pure website.

One of my other favs!!!  Also all natural, Ava Bayba's Body Shugas are delicious (smelling...although you're tempted to to taste them - LOL!)  They offer really unique scents and are a great exfoliating and moisturizing product! 

Although this one also has a high oil content, it doesn't seem to leave a residue the way the 100% Pure brand does.  So therefore it's perfect for pre-shaving exfoliation!  By using it before shaving, you're sure to get a much closer shave.

Be careful in the shower when using this one, too, as surfaces can become slippery when using it!

Click on the title to visit the Ava Bayba website.

Easy and free (if you already have the ingredients).

Mix a couple tablespoons of honey with a couple tablespoons of olive oil with 1/2 cup or so of coarse brown sugar (you can find it cheap in bulk and only get what you need).  I usually add some sea salt and a few drops of essential oils to make it smell extra nice.

TaDa!