1. MAKE YOUR REGIMEN A PRIORITY.

Lauded makeup artists like Tom Pecheux and Gucci Westman rate skincare over everything else because the canvas you start with is so important. At the very least, pinky promise to never go to bed without washing the day off your face.

2. HAVE A “NO DEAD SKIN CELL GETS LEFT BEHIND” POLICY.

Don’t waste your precious prods by layering them over rough, patchy skin. Regular exfoliation will give you smoother-looking skin and makes it better able to absorb that precious Sisley serum you spent the rent money on.

3. MAKE PEACE WITH YOUR SKIN TYPE.

Oily skin looks younger longer but is prone to acne. Dry skin rarely has clogged pores, but wrinkles show up faster. Accept this and shop according to what you have, not what you don’t. 

READ MORE: 8 hot beauty buys for August

4. KEEP YOUR HANDS OFF…YOUR FACE.

Unless you’ve just washed them, keep those bacteria-ridden, dirt-spreading fingers and greasy palms away from your precious, sensitive skin.  

5. ABOVE ALL, REMEMBER THESE WORDS:

The easiest way to skin superiority? Avoid these enemies by any means necessary: sunbathing (cell-killing UVA), smoking (toxic and gross) and skipping sleep (zzz).  

READ MORE:
8 lipsticks ELLE Canada editors swear by

Tilda Swinton’s 10 boss beauty secrets (they include chip fat)
The essential guide to packing makeup for summer trips