"Lemme upgrade ya" | Flawless Beauty Tips from Beyonce's Make up Artist

We are well over due for another celebrity beauty secret post.  What better celebrity to learn from then the Queen B herself?  So far, we've collected a few beauty tidbits from her regimen including the importance of drinking at least a gallon of water a day, going to bed greasy, and exfoliating consistently.
Today, I offer even more details to add to our ever growing list of Beyonce's beauty rituals.  Her makeup artist, Sir John Barnett shared some really insightful beauty secrets that we assume, he's passed on to her while applying high end makeup to her flawless face.

Sir John's preference is to do a mini-facial to prepare the skin for makeup application.  He does a quick exfoliation to make sure dead skin cells don't interfere with the end result.  This technique makes total sense. Especially for a big event or any other special occasion.  If you're a loyal reader of this blog, you probably exfoliate more than most.  This keeps our skin looking its best at all times.  But I also like the idea of doing a little extra have flawless skin just prior to a night out.  Celebrities do it all the time, just before a red carpet event. Maybe we should take on that habit as well.

We recently learned that you get more bang for your buck if you exfoliate at night.  But there are times when we our skin needs a quick "pick me up."  Which is why I love Dr. Dennis Gross' Alpha Beta peels for easy, no fuss exfoliation (day or night).

Years ago, when I was scouring the internet for scraps of information on Beyonce's beauty routine.  The only thing I could find was that she indulged in facials using Nutra Bisse's Diamond infused skin cream.  She even references it in her "Upgrade Ya" song lyrics.   My first thought was on how decadent the experience sounded.  Slathering your face in diamond cream has got to be the ultimate in beauty routines.

Maybe we can't moisturize with Diamond cream (yet) but we can implement the next tip that Sir John Bennett has for us to use eye cream all over the entire face.  It kinda makes sense when we think about it.  Eye creams are usually a bit more concentrated and powerful.  Sir John also mentions that the particles of eye products are refined to easily absorb into the delicate skin around the eye area. We could expose our skin up to a whole new level of moisturization by trying this technique.  Don't just stop there, Sir  John also encourages us to apply face cream below the chin.  This means using our antioxidant rich creams on our neck, decollete, hands, elbows and even our arms and legs.  Sounds pretty opulent, but then again, we deserve to expose ourselves in this level of self-care.

Sir John also invites us to nourish ourselves from the inside out. Vitamin K, he claims "increases circulation and promotes cell turnover."  A study done on the topical effects of vitamin K demonstrated that it aided in helping to combat inflammation and even reducing under eye circles.  One website claimed that the reason why vitamin K helps with dark circles is because it helps promote blood flow to that area.  So maybe Sir John has a point.  It sounds almost like vitamin K applied topically can make you look well rested, which is a wonderful beauty secret.

"Juice lots of kale" is Sir John's recommendation.  If I may, I'll also suggest that you incorporate fermented cod liver oil into your diet.  Not only does it contain vitamin A, D, & E, which are amazing for the skin, fermented cod liver oil is also fortified with a highly absorbable form of vitamin K.  So if you've allowed your supply of fermented cod liver to run low, it's time to stock up.  If you're looking to experience the benefits of applying vitamin K topically, check out the various K-infused face creams offered online and slather it all over you body.

I don't know about you, but I'm excited about simple but possibly life changing beauty tips.  Best of all, we don't have to run out and buy a cream made with diamonds to put them into practice.  You can read Sir John's entire interview here.