When you think of beauty vlogs and makeup tutorials, you probably think of beautiful faces and clear complexions that make for a flawless makeup base. You’re not wrong, but the truth is that even the pros deal with skin imperfections and challenges. Take Slashed Beauty founder and blogger Miranda Mendoza for instance, who deals with sensitive, acne-prone skin. Over her years of beauty blogging (and scoring A+ buys at an affordable price), Mendoza has discovered the products and practices that work best for her skin, and she’s sharing all of that (and more!) with us, ahead.Tip #1: Know Thy SkinA simple skin care routine, morning and night, is key for Mendoza. “I like to keep my daily skin care routine simple and streamlined with effective products,” she says. “I stick to about 4-5 [products] that I’ll use nightly, and a few extra that are on a weekly basis such as scrubs or masks.” Mendoza finds that sticking to the basics helps keep her sensitive, acne-prone skin feeling comfortable. “Learn your actual skin type so that you know what products will work for you and what won’t,” she says. “You may have the wrong idea about how a product works, when in reality it just wasn’t made for you.”“Prevention is easier than repair. This goes for aging, for sun damage, everything.”Tip #2: Minimal Can Be Effective, TooThink your routine needs over 10 steps to be effective? Think again! Mendoza’s morning skin care routine is as minimal as possible, consisting of micellar water to cleanse her skin followed by her favorite moisturizer for a boost of hydration. “Micellar Water definitely changed my skin care game completely,” Mendoza says. “It’s gentle enough for my sensitive skin and works well when I exercise mid-day and don’t want to over-cleanse my face.” After heading out the door, Mendoza always keeps a lip balm, salve, or conditioner on hand.  “Dry, uncomfortable lips are one of my biggest pet peeves,” she says. “Since I live in a dry climate, keeping a good lip balm on hand is imperative to making sure my lips are always lipstick-ready!”Tip #3: Remove Your Makeup Every NightIn the evening, Mendoza typically has a full-face of makeup on. To remove it, she switches out the micellar water from the morning to a double-cleansing duo. “I double cleanse, starting out with a cleansing wipe and then following up with a liquid or gel cleanser,” she says. Next, she follows up with toner to help ensure that all impurities have been thoroughly removed from her complexion. Tip #4: A Prevention Plan Is Better Than a Repair PlanThere’s no denying that Mendoza has established a solid routine to help keep her skin looking and feeling its best. “I try to keep my skin as healthy as I can now by using Broad Spectrum SPF and great ingredients, which will hopefully pay off later down the line,” Mendoza says. Plus, she’s learning from past mistakes. “I slept in my makeup all the time in middle school, I rarely used any other product than a cleansing wipe through high school, and I NEVER cleaned my makeup brushes or paid attention to formula expiration dates until college,” she says. She’s transformed her skin care regime since her teen-days, and now believes in a thorough, well-rounded routine. “Prevention is easier than repair,” she says. “This goes for aging, for sun damage, everything.”
