Most recently updated 1/12/21

For years, we’ve been told not to touch our face. The oils from our fingers can clog pores. The bacteria on our hands can cause acne. Well, I’m about to throw something out there that sounds pretty radical, so hold onto your seats.

Our fingers are a very powerful tool to apply skin care and makeup. Not only can we get a more precise application with certain products, using our fingers makes our routines more of a ritual. By creating a more intimate connection with ourselves using touch, an everyday activity becomes an act of self-care.

Most of us don’t take the time to treat ourselves during the daily hustle and bustle. Here are a few wonderful ways to use your fingers on your face for an extra dose of daily love.

  1. Wash your hands! While this may feel totally obvious, it’s an imperative to make sure all the uglies we’ve been taught about touching our faces don’t come true. Try a soap with a soothing scent like lavender for aromatherapeutic benefits. Need a pick me up instead? Citrus or minty scents should do the trick.
  2. Take an extra 10 seconds with your moisturizer. Whether you use a serum, an oil, or a classic moisturizer on your face, taking the time to properly apply your product makes all the difference. Count to ten as you gently apply product into all the nooks and crannies, paying special attention to the texture of your skin and curvatures of your face. Don’t forget to massage those cheekbones!
  3. Warm foundation on the back of your hand. Body heat warms the product, giving it more slip and making it easier to flawlessly blend. Using the back of your hand as a palette, pick up the foundation on your middle or ring finger and dab it onto your face. Blend using gentle tapping motions or by sweeping with your fingers to ensure even coverage.
  4. Use your ring finger or your pinky for delicate areas. Physiologically, our ring and pinky fingers have less muscle in them, ensuring lighter pressure for sensitive areas around the eye. Apply concealer directly to the tip of the finger and gently tap your under eye area to camoflauge discoloration. Continue that tapping motion to blend evenly.
  5. Stick to creams and liquids. My general rule of thumb (sorry, had to) when using fingers to apply product is to only do so with creams. Generally speaking, the oils from your fingers could compromise the integrity of pressed powder products over time, making them more difficult to apply. Creamy blush and eyeshadow, along with liquid or cream foundations and concealers like the Clove + Hallow Conceal and Correct are great candidates for fingertip application.

In our busy lives, it can be tough to set aside time for self-care. But creating intentional moments — no matter how brief — for a little self love can have such a powerful impact. It forces us to snap out of auto-pilot and move forward with a fresh presence. While bigger acts of self-care are important too, a small change to our usual routines is a great start to spending more quality time loving ourselves.

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