What could a woman who appeared in the Smurfs movie possibly know about beauty? When that woman is Olivia Palermo, the answer is “Plenty!” Olivia is more than an actress and young American socialite; Olivia Palermo knows more about 21st century fashion, style, makeup and design than most people twice her age.

As a young girl of Italian decent, Olivia learned a lot of old world beauty secrets from the women in her family. One of the most important lessons she learned was that female beauty should not be dependent upon gobs of makeup. Instead, great care should be taken to improve and maintain the quality of one’s skin. In other words, wash your face every morning and every night. Use gentle cleansers and moisturizing products, drink lots of clean water every day and whatever you do, stay away from suntanning.

It’s a pretty simple, three-point plan.

Wash, Wash, Wash

Nothing wakes a girl up in the morning like a nice splash of cool water. If you’re a person who likes to bathe in the morning, go ahead and take a nice one-step facial cleanser into the shower. Spend a few minutes to exfoliate once a week, as well. Your skin will be clean, clear and super refreshed.

Moisturize, Moisturize, Moisturize

Even the gentlest cleansers strip facial skin of some of its natural moisture. It’s worth a little moisture loss in order to ensure clean, debris-free skin, but it’s imperative that lost moisture be replaced. Skip the greasy oils and fluids and opt instead for a lightweight, oil-free moisturizer. Apply enough to bring a dewy youth to your face by day, and slather some on before going to bed. Be sure to drink at least six big glasses of water every day, because a great deal of your facial moisture comes from within.

Skip the Suntan

A few short decades ago, a deep dark suntan was thought quite lovely. Unfortunately, a lot of ladies who stayed coconut brown in the 80s are now contending with early onset wrinkles. It’s alright to get fifteen or twenty minutes of sunshine on your face. Any more than that, and you really ought to apply a PABA-free sunscreen and wear a big brim hat. If you want a lightly sunkissed look, go for a light blush or tinted SPF 15 moisturizer from Beauty Bridge.

So there you have it. Follow these three basic beauty steps and you’ll soon be sporting a blemish free, natural face. Olivia Palermo would be proud.