yes I have a tendency to ramble :)

The other thing I forgot to mention (sorry it was late when I recorded this), I DO edit all of my photos. By editing, I mean Adobe Bridge and sometimes Photoshop. I use CS3. I had issues with the "ethics" of this for the LONGEST time and it wasn't until I took my photography class that I became "ok" with it. My teacher explained that every single photo in existence whether taken through film or digitally has been edited. Photoshop is a digital darkroom, Even in darkrooms, photos are edited, whether they are burned and dodged to make things darker/lighter or the exposure time is messed with etc.
I take all of my photos at the largest possible resolution size and when I use my Rebel, I always shoot in RAW. If you take photos at a resolution of 600x800, they'll be much more difficult to edit than those with a largest size of say over 2000 pixels in width.

No one wants to look at acne, as it's distracting from the overall feel of a photo. So if I have blemishes, I either burn and dodge the dark/light spots or I use the clone stamp, always with photo at 100% or more. I also sometimes burn areas to make them appear darker.

The blur tool, I find, is the most overused and improperly used tool in photoshop and when/if used to edit skin (blemishes), all it does is scream that you've edited your photo and there's probably a pimple beneath that blur.

If you don't know how to use photoshop, there are TONS of tutorials here on youtube. Do your research. It's an extremely comprehensive program and there's multiple ways to accomplish the same outcome - everyone has their favorite ways of doing things (as with any art), so don't feel overwhelmed if you don't "get it" right away.

Point and shoot cameras are referred to as such because most people literally just point the lens and click the button (shoot), but with every camera there are artistic decisions or choices to be made. Lighting is one. And the white balance setting is important when considering your lighting choice because different lights have different temperatures. Your camera is made to process different lights, whether it's an actual bulb, florescent, halogen (has a blue sheen), daylight, clouds etc.

Composition is another choice. How do you want your photo to be seen? I attempt to frame my photos how I want them, but if you're unhappy with the framing of the shot, consider cropping it. There's a rule of thirds when it comes to composition (look it up). This has been found to be more appealing to the eye as it looks more balanced.

Depth of Field (DOF), or aperture is another to consider. Example: A photo of me standing in front of the golden gate bridge where I am completely in focus, yet the bridge is not. Most point and shoot cameras do not come with a setting where you can manipulate the aperture, but you can kinda fake it with the macro setting in the sense that you can focus on a flower and the background will be blurred. You can also hold the camera slightly above you (since this is makeup related) and focus on your lashes and your lips will be blurred, or vice versa.

Have fun, play and experiment!