wear SPF everyday

 

Any skin-savvy peeps will tell you that SPF is the most effective means of slowing down the ageing process. Make sure your daily moisturiser contains at least SPF15, and for gawd’s sake, use it all year round! The sun may be weaker come winter, but those sneaky UVA rays (responsible for damage and ageing) are present whatever the weather.

New Year skin care

Now the Christmas and New Year festivities are over, treat your skin to some TLC.

Hopefully you enjoyed a wonderful Christmas season with friends and family; sadly, though, all that festive fun won't have done your complexion any favours. And it isn't just your face that will have suffered: high heels, late nights, a rich diet and too much alcohol, not to mention the wintery weather... your whole system has been through a lot recently and now it deserves a little pampering. We can't do much about the weather, but we can give you a few tips to help repair some of the damage and restore vitality to your skin.



• Use a conditioning body mask to soften and repair the winter damage to your skin. And use a face mask, too, not just for the benefits of the mask itself, but for the 15 minutes or so you take to sit still, listening to your favourite relaxing music: this short disconnection from the world has a marvellous repairing effect inside and out.


• Take a shower or bath with a cleansing gel to gently cleanse the skin. In winter it's particularly important to use products that nourish and restore the skin's protective barrier. Finish off with your favourite moisturising product.
• Take a break from the drink. Try a week or two – or more – with no champagne, no wine... nothing but water. And plenty of it, as it really does do wonders for your skin. If you prefer, you can warm it up a bit and add a little lemon – it's a great way to start the day and will help to rehydrate your skin from within as well as aiding digestion. If you really don't like water, herbal and fruit teas can be a good alternative.
• Try taking a bath with a detox product. Use an exfoliant or a mitt to stimulate circulation and eliminate toxins. If you use a face mask at the same time, the steam will increase the mask's effectiveness. After the bath, try applying a product that will stimulate and get your blood moving. Both your mind and your skin will thank you.


• High heels and dancing may be fun at the time, but your feet are probably crying out for a massage with a rich moisturising cream. After the massage, pop on some warm socks and settle down with your feet up for the evening.

Flawless prom skin

For spring, say farewell to matte skin and hello to a glowing, natural, dewy look.
Creating that picture-perfect complexion is easy – just follow these steps!
Skin Care:
Removing makeup at night and washing your face in the morning are imperative to avoiding breakouts and keeping your skin healthy, along with drinking lots of water and a healthy diet.  Regardless of skin type, it needs to be cleansed, exfoliated, and moisturized. Get to it!
Choosing Foundation & Concealer Colours:
Best advice? Seek the help of the in-store specialist.  If you don’t have this luxury, here are the best DIY tips:
- swatch the colour closest to your skin tone on your jawline.  Try a few shades… the best colour should be closest to that on your face (or slightly lighter for concealer)
- DON’T use the back of your hand, arm, etc – it won’t be an accurate indication of your facial skin tone!
- look for foundations that use words like “satin finish,” “glow,” or “tinted moisturizer” etc.

Choosing a Powder:
Powder comes in either pressed or loose.  For prom, you’ll want a powder you can take with you, so go pressed!  It should be the same tone as your skin, but slightly lighter (Why? Powder absorbs oil and moisture and darkens as it does).
Choosing Your Tools:
There are many ways to apply foundation, concealer and powder.  I’m a fan of brushes but if these are out of your price range, wedge sponges are inexpensive and fantastic!  Avoid using fingertips to apply as they don’t spread product evenly, are less hygienic and more product sticks to your fingertips than ends up on your face!
And now the fun part… the application!
Step 1: Pour a dime-sized amount of foundation onto the back of your free hand and dab with brush or sponge.  Starting in the middle of your face, move outward (think of a sunburst) ensuring the product goes on streak-free and evenly, covering the entire face.  When you get to the jawline, ensure it’s blended over and a bit under and you can’t see where the foundation ends and the skin begins.
Step 2: Apply concealer after foundation!  If not, your liquid foundation will wipe away all the work you just did covering flaws!  Too much concealer will just draw attention back to the area you were trying to cover, so use sparingly and blend well to ensure your skin looks naturally flawless.
Covering blemishes: LEAVE THEM ALONE (if you can)!  Otherwise, take your concealer brush, pick up a small amount, then dab using a patting motion (don’t wipe or “brush” back and forth). Then take your pressed powder, and gently pat powder on top to set the concealer.
Concealing under-eye darkness:  Most people need less than they think!  In the natural “dip” or depression around the eyes (near the inner eye tear duct), lightly place your concealer.  Once you’re pleased with the results, set the concealer with some pressed powder.

Step 3: The finishing touch will be your powder – this sets your foundation and provides a shine-free appearance to the skin. Since we are going for a glowing, natural look, you won’t need to powder the entire face – just hit the “hot spots” (aka: areas of the face that naturally tend to look less “glowy” and more “greasy”.  Generally it’s the centre of the face, middle of the forehead, nose, and chin).  You won’t need to apply a lot of powder to matte these areas – keep your application light so it looks natural and not heavy, as you’ll need to touch up these areas every few hours.  Leaving the outer edges of the face unpowdered will give you the look of the sexy, dewy skin you’ll be seeing in magazines (and, of course, your prom pics)!

Good luck! And remember, practice makes perfect!

2011 Fashion Tips, Skin Care Tips

Skin Care Tips

Skin Care Tips, Do you suffer from oily skin? Have you tried all of the brand name oily skin care products, which didn’t cure your greasy skin?

Follow these 5 tips and you will soon be on your way to a smooth, glowing and oil free complexion.

1. Hydrate Yourself – Drink More Water

I can’t stress this enough – drinking plenty of water will do more for your oily skin that almost anything else I suggest!

2. Antioxidant Rich Food – Eat More of It

Your skin needs antioxidants to fight free radical skin damage. Start with delicious and nutritious blueberries as they are chock full of antioxidants and taste superb too!

3. Stop Eating So Much Crap

They say that you are what you eat, and if all you eat is fast food, deep fried and sugary snacks, then your skin will be oily.

4. Exercise Regularly

One of the best ways to clear out your pores is to exercise regularly. This isn’t a commonly suggested oily skin care tip but sweating a lot will remove all the dirt and grime that builds up in your skin, which causes the greasy complexion.

I like to do short, explosive interval sprints, but you can do whatever you like as long as it gets you sweating.

5. Use Natural Skin Care Products

Sometimes, you do all of the above and it’s just not enough. Your greasy skin persists. In that case, you should start looking for natural oily skincare products.

Freida’s skincare secrets

The ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ star reveals how she keeps glowing

picture: Getty Images

Drink lots of water and eat fruits and vegetables to have a glowing skin, says ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ star Freida Pinto who says she is not fond of cosmetics.

"I always wash my face before bed. I can't sleep with make-up on, even just a little bit. I like my skin clean. I wear sunscreen every day, that's my cardinal rule," contactmusic.com quoted Freida, 25, as saying.

"I don't have too many beauty tips because I am not fond of wearing too much make-up but the first would be to drink a lot of water because water really cleanses your system and it keeps you fresh and your eyes looking fresh. I also recommend adding a lot of fruit and vegetables to your diet and not making it too meat centric," she said.

For youthful skin without surgery

L’Oreal Paris introduces Collagen Anti-Ageing Skincare range

L’Oreal Paris Dermo-Expertise has researched and developed the Collagen programme to assuage the first signs of ageing like expression lines and wrinkles; and all this without surgery.

The Collagen Anti-Ageing Skincare range includes Collagen RE-PLUMPER Day Cream, Collagen RE-PLUMPER Night Cream, Collagen Filler, Collagen Filler Eye and Collagen Skin Re-Modeller.

The entire range includes the vital ingredient collagen. Collagen is made up of protein fibres responsible for the skin structure and is an essential skin component to fight the signs of ageing.

The collagen used in this anti-ageing skincare range is pure without chemical additives, which is directly extracted from nature and is a natural ingredient for the skin.

L’Oreal Paris Collagen Anti-Ageing Skincare range is available at all Carrefour, Debenhams and Boots pharmacies across the GCC with the following retail prices:

• Collagen RE-PLUMPER Day Cream AED 58
• Collagen RE-PLUMPER Night Cream AED 58
• Collagen Filler AED 63
• Collagen Filler Eye AED 63
• Collagen Skin Re-Modeller AED 63