Know Which Products to Splurge On
Reaching for skincare with a higher price tag might seem like a failsafe way to get the skin of your dreams but best-selling author and queen of busting beauty myths, Paula Begoun, says don’t be so hasty.
“Over three decades of research, I’ve never seen an instance where price had anything to do with quality,” Begoun says. “There are good and bad products in all price ranges,” she adds.
While it is possible to invest in an effective skincare routine without breaking the bank, Begoun says working out how much you should spend can be confusing as many of today’s complex formulas do cost more to make.
“There’s a sweet spot between spending more than what is truly needed and not spending quite enough,” she says.
Begoun says that rather than over analysing price tags, turn your attention to ingredients and how products are packaged. “For example, buying a wrinkle cream packaged in an open-top jar is a bad idea no matter what the price. This type of packaging causes vulnerable yet beneficial ingredients to break down from the first use.”
You Are What You Eat
Katy Bacon, education manager for Murad Australasia Pacific, says she is frequently asked about the role that diet plays in skin health. The occasional indulgent meal won’t hurt she says and a few squares of dark chocolate every now and then could even be good for skin – flavanols found in chocolate could help improve blood flow to the skin and increase hydration.
“However, we are ultimately what we eat,” she adds. “You have an estimated 19 million skin cells on every square inch of your body. You need to be asking if you’re feeding them right to look your best.” Bacon says that the connection between diet and skin health and ageing is becoming increasingly clear through scientific research.
“That big weekend or those poor diet choices trigger hormonal fluctuations and inflammation in the body, both of which encourage acne.”
Bacon says that foods that are absent of nutrients such as white bread, processed breakfast cereals, white rice, potato chips, alcohol, cookies and cakes are all considered ‘anti-health’ for your body and skin.
Instead, she recommends eating a diet rich in vegetables, whole grains and fruits and thinking of what you put in your mouth as a way of nourishing your skin. Find out more about the role gut health plays in skin health here.
Get Your Beauty Sleep
Start burning the candle at both ends and it will start to show on your complexion. While you’re busy getting serious shut-eye, your skin cells go into overdrive – in fact, it’s the most important time when it comes to letting your skin repair itself.
“During the night is when our skin really gets to work,” explains skincare educator Tracy May Harriott. “It renews, regenerates and neutralises the effects of the day.”
Because nighttime plays a crucial role in keeping our complexion healthy and radiant, it’s important to make sure that your nightly skincare routine is providing your skin with what it needs to rejuvenate overnight.
“Your nighttime skincare routine is a great way to help skin rejuvenate itself and treat concerns like wrinkles, pigmentation and brown spots,” explains Begoun.
But before you even get to slathering on those lotions and potions, you need to ensure you cleanse your complexion thoroughly. While May Harriott says it’s great to invest in high-quality skincare, she says without cleansing properly your creams and serums won’t be as effective.
Wear SPF Every Day
Begoun says that too many of us focus on finding the best “wrinkle cream” or moisturiser and in doing so, overlook the importance of daily sun protection.
“Simply put, without daily sun protection in a product loaded with great antioxidants and skin-restoring ingredients, you won’t get the results you’re hoping for from any wrinkle cream or other types of anti-ageing product.”
To ensure you’re protecting your skin, Begoun says to make sure that your daytime moisturiser has an SPF and is applied as the last step in your morning routine.
Stick to a Routine
If you’ve lathered on your newest skincare purchase in the evening and expected to wake up with the skin of your dreams, you’re probably not alone. Unfortunately, miracle products don’t exist, and it usually takes some time before you notice results. Every product and brand is created differently, this is too generalised to give exact science, but as a rule, we always say as the skin renews itself every 28-30 days,” May Harriott explains. “You are always best giving a new product a month to really see a full skin-cycle change, then the product starting its work.”
At the end of the day being patient and sticking to a routine day after day is crucial says May Harriott.
“Consistency is key. Dip in and out of a product and you will get a similar result – inconsistent,” she explains. “Like anything; diet, exercise etc. skin is the same – repeat daily for results.”
