Beauty is a gift of nature, good skin is a gift of nature, well for most, I do agree! But it needs maintenance to keep radiating! Time, gravity, dry weather, sun rays, makeup, yoyo dieting and other factors all contribute to dull uneven complexion and tired skin.
Not all of us are living in a spa like Hollywood stars, but we all can take care of our skins and health at home in more affordable ways! So here is how I roll and what I would totally advise you to do:
1. Water, yes water!! Familiar? I know you’ve heard it about a zillion and one times, but I promise I will keep it short!! Drink 3 liters of water a day, make that clear of other liquids and cut down on caffeine. It does miracles, but it needs perseverance: I saw results in about 2 months. Drinking 3 liters of water a day cleared my skin better than any other product I ever used, especially that my skin is a little too prone to breakouts. Hard at the beginning, but you’ll swear by it within a couple of weeks; and that IS a promise. Oh and don’t worry about the brands, non-signee water works as well!
2. Keep your vitamin levels balanced! Beauty does start from the inside of the body, so besides drinking enough water, I totally stand for taking a multi-vitamin every day just to stay on the safe side. This is another routine that takes a few weeks to give real results, no miracles, but it does have a great effect on your skin!! Besides multi-vitamins, taking omega-3 supplements will do wonders to your hair within a couple of months! (Please do check with a doctor before taking this step though).
3. Clean and moisturize then protect your facial skin every single morning! Just as you wake up, head to the bathroom and clean your face with a soft mild soap free face-wash, then moisturize it with an appropriate moisturize it (Vichy is my personal favorite) and then sweep an oil free sun-screen (It’s Avene for me). An important tip I would like to add: Have a mild soap free formula to clean, that does not exfoliate the skin. It is preferable not to open the pores before application of makeup, this will be left to the night ritual).
4. Every single night, remove your makeup (yes, never ever sleep with makeup on) with a good makeup remover –Like the cashmere formula of L’Oreal– then clean it with a lightly exfoliating face-wash different than that of the morning. Moisturize again!!! If you are anything above 25, make sure your under-eye cream is an essential night ritual (Roc all the way!!)
5. Make it a point to pass by a good spa and get a peeling and a deep cleansing mask once every week, unless your skin is too sensitive then make it once every 10 days or twice a week if your skin is too oily! You can do these treatments at home with your girlfriends, but make sure you ask your dermatologist about the appropriate products! Cosmence of Le Club des Createurs de Beaute – Paris has a great selections of oxygenated peeling products!
6. The body skin is also skin! And it is prone to the same type of aggressions your facial skin is prone to!! Add to that the inconsistency in weight lots of us are prone to!! So here, my most important tip for the body: moisturize, moisturize, moisturize!!! Every. Single. Day!!! I cannot stress it enough!! Enjoy picking different body lotions, body creams, body butters and use a different flavor and scent for every day; just never skip a day!! It will come a long way as you are aging! Victoria’s Secret and Body Shop will supply you with the most delicious scents an textures you can dream of!
7. Exfoliate the body, lightly every day and deeply once a week!! Use one of those rough lufas in your daily shower and go to the spa once a week for a full body peel. Or you can simply buy a scented body scrub and do it yourself!! The Body Shop has products to die for YUMMY!!! Your skin will thank you! And it will glow for you in tiny dresses!
8. Your hair needs attention, fresh dye will only hide the damage so long!! So here’s the deal: wash your hair 2 to 3 times a week with a shampoo that fights drying, split ends and breakage, even if your hair does not suffer from these problems and finish with the corresponding conditioner! If you’re into styling too much, use a protective serum prior to drying and using the iron!! An important measure is to use a moisturizing and nourishing mask twice a week, whatever is indicated, I use a prodigious amount of the product and keep it for 30 to 60 minutes on my hair!! Shwarzkoph comes on top!
9. Fake tan? ADMIT IT!!! Well unless you want to end up with a dry skin and uneven complexion tone like I did last summer, you’d better add this to your routine: Moisturize your skin twice a day (morning and night) around the season you’re planning to get your tan, let one of the two products be an intensive rescue product like Vaseline Intensive Rescue (use before sleep) and the other your regular delicious body butter (use in the morning)! And add a liter of water to your daily consumption!!
10. Finally, keep it fun! Yes, if this routine becomes as boring as one of these long boring high school homeworks (ah I don’t even wanna remember last century!!), you will not sustain it! So keep it fun: Acquire a fun fruity colored brand for your facials!! And for your daily lotions and body butters too! Different scents and textures Victoria’s Secret and The Body Shop are my favorite pick!! So have fun, bath yourself in almost-edible facials and moisturizers, and pamper yourself, take it as a moment of relaxation! When it comes to me, my hair mask smells like mango, my shampoo like strawberries! And I use 3 to 4 different scents of lotions (Victoria) and body butters (Body Shop) at any one time, so I won’t smell the same every day!My facials are from Cosmence (Club des Createurs de Beaute-Paris) and they are as colorful and delicious as a fruit basket!! I am so tempted to eat all these stuff!!! I think of my time doing this as my break from the world, and somehow I always end up solving the world’s problem in my mind!!! Oh, please do not forget to use high quality products, and to store them in a dry low temperature place away from the sun and heat!!
Goodluck, as soon you’ll be hooked 😉
Patricia Issa
@Patricia Issa
