True Radical Honesty From Our Community

‘Tis the season for parties, rich food, late nights and eggnog. Great! But, get this, the holidays can be hella hard on your skin.

It's true, living the good life can really mess with your skin. So, let’s nip that in the bud toute de suite by learning about the biggest holiday skin sinners, shall we?

1. Alcohol

A glass of wine every now and again and a few G&Ts on a Friday night are not going to cause your skin to totally freak out (there are far stronger forces to blame there) but frequent and excessive drinking, which is often par for the cause over the holidays, can definitely take its toll on your poor complexion.

So, exactly how does alcohol affect the skin – specifically in the short term? Well, for starters alcohol is a diuretic. This means it makes you pee more, causing you to lose more water than you would on a regular day without the booze. Losing an excessive amount of water can make you quickly feel dehydrated which is a bummer on the skin, sapping it of essential moisture, increasing dryness and dullness and intensifying the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles quicker than a flash.

Alcohol also screws up your sleep patterns (more on that in a minute), inflames the tissue and causes your blood vessels to dilate, exacerbating facial redness and making your skin feel hot and angry. Sure, this is not a massive deal in the moment (although it can ruin your makeup!) but continue to drink and over the years that temporary flush can become much more of a permanent fixture. No fun.

Your Holiday Action Points

Drink more water. Try to down a glass of water for every alcoholic beverage you drink. This’ll help minimize dehydration.

Give yourself alternate days off. This allows enough time for alcohol to leave your body. Damage limitations and all that.

Choose clear alcohol. Clear drinks like vodka and tequila leave your body far quicker than darker ones.

Hydrate your skin from the outside in. Use a moisture-binding serum like Hyaluronic Acid Facial Serum daily.

2. Rich Food

Everyone knows the benefits of a well-rounded diet that’s heavy on the fresh fruit and veggies and high in fiber and protein. And for the best part of the year it’s not that difficult to ensure you’re balancing lots of the good, healthy stuff with a few of the naughties.

But the holiday season is a whole different matter. Candy is constantly on offer while rich, heavy dinners are a given – not to mention the desserts. Oh the desserts!

Being informed of some of the effects of rich, festive food, however, goes a long way to helping you to resist over-indulging. Regular indulging, of course, is fine – it IS the holidays, after all. But completely overdoing it? Maybe not.

The main food fiends when it comes to the wellness of your skin are sugar, salt, fried foods and refined carbs. No surprises there, right? Sugar and processed carbs like white bread and pasta, for example, have been proven to lead to the accumulation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs). AGEs are harmful compounds that form in the skin when you bombard your body with too much sugar. This excess of the sweet stuff attacks your skin cells, latching onto collagen and elastin, and causing them to stiffen and weaken. You might as well just invite lines, wrinkles, sagginess and dullness to your holiday parties.

Your Holiday Action Points

Be mindful when you cook. Substitute white sugar with honey, don’t brine your turkey, reduce the amount of salt you add to your cooking, bake instead of fry your foods and choose wholemeal breads and brown rice.

Snack wiser. Instead of filling up your snack bowls with salted pretzels and heavily seasoned chips, choose unsalted nuts instead. Also lay out lots of berries to pick at. Then you won’t feel so bad for indulging on chocolate! 

Combat free radicals. Give free radicals a run for their money by applying topical antioxidants on the reg. Our hot holiday fave is Vitamin C Super Serum+.

3. Hot & Cold Temperatures

Winter equals cold weather and a real lack of humidity in the air. And this can mean only one thing for your skin – dryness.

In complete contrast, you are then faced with warmer temperatures inside, thanks to roaring fires and cranked up heating. This also sucks moisture from your skin and, not only that, but extreme temperature changes cause tiny capillaries in your skin to contract and dilate, resulting in redness and inflammation. Good grief!

Your Holiday Action Points

Turn the heat down in your home. It might feel cozy to crank up your heating, but try not to go too crazy. The ideal home temperature should be somewhere around 70 degrees Fahrenheit.

Limit hot baths and showers. Scorching hot water strips away the protective lipid layer from your skin’s barrier, sucking away moisture and leaving you with surface dehydration. Turn down the temperature and limit bath time to 15 mins.

Stick with super gentle cleansing. Harsh cleaning products will do your skin no favors, so go for mild formulations that care for your complexion. We love Soothing Cleansing Milk for nurturing holiday skin.

4. Stress

Are your holiday menus going to suit everybody's tastes and dietary requirements? Will your bestie love her gift as much as you want her to? And, shoot, you forgot to get those last-minute stocking stuffers for the kids! There are so many things to get stressed about during the festive season that, frankly, it’s a miracle any of us survive it.

Thankfully, we do live to tell the tale. However, your skin can really suffer during the holidays thanks to emotional stress. You see, stress throws your hormones totally out of whack. When you feel stressed, your nervous system releases a whole bunch of hormones into the bloodstream (think cortisol and adrenaline) which causes your heart to pump faster, your breath to quicken and your muscles to tense and get ready for action. This is great when you want to nail a scary job interview or shine on a first date, but when it becomes a regular thing, these stress hormones go into constant overdrive and your body has no chance to relax and go back to normal. This plays havoc with your emotions, your sleep and can result in any number of physical issues like headaches and nausea and often more serious concerns like heart or digestive problems. Then, of course, there’s your skin.

An overload of cortisol, the ‘stress hormone’ makes your sebaceous glands produce more oil (cue greasy skin and pimples). It also impairs your barrier function, accelerates inflammation, depletes collagen and interferes with your skin’s healing process. Not ideal for those pimples we just mentioned.

Your Holiday Action Points

Make lists. Lists are great, not only for helping you to remember everything you need to do/buy/make, but also for clearing your mind. Especially before bed. And especially at this time of year.

Take time out. If you’re feeling frazzled, go for a ten-minute walk or take yourself off to a private space to breathe and relax. It’s amazing what a little me-time can do for the soul.

Calm inflammation with soothing skincare. Aloe vera, green tea, rose water and niacinamide are awesome for stressed skin. Try a spritz of Rose Water Refreshing Facial Toner for instant zen.

5. Zero ZZZs

It’s party time. Yay! Good on you, enjoy yourselves. But… and it’s a big but… try not to overdo it at the expense of your sleepy time. Skin hates that.

The reason sleep is so important for the health of your skin is that while the brain goes into rest mode your skin gets kinda busy. Blood flow increases to nourish your skin with valuable nutrients; antioxidants kick in to help your skin recover from the perils of the daily grind; cell turnover accelerates to bring fresh, healthy skin cells to the surface, and collagen production revs up big time. And as you know, collagen is extremely important for your skin, maintaining strength, structure, firmness and volume.

Without the recommended seven to nine hours of sleep each night, your skin is going to miss out on all that good recovery and rejuvenation time. And it will suffer because of it, furnishing your complexion with anything from dull, sallow skin to full-on acne breakouts. You have been warned.

Your Holiday Action Points

Get an early night whenever you can. Ideally you should go to sleep and wake up at roughly around the same time each night. But heck, it’s the holidays. So don’t pass up the opportunity for partying, just get more sleep on those rare nights in.

Make your bedroom a sleeping paradise. Invest in some blackout curtains, get a humidifier, wear earplugs if noise is an issue and ensure your room is the perfect temperature for sleeping (65 degrees Fahrenheit according to The Sleep Foundation).

Treat your skin overnight. Ensure you never wake up with dry, sad skin by gently cleansing your face and neck then slathering Vitamin C Deep Hydration Night Cream all over.

How do you know your moisturizer is ‘the one’ – not too thick, not too thin, not too oily, but just about right? Well, it’s not rocket science, you just need to a) understand your skin type and b) know your way around a few choice ingredients. Let’s get on that.

Moisturizing is a fundamental part of any successful skincare regime. Every day you cleanse, perhaps you tone (or not!), you treat your skin with an eye cream and serum, then you moisturize and, in the mornings, finish with sunscreen. Because that’s the kind of skincare pro you are. And we love you for that.

But just how much do you know about what’s inside your moisturizer? And are all those ingredients really doing the best they can for your skin type or maybe, just maybe, is your moisturizer a tad shy of your skin’s true needs?

To help you find the correct moisturizer, first you need to know your skin type.

The best way to do this is to study your skin in the mirror, when it’s completely free of makeup or skincare products. Cleanse your face with a mild formulation like Soothing Cleansing Milk, then gently pat it dry with a clean, cotton towel and leave it be. After about an hour, examine your skin and touch it with clean hands to discover how it looks and feels.

Does it feel tight, itchy and look a little flaky in places? Then it’s DRY. Does it look shiny and feel greasy to the touch? Then it’s OILY. Is it a mixture of the two; dry and tight in areas, and greasy in others? Then it’s COMBINATION. And finally, does it feel pretty darn great all over, with no dryness or oiliness? Then you have NORMAL skin. And we’re not jealous at all. Honestly.

It’s also worth noting that other issues you may think are your skin type, are not. Sensitive skin for example, can be dry OR oily. And the same goes for acne-prone skin. This means that anything other than dry, normal, oily and combination is a skin condition, rather than a type, usually as a result of factors like aging, your hormones, elevated stress or the products you put on your skin.

OK, so now you know how to determine your skin type, let’s have a look at your moisturizing besties shall we?

Dry Skin

If you have dry skin, moisturizer is arguably the most important product for you to get right. After all, the very definition of dry skin is the lack of natural sebum (oil) which is so important for keeping skin soft, supple and moisturized.

So what should your skin be soaking up? Well, the key for you is to use gentle products that are rich and buttery to strengthen and fortify your barrier function and help your skin retain moisture while stopping irritants from breaking through. Heavier formulations that contain occlusive ingredients are your true friends because these create a seal over the top of your skin, substituting for your lack of sebum and locking in hydration.

Look out for things like shea butter, coconut oil, ceramides, glycerin and olive oil  – and, of course, avoid anything that’s going to cause further dryness such as synthetic fragrances, harsh alcohols and parabens.

Try: Vitamin C Brightening Moisturizer

Oily Skin

If you have oily skin it’s tempting to want to skip moisturizer altogether. Massive mistake. When you fail to moisturize oily skin, your sebaceous glands think your skin is dry so they go into overdrive, producing even more sebum to compensate for the moisturization which is lacking. The result? Way too much oil that can build up in your pores if you’re not careful, causing potential breakouts.

The key for moisturizing oily skin types is to keep it light by looking for thinner formulations like lotions and gels. You want to avoid heavy, occlusive ingredients like butters and heavy oils because these trap oil into the skin making it feel greasy and sticky. Instead, go big on humectants to add hydration (think hyaluronic acid, aloe vera and glycerin) and combine these with gentle emollients to seal in moisture without blocking your pores. Jojoba oil is a great emollient that's noncomedogenic and ideal for oily skin types.

Try: Firming Collagen Day Lotion

Combination Skin

Looking after combination skin can feel like an impossible task. If you concentrate on the dry areas are you going to make the oily ones even oilier? And vice versa? Some people swear by using two separate moisturizers to target the different areas of their face – one light, gel-based formula for the t-zone and a richer, oil-based cream for drier areas. But this is a real effort. Not to mention crazy expensive.

Similar to oily skin types, a better (and cheaper!) option is to go for a noncomedogenic moisturizer that contains humectants to draw water into the skin and emollients to lock it there. Avoid harsh ingredients which could upset the balance of your skin and go all-in on antioxidants like vitamin C and green tea to help protect your skin from environmental damage.

And if you find this isn’t quite enough to moisturize your dry areas? Keep it light in the daytime and amp it up overnight with a rich, nourishing night cream like our Vitamin C Deep Hydration Night Cream.

Try: Renewing Longevity Moisturizing Cream

Normal Skin

If your barefaced skin shows zero signs of dryness or oiliness then you seriously hit the skin jackpot because you’re graced with normal, balanced skin. This is the type of skin everyone else would die for because it’s able to maintain just the right level of moisture. But this doesn’t mean you should neglect it – dehydration, temporary oiliness and breakouts can still hit you at any time. And of course, skin is always going to age, whatever your skin type, but especially if you don’t look after it properly and protect it from the daily perils of UV radiation, pollution and friends.

Normal skin can get away with most moisturizing formulations, but make sure yours contains ingredients that draw in water and hold it there. Vitamin E is great for that. And if you really want to up the ante, look for active ingredients that offer your skin so much more. Retinol, for example, works great in moisturizers and is awesome for normal, aging skin because it works at a deep, cellular level to improve collagen and encourage turnover.

Try: Retinol Moisturizer

Tips For Getting The Most From Your Moisturizer

Now you know what to look for, here’s how to apply your product for the best results, every time…

1. Apply moisturizer to damp skin

Your skin needs plenty of hydration to remain healthy so maximize all that free water from cleansing or toning by moisturizing your face while it’s still a little damp.

2. Moisturize AFTER applying serum

If serum plays a major role in your routine, apply this while your skin is still damp, then leave it for a minute or so before applying moisturizer last. Serums have a smaller molecular size than moisturizers which means they sink in super fast. However, this does mean they have to be applied before moisturizer, otherwise they won’t get through to the surface of your skin.

3. Use the correct amount

Piling oceans of moisturizer onto your face and neck won’t make it work better, it’ll just overload your skin. Instead, use a small amount as instructed on the label and if you feel it’s too moisturizing, or not moisturizing enough, you’re using the wrong formulation. Simple as.

It's easy to forget about your skin before bed – after all, you’re just going to sleep, right? Nothing to see here!

Wrong. So very wrong.

We like to think that taking good care your skin as part of your morning routine is a done deal. Cleansing, moisturizing, using a treatment serum, applying a dab of eye cream here and a good slathering of sunscreen there? All standard practice. But when it comes to sticking to a regular nighttime skincare routine, things often go a little awry.

Of course, we’ve all encountered the odd occasion when we’ve been too tired/lazy/tipsy to fully cleanse, tone and moisturize before bed. And that's just about OK when it doesn’t happen too often. But neglecting a nighttime skincare routine on the reg can have serious repercussions on the health of your skin.

Read on to find out exactly what goes on with your skin while you’re sleeping. 

1. Cell Regeneration Hits Its Busiest Time

Day and night, your skin is constantly turning over as part of a natural shedding process called desquamation. During this process, skin cells are created at the base of your epidermis where they mature, get pushed up to the surface and finally slough away. This system allows your skin to remain strong and healthy, and works pretty efficiently.

Until it doesn’t.

Many things upset the rate at which your skin turns over. For one thing, it naturally slows down as you age (surprise, surprise) and there’s nothing you can do about that. However, there are SO many other things you can control to help cell regeneration go about its business in the most efficient way possible.

Sleep is one of the biggest factors. During this important time of rest skin turnover speeds up – potentially working up to three times faster than during the day. This is, in part due to a hormone called the human growth hormone (HGH) which is stimulated by sleep. As its name cunningly reveals, HGH stimulates growth in both the tissues and organs in your body. And when it comes to your skin, it helps accelerate cell regeneration, thus promoting repair and increasing turnover.

How To Aid Cell Regeneration

The obvious way to boost cell turnover? Get more quality sleep! On top of that, give it an extra helping hand by applying a gentle exfoliating formulation to clean skin before you hit the sack. Try AHA, BHA + PHA Liquid Exfoliant.

2. Collagen Production Accelerates

Various studies show that if you consistently skimp on beauty sleep, your collagen will suffer as a result. This is because your skin is constantly producing fresh collagen (although this process seriously slows down as you age), but it really amps up when you’re in the land of nods.

When you don’t get enough sleep, however, the ‘stress hormone’ cortisol kicks in, which puts unwanted stress on your skin, playing havoc with collagen production and wrecking its ability to heal and regenerate. This often results in weaker, thinner, less springy skin that highlights fine lines, accelerates the formation of wrinkles and sagging skin, and starts to look generally a bit ‘meh.’

Too much cortisol in your system can also cause flare-ups in chronic skin conditions like rosacea, eczema and psoriasis. So there’s that.

How To Enhance Collagen Production

You’ll soon get bored of this… but go to bed earlier! Also, apply an overnight treatment that contains retinol. Retinol has been proven time and again to accelerate collagen synthesis and help you achieve the heady heights of stronger, healthier skin. We love Retinol Facial Serum or you could switch it up with Rejuvenating Longevity Serum which contains bakuchiol – nature’s gentle alternative to retinol.

3. Water Loss Becomes A Thing

Skin becomes warmer and more permeable when you’re asleep as blood flow increases to the surface. This is great news for your skincare routine because it allows your products to go about their business super efficiently and way more effectively.

But it’s not so good for your skin’s hydration levels. A more permeable barrier function, you see, loses water at a quicker rate than normal, leaving it feeling dryer and more dehydrated than you’d like.

How To Reduce Overnight Water Loss

Do NOT stay awake longer, thinking this will keep your skin hydrated. Big mistake. Instead, treat your skin to plenty of moisture before bedtime. Cleanse gently to remove debris, then apply a hydrating serum followed by a nourishing moisturizer. We’re currently all over Smoothing Collagen Serum and Vitamin C Deep Hydration Night Cream.

4. Your Body’s Defense System Kicks In

Free radicals are constantly trying to attack your skin’s valuable proteins throughout the day thanks to things like pollution, UV radiation, smoking and stress. So, what happens to all these free radicals at night, when you’re asleep? Well, let’s talk about melatonin for a minute.

Not just a sleeping aid you might take before a long-haul flight, melatonin is a hormone produced by your body on a daily (well, evening!) basis. Your body makes melatonin when it’s dark to make you feel sleepy and ready to turn in for the night. It's also vital in helping to counteract environmental skin damage. It’s kind of like your body’s own natural antioxidant system, boosting repair, nixing all those pesky free rads and rebooting your skin ready for the next day of inevitable pollution and the like…  

How To Boost Free Radical Protection  

Two words: topical antioxidants. Our favorite antioxidant is vitamin C which is one of the hardest-working and clinically proven antioxidants in skincare. It figures, therefore that a vitamin C boost before bedtime is just what the beauty doctor ordered. Try Vitamin C Super Serum + which also contains hydrating hyaluronic acid and collagen-boosting retinol.

Aging skin is a given thing. But that doesn’t mean you can’t do your best to help slow things down a little.

The rate at which your skin ages is determined by two important factors: your genes and your lifestyle. These are otherwise known as intrinsic and extrinsic aging.

Without getting too bogged down by science, intrinsic aging is the one that’s determined by your genetic makeup and is going to happen whatever you do and however much you look after your skin. Things like collagen and elastin naturally break down as you age, while your skin’s levels of ceramides, hyaluronic acid, fatty acids and sebum also decrease. And all this contributes to the formation of lines, wrinkles and the like. It’s like getting gray hairs. C’est la vie!

On the flipside, extrinsic aging is totally in your hands and includes all the other stuff you throw at your skin which increases the speed and intensity at which the signs of visible aging appear. The sun is the most obvious offender, but anything that causes oxidative stress on your skin (pollution, stress, a poor diet etc.) will play its part in throwing off your skin’s natural defense mechanism, thus allowing damaging free radicals to run amok and age you up at a super-speedy rate.

So, in answer to the question: ‘can you slow down the visible signs of aging?’  Yes… but there's a 'no' caveat. Yes, of course you can protect your skin from environmental assault and make better lifestyle choices. But no, you can’t change your genes. So let’s see how best to tackle the things you CAN control, shall we?

5 Ways To Reduce Premature Aging

1. Keep The Sun Off Your Skin

Bored of hearing how the sun is the enemy when it comes to your skin? Tough. Because it’s true and the more it gets drummed into you, the more vigilant we hope you’ll be at protecting your skin from the sun’s evil UV rays.

The stats are simple. Scary, but simple. The sun is responsible for somewhere between 80 and 90 percent of all extrinsic aging. This means that you can moisturize, treat, and preen your skin ‘till the cows come home. But if you don’t protect it with sunscreen every day, you might as well throw the rest of your skincare regime in the trash.

Don’t do that. Instead, sneak some broad-spectrum protection into the final stage of your morning routine. Try our awesome SPF 30 Mineral Sunscreen with Vitamin C. It's way less wasteful than throwing away all your precious skincare products. 

2. Protect Your Skin’s Barrier Function

Your skin’s barrier is the uppermost layer that sits at the top of your epidermis and is known in the beauty biz as the stratum corneum. This brick wall-like section is made up of around 20 layers of cells and arguably works harder than the rest of your skin put together. Bold words, we know. But valid words because the function of this important layer is to act like a security guard, protecting your skin (and your entire body) from the outside world by preventing moisture from getting out and external irritants, allergens and other nasties from getting in. A strong barrier function is vital for keeping your skin strong, moisturized and healthy, whereas if it becomes weak, thin and compromised this is when issues like dryness, dehydration, irritation and the inevitable signs of aging start to creep up on you.

Of course, it goes without saying that your barrier function naturally weakens with age, losing ceramides, cholesterol and hydrating ingredients like hyaluronic acid. But the more you look after it, the stronger it will remain and the better your skin will be. How do you do this? Simple, with gentle skincare products (harsh ingredients are killers on your barrier function), plenty of sunscreen (yes, that again!), quality sleep and lots of hydration. Our favorite serum for nourishing your barrier function is Niacinamide (B3) Facial Serum which helps boost ceramide production and fights like a dog to destroy free radicals before they get a chance to do their worst.

3. Do. Not. Smoke

Smoking is obviously terrible for your health. Plus it gives you smokers’ lines around your lips. But it doesn’t stop there. In fact, after UV damage, smoking is one of the worst offenders for accelerating the visible signs of skin aging.

Tobacco contains a ton of harmful substances that screw up your skin, ruining its texture, tone, elasticity, firmness, smoothness and even altering the color of your complexion. In fact, according to the American Osteopathic College of Dermatology, it’s common for the skin of a 40-year-old heavy smoker to look similar to that of a 70-year-old nonsmoker. Eesh!

The facts are simple: smoking increases free radical formation in your skin, breaks down collagen, accelerates inflammation, decreases blood flow and starves your skin of essential oxygen and nutrients. Just don’t.

4. Use Proven, Age-Fighting Skincare Ingredients

Revving up your skincare routine with hard-working, active ingredients is a great way to bite premature aging on its butt. Granted, there are so many out there, claiming to rid your skin of wrinkles in weeks, it’s hard to keep up. But don’t be fooled that they’re all going to be miracle-workers. Instead, stick with those that have the research to back them up. Ingredients like retinol; vitamin C; peptides and exfoliating acids like glycolic, lactic and salicylic have all been studied for years and been proven to offer real benefits for your skin. Also, NKOTB bakuchiol is fast making a big name for itself by giving retinol a run for its money in the anti-aging skincare stakes. Look out for these if you’re serious about getting ahead of the aging game.

One word of warning, however. You know that barrier function we spoke of earlier? Well, overload this with too many skincare actives and it will repay you with inflammation, dryness, irritation and potential breakouts. This means you must tread carefully. Avoid piling on too many potent serums and treatments all at once and choose curated products that combine a few actives that are known to work together. All of our serums have been carefully formulated not to cause sensitivities, but it’s still wise to patch test first and avoid using more than one at the same time.

Looking for a great all-rounder that’s packed with age-repelling goodies and gentle on your skin? Then try Multi-Vitamin Facial Serum or our fabulous new Smoothing Collagen Serum.

5. Moisturize Like Clockwork

Serums are great. Obviously. But you need to seal all that goodness in with moisturizer, otherwise all those active ingredients are likely to escape from the surface of your skin. Which kinda defeats the purpose, don’t you think?

Moisturizer not only traps in moisture and ingredients like antioxidants and humectants (think hyaluronic acid and aloe vera), but it also leaves a smoothing topcoat on the surface of your skin, reducing the appearance (and premature formation) of fine lines and wrinkles.

The truth is you must never forget to apply moisturizer after every cleanse – no matter how oily your skin. We have lots to choose from, depending on your concerns and needs, but our current favorite is Renewing Longevity Moisturizing Cream which is the ideal addition to any healthy aging skincare regime.

Summer may be history (for now), but dull weather doesn’t mean your skin has to look equally as cruddy.

It’s only November and we’re already missing those long, sunny days when our skin automatically glowed with health. Dang. But here’s the thing: just because the weather has become duller, colder and a little gray around the edges, your skin can still be as radiant as a balmy, July day. You just need to know how to boost your circulation, encourage healthy skin turnover and maintain clean, clear, hydrated skin.

Sounds too much like hard work? On the contrary. Below, ten quick and easy tips for glowing skin ­– all year long.

1. Exfoliate, Baby!

Exfoliation is definitely ‘the one’ when it comes to quick fixes for brighter, happier-looking skin. And the reasons are simple. Exfoliating your skin – whether you use a scrub, mitt, cleansing brush or chemical treatment – encourages your cells to turn over more efficiently, ridding the surface of dulling dead skin cells and allowing all of the fresh stuff to take their place.

Over-exfoliating can have the opposite effect, however, breaking down your skin’s important barrier function and causing your skin to become angry, red, irritated, dry, pimply or any number of other things that aren’t top of your skin’s wish list. The key, therefore, is to go gently – we recommend using a kind-to-skin chemical treatment like our new AHA, BHA + PHA Liquid Exfoliant – and start out just once or twice a week until your skin acclimates. Sure, you can slowly build up to daily use but listen to your skin and don’t push it. Less is best.

2. Embrace The Upside Down

Want to immediately get blood flowing to your skin with absolutely zero effort? Simple: hang your head upside down for a couple of minutes each day. This immediately rushes circulation to your face and neck, flooding your skin with radiance-boosting oxygen and nutrients. And don’t worry if you can no longer contort your body into a headstand. Just lie back on your bed, face up, and tip your head back over the edge. Everyone can do that. Stick with two or three minutes, max, however. Any longer might make you feel funny. And yes, ‘funny’ is the scientific word for it!

3. Go Big On Hydration

Dehydrated skin is a major cause of dullness because thirsty skin is unable to reflect light as well as soft, hydrated skin.

So word of warning: never let your skin get too parched, people. Drink plenty of water and layer a hydrating serum under your moisturizer to ensure you draw lots of moisture to your skin’s uppermost layers. We’re all over the epic combo of Hyaluronic Acid Facial Serum, followed by Vitamin C Brightening Moisturizer.

More on the mighty vitamin C in a sec…

4. Try A Quick-Fix, DIY Face Mask

Blending your own, DIY face mask may remind you way too much of your teenage years, but get the right formula and you’ll be on to a real winner. We’re big fans of mixing together plain yogurt, avocado and a teaspoon of honey and slathering this all over our face and neck for around 10 minutes. Yogurt is great for soothing inflammation and gently exfoliating the skin while honey and avocado add that vital hydration and moisturization. 

Needless to say, remember to rinse thoroughly. Well, dur.

5. Moisturize Before Bed

Of course you’re not going to skip moisturizer in the morning (ARE YOU NOW!?) but before bed, certain skincare practices often go out of the window. Because tiredness, laziness, a few too many wines… things get in the way.

However, if you really want your skin to be happy, healthy and glowing, neglecting your night time routine is a big mistake. And no, swooshing a cleansing wipe over your skin does not count.

Every night – without fail – cleanse your face and neck, apply your favorite serum and never forget to moisturize with a gentle but high-powered night cream. Our Vitamin C Deep Hydration Night Cream is awesome for refueling your skin as you sleep – literally wrapping your skin in nutrients, antioxidants and rich botanical extracts. It’s a must if you want to wake up with radiant skin before you even look in the mirror.

6. Eat Your Way To Radiant Skin

Antioxidants are a super important part of your diet, whatever your health and skincare goals. But for a brighter, more radiant complexion, they are everything. Of course, we’re never going to deprive you of your favorite treats every now and again, but as a rule, try to include more nuts, seeds and colorful fresh fruit and veggies in your diet. Specifically, reach for things like strawberries, broccoli, grapes, walnuts and almonds.

7. Get Up Close & Personal With Vitamin C

Vitamin C is non-negotiable in the search for glowy skin. It just is. With decades of research under its belt, it’s been proven time and again for protecting your skin from the nasty effects of environmental free radical damage. And if you weren’t aware of just how damaging free radicals can be, know this. They’re seriously bad news for your collagen, breaking it down and killing your skin’s plump, radiant mojo.

But that’s not all, vitamin C also helps inhibit melanin production to help keep dark spots and patchy skin in check. Honestly, it’s a skin brightening shoo-in.

If you’re worried about the potential irritating effects of vitamin C on your sensitive skin, you're right to. But it's not out of the question for any skin type, as long as you look out for gentler derivatives like sodium ascorbyl phosphate (SAP). We only ever use SAP in our vitamin C products because it’s effective, for one, and way less irritating, for another. What’s not to love?

8. Kickstart Circulation With Gua Sha

Massaging your skin with your hands and fingers is a great way to give circulation a kick up the booty. But if you fancy going the extra mile, try a little facial gua sha.

Fast becoming a given in many a proficient skincare routine, gua sha is an East Asian massage technique that involves working a flat, rounded gua sha tool over the skin to relax your facial muscles, encourage microcirculation and help reduce puffiness while boosting radiance and firming the skin. You simply hold the tool (usually made from jade or rose quartz) flat against your skin and then stroke the curved side in one direction over your face and neck. We like to apply a facial oil first to help it glide over your skin more smoothly. You could also do it while your skin is wet, after cleansing.

9. Don’t Skip Toner

Many people can give or take toner but if you’re looking to really amp up your glow, a great toning product can prove an awesome tool to have in your skincare arsenal. Of course, it’s all about choosing the right one but go for deeply hydrating formulations or anything with gentle, skin-nourishing ingredients and you’ll find your skin instantly looks perkier. Added bonus is that toners can help the rest of your regime penetrate your skin more effectively.

10. Fake It, Till You Make It

Of course, makeup can be a true friend when your skin is not playing fair. Illuminating lotions or ‘glotions’ that combine moisturizing benefits with subtle color and highlighting shimmer are great for faking lit-from-within skin. But they can be little too shimmery for some – especially if you have oily skin. A great trick? Mix a drop with your regular foundation or moisturizer to dilute the shimmer.

You could also try dusting a mineral highlighting powder over the high plains of your face to draw attention and reflect light. Just don’t go too ‘bronze’ with the shade as warm, dark tones can age you up lightning fast.
 
 

Committed to growing out your facial hair for Movember? Then a) good on you. And b) this is the perfect time to get on top of your skincare and grooming routine.

Movember (and it’s cousin, No-Shave November) are here and if you’re keen to raise funds and awareness for men’s health issues such as colon cancer, testicular cancer, prostate cancer, mental health and suicide prevention, chances are you’re ditching your razor and forgoing your usual shaving routine for a little extra facial hair right now.

Growing a beard, moustache or goatee from scratch, however, comes with its challenges. For starters, growing and maintaining facial hair can be a bit of a chore – especially if you’re used to a more clean shaven look. And then there are the issues your skin must contend with: beard itch, blocked pores, breakouts, the struggles are all too real.

If you’re on board with Movember or No-Shave November and want to, not only do your bit, but make sure your skin doesn’t feel the hit for the next 30 days, here are four important grooming tips to help you maintain healthier skin.

1. Keep Your Skin Clean

When it comes to cleansing your skin, this is not the time to be slap-dash. Sure, you can just about get away with a speedy ‘splash of water and done’ philosophy when you’re tired or feeling lazy, but it won’t do your skin any favors. And when you’re growing out your facial hair? Frankly, it’s asking for trouble.

Skin secretes sebum all day and, to a lesser extent, throughout the night, helping to keep it healthy and moisturized. All good stuff. However, if your skin is not cleansed regularly, this sebum builds on the surface of your skin, combining with dirt, sweat, pollution and dead skin cells. Leave all this debris to continue building up and it will eventually block up your pores like there’s no tomorrow. Best case scenario? You might end up with slightly irritated skin and a few blackheads. Worse case? Serious acne.

Breakouts around and under facial hair are very common because, even if you think you’re pretty strict with your cleansing routine, the skin under your beard or moustache often gets looked over. Don’t let that happen, people! Cleanse your face, chin and neck thoroughly, morning and night, using balancing products that help to control sebum and detoxify your skin, without sucking all the life out of it.

Our recommendations? Charcoal Clarifying Cleanser or Tea Tree Super Cleanser+. Both of these work hard to deeply cleanse the skin and decongest your pores. Just remember to soften the skin and hairs first with a little warm (but not too hot!) water, then work the cleanser over your skin in circular motions, use a little extra manpower over any hairy, harder-to-reach areas.

2. Exfoliate While You’re At It

Facial scrubs can be a bit of a pain when dealing with facial hair as all those pesky ‘bits’ can get stuck in your hairs. But exfoliation is still as important (maybe even more so) when you’re growing a beard or ‘stache as it helps to regulate cell turnover and get rid of unwanted dead skin cells. This will reduce your chances of irritation and help to keep your pores clear from unwanted blockages.

The good news is we have just the product to keep your skin turning over nicely during this tricky time: AHA/BHA/PHA Liquid Exfoliant. Perfect for all skin types, but particularly awesome for oilier complexions, this non-abrasive, leave-on exfoliant contains three of the best ingredients for breaking down dead skin cells and getting rid of excess sebum: glycolic acid, salicylic acid and gluconolactone. Apply it all over your skin – beard and ‘stache included – after cleansing and before moisturizing, using your fingers or a cotton pad.

3. Keep Your Hands Off

Scratching your beard or touching your facial hair may feel good at the time, but this will transfer even more dirt, sweat and oils from your hands to your face. No matter how often you wash your hands. This might seem innocent enough, but overloading your skin with excess debris will just add to the likelihood of your skin breaking out. It could also aggravate your skin and exacerbate irritation. Nobody wants that.

4. Moisturize Twice Daily

Just as important as keeping your face and neck clean during Movember and No-Shave November is to keep your skin moisturized. Dry, dehydrated skin, coupled with new facial hair can be a killer combination for itchy, irritated skin. And with it also being winter – when the air lacks humidity and is naturally very drying on your skin – your face and neck are going to need that hydration more than ever.

Rich, heavy moisturizers can get ‘stuck’ in facial hair (especially if your beard and ‘stache are dense or thick). This means they’re unable to fully penetrate down to the surface of your skin. Instead of butters or thick creams, therefore, we recommend sticking with lighter lotions or gel formulations whose smaller molecules are able to work between those hairs much more effectively. Our new Firming Collagen Day Lotion is a great choice, or you could try a classic favorite, Vitamin C Brightening Moisturizer. Both will keep your skin (and your hairs!) in great condition.

For even deeper hydration, you could even layer your moisturizer on top of a nourishing facial serum. Try Multi-Vitamin Facial Serum, one of our newest all-singing, all-dancing treatments that’s perfect for delivering everything your skin needs to remain strong and healthy. Apply just a couple of drops after cleansing and exfoliating, and before moisturizing, morning and night.