How To Create A Thanksgiving Dinner Your Skin Will Love

Tired, stressed out skin can be a real party pooper. So get ahead of the game and up the skincare love with these simple beauty hacks.

Are you guilty of neglecting your skin during the party season? OK, so maybe ‘neglect’ is too strong a word. But if you’re already experiencing beat up skin that looks like it needs a fortnight in the Caribbean, chances are your skin is feeling the burn of one late night too many.

The holiday season can be stressful enough, however, so why add to your woes by putting your skin under so much pressure that it repays you with a whole bunch of unwanted holiday gifts like redness, dry patches, pimples and dullness? If you ask us, that’s just one stress too much.

We say a big ‘NO’ to stressed, partied out skin. Not by declining all the invitations. Heck no! But with the following skin-loving hacks that require zero effort (check) but offer maximum pay-out (check).

1. Double Cleanse Before Bed

Our motto is that if your cleanser doesn’t feel like it’s doing a good enough job on its own, then you need to think about the formulation you’re using. However, like all good rules in life, this motto is made to be broken! And during these times double cleansing can be a real lifesaver.

At this time of year you’re likely to be wearing more makeup, more often thanks to a crazy social calendar. Not only that but the combination of late nights, more booze, less sleep and more rich food is going to quickly make your skin feel and look super tired. And this is when problems quickly arise. If you’re a rosacea or eczema sufferer, for example, flare-ups will occur lightning fast. If you have oily skin, on the other hand, your sebaceous glands can go wild, producing more oil than ever and possibly leaving you with breakouts just when you don’t need them. You see where we’re going here…

One of the best ways to keep your skin under control during the holidays is to treat yourself to a pre-bedtime double cleanse. As you sleep, your skin goes into full recharge mode, regenerating new skin cells and repairing environmental damage. But how can it successfully do this when it’s covered in makeup and grime? The short answer is that it can’t. Instead, it’ll punish you with poor, rough texture; dull, dry skin and dark, puffy bags under your eyes.

Double cleansing can take on many forms but it basically means cleaning your skin twice to remove both oil-based debris (makeup, sebum and sunscreen) and water-based grime like sweat. Your first port of call is to massage some kind of oil-based cleanser into your skin to remove the oil-based surface debris. Then you wash with a cream, gel or lotion to finish cleansing and treat your skin according to your skin type or concerns. It’s a fairly simple process – although a little lengthier than regular cleansing – but in times of need it can work wonders for your skin and pores. Just remember, it's unlikely to be necessary every night, and stay away from overly harsh, perfumed or alcohol-heavy products. Keep it gentle with our range of awesome cleansing giants.

2. Laugh In the Face Of Free Rads

When you’re putting your body under more stress than normal, free radicals like to have a wild party of their own!

But what are free radicals? Well, without getting too sciencey on you, free radicals are unstable, highly reactive atoms or molecules that form in your skin when it’s subject to things like sun damage, pollution, alcohol, stress or a poor diet. Due to their unstable nature, free radicals seek out electrons from other, unsuspecting molecules in your skin to try and stabilize themselves. This is bad news because it creates even more free radicals, leading to what's known in the skincare biz as oxidative stress. This is probably all you need to know about those little free radical devils but needless to say, oxidative stress can cause serious damage to all the good stuff in your skin – namely collagen and elastin.

The good news is that antioxidants are able to donate electrons to free radicals to neutralize them and stop them screwing up the other, more important components in your skin. Your body has its own, hard-working antioxidant defense system but (isn't there always a but?!) aging weakens it. No surprises there! This means there inevitably comes a time when your skin needs help from other sources like an antioxidant-rich diet or topical antioxidants in your skincare routine such as vitamin C, niacinamide, green tea and vitamin E.

Our party season go-to is Vitamin C Super Serum+. And the best news is you only need to use it two or three times a week for awesome results. We suggest you get on board, immediately!

3. Layer Up With Hydration

Dehydration is an absolute b*tch for letting your skin down, making it look dull and feel horrible. Of course, a little amount of dehydration is a given if you’re a fan of overdoing the G&Ts and don’t counteract it with plenty of water. So try to sip on H20 as much as possible.

Just as importantly for helping to curb dehydrated skin is to apply products that draw water to the surface layers. Our favorite humectants (the water magnets of the skincare world) are hyaluronic acid, glycerin and aloe so keep your skin in good supply of these through twice daily use of treatment serums and good quality moisturizers.

We have many superpowered serums like Hyaluronic Acid Facial Serum which is incredible for pumping up moisture, but we also love Multi-Vitamin Facial Serum which is one of the finest for boosting radiance and uplifting a gloomy, dehydrated complexion.

4. Perk Up Tired Eyes

What’s the first area of your skin to, without fail, give the partying game away? The skin around your eyes. The reason for this is that the skin here is slightly different to the rest of your face. It contains fewer sebaceous glands (cue dryness) and is around ten times thinner which makes it way more susceptible to the visible signs of tiredness and premature aging. Also, thanks to its natural thinness, underlying tissue and blood vessels become more prominent when you’re tired, causing shadows and dark circles.

But that’s not all. The skin around your eyes also contains a limited amount of fat and muscle which means collagen and elastin are even more important for maintaining strength and support. When your collagen and elastin become compromised thanks to too much partying, basically the poor skin around your eyes stands no chance of remaining its best.

So what can you do about pooped-out peepers? First, try to get early nights whenever you can. Obvs. Drink plenty of water day and night to reduce dehydration, and always keep a fabulous eye treatment in your refrigerator to apply morning and night to cleansed skin. Our new Depuffing Longevity Eye Cream is a real hero, or you could try Peptide Eye Gel which works like a dream on tired eyes.

5. Exoliate A Tad More Than Normal

Exfoliating too much can send your skin into a state of frenzy, but if you have strong skin and you feel like it needs a bit of a kick in the booty, a little extra exfoliation can work wonders.

If you like to use a scrub, try exfoliating once more a week during the party season, or try our new AHA, BHA and PHA Liquid Exfoliant which contains glycolic and salicylic acids as well as a gentle hydrating exfoliant called gluconolactone. It’s super effective yet gentle enough to use every day. Can we get an Auld Lang Syne for that?!

6. Feed Your Skin From The Inside

Finally, while you’re putting all manner of salty snacks and sweet treats down your throat, remember to save some room for plenty of good, nutritious foods. Fresh fruit and veggies are a given in any healthy diet, but also up your intake of lean protein and omega-3 fatty acids to help regulate oil production and nourish your skin. You’ll find omega-3s in things like oily fish, seafood, nuts and seeds.

While we’re on the subject of looking after your skin from the inside, now’s also a great time to try our new Collagen Boosting Skin Supplement which helps to promote quality natural collagen production while improving hydration and fighting off those naughty free radicals.

It’s the perfect antidote to living the good life ;)

Been hearing a bit about the gut-skin axis recently and not sure what it’s all about? Then allow us to elaborate…

When searching for the solution to monthly acne breakouts, eczema flare-ups or bouts of rosacea few people think about what’s going on inside their bodies. But rather than stock up on months of prescription medication to deal with your skin issues, word is that taking a look at your gut health could be far more beneficial.

It’s all about the gut-skin axis, you see. The gut-skin, erm, what? Ha, don’t worry, the gut-skin axis is a relatively simple concept to grasp.

Your gut is home to a complex microbiome in which gazillions of microorganisms such as bacteria and viruses live. We know this doesn’t sound pleasant, but your microbiome plays an extremely important role in keeping bad bacteria at bay and therefore keeping your immune system in check. And all this is vital for helping to maintain balance and harmony throughout the entire body.

If this microbiome becomes unbalanced due to things like a poor diet, emotional stress, or food sensitivities, however, this can cause major disruptions in your body. And we’re not just talking about digestive issues like bloating or gastrointestinal diseases, because wherever there is gut inflammation, skin inflammation often follows.

Why is your skin affected by your gut, you might be wondering? Well, just like your gut, your skin has its own microbiome and the two are in constant communication with each other via a clever little pathway called the gut-skin axis. This means that when your gut is off kilter, your skin will, more often than not, reflect this, becoming inflamed, irritated or congested. Eating dairy, for example, is often linked to chronic skin issues like eczema. Wheat is another one that’s known to cause sensitivities and congestion, thereby triggering acne.

Reckon your gut could do with a little self-refinement right now? Here’s how to help improve the health of your gut… and consequently, your skin.

1. Get An Allergy Test

The most effective way to figure out what’s upsetting your gut and skin is to get an allergy test. Sure, you can do this at home by keeping a food diary while eliminating some of the main offenders (here’s looking at you dairy, wheat, gluten and spicy foods), but, jeez, do you really have the time, energy and patience? Thought not.

A better option is to visit a specialist to get a food allergy test. There are many ways to go about this but the most common are skin prick tests and blood tests. Both of these are very useful ways to pinpoint what’s causing you grief. Then you can avoid the culprits. Simple.

2. Cut Down On Sugar

While we would never suggest you remove things like dairy and wheat from your diet without consulting a doctor or allergist first, one thing you should be extremely wary of is sugar. With zero nutritional value, sugar is dastardly for your gut and even worse for your skin, triggering everything from acne and eczema to rosacea and psoriasis. In fact, sugar is probably the most inflammatory thing you could put into your body. Eek.

Furthermore, studies show that overloading your body with sugar produces advanced glycation end products (AGEs) – harmful compounds that break down collagen and elastin and ruin your radiant, youthful complexion.

Sugar is officially bad news, whichever way you look at it.

3. Eat Plenty Of The Good Stuff

A healthy diet is everything, so once you’ve eliminated anything that’s causing your gut grief, it’s time to indulge in all the good stuff. Fresh fruit, veggies, nuts, beans, healthy fats and lean protein are all awesome ways to support the wall of your gut.

And then there are those extra special foods that help promote good bacteria in your gut, and of course your skin as a consequence. These are called biotics – namely prebiotics and probiotics.

Biotics help balance your microbiome by literally flooding it with good bacteria. Prebiotics help encourage the growth of healthy bacteria that’s already present in your gut and can be found in things like asparagus, artichokes, garlic, leeks, bananas and oats. Meanwhile, probiotics are microorganisms in their own right and are found in cultured and fermented food like kimchi, sauerkraut, kombucha, kefir, miso and live yogurt.

4. Minimize Stress

When you’re stressed out your brain goes into fight or flight mode and triggers your nervous system to release a whole bunch of hormones like cortisol and adrenaline into the bloodstream. This causes your heart to pump faster, your breath to quicken and your muscles to tense and get ready for action.

Of course, this is pretty useful when your body needs to react quickly to something, but the problems arise when stress hormones go into constant overdrive and your body gets no time to relax or go back to normal. This plays havoc with your gut (among other things!), compromising the balance of its microbiome, ‘feeding’ the bad bacteria and causing major problems with your digestion and immune system.

All this will reflect very poorly on the look, feel and health of your skin so try to cut down on stress wherever you can. This may be easier said than done, but there are many ways to reduce or manage your levels of stress. Some people find that yoga or exercise works. Others keep a stress journal to figure out what’s causing their stress in order to avoid their triggers and help them work on controlling their reactions. The most important thing, according to HelpGuide, is to experiment with different stress management tips to find what works for you.

Once your gut is in a more healthy working order, trust us, your skin will start to follow suit.

And in the meantime, ensure you’re doing everything you can to keep it clean, strong, protected and moisturized with your TruSkin favorites! Here’s how to build a successful skincare regime, right here.

Are social media skincare hacks harmful or helpful? To follow, our thoughts on five of the latest beauty fads doing the rounds…

Isn’t social media awesome? Well, it is, until it isn’t. You see, the problem with giving everyone a voice and a platform on which to share their skincare routines and DIY beauty hacks is that not ‘everyone’ is an expert. In fact, most people are far from it. Of course, there are plenty of fabulous makeup artists, dermatologists, plastic surgeons and aestheticians you can follow across Instagram, YouTube and TikTok and a lot of them have incredible advice to offer. There’s also a lot to be said for things like Facebook Groups where, if you struggle with chronic skin issues, you can connect, learn and find solace from others with similar concerns.

But then there’s all the other 'stuff' from people who have so much to say… about things they don’t know that much about. And this is the kind of information that can do more harm than good. This is why we’ve sifted through some of the most recent viral skincare fads you might want to be wary of. Instead, read on for the real truth about how best to take care of your skin.

1. Slugging

What Is Slugging?

Skin slugging might sound gross, but it’s become a huge deal on TikTok, with its hashtag currently notching up around 1.5 billion views.

Not to be confused with most people’s least favorite mollusk, slugging involves smearing a thick layer of petroleum jelly all over your skin as the last step in your nightly skincare routine. Do so and you’re guaranteed to wake up with the softest, most moisturized skin ever. So they reckon, anyway.

Is Slugging Good For Your Skin?

This trend started gaining momentum almost two years ago, but it will not go away. Therefore there has to be something in it, right? Well, petroleum jelly is an occlusive ingredient that creates a seal over your skin to help lock in moisture. So, sure, it will definitely stop water from evaporating from the surface of your skin as you sleep, we’ll give you that. However, petroleum jelly has no hydrating qualities. At all. This means it doesn’t really moisturize your skin, it just stops any moisture that’s already present from escaping from the surface of your skin.

Not only that but petroleum jelly creates a barrier over your pores, completely blocking them and causing no end of problems for oily skin types. Namely, breakouts like you will never believe.

Much Better Advice?

Rather than slathering your skin with what is essentially just ‘grease,’ you’re much better off applying night cream to not only lock in moisture but to help hydrate and feed your complexion with skin-loving ingredients like antioxidants, ceramides, peptides and/or vitamins and minerals.

Our Vitamin C Deep Hydration Night Cream is a great bet or why not try the combo of our new Rejuvenating Longevity Serum and Renewing Longevity Moisturizing Cream?

2. Potatoes For Pimples

What's It All About?

Dealing with acne can be a real struggle. Especially when you reach adulthood when you were promised your skin would be so much clearer. But it’s not common to be plagued by breakouts as you get older. In fact, research shows that around 25 percent of American women in their 40s suffer from some kind of acne.

It’s no wonder, therefore, that there are so many short-term hacks for dealing with pimples. Back in the day it was toothpaste and nail varnish remover (gasp!). Now it’s slices of raw potatoes. The idea is that you tape a small slice over your spot to make it magically disappear. Some TikTokers have even resorted to rubbing the whole darn thing over their skin.

Are Potatoes Good For Your Skin?

Don’t get us wrong, we love a potato as much as the next person. But on our dinner plates, not taped to our faces. So, why has this acne hack become such a thing? Ha, your guess is as good as ours but the main draw is that potatoes have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties which are both known to help reduce redness and unwanted pigmentation.

They also contain exfoliating and oil-reducing properties and feel nice and cool on the skin which is a big deal when you have a big, throbbing red zit on your chin. So maybe, just maybe, they might offer some short-term benefits. But little more than that.

Much Better Advice?

If you’re an acne sufferer, you’ll understand that short-term fixes are all well and good but, in truth, it’s all about the long-term. This is why we prefer to treat and control breakouts with smart skincare that’s been specifically (and safely!) formulated for the job. Products that contain science-led and dermatologically-tested ingredients like salicylic acid, tea tree oil and AHAs are going to offer your skin way better benefits than a bag of your best russets. Sorry, but they just will.
 

3. Sunscreen Contouring

What Is Sunscreen Contouring?

If we had to choose just one viral beauty trend that gets our blood boiling the most, it would be sunscreen contouring. Stupid at best, downright dangerous at worst, sunscreen contouring is when you apply sunscreen to select areas of your face and body only, in order to intentionally create tan lines for a contoured effect.

Some people have taken to applying a lower SPF to areas of their face they want to tan more, and a higher SPF to those they want to remain pale and ‘highlighted’ but either way, this is bad news. 

Is Sunscreen Contouring Good For Your Skin?

Absolutely not. Not even slightly. The sun is responsible for almost 90 percent of skin aging, accelerating the formation of fine lines, wrinkles, sagging and dark spots. This means it’s absolutely essential to protect ALL exposed skin to the damaging effects of UV radiation. Because tan skin = damaged skin. End of story. Not only that, but c’mon people, skin cancer.

Much Better Advice?

First, in order to truly protect your skin from the damaging effects of the sun, you need to apply SPF 30 Mineral Sunscreen every day to all areas of exposed skin. The alternatives are just not worth it. And if you do want to create contours on your face and body such as highlighting your cheekbones, sculpting your nose or defining your abs, stick with a self-tanning lotion or makeup. Easy. And way less damaging.

4. Lemon Juice As Toner

What's It All About?

Pure lemon juice. As toner. Simple as that.

Yes, lemons are astringent, yes they’re packed with vitamin C and yes, vitamin C is awesome for the look, feel and health of your skin. But when life gives you lemons, do not squeeze out their juice and use it to tone or brighten your face.

Is Lemon Juice Good For Your Skin?

Citric acid can be an incredible ingredient in many topical skincare treatments, offering great antioxidant qualities and helping to fight environmental skin damage. However, skincare products are formulated in certain ways and use very specific concentrations of ingredients in order to help benefit your skin without causing irritation. Pure lemon juice, however? The opposite. Applying it in its pure form can seriously irritate your skin, screwing up your barrier function and causing long-term issues with hyperpigmentation and sensitivities. It can even burn your skin if you’re not careful.

Keep yours for the G&Ts and leave lemon skincare cocktailing to the pros, OK?

Much Better Advice?

Get your fix of vitamin C from a facial serum that contains sodium ascorbyl phosphate (SAP) which is a gentle and very effective form. Our Vitamin C Facial Serum is always a big favorite but we also have the mighty Vitamin C Super Serum + which really amps up your glow factor. We like to use it twice a week, alternating between this and the OG.

5. Face Taping

What Is Face Taping?

This cheeky little trick has been used by Hollywood’s finest for decades so sorry, TikTok-ers, but you did not invent this one. Also known as wrinkle taping, the idea behind it is that you strategically place sticky tape on your face, usually overnight, to lift the skin, reduce muscle movement and therefore reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. It’s most often used under the eyes, at the edges of the cheeks, over the forehead or across the chest area.

You can also use face tape to provide an immediately lifting effect, keeping it on for an event, for example, whilst camouflaging it with heavy makeup.

Is Face Taping Good For Your Skin?

As an immediate wrinkle-reducer and skin-smoother, face taping is actually pretty effective. But it’s a very short-term fix and takes a lot of clever makeup artistry to cover the tape and make it look natural.

As an overnight solution however? Yeah, we’re not convinced. For one thing, the glue that’s used on the tape can be super irritating for some skin types, especially if it’s used under the eyes where your skin is thin and extremely delicate. And for another, leaving the tape on for long periods of time can clog your pores and encourage breakouts. The phrase, ‘out of the frying pan, into the fire,’ comes to mind.

Much Better Advice?

Two words: effective skincare. Cleansing and exfoliating regularly, treating your skin with daily antioxidants, applying sunscreen daily and using age-defying ingredients like retinol, bakuchiol, hyaluronic acid and vitamin C? So much better than silly old face tape that might be OK for ten minutes but will do no good in the long-term.

Try our new Smoothing Collagen Serum, Firming Collagen Day Lotion and Collagen Boosting Skin Supplement which are great for healthily preventing premature aging.

PSA: pair vitamin C with other effective skincare ingredients and it becomes next-level good.

Vitamin C is basically our middle name here at TruSkin. Don’t get us wrong, we love any skincare ingredient that offers real-life benefits to your skin that you can actually see and feel. Retinol is one of the first that comes to mind, but also bakuchiol, its plant-derived cousin has also become a permanent fixture in our daily routines.

However, there’s something about vitamin C that makes it hard to beat. Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant that’s been proven to fight environmental stressors and thus protect your skin from all the damage that comes from exposure to things like smoking, pollution and, quelle surprise, UV radiation. It’s also known to inhibit a certain enzyme in your skin called tyrosinase which helps keeps melanin under control and reduces your likelihood of developing sun-related dark spots and an uneven skin tone. And if you’re worried about the potency of pure vitamin C on your skin? Don’t be. L-ascorbic acid (the pure stuff) packs a pretty mean punch, for sure, but there are many kinder-to-skin derivatives out there, including our favorite, sodium ascorbyl phosphate which is gentle, but oh-so-mighty.

All this is great, but one of our absolute favorite things about vitamin C is that it partners so well with other true greats. So which ones are worth your time? We’ve rounded up the vitamin C pairings we believe are pretty unbeatable.

Vitamin C + Vitamin E: The Ultimate Antioxidant Duo

As skincare couples go, vitamin C and vitamin E are an unbeatable little double act. You know that phrase, ‘you complete me’? That's these two, in a nutshell.

C and E are both potent antioxidants and proven to neutralize damaging free radicals which form in the skin when it’s exposed to environmental nasties. This helps reduce oxidative stress, slowing down cell damage and thus helping to preserve important proteins in your skin like collagen and elastin. As you know, these are super important to keep your skin strong, soft, clear and youthful-looking.

Of course, vitamin C does a pretty good job of this on its own, but if you combine it with vitamin E you automatically amp up both of their superpowers with zero effort at all. You see, vitamin E strengthens and accelerates vitamin C's protective abilities by preserving its stability and efficacy. Meanwhile, C stops E’s age-fighting powers from depleting as it fights off those free radical bad guys.

Vitamin E is also great at soothing and hydrating the skin as an extra bonus. Together, they're the ultimate fighting champions.

Try: Vitamin C Facial Serum

Vitamin C + Sunscreen: Great Alone… Even Better Together

As we’ve drummed into you by now, sunscreen is the number one way to fight off external skin aging, reducing your likelihood of developing everything from lines and wrinkles through to dull skin, sagging and dark spots. Any broad-spectrum sunscreen that has a decent SPF of at least 30 is going to effectively shield your skin from sun damage. No arguments there. However, there’s one way to make your sunscreen work even better. And that’s by pairing it up with vitamin C.

Studies show that vitamin C makes sunscreen work harder by neutralizing more free radicals than sunscreen is able to do on its own. It’s also thought to help your sunscreen absorb more UV radiation.

The truth is that sunscreen is only able to shield your skin from around 50 percent of the number of free radicals caused by the sun. And not only that, but even the most highly protective sunscreens that boast SPFs of staggering numbers can only protect your skin from around 98 percent of UV radiation. This means a certain number of UV rays are always going to sneak through. Ditto free radicals.

C to the rescue. And how!

Try: SPF 30 Sunscreen with Vitamin C

Vitamin C + Hyaluronic Acid: The Hydrating Power Couple

Vitamin C plays pretty well with most skin types – especially if you stick with the skin-loving sodium ascorbyl phosphate – but still, everyone’s skin has different levels of sensitivities so irritation can never be counted out.

So, what’s a great way to reduce your chances of flaring up? By ensuring your skin’s barrier function is strong and well hydrated. Of course, gentle cleansing and moisturizing is key, but another effective trick for rehydrating your skin is to couple your vitamin C with the master of moisture: hyaluronic acid.

Hyaluronic acid (HA) is a type of polymer that acts as a powerful lubricant and humectant. More technical jargon, we know, but humectants are water-loving components that suck in moisture and hold onto it like a sponge. They’re essential for keeping the skin hydrated, plump and smooth and, as humectants go, HA is kind of a big deal. Just one gram of the stuff can hold up to six liters of water.

HA is very gentle on the skin and works like a dream with most other skincare ingredients, especially vitamin C whose anti-aging and texture-enhancing abilities get enhanced like nobody’s business by the powers of HA. HA can also counteract any sensitivities or dryness you might experience from vitamin C. Major plus points.

Try: Vitamin C Super Serum +

Vitamin C + MSM: The Collagen Protectors

It upsets us that MSM isn’t center stage like vitamin C and retinol, but hey, not everyone can be the leading lady, right? But don’t let that fool you because, just like any great movie, the supporting actors are just as important. Often even more so. And MSM is all that… and then some.

Not familiar with the powers of MSM? Well, to quote its full name, methylsulfonylmethane is a natural-occurring form of sulfur that’s often referred to as the ‘beauty’ or ‘healing’ mineral. Does it deserve such a nickname? Absolutely. Its inherent ability to encourage blood flow, fight inflammation and boost collagen makes it a total whizz-kid for the skin. Simple as. It also works darn hard to fight environmental damage by helping to enforce your body’s natural defense system, so there’s also that.

In skincare, vitamin C helps your skin to readily absorb MSM, doubling up their combined collagen love and working extra hard to fight off the visible signs of premature aging.

Try: Vitamin C Deep Hydration Night Cream