True Radical Honesty From Our Community

Why does balancing combination skin that's oily in some places and dry in others have to be so hard? Actually, it doesn't. So, let’s take away the headache once and for all.

We all crave for that elusive ‘normal’ skin, but as skin types go combination is the one most of us end up with. You know the kind of skin we mean. Your cheeks might feel dry and little bit tight after cleansing, yet two hours later your forehead and nose look shinier than a bald man’s head. Yeah, that.

Combination skin is defined by skin that’s oily in certain areas and dry in others due to unbalanced sebum production. It’s never the same for everyone, but excess oiliness is usually concentrated around your t-zone where the sebaceous glands are often larger and more active. And those dry, sensitive patches? Well, you’ll find those primarily on your cheeks or around your eyes.

Just like your height and hair color, your skin type is the luck of the draw and is totally down to what you inherit from your parents. So, if you think you can alter your skin type, think again. Yes, you can control and manage it with smart skincare, but completely change its biological structure? No way.

That being said, certain factors will affect the levels of sebum and dryness in your skin – and this will be especially noticeable if it's combination. For example, your t-zone will be oiler in the summer thanks to warmer, humid weather, but in the winter humidity and temperature levels drop, causing certain areas to feel drier, more dehydrated and even a little irritated. It may also become oilier and possibly break out during your period, when hormones cause your skin to over-produce sebum. Fun times.

The moral of this story is that yes, combination skin can be a bit of a b*tch to control. But, it’s perfectly doable with a few smart skincare choices. Just remember one thing: it’s all about balance.

How To Care For Combination Skin

1. Use A Gentle Cleanser Morning & Night

One of the biggest mistakes when cleansing combination skin is to concentrate solely on the oily part of your skin. We know it’s tempting to whisk away all those oils with harsh, astringent cleansers, but this will do you no favors in the long term. For one thing, it’ll cause your skin to produce even more oil in areas you don’t want it, and on the flipside it’ll irritate any dryness you have, causing redness, itching and more.

Instead, use a gentle, pH-balanced cleanser like our Vitamin C Daily Facial Cleanser which contains MSM, vitamin C and tea tree oil to balance the skin and prevent breakouts, along with aloe vera and rosehip oil to soothe and moisturize. And if you’re really concerned about excess oils? Then try using our Skin Clearing Charcoal Face Wash on your t-zone at night.

2. Avoid Hot Water On Your Face

Never, EVER wash your face with scorching hot water. Hot water makes your skin look flushed and red thanks to excess heat forcing your blood vessels to dilate. It also strips the skin of essential healthy oils, which compromises your barrier function, causing your skin to feel tight, dry and irritated. For combination skin types this will make dry areas doubly worse, and oily areas, well, ditto.

3. Embrace A Balancing Toner

Some skin types are happy to skip toner, but if you have combination skin, we cannot recommend this step more. A good toner that’s high in antioxidants (rather than alcohol) can help balance and nourish your skin, while minimizing oiliness without making those dry areas drier.

Looking for the perfect fit for your combination skin? Then try our newly packaged but same great formula Ocean Minerals Super Toner (formerly referred to as Daily Facial Super Toner). Packed with MSM, vitamin C and skin-loving peptides like Matrixyl 3000, it’s a great way to finish your cleansing routine and leave your skin fresh and glowing. Oh, and it also contains glycolic acid to boost cellular regeneration plus witch hazel to deal with enlarged pores and excess oils. And if you think this sounds like it could irritate those pesky dry patches? Think again, aloe vera, jojoba oil are also included to take of that.

4. Spot Treat Your Oily T-Zone

When it comes to treating your complexion Hyaluronic Acid Facial Serum is always a great shout for combination skin. Hyaluronic acid is a clever little cookie that draws water into your skin like a sponge, making it great for hydrating your skin without overloading it with pore-clogging oils. Apply it morning and night before moisturizing to balance and soothe your skin.

If your combination skin is super oily in places, you could also try Tea Tree Clear Skin Super Serum over your troublesome t-zone. Apply one drop to the tips of your fingers, then gently apply it to your cheeks, nose and forehead two or three times a week.

5. Choose Your Moisturizer Carefully

Moisturizing your skin is probably the trickiest area to nail if you’re a combination type. Go too light and dry patches won’t get enough help, but choose a super heavy cream and you could end up blocking your pores and exacerbating oiliness. Decisions, decisions.

You have two options here. Your first is to invest in two moisturizers: one light, gel-based formula for your t-zone and a richer, oil-based cream or balm for your dry areas. This kind of sucks in terms of effort and money, but it’s often the best recipe for many combination skin types, especially if have extreme combination skin (aka very oily and very dry).

Your other option is to look for a noncomedogenic moisturizer that contains humectants to draw water into the skin and emollients to lock it there. And we have just the guy for the job: Vitamin C Brightening Moisturizer which contains aloe and glycerin to hydrate thirsty skin without weighing it down, plus jojoba oil and shea butter to seal in moisture – again, without blocking your pores.  

“Deep hydration with no greasiness,” explains one customer review. Literally everything combination skin wants in a moisturizer.

Overnight skincare won’t transform your skin literally overnight, but apply a few carefully chosen formulations before turning in for the night and your skin will reap the benefits in the long term.

Some skincare sceptics firmly believe that night cream is a marketing con. Fools. The thing is, your skin has very different needs at night than during the day. If all you’re looking for in your routine is the basics (clean, moisturized skin) then sure, you’re going to be just fine with a couple of products for day and night. However, if you want to target, treat and prevent more pressing concerns such as fine lines, dark spots and acne, you’ll be sorely disappointed by the results a bog-standard cleanse and moisturize routine will offer.

An effective morning routine, for example, requires antioxidants and sunscreen to protect you from environmental stressors and free radical damage. It may also benefit from lighter day creams that give your skin almost invisible moisturization – the perfect base for priming your skin and facing the day.

In contrast, when you’re asleep, your skin kick-starts a whole regeneration process making it one of the most important times for rich, collagen-boosting products that help improve the health, look and feel of your complexion.

Studies show that people who get between seven and nine hours of sleep each night have skin that’s more moisturized and better able to protect and heal itself than those who sleep for five hours or less. How so? Because when your body rests, blood flow to your skin increases, collagen production ramps up, free radical damage gets repaired and your skin’s super important barrier function is restored. Cut back on your sleep and you deny your skin this precious time to repair itself. This means that compared to the lightweight, protective formulations your skin thrives on during the day, overnight skincare should revolve around boosting collagen, enhancing moisture, replenishing oils and therefore helping to repair and replenish your skin's protective barrier.

Convinced you need to step up your bedtime skincare routine but unwilling to spend hours in the bathroom before turning in for the night? Then you’ve come to the right place because we believe you need just three nighttime skincare formulations to care for your entire complexion. 

Overnight Must-Have #1. A Skin-Restoring Serum

If you’re serious about looking after your skin, you should always apply an overnight facial serum after cleansing. Serums are light, fast-absorbing formulations that have a much smaller molecular structure than moisturizers, meaning they’re able to deliver active ingredients deeper into your skin. We truly believe everyone needs two serums in their skincare lives – one for the morning and one for night – but the formulation you choose will obviously depend on what the issues you want to address. For dryness, HA is always a winner; for dark spots we love vitamin C or niacinamide, and for acne, serums containing salicylic acid or tea tree oil are always a great shout.

If you’re looking for the true gold standard of overnight face serums, however, try a formulation containing retinol like our fabulous Retinol Serum. Retinol is a clever little ingredient that derms, beauty editors and A-listers all swear by. When applied to your skin it triggers and activates certain genes to increase collagen production and stimulate your skin to turn over more efficiently. This not only helps soften, thicken and plump up the skin but offers no end of benefits for enlarged pores, acne, pigmentation and aging skin. If this wasn’t enough to convince you of its superpowers, research also shows that retinol has powerful antioxidant properties to help combat free radical damage.

Overnight Must-Have #2. An Awesome Eye Treatment

Lack of sleep is hell on the skin around your eyes, causing redness, fluid retention, dark circles, lines and wrinkles. Why do your eyes take the hit so badly? Because the skin in this area is thinner, more fragile and contains fewer sebaceous (oil-producing) glands than the rest of your face, so it ages lightning fast. If you think about it, the skin around your eyes also works pretty hard thanks to repetitive movements like blinking, smiling, squinting and so on. Without a targeted eye treatment product, therefore, it stands no chance in the fight against premature aging. And what better way to repair and replenish it than overnight when your eyes are less subject to the constant, repetitive movements of, well, being awake?

Some of the most powerful ingredients to look for in an overnight eye treatment are hyaluronic acid, peptides, vitamin C and retinol. Hyaluronic acid (HA) helps your skin retain water, vitamin C brightens and repairs, while peptides and retinol boost collagen. All great stuff for the skin around your eyes, we think you’ll agree.

Try our Eye Cream which contains potent antioxidants such as vitamins B5, C and E, plus plant peptides and HA. Share a pea-sized amount between both eyes and smooth or tap it gently onto the skin, using your ring fingers for a lighter, less skin-damaging touch.

Overnight Must-Have #3. The Perfect Night Cream

If you have a highly moisturizing serum on the go, you might think you can do without night cream. Big mistake. Serums rarely contain emollient or occlusive ingredients which are important for sealing water and oils into your skin, so while serums are great for delivering ingredients deep into your skin, you still need to follow with moisturizer to lock all that goodness in. Whatever your skin type.

Our new Vitamin C Deep Hydration Night Cream has been formulated to work with your skin’s overnight renewal system to support your skin, stimulate collagen production and strengthen that all-important barrier function. As well as containing one of our favorite antioxidants – vitamin C – this decadent night treatment comes bursting with nourishing and healing botanicals such as aloe, cocoa butter and rosehip oil. For the best results, apply it nightly as the final step in your bedtime skincare routine.

And you're done. See, that wasn't too time consuming, was it? Sweet dreams, y'all ;)

There’s nothing worse than spending a gazillion bucks on skincare, for it to go ahead and do zip. But if you know how your skin likes to do business and use formulations that contain researched, proven ingredients, you’re well on the way to nailing a great complexion.

We’ve all been lured by the latest gold-infused miracle skin potion that promises (but always fails to deliver) flawless, younger-looking skin in days. To be fair, wanting to believe glossy skincare commercials gets us all every now and again. But those days are over because we now know that a) skincare cannot perform miracles and b) the most important steps for achieving and maintaining fabulous skin only work if you know your skin type. Then and only then are you able to make informed decisions about which products to apply and what to realistically expect.

So, is your skincare routine working out for you? If not, think about what you could be doing wrong. Chances are, it’s one of the following…

1. Do You Know Your Skin?

Understanding your skin and knowing, not only your skin type, but how it to reacts to changes in the weather, the time of the month, even your diet goes a long way to nailing an effective skincare routine.

The best way for you to learn about your skin – right now – is to gently cleanse and dry it, then leave it for a few hours without applying any product or makeup. After this time, look at your skin in the mirror and touch it (with clean hands, of course). If it looks and feels pretty normal then, surprise surprise, you have normal skin. But if it's already shiny or greasy, you have oily skin. If it feels tight, maybe a little rough and looks flaky, you have dry skin. And if it’s a bit of both? You have combination skin.

Only by scrutinizing your skin in the moment, can you really know what’s going on with it at that particular time. Yes, you may have oily skin as a rule, but perhaps it’s currently feeling dry in certain areas thanks to a little dehydration from too many boozy nights. Or perhaps your skin is generally pretty normal, but it’s looking red and feels a tad sensitive due to your hormones or from using too many potent active ingredients.

Getting to know your skin in order to make informed tweaks to your lifestyle and skincare routine? Priceless.

2. Are You Nailing The Basics?

Eye creams, treatment serums and chemical exfoliation are all well and good, but you should never underestimate the powers of basic skincare – namely cleansing and moisturizing. The truth is, without a good cleansing and moisturizing routine, you may as well not bother with the rest.

Cleansing is the absolute foundation of great skin, helping to remove dirt, oil, makeup and bacteria from your skin that can clog your pores, cause irritation and age you up if left to sit around for too long. Good cleansing also prepares and primes your skin for the rest of your routine, allowing your products to penetrate the skin more effectively. To perfect your cleansing game, choose a kind formulation like our Daily Facial Cleanser which is ideal for most skin types and use it to wash your face twice daily – no excuses. Use your hands to gently massage it all over for one or two minutes to help boost circulation and encourage lymphatic drainage.

Another super important step in your routine is moisturizing, which should never be forgotten about. Depending on the formulation, moisturizing helps feed your skin with nutrients, but more importantly it locks in essential hydration to protect your skin’s barrier function. If you fail to moisturize morning and night after cleansing your skin will lose its strength and resiliency in no time.

3. Are You Being Consistent With Your Routine?

Making small changes to your routine is great if your skin is doing something it doesn’t normally do, but if it’s behaving as normal, a consistent routine is worth its weight in gold.

For the best results from your routine, always use your products regularly and as advised on the label. For example, potent retinols and antioxidant serums like our C-Plus Super Serum are best used just two or three times a week, whereas less powerful serums can be applied every day depending on your skin type. Of course, your skin’s tolerance may vary, but once you find your sweet spot, stick with it for at least a few weeks before upping your frequency.

4. Are You Being Realistic With Your Expectations?

Skincare that promises ‘miracle’ results overnight? All lies. While many ingredients have been clinically proven to offer awesome benefits for your skin (oh hi there retinol, vitamin C, hyaluronic acid and friends), they are never going to give you the same instantly dramatic results that you might get from Botox or fillers, for example. On the flipside, skincare costs way less and doesn’t involve needles or downtime. So, there’s that.

The main thing to remember is that yes, certain skincare products can give you instant moisturization, subtle brightening or cleansing benefits, but in order to work to their full potential, any product that works on a cellular level will need time (usually around four to six weeks) and a little bit of patience. So, don’t expect miracles. After all, those fine lines and dark spots didn’t just appear one morning; they built, grew and etched themselves into your skin over time. So, how can your skincare products possibly get rid of them overnight? Answer: they can’t.

5. Finally, Are You Overloading Your Skin?

One sure-fire way to irritate your skin and cause unwanted breakouts is to overload your face with way too many active ingredients.

You may think that bombarding your skin with countless serums containing high-performing vitamin C, glycolic acid, retinol and salicylic acid will give you a red carpet complexion much quicker than if you were to stick with one product, but oh how wrong you are. Unless these active ingredients have been carefully formulated into one treatment serum or a board-certified professional has prescribed them, cocktailing is a major no-no. Some ingredients should never be applied together, but do you know which ones they are? Thought not. So, instead, introduce serums into your routine one at a time to see how your skin tolerates it. It's also wise to patch test a new formulation before applying it to your whole face. And give it at least four weeks to take effect before dismissing it.

Or, if it's one of ours, falling in love with it;)

Too much effective skincare can lead to irritation, dryness, even breakouts. And we doubt this was what you had in mind when you carefully chose the products in your routine, right? So, let’s have a look at some of the optimum amounts of product you should be applying.

Skincare has moved on since the days of 'cleanse, tone, moisturize and done.' Nowadays, there are all manner of eye treatments, serums, facial oils and retinols to contend with. And while we’d never suggest you overload your skin with gazillions of products, a carefully curated routine that contains a gentle mix of antioxidants, AHAs, night treatments and sun protection will go a long way to achieving younger-looking skin.

But it’s not just about what you put on your skin. Turns out, how you apply them, when you apply them and even how much you apply is just as important. We’ve covered the hows and the whens before, so hopefully by now you’ve nailed the art of skincare layering and applying your products like an absolute pro. But are you sure you’re applying the right amount?

Knowing how much of your skincare essentials you need can be confusing business, so here are some basic rules to follow to get to know your products’ sweet spots.

Always Read The Label

The directions on your skincare labels are not just there to fill space or look nice. They’re important and should always be followed for the best, safest and most effective results. Granted, skincare products don’t need FDA approval but they must still adhere to particular guidelines. And one of these is that both the ingredients and the finished product must be safe to use according to its directions.

This means it’s always vital to read the instructions for a guide on how much you should be using. Obviously these guidelines aren’t set in stone, but they’re a great starting point.

Know The Basic Numbers

All products are different, but generally speaking the amount you should be using rarely differs from the following:

• Cleanser – a dime-sized amount is plenty to effectively cleanse your face and neck. Anything less might not be enough to gently remove bacteria, dirt and oils, whereas using more will just be a waste.
• Toner ­– go for around four or five spritzes if you’re spraying toner directly onto your face, or enough to saturate an entire cotton round.
• Serum – treatment serums such as antioxidants, AHAs and retinols are super lightweight, but extremely potent, so less is always more. Stick with two or three drops for your entire face and neck.
• Eye Cream – a single pump or pea-sized amount is the sweet spot for both eyes. More than this will overload the delicate skin around your eyes, resulting in puffiness and/or irritation. Not cool.
• Moisturizer – moisturizing creams, lotions and gels vary a lot, but as long as you choose the correct formulation for your skin type, a pea-sized amount should be ideal.
• Sunscreen – the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) recommends about half a teaspoon of sunscreen for your face. This may sound like a lot, but failing to protect your skin increases your risks of premature aging and skin cancers. This is why sunscreen is one of the few products where scrimping is not an option. 

Understand That Your Skin Type Isn't The Issue

The amount of product you apply shouldn’t be dictated by your skin type. It’s far more important to choose the right product to suit your needs and concerns than to overload, or indeed scrimp on your application. For example, if you feel like you need to double up on your moisturizer, because your skin still feels dry, tight or dehydrated even after you’ve applied it, you’ve clearly got the wrong formulation and should up your moisturizing game with a richer or heavier cream or balm. Similarly, if you end up applying less moisturizer than the recommended amount because it sits on your skin and makes it feel oily or sticky, your product is likely too rich for your skin. In this case, switch it up with a lighter gel or lotion.

The only exception to this rule is if you wear heavy makeup and feel like your cleanser isn’t doing a good enough job. Gentle is ALWAYS the way to go so stick with a mild cleanser (tailored for your skin type, of course), but try a double cleanse on heavy makeup days.

Spread The Excess Elsewhere

If you do get a little over-excited and end up with too much serum or moisturizer on your hands, smooth any excess over your neck (which you should be doing anyway), décolletage or even on the backs of your hands. This is way more beneficial than smothering your face and increasing your chances of clogging your pores or causing redness or irritation.

And just think of the love you’ll be giving your neck, chest and hands as a bonus.

Exfoliating your skin is an important part of your beauty routine. But is your exfoliation game doing more harm than good?

Skin exfoliation is a constant hot topic in the beauty world. Should you or shouldn’t you? How much is too much? And are scrubs better than acids? Well, these are all good questions, but the thing is, exfoliating your skin is not quite that black and white. Especially when it comes to the delicate skin on your face which is completely different from one person to the next.

Here’s everything you need to know to make an educated decision on how and when to exfoliate your skin. Because in all honesty, when you get it right, the benefits of exfoliation far outweigh the downsides…

Why Should You Exfoliate?

Exfoliation is the process of removing dead, hardened cells from the skin’s surface using some kind of physical or chemical stimulant. Your skin has its own pre-programmed way of shedding millions of dead skin cells every day – a process called desquamation – but aging and/or environmental damage slows this down. Sometimes from an average of 28 days up to 80 days. Eesh. When this happens all those dry, old cells get left behind for longer which causes your skin to becoms sluggish, dull, patchy, congested, dry and/or dehydrated. Exfoliation helps counteract this natural slowing down of desquamation by reducing the build-up of dead cells on the surface of your skin while promoting new cells to generate more efficiently.

So, what are the benefits of exfoliating your skin? Well, by removing dead skin cells and helping your skin turn over better, you simultaneously deep cleanse your skin to remove toxins, unclog pores, control breakouts, fade surface level dark spots, help smooth lines, balance oil production and so on and so forth. Basically, regular exfoliation gives your skin its best chance to look awesome.

Furthermore, dead skin cells act like a blockade to stop your skincare from working to the best of its ability. So, by removing the dead stuff for all that happy, healthy skin, you allow the active ingredients in your products to penetrate better and absorb into your skin way faster. Win-win.

What Are The Different Types Of Exfoliation?

Exfoliation is split into two different camps: physical and chemical.

Physical exfoliation is the classic method that commonly springs to mind when you think of exfoliating your skin – think scrubs, loofahs, face cloths, cleansing brushes and anything else that uses a certain amount of physical force to remove dead cells from the skin's surface. Physical exfoliation also includes professional treatments like microdermabrasion and dermaplaning.

Chemical exfoliation, on the other hand, is a process in which chemicals are used to break down dead skin cells, instead of a physical stimulus. The most common exfoliating chemicals used in skincare formulations are alpha and beta hydroxy acids (AHAs and BHAS) such as glycolic, lactic and salicylic acids. These work by dissolving the bonds that bind dead cells together, allowing them to naturally shed. At the doctor’s office, chemical peels also come into this category.

3 Ways To Exfoliate Like A Pro

Exfoliation is awesome, but the problems come when you don’t do it properly. Here are our top three tips for ensuring your exfoliation game is totally on point.

1. Be Savvy About Your Skincare

Do you really know what you’re putting on your skin? No? Then it’s time to check out your skincare products and learn exactly what's inside them. It may be that, unbeknownst to you, your toner or serum contains an AHA or BHA, in which case you might not need to physically exfoliate your skin quite as regularly as you might think. Similarly, if you have a facial scrub that feels kind of abrasive, put a little on the back of your hand and examine its texture. Chances are if you think it’s too harsh for your skin, it probably contains sharp nutshells or ground fruit pits that are extremely damaging and can cause micro-tears on the surface of your skin. There's no place for that kind of exfoliator in anybody's skincare routine – we're looking for radiant skin, thank you, not red raw skin.

If you use a nightly retinol, this also needs to be taken into consideration as retinol can cause your skin to be more sensitive to regular exfoliation. The trick is, to know your products, know your skin and hone your routine accordingly.

2. Go Gently – The Only Way To Go

As with most things in skincare, exfoliation isn’t a one-size-fits-all. However, exfoliating too much and too often is a classic mistake that can cause redness, irritation, dryness, breakouts and plenty more where that came from. Most experts agree that two or three times a week is the sweet spot, but some of you may find you get better results when you exfoliate more often, while others might breakout if you apply anything more than a gentle lactic acid serum once a week. Our advice? Always err on the side of caution. If you’re only now introducing exfoliation into your routine, start once a week (especially if your skin is prone to dryness, redness and irritation), then you can build up to two or three times a week as your skin adapts. It may take time and a little trial and error but your skin will thank you for your prudence in the long run.

Now you've nailed how often you exfoliate, it's time to tone down your technique. When it comes to physical scrubs, the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) recommends applying yours in gentle, circular motions to damp skin for 30 seconds, then rinsing with lukewarm – never hot – water. The most important thing to remember is never to scrub away at your skin: light strokes with the pads of your fingers should be more than enough to allow your product to get the job done without overstimulating or damaging your skin.

In terms of chemical exfoliation, different acids work for different skin types but again, go gently and always perform a patch test first. Lactic acid is a great place to start if you have dry or sensitive skin whereas salicylic acid is awesome for oily or acne-prone skin.

3. Always Follow With Moisturizer & Sunscreen

As well as helping to eliminate dead surface cells, exfoliation also removes essential oils and ceramides that work to moisturize and protect your skin. Therefore, it’s vital to replace lost moisture immediately after using any kind of exfoliant.

Humectants like hyaluronic acid and glycerin are fabulous for drawing water back to the skin’s surface, so look for skin serums containing one of these ingredients. Even better, try our Hyaluronic Acid Serum which contains both.

Next, apply an emollient moisturizer on top of your serum to help seal in hydration, then finish with a broad-spectrum sunscreen to protect your skin.

Exfoliation will increase your skin’s sensitivity to the sun so, as always, sun protection is super, we repeat super important.

Excellent news: these genius skincare tricks will literally cost you nothing.

A consistent skincare routine is the first step to awesome skin, but did you know there are further ways to help make the most of what nature gave you? What’s more, some of the most effective skincare hacks are totally free.

So, without further ado, let’s check them out, shall we?

1. Wash Your Hands Before Cleansing

Cleansing is one of the most important steps in your skincare routine, but are you guilty of washing your face without washing your hands first? Yeah, you’re not the only ones. But do you really want to be transferring all that grime from your hands to your face? Thought not. Even if your hands don’t look dirty, chances are they’ll have recently touched any number of surfaces since you last washed them, so just give them a quick clean before cleansing or touching your face to reduce your chances of transferring bacteria, oils, dirt and other chemicals from one place to another. Fail to do this and you could increase your risk of sensitivities, irritation and acne flare-ups. 

Similarly, if you like to use a face cloth, make sure you wash it every day. Without fail.

2. Brave A Cool Rinse

Speaking of cleansing, a final rinse with cool water is an old but great Hollywood trick that helps soothe, tighten and depuff your skin. Charlize Theron is apparently a big fan of this hack (erm, we’d all love skin like hers, right?) and the legendary Joan Crawford swore by running an ice cube all over her face.

Cold water not only improves circulation to the skin to give you a fabulous, instant glow, but it acts like an astringent to help keep your pores in great shape. But remember, using cold water for your whole cleansing routine might not offer the level of cleanliness you’re after. We recommend (as does the American Academy of Dermatology) using lukewarm water along with an effective but gentle cleanser like our Skin Clearing Charcoal Face Wash to cut through oils and remove makeup and pollutants that may have built up on your skin throughout the day. Rinse thoroughly and then turn on the cold faucet for a quick final rinse with cool water.

3. Sleep On Your Back

When it comes to bedtime, one thing is almost as important as getting your eight hours of zzzs. And that’s the position in which you sleep. Lying on your front is the biggest no-no since smushing your face into your pillow is asking for wrinkles (aka sleep lines) to become permanently etched into your skin. This friction between your pillow and your skin can also trigger acne mechanica which is when skin flares up due to continued rubbing and pressure.

Your best bet is to sleep on your back as this keeps your face, and in fact your neck, well away from constant friction from your pillow. It also allows your night creams and serums free to do all their good work without fear of being absorbed right into your pillowcase – which is so not cool. Lastly, sleeping on your back helps minimize puffiness around the eyes as it reduces excess fluid from pooling. You know, gravity and all that.

4. Apply Skincare To Damp Skin

Applying serums and moisturizers to dry skin is fine and you’ll reap their benefits, for sure, but if you want to really get the most from your treatments, apply them when your skin is still slightly damp after cleansing. By applying serum or moisturizer to damp skin you help lock in extra moisture. Damp skin is also more receptive to skincare ingredients, allowing them to penetrate quicker and more effectively. It figures, therefore, that by improving absorption you get way more bang for your beauty buck. 

If you have sensitive skin, however, you should tread carefully with this one. Active ingredients like vitamin C and retinol are pretty powerful, so if your skin is reactive you might not want to up their potency. Instead, stick to applying them to dry skin – always performing a patch test first, of course. 

5. Try A Facial Steam

If you’re prone to acne, redness and flushing, you can skip this one as steaming will make your conditions worse. But for the rest of you, if you’re looking for a super cheap (read: free) radiance boost, you can’t go wrong with a facial steaming sesh.

Steaming increases perspiration to help remove toxins while simultaneously enhancing circulation to boost the flow of oxygen and nutrients to your skin. Win-win. It also helps hydrate your skin as long as you immediately (within a minute) apply serum and/or moisturizer to seal all that water in.

Don’t bother spending your hard-earned dollars on a high-tech facial steaming machine, however, simply place your face over a bowl of recently boiled water for 5-10 minutes, placing a towel over your head to trap in the steam. Just remember not to get too close to the surface of the water (ouch) and give it a minute or so to slightly cool down after boiling.

If this doesn’t sound like your jam, another option is to submerge a clean towel in hot water, then wring it out slightly, lie on your back and drape it over your face.  

Limit steaming to once or twice a week as any more than this could make your skin dry and dehydrated which is literally the opposite of your goal.

6. Keep Your Eye Gel In The Fridge

We don't subscribe to the ‘keep all your skincare products in the refrigerator’ idea, and would never recommend you waste your money on those cute, Insta-worthy beauty fridges that can set you back a couple of hundred dollars. Yes, they’re adorable, but quite honestly, they’re kinda pointless. After all, skincare products have to go through vigorous shelf-life testing before they’re released to market, so why should they need refrigerating? Answer: they usually don't.

There are two exceptions to this rule, however. After-sun, for obvious reasons, and eye gel.

Keeping your eye gel in the fridge will offer a delicious cooling sensation to the skin around your eyes, giving a doubly soothing effect. As an added bonus, the coolness will also constrict the blood vessels to reduce puffiness or swelling and help revitalize tired eyes.

If you suffer with morning puffy eyes, you should 100 percent try this trick. You won’t regret it.