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A question that comes up frequently in the beauty industry—whether it’s beauty editors, news publications, blogs, founders of beauty product lines or friends asking for advice—is “What is your top beauty secret?” or “What is the most important thing that I can do to keep my skin looking great?”
There is No Magic Bullet
The truth is that there is no one THING, product, practice or secret that will keep you looking like you are 19 through your 90s. Like everything else in life, looking—and more importantly, feeling—great takes work and consistent care. If your skin is really important to you, take care of it by going for regular facials, even if you only go quarterly. Preventative care is essential. Also, commit to some kind of a regimen. You don’t have to spend endless hours with masks and all types of steps, but commit to cleansing and toning your skin and find a serum and moisturizer that works for you and use it. Establish some type of ritual for morning and evening. If you are lazy like me, your night ritual might be using an Ursa Major Essential Face Wipe and following it with 5 drops of Cosmetics 27 Huile 27. It takes about 60 seconds. The point is, just do something!
Tuning Into What We Need
Whether we are talking about hair, skin or body, the first step to taking proper care of ourselves is tuning into what our bodies need. If you have been to a good nutritionist, (I was lucky enough to find Joy Bauer) she will go over basics of what are and are not good food choices, but she will also tell you to listen to your body. If we take a moment to sit still with ourselves, our bodies will tell us what we need. It is really remarkable. Have you ever been thinking about what you wanted to eat for dinner and felt like a big juicy steak and spinach? Now, I am not a physician or nutritionist (and vegans, please cover your ears), but its possible that at that moment, your body was in need of iron and animal protein. Similarly, ever notice on really hot summer days, we tend to gravitate towards salads and fruits and eat a little lighter? Those foods are mostly water based and our bodies are likely in need of hydration. In the same way that we should be listening to our bodies to know what they need on a given day to perform optimally, we also need to learn to listen to our skin.
Notice Patterns
I hope this does not sound too out there, but think about it: in the winter, our skin tends to dry out from the cool frosty air and wind, so we might mix a face oil with a rich moisturizer, B. Kamins Replenishing Moisturizer Kx, for example, to give our skin the protection that it needs. Whereas on a warmer summer day, when you might find a blemish appearing and you skin is already feeling moist from the humid air, you might mix a few drops of a serum (Right now I am using Cosmetics 27 Essence 27) with a daily anti-aging sunscreen, such as Institut Esthederm Bronz Repair Face Cream SPF 20, or a light BB Cream (B. Kamins makes a great one), and call it a day.
There is No One-Cure-Fits-All
In other words, there is no one best beauty or skin care tip that’s a one-cure-fits-all. Do your reading and research. See what the experts are saying, but then tune into your skin. Take a moment and look at your face in the mirror and examine its landscape. Is there a part of your face where blemishes tend to pop up with seasonal weather changes? For me its on either side of my chin and occurs with seasonal weather changes, mostly at times when temperatures change significantly, so at the beginning of the summer and then again when the temperatures really drop transitioning into winter. Start to notice these patterns and shift your facial care regimen slightly to accommodate your skin’s needs. There are no hard and fast rules for certain seasons, either. You may find during the summer that after a day in the sun, your skin is really dry and needs some TLC…have that rich winter moisturizer on hand! (Think Cosmetics 27 Baume 27 It is perfect for after sun care.)
A Word on Anti-aging and Massage
A tip that I picked up from both from skin care expert Yasmine Djerradine and Michele Evrard, the pharmacist that founded of M.E. SkinLab, the company that manufactures the Cosmetics 27 skin care line, which I love…is massaging the face.
Massaging The Face
When applying product, morning and evening, take an extra 30 seconds or more (if you have the patience), and actually massage the product in. Whether you are using a serum, face oil or moisturizer, literally spread it on from the bridge of your nose in horizontal downward strokes toward your cheeks and press hard, then move your fingers up the bridge of your nose, between your eyebrows and smooth down those annoying lines that start to form in your mid-thirties. I do this at least 8 times. Next, spread your fingers, position them on top of your eyebrows and applying pressure, move them up to your hair line and repeat. Then do the same in your temple area. Just try it, it feels good. It will also release any tension that you may already carry in that area, which will prevent future lines that may appear as a result of scrunching your forehead.
Massaging The Eye Area
While applying under eye cream, apply pressure, and starting from the under eye area closest to your nose, sweep your fingers up the half moon shape of your under eye area all the way through where your crows feet might start. Repeat this 3-4 times. Apply even more pressure there and repeat specifically in that area.
Got Smile Lines?
Make sure to apply pressure in that area, in the opposite direction that the lines tend to flow. If you are uncertain, moving your fingers up your face is usually a safe bet. You will wake up the dermis and muscles directly under it as well as get the blood flowing. Think of it as exercise for the muscles in your face.
Stay tuned for more holistic beauty tips that actually work from our panel of beauty experts and our regular girls at Travel Beauty.