Lipstick & Curls Beauty Resolutions - A guide to keeping your skin glowing all year round

Sunday January 1st 2017

I have been fortunate in my career to work with some of the best skincare brands and have a passion for skincare and beauty regimes, here are my tips and resolutions to start the New Year and to keep looking fabulous all the year long! Amanda x (Lipstick & Curls)

Exfoliate

This has to be my biggest anti-ageing tip. To help cell renewal you must gently remove all the dead skin cells on the face and body 2/3 times per week. I use a gentle cream exfoliator and massage this all over my face in small circular motions. Don’t rush this, give yourself a good 2 mins and then wash off with luke warm water followed by a splash of cold water to tone and close the pores. You will notice such a difference after only a month!


Oily Skin 

Astringent cleansers must be avoided even for the oiliest of skin types. These strong alcohol based cleansers tend to strip all of the oil from the skin making the glands work faster and harder to produce excess oil, actually having an adverse effect on the skin.  Choose a light cleansing wash and always moisturise, just use a very light one with high water content. Cleansing is crucial to the beauty regime and I feel possibly more important than moisturising so you have to get it right. See how your skin feels after your cleanse, it should never feel squeaky and tight. Then you can gage what type of moisturiser is required.

Sensitive Skin

If your one of the many women, like myself that has sensitive skin you may want to keep your beauty regime simple and don’t over complicate it with unnecessary products and ingredients that your skin is liable to react too. I would suggest choosing a natural product without colouring and fragrance. Organic brands tend to be good but check they don’t have any hidden natural fragrances or fruit oils. Calendula is a wonder product for stressed and sensitive skin and has even been recognised by the medical profession and used in treatments for healing. Calendula is extracted from the Marigold plant and can be found in a lot of sensitive skincare.


Dry Skin

Most women above the age of 30 will tell me that they have dry skin. With so many anti-ageing products on the market women are using creams of a very heavy consistency claiming that their skin is dry. Again I feel the cleansing routine is crucial to a healthy skin and also a fantastic anti-ageing tip. Sometimes the heavy moisturisers can clog the skin, women that apply these heavy creams day and night and still find they have a dry skin may need to let the skin breath and try a creamy, different type of cleanser. Coconut oil is water-soluble and a good option for a dry or sensitive skin. It is great at removing make up and works well when washed off with a warm flannel or cloth. Splashing with a cold water to close the pores. The skin will feel soft and subtle and a medium plant based cream would maybe be more suitable. Perhaps even consider a treatment oil applied under the evening moisturiser, should you need an anti ageing product. Exfoliating the skin regularly would remove some of the dead skin cells from the surface of the skin enabling the creams to penetrate the skin more effectively.

Facial Wipes

Whilst I feel it is crucial to take your make up off properly at the end of each day and sometimes a wipe is a quick and easy option, especially if it has been a late evening. Wipes don’t cleanse the face, they are full of horrible ingredients and you just wipe the dirt and make up around and around the face. Clogging the pores and leaving residue of the cleansing wipe on the skin. If you must use such a product make sure it is only on the odd occasion and always cleanse your skin properly in the morning. Sorry I just hate these things!


Supplements

There are lots of great supplements for the skin, one of the most effective I have found is evening primrose oil. Perfect for stressed or dry skin. Take aurally for 2 weeks and your skin will be glowing, honestly!

Drink lots of Water

We hear this so often but it really is true. Drinking water frequently has amazing effects on the body. It makes your skin less dry and combats breakouts and problem skin. Drinking lots of water makes your eyes sparkle, helps with your digestion giving you a flatter tummy. It also gets rid of dark circles around the eyes.  Water truly is amazing!!

Coconut oil

This is a favourite product of mine and I am never without a large pot in my house for my family and myself.  This is a great moisturiser and fatty acid that if applied to the skin regularly will help with dry skin problems and act as an anti ageing product. If taken aurally it has double the health benefits including anti-fungal and anti-inflamitory properties and contains a natural source of vitamin E. It is very good for split ends as a treatment and also as a scalp moisturiser. 

Anti Ageing pillow

My grandma would swear by a soft 100% cotton pillowcase. I don’t know how she used to do it but I could never get my pillows as soft as hers! The softer the pillow the lesser the wrinkles will occur on the face. With a little research I realized that a satin pillow was very common for this purpose and considered an anti ageing essential and treasured beauty secret!


Some of my favourite beauty products ….

Dr Organics Rose Exfoliator (Gentle exfoliator)

Ren Rose Facial Wash (Great for sensitive to Oily skin)

Jurlique C Cream (Contains Calendula)

Jason Baby Extra Thick Cream (Contains Calendula)

Coconut Oil (Make Sure it’s pure Extra Virgin)

Kleenex Cleansing wipes (Dry cotton sheets that can be dampened and used to wipe off make up)

Evening Primrose Oil Supplement

Frownies Satin Anti Ageing Pillow