How to get a festive glow this Christmas
Christmas: tis the season to get your glow on. But with all this festive fun, can come challenges for our skin. Société's new beauty contibutor and facial therapist at Medifine Aesthetics, Lucy Hall, gives us her top five glow tips in the run-up to Christmas.
Exfoliate - but smartly
Don’t fall into the pitfall of over-exfoliating the skin in an attempt to achieve an instant glow. Our skin naturally exfoliates in a process known as desquamation and as we age, this process starts to slow down.
We can help speed up this process with chemical or manual exfoliation. However, if we over-exfoliate, our skin becomes red, irritated, inflamed and dry, increasing the risk of causing skin conditions.
Exfoliation is a fine balance between encouragement and overdoing exfoliation which could result in damaging the skin barrier. As a general rule, less is more.
Top tip – Be aware of your skin type when picking an exfoliator and, if in doubt, enzymes are a gentle and effective approach to exfoliation.
Photo by Polina Kovaleva
Moisturise your skin
Frank Sinatra said it best: “The weather outside is frightful, but the fire is so delightful”.
When the weather turns frosty, on goes our central heating, however, this temperature combination can contribute to our skin becoming dry and dull looking.
One of the simplest ways to support the skin is moisturising. Using supportive ingredients such as ceramides, fatty acids, glycerin and squalene will help replenish your skin.
When the skin is more nourished and less dry, it will have a more natural, healthy complexion.
Top Tip – Add additional moisturiser with a hydrating, soothing mask once a week to boost your skin's nourishment.
Festive Feasting
Christmas is a time of sugary, festive treats, drinks and nibbles. At the risk of being called old Scrooge, it’s worth keeping in mind the impact over-indulging can have on our skin.
Try to stick with three main meals to avoid the temptation of snacking on those mince pies, chocolate selection boxes and bags of party crisps.
Instead, warm up with some hearty stews, soups, broths and casseroles.
The ‘best’ alcoholic drink is clear distilled spirits such as Vodka and Gin as these have the least additives. Avoid adding sugary mixers though, stick to soda or tonic.
Top Tip – Add bone broth to your stews, casseroles and soups. Bone broth is hugely beneficial to our overall health and to our skin.
Don’t underestimate the power of a mist
Facial mists are so versatile and can give your complexion a dewy-looking glow.
Facial mists can be used in between serum applications to increase the effectiveness of your skincare routine.
Damp skin is more permeable so this will help increase absorption of your skincare products.
Mists also give an instant hit of hydration to the skin without the heavy feeling, so all skin types can benefit from a mist, even an oilier skin type.
Top tip - Carry a mist in your bag and use it as an afternoon pick-me-up for your skin.
Boost your radiance with Vitamin C
Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant that works on a host of skin concerns; one of them being our skin tone.
Vitamin C also works to brighten our skin’s complexion and, in doing so, gives our skin a natural radiance.
Thanks to its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-ageing properties, the serum works on hyperpigmentation and dark spots.
This superior ingredient helps to inhibit the enzyme responsible for producing melanin so promotes a more uniform, even skin tone.
Top tip – My favourite type of Vitamin C is Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate - a lipid (fat) soluble vitamin C- due to its fatty acid component this aids penetration and does not oxidise like L-Ascorbic Acid.
My top beauty recommendation this winter
Truth Treatment Transdermal C Serum
This vitamin C serum consists of above 75% lipophilic vitamin C that does not oxidize and penetrates the deeper layers of the skin.
The serum helps increase the skin's ability to self-regulate moisture levels and diminishes the appearance of hyperpigmentation and dark spots.
It also prevents new lines from forming, reduces redness and blotchiness, and visibly brightens the complexion.
It’s a winter winner.
Lucy Hall, facial therapist at Medifine Aesthetics.
Lucy Hall is a facial therapist at Medifine Aesthetics in Leeds. Shop her top beauty recommendations at www.medifine.co.uk
