Great skin is a key component of overall health and beauty and is the key to feeling great at any age. But factors like pollution, weather changes, diet (and of course ageing) can all affect how our skin looks, and ultimately how we feel on the inside too.
Protection
Our skin evolves throughout our lives so the skin that we had at age 12, 25 or 35 has altered quite significantly by our mid-forties and into our fifties. A good SPF is crucial! Arm yourself with a formulation that protects and nourishes at the same time – feeding your skin with nutrients whilst stopping those sneaky UVA/UVB rays from getting through. I use BRYT Day SPF15 daily which doubles as a great base for make-up too.
Less is more
The colder weather poses a new set of challenges for skin so it’s really important to give your skin a break and let it gradually adjust. Try lessening the amount of make-up you wear (tinted moisturisers are great for autumn) and simply let your skin breathe. Bare minerals Completion Rescue is a tinted BB cream that provides powerful hydration. Gentle daily cleansing is a great way to encourage clean, healthy skin, using a mitt to encourage cell regeneration.
Opt for vitamin-rich formulations
Did you know that your skin can topically absorb more vitamins than you can internally and it is these vitamins which are key to helping the skin regenerate? Natural plant vitamins are the only known and effective protection against infrared which is the most damaging toxin to our skin – likewise with pollution. It is these toxins together (with a bad diet and sun damage) which irrevocably alter the DNA of the cell breaking down collagen and elastin, so it is only through encouraging cell regeneration that this can be held at bay. BRYT’s Advanced Phytoscience System encourages skin to detoxify and exfoliate, while soothing, calming and moisturising.
Hydrate
We need to give the skin a bit of a hand here. As we lose collagen and elastin our pores become larger and water is more easily lost from our skin. This combined with the degradation of Hyaluronic Acid (found in every cell of our body) means our skin is not able to retain water or that youthful ‘bounce’ our skin once had. On the flip side, our skin is able to absorb certain plant ingredients which not only help us retain water and absorb more but also improves skin tone and texture. The Ordinary 100% Plant-Derived Squalane is an all-round product that helps lock in hydration keeping your skin feeling fresh.
Follow a healthy, active lifestyle
If we were all unbelievably healthy eaters, exercised regularly, drank only water, didn’t smoke, only moderately exposed ourselves to sunlight (and didn’t live in the 21st Century urbanised environment), we would all look 20 years younger. But unfortunately, life doesn’t work like that. The point here though is that diet and lifestyle do affect our skin so it’s really important to eat vitamin-rich, colourful foods, exercise regularly and get into a good sleep pattern. All of these things are incredibly beneficial to skin health.
If you enjoyed 10 best steps to boost your skin confidence this autumn, you’ll find more skincare tips on our Fashion and Beauty channels.
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