Skye Ross explores antioxidants
When it comes to cosmetic ingredients, I feel like we’re constantly told about new innovations being the latest and greatest ‘must have’. I’m Miss FQ‘s Beauty Editor and I still find it super overwelming! Can everyone just chill out for a sec?
Despite all the newness and the coolness of things like super foods, antioxidants are always a staple – and it’s a substance I definitely rate.
From Vitamin C serums to Retinol treatments (holla anti-aging!), antioxidants come in many forms. What they’ve all get in common is that they’re effective by the bottle-load.
Essentially antioxidants firm your skin, provide anti-inflammatory properties and help with scarring and sun damage. They’re also the MVP of anti-aging, not that us millennials need to worry about that… hopefully not yet at least.
Sounding like a wonder substance? Well IMO, it’s not a cure-all but it’s not far off.
These are the ones you should look out for when looking to introduce antioxidants into your beauty routine:
Green Tea & Hydration
If you want to achieve that gorgeous look-at-me glow (and let’s be real, hons – who doesn’t?), hydration is your best friend. Especially where products that contain antioxidants from green tea are concerned.
Ever heard of the phrase ‘beauty from the inside out’? While you can find topical green tea treatments, I’m a huge advocate of nutritional beauty. Just read my ‘Saving Face’ story from the first issue of Miss FQ if you don’t believe me.
Antioxidants found in green tea are incredibly anti-aging and also have a profound calming effect. Time of the month, anyone? GT – that’s green tea, not a gin & tonic – will help with those pesky hormonal break outs. Or even if you’re a constant acne sufferer like me, you’ll live for the anti-inflammatory properties. Such. A. Relief.
My go-to is without a doubt OVI Hydration. Not only is it great at helping staying hydrated throughout the day, it’s free from any artificial colours, sweeteners, preservatives and flavours with the added benefit of antioxidants from green tea. Yas! I mean, hello… I told you that natural is my jam.
OVI is also yummy to drink (especially the new watermelon flavour)! They say beauty’s meant to be fun – delicious counts as ‘fun’, right?
Vitamin E
Vitamin E is like the armed forces of the antioxidant world, and what girl doesn’t like a man in a uniform?
If my analogy isn’t too tricky to understand, you’ll realise that I’m trying to say Vitamin E is strongly protective and does a great job at defending your skin, namely from UV light damage. Hence why it’s a key player in the sunscreen game.
My favourite Vitamin E-packed product RN is My Sunshine Natural Sunscreen, $49.90. Enriched with good stuff like Vitamin E, obvs, as well as olive oil, green tea, chamomile, and red raspberry seed oil, it’s pretty obvious why I think you ought to add this tube to your top shelfie.
A post shared by MY SUNSHINE Organic Suncare (@mysunshinesuncare) on
BTW, that’s me ⤴️
Vitamin C
Brightens. Smooths. Firms. Counteracts uneven skin tone. Reduces redness. Is there anything Vitamin C can’t do?
This particular antioxidant is super common. It’s very potent and kicks-ass at collagen production. It brightens beautifully, too.
If you tend to suffer from dark spots, a Vitamin C serum is a must. One of my tried-and-true purchases is the ATZEN Vita C serum, $91.
Retinol or Vitamin A
Retinol’s extraordinary reputation has become next level. It seems to be the It skincare ingredient of 2017, and after trying my first bottle of the stuff, I get it.
Vitamin A is a jack of all trades. It is the bomb for anti-aging and is vital for preventative measures. Wrinkles, I’m looking at you.
Personally, it has decongested my skin, helped to heal scars and has made my face more luminious. Literal skincare goals. Expect compliments.
Because I’m a total geek when it comes to celebrities’ favourite beauty products, I purchased the Resurface by Shani Darden Retinol Reform, $91 USD. Jessica Alba, Rosie Huntington-Whitely and Chrissy Teigen swear by this number. If it’s good enough for them, it’s good enough for all of us.
BTW, not only was it a beauty investment to begin with but I had to use YouShop to get it to NZ from ‘Merica. In the end, it was oh-so worth it.
A post shared by Jessica Alba (@jessicaalba) on
This article was brought to you by OVI Hydration. OVI is the simple addition to your daily routine that makes staying hydrated easy, natural and tasty.
