We’ve got 10 simple beauty rules to live by that will leave you looking and feeling fabulous.
CLEANSE WITH CARE
Careful cleansing to remove your makeup each day allows nourishing skin creams and serums to penetrate faster, making it far more likely you’ll wake up with a gorgeous glow. If lack of time or tiredness means you’re skipping a careful cleanse, try to do it the minute you get home, when you slip out of your work clothes. Or massage a cream cleanser into skin before you step into the shower, leave it on during the shower to let the steam cleanse and hydrate, then rinse at the end. Have cleansing wipes on hand for those days you really are too exahusted – just don’t rely on them all the time.
TAKE YOUR LIPSTICK SHOPPING
Fashion isn’t just for your wardrobe – updating your lipstick will also keep your look fresh. Personal stylist Stacey Beatson of Stylist Inc in Auckland says to take your new lipstick with you when you go clothes shopping so you can get the full effect. If you are trying on a summery floral dress with pale skin and dark lips it won’t look as good as if you’d brush on some bronzer and applied a bright lippy. For those who tend to stick with a neutral shade year-round, slicking a bright gloss over the top of your everyday beige or brown lipstick can help edge you into wearing colour.
PROTECT YOUR NAILS
It takes more than a slick of hand cream to keep our nails in top shape. Nail artist Debbie Walsh from the Nail Lounge at DFS Galleria says it’s hard to achieve healthy-looking nails as we age. “It is the most requested nail look, ‘healthy-looking square to oval shaped nails’, but the hardest look to achievce. That’s because as we age our nails become dry, brittle and often get horizontal ridges running down them.” For dry nails, Walsh says to apply cuticle oil before you go to sleep. When it comes to lacquer, Walsh says semi-permanent gels encourage growth, as long as they’re removed properly and not picked off. To remove gel polish at home, first buff the nail with a file, then press an acetone-soaked pad onto the nail for a few minutes – make sure your polish remover isn’t acetone-free. It can help to wrap tinfoil around the pads to hold them in place.
WEAR LESS FOUNDATION
The temptation to wear more foundation to correct complexion flaws is one you should avoid, and we’re about to experience a new wave of cosmetics that simply blur the look of imperfections and fine lines. Lancome’s Visionnaire 1 Minute Blur is the first to brag about ‘photo smooth technology’. It corrects skin by blurring the look of open pores, which are equally as ageing as brown spots, particaularly under the eyes and along the cheekbones. But if your skin is still thirsty we like to press on a hydrating, firming serum first.
DON’T FORGET YOUR BODY
We’re guilty of pampering skin from the neck up and the forgetting about the decolletage, chest, arms and legs, which once sun-damaged, can look dry and blotchy. Take extra time each morning to slather on a body lotion from head to toe.
PUMP UP THE VOLUME
Thick, full hair looks healthy and youthful, but blow drying and back-combing can only do so much when it comes to boosting volume. For those who need to resurrect thin, lifeless locks, try a boosting treatment.
MAKE USE OF DOWNTIME
Masques and creams can be used overnight to give dry and dehydrated skin a new lease on life. After cleansing, prep skin with a vitamin C boost to help erase the effects of enviornmental damage. Then slather on daily renewal moisturiser. For those who are in need of some serious hydration, wear an overnight skincare mask.
PERFECT YOUR BROWS
If you don’t have time for lots of beauty steps, at least make sure your brows are groomed. Personal stylist Stacey Beatson says while there are great brow kits on the market, it’s best to get a professional shape and tidy first. “It never ceases to amaze me how a well-groomed brow can change your look and help frame the entire face.”
BUFF ON BLUSH
If you’ve stopped wearing blusher for fear of looking like a clown, try a cream. Cream blush is the most youthful pop of colour you can give ageing skin. It can be buffed or patted onto skin with fingertips, over the top of liquid foundation or mineral powder. Apply blush along the cheekbone and just onto the apples of the cheeks.
KEEP UP WITH COLOUR TRENDS
If you regularly have your hair coloured using foils, consider the new-genertaion Wella Color.id with invisiDivider technology, allowing you to have a customised colour. Once the liquid is added to a permanent colour solution it keeps up to three different shades separated on the hair at once, doing away with the need for foils. Applied to dry hair with spatulas, this colour can be painted onto hair just around the hair line or at the ends to give a multi-tonal result. Expect to pay 20% on top of your usual colour service.
