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The festive season can be unkind to our skin, thanks to the late nights, the change in our diets and wearing more make-up. Here’s how to keep your complexion healthy and radiant.
A few tweaks to your cleanse, treat and moisturise routine can ensure you have a healthy glow throughout December.
Cleanse
Without a clean base, it's impossible to have a healthy glow for the festive season. If you wear make-up, always double cleanse every evening in order to thoroughly cleanse the skin of all impurities.
How often should you exfoliate your face?
The temptation is to overdo exfoliation during the festive season in order to optimise your skin's glow. Instead, use a gentle exfoliator after your cleanser twice a week. This will help to support your skin's natural turnover and remove dry, dead skin cells (which dull the skin) without causing irritation.
Perk up tired-looking eyes with an eye serum packed with active ingredients.
Treat
The festive season is the perfect time to give skin some extra TLC with the help of serums, which deliver concentrated active ingredients deeper into the skin.
Get rid of dark circles
Dark circles and bags under the eyes are a common problem when we're drinking less water and having a few too many late nights. To stimulate blood flow and help you feel more refreshed, apply your eye serum with this facialist-approved method:
- Use your ring finger to gently tap your eye serum in a circle around each eye, along the orbital bone.
- Still with your ring finger, gently smooth your eye serum from the bridge of your nose to the outside of your eye. Repeat this four times.
- After the last stroke, press firmly on the acupressure points just under your brow bone (where your brows start) on either side of your nose, next to your tear ducts and on the temples.
Boost radiance
Follow up with the Replenish Collagen Boosting Serum, recommended by facilalist Julia Hart to help repair and smooth the skin on your face and neck. 'For instant firmness and plumper skin, I love this serum, as it contains powerful actives, including the collagen-stimulating peptide Matrixyl™. With regular use, this serum can reduce wrinkle depth and leaves skin super smooth and glowy.'
Moisturise
To help skin repair overnight, especially when we're not getting as much sleep as normal, don't skip a night cream. As well as being thicker than a day cream, a night cream will support your skin's natural renewal processes, so it's nourished and hydrated come morning.
Final top tips
- Try to cut down on sugar, which can damage collagen fibres as well as cause skin flare-ups. Likewise, alternate alcoholic drinks (which can leave skin looking dull and tired) with water – if you're looking for a festive flavour, try infusing your water with oranges or pomegranate.
- To give skin a quick pick-me-up, the softly-tinted Replenish Instant Skin Perfector reflects and diffuses light away from the skin, to blur the appearance of skin imperfections.