Get that winter boost
It takes work.
Bright and beautiful skin insists upon fresh air, good eating, and gentle products. It prefers early nights and good living, not beer and hamburgers.
Post-Christmas, if you think your skin will behave itself after a month of over-indulgence, think again — radiant skin takes time.
Many people commit to a new way of living, and the first month of the year, with its bracing, fresh walks in the countryside and quiet nights, is the perfect time to embark on a new skincare routine.
Radiance moisturisers and serums are a relatively new phenomenon, and not all products promising radiance deliver it, but some great ones do.
No7’s Restore and Renew range has been a favourite of mine since it launched a few years ago.
The creams are suitably rich and luxurious — a prerequisite for January skincare, and while they couldn’t be described as cheap, they’re not too outrageously priced.
Go for the day cream and the night cream combo, for maximum effect.
Clinique is on top form with its award-winning Turnaround skincare range, which encourages cell turnover to give you a brighter-looking complexion. It’s suitable for sensitive skins and includes the excellent Turnaround concentrate radiance renewer, €45, and the Turnaround overnight radiance moisturiser, €53.
Nuxe’s nuxellence youth and radiance revealing fluid, €49, is very light, so probably won’t suit anyone with very dry skin types, but this paraben-free formula gets to work on your “mitochondrial DNA”, which becomes damaged over time, resulting in skin ageing. It’s more of a natural option, despite sounding super-high tech, and feels like it delivers radiance from the first application.
Like the sound of the more natural route? Look to Burt’s Bees, with its radiance night cream, €24.95 (evergreen.ie), with royal jelly, which has a whopping 143 nutrients in one drop. Nice one.
It’s lightweight without being insubstantial and smoothes into the skin beautifully.
Other, good natural choices include Nude radiant day moisturiser, €51.65, and the rather wincingly priced Ila day cream for glowing radiance, €77.47, both available at lovelula.co.uk.
If you don’t use a serum, then a short course of serum in January works a real treat. Most of us don’t need to use a serum every day — after all, you don’t want to overload your skin.
But using one over a short period of time, six weeks to two months, can really help.
For me, REN is a skincare company that gets it right most of the time.
Its products are great quality and beautiful to use, and while they are a little pricey at times, it is one range I feel is worth splashing out on.
The REN radiance perfecting serum, €38.60 at inhealth.ie, has glycogen, from fruit sugar, and magnesium, from olivine, to boost the skin’s energy and radiance.
It feels lovely, and keeps your skin from experiencing the worst effects of winter.
I love the idea of an overnight radiance moisturiser — go to bed looking exhausted, wake up looking refreshed and radiant. Okay, so it doesn’t quite work like that, but, regardless, this is a great, high-quality moisturiser that has a lovely, rich texture and works the longer you use it. Just don’t expect overnight success.
Not a million miles away from Guerlain’s bestselling Midnight Secret, this product works along the same ‘lines’,except this one is made from 99.8% naturally derived ingredients. You don’t have to use it every night, either — only when you need it. And just a drop will do. Handy.
This cream is lighter than I expected, which makes it a good day option for those with normal-dry skin. If you prefer something a little heavier, then add a drop or two of a nourishing oil, such as Trilogy’s rosehip oil, underneath.
I love this cream. It has the kind of rich, luscious texture that makes your skin feel comforted, especially in January. And it sinks in without too much residue or stickiness. The best choice, if you’re after a mid-range, radiance moisturiser.
Don’t forget about an exfoliator this winter. A godsend in terms of brightening up the skin, it works a treat when used in conjunction with a radiance cream. I don’t like exfoliators that are too soft, so this one is a perfect option. A great scrub that you can use once or twice a week. Gentle and effective.
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