skin

And are there any treatment steps that you like to do, like face masks or exfoliators? Oh, I love exfoliating. I just got this new one from Drunk Elephant—it was just a little trial one that you mix in with the face wash, and it’s really lovely. Face masks I really, really love too. I have one from Ren—the Glycol Lactic Radiance treatment (£36)—and that’s kind of my guilty pleasure because it kind of hurts when I put it on [laughing]. It has a bit of a burn to it, and my face always goes really red, but in the morning, I feel really glowy. What’s the best piece of skincare advice that you’ve ever received? I think SPF was the first one that I didn’t really know about. I got a moisturiser from Kiehl’s—its Ultra Facial moisturiser (£48)—and it’s got SPF in, and ...

So that’s kind of what inspired this piece. Over the holidays, I spent about three full months in Arizona, where my parents retired, and in that course of time, I recommended tons of different products to my mum. I’m consistently gifted with more products than I can humanly try as part of my job, so to get a second opinion on new launches or just whenever my mum was in need of something new or extra special, I’d set a few things on her vanity for her to test-drive—some she loved and some she, well, didn’t. Here, we’re celebrating eight skincare products that are so effective and fabulous that we both love, use, and recommend them despite the 46-year age difference in our skin. Below, I asked my mum to share some insight into why she loves each of the all-star ...

To me, the holy trinity of layering is shower gel, body cream and an eau de parfum or, if you’re fancy, a lotion, perfume and then a dapple of perfume oil on your pulse points—layering either of these ways amplifies all the notes and helps your scent to linger all day. Ever since I’ve started layering my scents, not only have they lasted longer, but the fragrance seems to come alive more as the notes explode together and mesh with the warmth of my skin. It’s key to note, though, that not all perfumed body lotions, oils and shower gels that come in a range with a scent are up to scratch. Many offer the scent but are awful at the moisturising part with super-high alcohol content leaving your skin feeling drier than before you rubbed it in. You Deserve to Make Money Even When you are loo...

Some context: If I’m honest, my entire skin journey deserves its own novel (or more pointedly, a melodramatic soap). But to spare you the theatrics today, I’ll provide you with the CliffsNotes version. I struggled with acne as a teenager and all through my early 20s. After trying just about every antibiotic and cream on the market, I decided to do a round of Accutane—the big guns of acne treatments. Even post-Accutane, I still deal with hormone- and stress-related breakouts from time to time and use a prescription-strength retinoid cream. In its most natural state, my skin errs on the side of oily, but using a retinoid cream dries it out significantly. So now, I would say I have combination skin. Going into this review, my main concerns were acne, dryness, scarring, and fi...

To me, the Holy trinity of layering is shower gel, body cream and an eau de parfum or if you’re fancy, a lotion, perfume and then a dapple of perfume oil on your pulse points– layering either of these ways amplifies all the notes and helps your scent to linger all day. Ever since I’ve started layering my scents, not only have they lasted longer, the fragrance seems to come alive more as the notes explode together and mesh with the warmth of my skin. It’s key to note though that not all perfumed body lotions, oils and shower gels that come in a range with a scent are up to scratch. Many offer the scent but are awful at the moisturising part with a super high content of alcohol leaving your skin feeling drier than before you rubbed it in. You Deserve to Make Money Even When you are look...

When it comes to the beauty ingredients that I’m asked about most frequently, retinol is undoubtedly up there at the top of the list. Plenty of my friends and family members have come to me wondering whether or not they actually need retinol or how to find a decent retinol serum to start with. For many people, retinol is the one ingredient that feels like totally uncharted territory. Why? If I had to hazard a guess, I’d say that a lot of us are totally terrified to start using retinol when there are so many stories out there about some of its potentially negative side effects. Trust me—I get it. I experienced an adverse reaction when trying a retinol cream for my acne a few years back. And in general, retinol can definitely cause irritation like dry skin and redness if you don&...

Before we get into this, we would like to preface this article by saying that no one needs to spend loads of money on skincare. When it comes to skincare, pricier doesn’t always mean better. You can get great skincare products for less than a tenner that will help get your skin on track and keep it looking as healthy as possible.  With that being said, some of the best skincare products out there do come with hefty price tags, but an eye-watering price doesn’t necessarily mean you’re being ripped off. You see, when we’re talking about highly specialised ingredients, formulating a great product that actually works requires huge amounts of research, resources and knowledge, and that takes cash. One of the most highly regarded skincare brands to fall into this super-luxe, super...

With the power of social media, it is very rare in the world of beauty that any brand can be regarded as “under the radar.” You see, every time a person of note likes something and posts about it on their Instagram, they set the whole beauty world on fire. While this is most certainly the case for the majority of brands and products, even in 2021, not everything great breaks the internet. I know we’ve discussed this before, but the reality is even when a product is really, really great, if it doesn’t look the part, the chances of it making it onto the Discover page are low. How do I know this, you ask? Well, because I’m very much in the midst of it. When you spend a lot of time around friends and colleagues who are also beauty editors, experts and specialists, you soon realise that th...

As we mentioned above, dark circles can occur for a variety of reasons, but according to Benjamin and Lee, there’s a specific list of potential causes you should definitely be aware of. “Usually, a red or purple hue to the under eyes indicates irritated or broken blood vessels under the skin, and since the under-eye skin is thinner and more delicate, this can show up as dark circles,” explains Lee. Additionally, she tells us dark circles are often genetic and are especially common in people with olive, yellow, and brown undertones. “Lastly, when someone is dehydrated, not eating well, and under stress, dark circles can appear,” she adds. Allergies and congestion: When you are stuffed up, the blood vessels around your eyes dilate, which in turn, cause...

It seems that serums have stolen some of the spotlight away from moisturisers. There’s always a new serum or treatment that grabs the attention of beauty fans, but when’s the last time you heard someone raving about a moisturiser? Honestly, though, if you find a high-performance moisturiser that you get on with, then your skin is in for a treat. Unfortunately, the most results-driven ones in the bunch can usually be found in anti-ageing category, a term that surely we need to move past now. But as our skin changes over the course of our lives, our product requirements also change. Ultimately, what we’re looking for here are moisturisers that actually do the job and can team up with us to work with our skin concerns. Everyone has their thing, whether th...

There’s no denying that one of the biggest trends to emerge in 2021 has been the rise of ingestible beauty products. In fact, when we asked experts at the start of the year to predict the biggest trends in the skincare space, almost all of them called out skincare supplements and products that focused on the inside as trends to watch. This really comes as no surprise. As a lot of our traditional beauty routines have been stripped-down and pared-back over the last 18 months, it makes perfect sense that ingestible beauty supplements that promise plump, radiant skin and stronger hair are growing in popularity. So when we heard that Vida Glow—a market leader in ingestible beauty and the number one global marine collagen brand—was launching in the UK, we were understandably intr...

Has anything about your approach to beauty changed over the past 18 months, and are there any particular beauty looks that you’re looking forward to trying now that we’re emerging from lockdown? I spent a lot of time playing with bold eye looks and experimenting with colour while at home in lockdown. Spending more time at home really just made me realise how much I love expressing myself and my creativity through makeup and beauty. We have to talk about Stranger Things because it truly is a cultural phenomenon. We really saw some fun fashion and makeup moments from Eleven in the last season. Have you taken any beauty or wardrobe inspiration from the show into your real life? I’m sure I have subconsciously over the last few years! I loved how fun and colourful Eleven’s wardrobe was last sea...