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Feed Your Face |
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7 Deadly Cosmetic Sins (and how to avoid them) |
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Feed Your Face |
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You know how it is… your skin is in desperate need of TLC, but you can’t justify a spa treatment or a facial at the Mandarin Oriental, so what do you do?
Go to the kitchen! No, not to sink into a state of depression, scour the cupboards and gorge on chocolate digestives and ice cream, but to find ingredients for your very own treatments. First let’s set the mood…
It’s no use preparing a relaxing facemask whilst grouting the bathroom tiles or defrosting the freezer. Set aside time for yourself, either indulge in a bubble bath or lie back in bed with a glossy magazine. Light candles if you wish…anything… just relax…
Here are some facepack recipes to illuminate your skin and help you unwind: |
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Prepare the skin by cleansing. |
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Milk is one of nature’s most effective cleansers. So, pour a little into a bowl and dip in some cottonwool balls. Then sweep the milk-soaked cotton gently over your face to cleanse the skin, and remove traces of make-up and grime. Milk helps to soften and hydrate skin because it is rich in beta-hydroxyl acids that act as skin conditioners and mild exfoliants. The lactic acid in milk also stimulates skin cell renewal. |
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Did you know? |
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Modern laboratories have found that the lactic acid in milk is a natural substance that dissolves the bond holding dead skin cells together. Milk is proven to cleanse the skin down to its deepest layers. No wonder Cleopatra was such a fan! |
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Exfoliate. |
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Many commercial facemasks contain chemical products designed to mimic natural ingredients. These chemicals can sometimes be harsh and irritate sensitive skins. To avoid irritation why not follow this homemade remedy which helps to slough off dead skin cells and brighten your complexion: |
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Ingredients |
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1 cup hot water (do not boil)
1/3 cup quick oatmeal
2 tablespoons plain yoghurt
2 tablespoons honey
1 egg white from a small egg
First, mix the water and oatmeal. Set this aside to thicken until it forms a paste. While the oatmeal is thickening, combine the other ingredients in a mixer. Add the oatmeal paste and blend.
To use, apply a thin layer evenly to the face, avoiding the eye area. Leave on for 10 to 15 minutes. After the desired time, simply rinse your face with lukewarm water.
For an extra treat, place cold used tea bags on your eyelids during your mask treatment. This will ease any puffiness around the eye area, and give you a refreshed appearance to complement the new glow of your skin. |
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Did you know? |
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Honey has been used as a healing aid since the 16th century. It contains hydrogen peroxide, which is antibacterial, and so can be applied topically to disinfect and speed the healing process in wounds and burns. Honey also promotes the growth of healthy tissue and reduces inflammation.
For an ayurvedic treatment made from ingredients found in an Asian kitchen, try this:
1 tablespoon of gram flour
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
½ a teaspoon of turmeric (haldi)
Add milk to make a paste
Add all the ingredients to make a thick paste. Apply liberally to the skin and leave on for 15 minutes. The gram flour gently exfoliates, the lemon brightens and both the turmeric and milk condition the skin.
Then simply rinse with warm water to unveil glowing skin |
Did you know?
Honey has been used as a healing aid since the 16th century. |
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7 Deadly Cosmetic Sins (and how to avoid them) |
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1. Excess Contouring |
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If you have the soft curved jowls of a hamster don’t attempt to sculpt razor-edge cheekbones with dark bronzer. Instead of slimming a round face, too much dark bronzer just highlights roundness and gives that slathered-on-with-a-trowel look.
Solution: apply a soft pink or apricot blush to the apples of your cheeks to give a nice flushed glow. The blush, by adding colour to your face, will naturally make the hollow beneath your cheeks more pronounced. |
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2. Heavy Lip Liner |
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Lip liners are used to prevent lipsticks from feathering while defining the shape of the mouth. If you apply a lip liner colour much darker than your lipstick you’ll simply end up with an artificial ringed appearance which draws attention to fine lines around the lips.
Solution: Try a neutral lip liner shade which is compatible with all lipstick colours and naturally defines your mouth. |
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3. Garish Makeup Shades |
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Save tropical pinks and blues for special occasions. Not only are these colours too bright for everyday use, but their boldness in daylight can negatively contrast your skintone and age your appearance.
Solution: For everyday, focus on neutral shades (russet, rose, taupe) which complement all skintones by giving subtle warmth |
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4. All Glitter, No Glamour |
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Tinsel-speckled faces should only be seen around the holiday period. This season the beauty trend is luminescence, a soft sheen as opposed to sparkly overkill.
Solution: Lightly dust shimmering body powder on your cheeks and around the eye socket for definition. Then take some Vaseline or clear lip-gloss to accentuate the top of both your cheek and brow bones for a radiant appearance. |
Did you know?
Modern laboratories have found that the lactic acid in milk is a natural substance that dissolves the bond holding dead skin cells together.
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5. The “Reverse Panda” Look |
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A sleepless or late night can worsen the appearance of dark circles. So what do you do? Race out and buy the lightest shade of concealer to camouflage those shadowy rings? Believe it or not that is what most women do! This however, produces the “reverse panda” look, highlighting instead of masking the problem.
Solution: Invest in a gold-based concealer, which will counterbalance the blue of the undereye circle. Also rim the lower inner lash line with a white kohl pencil to reawaken and brighten tired eyes. |
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6. Makeup Oil Slick |
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Avoid applying a heavy or greasy moisturiser as a base for makeup. The moisturiser’s oil base will smear mascara and eyeliner and cause makeup to slide off the face.
Solution: Opt for a lotion or milk to moisturise and allow at least ten minutes for it to be fully absorbed into your skin before applying makeup. |
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7. Crumbly, Clumpy Mascara |
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You should throw out your mascara every 3 months to maintain beauty-bag hygiene and a clean, sharp look. Applying the remnants of an ancient tube of mascara with a clumpy wand encrusted with dry flakes is a definite beauty no-no!
Solution: Invest quarterly in new mascara and comb lashes through after each application to give a wide-eyed appearance |
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