Jennifer Aniston swears, “Most nights I just use Neutrogena soap. It’s perfect for my skin.” Can it really be this simple? Well, yes it can. Sometimes we can over complicate things (and I’m not just talking skin care – have I told you about my relationships, recently!) Many anti-ageing products contain harsh ingredients, often with strong chemical exfoliants that give the short-term appearance of younger looking skin by stripping off too many layers of surface skin. Sometimes taking your skin care routine back to basics gives your skin a simple, straight forward boost.

Queen Latifah insists, “I’ve been washing my face with baking soda for years. It’s not harsh on the skin and gives me a glow.” What we’re talking about here is exfoliation.  The point of exfoliation is to slough off the cells from the top layer of skin and reveal the younger, healthier cells underneath and baking soda can do just that.

Of course, if you don’t fancy raiding your aunt’s pantry you can still avoid harsh chemical cleaner by choosing something like Clean Zyme by Jan Marini.  It’s made with papaya which has enzymes acting as a natural exfoliant.

“There are nights when I’m tired or busy with my daughter, but I do force myself to wash up and moisturize,” says Jessica Alba. In other words, don’t get into the habit of sleeping with your makeup. Use a cleanser before you go to bed and you’ll wake up looking fresh (even if you don’t feel it). Simply Clean by SkinCeuticals is great because it combines an exfoliating hydroxyl acid blend with botanical extracts to gently remove impurities, excess oils and make-up.

Jennifer Lopez uses masks and moisturisers that have honey in them for a young and fresh skin. This is one Hollywood fad which isn’t a load of hot air (see Cabbage Soup diet). Honey is a very versatile natural beauty product that has been used throughout the centuries by historical beauties such as Cleopatra. Honey is full of nutrients, antioxidants and other anti-aging, skin clarifying and moisturizing ingredients that make it a must-have among natural beauty experts.

Look for a serum that contains an antioxidant and layer it under your moisturiser like Emily Blunt. She uses products such as Serum Supreme by Dr Sebagh. Not only does it improve the skin’s overall appearance, but it improves tightness, retexturises, reduces fine lines, hydrates and improves elasticity!

The key is to ensure that the products you use are suited to the type of skin you have and the problems you experience with it. This handy little skin test can help you identify your skin problems and find the products that can help.

How annoying is it, when a work colleague, boyfriend or relative says those dreaded words: “What have you been up to? You look shattered!” – when the most interesting thing you’ve done is watch the Eastenders omnibus. Looking tired isn’t always the same thing as actually being tired, which means that the solution isn’t always just more sleep.

‘Looking tired’ comes from under eye bags and circles as well as dry skin and a pale complexion.

• dark circles – this is the most well known signal of tiredness and usually happens when the blood vessels around the eye become more visible.
• puffy eyes – when excess fluid builds up in the skin tissues around the eye it causes them to swell and ‘puff up’.
• Sallow, dry skin – when your skin is dull, dried out and perhaps a bit swollen.

Top Tips For Looking Less Tired

Apply something cold to the affected area of your face. Cold is particularly effective on dark circles because it constricts the blood vessels that would otherwise be visible through the thin eye skin.

Skin will often become dehydrated over night so drink a pint of water and use a good moisturizer boosted with hydrating B5.  This will help get rid of any dryness but will also make wrinkles less obvious.

Putting  cucumber slices on your eyes really does help! Cucumber is 90% water and, because it’s usually stored in the fridge, will have the twin effect of cooling and hydrating that delicate eye area. For a luxurious boost use Skin Medica’s Illuminating Eye Cream.

Keep your eye creams in the fridge. It won’t harm them and you’ll get the added benefit of applying something cool to your eye area on a regular basis.

Applying heavy make up to dark circles or sallow skin will just make your skin look less healthy. Instead, use a tinted moisturiser that will enhance your skin’s natural tones while keeping you hydrated throughout the day.

Make your eyes look wider and brighter. You can use make up skills to make your eyes appear wider (eg. lengthening mascara), and keep a supply of brightening eye drops handy to add a dash of last-minute sparkle.

If your face looks puffy in the morning it’s probably because all the fluids aren’t draining properly. In order to widen the various drainage passages in your head, try a pre-breakfast steam inhalation. This has the added bonus of waking you up!

Love it, or hate it, you should eat marmite! A lack of iron and/or B12 can cause fatigue, so if you’re sleeping plenty but still feel tired, you might want to up your intake.

Finally, ever girl needs a secret weapon in her make-up bag. Glo Eye Restore is mine. Carry it around for an instant eye lift when you need it most!

Acne Treatment

Acne treatment during pregnancy is best done through a regular and natural skin care regime. Follow a routine strictly and keep your skin clean, well-hydrated and well nourished. All it needs is cleaning with a mild wash and keeping dry. Avoid make-up and other products that can irritate the skin. Use products especially designed for adult acne.

A Good Skincare Regime

There are several quality products available, which are made from high grade ingrediants, which are specially designed to target acne. Cleanse, hydrate and correct with these products and you’ll find that after 30 days your acne symptoms will abate.

Combine these products with drinking plenty of water and eating lots of food (you should eat antioxidant food, such as pomegranite, blueberries and prunes).

He told The Sun newspaper “For anyone going bald it’s a bit stressful – so I made a decision to get it done. I thought, ‘why not?’”

He’s “spent more time in front of the mirror,” and has gained in confidence.

How Rooney grew his new hair is no secret. He had a hair transplant – a process which takes healthy hair follicles from the back of the head and transplants them to the places where they are needed.

Did you know however, that there are also non-invasive ways to save your hair? That the signs of balding can be reversed?

Nanogen produce a range of hair products for men and women which are designed to prevent – and reverse – hair loss.

Nanogen’s ‘Nanofibres‘, comes in what looks like a sugar shaker, is a rather unconventional hair thickener. The product coats remaining hairs with thousands of microscopic colour-matched keratin fibres, which volumise hair similarly to the way mascara thickens eyelashes.

The fibres cling to hairs with static electricity and create fir tree-like patterns to plump up hair, cover bald spots and mask receding hairlines.

The company also produce a range of conditioners and products which create a hair care regime to prevent hair loss.

When you notice that your head of hair is thinning it can be distressing. No one likes a trip to the shower which reveals ever more hair disappearing down the plug hole, or waking on a morning to a pillow full of loose hair.

There is a solution however.

Use Nanothik conditioner every time you wash your hair and within 30 days you’ll notice significant reduction in the number of hair loss on the pillow or in the shower.

Nanothik is by hairloss expert Nanogen. Thinning hair is very common, affecting 30% of men under 40, and up to 50% by the age of 50. Various forms of hair loss, called Alopecia by experts, are not uncommon in men even in their twenties.

Losing hair can be distressing, and you can feel very alone and isolated. Nanogen are here to help.

The answer is the MyFaceMyBody Shop ‘30 Second Skin Test‘.

The test is a quick-fire range of questions designed to direct you to the products you will need to help your skin fight the signs of ageing.

You won’t be surprised to learn that the test will take 30 seconds and it performs a similar funtion to a consultation with a skin expert. The difference between this online skin test and a consultation, however, is that is doesn’t come with a ‘hard sell’.

Once you’ve answered a handful of questions the skin test will direct you to products that you can browse through in your own time. Easy. Simple. Straightforward!

Access the skin test HERE today and discover how you can combat the signs of ageing!

Basking in the warm glow of the sun can make us feel good, and in the short term, makes us look good. But the cumulative effects of sun exposure put us at higher risk of cellular damage, early wrinkling, age spots and actinic keratoses.

The step towards avoiding sun damaged skin is therefore to wear a moisturiser with a really good high SPF – around 30 would be good. If you can already see the signs of sun damage on your skin all is not lost. There are some amazing lotions available with actively reverse the damage.

One such product is SkinMedica’s Recovery Complex.

Recovery complex contains a TNS (Tissue Nutrient Solution) Recovery Complex System with NouriCel-MD, a research based cosmetic ingredient only found in TNS. It is comprised of natural growth factors, antioxidants, matrix proteins, and soluble collagens, to help restore what the sun has taken away.

NouriCel-MD was originally discovered through wound healing research and visibly improves skin discoloration and the appearance of wrinkles. It also increases skin firmness and resiliency. With regular use you’ll see visible, dramatic results.

Nanogen, which comes in what looks like a sugar shaker, is a rather unconventional hair thickener.

The product coats remaining hairs with thousands of microscopic colour-matched keratin fibres, which volumise hair similarly to the way mascara thickens eyelashes.

The fibres cling to hairs with static electricity and create fir tree-like patterns to plump up hair, cover bald spots and mask receding hairlines.

Find out more and order your product HERE

1. Inconsistent Cleansing

To remove excess oils and dirt, you need to have a good and consistent skin care routine in place. Washing your face carefully and regularly needs to be part of a daily routine.

2. Everyday Activities

Contaminants in the air and sweat are some of the causes of oily skin. This can’t be avoided but eating healthy will help your body become more resistant to these kind of factors. Choose skincare products which include antioxidants.

3. Heat and Humidity

If the area where you live has hot and humid weather, this could be one of the causes of oily skin for you. You will be sweating more and this will certainly contribute to the problem.

4. Hormones
Hormones are essential for our well being, however overactive hormones, or hormonal changes throughout our lives, have a direct impact on the appearance and condition of our skin. When you have an increase in hormonal activity within your body, it can certainly become one of the big contributing factors in the causes of oily skin.

5. Irritation

Many people think they are cleaning their face really well when they scrub as hard as they can. In fact, this is not necessarily the case. Harsh scrubbing can cause irritation to the skin and can affect and increase the production of oil.

6. Poor Diet

What you put in your mouth and digest will always come out on the skin in one way or another. Some effects may not be noticeable, however a poor diet is also one of the causes of oily skin.

7. Fatigue

We all know that getting enough sleep and rest can cure many of our problems, and it is also the cause of many problems. One of the side effects from not getting enough sleep and rest is oily skin!

8. Stress and Anxiety

Stress, anxiety and mental tension cause the overproduction of sebum, which in turn, is one of the major causes of oily skin for many people. Stress is can be managed with techniques such as yoga and meditation.

9. Puberty

Puberty is one of the causes of oily skin due to the changes that are occurring within the body during this time.

10. Genetics

The genes we are born with could see us with a healthy and happy life, or they could be one of the causes of oily skin that you are experiencing. Through your genetics, you could be predisposed to having oilier than normal skin, or a high chance of having extremely oily skin as you pass through various stages in your life.

11. Makeup

Makeup can clog pores and contribute to your oily skin condition. Makeup often contains oils, even natural ones, and when you already have an oily skin problem, adding layers of makeup is not going to help you in any way.

12. Pregnancy

Being pregnant is a wonderful experience however it can cause havoc with your skin. Hormones will be changing and this can cause the sebaceous glands to go into overdrive, producing far more oil that what you would like.

13. Medications

Birth control pills and Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) are common medications that are also causes of oily skin in some people. The chemicals alter the hormones within the body and this can increase oil production which appears on the surface of the skin.

14. Drugs

Smoking, alcohol and illicit drugs can all have a negative impact on the skin, including an increase in oil production. When your insides are not healthy, it will most certainly show on the surface of your skin.

15. Diseases and Illnesses

There are a number of diseases, illnesses and conditions that can cause oily skin. Oily skin is often a side-effect or symptom of the illness you are experiencing. Some illnesses that can cause oily skin include diabetes.

16. Creams and Lotions

If you have oily skin, it is crucial that you use the right moisturizer. Some say that moisturizers should be avoided when you have oily skin, but in reality they help your skin get back to normal.

To find products which can help control and even eliminate your oily skin see our OILY SKIN SECTION.