Now, I’m not promising long-term solutions to actually stop the cause of oily skin. Oil (also known by fancy people as sebum) is produced by healthy skin as a barrier for protection – basically, to keep the greeblies out and moisture in. It’s part of your skin’s natural moisturising factor. In fact, as we age, oil-production dramatically slows to a point where most of us develop dry skin – a lack of natural oil – and that’s not a good thing! But oily skin can be a real pain. Not only can excess oil contribute to acne and blackheads, that oil-slick shine isn’t cute when you’re striving to look effortlessly well-groomed.  It’s hard to look ‘effortless’ when your shiny face makes it look like you’ve been slogging over a hot stove and are ready for a shower…in the middle of the day. So here are my fave ways to control and manage excess oil. • Avoid products where alcohol (Alcohol, alcohol denat., SD alcohol, Ethanol or Isopropyl alcohol) is listed in the first few lines of ingredients. First of all, SO MANY anti-acne and oil-controlling products use large amounts of alcohol to eliminate oil from the surface of the skin […]

Worse than the hideousness of hand-made Christmas jumpers/sweaters like the ones above… The SUN, not AGE, is the biggest cause of ‘ugliness’ on the skin.  So you know the sun causes skin cancer, melanoma and sun burn.  And you probably apply sunscreen to prevent yourself from burning in the Summer.  But did you know the sun, not getting older, is also the biggest cause of ugliness? Wrinkles, redness, sagging, loss of elasticity and firmess, blotchiness, hyperpigmentation, and sun spots…these things we often attribute to ‘getting old’, but in reality, it’s not age that causes these, it’s the SUN. Even while you don’t burn, the UVA rays of the sun, which penetrate deeper than the burning UVB rays, cause wrinkles, sun spots and permanent UVA damage – yes, even without a sunburn – and within the first minute of sun exposure.  You probably don’t bother slip-slop-slapping just to get your mail from your letterbox, or drive to the dairy, but these small ventures out into the sun accumulate in damage to your skin. This everyday sun exposure, as opposed to spending long periods on the beach or outdoors, is called ‘incidental’ sun exposure and is cause enough to apply sunscreen daily, no matter where you […]

On facebook and wedding forums, I often see bride-to-be’s discussing their beauty routines before the big day, which often include them planning to book a series of ‘facials’ leading up to their wedding… Though we’ve been taught having a facial will benefit our skin, that’s not always the case. At best, a facial can temporarily plump and moisturise the skin for a day…at worst, a facial can irritate skin, clog pores, encourage excessive oiliness on already oily or combination skin and cause break outs. So what is a facial? Most facials are just the application and removal of skin care products. I think when a facial simply consists of the application of skin care products – no matter how expensive – I think it’s a waste of time, money and hope. Somehow the beauty industry has convinced us we need their help for the most basic of skin care. But it’s what you do every day that makes a difference, not once a week or month! Getting a facial once a month and expecting improved skin – without a daily skin care routine – is like doing a juice-cleanse one day a month and expecting long-term weight-loss while eating normally […]