Tea, Stretch, Lips, Cream: Four Night Time Anti-Ageing Steps

 

 

You may not realise this, but just before bed is the perfect time to take care of your wellbeing, especially in terms of your anti-ageing wellness. This is the time when your body starts replenishing itself and begins to relax, and so any good habits you implement will be more effective at night. Here at the four best rituals you can incorporate into your bedtime routine, in order to look your absolute best.

 

1. Switch to decaf. Why does the evening seem to be the time for drinking stimulants? It makes absolutely no sense; drinking caffeine or more than a couple of alcoholic beverages in the evening will keep you awake, which will cause you to lose out on restorative sleep time. Your evening coffee also does damage to your skin health, as it dehydrates your skin and increases the appearance of wrinkles. If you crave a hot drink before bed, drink decaf tea. However, your best option is plain-old ice water.

 

2. Stretch. If you start doing some gentle stretching before bed, in a few weeks time you’ll start to see amazing results. Stretching lengthens your muscles, meaning that you’ll have a leaner, more toned appearance in addition to being more limber. Plus, simple, light stretching helps you to relax and get a good night’s sleep – which is essential for looking young and fresh come morning.

 

3. Apply an anti-ageing moisturiser and eye cream. The active ingredients in anti-ageing products often don’t react well with sunlight, and so it’s better to apply them at night. Make sure your product contains retinol, as this is one of the only anti-ageing ingredients that have been scientifically proven to reduce fine lines and wrinkles, and create smoother skin. As the skin around your eyes is extremely delicate, you’ll also need an to layer an eye cream on top of your moisturiser for extra protection and hydration.

 

4. Soften your lips. If you’re going to have younger, smoother skin and a lean and limber body, you may as well have soft, kissable lips to match. When you’re brushing your teeth before bed, run your toothbrush lightly back and forth across your upper and lower lips a few times. This will help to exfoliate your lips and get rid of any dry, flaky skin. After a few seconds of that, apply a softening lip balm and you will wake up with noticeably nicer lips.

 

Categories: ageing, anti ageing, decaf tea, Eye Cream, lips, nbsp, Night Cream, skin, smoother skin, Stretching, time

How to Identify the Source of Your Tired-Looking Eyes

At what point in your life did the woman staring back at you in the mirror look so old? You don’t feel any older, so why is it reflected in those tired eyes? You might think all you need is to get more sleep, but according to New York dermatologist Charlotte Clark, even a full-night’s sleep isn’t enough to get your anti-ageing wellness back on track. While sleeping more is good for your wellbeing, and may help to diminish the appearance of tired eyes a little, to truly target tired eyes you need to first consider their source.

 

So why do you get tired-looking eyes? Anti-ageing wellness expert Jolene Edgar explains, ‘Genetics are the biggest culprit. If you inherit fair or thin skin under the eyes, it’s more obvious when blood pools there (often because of slower circulation from lack of sleep). This accumulation causes fragile capillaries to stretch and leak. Age is another factor. Over time, skin loses collagen and thins, so veins show through more prominently. Sunbathing speeds up this process by breaking down collagen and mottling skin colour.’ Your eyes may suffer even more if you have seasonal allergies. Ranella Hirsch, a dermatologist in Boston, points out that seasonal allergies ‘trigger the release of histamines in the body, which in turn inflame blood vessels and cause swelling.’

 

But how do you workout your individual source of tired-looking eyes? ‘To determine why your circles happen, gently stretch the skin under your eyes,’ Edgar advises. ‘If that area becomes darker, the circles are probably due to genetics or ageing. If the colour doesn’t change, UV rays or allergies are probably the cause.’ Once you’ve found out the culprit behind your tired-looking eyes, you can then move on to treating them. Luckily, we’ve got the solutions you need:

 

1. Vascular Issues: ‘If your circles are the result of vascular issues, double up on pillows at night to stop blood from building up under your eyes,’ recommends Edgar. ‘In the morning, apply a cold compress for about five minutes to constrict the blood vessels…Use an eye cream with caffeine, which helps constrict vessels (try Lancôme Rénergie Microlift R.A.R.E. Intense Repositioning Eye Lifter; $72, lancome-usa.com for info). Other smart alternatives: Arnica-based creams (found at health-food stores), which are considered to have anti-inflammatory properties, may reduce the appearance of darkness. And eye creams with green tea or grape seed oil help strengthen capillary walls (try Replenix Intensive Eye Lightening Serum, $59, dermstore.com). You can tweak your diet, too. Flavonol-rich dark chocolate (an ounce a day) and foods full of omega-3 fatty acids (salmon, walnuts) may improve blood flow to the skin.’

 

2. Seasonal Allergies: Edgar suggests, ‘For allergy-induced circles, consider taking an over-the-counter antihistamine before allergies begin to abate shadows.’

 

3. Thin Skin: Using a collagen-building cream can help to conquer your thin skin issue. Hirsch notes, ‘One of my top go-to ingredients is retinol. It helps increase collagen production.’ For this, you might like to try ROC Multi-Correxion Eye Treatment. Edgar adds, ‘Vitamin C also encourages production and can help brighten skin tone (find it in a product such as Renée Rouleau Vitamin C Eye Serum). And wear sunscreen daily…or you’ll cancel out the benefits from any of these treatments.’

 

Once you’ve got these foundations in place, don’t forget to conceal any under-eye problems with clever make-up! Edgar comments, ‘For quick circle camouflage, apply eye cream and let it dry for a few minutes. Then pat on a creamy concealer that matches your skin tone. Top with a layer of loose powder, which helps prevent makeup from caking in creases.’

Categories: ageing wellness, allergies, anti ageing, blood vessels, Eye Cream, eyes, seasonal allergies, skin tone, thin skin, tired eyes, vascular issues

Get it Right: How to Apply Your Anti Ageing Products

These days you get so many anti-ageing wellness products, it can be difficult to know which ones to take, in which combinations and in which order. Luckily, we’ve got you covered.

 

Let’s start with your new routine to help you look and feel young. Start your mornings off with a body moisturiser, and then move onto a cleanser, day treatment and eye cream (although the latter three are more optional). You then need to apply a facial moisturiser with sun cream, and after that you can apply your make up (if you want). In the evening, you again begin with a body moisturiser and cleanser, and then you have the option of an exfoliator. After that, a night treatment is a must, but the following eye cream and night face moisturiser are less necessary.

 

So that’s your general routine to help your anti-ageing wellbeing, but how do you apply specific products?

 

Day Moisturiser with Sunscreen

As this is your protection from the sun’s harmful rays, there’s no reason to tread lightly. Avoid your lash lines and eyelids, but otherwise you should spread a generous amount to your face, neck, the base of your throat and your chest. Let it sink in for two minutes before you put on make up.

 

Eye Cream

Using your ring finger, stroke a bead of eye cream once under your eye, starting an inch away from the outer corner of your eye. Then move your finger once over your eyelid from the inner corner to where you started. Keep doing this until the eye cream is blended in.

 

Night Treatment

This is usually best done on a clean, damp face, but if you have sensitive skin your face should be completely dry for two minutes before using the treatment. This is because the ingredients penetrate more deeply on damp skin, so they can irritate your sensitive complexion. As treatments are more potent than a moisturiser, you only need a pea-sized amount.

 

Body Moisturiser

Again, moisturise on damp skin, massaging it in right after you’ve had a shower. You should use a marble-sized blob for each limb, and the front and back of your torso.

Categories: anti ageing, body moisturiser, cream, Daily Routine, damp skin, Eye Cream, moisturiser, nbsp, Night Treatment, treatment