Red days and smooth weeks
Wear red and exfoliate
The colour red
Red is positive. Wear it, feel different and notice how others act differently towards you.
If you are feeling a little down, tired or lethargic, slap on some red lipstick, and I guarantee you’ll feel better. Wearing red lipstick somehow infuses you with energy and makes you feel more productive and positive. Try it in the morning before you go to work. Contrary to what many may think, it absolutely can be worn by many more mature women, but not all. Ensure it suits your face and general image and that you’ve chosen just the right tone of red for your skin colour. Make sure it’s applied neatly and other features of the face are not heavily or brightly made up. Believe me, the sophisticated look can be yours.
If you are still not convinced, and believe that red lippy is too much for you, then try tying a red silk scarf around your neck (very chic), or wear something else red instead, and it will have the same effect. People tend to react positively to you if you are wearing red lipstick, accessories or clothing.
Wearing red lipstick gets you noticed and is a timeless and trendy fashion statement. Red translates as ‘I am confident, proactive, interesting and outgoing and happy.’
If wearing it is just too scary for you or you think you are too old or have the wrong face, then try a ‘diluted’ red, which looks much softer. Choose a more orangey or letter box red rather than a very ‘blue’ or dark pinky red, and mix with lip balm or petroleum jelly to achieve the depth of colour you want.
HAVE A RED DAY !
The time to peel
‘Exfoliating’ or glycolic and fruit acid beauty products have become staples of the beauty salon. These products can be very useful, as when used for a certain amount of time, they can really help smooth the surface of the skin, so tiny wrinkles, marks or scars left from spots, rougher textured areas of dead skin and even pigmentation can all be reduced. Using these types of products is also good as an anti-ageing or preventative treatment.
The problem is that here in the Mediterranean we have so much sun for almost the whole year and even though these products give great results, they need to be avoided during very hot sunny weather. The reason for this is that dead skin cells have been effectively removed, and the skin is made smoother but also thinner and more receptive to outside aggressors, especially UV rays. This is OK if sun exposure is minimal during the day, but some individuals may find they are more prone to pigmentation or sun spots.
The good news is that now is the time to use creams or face masks which contain glycolic, salicylic or fruit acids. The colder weather and greyer skies means that you can confidently use different types of exfoliants, whether bitty or grainy scrubs or the ones with fruit acids or salicylic acid (AHAs or BHAs).
Now is also the time of the year to have professional salon ‘peeling’ treatments performed for skin smoothing, scar reduction or general anti-ageing and skin revitalising purposes.
Ask your beauty therapist or beautician (and no they are not the same thing!) for details about professional treatments and good quality salon brands such as Murad, Guinot, Rosveda, Decleor, Thalgo, Phytomer, Darphin and Dermalogica.
If you would like advice or help choosing the right products for your skin type you can contact Ilia on [email protected].
HAVE A SMOOTH WEEK!
