Complexion

There's no denying that a clear and bright complexion is one of the most sought-after goals in beauty. Whether it's freckles from the sun, dullness from dehydration, or generally just looking a bit tired, our complexions are a tell-all exposé of our lifestyle and health. Read our articles written by our team of experts to discover everything you need to know about achieving complexion perfection!

Fine lines and wrinkles naturally appear on our skin as we age. Most people start to see them in their mid to late-twenties, especially around the eye area and on the forehead. While many of us are keen to embrace our lines as we grow older – as symbols of wisdom and maturity – we also want our skin to look as healthy and radiant as it can be. Find out how to take care of it and protect against harmful aggressors such as free radicals that our skin is exposed to on a daily basis.

While we may spend time shielding our complexion from harmful irritants like UV rays and pollution, we might forget that what’s going on inside can affect it too. Especially when we’re stressed out. Stress isn’t just a recipe for poor sleep, irritability and fatigue – studies have shown it can manifest itself in skin conditions such as dryness, redness, dullness and breakouts. If your skin’s been feeling the effects of stress lately, there are ways to treat and take care of it. Have a browse through our articles to find out how.

Many of us are plagued by spots at some stage or another, especially if we have oily skin. Breakouts can appear in the form of unsightly blemishes and blackheads, which can be tricky to tackle if you don’t know what you’re doing. (Squeezing and picking at them will only make things worse!) Learn how to deal with this common skincare bugbear and prevent new breakouts from forming.

For example, if you’re dashing out the door and wondering how to cover skin imperfections, applying a blurring product like a BB Cream can help camouflage blemishes and blackheads, followed by a dusting of setting powder. (Just make sure you wash any makeup brushes or sponges thoroughly afterwards, to prevent any bacteria from transferring.)

Improving your complexion can take time but, after all, all good things come to those who wait. With the insider tips from our experts, you’ll soon be glowing.

For example, is your skin feeling ‘tight’, itchy or uncomfortable? Chances are you may have dry skin. This is caused by a lack of oil in the skin (not to be confused with dehydrated skin which is a lack of water – although you can often have both).

If your skin is dry, then it’s more likely to show signs of premature ageing such as fine lines and wrinkles, together with a rough, flaky texture that can look ashy and dull. Dry skin has less of a lipid barrier (this is what locks in moisture and protects skin from irritants and bacteria) making it more susceptible to redness, dehydration and flare-ups.

Conversely, oily skin is when the skin produces too much sebum, resulting in a congested, greasy-looking complexion, causing makeup to slip off and skin to look dull and bumpy.

A severe consequence of oily skin is that the excess sebum gets trapped in pores and ‘feeds’ the kind of bacteria that causes spots, which can lead to breakouts and even painful cystic acne for some people. It can also make pores look bigger and develop ‘blackheads’ black or brown ‘dots’ on the skin when the trapped oil gets oxidised by the air and changes colour. 

It’s important to discover and understand what specific skin type you have so you can take care of it properly. If you have oily skin that’s prone to breakouts, applying heavy creams and oils might make matters worse. Or if your skin is dry, using cleansers with a lot of strong ingredients can leave it even more parched and stripped. Or your skin could be a combination of both, which means you might not want to use anything geared around one specific skin type. Taking the time to understand your skin’s particular needs will help you to choose the right products, to promote a healthy, glowing complexion. So take some time to read through our content and give your skin everything it needs to look its best.