12 days to glowing Christmas skin…..
It’s that time of year again where I start giving my clients the Christmas countdown to the party season.
Like most things to do with the festive season, getting prepared for the influx of party invites, carol concerts and school plays, frenzied shopping and subsequent late nights, takes some planning.
I’m guessing this is your countdown so far; buy and write Christmas cards (realising that you’ve missed the international post deadline) check! Make Christmas pudding and cake (good intention, never happens) check! Purchase Christmas gifts (during a rugby scrum style shopping experience) check! Attend 101 parties, drinks and concerts (whose party is this one?) check! Relax with friends and family on Christmas Eve (fall in a heap after your 3rd glass of bubbly realising that you haven’t had time for that leg wax, manicure & gasp! Facial) check!
Or maybe that’s just how my countdown goes, with a few clients to treat thrown in.
I was inspired to write this blog after my recent appearance as a guest on BBC Radio Norfolk’s Graham and Karen show. They had invited me in, this time, to discuss this very subject. How do we ensure that instead of looking grey, tired, puffy and blood shot, that we enter a room radiating health, calm and looking, well, fantastic!
I discussed with the Radio Norfolk listeners there are things that we can start to do leading up to the big day to ensure that come 2010 we haven’t completely ruined the chance of a healthy, young looking skin.
So here’s my 12 days to glowing Christmas skin…
On the first day of Christmas… Book and have a professional skin treatment. This is a very busy time for me since I recommend my clients to have a pre party season facial. As ever it will be totally bespoke to tackle the needs of the client whether it’s a total rescue treatment or something to just maintain radiant skin for the season.
On the second day of Christmas… Water!! Yup it’s a must with all the extra intake of alcohol and centrally heated environments. Aim to up your intake to at least 1 ½ litres a day if you want to avoid puffy, parched skin.
On the third day of Christmas…Start to take a tincture of Milk thistle and artichoke. This is great Liver support and can help with those rich foods and drink indulgencies. The Liver, if not able to function properly, will ultimately cause the skin to eliminate toxins, so start taking it daily now.
On the fourth day of Christmas…Start your way to a brighter skin by using a daily gentle exfoiliator. I recommend the MD Formulations facial cleanser (£25 www.u-treatments.co.uk) rich in fruit acids to encourage cell regeneration without the need for harsh abrasives.
On the fifth day of Christmas… Shoe horn just 10-15 minutes of Yoga into your day. www.yogajournal.com has some fab, short yoga videos you can watch for free. Yoga is amazing for distressing and for bringing fresh blood and nutrients to the skin…I could go on.
On the sixth day of Christmas…Not using an eye product yet? MD Formulations The Temps brighten and tighten eye serum (£26 www.u-treatments.co.uk) which is packed with Peptide technology to, yep you’ve guessed it, tighten and brighten the delicate eye area…I love it!
On the seventh day of Christmas… Make the most of Vit C rich Cranberries by scattering them onto your muesli or porridge. These berries are packed with the anti ageing benefits of antioxidants and will boost your collagen levels and immune system.
On the eighth day of Christmas…Now unless your tee total your undoubtedly going to partake in a glass or two of alcohol. So, if you must opt for red wine since this is rich in polyphenols another powerful antioxidant which defends the skin cells and is good for your heart. (In moderation)
On the ninth day of Christmas…Perform a facial massage at least once a day.
I give my clients some basic self facial massage movements to do when applying their moisturiser.
Even just using upward and outward circular moves can detoxify, brighten and tone the facial muscles.
On the tenth day of Christmas…Sleep! I know this is a tricky one but try and get as much quality sleep as you can especially if you know you have a heavy week on the way.
Studies have shown that sleep loss is linked to increasing the ageing process.
On the eleventh day of Christmas…However tired or merry you may be, do not commit the cardinal sin of going to bed in your makeup!
Sleeping in a cocktail of oils, dyes, chemicals and preservatives whilst your skin is trying to repair will leave you with dry, spotty, grey skin in the morning.
On the twelfth day of Christmas…You’ve made it! And is you’ve been following these golden rules you should be looking radiant.
If however you are not here’s hoping that you have a U Treatments gift card in your stocking www.u-treatments.co.uk
Merry Christmas and a ‘glowing’ 2010!
Louise Thomas-Minns CIBTAC CIDESCO BABTAC
Visit www.u-treatments.co.uk or call Louise on 07810 872 633 for details of her bespoke treatment menu.
Copyright 2008
