You put a whole lot of effort into assembling your look. You trawl the fashion websites for the clothes that will cling to your curves while subtly detracting from the wobbly bits you may not be so proud of. You never leave the house without your brow game on point. Your hair is a cascade of shimmering glory that borders on the poetic. Your accessories are matched to your outfit with the precision that would make NASA blush and your shoes… entire anthologies could be written about your shoes.
Yet no matter how much time, effort and money goes into creating your look; it all falls apart if your skin is ashen, blotchy, dull or lifeless. You may have been conditioned to think that less than lustrous skin is something that you need to throw money at; loading up on skincare products till your credit card can’t take the strain… yet gorgeous skin is just a few smart lifestyle choices away.
Ditch those bad habits
We all have our bad habits that can cause our skin to lose its natural radiance. Since we’re still pretty close to the New Year, now’s the time to say bye bye to them once and for all. After all, the sooner you start to ensure your skin is on point, the longer you’ll have to enjoy it. Ditching these harmful habits will not only ensure that your skin stays firm, healthy and glowing but it will also help to delay your skin’s aging process. With that in mind, the following have got to go;
- Smoking
- Sunbathing and using tanning booths
- Drinking alcohol to excess
- Not washing the sweat off your face after exercise
- Using alcohol-based perfumes or scented lotions
- Living a sedentary lifestyle
- Bad diet
Not only will swapping the cigarettes for Vapor Vanity and the cake for cucumber help your skin to be more lustrous… They will also improve your general health and wellbeing so you’ll have more years to enjoy your youthful and glowing skin.
Hydration is (nearly) everything
Even the most health-conscious among us struggle to meet our hydration goals. It doesn’t matter how many moisturizers, cleansers or toners you use on your skin, it’ll never achieve it’s full potential if you’re drinking less than 3 liters of water a day (more if you have a particularly active lifestyle). While there’s some debate as to whether coffee, tea or soda actually contribute to your daily fluid intake due to their diuretic nature, you can never go wrong with plain water.
Eat your way to beauty
Don’t join the calorie counting masses, this New Year. A calorie starved body is very rarely a healthy one. Instead, make sure that your plate is loaded with nutritious and delicious veggies and fruits that will keep your skin healthy glowing and gorgeous. Green leafy veggies like cabbage, kale, spinach and collard greens are loaded with chlorophyll which will ensure healthy circulation meaning that your skin gets all the nutrients it needs for a healthy glow. Yams and carrots contain beta-carotene to help prevent sun damage to your skin and nuts and seeds contain omega 3 fatty acids to help skin retain its moisture.
