Makeup can do wonders, but nothing beats dewy, glowy skin that seems effortlessly radiant and healthy from the inside out. We outline the steps you need to take to make your skin the best it can be.
This should be a no-brainer – to get healthy skin, you need to drink enough water daily. This helps to increase blood circulation to the skin and prevent wrinkles.
The recommended intake is eight glasses per day. If you need motivation, get a pretty bottle and place it front and centre on your desk. Or, prepare some fruit-infused water to make drinking water less boring (and more delicious).
For a quick pick-me-up, use a handy spritz bottle filled with water and spray some water on your face everytime your skin feels a little dull or dry.
This second tip is another no-brainer. A lack of sleep shows immediately on our faces, with puffy eyes and dark circles making us look tired and grumpy.
Not getting enough sleep also exacerbates or induces skin conditions such as acne and dry skin, and even accelerates the skin’s aging process. Aim for at least seven to nine hours of quality sleep every night.
There are some habits you can adopt to ensure you get a restful night of sleep – avoid using electronic devices right before bed, make sure you’re sleeping in a darkened room at a comfortable temperature, avoid consuming alcohol, salt or caffeine a few hours before bedtime, and do some light stretching or meditation to relax your body and prepare it for sleep.
When discussing dewy, radiant and glowing skin, perhaps the most talked about oil is coconut oil. This multi-functional, star product has a semi-solid makeup: liquid form at higher temperatures, while solidifying when stored in the fridge.
This makes coconut oil a wonderful non-comedogenic highlighter, and an easy way to get instantly glowing skin. Just dab a little on the areas of your face you want to highlight, which are usually the cheekbones, brow bone, across the bridge of your nose and your cupid’s bow.
Bonus: coconut oil also works as a great body and face moisturiser, and can also help to make your hair smoother and tame frizzy and unruly tresses. Of course, it is also edible and is considered a health food.
Coconut oil might take centre stage when it comes to beauty and skincare, but there are several other oils that do an equally terrific job on our skin.
One of them is marula oil, which is considered one of the most powerful anti-oxidants that exists. It can help to soften skin and balance moisture levels. Simply fill a spray bottle with two parts water and one part marula oil, and spritz it on your face after applying makeup. If you can’t find marula oil easily, replacing it with pure coconut water, jasmine oil, sweet almond oil or lavender oil also works.
Another oil that can help with achieving radiant and glowing skin is avocado oil. Adding a drop of cold-pressed avocado oil to cream or gel blush can help give a dewier finish, and it is thick enough to not make the colour run.
Regular exfoliation – at least once or twice a week – is essential for dewy and glowing skin. Not only does it help to hydrate the skin, the process also buffs away dead layers of skin to reveal a brighter complexion. Opt for a hydrating scrub that incorporates a rich blend of organic botanicals like jojoba beads, aloe vera and olive oil, as well as powerful antioxidants that limit the production of skin-damaging free radicals.
To get healthy-looking and radiant skin, avoid common bad habits such as touching your face all the time – this will make your skin more prone to breakouts. Similarly, do not sleep with your makeup on, cleanse, tone and moisturise your skin regularly, and don’t forget to apply sunscreen every day.
Also try to avoid or limit cigarette smoking and excessive consumption of alcohol, both of which have adverse effects on your skin. Along the same vein, try to eat healthy and clean – avoid too much fried and processed food, and consume more fruits and vegetables.