Natural Beauty
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g n i d i h u o Are y ? k s a m a d behin Bin the blusher and lose the lipstick to discover the real you Words: Faye Maitland
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t’s easy to forget just how much we rely on makeup in our everyday lives. Like children have the security of a blanket, we have taken this and replaced this object we are dependant on to be makeup, which is always in our handbags without fail. Despite what mirror or reflective surface we look into, the result is always the same. Dark rings around the eyes, blemished skin, lifeless lips, wretched wrinkles and a general lack of radiance and life. Unfortunately in our existence now, you cannot escape makeup and the perfection we are bombarded with in the form of perfectly adorned celebrities in the media. We normal women look at our reflections longing to look better and makeup allows us to do this, to create another image of ourselves, one that is definitely easier on the eye!
still a great number that are confident and most importantly happy without the war paint. A bare face may be a terrifying prospect, but on the flip side it is also a relieving, moral boosting experience. After a long day at work there is nothing better than putting on your typical comfy around the house clothes and grabbing a face wipe (1.Boots Botanics Wipes £3.42)and removing the lifeless dreary makeup that has deteriorated in glamour due to your hectic day around the office. Wouldn’t it be nice though to not have to do this, to have a clean makeup free face at all times? This isn’t an option I hear you cry! It is. With the right skincare aided by the use of a few creams and potions you can achieve a wideeyed fresh faced look without the added help from your life long pals YSL or L’Oreal.
“So what is so wrong with being 'au naturale?'”
So what is so wrong with being ‘au naturel’? We depend on makeup almost as much as breathing. It doesn’t hurt touching up what god gave you and why not indulge in a little spruce up every now and then? Or even daily. If make up makes you feel at your best then apply to your hearts content. The majority of us would die for the perfect complexion; but why can’t we be happy within our own skin? Granted makeup hides a multitude of sins, from hangovers, breakups, illness and general bad days. Despite it sometimes being a godsend, surely there is another remedy for curing our insecurities? Research shows that most women prefer themselves with makeup on...an obvious answer you are thinking, yet there is
The first hurdle to conquer is the overbearing amount of choice with regards to different types of skincare. Cosmetics stores have an
extreme array of lotions and treatments making it easy to become baffled by what they actually do, leaving you utterly confused and you end up leaving the shop with nothing. A few brands to take note of are Simple, Botanics, Body Shop and Benefit. Each of these includes different types of skin products that will simply leave you looking radiant and will make you ditch the foundation and concealer. Although if you want totally natural options then here’s a few that may tickle your fancy and lead down the path towards unbelievable skin:
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Natural Beauty • Getting enough sleep is vital to gaining a healthy complexion and preventing them evil dark circles under your eyes from getting any worse. Working hard and having an erratic sleeping pattern affect the colour of our eye area. The recommended amount is 7-9 hours per night. Sweet Dreams! • Eye creams can work an absolute miracle. Benefit Eyecon (2.) promises to brighten eyes and soften the appearance of fine lines. £21.50 Available from Boots, John Lewis and Debenhams. • Drink, Drink, Drink! No, not wine I’m afraid, water. It is the key to glowing skin. Dehydration can result in reduced circulation, leaving the skin under your eyes looking puffy and dull. • Keep your hair off your face. Maybe save the fringes just for a night out and keep them pinned back with a simple Kirby grip or a fancy headband during the day. Hair carries dust, oil and sometimes dandruff, none of these being good for your skin! • Don’t over do it with too many products. Sometimes less is more, otherwise your skin will be worn out from being scrubbed one time too many. Simply find a good face wash (3. Clinique: Liquid Facia Soap) which works well for you type of skin and a decent moisturiser for the day and a rich one for the night.
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• Milk. Not to drink this time though. Try putting a dab onto some cotton wool and wiping it over your face. Yes this does seem odd – but it will refresh and rehydrate your skin. • Another strange yet successful method of reviving the skin is to rub a slice of chilled tomato across your face 3 times a week. This will lighten dark spots and give you a glow, despite how silly you may feel doing it! • Face masks always leave the skin feeling revitalised. There are many that you can buy from most supermarkets or cosmetics stores. One of the best is 4. Clarins: Pure and Radiant mask £17.12. • Lastly face scrubs are excellent for shedding dead skin. There are many on the market, although using a mixture of sugar and olive oil is just as effective.
There are so many ways to brighten up your skin and liven up your face without makeup. From these natural remedies to eye creams and face washes, each have their individual ways of banishing your woes. Look after your face, embrace its need to breathe and to feel clean and free. Although after taking such good care of it, there’s no harm in putting on the odd bit of makeup because lets face it ladies, we just can’t resist.
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