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The concept of products that make an “instant” difference is I think for many women the Holy Grail…and yes, I would love to find it. Maybe I am impatient but I want to see a difference in my skin particularly when I wake up in the morning looking like I have been dragged through a hedge backwards (ok it doesn’t happen often but when it does, I want to put on a product that makes it all go away). Seriously though, skin cells take between 90-120 days to turn over (be replaced by new skin cells)  so most skin care takes that amount of time to see a visible ongoing difference – this is how long it takes for real skin change/improvement to happen. I am not saying you won’t see changes sooner but anything less is usually temporary.  However, as I have discovered there are some exceptions, products that give your skin a quick lift, often short-lived but enough so that I can walk out of the house without serious luggage under my eyes. So dear readers, here is my list of instant saviors and pick me ups:

La Mav Line Perfector

I discovered the benefits of this cream one morning after a very late night. Despite reading the ingredients I hadn’t quite realised that it has a rapid effect on fine lines and wrinkles. The natural active Rhizobian gum, which is a hydrolysed biopolymer naturally produced by microorganisms living in plant roots has an immediate tightening effect on skin…it has been described as a Botox-like effect. The tightening effect lasts about 4 hours. The other ingredients in the product have ongoing skin nourishing effects so this product isn’t just about the short term effects….but it is a definite benefit!

Green Tea Spritz

Green Tea has a potent antioxidant effect as well as reducing inflammation on burnt or reddened skin. When stored in the fridge, the low temperature of the tea will also have a cooling effect on hot skin. For this reason it is ideal for those with rosacea or any skin redness, sunburn or irritation.

Make your own spritz at home by brewing quality organic green tea. Leave it for 5 minutes to steep then let cool. Once cool pour it into a spritz bottle and refrigerate. Use liberally as required. Each brew lasts about 3 days. Alternatively you can freeze the tea into ice cubes. Don’t apply a frozen cube directly to the skin. Wrap in a cloth and gently apply to the affected area. The cube will melt onto the skin having the same effect as the spritz.

Chamomile Tea Bags

This is another fantastic home remedy that is useful for sore, tired or puffy eyes. Chamomile has anti-inflammatory and mild antimicrobial effects which help soothe sore eyes. You need to steep the bag for 3 minutes in hot water. You can either drink the tea or once cool, use it to bathe your eyes. Put the tea bags in the fridge and when you are ready, lie down and place one over each eye. Relax.

Remedica Sensitive Visage

This oil and hydrosol based serum is a gentle nutritive for sensitive or inflamed/irritated skin. It contains a potent combination of anti-inflammatories (St John’s Wort, Chamomile) and antioxidants (Green Tea) which will help quickly reduce patchiness and redness and soothe irritation. Used long term, it will help strengthen damaged and chronically inflamed skin.

Lemon Detox Drink

Now I know I bang on and on about the usefulness of the Lemon Detox Drink but it really is just so effective for increasing skin moisture – both oil and water content. The healthier the fatty membrane of the skin cell is, the more moisture it contains. One recent example of the success of this drink is a lady who came into to the store with chronic skin dryness. Her skin had been dry for years. Interestingly she wasn’t coming for skin care but for massage and it was the massage therapist who asked me what her client could do about it. I gave her client the recipe for this drink and a jar of Remedica Vanilla & Shea Body Butter and thought no more about it. The next week, the massage therapist had noticed a significant improvement in her clients skin since her visit the week before. The client, as you can imagine, was delighted and continues with her “skin hydration” program.

Minerelle Make Up

One of my fallback saviors for red, patchy or just tired skin is my mineral makeup. Usually I just brush on a light layer but if my skin is not looking its best, I know I can apply several layers of  makeup without looking like I have spac-filled my face. To do this, I use a small multi brush and put a layer of Minerelle over any red, patchy or dark areas on my face e.g. under my eyes, over breakouts or broken capillaries. I then apply a light layer of makeup over the top using the powder brush and gently blend the colour in. Personally I cannot go past Minerelle as my favorite make up for both everyday use and the days I would rather not leave the house!

Remedica Vanilla & Shea Body Butter

I know I mentioned this product above but it deserves its own segment. In Winter the skin on my body tends to dry out. I drink lots of water and have my good fats but the humidity in Brisbane is so low in contrast to the Summer months, that it really plays havoc with my skin. Remedica Vanilla & Shea Body Butter is my answer. Based on pure Shea butter it is so nourishing but without the greasy feel. And it smells great. I have done a video blog about this product which discusses the benefits of Shea butter in general. View the video here.

So they are my pick of instant skin pick-me-ups. I would LOVE to hear about yours. What home remedies or products do you use?

Over the weekend I went to Panyiri, the Greek Festival in Brisbane. I ate so many honey puffs, I am sure I looked like one by the time I left. Yum! There

were people from all ages at the event and lots of teenagers dressed to the nines. One thing I did notice and just have to comment on is the number of teenage girls and young women to wearing foundation that too dark for their natural skin tone. Correctly colour matched foundation can hide flaws and smooth out skin tone. By contrast, foundation in the wrong shade can create a sharp contrast between the skin tone of the face when compared to the neck and body. It can also leave obvious foundation lines along the jaw and hair-line.

The reason I comment is that so many of these young women have gorgeous skin and it is such a shame to see it being masked by layers of the wrong colour foundation in an attempt, I can only think, to look more tanned. So this blog looks at some of the myths associated with choosing the correct coloured foundation and how to choose the best shade for your skin.

1. Skin Tone
It is important to have an idea of your underlying skin tone so that you choose foundation that suits. For instance, yellow toned foundation makes me look like I am about to be sick which isn’t a look I aim for.

On their website, Lavera describes how to work out your skin tone:
If you belong to the cool types, your skin has a cool, bluish foundation tone. The hair has a cool ash tone and can also range from blonde to dark brown. A simple test: Place a silver-coloured cloth under your face this allows your complexion to glow, whereas a gold-coloured cloth makes the skin look tired. If you belong to the cooler type, these colours, for example, will suit you: black, light grey, pink, cold rose, lilac, claret, ice blue, marine, silver, mint, stone grey

If you belong to the warm types, your complexion has a yellow – golden foundation tone. The hair always has a warm gold shimmer or honey tone and can range from middle blonde to gold-brown, from red to brown. Your personal test: Hold a gold-coloured cloth under your chin – if your complexion appears noticeably fresher, you belong to the warmer type. In contrast, a silver-coloured cloth makes you appear pale and washed-out. If you belong to the warmer type, these colours for example, will suit you: tomato, chocolate brown, cream, salmon, apricot, olive, brick red, orange, moss green.

2. Testing Foundation
The most commonly myth about choosing foundation is that you can match it to the back of your hand or your wrist. If you hold up the back of your hand to your face you will see that they are quite different in tone and colour. Often hands have more sun damage and so the skin is darker than facial skin.

To test your foundation you should do so along the jaw line as this will give the best indication of your skin tone. You have to have a clean face to test foundation so don’t try and test over your existing foundation shade. Another no-no is trying to match to your foundation bottle. Try it on your skin. Foundation can look very different in a pallet or a bottle than it does on your skin.

3. Matching to your neck
Now this is controversial as most make up artists will tell you to make sure your make up matches the skin tone of your neck as well as your face. However in Australia many women have sun damage on the sides of their necks, which means that the skin on your neck may not be the same tone as the skin on your face. Match to your jawline first, then to your neck if you can.

4. Fake Tan or Vampires
I often see young women using very dark foundation in an attempt to match

the fake tan on their bodies. This may be ok within the first few days of having the tan applied but after a week or so the foundation starts to look too dark. The alternative is to have fake tan lightly applied to your face and forego wearing any foundation at all. You can apply some bronzer or blush to give you colour which will give a more natural look. Or have two shades of foundation, one for use when tanned and one for use when your skin is natural.

The vampire look is another mistake often made and one that I have been guilty of in the past. It may not be immediately noticeable at first but will show up dramatically in photos. So if you see a photo of yourself looking like you have just popped out of a coffin for a midnight feast, time to change your make up.

5. The Eyes Have it

Another popular trend is to use light concealer around the eyes and then plenty of darker foundation or bronzer over the rest of the face. This look is fine if you want to look like you have been sun bathing in your sunglasses. Otherwise, match your concealer to your make up as well using the same techniques discussed above.

6. Professional Help
If you still feel that you need assistance with choosing a foundation shade, do yourself a favour and have your foundation shade colour matched by a cosmetics consultant. Drop into Vitale and we will happily test both Mineral or Natural Liquid foundations for you.

If you have a story about the wrong foundation or have had a positive experience please let me know.

I am a huge fan of Mineral Make Up in general, particularly an Australian brand called Minerelle. Mineral make up suits most skin types however, application styles can vary from product to product and certainly, the pressed mineral powders require less work on the skin than loose powders. Here I show how I apply Minerelle Make Up, a pressed mineral powder as well as discus the benefits of mineral make up in general.