skin

Whether I’m writing about the products that I’ve actually loved this month or my favourite affordable skincare swaps, I always try to be as open and honest about my skin journey as possible. As someone who has experienced pretty severe acne since my teenage years, I’m not on board with miracle cures and wonder products that claim to eliminate spots and vanish breakouts in one use, and I’d hate to give the impression that there are products on the market that can do that. Skincare expert Tijion Esho, founder of the Esho Clinic, is a firm advocate of long-term routines when it comes to treating acne. “One-off treatments can give skin a temporary boost, but we know that with conditions like acne, it’s a journey; not an ove...

Out of all of the skincare lessons I have learned, this remains perhaps the most controversial. You see, this is something I have sort of figured out for myself and I want you to hear me out. I grew up during a time when St. Ives Apricot Face Scrub was the skincare product to own. I used it once a week throughout my teens and loved the way it made my skin feel so smooth and soft. And then, the beauty world decided that all face scrubs were basically the devil, and we should be using acid exfoliants instead (like glycolic acid). In my early twenties, I binned all of my much-loved scrubs and started incorporating acids into my routine whenever I could (2–3 times a week, in the evenings). During those years, I battled redness, sensitivity, breakouts and even a bout of perioral ...

If you’d asked pre-2020 me if I was prone to stress, I would have said no. That’s not to say that I never felt stressed. Daily commutes, a busy workweek and a jam-packed social calendar meant that there were definitely times when I felt frazzled, but I wasn’t used to dealing with prolonged periods of stress. Then, that all changed. Of course, we all know what happened: a global pandemic hit and totally turned all of our daily lives upside down. When the UK entered its first lockdown, I had an 11-week-old baby, and my stress levels were through the roof. I felt constantly on high alert. I was jumpy, my heart would race at the slightest noise, and I was incredibly anxious. And, baby aside, I know I’m not alone in finding the last yea...

If you’d asked pre-2020 me if I was someone that was prone to stress I would have said no. That’s not to say that I never felt stressed—daily commutes, a busy work week and a jam-packed social calendar meant that there were definitely times when I felt frazzled—but prolonged periods of stress just weren’t something that I was used to dealing with. Then that all changed. Of course, we all know what happened: a global pandemic hit and totally turned all of our daily lives upside down. When the UK entered its first lockdown, I had an 11-week-old baby and my stress levels were through the roof. I felt constantly on high alert: I was jumpy, my heart would race at the slightest noise, and I was incredibly anxious. And, baby aside, I know IR...

Now that you might have identified the causes of your dark circles, it’s time to work out how to keep them at bay. Thankfully, there are plenty of ways to do this according to Kerr. “If dark circles are caused by pigmentation, you can use ingredients that stabilise the melanocyte to help prevent the activation of the pigment,” advised Kerr. Look out for ingredients like L-Ascorbic acid, a potent form of vitamin C, to help with this. “Being very gentle with the eyes and wearing lots of sunscreen can help with prevention, too.” “If dark circles are caused by a thin skin, using a retinol-based eye cream will help to strengthen the area and create more of a barrier that hides the blood vessels underneath,” said Kerr. “If dark circles are caused b...

With the British weather currently doing a classic yo-yo between intense sunshine and frosty gales, and basically nothing in between, it might seem somewhat premature to be talking about summer skincare essentials. However, I’m optimistic that sunshine season will be sticking around on a more permanent basis soon and with more and more of us spending time outdoors whatever the weather, it makes sense to be overly prepared when it comes to caring for our skin—especially as summer can bring with it a whole host of unexpected changes for our complexions. “The summer bring with it a desire to be outdoors more, enjoy sports outside, sit by windows and enjoy the warmth and light from the sun [and] this results in an increase in radiation to the skin,” e...

Ones that I had previously purchased for their packaging weren’t delivering the sort of luxe satisfaction I started to crave in my hand-washing ritual, while others that I championed for their scent were leaving my skin dry, cracked and scaly. So in a quest to find something that ticked all the boxes, I began hoarding hand washes, and somewhere along the way, I stumbled across Ouai’s Hand Wash and Hand Lotion duo. First of all, I want to address the bottles themselves. They are minimalist, chic and feel almost impossibly luxe to hold. On top of that, they’re refillable, so you can do your bit for the environment while you shop. Next up, let’s talk about the smell. A little bit fruity, a little bit floral and a whole lot musky, mostly they just smell clean—...

I’ve made no secret of the fact that my skin and I have a bit of a complicated relationship. And by complicated, what I mean is that sometimes I really hate my skin and sometimes I’m totally indifferent towards it, but unless I have recently discovered a magical new foundation, I’d rarely say I love it. Sure, now that I’m in my 30s I’ve pretty much worked out the skincare products that work for my skin—although pregnancy skincare was a whole new challenge—but my stubborn hormonal acne insists on hanging around like that friend who refuses to leave your house even when it’s 1 a.m. and you’ve started washing up the wineglasses. I get it—in 2021 when we’re all about embracing the skin we’re in, admitting that you just don’t love...

Despite being one of the most popular skincare ingredients on the market right now, retinol can still feel like a somewhat daunting addition to your skincare routine if you’ve never used it before. Tackling clogged pores, uneven skin tone, wrinkles, dullness and more, the skin-resurfacing ingredient is something of a superhero in skincare terms. And from the flurry of retinol-infused serums and eye creams hitting the shelves each week, it’s clear to see that retinol is definitely having a moment. But where should you start if you’re totally new to this potent ingredient? As someone who has experienced the unwanted side effects of using a particularly strong retinol in the past—dryness, peeling and irritation—moisturisers would ...

There was a brief, blissful time during the early ’00s when a handful of Sephora stores popped up around the UK. Although I didn’t have any awareness of what a big deal this was at the time, I have vivid memories of my 13-year-old self and my best friends taking a monthly pilgrimage to Brent Cross (the journey involved two buses from our homes in the London suburbs and a dash on foot across the North Circular) to spend hours swatching lipsticks and spritzing perfumes there. To us, Sephora was the height of cool, and although we couldn’t afford a thing, there was something about that shop that made beauty products seem like the most exciting things in the world. Boots, on the other hand, did not. With one on pretty much every high street and in every shopping centre in the...

How do you recycle your beauty empties? For those who have attempted to discard used mascara tubes, plastic applicators and old eyeshadow palettes, you’ll know there’s no simple answer. Most beauty packaging ends up on the rubbish tip, and back in 2018, a report by Zero Waste Week found that the beauty industry produces a shocking 142 billion pieces of packaging each year. As beauty lovers continually become more conscious about the environment, it was only a matter of time before brands started to take notice and, most importantly, improve their sustainable options. Refillable beauty products—with packaging that can be used more than once—has become one answer to the beauty industry’s waste issue. It’s certainly not going to solve all problems overnight, but is a small step tha...