Get your skin ready to face work again with these top products
THE pandemic has seen worry, Zoom calls and drinking more booze all taking their toll on our looks.
Now, as many of us get back into our normal work routine, our overly sensitive skin could react to getting up earlier, pollution on the commute, workplace lights and air-con.
Here, Siobhan O’Connor gives tips on how to cheat your way to well-rested skin and help your face transition back to the shopfloor.
IRRITABLE SKIN – PROTECT BARRIER
POLLUTION rises 20 per cent during weekday commuter times, plus air-con and heating can irritate skin too.
After being cocooned in our homes, our skin is more sensitive than usual.
Protect this natural barrier and help prevent inflammation, redness or even eczema and acne. Look for products that contain antioxidants, which help fight damaging radicals.
We like Cetaphil healthy radiance brightness reveal creamy cleanser with niacinamide (£15.99, amazon.co.uk).
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FINE LINES – USE SILICONE PRIMER
WHILE daily SPF and a skincare routine can help prevent skin ageing, those fine lines are probably here to stay.
Invest in a silicone primer which will create a smooth canvas to begin your cover-up.
Our beauty panellist Ruby Hammer says: “For deeper lines warm up the primer and push into areas that need the most help. A light touch can avoid cracking.”
Try The Ordinary high-adherence silicone primer (£3.90, boots.com).
PUFFY FACE – ROLL WITH ICE BALLS
A LACK of sleep can result in puffiness, but cool ice temperatures are a quick fix.
Eyecare cosmetic surgery expert Dr Elizabeth Hawkes, of the Cadogan Clinic, Chelsea, says: “This helps lymphatic drainage as well as offering benefits such as reducing redness and kick-starting the circulation to provide a radiant glow to the skin.”
Roll face daily for 15 minutes with Stylpro x Asos facial ice globes (£34.99, asos.com) or put spoons in the freezer and use those.
LOOKING TIRED – SLEEP MASK
SWAP your normal moisturiser for a mask that you leave on while you sleep.
The rich, creamy formulas are more potent than regular moisturisers, seeping slowly into your skin.
For tired, dry, dull-looking skin, try the Body Shop Drops of Youth bouncy sleeping mask, (£22, bodyshop.com).
It’s pricey but will hydrate your skin in a flash. There are also masks to brighten, exfoliate and tackle wrinkles.
DARK CIRCLES – SODIUM SILICATE
INSTANTLY banish eye circles with sodium silicate. Skin expert and founder of West London’s Adonia Medical Clinic, Dr Ifeoma Ejikeme, says: “Use sodium silicate to practically make eye bags disappear. You can even use it on fine lines.”
Smooth the under-eye area with Peter Thomas Roth instant FirmX eye (£34.65, cosmeterie.co.uk).
Plus, try a peach-based concealer, such as Revolution Beauty conceal & correct (£4.99, revolutionbeauty.com) to balance out the blue tones of eye bags.