Top 10 Spring Skin Tips!

"Spring is here & its time to bring your skin out of hibernation! Try our quick & easy tricks below for gorgeous skin all season long!"

1. Never sleep in your makeup. Skin that can breathe dries out & ages quicker.
2. Use makeup remover before washing your face. If you use a gentle cleanser it may not remove all of the makeup pigments & can lead to just as many clogged pores. I love using coconut oil as a makeup remover.
3. Use sunscreen everyday even if you are indoors - the sun's UVA rays come through windows too and contribute to aging, pigmenting and tanning. Look for products that have at least SPF 15 but SPF 30 is ideal. 
4. Mild skin lightening creams can be used to even out any discolored spot you may have gained over the winter.  Look for botanical ingredients like Arbutin, Bearberry, Licorice, Mulberry, Ginseng, Gingko, Emblica, Turmeric - curcuma, Grapeseed and vitamins like C and A, and Niacinamide.
5. Moisturizers with an age-protecting agent at night!
• For younger skin, look for ingredients with antioxidants like: Vitamins C, E ; Botanicals like green tea, grapeseed or pomegranate extract, curcumin;  Genistein, ECGC, Resveratrol, Idebenone and Coenzyme Q10 or CoQ10.  
• For older skin, look for the following ingredients: peptides, vitamin A and derivatives like retinol and other retinoids, Alpha, beta and polyhydroxy acids.
6. Exfoliation should be done with extreme caution and only with modern bead exfoliators. Avoid granular scrubs as these tend to damage the skin microscopically, which can lead to slow, insidious and patchy darkening.
7. Ditch the Heavy Foundation: We love a creamy foundation for winter, but change up to a great BB cream or tinted moisturizer for spring. No need to buy a new product if you still have foundation left over from winter; make your own by mixing your current liquid or cream foundation with your moisturizer or by thinning it down with some Mac Fix+
8. Before you shave, exfoliate your entire body to remove dead skin cells. After you've finished shaving, apply moisturizer before you leave the humid bathroom. This will help seal the moisture into your skin and reduce the chance that you develop razor rash or shave bumps.
9. Bump Up Your Vitamins. Increasing your intake of antioxidants helps protect skin from free radicals. Free radicals cause skin damage and, over time, contribute to aging by destroying collagen. The less collagen you have, the more wrinkles you get. Increase consumption of:
1. Vitamins E, C, and K. 
2. Getting enough vitamin A is also essential - if you're not getting enough, your skin responds by becoming dry and flaky. Most fruits and vegetables have plenty of vitamin A
10. Visit a dermatologist annually. There are a lot of nuances in skin colour, texture, smoothness, etc. that we can't see for ourselves. These can be detected by the dermatologist and mild creams/treatments can be recommended.