VIVE LA DIFFERENCE
French women seem to approach beauty differently to us, the main tenet of French beauty seems to be their calm resilience in the face of ageing. They tend to approach beauty, health and fashion in a relaxed manner. They eat well, indulge a little and seem to have a balance in their lives that Irish women crave.
SOFT-PADDING
But what we’re really interested in is the fact that, apparently, they don’t opt for plastic surgery or procedures as much as they adore skin care products.
They often apply products OVER their make-up. That may make you raise an eyebrow, but think about it. If you sit in an air-conditioned office you could find your skin dries out much faster than it should. French women think nothing of patting products over their make-up.
We in The Wicklow Street Clinic have devised a system for this – we call it ‘Soft-Padding’. Take the soft pad of your ring finger and very gently ‘pad’ a couple of drops of your eyecream, hyaluronic serum or facial oil into the skin. This is effective especially in areas of fine lines or wrinkles.
Don’t worry about ‘diluting’ your make-up, if your make-up is medium coverage the softer the ‘soft-padding’ the more the make-up will stay in place! Soft-Padding will also give your skin a beautiful dewy finish.
(We recommend Hibiscus Ultra Lift Eye Cream – which works in a couple of seconds with a botox effect, Facial Recovery Oil – which will give that beautiful dewy finish you crave, or, Firm Skin Targeted Treatment -the perfect handbag skin firmer and Strawberry Rhubarb Hyaluronic Serum which plumps up skin.)
MASQUES
French women think nothing of having an armoury of masques selected to work on their skin moods. They like alternating a facemask one day with a skin exfoliation the next, while some wouldn’t recommend this, if the product is chosen carefully for the skin type, for example, dry parched skin, a rich moisturising masque like Linden Calendula Treatment could be the perfect way to keep mature skin plumped up. (another favourite is The Eminence Organics’ Bamboo Age Corrective Masque, it’s a wonder product perfect for alternate days.)
HOLISTIC APPROACH
Many Irish women seem to forget about their body care. Yes, we love our fake tan but on mainland Europe body care is almost as important as facial care. Frenchwomen think about the whole picture. They attack cellulite and sagging skin with regular in-salon treatments and creams and body oils. Eminence Organic’s Apricot Oil is one of the best ways to quickly moisturise the body, oh and make sure you body brush for home care!
Cut out using too much salt and replace it with pepper, make your own chocolate mousse, eat your five-a-day and have the odd glass of red wine – get a little more chic in your ways and invest in proper skincare! You might even bag yourself a Macron-esque Toyboy!
50’s
50 + needs 50+ SPF! Use daily on face and neck and décolleté! Building on the previous advice it’s now also important to add regular skin clinic treatments if possible; skin toning and muscle strengthening treatments help to keep muscle and supporting structures under the skin healthy and vibrant. If you can’t do in clinic treatments ensure you look out for face exercises and do plenty of facial massage morning and evening with a skin firming cream or oil. Hydration is also key. Sun damage may be evident on face and neck and décolleté. Introduce rich day creams with retinol alternative ingredients to address sun damage signs and use night care to replenish lost moisture and enrich the skin with repairing nutrients.
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ALL AGES
Stay sun safe. Never get your skin burned, especially if you are under 20. Always have any skin or mole changes checked. Do get some sun to endure adequate Vitamin D levels. Always use SPF, wear sun hats and sun glasses. Choose SPF for your skin type that is comfortable for you, the more comfortable it is the more likely you are to wear it daily. Remember if you do have sun damage there are plenty of treatments to address the skin changes to improve the complexion to a more hydrated and healthy looking skin.
