Don't Blame All Skin Problems on Winter Winds by Verite Collins
At this time of year, you often find rough skin patches, particularly on your face and areas exposed to winter winds. If this is you, it's time to turn your skincare up a notch.
Problems aren't allways caused by winter winds; my readings from US cancer research centres highlight that side effects from cancer drugs often re-surface after years of lying dormant in our bodies. Originally, once these outbreaks were cured, it was expected that would disappear - but now scientists have begun to speculate that 'nasties' can lie low in our bodies, then re-surface and provide more problems.
Mask skin ("Maskne") is a new winter skincare concern.
I get help - especially over "Maskne". Here we go - the latest thing to worry about! This time it is "Maskne", when the area of the face regularly in contact with a face mask develops problems. With the massive increase in mask-wearing, maskne could be a far more common concern, despite having been around since the inception of clinical face masks. However, most of us will only wear masks for short periods, so good basic skincare is generally enough.
To prevent, or at least ease these problems, dermatologists and skin care professionals recommend investing more time and money into your daily routine while masks are compulsory.
I have found that there are two times in the day where your skin is most vulnerable and in need of good skincare; one is as soon as you wake up, and the second is when you are about to go to bed. Double cleansing your skin morning and night is renown for keeping your skin clean and well-looked-after in general, as well as helping prevent maskne.
Jennifer Young Collections have made a huge study of our problems, and their experts suggested I use these products from their Well-Being Beauty range every day, morning and night, to help combat 'winter skin' :
The Cleansing Oil is wonderfully soothing on my dry skin; all I have to do is warm a few drops in the palm of my hands, smooth them over my face and massage the oil gently in, then wipe off. I do this twice at night to make sure I remove everything.
Next, I Spritz my face lightly with the Chakra Spritz, and let it soak in.
Afterwards, I gently sooth the Sandalwood Moisturiser over my face, not forgetting my throat. (Here's a tip - Customs and Excise boys at Airports tell me they can tell most people's age by looking at throat skin and/or back of hands - both are 'age' give-aways except for beauticians - and the C & E boys say this age-trick doesn't work with them because they know to always keep these areas moisturised - and so will look younger!).
Subjecting Skincare to a Technical Challenge
Even when given technical information galore, I always look up ingredients to see roughly what a product contains, then have a good look at the team demonstrating the product. If someone is using a product on a daily basis, and their skin looks improved - that is a true test of any product.
So, if you want to know what the moisturiser contains, it has Butyrospermum parkii* (Shea Butter - my skin definitely likes this), Helianthus annus* (Sunflower Oil), Simmondsia chinensis* (Jojoba Oil - another one my skin likes), Tocopherol (Vitamin E), Santalum album* (sandalwood),, Citrus aurantium (neroli), Citrus nobilis* (mandarin), D-Limonene', Linalool', Citral', Farnesol', Geraniol'.
Tip - it can help to find one or two ingredients that your skin particularly likes, and look for those amongst ingredients. when shopping.
A second sign of a good product is when you only need to use a very small amount. In my experience, slathering your face with gunk only blocks up the pores - your skin needs to breathe. And Jennifer Young advises you only use a pea-sized amount!
This moisturiser seems a glamorous and practical gift, so girlfriends are getting jars for birthdays, etc. as it should suit everyone.
I really give any products I try a tough work-out; one of my favourite sports is dog sledding, and to do this you have to go out in minus temperatures; sometimes when running in Finland or high in the Alps it can be -30 or -40. So, before I go out I rub in a small amount of moisturiser, paying particular attention to my cheeks and the backs of my hands. This also works well when winds are blowing up the Thames Valley!
So, dog sledding is the final and most extreme test that a product has to go through to get the Verite Collins stamp of approval. After passing the team test (you can see that so many beautiful patients have enjoyed the product when you look at the Jennifer Young Facebook page), the ingredients test and the amount required test, I can confirm that yes, Jennifer Young products also performed well when dog sledding - in Finland at - 40C below!
You can find the collection used by me below, along with other collection Best Sellers to help with the effects of winter and cold weather on skin:
Sandalwood Exclusive Gift Set: Click Here
Defiant Beauty Hospital Hydration: Click Here
Defiant Beauty Everyday Balm Set: Click Here
Incidentally, two particular mushing heroes of mine are cancer survivors Lance Mackay, four-times winner (after recovering from cancer) of the world's toughest dog sled race, the 1,000 mile Iditarod in Alaska. And the other is Dee Dee Jonrowe, the top woman musher and three times runner-up of the Iditarod (dog sledding is one of the few sports where women compete on equal terms with men). To remind people to contribute to cancer charities, when she is racing Dee Dee dresses in pink gear, and fits her 16-strong racing team with pink bootees; her fans make these by the hundreds for the dogs. There is so much more to read about her online.
Verite writes more on www.aftercancers.com.
