By Simone Noakes
Youthful, luminous skin? It doesn't have to be a pipedream because a few simple changes are all that's needed for a glowing new you.
Take it all off
It's surprising but according to the experts one of the best moisturisers you can buy is actually a cleanser. A good cleanse before hopping into bed is the glowing girls' best beauty trick, just ask flawless-faced Diane Kruger: "My skin secret? You're going to laugh at how easy it is: I never go to sleep without taking off my make-up."
Celeb facialist Sarah Chapman agrees. "You'll get more out of your anti-ageing products by applying them to clean skin," she says. "Plus, deep-cleansed skin is radiant; pores look tighter, the overall complexion healthier."
Know your As 'n' Cs
Don't just eat your vitamins — wear them. It's hard to choose which moisturiser is right for you with all these pricy little pots promising anything from anti-ageing to the ability to melt your thighs. We say look for products that have (clinically proven) age-fighting ingredients such as vitamins A, C and E.
Found in countless skincare lines, vitamin E is an unbeatable moisturiser — many stars take vitamin E oil as a supplement and for a rich skin drench, snip a hole in a capsule and apply directly to your skin. Smooth-skinned stars such as Jennifer Connelly and Drew Barrymore swear by the skin-brightening qualities of vitamin C, which also slows down the ageing process by fighting free radicals.
Familiar with anti-ageing heavyweight retinol? Then you already know all about vitamin A and its skin-renewing properties. What's worth grabbing off the shelf? Try RoC Deep Wrinkle Night Cream and Pond's Dramatic Results range of products with AHAs, retinol and vitamin C.
While you were sleeping
It's called beauty sleep for a reason, experts recommend getting seven to nine hours of the stuff every night as the best thing you can do for your outer radiance.
During deep snooze your body enjoys a cocktail of complexion-boosting hormones such as melatonin, a powerful skin-protecting antioxidant.
"Sleep is also the time when your body repairs the damage from the day," says Karyn Grossman, a top US dermatologist. "Interrupting that process will slow down cell turnover considerably."
Sleep deprivation shows up first on your face as dark under-eye circles and a dry, shallow skin tone. As actress Brooke Shields puts it, "When I go on a few hours of sleep, I can look five to 10 years older."
Go all the way
You already know a good daily face SPF 30 sunscreen is your skin's best friend so extend that love to your neck and décolletage. These are first places to show the signs of ageing yet often neglected.
"These areas are almost always exposed, and rarely receive the same level of hydration and sun protection as the face, but the skin there is more delicate and just as vulnerable," Los Angeles dermatologist Howard Fein says.
It's advice supermodel Paulina Porizkova wishes she'd heard earlier.
"After 27, I'd always put SPF on my face," she says. "When I compare myself with women my age who haven't been so SPF-specific, it does seem like their skin took more of a beating. I didn't worry about my chest, so the difference can be seen there. It's way wrinklier than my face."
Feed your face
Alongside exercise and plenty of water, diet is one of your biggest weapons in the battle for beauty supremacy. You might like cake and chips but sadly your skin vastly prefers omega-3 and -6 rich goodies.
Think sardines, trout and salmon, eggs, flaxseeds, walnuts and leafy greens. Also try to include skin-replenishing, vitamin-packed blueberries, strawberries, kiwifruit, carrots and mushrooms.
"You can literally eat your way to great skin and compensate for any 'poor skin' genes by making good meal choices on a daily basis," says Karen Fischer, nutritionist and author of The Healthy Skin Diet. It's kind of like eating your way to happiness. We like that!
Fast tip
New skin forms at the bottom of the epidermis and gradually travels outwards until it reaches the top layer of your skin, which then sheds. This takes two to four weeks, which means that with the right plan, you can have a "what's she done?" revitalised new complexion inside a month.
