Skin Health Magazine Issue #2 / Winter 2016 | Page 13

HOW TO... Cocktail Your Skincare Relying on one product to treat all your skin’s needs just won’t cut it anymore, so it’s time to take matters into your own hands and channel your inner alchemist to create your very own complexion cocktail. For plump, dewy skin add a few drops of oil to your face cream. Dry skin is no joke during the cold weather but instead of spending hours searching for a new winter-appropriate moisturiser, just mix a little facial oil in with your usual day or night cream to boost its thirst-quenching abilities. Your skin will not only benefit from the extra nourishment but will drink up the added vitamins and botanicals that will help to keep it healthy during a cold snap. If you hate the feeling of exfoliating the skin, play the mixologist and concoct your own gentler alternative. Not all skin types can take a vigorous scrubbing, especially during the winter, so dilute a usually harsh face scrub by mixing it with a cleanser. Gel, cream and lotion textures will all work well as a carrier for exfoliating beads and particles, giving them more slip than scratch when buffed over the skin. To make Retinol less irritating for your skin try using it alongside a conditioning night cream. Whether you mix them together or apply one immediately after the other, adding a soothing hydrator into the mix is the best way to prevent Vitamin A-induced inflammation. To see the best results from your cocktail, make sure the moisturiser you use doesn’t contain any active ingredients or acids, as this can lead to a nasty reaction. Make your face masks work harder by using more than one in the same sitting. Instead of mixing your masks together try multi-masking, which involves applying different masks to different areas of the face to offer your complexion a more personalised treatment. Clay masks will decongest the T-Zone, exfoliating masks will brighten dull areas and hydrating masks will relieve tightness. ISSUE #02 | WINTER 2016 | SkinHealthMagazine.com 13