What would your esthetician tell you if you asked for her top tips on skin care? YES, I’ve compiled a few of my most important top tips for you, so take your pick (or try them all).

1.    Eat your veggies!  If you can, invest in a good quality juicer and drink your fill of green veggie juice every day.  Swap your afternoon coffee or morning latte for a green juice and watch it transform your skin completely. Green juices help to stimulate lymphatic drainage and oxygenate your skin. Add some avocado if you really want to power up your juice – it gives your skin nutrition from inside and has great hydrating properties.

2.    Always, always take off your make up before you go to bed.  Sleeping in your make up is not only bad for your pillow cases, it’s terrible for your skin as the chemicals in modern make up stay in your pores overnight if you don’t remove them properly.  Blocked pores lead to breakouts and for the sake of a few minutes before bed, it’s just not worth it.

3.    Don’t worry about putting a face on for the gym – always work out makeup free.  Mixing sweat with your cosmetics creates a lovely sheen of bacteria and chemicals that won’t do the condition of your skin any good, so avoid any makeup at all, yes, even tinted moisturizer! 

4.    Take a probiotic. Your skin always looks best when your digestive system is working as it should do, so along with a good quality probiotic try to include papaya and pineapple for their digestive enzymes and avoid inflammatory foods like dairy and gluten.

5.    Sleep. Go for 8, 9, or even 10 hours whenever you can, because sleep is when your body repairs itself, and it can’t do it in too little snooze time. Missing out on quality sleep will show itself up in your skin, especially around your eyes.

6.    Use a toner – yes, really. Just make sure it’s a gentle one without alcohol. People who don’t tone after they’ve cleansed are prone to larger pores and more congested skin.

7.    Make a serum part of your beauty routine. A serum containing antioxidants is the best option for most people. It’s the finishing touch that can really make all the difference to the condition of your skin.

8.    Exfoliate regularly. Look for a product that contains glycolic or lactic, and use it 2-4 times per week, depending on how sensitive your skin is.  Removing dull, dead skin regularly will give it the extra brightness that just cleansing won’t.

9.    Use sun protection every single day. No excuses. Make sure that your moisturizer contains an SPF, and you’ll prevent skin cancer, sun damage and the signs of aging we all try to cover up.