Skin Savers
Your face deserves special treatment, but top-to-toe skincare contributes to a more youthful appearance, writes Elisabeth King.
Pamper your body with top-to-toe skincare.
Lavishing our face with anti-ageing moisturisers and serums is common practice, but many people neglect to pay the same attention to the rest of their body. Sun damage on the chest and arms, and loss of firmness elsewhere, can begin to give your age away as early as your 30s. Look beyond simple hydrating body lotions to age-defying products that target skin elasticity, treat sun-damaged skin and wrinkles and disguise imperfections wherever they might be.
1 Jergens BB Body Perfecting Skin Cream ($15) This hydrating cream evens out skin tone and masks the appearance of blotches and small veins. Available in two shades, Light and Medium to Deep, it goes on sheer and gently adds colour, adjusting to your natural skin tone. After five days’ use, the skin develops a radiant glow.
2 Aveda Stress-Fix Soaking Salts ($60) An intensely fragrant blend of pure organic lavender, lavandin and clary sage is teamed with mineral-rich salts to help relieve stress and anxiety. Organic sugar and sunflower oil are also in the mix to exfoliate, soothe and soften the skin. If you’re feeling really tense, smooth on Aveda Stress-Fix Body Lotion ($50) after a therapeutic soak.
3 Mesoestetic Stem Cell Body Serum ($120) This anti-ageing body serum contains nano-encapsulated plant stem cells to penetrate the skin more deeply, while slow-release technology helps advanced peptides and retinol to rejuvenate the skin.
Use as an occasional treatment to repair skin damaged by photo-ageing and environmental exposure.
4 Nivea 4 in 1 Firming Body Oil ($15) Many factors contribute to loss of firmness, dry skin and stretchmarks, including ageing, pregnancy and weight loss. This fast-absorbing oil teams avocado, macadamia and cottonseed oils with coenzyme Q10 to firm, nourish and even skin tone within two weeks.
It’s great for stretchmarks, too.
5 Alpha-H Liquid Gold Luxe Resurfacing Body Cloths ($32) Australian brand Alpha-H has built up a global following for its skin resurfacing toner, Liquid Gold, a concentrated formula high in glycolic acid, which is an important ingredient in anti-ageing skincare. These new exfoliating cloths pack a similar rejuvenating punch for the body, improving uneven skin tone, dry, flaky skin and the appearance of keratosis pilaris (more commonly known as ‘chicken skin’). The buffing side sloughs off dead skin cells and impurities, while the smooth side boosts hydration and radiance.
6 Weleda Birch Cellulite Oil ($33, not shown) It’s easy to be sceptical about creams and lotions claiming to treat cellulite. But this world-renowned Swiss brand has been making highly effective certified-organic personal care products since the 1920s. A blend of biodynamically grown plant extracts, including birch, rosemary and butcher’s broom, help to reduce the appearance of cellulite by stimulating the body’s natural regenerating ability. Apricot, jojoba and wheatgerm oils are also in the mix to improve the tone and feel of the skin. In a clinical study, skin looked significantly firmer and smoother after one month’s use.