Skin is a reflection of your inner self
Prudence wade learns skin secrets FROM Facialist TO The stars, ada OOI
WITH a client roster that includes Rooney Mara, Ellie Goulding and Lily Allen, facialist Ada Ooi (adaooi.com) knows a thing or two about glowing skin.
Originally from Hong Kong, Ada spent weekends growing up at her grandfather’s pharmacy in nearby Macau.
“I would sit next to him every Saturday, I was the girl grinding all these herbs and pastes for the customers,” Ada remembers.
“I picked up a lot about the good feeling of helping people.”
Another thing she learned from her grandfather was the potential in mixing Chinese and Western medicines.
Ada trained as aromatherapist and aesthetician and as a practitioner of Chinese medicine.
“My philosophy is treating from within: that is how
I see myself as a facialist, because our skin is the biggest organ of our body and is really the reflection of what’s happening in our inner self.”
Here are just some of the tips and secrets Ada has picked up along the way...
1. Think about your skin holistically
“If you care for your skin, you should be caring for your whole wellbeing as well,” Ada says.
“I’m not saying you need to go and do lots of check-ups – nothing complicated, but be more mindful and conscious about your stress, the tension you have, hormonal fluctuations. “These contribute to most longer-term skin problems, like adult acne and wrinkles – yes, gravity plays a role, but a tense expression is the killer.”
2. don’t blindly follow trends Over-exfoliating is a big one right now. “I really do see there is an addiction to using acids and exfoliating agents, because of how it feels,” Ada sighs. “Initially, it feels very smooth, very good – but then you start peeling, or you have redness... And your skin can get very dry.”
3. Try not to do everything at once Almost all of us are guilty of it: we get an issue with our skin and try to fix it by chucking on as many products and treatments as we can.“try to do one thing at a time – don’t experiment with so much,” Ada pleads.
“Even if you’ve got the money, doing everything at the same time cannot be good for you.”
4. Mindset is everything
“If you take a little bit of mindfulness in your skincare routine, you will feel a big difference in your mood. And if you do it at night, you will sleep better as well.”
5. Massage your products in
Ada says: “It really creates a brainskin reaction with dopamine – happy hormones.
“They are going to be hyped up, so you’ll have more benefits from your skincare, and your mind will feel a lot better too.”