Beauty: Feed your face

Change up your routine with natural, nutrient-rich ingredients

You are what you eat, but what you apply on the outside counts, too. While hitting a 10-a-day target intake for fruit and veg seems like an impossible mission, its easier than ever to make sure our ‘ beauty diet’ is tip-top. So try filling up on these radianceboosting goodies… 1 Charcoal - to detox This humble home heater has reinvented itself as a purifying ingredient. Health fanatics are known to drink it, but if you’d rather not, you’ll be relieved to hear it’s in plenty of skincare products. Its absorbent qualities make it great for a deep clean, which is why it’s a good addition in washes and masks. Start using L’Oréal Paris Pure Clay Detox Wash, £5.99, and once a week try The Sanctuary Purifying Charcoal Bubble Sheet Mask, £5.

2 Vitamin C - to brighten It’s one of the most popular ingredients thanks to its ability to rejuvenate and brighten the skin, and the higher the concentration, the more effective it is. It’s such an active ingredient that if it’s opened for a while, it loses efficacy over time. Clinique Fresh Pressed 7-Day System with Pure Vitamin C, £25, has a concentration of an impressive 10 per cent, and it comes in one-day sachets so you use it at its most potent.

3 Grapes - to plump We always knew wine was good for us, and now we have proof. Superdrug Optimum PhytoFreeze Face & Neck Cream, £14.99, has an ingredient based on Swiss ice wine, produced from frozen grapes. Science bods found that the ingredient Vin-upLift has an instant lifting and tightening effect, making it ideal if your concerns are wrinkles and slackening skin. Long-term, it leaves your complexion looking plump and hydrated.

4 Kale – to hydrate There’s plenty of goodness in this green veg, and when added to skincare and used topically it makes a good moisturiser, strengthening the lipid barrier that protects against skin complaints such as wrinkles and inflammation. iN.gredients Kale Cream Mask, £3, nourishes and includes witch hazel to help soothe redness, while Nip + Fab Kale Fix Moisturiser, £14.95, makes a great nourishing day cream that isn’t too greasy, either.

5 Avocado – to tackle signs of ageing Often spread on toast, avocados are full of essential fatty acids that moisturise our skin from the inside out, so it’s no wonder it has made its way into our bathrooms. It’s particularly beneficial on delicate skin that suffers from the signs of ageing first. Melvita Avocado Oil, £16, is recommended for use around the eyes. However, we also think it’s great on your hands and décolletage – apply at night.