Oh! and you may also begin to notice the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines (even when your face is ‘resting’); under-eye bags hours after you’ve woken up; your skin might appear duller and your pores larger.

This comes as no surprise: skin cell turnover slows down somewhere in the 30s, collagen production decreases, and antioxidant defences decline. By the time you hit 40, the process is much slower and the decline faster. But it’s not all gloom and doom. While the general rule is to have an anti-aging beauty routine on lockdown in your 30s, it is never too late to start when you turn 40.

Wondering what skincare products will work at reducing wrinkles and keeping the fine lines at bay for people in their 40s? Here are some of the best to start with

Yves Rocher Overconcentrated Lift Serum

The overconcentrated botanical compound here comes from Ajupa Reptans (also known as Carpet Bugle) which, among other things, is known to help with speeding up the process of healing, promoting cell growth and reducing inflammation.

According to Yves Rocher, following a clinical study involving 25 cases, 92% said they noticed wrinkles looked reduced almost immediately. After one month, the skin appeared to sag less and looked stronger.

The Overconcentrated Lift serum can be used in the morning and evening on both the face and neck to reduce wrinkles and tighten the skin.

Troiareuke Energy Cream

Because cellular turnover slows down as we age, our skin tends to retain dead cells longer than it can replace them with younger, healthier-looking ones. Don’t forget also that collagen production is rapidly declining, which means that not only do you have a higher percentage of dead skin cells all over, you now have to contend with skin that is less elastic and less hydrated.

The key ingredients of camellia seed oil, galactomyces ferment filtrate, ginseng root extract, as well as 7 different types of peptides make the Troiareuke Energy Cream a great ally in the fight against ageing skin.

Camellia seed oil is an antioxidant that protects and moisturises the skin, while peptides, which contain amino acids that can be easily absorbed by the skin, can help to stimulate your skin to produce collagen.

Troiareuke Rejuvenating Formula Ampule

Formulated with Hydrolyzed Collagen and Acetylhexapeptide-8, Troiareuke Rejuvenating Formula Ampule works well in reducing the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines.

And with the addition of licorice root extract which helps to fade dark spots, this serum will not only help you look younger in a non-invasive way, it will also help your skin appear brighter and well hydrated.

Murad Resurgence Complete Skincare Regimen

The Murad Resurgence Complete Skincare Regimen is perfect for people just starting out in their anti-ageing beauty routine. It contains a renewing eye cream, a sun cream (age-Balancing Moisture Broad Spectrum SPF 30), a hydrating toner, a cleansing cream, a rapid collagen infusion serum and a moisturising cream.

Use the Renewing Cleansing Cream, Hydrating Toner, the Intensive Age Diffusing Serum and the Age Balancing Moisture SPF 30 in the morning, and the Renewing Cleansing Cream, Hydrating Toner, the Intensive Age Diffusing Serum, the Age Balancing Night Cream and the Renewing Eye Cream in the evening for improved firmness and the reduction of wrinkles and fine lines.

Sunscreen

Any beauty regiment would be moot without sunscreen, so whether you’re going with a serum or a cream, make sure to finish up with an SPF 30 at the very least.

The above-mentioned products are available at Montaigne stores nationwide.

The post 5 Great Skincare Products for the 40s and Over first appeared on Aspire Luxury Magazine.

The post 5 Great Skincare Products for the 40s and Over appeared first on Aspire Luxury Magazine.

So, which of these sunscreens should you add to your daily routine, and how do you know you are getting the best value for your money?

What does SPF mean?

SPF stands for ‘Sun Protection Factor’. The numbers associated with SPF are meant to indicate the amount of time you can be in the sun while wearing that formula (as opposed to being out sans any coverage) and avoid burning. So a proper layer of SPF 15 would shield you 15 times longer than if you had no SPF at all.

Now, while an SPF 30 sunscreen supposedly covers you twice as much as SPF 15, it does not mean it will stay on your skin longer. The maximum amount of time you should go between reapplications is 2 hours – or after towelling off post-swim or sweat. In practice, SPF’s effectiveness wanes quickly, no matter how strong it is from the start.

Given this need to reapply often, it’s better to familiarize yourself with each SPF number’s overall defensiveness. SPF 15 will block roughly 93% of UV rays when applied thoroughly. That’s a huge benefit, but a simple upgrade to SPF 30 will shield 97% of rays. It only increases slightly from there. SPF 50 blocks 98%, and SPF 100 blocks 99%. For this reason, professionals recommend you always use SPF 30 as a baseline. You’re much, much better off applying 30 SPF diligently than slapping on some gaudy triple-digit number just once.

UV Coverage

Always make sure your sunscreen is broad-spectrum, which means it shields you from all types of UV rays.

There are three kinds of UV rays (A, B, and C), but we primarily discuss UVA and UVB rays, since UVC rays are bounced by the earth’s ozone layer.

UVA rays have the longest wavelength, and as such, are able to get into the middle layers of your skin. They are the ones that cause your skin to age faster since much of your skin’s firmness, resilience, and elasticity is determined by what happens at this subsurface level.

UVB rays have shorter wavelengths, and they tend to stay on the outermost layer of the skin. They’re the rays that lead to sunburns and that also cause skin cancer.

Typically, UVB rays are deemed the worse of the pair, but any leathery texture, sun spots, and wrinkles can be attributed to UVA rays, so it’s best to block them both.

What is PA+?

There’s a more recent addition to sunscreen labels, in the form of PA+ (with as many as 4 ‘plus’ signs after the ‘PA’). This is short for “Protection Grade of UVA” and is a Japanese rating system that measures how effective a formula is at thwarting UVA rays.

That’s because the typical SPF scale determines how long a sunscreen will shield you from sunburn—which, given what you learned above, correlates specifically to UVB rays. So, by combining an SPF scale and a PA+ scale, you know what your overall defensiveness is against UVA and UVB rays.

Oddly enough, there is no correlation between the number of ‘plus’ signs and the strength or duration for which they shield the skin. So a PA++++ product doesn’t necessarily defend you four times as strong or as long as a PA+.

However, if this is hard to follow or all of the extra information stresses you out, just stick with the basics: Use a broad-spectrum SPF 30, applied liberally, every two hours, or after exposure to water.

Mineral or chemical sunscreen?

Another thing to consider: Whether or not your sunscreen is mineral (or sometimes “physical”) or chemical (or some combination of the two).

You can usually tell based on whether it absorbs easily into the skin (chemical), or leaves a matte, slightly chalky cast atop the skin (mineral/physical).

Chemical ingredients that block UV rays do so by absorbing the rays and neutralizing them so that they cannot render any harm to your skin cells. These most commonly include avobenzone, octisalate, oxybenzone, and homosalate. These ingredients can be absorbed into the bloodstream and are sometimes detected in the blood weeks after applications—hence why some people remain sceptical of chemical SPF applications. They also might not be great for coral reefs.  However, people have been using these chemical sunscreen formulas for decades without any severely devastating side effects.

Mineral ingredients sit atop the skin and simply bounce UV rays away, barring entry. These typically include zinc oxide and/or titanium dioxide. Effective formulas leave minimal to no chalky cast on the skin, while low-quality formulas might have you looking like you just powdered your entire face or body.

How to properly apply sunscreen

1. In general, you should apply your sunscreen approximately 30 minutes before exposure to the sun, given it can take some time to seep into the skin and provide full, thorough coverage.

2. The most surprising thing is how much SPF is recommended per application: Roughly one shot glass for your entire body is considered a proper dose. Most of us are applying far less sunscreen than this, meaning we aren’t getting the coverage we think we are.

3. You still need to apply SPF on cloudy days. UV rays can penetrate clouds—sometimes as many as 80% of them, and they can also bounce off snow if you live in areas that experience winter.

Source: GQ

The post Do You Need an SPF 30 or 60? first appeared on Aspire Luxury Magazine.

The post Do You Need an SPF 30 or 60? appeared first on Aspire Luxury Magazine.

Heavy rains plus a pandemic equals lazy beauty routines, right? Wrong! Nothing is an excuse to let your beauty regimen go down the drain. Even if you do not want to go all the way, ensure you are following these simple steps religiously

1. Taking hot baths more than usual? Moisturise.

If you find yourself taking more hot baths this season for whatever reason, you may find out that your skin is drier than before.

This is normal. Hot water can strip your skin of its natural oils, proteins and fats which keep it healthy. Make sure to use a moisturising cream, oil or lotion after each bath on a slightly-damp skin to lock in moisture and keep you glowing. If you sweat more often than the average person, a water-based moisturiser should do the trick.

2. Closed doors do not mean unruly curls.

The Coronavirus is still with us, and despite relaxed lockdowns, a lot of us continue work from home and have no reason to go out as often.

But this is no excuse for the matted hair some of us hide under silk bonnets and tired wigs, or the caveman look some guys have decided to run around with. While the rain will not affect your hair if you do not have to go out often, dark skies and a gloomy weather can dampen your mood, which will be further worsened by wild hair flying everywhere.

Take down braids or cornrows that have lasted far longer than they should. When it isn’t washday, keep your hair in a simple protective style. This is the perfect time to grow healthy hair, so don’t waste it.

And guys, if you can, have fun with your clipper. Or if you do not live alone, get friends/a significant other/siblings to help out.

3. Do not neglect your everyday beauty routines.

You are not sweating as much because you’re indoors and the weather is cooler? Your skin may have not gotten the memo!

Wash your face at least twice every day. Exfoliate weekly, or as often as you would normally do. Cleanse using your favourite product. Don’t give up on your beauty regimen simply because you are still in the comfort of your home and the rains have further discouraged movement.

4. Don’t forget to use sunscreen if you have to be outdoors.

Rains do not mean the sun has gone to sleep.

5. Finally, stay hydrated.

Trust me, your body does not automatically absorb water even if you are under the rain!

The post Easy Beauty Tips for a Pandemic-Laced Rainy Season first appeared on Aspire Luxury Magazine.

The post Easy Beauty Tips for a Pandemic-Laced Rainy Season appeared first on Aspire Luxury Magazine.