Q&A Beauty Look and feel your big-day best with help from the professionals EAT YOUR WAY TO HEALTHY SKIN I’ve heard that skin health is more about what you eat than what you put on your face. How can I adopt this philosophy to get flawless skin for my big day? The skincare experts at Doctors Formula (https://doctorsformula.co.uk) say: What you eat significantly affects your skin’s overall health and appearance. Consuming a diet high in processed foods, sugary snacks and unhealthy fats can damage your skin’s appearance. These foods can contribute to inflammation in the body, which may manifest as acne, redness or dull skin. Additionally, diets lacking in essential nutrients such as vitamins A, C and E and omega-3 fatty acids can result in skin issues such as dryness, wrinkles and uneven tone. By prioritising a diet focused on whole, nutrient-dense foods, you can support your skin’s health from inside out, leading to a more youthful and radiant complexion. For example, nuts are super-rich in various vitamins, minerals and antioxidants and are the go-to snack for many celebrities. Berries such as blueberries, strawberries and blackberries are collagen-stimulating and contain nutrients such as vitamin C and ellagic acid, which help to provide a youthful glow and ease sun-induced UV skin pigmentation. What about starting your day with a smoothie containing seasonal berries, chai tea, and a bit of almond milk like Megan Fox? Green tea is also a good option and it isn’t only great for fat burning but is full of vitamins B2 and E, which help keep the optimum levels of collagen and aid in firming a youngerlooking skin structure while developing new skin cells. Dark leafy greens too are a skincare staple. They contain high levels of chlorophyll, which helps protect your skin from premature ageing and inflammation. The darker the leafy green, the more chlorophyll it contains. If you do fancy a treat though, dark chocolate is a healthy choice. It’s filled with antioxidants that help to reduce dark spots on your skin and flavanol that can protect against sun damage. Since it’s loaded with skin-healing nutrients, this sweet treat can aid you in achieving youthful-looking skin. LIFT OFF My long hair is generally quite flat and lifeless, but I love the idea of wearing my hair down on my wedding day. What can I do to give it more volume? Celebrity hairstylist Michael Douglas (https://mdlondon.co.uk) says: One of the easiest ways is to get some layers put in it. If you’ve got collarbone-length locks or longer, then longish layers are best with the shortest being chin or jaw length. This way, you take weight out of the hair but keep the length while creating body. Having a fringe put in is also a great way of achieving more volume. Because a fringe is made up of hair taken from the top of the head, you’re removing weight there and pushing it to the front. Blow-drying your hair properly is a good idea too. So, dry using a small, round brush dry from roots upwards. People think a big brush is the best way to create body, but actually a smaller size is better as you can get right in at the root lifting from the scalp. Blow-drying hair with your head upside down is also a good trick. Remember, you’re trying to defy gravity, getting the hair away from the head. The MDLondon Blow with a large nozzle and a really good bristle brush will give you a fantastic blow-dry with flyaway- and frizz-free shine and lots of volume! You’ll want to look for resin-based blow-dry products containing PDP VA core polymers such as mousse, blow-dry sprays, and hair protection sprays. These can go hard or a bit crispy but as long as you’re constantly moving the brush while you’re drying you’ll avoid the worst of this. But bear in mind that you do need some of that crunchiness as it’s this texture that supports the volume. I love a product called Sugarlift by Wella EIMI. Dry shampoos and dry texturising sprays are good at supporting volume too. I use Umberto Giannini Texture Boost on myself and on my clients. You can use it throughout the day, so if you feel your hair getting a bit flat, just flip your head forward and spray it in at the roots whenever you need to. Above all, you don’t want anything oily on the hair – no oils, no serums, nothing greasy as they’re heavy. Another good method for creating body is adding waves. If you put a curling tong through sections of your hair it creates push against other sections and that in turn creates volume. But if you don’t put enough wave in at the roots the hair sits a bit flat, so make sure you concentrate the tongs at the root, which is where you want the lift. On the big day, put medium velcro rollers in your hair and leave them while you have your make-up done. Try a bit of backcombing at the roots too, teasing the hair with a wide-toothed comb. You could do one of these things or all of them and it will help you. I guess what you don’t want is unrealistic volume so that it looks like a parody. You want to find a happy medium where the hair is healthy looking, so I’d recommend experimenting before the wedding until you find that sweet spot. Maria Orlova on Unsplash 75 BEAUTY Q&A
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