EXTEND YOUR SUMMER GLOW

So how was your Summer? With a bit of luck it was full of brilliant adventures, fresh air and sunshine. All that carefree living shows on your skin giving us a gorgeous healthy glow. Even though we're all now pretty much back in to work mode, with a bit of extra tender loving care there's no reason you can't keep that spring in your step and glow on your skin right through the Autumn

Here are four tips to help you do just that...  

Eat colourfully

Colourful foods are high in phytonutrients and antioxidants that our body needs to stay healthy. So the plea to 'eat the rainbow' really does make sense. The yellowy-gold, soft summer fruits might have been and gone, but there's an abundance of berries around now and the dark green leafy veg and Vitamin A loaded squashes are just getting in to their stride. Eat what you can while it's fresh and plentiful but also look for ways to capture the colour. Berries freeze well, and can be turned in to syrups and jams; freeze homemade soup, or make chutneys and sauces out of the glut of tomatoes, garlics and onions. In short, do what our ancestors would have always done and stock up your larder so you have access to all those natural nutrients right through the winter months when your skin needs it most.

Try: Blueberries are one of the most antioxidant rich foods you can eat. Perfect to fight off skin ageing free-radicals and keep you bursting with health. Stock up now and you'll have vitamins on tap all Autumn long.

Manage your stress

As life gets back to normal and hectic timetables take hold that familiar feeling of never  quite having enough time to get though all the things on your to do list tends to take over and our stress levels rise. When we lose our sense of inner calm, our body reacts by releasing hormones that put every organ in our body under pressure. Stress takes its toll on our skin as it increases inflammation (leading to breakouts and sensitivity) and reduces collagen production (making our skin look less plump and glowing). Stress can also too easily lead to disrupted sleep and all the knock on effects that has on how well we look and feel. However busy life gets, take time out for yourself every day to do something you love and give yourself space to think. We think it's particularly important to ring fence some time at the end of the day to help quiet the mind and get yourself in to sleep mode. Whether it's a 20 minute pamper session, a soak in a warm bath or 15 minute yoga routine in your pjs. Slow down a little at the close of the day and see how it helps your stress levels and improve your sleep.

Try: Check out our Jasmine & white tea infused CALM range of bedtime products designed to help quieten the mind before bed and rebalance your skin while you are sleeping.

Exercise in the open air

Exercise not only helps you to stay trim, it also keeps our body flowing smoothly. As our heart rate rises, the job of pumping oxygen to every cell in our body is speeded up and all the waste materials that our cells create are flushed away quicker. That's good news for our complexion as it brings a healthy flush of colour to the cheeks and any puffiness caused by a buildup of toxins in tender places such as around our eyes, is reduced. The scientists have shown that exercising outdoors is even more beneficial. It's a chance for our lungs to get filled up with fresh, highly oxygenated air, to immerse ourselves in negative ions (they are the good ones by the way) and also to appreciate our natural surroundings. Make the most of it before the temperature drops and the mornings and evenings get too dark. Find ways to walk, run or cycle during the week and make a to do list of outdoorsy autumn things to do on the weekends.

Try: Check out website sustain.org.uk who collate and share maps on Britain best cycle paths and walking route. There's something there for every fitness level and age group so everyone can get involved.

Adapt your skincare routine

It's not just our outfits that need to change with the seasons, our skin has different needs as the temperature gets cooler too. All that sunshine can leave skin a little dehydrated and in need of some love.  That's not a great start point giving we're likely to be subjected to centrally heated spaces and Autumn winds. Exfoliating weekly helps to remove dead surface cells and let the new smooth skin cells beneath come though. Follow with a dose of nightly nourishment so your skin's lipid layers remain intact and cells have all the nutrients they need to repair and rebuild themselves.

Try: Our GLOW After Dark Skin Revival set contains a 50ml jar of our orange & geranium scented brown sugar Face Polish and a travel-sized GLOW After Dark Face Oil plus two cleansing cloths. Just what skin needs to keep its glow through cooler months.

Have a lovely Autumn.  

Lead image: Palais des Congres, Montreal, Canada by Chris Howey. Photo by Christine A Kysely