Skin Survival with Star Foodie host, Christina-Laia
From airplanes, to trains, buses, and underground metros – I do it all – literally, all the time. Not to mention walk to and from, an inordinate amount of destinations in an array of climates – from hot sun to snowflakes, and rainstorms in between. Sure filming, on either side of the Atlantic has its own gargantuan benefits, but like you guessed, there’s a but coming. The body, face, hair and skin; yup they get a pretty good beating. So I dedicated a great part of my spare time chatting with the experts, and figuring out how to maintain a healthy lifestyle in and outside of my anatomy. After I got the body, eating, and hair routine down pact, I dove into my arch nemesis. My problematic, nagging, always thirsty, rarely cooperative… nope not my boyfriend, my skin.
I’m sure we’ve all heard it by now, the epidermis is the body’s largest organ. Yes, I’m throwing “epidermis” in this blog for good measure because of course, its origin is Greek. In case you’re wondering, the word epidermis comes from the Greek roots epi meaning “upon” and derma, which means “skin.”
Taking over a total area of about 20 square feet on our bodies, it’s no wonder, that when my skin breaks out, feels dry, itchy or even on fire (yes it happens to me often) I feel like utter yuk! Adversely when its behaving perfectly, I couldn’t feel more instagram ready.
So let’s dive right into my current do’s and don’ts! (Most of which I learned, the hard, harder, and hardest way!)
I discovered early on in filming, that wearing any type of makeup on aircrafts was not good – for anything! We’re talking drying up, burning and even flaking from wearing layers of makeup on long flights 30,000 feet high. My trick for travel – all travel by the way, became tinted moisturiser. Stick to moisturiser (& sunglasses if you’re paranoid of photos) and your skin will feel smooth and moist after excursions.
I also adapted the tinted moisturiser method for the long hot days in Athens. A combination of heat, sun, sweat and acne prone skin had me break out time and time again while filming last summer. I stuck to a good quality, oil free, tinted sunscreen for days, and shifted to Matte Finishing loose powder for evenings on the Athens Riviera.
Ok back to the arctic. Since my skin reacts so differently during the different seasons throughout the year, I change up my routine according to the sun dial. Currently, it’s more like the snow dial, which I gotta say, seems to make my skin much happier.
After several beauty counter visits, in literally dozens of cities in 2 different continents, I finally discovered the truth. No one knew what worked for me. So like any self-reliant girl, I adopted a skin regiment that battles blemishes, drying and keeps me moist.
Watch my recent Star Foodies episode where I checked in at Q Esthetics to talk skin care with their Skin Care Specialist Toya!
AM – Good quality cleanser, Natural Toner
DayTime– Light Acne fighting Gel, Oil Free Liquid Makeup (moist with sunscreen) & Matte Finishing loose powder
PM – Good quality cleanser, Natural Toner
BedTime – Light Acne fighting Gel and Light Moisturiser, Eye Cream
Try: Alumier MD Spot Clearing Lotion $36 & Alumier MD AluminEye $94
3-4x a week I use an all natural face mask for 15 minutes, and use the same contents for spot treatment on persistent blemishes. My favourites are Clay masks.
When I remember, I add truffle based eye cream to my AM & PM regiment. I did however, regain milia in the area – so be careful with the richness of the cream!
Remember everyone’s skin is different, so trying out different products throughout the year, and adapting to climates is key!
If you’d like more in-depth info plus my favourite brands, give me a shout out!
Off to the set!
Christina-Laia xoxo