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Beauty Bible Beauty Clinic
Welcome to our new weekly column on the YOU magazine website, www.you.co.uk Below you will find the current question and our advice, with a list of where to source the products mentioned. To look at past columns, click here. And for lots more solutions to your beauty dilemmas, visit Q&A, just click here.
April 19th, 2009: Teen Skin
Q My 14-year-old daughter has typical teenager spot-prone skin. She has tried many products on the market, some good, some not so good, but none have really helped clear up or even improve the problem. When she uses the products they usually inflame the redness of the spots so she puts more make up on to cover them because she feels so embarrassed - it's a vicious circle. I have suggested she does her cleansing routine at night with a simpler approach in the mornings to reduce the redness but I'm not sure that's actually the best advice. Are there any 'teenage friendly' products you would recommend for her to try?
A Suddenly, the teen market is booming - so teenagers need no longer be magnetically attracted to the Oxy-10 fixture in Superdrug. Many of these new brands have been founded by women in just your position, despairing of being able to find something gentle enough for their daughters’ skins.
The first, and most upmarket, is Elizabeth’s Daughter, which is simple and nicely-packaged. It includes a useful Daily Moisturiser SPF15 for face and body, at £24, while the gentle Facial Cream Cleanser is £15. (There’s a good starter kit for £20.)
A great budget range is Amie which is priced from £4.65 to £4.95 and won the Pure Beauty Awards 2008. Young & Pure is priced at around the fiver-ish mark, too, and again came from a woman’s passionate commitment to producing really good natural products.
As far as the routine goes, you are right to say cleanse at night, and actually she need do very little in the morning – just splash with cool water and pat dry (no rubbing ever) with a clean cloth, then moisturise.
Where many teens (and spot sufferers generally) go wrong is to try to dry up their skin. We suggest you give her a copy of skin guru Liz Earle’s new book (Liz Earle’s Skin Secrets, £12.79 on Amazon), which has a whole section on teen skin and what to do. Liz suggests using a creamy cleanser, gentle cleanser (could be simply aloe vera juice) and a lightweight moisturiser with added antioxidants (beta-carotene and vitamin E). And never forget a good mineral-based sunscreen (products with chemical screens can inflame sensitive skins). In fact, you could do a great deal worse than to use Liz’ own Naturally Active Skincare range, which consistently does well in our Tried & Tested consumer surveys. (They’re the biggest independent ones in the world we’re told.)
We have heard of many teens with troublesome skin who have benefited from a vitamin A supplement, such as Vitamin A by HealthAid, £5.99 for 100 capsules, and also Zinc with Copper by Nature’s Own, £8.15 for 50 tablets, both from Victoria Health.
Barbara Daly Make-up for Tesco Super Sheer Loose Face Powder, £4.75. We wouldn’t dream of carrying most loose face powders around in a handbag – even though they’re the still best for mattifying, during the day/evening. But trust make-up genius Barbara Daly to get it right: this gossamer-light translucent powder comes in a clever little square pot, with a mirror and teensy velvet pad, and is completely spill-proof (thanks to a clever plastic twist-top to the powder). Find it at Tesco stores.
WHERE TO FIND PRODUCTS:
 Elizabeth’s Daughter Daily Moisturiser SPF15 £24.00 for 150ml and Elizabeth’s Daughter Facial Cream Cleanser £15.00 for 100ml is available online at www.elizabethsdaughter.co.uk
Amie Morning Clear-Purifying Facial Wash £4.84 for 150ml is available online at www.victoriahealth.com (with your special 5% discount, and free-postage with online orders).
Amie Morning Dew-Matte Finish Moisturiser £4.84 for 75 ml is available online at www.victoriahealth.com (with your special 5% discount, and free-postage with online orders).
 Amie Petal Perfect-Refreshing Cleansing Lotion £4.65 for 200ml is available online at www.victoriahealth.com (with your special 5% discount, and free-postage with online orders).
 Liz Earle’s Skin Secrets book £12.79 is available online at www.amazon.co.uk and includes free UK delivery.
Vitamin A by HealthAid, £5.99 for 100 capsules, is available online at www.victoriahealth.com (with your special 5% discount, and free-postage with online orders).
Zinc with Copper by Nature’s Own, £8.15 for 50 tablets is available online at www.victoriahealth.com (with your special 5% discount, and free-postage with online orders).
Beauty Bible Beauty Clinic - Archive
March 29th, 2009 - Are Sunbeds Safe?
March 22nd, 2009 - Weak, Flaking Nails
March 15th, 2009 - Puffy Eyes
March 8th, 2009 - Camouflaging Red Cheeks
March 1st, 2009 - Hair Colouring in Pregnancy
February 22nd, 2009 - Thinning Eyebrows
February 15th, 2009 - Acne |
