Recently I did an Instagram live with a beauty expert and realised that most of us have no freaking idea what sequence to follow for our skincare routines. Yes, I indeed did a few things incorrectly too, and honestly, how the hell does one know. But the discussion did reinforce my belief in the fact that if used incorrectly no matter what product you use, it becomes ineffective to the tune of actually causing harm like pigmentation, fine lines and acne.


So without further ado, here is the routine you must follow for a healthy glowing face.

Step 1: Cleanser
The first step for all beauty routines is and will always be to wash your face so that the skin is ready to accept and absorb products that are to follow. Use a make-up remover in an oil base and follow it with a cream-based cleanser for a residue-free skin.

Step 2: Toner
Cleansing is usually followed with prepping the skin for the next steps with a BHA or AHA based toner that works its magic to unclog pores, prevent breakouts and dissolve blackheads. Pick a toner that feels gentle and light on your face.

Step 3: Serum
Serums are like an instant boost of nutrients, hydrators, and antioxidants that amp skin health as soon as applied. Pick a serum enriched with Vitamin C that protects the skin from inflammation and damage caused by free radicals, while brightening skin and lightening dark spots.

Step 4: Eye Cream
There is a huge debate whether to apply eye cream before or after moisturisers, but for it to work its magic, eye cream is to be applied before any cream and oil so it can penetrate through the skin easily without any barrier. Pick an eye cream that is hydrating to repair the skin barrier.

Step 5: Spot Reduction Cream
Spot treatments are usually most ideal to use at night but if you plan to use it during the day too, pick one with Vitamin B3. It is crucial to dab just a tiny bit over the problem area and then wait for it to dry out (about a minute) before the next step.

Step 6: Moisturizer
You must use a moisturiser, always (even if you do not use any other product) as it is the only barrier that will keep the radicles out and keep your skin healthy and hydrated. Use a light, gentle hyaluronic-based moisturizer with SPF 30. Let it sit on the skin for a few minutes before the next step.

Step 7: Retinol
No matter what skin healthy you are at, using a Retinol will enable your skin to speed up cell repair, thereby ensuring you always have fresh, smooth, wrinkle-free skin. With retinol be prepared for a long haul as it takes almost 3-6 months to show the difference as it works from within.

Step 8: Facial Oil
Using a facial oil is an important part to seal in the products already applied on the face to keep them from evaporating. A facial oil penetrates through the layers of products, to unclog and fill enlarged pores, heal stretch marks and prevent loss of elastin and collagen.

Step 9: Sunscreen
After the products are sealed in, you must use sunscreen as a protective layer against all free radicals in the environment. Even if your moisturiser or your make-up product has any sunscreen, do not step out during the day without any sunscreen.


I, for one, cannot contemplate all these daunting steps every day and so for steps 5-8 I opt to use one single product, Nature Sure™ Pores and Marks Oil. The Pores and Marks oil is an amazing moisturiser that unclogs and fills enlarged skin pores, heals stretch marks and prevents loss of elastin and collagen. This luxurious oil has one of the highest nutritional contents that penetrate deeply into the skin, including Vitamins A, B, C, D and E, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, silica and zinc. This beauty wonder has oleic acid content as high as 72%, which makes it one of the best skin moisturisers in the world.

However, if you still decide to follow the 9-Step skincare formula, remember the rule of thumb is to apply the lightest product first and the heaviest last, since thinner products can’t penetrate thicker products. And for those who remain confused, the best way is to pin or save or screenshot this article, whatever works for you.

Until next time,
~ Heena

Are you considering a facelift to make you look decades younger? Then, lifting your face should be a priority. Plastic surgery is arguably the best way to make you appear more youthful and used by thousands of beauty and fashion icons worldwide. However, you need to be careful when selecting surgery to lift your face as there is a possibility that it may not go as desired and leaves signs for everyone to see. And then to attempt to correct such mistakes is a daunting task, and the results are not guaranteed to be favourable.

Why is a facelift necessary?
People age differently. You might realise that you look younger or older than your age and people of similar ages. A problem can arise when you feel that your body, especially your face has aged more than the rest of your body. Sometimes your career or your genetic predisposition can make you age uncomfortably faster which may misconstrue your facial expressions. For example; a sag in your mid-face can make you look droopy even when you are smiling. A facelift in such a case will make you look and feel younger.

There are various reasons people seek surgical intervention to improve their facial appearance, some of which are as follows: 
• To minimise creases along the nose which proceed along the mouth that are the major signs of ageing. 
• To reduce the mid-face sagging which makes you look unhappy at all times.
• To make the jowls in the jawline smooth which will make you look much younger. 
• To remove the double chin which just looks ugly making you look older. 

How is a successful aesthetic facial surgery done?
Generally, a hairline incision is made from the temple area all the way to just behind the temples for a simple facelift. If you want to reduce a double chin, a similar incision is made in the naturally occurring crease below the chin. Hiding the scars in these ares are pretty easy; in fact, it will be extremely hard even for you to pinpoint the exact incisions. However, this requires a surgeon with enough experience and technique.

What are the telltale signs of facial surgery?
Firstly, you shouldn't know the signs of facial surgery because they should not be there in the first place. Face surgery should lift your spirit, making you feel younger and happy. Unfortunately, if this procedure is not done properly, the following signs can give you away:

• Distorted and stretched face skin due to overdoing the reconstruction.
• An altered hairline if the incision is not symmetrical on either side of the face. 
• Conspicuously high brows  especially if exaggerated, will make the face look odd. 
• Distorted ears if there is loss of symmetry during the surgery.
• Deformity in the neck if the lifting of the chin skin is done poorly. 

These signs are frightful and should never happen. However, this is not to discourage you from going for surgery as it is quite a routine procedure and many surgeons can uplift your face beautifully and leave no traces whatsoever.

How to avoid the telltale signs of a facial surgery?
When it comes to avoiding the signs of facial surgery, there are two approaches, one that is the surgery that is the onus of the surgeon and second that is the care which is the requirement by the patient.

An experienced surgeon will not have trouble making the surgery as conspicuous as possible with two key skills, namely making incisions in areas where they cannot be easily seen and avoiding stretching the skin more than required and of course the incision symmetry.

A patient needs to ensure that the surgeon selected is adequately experienced for the kind of surgery needed. Also the outcome depends on the condition of the face, which in a way limits the results. Align the expectations with the pre-mediated result so as to not put unnecessary pressure on the surgeon.

Conclusion
A facelift should make you happy, however, if it is not done well it can make you look weird. Distorted earlobes, scars in your face, misaligned hairlines can make you regret the procedure. As it is both an expensive and time-consuming procedure, pick the right surgeon to make you face. A good plastic surgery should leave no sign behind after the surgery is over and healed. At the same time, you should not be over ambitious since there is a limit on what can be done to make you look younger and pretty.

Dr. Miller heads one of the leading anti-ageing centres in England. This board-certified surgeon specialises in plastic surgery especially facelifts His experience in this field can be affirmed by the fact that he is a member of ‘The American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons’, ‘The American Society of Plastic Surgeons’ and ‘The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh’. You can learn more about him here.