Celebrity Skincare Secrets

All those beautiful actresses are not as clear of complexion as the magazine covers may lead you to believe. Emma-Charlotte Bangay uncovers the sore spots of celebrity skin, and how to treat them (sans photoshop.)

From Amy Adams to Nicole Kidman and Emma Stone, actresses are lauded for their skin as much as their style.  And both are as manufactured as each other, it would seem.
See, no actress is trusted to style herself. There is a multitude of fashionista’s behind the scenes who see to it that not a well-shod foot is put wrong. Same goes for skin. Dermatologists, facialist and makeup maestro’s play a part in keeping complexion clear and spot free.
But I’m not even talking about wrinkles and lack of tone. It’s pigmentation that causes the first real ageing problems for these young actresses – and many of us mere mortals.
For some reason, that cute spattering of freckles worked with the pigtails, but doesn’t quite crack it teamed back with Prada on the red carpet.

Here are some of the secrets of the superstars – which you can use at home – to put pigmentation out to pasture:

Skincare:
“Topical antioxidants, zinc-based sunscreens, hydroxyacids and vitamin A are an absolute must,” says Chemist and founder of Rationale Skincare, Richard Parker. “UV is the most aggressive source of free radicals that cause premature ageing, pigmentation and skin cancer, and antioxidants and sunscreens keep these oxidative processes in check,” he explains. “Hydroxy-acids are also necessary as they keep our cell turnover at optimal levels, preventing precancerous damaged cells from “hanging around” where they can cause problems. Additionally Retinol (Vitamin A) helps repair UV-induced damage to skin cells.”
Yes, it takes commitment and coin to use treatment skincare, but when you take into consideration the increasing factors that nurture the onset and onslaught of pigmentation as we age - including hormones, sun, pregnancy - you need an arsenal of actives to maintain vibrancy, even if your skin hasn’t seen damaging daylight for decades, Richard expalins.
“Skin pigment –producing cells (melanocytes) appear to have a “memory” so episodes of hyper-pigmentation will continuously occur throughout adulthood,” he says.

Cosmetics:
There are some nifty makeup tricks that can help to ease the appearance of pigmentation too. The secret is not to suffocate skin though. It’s best to let natural vibrancy shine through, which is far more beautiful than trying to mask it entirely.

• Choose a BB Cream that offers coverage, protects against UV, hydrates, boosts a natural glow and evens skin tone in the long run.
• Never concentrate foundation on the pigment to begin with. Instead, dot foundation down the centre of the forehead, nose and chin, and blend outwards towards the ears, temples and neck for even coverage.
• Apply concealer after foundation. Look in the mirror by a daylight source and see where darkness still appears through foundation. Use a cream concealer here to gently press into skin and merge with overall skin shade.
• As a general rule, yellow or orange-based pigmented foundations and concealers tend to be deep enough to ‘lift’ and blend pigmentation. Stay away from pink based foundations and concealers as these wont hold enough weight to cover pigmentation, but may rather enhance their darkness.
• And next time you spy a starlet gazing at you from a gargantuan advertisement, just remember all the skincare, stealth cosmetic tricks, sun-protection (not to mention photoshop and filters) that have gone into creating such a vision of clarity!