Taking the Day Off - The Art of Double Cleansing

Without a doubt, cleansing is the most important step of any routine and by cleansing I mean actually removing the dirt and grime rather than just compounding the damage using baby or facial wipes. If you are not properly cleansing your face, you will never see an improvement, regardless of whichever expensive serum or moisturiser you are use.You need to wash your face, properly, with water,atleastonceaday. 

Since being introduced to it by Sali Hughes, beauty editor for the Guardian, I  have become a huge advocate of double cleansing (i.ewashing your face with two separate cleansers in one sitting). Double cleansing shouldn’t be necessary in the morning, but I would always do it in the evening, especially if I have been wearing makeup or SPF in the day. Also, as Sali says, If you find you don’t have the energy to cleanse properly before bed, I would certainly suggest doing it earlier, as soon as you walk in the door if you have to; just make sure you do it.

I always have at least 3 different types of cleansers on rotation. I use both high end cleansers and high street ranges. What brand or type you use will be determined by your budget and preference but I would certainly recommend having at least two. Oils and balms are easily my favourite choice for skin cleansing. They are effective cleansers as they make sure everything is removed correctly but they are also delicate so your skin asnot to cause any aggravation or irritation by the process alone.

Morning Cleanse

When you wake up, assess how your skin feels and consider what you will be doing the rest of the day. I personally prefer to use cleansing oil in the morning as I feel it provides a layer on my skin and much needed softness and moisture which helps my makeup application .If I am staying at home though and not wearing makeup, then I may go for a cream cleanser instead. Experts will disagree , but when I have been exercising, I will use a gel cleanser in the shower and have never had any issues. Apparently, it is not advisable to cleanse your face with hot water from the shower, but I have never had an issue,

Evening/Double Cleanse

if I have been out and about, wearing SPF or makeup, I always double cleanse. Forthe first cleanse, I will go in with a greasy cleansing oil or balm, using the hot flannel method to remove the excesses of the day. 

Ageing Gracefully

Over the past decade, cosmetic and beauty brands have begun to make significant changes by way of catering to underrepresented communities. Retailer Superdrug announced in 2019 their decision to only stick foundations that come in a minimum of 20 different shades following research which revealed that two-thirds of black and Asian women do not that high street brands cater to their beauty needs. Since Fenty Beauty became one of the few mainstream brands to provide a fully inclusive range of shades and tones to be fully inclusive to a wide variety of consumer’s needs, brands that stock a limited number of shades, thereby excluding a proportion of its potential sales base, have been called out for the lack of diversity within their formulations. Companies like Clairin’s are noted for having limited options for those who do not fall within their spectrum, and finally, the complaints from customers who are tired of not being catered for has resulted in brands making headway on this issue.

However, while products, from beauty to hair products, are becoming more readily available to all ethnicities, body types and gender identifies, beauty marketing is still aimed at a young, white audience, assuming that all their customers fall within this stereotype.

In its June edition, Dame Judi Dench became British Vogue’s oldest cover star at the age of 85, proving that not does age not define beauty, but also that we have a long way to go in society with regards to age inclusion in the beauty industry which is particularly lacking in diversity. According to research by L’Oréal Paris, 40 percent of women over the age of 50 ‘do not feel seen’. It should be noted that L’Oréal have a long history of employing ambassadors and catering to women over the age of 40, however, this is not something common amongst over brands. When a brand or publication does use a model or ambassador over the age of 40, it is applauded as if it’s an extraordinary decision, rather than recognising the fact that the majority of the consumers who have the means to purchase these products fall into similar age brackets and despite what beauty marketing has led us to believe, age does not define beauty.

Fortunately, brands have recognised that a change is needed in the way we view age, and in a further move from ‘anti-ageing’ based marketing approached rooted in stereotypes have begun to target specific concerns such as hormonally driven changes from menopause.

New Launches, addressing this issue form brands such as L’Oréal, Clairin’s, Trinny London, Korres and Boots No7 coming throughout 2020 will likely form a way for other beauty and cosmetic companies to follow suit. Hopefully this, like the way Fenty Beauty did, will allow for more inclusivity within products offered and make ways to break the stereotypes we all face.

Blue Beauty - The Sustainable Beauty Trend

In the newest wave of clean beauty, the concept of Blue Beauty, is looking to become the latest beauty trend for 2020. While over the past decade, focus has been on making beauty regimes more sustainable; breaking down ingredients list to favour natural and eco friendly products, there is still more progress to be made. Unlike previous trends such as the green beauty movement, Blue Beauty is primarily focused on helping and working with brands to achieve an end goal of producing and using products with sustainability in mind.

Primarily about limiting plastic wastage, thereby making it easier for consumers to recycle and protect oceans from chemicals found in beauty products, the founder of the movement, Jeannie Jarnot, has stated that ‘A lot of people associated blue with ocean-friendly. And that is a part of it, but there’s more to it. Blue Beauty brands are making sure their products are safe for the environment – which includes being ocean safe as well as sustainably sourced, minimising carbon footprint etc. – but are also looking at ways their practices are contributing back to and having a net positive effect on the environment.'

With more than 120 billion units of cosmetics packaging being produced globally every year, this has a large impact on the environment. According to WWF, one dump truck full of plastic waste enters the ocean every minute, which is equivalent to 8 million tonnes of plastic every year. This undoubtedly leads to excess waste which has a huge impact on sea life.

While the answer to this is not necessarily to switch to products in alternative packaging as no matter what the material, this can still lead to negative environmental impacts, the key is to identify how to make beauty products with packaging that could be refillable or reused for another purpose. Where packaging is unavoidable, being able to return this packaging for recycling purpose will ensure that this reduces the overall carbon impact in production of these products.

As discussed, blue beauty is not just about using clean and sustainably sourced ingredients, it is about identify how packaging impacts marine life, as well as water wastage and damage to oceans. With the start of a new decade, it is important to consider how our beauty regimes impact the overall wellbeing of our planet. By 2050, there will be more plastic in the oceans that fish which means that an urgent change is needed and hopefully, the attention brought to this issue will bring about that change.

Skipcare

With a Korean beauty trends infiltrating Western society, one interesting development is the encouragement of more minimalistic, simple makeup and beauty regimes. While Western cultures have often encouraged laborious regimes, with sometimes over 10 steps per routine, together with products for specifically targeted areas, Korean beauty focuses on the utilisation of mutli use products. As mentioned, this has now become the focus of many UK users with statistics from Mintel showing that 28 per cent of UK women have reduced the number of products within their routine, with millennials aged 20 – 29 being most likely to have simplified their routines, and within this age range that number jumps to 54 percent.

This is largely due to the popularity of an emerging counter trend, with the sustainability crisis in mind, which has led to the reduction of consumption of excessive products. 

However, for others, the concept of ‘skin fasting’ popularised by Japanese skincare brand Mirai Clinical, has been at the heart of this change. Similar to the purported benefits of an intermitted fasting diet, users of this approach believe by using less products, this will help the skin detox and of course with this change, beauty companies are identified ways to encourage this growing lexicon.

As a trend predicted by Elizabeth Arden’s Dr Engelman, she explains that via the process of Autophagy, which is a process that every cell in your body goes through, toxins will inevitably slow this process down. Therefore, formulating new ingredients in products and reducing any excess product usage, this will act as autophagy activators.

With people leading busier lives than ever, a more minimal routine will without doubt suit this lifestyle. As technology is constantly evolving, and particularly the Korean beauty market being ahead of market innovations, this trend is likely to suit many people. Less products mean less expenditure which not only leads to less financial cost, but also less of an impact on the environment.

 Co-founder and co-CEO of Glow Recipe Sarah Lee says that skipcare is “all about focusing on what your skin truly needs and getting rid of any excess,” says Lee. “It’s not about sacrificing good ingredients or necessary steps. Instead, maximize the products and application methods you use in your routine to get amazing results.”

Lee says to look for “hybrid products” that can cut out the number of steps in a routine without sacrificing efficacy. For a cleanser, she suggests looking for a product with soothing and hydrating ingredients. Instead of cluttering your routine with tons of toners and serums, she says to find one nourishing toner that you can layer multiple times with ease. For the last step, she picks a sleeping mask that works overnight so you wake up with brighter and healthier skin.

However, in some products it is advisable to continue to separate. For example, foundation and skin creams containing SPF do not contain an adequate amount to provide protection from the sun, so therefore, a separate sun cream with preferably factor 50, should be used at least 15 mins before sun exposure. However, with this in mind, less products do not necessarily translate to less effectiveness and this is likely to be the cornerstone for future beauty regimes.

Having Fun with Makeup

With sales of makeup falling in 2019, with a 31 percent decline compared to the previous year, alongside a global pandemic and the likely ensuing economic recession, this will possibly further decline. Despite claims of Lipstick Effect in previous recessions, the overall lack of consumerism and with sustainability in mind, consumers have become more conservative in their approaches to buying, and in the past, have preferred ‘staple’ cosmetics such as neutrals over colour cosmetics.

However, 2020 is tipped to be the year of makeup experimentation with more paired back looks intertwined with colour and adornments.

Popularised by the HBO series Euphoria, which has widely been praised for the unique styling of its characters whose looks are often topped with sequins, glitter, sharp eyeliner and colourful eyeshadow, created by head artist Doniella Davy, this was also seen on the spring/summer 2019 catwalks. Anna Sui, Dries Van Note, Off-White and House of Holland encouraged a feeling of fantasy with their approach to makeup.

With skin paired down, focus on healthy glow and an otherwise minimal base, pops of jewel coloured eyeshadows intermixed with glitter were a popular choice for many designers and is something that would translate well into the mainstream. The focus should be on one aspect such as using a coloured eyeliner to add a hint of colour, jewel toned eyeshadow to bring out the natural eye colour or touches of glitter in the centre of the eye to add a subtle sparkle. Overdone, it wouldn’t translate well off the catwalk, so by focusing on one aspect, this look would be highly wearable.

Its focus on wearable and playful beauty, is what makes it perfect for the summer months and also with less products to be used, it’s a trend that can easily be achieved with little expenditure compared to previous years when excess products were encouraged by beauty influencers.

This approach also fits in well with the focus of consumers wishing to reduce their routines and save time and money, while still appearing on trend. It is perfect for these unsettled times to allow us to find joy and fun with experimentation.