How to make Your Skin Radiant And Beautiful

It’s easy to get your glow on! Put your best face forward with skin care tips from those in the know.

1) Watch what you eat

“Avoid junk foods and foods (such as red wine) that can flush your face,” says Beth Ellwood, a licensed aesthetician at Pharmaca Integrative Pharmacy. “Try to pinpoint any food intolerances that may be affecting your skin.”

Gluten, for example, can be linked to eczema, and dairy can exacerbate acne. Greens, on the other hand, can make your skin glow. Nutritional oils — such as those in fish, avocado and organic coconut oil — and other essential fatty acids can also create radiant skin.

2 Cleanse and exfoliate

“Our skin gets that feel-good glow when it’s exfoliated and moisturized,” says Candice Betz, spa director forAWAY Spa at W Austin. Regular exfoliation removes dead skin and unblocks pores. The result is brighter skin. “For radiant-looking skin, I would use a Clarisonic cleansing device (Clarisonic.com, $169),” says Dr. Debra Jaliman, assistant professor of dermatology at Mount Sinai School of Medicine. “It takes off all the dead skin cells as well as makeup and bacteria.”

Dr. Jaliman likes the Clarisonic system because it has different brush heads for different skin types.

3 Protect

With less dead skin, your nourishing serums and moisturizers will penetrate much deeper. But remember: Your radiant skin is tender skin, so be sure to protect it!

“Using the correct sunscreen is essential,” says Dr. Jaliman, who recommends a product with high concentrations of both zinc oxide and titanium dioxide.

4 Massage

“The most overlooked and inexpensive treatment for your face is a facial massage,” says Scott Truel, expert instructor massage therapist, aesthetician and holistic health practitioner. “Facial massage increases circulation, which oxygenates the blood and encourages the presence of fresh, healing red blood cells.”

Try Truel’s at-home facial massage, and before long, you’ll be glowing!

• Start with your cheeks. Use your fingers to draw big circles, moving upward.
• Lift the jaws. Rub from mid-jaw to cheekbone with long, upward strokes. Press firmly, then hold for a moment at the cheekbone top. Do one side at a time.
• Relax smile lines. Use repetitive upward strokes from the corners of your mouth to the corners of your nose.
• Uplift your eyes. Using your fingers, lift and hold both your brows. Rub gently in a circular motion around the eye socket, toward the temples and then to the forehead.
• Plump your lips. With your thumb and index finger, pinch completely across the top and bottom of your lips to stimulate blood flow.