Ingredients 101: Liquorice Root Extract

Natural or Synthetic: Natural

Origin: Liquorice Root Extract is sourced from liquorice, the root of the Glycyrrhiza Glabra plant.

Location: Liquorice is produced in a variety of countries including Iran, China, Pakistan, Iraq, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan and Turkey.

Beauty Benefits: Liquorice root extract has been used for its medicinal benefits for hundreds of years; as far back as ancient China! It is one of the few natural ingredients that has been scientifically proven to provide health benefits.

Liquorice root extract contains powerful anti-inflammatory properties and it's effective at controlling redness and flushing. The popular ingredient has also been known to lighten skin and fade dark spots and blemishes.

Liquorice root extract is also the perfect anti-ager, as it is packed with powerful antioxidants that speed up skin cell regeneration, promote skin elasticity and fight the free-radicals that cause early skin-ageing.

Warnings: Liquorice root extract ingredients are safe to use topically.

Found in: The Kiehl's Clearly Corrective Dark Circle Perfector SPF30 15ml (£29.00 John Lewis / $38.00 kiehls.com). This makeup and skincare hybrid is a dark-circle diminishing demon! It is a lightweight, tinted eye cream that has a very thin consistency. Due to its SPF and tint, the Dark Circle Perfector works like a BB cream for the eye area, helping to moisturise, conceal, protect and prime! It absorbs quickly and creates the perfect base for further concealer application. I suffer from the worse dark circles and no concealer hides them completely; however, using this product underneath my concealer does the trick!

Ingredients 101: Witch Hazel

Natural or Synthetic: Natural

Origin: Witch hazel is an astringent that is produced from the leaves and bark of a Witch-hazel shrub

Location: North America, China and Japan

Beauty Benefits: Witch hazel is commonly used in skincare products for its ability to treat acne. It does this by reducing inflammation and redness and decreasing excess oil production. As witch hazel is a mild and gentle astringent, it is works well for those with sensitive skin.

Witch hazel has anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties, enabling it to disinfect minor cuts and irritation, as well as treat puffy eyes, varicose veins, bruises, razor burns and sunburn. It is also commonly used to ease symptoms of eczema and psoriasis. If that is not enough, witch hazel is packed with antioxidants and makes a great moisturiser.

Warnings: Witch hazel is considered safe to use topically, however if you are pregnant or breast feeding, consult your doctor before using it.

Found in: Thayers Alcohol-Free Original Witch Hazel Toner 355ml (£7.00 vitamingrocer.co.uk / $9.95 thayers.com)

Understanding...Beauty Sleep

The term beauty sleep may sound like it jumped straight out of a Disney movie, however you might be surprised to hear that it actually holds a lot of truth. A good night's sleep is essential for maintaining a healthy, beautiful appearance.

So how can sleeping affect our appearance? Well, without scaring you too much, lack of sleep can cause the following:

- Dark circles
- Wrinkles
- Inflammation
- Dry skin
- Acne
- Bloodshot eyes
- Sagging skin
- Unhealthy skin

To get scientific, our growth-hormone levels are at their peak during the delta sleep cycle, helping to repair damaged cells and tissues - including skin. Some of the damage that leads to premature ageing is repaired during this stage of sleep. So, when you lose sleep, your body misses out on this period of repair, resulting in untreated skin damage. In addition, you miss out on the antioxidant repair of the skin that occurs during this sleep cycle.

Also, when you don’t get enough sleep, your body releases more cortisol (stress hormone). Too much cortisol can break down skin collagen (the protein that keeps skin elastic, firm and smooth).

If that wasn't bad enough, lack of sleep can also cause weight gain. Sleep deprivation stimulates appetite because it decreases the level of leptin (the hormone that makes you feel full) while increasing the level of ghrelin (the hormone that makes you feel hungry). Another reason sleep deprivation increases weight gain is simply due to the fact that it makes you tired and less active, so you burn fewer calories.

Aside from effecting your looks, lack of sleep can increase your risk of developing diabetes, effect your immunity and fertility, cause depression and anxiety, and kill your sex drive. So getting your beauty sleep really is necessary for all-round good health and beauty.

Experts advise getting between 7.5 - 9 hours of sleep per night, however the exact amount of sleep needed per night is dependant on the individual.

Now, if you struggle getting a good night's sleep, here are a few things that might help:

1. Try and keep to the same sleeping schedule every night
2. Avoid eating big meals late at night
3. Avoid drinking alcohol late at night
4. Get regular exercise
5. Try and wind down before bed - take a warm bath, read a good book etc.

If you find that a good night's sleep is not providing enough beauty benefits, you may want to give your beauty sleep a boost. There are some great skincare products designed to work wonders whilst you snooze...

Recommendations

1. Origins Drink Up Intensive Overnight Mask (£22.00 Debenhams / $24.00 Macy's)
2. Antipodes Joyous Protein-Rich Night-Replenishing Serum (£36.99 feelunique.com / $49.00 hipapotheca.com)
3. Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Eye 15ml (£24.50 Selfridges / $36.00 Kiehl's)
4. Mario Badescu Protein Night Cream 30ml (£18.95 beautybay.com / $20.00 Nordstrom)

Weekly Worship: Neova DNA Total Repair

Price: £79.00 / $99.00 50ml

Stockist: Selfridges / skinstore.com

It is hard to walk through a department store or drug store without seeing products claiming to repair damaged skin. Many of them promise to clear up visible signs of damage (e.g. reduce the appearance of fine lines, redness and pigmentation), however the effects are often short lived or non-existent. This is where Neova DNA Total Repair comes in...

This lightweight serum claims to use a cutting-edge formula that "effectively helps to 'clean up' the damaging visible effects of photo exposure before it becomes permanent". The formula contains powerful ingredients, including photolysomes and mitosomes (both DNA repair enzymes), that help to repair damaged DNA in skin cells. This repair leads to significant improvement in the visible signs of skin damage, including fine lines, wrinkles and discolouration (in particular brown spots).

These impressive claims couldn't be more accurate. The DNA Total Repair works incredibly well and I have seen improvements in others' skin, as well as my own. It keeps to its promise of reducing signs of damage as, after only a few weeks of using this product, I have noticed a reduction in the appearance of fine lines. However that is not the best benefit - this serum's greatest strength is the positive effect it has on pigmentation. It helps to even skin tone and brighten brown spots - some people have actually found that this serum removes brown spots completely!

The serum has a lightweight, gel-like consistency which applies effortlessly. It absorbs very quickly and doesn't feel at all tacky on the face. It provides the most refreshing, cooling sensation when applied and it seems to hydrate skin instantly. Another benefit is the packaging - the airtight container and pump ensure that oxygen only reaches the product when it leaves the bottle. This helps to prevent the serum oxidising - stripping it of all its benefits.

Now, the DNA Total Repair is a little on the expensive side, however it just has to be worshipped. It couldn't be more worth the money!

Understanding...Antioxidants

If there is one thing you expect to see in a great skincare product, it's a s**t load of antioxidants.

Antioxidants are natural molecules that are found in plants, fruits, vegetables and even meats, fish and dairy. What make antioxidants truly amazing is that they protect skin from damaging free radicals, which are unstable molecules caused by environmental nasties (for example UV exposure, pollution, and smoke). It is these free radicals that cause wrinkles, pigmentation and poor skin condition. 

In addition to protecting skin from free radicals, antioxidants can:

• Reduce the appearance of wrinkles 
• Reduce the appearance of scars 
• Firm skin 
• Treat sun damage 
• Calm the skin and reduce inflammation 
• Increase collagen production 
• Treat pigmentation 
• Treat acne

Due to their amazing benefits, antioxidants are considered active ingredients that are commonly found in result-driven skincare products. The most common and most effective antioxidants in these products are:

•           Vitamin C
•           Vitamin A
•           Vitamin E
•           Retinol
•           Alpha-lipoic acid
•           Polyphenol
•           Zinc
•           Selenium
•           Coenzyme Q10

So the more antioxidants a product contains, the better that product will be at achieving great results (see antioxidant-rich product recommendations below). Don’t forget that ingredients are always listed on the packaging in descending order of predominance - so make sure that the product's advertised antioxidants are listed as high as possible. 

It is important to mention that although antioxidants are beneficial when put onto the skin, they are even more beneficial when put into the body. For these reasons, make sure you have a balanced diet that is rich in fruit and vegetables to ensure your body is healthy from the inside out!

Recommendations

1. Dermalogica Multivitamin Power Recovery Masque 75ml (£34.50 Liberty / $48.00 ULTA Beauty)
2. The Body Shop Vitamin E Gentle Facial Wash 100ml (£8.00 The Body Shop)
3. StriVectin-AR™ Advanced Retinol Night Treatment 50ml (£79.00 Harrods / $109.00 www.strivectin.com)
4. Perricone MD Advanced Face Firming Activator 59ml(£99.00 www.cultbeauty.co.uk / $120.00 Sephora)