Very dry facial skin feels tight, rough and sometimes itchy, and it can flake around the nose, eyebrows and mouth even after you have applied cream. Often the problem is not that you are not moisturising, but that the formula is too light. This list covers 10 options, from rich ceramide creams to large barrier-repair…
Facial wipes are hard to beat for convenience after the gym, on flights, when camping or on nights when you are too tired to stand at the sink. For sensitive skin, though, the wrong wipe can leave your face red, stinging or itchy. This list covers 10 options that suit sensitive skin, with notes on…
Very dry skin feels tight within minutes of washing, catches on makeup and flakes around the nose, brows and mouth. This list covers 10 options, from cleansing balms and cream cleansers to milks and low-foam washes, with notes on who each one suits and who should probably skip it. The best facial cleanser for very…
If you have curly or wavy hair, you have probably noticed that a regular blow dry turns defined curls into a cloud of frizz. A diffuser is the attachment designed to solve that problem, and it is one of the simplest tools for drying curls without ruining their shape. You use a diffuser for curly…
People can often tell at a glance whether a face is more typically male or female, but the differences behind that impression are averages, not rules. They come from bone structure, soft tissue, skin and hair, and they are shaped by hormones, genetics and age. On average, men’s faces tend to have a more prominent…
Skincare shelves and social feeds make it look as if good skin needs ten steps, three serums and a new product every month. In reality, most dermatologists recommend a short routine built on a few steps done consistently, with extras added only when there is a clear reason. The best skin care routine for most…
There is no shortage of skincare advice online, but much of it is trend-driven, contradictory or built around selling products. The habits that make the biggest difference to how your face looks and feels are surprisingly simple, and most of them cost little or nothing. The best facial skincare tips are the ones backed by…
Walk into any salon and the treatment menu can feel like a foreign language: European, hydrating, oxygen, microcurrent, hydradermabrasion. Most facials share the same basic steps, but each type adds a different technique or technology aimed at a particular goal. The main facial types are the classic or European facial, deep cleansing, hydrating, anti-ageing, acne…
The name diamond facial is used for two very different treatments, which is why it causes so much confusion. In most clinics it means diamond-tip microdermabrasion, a mechanical exfoliation. In some spas it means a luxury facial that uses products containing crushed diamond powder. A diamond facial usually means diamond-tip microdermabrasion, a non-invasive treatment where…
A lactic peel facial is one of the gentlest chemical peels available, which is why it is often the first peel people try. It is popular with anyone who wants brighter, smoother skin but worries that stronger acids will leave them red, flaky or sore. A lactic peel facial is a superficial chemical peel that…
Facial mists and toners both come in bottles of watery liquid, both promise fresher skin and both sit somewhere between cleansing and moisturising. It is easy to assume they are the same product in different packaging, but they are designed for different moments in your day and often contain different ingredients. The main difference between…
An enzyme peel facial sounds dramatic, but it is one of the gentlest ways to exfoliate. Instead of acids or gritty scrubs, it uses proteolytic enzymes, mostly taken from papaya and pineapple, to loosen the dead cells that make skin look dull and rough. An enzyme peel facial is a gentle exfoliating treatment that uses…
A facial can feel like a mysterious sequence of creams, steam and massage, but every good one follows a logical order. Each step prepares the skin for the next, so understanding the sequence helps you know what to expect in a salon and how to copy the basics safely at home. The basic steps of…
Jowls are the soft, slightly sagging areas that form along the jawline, just below the corners of the mouth. They are one of the first signs of ageing many people notice in photos, and facial exercise is often sold as a free, natural way to lift them. The real picture is more mixed than the…
Wrinkle facials range from relaxing massages with rich creams to clinical treatments that deliberately injure the skin so it rebuilds. Both can be called a facial, but they do very different things. Knowing which ones actually change the skin, and which mainly make it look fresh for a day or two, saves time and disappointment….
Blackheads and large pores are among the most common reasons people book a facial. The treatment menu can be confusing, though: deep-cleansing facials, peels, hydradermabrasion and microdermabrasion all promise clearer, smaller-looking pores, and they do not all work the same way. The best facial for blackheads and large pores is usually a deep-cleansing facial with…
Wrinkles come from a mix of age, sun exposure, repeated facial expressions, smoking and genetics, so there is no single fix that works for everyone. What helps depends on whether your lines are fine or deep, whether they appear only when you move your face, and how much time, money and downtime you are willing…
After a filling, an extraction or another procedure that uses a local anaesthetic, it is normal for your lip, cheek, chin or tongue to feel thick, tingly or completely numb. The feeling can be strange and a little worrying, especially if it lasts longer than you expected or makes your face feel lopsided. In most…
Finding a small white or yellowish bump on your eyelid is unsettling, partly because the skin there is thin and partly because it sits so close to your eye. The good news is that most of these bumps are harmless and many clear up without treatment. The less good news is that the most common…
Crepey skin on the cheeks looks thin, finely wrinkled and slightly loose, a little like crepe paper or tissue. It often shows most when you smile, when you lie on your side or when light falls across your face at an angle. Many people first notice it in their forties or fifties, but it can…
Pores on the nose are usually the most noticeable on the whole face. Up close they can look like tiny open holes, sometimes with dark or grey dots inside, and they often seem to get larger with age. That makes many people assume their pores are dirty, damaged or permanently stretched, but the real reasons…