Your best-time beauty calendar
When it comes to successful beauty treatments, it’s all in the timing. Here’s when to do what, for maximum results.
The best time of day to …
Shower
First thing in the morning will boost energy levels.
The water pounding on your body stimulates your skin’s nerve endings and gets your circulation going – and your skin glowing.
Intensify your shower’s energising powers by using a citrus-scented shower gel.
Moisturise
After your shower when your skin is still damp to seal in the water on your skin.
Blot yourself dry so your skin still feels damp and then apply moisturiser in the bathroom – the steam will have opened your pores, allowing for deeper product penetration.
Pluck your eyebrows
Straight after your shower – the steam will make your skin super-soft and enlarge your pores, making plucking less painful.
Put on makeup
Ten minutes after moisturising.
This will give moisturiser time to settle and your skin’s natural oils time to resurface so make-up will go on flawlessly.
- Related story: 6 tricks for flawless foundation
Spray on perfume
Before getting dressed.
Maximum skin contact is important, as body heat diffuses fragrance.
It also allows you to access pulse points (such as behind your knees, the inside of your elbow and even your ankles), where your body is naturally warmer.
The body heat makes your fragrance radiate and last longer.
- Related story: How to find your signature fragrance
Shop for makeup
In the afternoon.
In the morning your skin tends to be paler and a little dehydrated so it will drink up makeup and distort colours.
After lunch your circulation will be revved up and your skin tone back to normal so makeup colours will look more true to life.
Exfoliate
In the evening.
Exfoliating before bed means you can remove all the pore-clogging grime and dead cells that have built up during the day.
It will also make your skin more receptive to products so your night skincare treatments will be more effective.
Apply skin treatments
In the evening.
At night your skin cells go into repair mode and are more receptive to products, especially acne and anti-aging treatments.
Your skin’s temperature also rises by a degree or two at night, which temporarily dilates the pores – allowing everything you apply to penetrate even deeper.
- Related story: Why masks are the first-aid skin fix for your face
The best time of the week to …
Apply fake tan
On Sunday morning.
Fake tan needs acids to activate its ingredients and these are more plentiful in the morning before you’ve showered.
Lazy Sunday mornings are perfect because you generally have more time to let the product work before you have to shower it off and get dressed.
- Related story: 6 skin no-nos you should stop doing now
- Related story: How to look after your skin as you age
The best time of the month to …
Have a facial
On Friday – a week after your period.
Your skin is more prone to irritation and redness the week before and during your period, because of hormonal changes.
Have your facial on a Friday afternoon because you’ll not only cleanse way the week’s grime, but you’ll have the weekend to recover from any resulting redness or breakouts.
Get waxed
A week after your period.
Waxing hurts regardless, but getting waxed right before or during menstruation hurts even more because your skin is extra tender.
Written by Nikki Yazxhi