professional treatment – that’s what an aesthetician’s for. So, if you make that commitment to slow down, and take the time to do something morning and evening you’re going to see a really big payoff, not only in the lead-up to being a bride, but for many, many years later. KA You’ve recently added three new products to the Molecular Defense (MD) range – Barrier Repair Recovery Balm, Biotech Longevity Crème, and Gentle Cleansing Balm. How might these benefit our lovely brides-to-be in the run up to the wedding? JR I think the new Longevity Crème would be a great booster to a regular skincare programme. It utilises exosome technology whereby you take a bubble, put a lot of good ingredients into it then the exosomes deliver them to the skin. That’s the vitamin C and the hyaluronic acid, along with boosters, which increase the cell life. You’re not going to see a huge before-and-after improvement, but if you use these Molecular Defense products for a long period of time they’ll help these cells to stay younger for longer. So, these are some of the new things I think a bride should add into her routine not only in the lead-up but certainly after the big day, to save ageing for later! KA Are there any specific pre-wedding treatments or facials you can recommend and when should they be scheduled to ensure the best results? JR Six months before the wedding day, you should definitely start having some professional treatments. I recommend our Signature Face Lift, a combination of vitamin C, enzymes, organic aloe vera and botanicals. This is all massaged into the skin followed by hyaluronic acid serums. It’s a beautiful exfoliation, brightening, lightening treatment you can do every month in the preceding six months. I think a professional treatment is essential – get that skin on a treadmill, get it running in the right direction! Don’t do anything crazy a month or two before. Don’t fall into the trap of believing you need to leave your forehead completely wrinkle free where you’re going for microneedling, botox and fillers – don’t do that! Close to the wedding less is more. You’ve got other things to worry about. KA If you could give every bride just one piece of skincare advice, what would it be? JR Start early, be consistent and wear a sunscreen every day. Ninety per cent of all facial ageing is caused by the sun. So, you need to be wearing a product to reduce that damage every single day. It doesn’t matter if it’s cloudy or raining, UVA and UVB are still shining through. They always accelerate the ageing process, especially so when it’s sunny. Today, SPFs aren’t the old pasty white; they’re very elegant and often free from chemical UV filters. Especially with IMAGE, they contain organic ingredients of zinc and titanium, which aren’t chemical-based. We add a lot of other very powerful antioxidants to our cosmetically elegant formula, so you can apply a sunscreen every day that’s basically a beautiful moisturiser with antiageing ingredients offering a shield against those harmful rays. An SPF is essential. It’s not only - if you want to call it - a vanity anti-ageing issue, but it’s a life and death issue. Skin cancer is increasing, which we want to protect against for the future, so a sunscreen is the most critical product you can have in your bag. KA What does the future hold for you and IMAGE Skincare – what’s next? JR Innovation is really important to IMAGE. In America, we’re the number one professional skincare brand and that’s a big responsibility – to set the trend rather than chase it. Sunscreen is still a big innovative segment that I’m interested in because it saves lives, so it’s really important to focus on that. I think the other most important innovation is to look at the skin barrier. You do a lot to your skin but how do you promote its health? You need to put a barrier up to protect it, not only from the environment or the UVAs and UVBs but from the internal stressful aggravators that create unhappy skin. So, innovation, sunscreen and post-treatment are the things we’re most interested in looking at today. BEAUTY FEATURE 73
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