We have all heard the quote “Beauty is only skin deep” and with the average British woman spending £2,500 on beauty products every year it would seem to confirm this.

But the reality couldn’t be further from the truth.  Beauty is a lot more than just skin deep.

Confession of a Beauty Product Junkie

Now, let me start this article with an admission…I used to be a beauty product junkie.  Having previously spent 5 years working for a french beauty company I learnt a lot about how the skins works, how certain product ingredients work and what techniques and process make products work better.  Combined with an almost pathological fear of developing jowls (my maternal grandmother had them…so they are on their way!!!) I bought into every new firming beauty product developed.  In my 20’s I was using products marketed at 40 year olds, now I’m in my 40’s my skin care habit had become very expensive.  No off the supermarket shelf products for me by now my beauty habit needs a bigger fix than that.

Every day we are bombard by marketing messages urging us to part with our hard earned cash and buy the latest anti-aging beauty products to help us conform to the current vision of what a beautiful woman looks like.  Don’t you want to look like Cheryl, Isabella, Julia?? Perhaps this is little pot of cream could be just the answer.

Then I met our lead therapist Pippa and I got a beauty wake up call. Pippa had been working with us at The Body Retreat for almost a year when chatting together one day she revealed that she was in fact older than me.  I was shocked, because I had always assumed that Pippa was in her late 20’s….maybe early 30’s at a push.  As I looked very very very closely at her face I couldn’t quite believe what I was hearing. She looked radiant, glowing, her skin all firm and plump, her hair was glossy and her eyes sparkled and she didn’t have a pick of make up on.  My next thought was..I need what ever product she is using and I need it now!

But there was no magic product.  There was just ….and I use the term “just” ironically…. there was just a healthy lifestyle. Pippa was careful to eat clean foods, was active, got a good amount of sleep, she also liked to do yoga outside if possible every day, she naturally had a great skincare routine but rather than buy expensive products she used home made treatments for her skin.  My first thought was it sounded a little hippy for a product junkie like myself.  Or does it!

 The Inside is more Important that the Outside

For me it was a light bulb moment.  Here I was spending the price of a decent pair of shoes on a face cream to apply on the outside when the inside wasn’t in tip top condition.  Its a bit like buying expensive wall paper and papering over a cracked wall.  Its only going to look good for a short while, but the cracks will make themselves known very quickly.  The same is true of lotions and potions, they cannot undo the impact of an unhealthy body.

How we look is more affected by what we eat and how we think than any amount of expensive creams and serums.  Think about it, you know the pained face of someone who is ill, the weathered expression of someone who is a heavy smoker, the pale and drawn complexion of someone who is very stressed.  You can recognise the signs of compromised health in yourself, dry skin, breakouts, course hair, dark circles under the eyes, flaking or weak nails.

There are a multitude of aggressors that make us feel and look years older than we really are, poor digestion, crash diets, high stress levels, food allergies, hormone imbalances to name but a few all contribute to compromised health and can actually increased inflammation with in turn speeds up the ageing process.

Beauty starts not with a wrinkle or in my case jowl free face but with a healthy digestive system and a calm mind.

If you want to improve the condition of your skin you need to start by improving the condition of your digestion.  Right now you can literally begin to eat yourself beautiful.  Begin to decrease the toxic load that processed and fast foods have on your system while at the same time increase the amount of antioxidant , vitamins and minerals you do eat on a daily basis.  Learn to rebalance your stress levels and make time every day to be calm, even if it is only a for a couple of minutes. You skin will thank you.

I will admit that I haven’t thrown out all the creams and potions from my dressing table, but in researching the programme for our Beauty Detox Retreat I have become convinced that we should be spending more of our hard earn cash in the fruit and veg aisle of the supermarket rather than the cosmetic aisle. I feel genuienly excited to learn more from our therapist and experts on retreat about how to create fitter and firmer skin from the inside out rather than try to apply it from the outside in.

Joining us at our women only retreats to learn more about how create beauty from the inside out may not be right for you right now, but you can start to make small changes at home.  Begin with small changes like adding the 7 Beauty Boosting Foods below and you will be surprised how in just a short while you will feel and see a difference in your skin, hair and nails.

The Body Retreats 7 Beauty Boosting Foods to add to your diet today.

Avocados: Enzyme and mineral rich, these little green fruit are the best fat to improve your skin texture and elasticity.

Salmon: Full of Omgea 3 Salmon will boost your skins glow and radiance.

Almonds: Contain Vit E these nuts can also help to protect your skin from harmful UV rays.

Chia Seeds: Another great source of Omega 3 and also a great source of protein a great addition to your daily diet.

Eggs: A good source of iron and can help to recent dark circles under your eyes.

Blueberries: Full of antioxidants which help to fight the free radicals than can cause premature ageing.

Water:  Hydration is essential for good skin and good digestion.  So aim to drink about 1-1.5 litres of still water every day.

True Beauty starts with Healthy Eating.  

Great skin is 70% what you put into your body and only 30% is what you put on your skin.  Creating a healthy lifestyle where you are concisely choosing to respect and protect your body, eating healthy clean food, taking exercise to keep your blood flow boosted, making time to reduce your stress levels and investing in the best quality skin care you can are all part of the beauty puzzle.

At the end of the day no cream is really going to put a smile on your face , but being in great health and the best shape  is really what makes the difference.

Id love to hear from you, what is your beauty secret?  Are you a beauty product junkie or do you favour a more holistic natural approach?

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