How To Look Healthy And Glowing At Any Age

Are you unhappy with the way your skin looks and wondering how to look healthy and get your skin glowing again? Are you wondering how to make your face look healthy?

There are many steps you can take to get healthier-looking skin that doesn’t require a lot of money.

In fact, it mostly just takes discipline and some lifestyle and beauty changes.

Whether you’re aging and noticing that glowing skin isn’t as easy to come by any more or you’re just suddenly starting to look washed out and need to refresh, then you will benefit from these tips!

Let’s go over the lifestyle and beauty tips that can change your appearance and give you the results you’re looking for.

How To Look Healthy And Glowing

1. Beauty Sleep
2. Cut Back On Alcohol
3. Stop Smoking
4. Cut Back On Caffeine
5. Eat Healthy
6. Get Some Vitamin D
7. Stop Tanning
8. Drink Water
9. Exercise
10. Stress Less
11. Wash Your Face
12. Moisturize
13. Use Retinol
14. Exfoliate
15. Glycolic Peel
16. Apply a Face Mask
17. Take Care of Your Lips
18. Dewy Foundations
19. Body Brush

What Causes Glowing Skin?

Beauty sleep.

Your body repairs itself when you sleep so that means you it’s important for our well being. The recommended amount of sleep time is 7-9 hours.

I think it’s fair to say that ‘s difficult for most of us. Do the best you can and try to get to bed an hour earlier if you’re not sleeping much. When you are not getting enough rest your body produces more cortisol which means the dreaded inflammation!!

Inflammation will age you. Plain and simple.

It will leave your skin dull and dry. 

Let’s not forget about dark circles and puffy eyes. That’s definitely not going to make us look healthy.

Bottom Line.
Get Your Beauty Sleep!

Related: How To Not Look Tired When You Haven’t Slept A Wink

Cutting Back on Alcohol.

Alcohol will take a toll on your appearance as it dehydrates and causes inflammation. This means dull skin and loss of skin elasticity.

Cut back or try to avoid it completely to keep your skin looking healthy all the time. If you do have a drink, make sure you are drinking lots of water with it to make up for it. Alcohol also affects our sleep and we know what that does to our appearance.

Everything ties together!

Not Smoking.

It’s worth saying even though it’s obvious. Smoking is no good for you. Period.

If you want to look healthy quit immediately. Nicotine reduces your blood flow which will, in turn, hamper your natural glow.

You will see an amazing difference in your appearance (and your health) overall when you quit!!

Cutting Back on Caffeine.

A little bit of caffeine is okay for you, but too much will dehydrate your skin.

Dry and dehydrated skin means no glow….

So how much caffeine is ok to drink?

Health wise the Mayo Clinc says 4 cups a day is the max. If we’re talking skin health though less is better because the more you have, the more dehydrated your skin gets.

Less is more.. Definitely stay under 4 cups a day and aim for less.

Eating Healthy.

This is one of the top factors for looking healthy. You have to eat healthy!

Add healthy foods into your diet however you can.

If you’re eating bad, it’s going to show up on your skin.

Certain foods are known for boosting collagen production and fighting inflammation. Therefore, you want to add a lot of vegetables and fruits into your weekly meal plan.

10 Foods to add to your diet to help give you glowing skin

But what if you don’t have the desire to eat all of these things or have the time to incorporate each into every meal?

My solution is to put some fruits and veggies into a smoothie once a day. It gives you a dose of what you need all at once.

Here’s what I do….

I start with my favorite all-natural protein powder. You can’t have this alone with water. This is only to be mixed in with something. It has no flavor at all so I throw this protein powder in with almond milk(or water).

Then I add-

• Spinach
• Bananas
• Frozen blueberries,
• Cocoa powder
• chia seeds

You can do whatever you want with a smoothie so get creative and try different things! If you don’t have a protein powder you can add in yogurt for protein. It’s the perfect substitute.

If eating healthy gets you glowing skin then that means processed and sugary foods are going to damage your skin and make it look washed out and dull.

Click here to read about the foods You need to AVOID in order to keep your skin looking healthy and to avoid premature aging.

Getting Vitamin D.

We need to get a little sunlight every day if we can. Vitamin D is an essential vitamin for our skin and will perk up dull and lifeless skin.

It helps reduce inflammation which can really wreak havoc on our appearance. This also means that it can help reduce breakouts. It’s important that you don’t overdo it though. Too much sun will dry you out and most importantly can cause skin cancer. So always protect yourself with sunscreen. 

Avoiding Tanning!

So I just told you to get some sun right? Now I’m telling you to fake tan! What’s the deal?

Balance. Isn’t everything in life about balance? 

While we need to get some sun as I previously mentioned because of the Vitamin D, we also need to watch that we don’t overdo it. So if you want the tan that the sun provides the healthiest way to do it is to fake tan. 

We all love to tan. I mean, it just instantly makes you feel better.  Nothing better than getting some color on your face.

However, we all know tanning and tanning beds are no good for you. The main reason is the skin cancer risk of course, but there are vanity reasons as well.

The tan initially looks good, but in the long run, it’s going to cause more wrinkles. It dehydrates our skin.

The best thing to do is self-tan with a fake tanner if you want some color. Check our my fake tan tips and my favorite self tanner for face and body.

If you’re not ready to self tan, you may like this tinted primer that has spf 40. I use it every day for sun protection and a hint of color.

Drinking Lots of Water.

If we are dehydrated and not drinking enough water it’s going to show in our skin. We’re going to look dull and washed out.

Water plumps the skin and keeps it hydrated which is one of the best ways to keep you looking healthy.

Drink water throughout the day every day.

Aim for 8 glasses of water to stay hydrated and get the full benefits for your skin. If you stop drinking water regularly, the plumping effect will stop as well.

I really notice a difference in the appearance of my skin if I don’t drink enough water. If you want to look healthy keep up with your water intake!!

Here’s a fun tracker you can download if you subscribe to my email list. I like to see my progress so this is what I use. It’s part of my daily planner.

Exercise.

 Exercise will cause your skin to glow immediately!

It’s not only wonderful for your body, but it can greatly improve how you look and feel.

Exercise boosts circulation and blood flow which nourishes your skin cells. It supplies oxygen to your skin so that you get that immediate flush after exercising and your skin looks more radiant.

In addition, exercise reduces stress which leads to my next point….

A Good Attitude.

Stress can do a lot of damage to your body and skin so if you want to make your face look healthy then you need to get it under control.

Stress releases cortisol which can make the skin more oily and cause breakouts. It can also cause psoriasis, eczema and skin rash flare-ups.

Did you know that stress causes wrinkles?

So the bottom line is to try and eliminate as much stress as you can in your life!

Being happy DOES make your skin glow.

Smile and laugh more- stress less!

Here are some self-care ideas you may like to help reduce stress.

Washing Your Face Every Night.

Don’t skip this no matter how tired you are.

If you leave makeup on at night your pores can become clogged and you may end up with blemishes as a result of it.

When you wash your face make sure you use warm water and that it’s not too hot. Hot water will dry out your skin and can backfire on you creating a dull look.

Keep it lukewarm to protect your skin.

A Skin Care Routine.

I highly suggest starting a good skincare routine if you haven’t already.  Make sure you are also using the right skincare. Sometimes we are using the wrong products which can really dry out our skin making it look sallow, inflamed or more wrinkly!

Moisturizing will not completely prevent you from wrinkling, but it will improve the elasticity of the skin and will just make your skin look healthier overall. 

Apply a good moisturizing cream morning and night. I always go for a heavier cream at night because my skin is on the drier side.  Find what’s best for your skin type. Don’t forget an eye cream too!

There are lots of great skincare lines out there to choose from! I personally use Mario Badescu products.

Here is a pic of the shipment I just received…..

I’ve used them since pregnancy and have never looked back.

Retinol.

Retinol increases your cell turnover and unclogs your pores.

In addition, it reduces wrinkles, acne and the size of your pores. Retinol is really amazing stuff. It helps take care of all things that are going to make your skin look more youthful and will cause you to glow!

Try these affordable favorites…

Exfoliating Weekly. 

Exfoliating will greatly improve your skin by getting rid of the dead skin cells that are sitting on the top layer of your skin.

Once you get rid of the dead cells you will be revealing the bright skin that is hiding underneath and your skin will start to look healthy and glow!

Exfoliating also triggers new collagen production which is what helps give your skin a more youthful appearance.

What till you see how much better your skin looks and how much softer it will feel

Using a washcloth is one way to gently exfoliate. I use one to remove my makeup every night. I gently wipe away the makeup with a cleanser and washcloth.

For a stronger exfoliation, you can buy a scrub or make your own.

  Marla from Organic Green Living has a coffee-based facial scrub you can make at home. I like this scrub because I always have the ingredients on hand.  It only requires 2 ingredients!

Now, make sure you don’t over-exfoliate, especially if you are already using a retinol cream.

You don’t need to scrub hard. Let the scrub itself do the work. If you are using a scrub, the max to exfoliate is 3 times a week. If you over-exfoliate you can damage your skin and make it dry and flaky.

To be on the safe side, if you are just starting out, apply once a week. See how your skin adjusts. If it doesn’t seem irritated then go for two times a week and build up to three if necessary.

Glycolic Peel.

If you want to really give your skin a boost and make your face look healthy then you should try an at-home glycolic peel. This Neostrata peel is the next best thing to a professional glycolic peel.

I am really excited about this peel and I’m so impressed by how smooth it makes my skin. It also had my skin glowing after two days of using it.

The peel is so simple to use.

Wash your face and then wipe one of the pads all over your face. That’s it! I also rub the pad all over my chest to help with sun damage.

The peel comes with 36 pads, but the pads are so absorbed with the product that I cut them in half to make them last longer! This way it will last me two months.

It may sting a little to when you first use it, but that is normal. You can even just use these once every 3 days or however much you like. It depends on your skin.

Amazing product!

Here is a more affordable option for you at only $25 for 50 pads.

Face Moisturizing Masks.

A face mask can help hydrate your skin and reduce the appearance of large pores. If you can do these once a week you will definitely be on your way to looking healthy and getting glowing skin.

Just like the exfoliating scrub you can buy face masks or make your own.

Here is one of the best drugstore masks from Aveeno. This is a face mask that removes dull skin and unveils a brighter complexion. It’s reasonably priced at less than $10.

I would start doing a mask once a week and see how your skin responds. This should be done after you cleanse and exfoliate. After you peel the mask off you should apply your moisturizer.

Taking Care of Your Lips.

I think this is something a lot of us overlook. If we neglect to care for our lips they get dry, cracked and shriveled looking!

We need to take care of our lips every day.

After you brush your teeth run the toothbrush over your lips to gently exfoliate them. Then immediately apply a lip balm so it quickly absorbs. The ideal lip balm is one with an spf in it. If we protect our lips from the sun we are less likely to get super wrinkly lips as we get older.

Dewy Foundations.

If your skin is just looking tired then you need makeup that is going to make you look healthy and get your skin glowing. Matte and powder foundations tend to make you look more dull and dry(if you don’t have really oily skin of course). Aim for creamy liquid or mousse foundations that won’t make you look flat.

Here are my favorite splurge foundations:

Laura Mercier – Flawless Lumiere Radiance Perfecting Foundation

I mix a pea-size amount with my moisturizer for a light coverage day time look. This lasts me a long time because a little goes a long way. So it’s more of a splurge for me personally, but the fact that I can make it last along with the results it gives me is well worth the cost.

My other favorite that is really nice for summer the Chanel Ultra light skin perfecting foundation. It’s nice and light for summer and gives you a flawless finish.

If you have a matte foundation you love and can’t part with, Angela over at Blush and Pearls recommends Adding this primer oil to your matte foundation to give you that healthy glow!

For those of you that don’t like the feel of foundation, you could go with a tinted moisturizer or…….

Cendu From Cenzurely Yours loves this Olehenrickson Banana Bright Primer that can be worn alone without foundation! This is a fantastic way to get a subtle glow and even out your skin tone a bit to give you that healthy sunkissed look without depending on foundation. Read her full review on how you can wear this amazing primer, (did I mention it’s also cruelty and paraban free!), with our without foundation.

Body Brushing Daily.

 This is another form of exfoliation, but it’s more specific to the body. In addition to exfoliating, it boosts your circulation so it will also affect the appearance of your face.

You will be left with smooth skin all over!

Body Brush before you get in the shower if possible. If you’re not able to do it then just make sure you do this before you moisturize.

If you exfoliate before you moisturize it allows your skin to hydrate more efficiently. Start at your feet and use long brush strokes towards the heart. For the belly, go clockwise. Start off lightly brushing as to not irritate your skin and then increase intensity as you progress.

Here is an example of the type of body brush I have.

I’ve been doing this for years. Love the results.

Which Of These Will You Try First?

As you can see, there are so many ways to improve your complexion naturally and give your skin an overall healthier appearance.

Now that you know how to look healthy and glowing what is the first thing you’re going to try?

I’m personally going to cut back on caffeine and get serious about my water intake!

Let me know in the comments below what you plan to do. I love hearing from you!

Thanks for visiting!

xoxo,

Nicole

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