I have never been into makeup. I know it's quite exciting for a lot of women, but for me it's just a bother. Why?

• It takes time and skill - I prefer to spend the time on something else (like doing yoga for example)
• It's high maintenance
• It's expensive. You need to have the products and the tools. I recently read Bobbi Brown's book Living Beauty - while the results of her artistry are quite remarkable, they come at a pretty significant cost.

I can go on, but those are the basics. Although I don't care for makeup, I do care deeply about beauty. Everyone has an opinion about beauty - to me beauty is an attitude and a state of mind. As cliched as that might sound, I believe it's true. For my beauty to shine through my persona, I need to feel gorgeous. And makeup does not do it for me. 
To illustrate what makes me feel gorgeous, I need to make an analogy to Ramit Sethi's pyramid for productivity (with due apologies to Ramit). When you think about it, there are a few key fundamentals which when taken care of pay huge dividends when it comes to the quality of your life. Beauty is an aspect of quality of life - it adds to self confidence. So, here are the fundamentals Ramit talks about that are the basics of leading a productive life. Interestingly, the same is true for looking gorgeous as well. (Below is my summary and not exactly Ramit's words).

• Sleep well - nothing like a good night's sleep to make you feel amazing. Also it helps with dark circles and generally looking like you're about to drop. Concealers work but are a lot more work, time and money. Nothing pays richer dividends than making it a priority to get a good night's sleep.
• Eat well - Ramit talks about meal plans so that the probability of unhealthy eating is low. But the fundamental is to eat nutritious food. For beauty, there are multiple benefits to eating healthy, nutritious food. Many people mistakenly think that beauty is about what they slather on their skin - it is actually a fundamental side effect of a healthy life style.
• Cultivate systems and habits that help you achieve your goal. For beauty, there are a few personal hygiene habits that have to be cultivated and practiced consistently. Like brushing and flossing your teeth. Below are some of the most effective habits that have worked for me (besides the two above).
  • Cleanse your face in the morning and at night no.matter.what. A lot of people go to bed without cleansing their face - just like brushing your teeth gets rid of the food remnants stuck in your teeth, cleansing your face at night removes the grime that collects on your face from your activities throughout the day.  This one habit will elevate your skin to a new level. 
  • Give your skin real nutrients. Makeup is not nutritious. Real nutrients are rich plan oils like olive, coconut, grapeseed etc. My personal regimen is to use facial oils as moisturizers morning and night. A lot of people are appalled at the thought of using oils for their face. I used to be one of them. But I am now convinced that oils are the best way to restoring your skin to the right oil balance. Use natural soaps made from real oils. Want less breakouts? Use facial oils.
  • Exfoliate - use simple physical exfoliants. You don't need 20% glycolic acid peels. Physical exfoliants take time but are way less risky and more pleasant to use. Exfoliate your body as well about once a week by dry brushing or using a scrub.
• Exercise. It's funny how we try to recreate the natural with makeup. It's not a bad thing but for me it's misplaced time and energy. When you exercise, your cheeks flush. You improve your blood circulation in your body that creates vitality. The best manifestation of beauty is vitality. So do exercise that you enjoy. For me it's brisk walking and yoga. Make it a priority. And drink a lot of water and eat food with fiber so the unhealthy build up in your body is flushed away in your pee and poo. 

So that's it. If the above habits are cultivated and practiced consistently, you will glow without the need for makeup. How do I know? I have experimented on myself. I read a lot and found the above to be common in most credible works. Try it - you have nothing to lose.

One of my clients told me that good skin care needs to be cultivated like good oral hygiene. Just like it's automatic for us to brush our teeth so they are healthy, so should it be with skin care so our skin is nourished and glows with happiness. And just like brushing teeth, we need to start with kids when they are young so the habit becomes ingrained.

One of the most common issues I hear about is dry skin. Ranging from scaly and itchy to hard white spots particularly on young children's faces. Such problems can easily be avoided by practicing the following on a daily basis.

1. Only use warm, not hot water for showering. Hot water and soap are the best recipe to strip our skin of its protective oils, or sebum. This is the root cause of symptoms of dry skin in children. Young children who bathe on their own are notorious for taking long, hot showers. This combined with a lack of basic skin care is the best recipe for dry skin. Ask me, I have experienced it with my daughter. Convincing her to cut the heat was hard, but we used an hour glass timer to cut the time. 
2. Use a gentle soap. I recommend a pure glycerin soap like this one. And only use it on areas that really need cleansing - like underarms, genital region, and feet. Plain old water is good enough for other parts. 
3. Use a good body oil right after showering. See this post for details on the type of oil that's best for dry skin. 
4. Apply a body cream with a significant amount of humectant after the oil. Look out for ingredients like aloe vera, vegetable glycerin, and stearic acid such as this one. 
5. ​For stubborn dry spots, try the Resuscitate serum, proven to be effective and safe.​