For those of you who don’t know about Paula Begoun (pronounced Bee-gone), let me fill you in. Paula’s an American skin care consumer watch dog also known as the ‘Cosmetics Cop’. She is the author of several best-selling books including Don’t Go to the Cosmetics Counter Without Me, a veritable beauty bible that dishes honest reviews on a myriad of products, helping you sort out the snake oil from what’ll really make a visible difference.

Anyway, Paula breezed into Cape Town the other day and I got to meet her along with the other beauty editors at an event hosted by the company importing her goodies into South Africa. Having read her stuff via her website for years and being so impressed by her no-nonsense, take no prisoners approach to beauty, I was super excited to meet her and was thrilled to discover that, aside from being a fascinating speaker, she’s also funny and warm.

While Paula covered a myriad of topics, I thought I’d pick out some of the highlights.

Be wary of beauty products being sold in jars.
Jars allow air to get into your product and oxidises the ingredients causing them to lose their efficacy. Big beauty brands know this but, as women are more likely to spend more money on jar-packaging as they perceive it to be more ‘luxurious’, they’re not likely to stop doing it.

Chances are you don’t need an eye cream. Really. You’re totally wasting your cash.
The skin around your eyes is no different from that of the rest of your face. Whatever your face can tolerate, your eye area can too so simply apply your serum everywhere and Bob’s your uncle.

‘Natural’ doesn’t always mean better.
Just because something ‘comes from the earth’ or was ‘created by nature’ don’t think it can’t kill you. (Snake venom and arsenic are prime examples of natural toxins.) Many of the most beneficial anti-aging ingredients out there, retinol being one of the best, are synthetically derived and perfectly safe.

Don’t leave it too late to start fending off Father Time.
Many beauty brands tend to reserve their most potent anti-aging ingredients for ranges dedicated to women in their forties and fifties. Thing is, if you only start using the big guns then, you’ve already missed the boat. Retinol is one of the most effective anti-aging ingredients around (more on this further down) and whatever concentration you use when you’re in your fifties can also be used in your twenties.

So, what should you be doing in order to look after your skin and keep it looking as youthful as possible for as long as possible? Which ingredients are the ones you should be looking out for? According to Paula and just about every dermatologist on earth, these are the gold skin care standards.

Wear sunscreen like a mofo
The sun is evil, okay? You need to wear sunscreen every time you set foot in the sun. It’s your best defence against the uber-depressing signs of photo-aging; things like collagen loss, pigmentation and premature wrinkling. So just wear it, okay? Slap it on right this freakin’ second.

Retinol is your friend
Your skin’s collagen supply starts diminishing towards the backend of your twenties and this results in a loss of firmness and wrinkling. While there are a million products on the shelf that make use of collagen-boosting ingredients, the most effective is still boring old retinol and peptides to a lesser extent so don’t bother with the cream that blabs on about its amazing gold-infused olive flower extract grown in the sunny fields of Provence; rather invest in a retinol serum to use underneath your daily hydrator and night cream.

Your day cream can be as simple as plain old Neutrogena Oil-free Moisture with SPF 15 and you can skip out on night cream altogether if your skin isn’t dry, but if you’re using a retinol serum you’re already ahead of the pack. You don’t need to spend hundreds to get the best anti-aging skin care out there. 

Shamefully, I often use some of the R2000 anti-aging creams I’ve been given to review as hand or body lotions as their ingredients simply don’t beat that of the el cheapo yet effective products, many of which are made by Paula, already sitting on my shelf.

Make sure your products include lots of antioxidants
Antioxidants are important in that they protect your skin from age-accelerating free-radicals. Thing is, you can’t just use one or two; that would be like eating just apples and bananas and expecting to remain in good health. You need a good mix of different antioxidants as each one fends off a different type of free-radical. In all, the more antioxidants, the merrier.

Obviously there are other ingredients you need to look out for if you’re dealing with other issues, things like pigmentation or breakouts. In regards to the former, Paula reckons hydroquinone, available in SA on prescription from your doc and derm, is the shizz and you’re going to want to incorporate salicylic acid (BHA) and benzoyl peroxide into your routine if you’re dealing with the latter.

Anyway, if you’re wanting fabulously formulated skin care that works, take a look at Paula’s Choice products being sold via the SA site; her stuff is amazing. You can also check out her US website for a wealth of knowledge in regards to all things beauty. I’m particularly fond of her Beautypedia section that gives you the low down on just about any beauty ingredient under the sun as well as brutally honest beauty reviews of popular products.

Love, love

Leigh