Platinum beauty guru and celebrity make-up artist Dottie Monaghan shares why skincare shouldn’t stop at the jawline. Connect with her at instagram.com/dottiemakeup.
WORDS: DOTTIE MONAGHAN. IMAGES: VARIOUS BRANDS AND SHUTTERSTOCK.
As the warmer weather arrives, neck lines lower, shirts open, and we show more skin. Attention is then put onto the neck and décolletage, so don’t let your skincare routine stop at your jawline.
From the jaw down to the bust, the skin is very delicate and will show age more than the skin on your face. Similar in texture to that around the eyes, it is often prone to sun exposure, premature ageing, breakdown of collagen, sun spots, crepey skin, fine lines and visible blood vessels.
After years of neglect on my part, I am pleased to say it’s never too late to rejuvenate the appearance and help restore the area back to its former glory – or at least improve the overall look by boosting firmness and texture.
A mixture of movement, toning exercises and adding skincare products targeted at this area will greatly improve the appearance. Easy at home movements are:
1 Sit comfortably and straight with a back rest. Open your mouth as wide as you can, stick your tongue out as far as possible and hold for 10 seconds. Relax and repeat for 10 reps.
2 In the same position, tilt your head back to look at the ceiling and pucker in a pout. Hold for five seconds, relax, then repeat 10 times.
Be gentle with the area when cleansing: use fingertips and an upwards movement, avoid overly hot water, and opt for an exfoliant that is gentle (AHA- and PHA-based products are good). A mitt used on dry skin applying only feather-like strokes works well too. Really, any massage to this area helps; gua sha stones are great, but a large spoon can also be used.
A retinoid treatment will help fade sun or age spots, but remember this leaves the skin more sensitive to UV damage so practise good sun safety. Moisturisers and serums will enhance and hydrate the skin, increasing the firmness and elasticity, while applying vitamin C will help reverse some of the damage. And always apply sunscreen before leaving the house if skin is exposed.
At-home devices are easy to slot into your everyday routine to tighten and lift. The key is to keep up a consistent routine for best results.
Finally, there are a couple of quick fixes for a more defined jawline or to help soften a double chin. With a brush, apply a darker shade of foundation or bronzer under the chin a
