Bridge of Memories

If you’ve blown the birthday cake candles forming the shape of the number 40, or you’re about to do it, you’ve probably noticed how your skin is changing. Unfortunately, it’s probably not something you are happy nor excited about. As we age, our skin can become dryer and flakier, and exhibit fine lines and wrinkles. This is due to the natural decrease of lipids in the skin barrier, but it doesn’t only happen because of ageing. Environmental factors, such as harsh Australian sun, as well as your habits, can oxidise the lipids in the skin. Once the skin barrier is weakened, it will be easier for all sorts of irritants to penetrate the skin – we’re talking various bacteria, allergens, chemicals and pollution. You certainly don’t want that, as it can lead to inflammation and red, itchy, cracked and painful skin. Here’s how you can help your skin restore its skin barrier for good.

Easy with the Exfoliant

Many women love the feeling of a squeaky clean skin given by a harsh exfoliant. Sure, removing dead skin cells is important, but when you scrub too hard or too often, it can prove quite harmful for the skin. Insisting on aggressive formulas and physical exfoliates, like seeds and nutshells, can cause micro-tearing in your skin and remove multiple layers of skin cells. It’s possible to give yourself a good cleanse even if your skin stays where it is!

Find the Right Products for Your Skin
Sometimes it’s not just the physical exfoliants that harm your skin barrier: some foaming cleansers containing sulphates will remove oils and beneficial bacteria from your skin, so even though they might prove useful for certain skin issues, they will do harm on another level. That’s why you should find the products that will perform equally well but also keep your skin barrier safe. Clay and tea tree essential oil, for example, are great natural cleansers that work like a charm but keep your skin safe as well. Drugstores and beauty shops full of wonderful products that won’t do your skin no harm – feel free to ask the shop seller for advice.

Avoid Hot Water
We’re not saying you should always bathe and shower with cold water, but generally speaking, you should avoid doing it with hot water. If you really like the sauna feeling under the shower, make it a minute or two, but not more, and definitely never put your face under the shower. Hot water is known for stripping the skin off its barrier, so try to always cleanse with tepid water.

Always Wear Sunscreen
Living in sunny places, you probably do this daily already – good for you! Wearing a daily SPF is an easy way to protect the skin barrier. Going outside with no SPF is likely to damage your skin barrier and not only that but your DNA as well, which is responsible for premature ageing of the skin. Please resort to a sunscreen every day and keep your skin barrier where it should be! In case you have already noticed wrinkles and age spots, you can talk to a reliable plastic surgeon or dermatologists about non-invasive procedures to tone up the skin such as dermabrasion and fat transfer. But while you can still prevent a myriad of sun-caused skin issues, do it!

Eat Well
Sure, the better your diet, the better will your whole body work – and that includes the state of your skin. You know the drill already: lean protein, fibres, and lots of fruits and vegetables are a foolproof recipe for a healthy body. Your skin, however, will particularly love omega-rich foods. These include salmon, fish oil, walnuts, and flax seed. In general, of course, try to avoid junk food as much as possible. You may reach for a burger now and then, but don’t base your diet on it. Proper nutrition will make every cell in your body as healthy as possible, and that means healthy and glowing skin as well.

Bear with Us: Don’t Use Wipes or Harsh Micellar Waters
When you get home from a looong day, or after a night out, grabbing a wet wipe is the easiest way to take off your make up. But it’s the worst! Wipes and micellar waters can strip you of your skin barrier, as they more often than not contain alcohol, which dries out your skin, and fragrances that can be irritating to the skin. Please find an alternative to this duo, for example, a mitt designed especially for makeup removal. Easy as one-two-three, but also not harmful!

Don’t Stress
Sure, we know no one has ever stopped stressing by reading a piece of advice that says “don’t stress”. But not being stressed is one of the crucial things when it comes to skin care: it will be challenging to maintain the good condition of your skin, no matter how much attention you dedicate to it if you’re stressed out all the time. Yes, do find the right products to protect and repair your skin barrier, but at the same time, pay attention to what’s happening inside of your body too. This means proper nutrition and stress management, as failing to achieve these two can leave your skin barrier in a weakened state, together with skin conditions flaring up.

Take care! Being gentle with your skin will generally keep it in good condition. While many skin concerns can be tracked down to the damage to the skin barrier, the good news is that it can be repaired. Follow our tips, and you’re in for the win. Yay!

How to Build Up Your Skin Barrier

Your travel guide to Hoi An

How to Make Travelling A Greater Part Of Your Life

The most common dream among people, at least when it comes to leisure and fun related things, is to make travelling a bigger part of their life. If they won the lottery, they’d spend the rest of their days moving from place to place, discovering new sights, meeting people, and all-around living the good life. However, that is a luxury that’s only afforded to a select few individuals. Most people, you know, have jobs and obligations and money matters to contend with. But while a life made up entirely of adventuring is not realistic, it’s possible that they could travel more than they’re currently doing. Below, we take a look at a few ways you can make travelling a bigger part of your life. Take our advice, and you’ll never be too far away from another trip.

What’s Nearby?

People have the idea that the only way they can travel is to board a plane, land in another country, and get exploring. This is not the case. Travel is whatever you make of it. There are some people out there who have a better understanding of other countries than they do their own backyard, by which we mean local area. You might know your city like the back of your hand, but what about all the cool areas within an hour’s drive? Sure, it might not be as exotic as landing in a place where people speak with a foreign language, but you’ll be pleasantly surprised by how much fun you have.

Long Weekends

We are quite lucky in the UK, since we get so much holiday time from work, with which we can use to head overseas and enjoy ourselves. But if you want to travel more than twenty-eight days a year, you’re screwed, right? Wrong. While you have holiday entitlement, you also have all of those public holidays to play with, too. At Easter, you’ll have four days off. While you could stick around and have a family dinner, you could also, you know, take a trip to the airport and go on a long weekend break somewhere new. Even New York comes into play when we’re talking about that amount of time.

Visiting Friends

We sometimes lack in inspiration when it comes to travelling. If we’ve been to a place, we’re not so inclined to make a return trip straight away. And with good reason -- once you’ve seen the sights of a famous destination, you don’t really need to go back. The joy of being elsewhere comes from having the insider knowledge about how to enjoy the city like a local. If you have friends and family living overseas, why not take a trip to see them? You’ll find that you’re travelling more if you make this approach a key part of your philosophy since less planning (and money, since they can usually host you) is required. Plus, it’s always more fun to explore a space with a loved one by your side!

Set up a Base
Alternatively, why not look at setting up an overseas base yourself? You’ll be much more inclined to take a trip if you know you have a home waiting for you once you land. While you’ll be less inclined to visit entirely new destinations once you have a base, this is no bad thing -- your flat or home will allow you to explore one area on a deeper level, and also discover all the nearby destinations. Because of this latter point, it’s best to set up a base at a location that’s within easy reaching distance of other cool destinations. Invest in a Serangoon property, for example, and you’ll have all of southeast Asia just one short flight away. You’ll be able to take all of your holiday time at once, and explore an entirely different corner of the world, every year.

Digital Nomad
The internet has changed so much about life, and for that, we have to be grateful, especially if you love travelling. Not only has it greatly simplified the process of finding and booking our trips, but it's also allowed a lucky few to live the dream -- one in which they’re continually travelling. It’s called being a digital nomad, and it can be just as awesome as it sounds. Essentially, all it involves is having a location independent job, such as software developer and the like. All the work is conducted over the internet, so you can work wherever there’s internet, which is, you know, many places across the world. You’ll be able to rent a place for a month or so, work during the day, explore during your time off, and then move on to the next destination when the mood strikes you.

Overseas Options

Of course, not everybody is able to work online. Most people’s work is tied to a specific company. But even this doesn’t have to mean an end to the adventuring. If you work for a company with overseas offices, why not see if they’ll consider moving you over there on a short term basis? You’ll find that you’re given an injection of enthusiasm by spending some time overseas, and since you know it’s not forever, you’ll be inclined to take as many trips as you can while you’re there.

Volunteer Options
For some people, money is the biggest barrier to travel. But did you know that it’s possible to have outstanding experiences, learn a lot about a culture, and spend next to no money? It’s called...volunteering. There are two websites, HelpX and Workaway, which connect travellers with locals who need assistance in some way. You might find that you’re out there in the great outdoors living a strange, primal existence, and it’s not costing you a penny. In exchange for a few hours of work each day, you’ll receive all your food and accommodation. It’s a way to have experiences that money can’t buy.

Where’s Cheap?
Volunteering might be fun, but it’s not for everyone. Some people really like to travel, which means being on their own schedule and seeing the sights. If money is a barrier then, then you’re in a tough position, right? Not necessarily. While there are plenty of expensive destinations in the world, most aren’t. In fact, if you’re coming from the UK then you’ll find that the majority of the world is more than within your budget. So if you’re watching the budget, don’t dream of a trip to the other side of the world -- look at those inexpensive European destinations.

Change Your Budget

It’s worth keeping in mind, however, that nearly all places can be visited, regardless of your budget. Yes, really -- all destinations. But in order to visit, say, New York, you might need to rethink what you think travel involves. If you only like staying in five-star hotels and eating at the best restaurants in town, then, of course, you’re going to struggle to take many trips. On the other hand, if cheap accommodation, free events, and making your own food sounds agreeable, then your barriers to visiting the world will be few. A few small changes can go a long way!

Make it a Priority
Ultimately, our life reflects what we prioritise. If travelling really is such a big deal for you, then put it to the top of your list. Everything becomes much easier when you don’t accept any other option -- if you say that you’re going to travel more, then commit to me. You’ll find that everything falls into place over time.