People Always Compliment Me On My Glowing Skin—Here Are The 15 Things I Do

I’d love to say that my great skin is all in the genes, but the truth is, I work hard to make my complexion look so good. If you want your skin to glow too, take a look at this list of tricks. You’ll look like a million books.

1. I don’t smoke. Smoking ages your skin. Fact. It doesn’t matter what you do to look after your skin—if you’re going to regularly put poison into yourself, it’s going to have an effect. Once I realized that, I cut cigarettes out of my life for good and people can really tell the difference.
2. I dry brush. I use one of those exfoliating brushes on my body before showering. It’s meant to be good for a whole bunch of stuff, like increasing circulation and getting rid of cellulite. I have no idea if that’s true, but what I do know is that it gets rid of dead skin cells and makes my skin shine.
3. I exfoliate. Once a week, I use my own very simple salt scrub on my body. Basically, it’s salt mixed with olive oil or coconut oil. For my face, I do the same thing but with sugar instead of salt because it’s gentler. The salt (or sugar) gets rid of dead cells and the oil moisturizes. The results are absolutely amazing and it’s cheap and free from preservatives and chemicals. If you’re not into physical exfoliators, try an acid toner, which has the same effect.
4. I use minimal makeup. The more product you use on your skin, the duller it will look without it. I confine myself to lipstick and eyeshadow and let my skincare regime do the rest of the work for me. My natural skin looks so much better for it.
5. I use oil as makeup remover. I don’t like using astringents on my face, so I just use some olive oil or coconut oil to remove makeup when I do use some. It all goes off easy and my skin gets conditioned too. This doesn’t work if you have particularly oily skin as it can be comedogenic, but if you have dry or normal skin, this is a great trick.
6. I use rosewater. My grandmother taught me this trick when I was still a kid. Instead of using toner, I use some pure rose water on a pad. Apart from being incredibly effective at removing dirt, it also does wonders for the skin. Also, it smells great.
7. Shea butter is my friend. I’m addicted to this stuff. I buy it in bulk and use it as a moisturizer on my face, my body, hands, feet, everywhere! It’s better than any moisturizer I’ve used but is best as a night cream on your face because it goes on quite heavy. Just make sure you get 100% shea butter without artificial fragrances or ingredients added.
8. I make my own face masks.  Once a week or so, I put some blended avocado mixed with honey on my face, for extra moisture. I’ve also experimented with oatmeal, egg, yogurt, clay and all kinds of other fun stuff. Masks with eggs in them are great before going out, as egg tightens your pores, so your skin will look absolutely amazing.
9. I stay hydrated. Some people say that the whole “drink plenty of water” trend is all hype, but I definitely look better when I remember to drink lots of liquid during the day. I like to put cucumber slices in my water, too because apart from having a lovely refreshing taste, cucumber is also meant to be great for your skin.
10. I eat lots of fresh fruit and vegetables. Making sure my diet is full of actual nutrients also helps keep me looking great. I make sure I eat (or drink) lots of greens, blueberries, apples, etc. The whole “looking good from the inside out” ethos really struck a chord with me, so I do my  best to fill myself with salad even when I’m pressed for time.
11. I eat an avocado every day. Yeah yeah yeah, avocados are supposedly fatty, but it’s good fat. Also, they contain vitamin E, which is one of the most important vitamins for your skin. Since I started on this regime, I’ve really seen the difference. I read once that too many women cut down on healthy fats because they want to stay thin, but end up missing key vitamins, especially those required for great looking hair and skin. Not this gal.
12. I do yoga. Stress makes you look like crap. Sorry, but it’s true. While I’m not some sort of magical guru who can go through life unscathed, I do try to make sure I am generally fit, healthy and reasonably calm. Doing yoga regularly helps me do that. I have friends who achieve the same thing by working out at the gym and going for a run, so I think it’s really all down to getting your circulation going by exercising and looking after your body.
13. I get enough sleep. I love my sleep and my skin loves it too. I always look better when I’ve put in the hours, so I make sure I always do unless there’s a good reason not to.
14. I swapped coffee for green tea. Antioxidants, baby! Apparently, green tea is a superfood because it’s the hot drink that gives you the most antioxidants. I drink a few cups a day. Apart from being yummy and keeping me awake and focused, it also has a wonderful effect on my skin.
15. If all else fails, high SPF tinted moisturizer. Okay, so sometimes even good girls end up doing bad things. If I’ve been out all night partying, or have spent the entire week working on a project instead of looking after myself, my skin is going to show it. But what you can destroy and mother nature won’t hide, science can fix! I just throw on some tinted moisturizer (with high SPF because you don’t want sun damage on top of everything else) and my skin is temporarily restored to its full glory while I do damage control behind the scenes. A girl has a reputation to maintain, after all!