Skin: A Love Story of Smoothing and Healing

The idea of glowing skin is very now, the idea of a beautiful blurring effect to soften pores goes all the way back to 2010 when Benefit Cosmetics added the original Porefessional primer. The idea of skincare in a base isn’t new, but when Benefit does it, they do it better. Find out about the new foundation from Benefit here in Skin: A Love Story of Smoothing and Healing

Benefit Cosmetics is renowned for doing many great things in the world of makeup and skincare first. But whatever they do, let’s face it, others copy because they set a very high standard, but also are natural innovators

When they launch something new, it’s going to make waves. So, meet their new dream foundation. The POREfressional, which has built-in skincare and comes in 40 shades.

So their approach to this new foundation contains skincare ingredients to heal and soothe, giving a perfect second-skin foundation.

The added nutrients include Rose Hip Extract, with its anti-inflammatory properties, which is also naturally rich in vitamin C, which has antioxidant properties, helping us avoid all those ugly free radicals.

Rosehip extract is packed with essential fatty acids like linoleic and linolenic acids, which are crucial for maintaining skin hydration and a healthy skin barrier. 

Rosehip extract is a good source of Vitamin A (including retinoids), which is known to stimulate collagen production, helping to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. 

The antioxidants in Rosehip extract also help protect the skin from damage caused by free radicals, which can contribute to premature ageing.  The essential fatty acids in Rosehip extract are known to support skin repair and regeneration processes. 

Rosehip extract can improve skin tone and texture, leaving it looking brighter and more radiant. It’s well-tolerated by various skin types, including sensitive skin. 

Next up on the list of healing inclusions is Niacinamide, also known as vitamin B3, a popular skincare ingredient known for its versatility and numerous benefits. 

It’s a water-soluble vitamin that helps with various skin concerns, including redness, enlarged pores, uneven skin tone, and fine lines. It helps strengthen the skin’s natural barrier, making it more resilient to environmental damage and improving its ability to retain moisture. 

It has anti-inflammatory properties that can help calm irritated skin and reduce the appearance of redness, making it beneficial for conditions like rosacea and acne.  It can also help regulate oil production and improve skin elasticity, which can make pores appear smaller. 

By supporting collagen production and protecting against free radical damage, Niacinamide can help reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.

Finally, on the list of goodies, find Glycerol,  a naturally occurring compound that is a simple polyol (helps the skin attract and retain moisture), meaning it contains multiple hydroxyl groups, including AHAs and BHAs.

 It’s a colourless, odourless, viscous, sweet-tasting liquid, found in both plants and animal fats.

Glycerin attracts and retains moisture in the skin. It helps to strengthen the skin’s moisture barrier, improve elasticity, and can even boost the absorption of other active ingredients. 

But there is more to this launch than just the healing and soothing, lovely ingredients. The 40 shades belie the clever approach the brand has taken.

Our skin colour is driven by our skin tone. Do we have skin that tans easily, or does it burn in the sun, going back to its original colour?

Maybe it is pale, but does tan after a while in the sun? The way your skin behaves will dictate the tone of your skin, which is what you need to truly match your foundation correctly to have even, flawless coverage. This is not skin colour but skin tone.

Now here is the clever bit. The brand has broken the 40 shades down into three groups. Cool, Neutral and Warm.

So what defines Cool? This is the type of skin that burns in the sun, and then usually goes back to its original colour. This is not just pale skin, it can include Asain and Afro-Caribbean skin colours. The underlying hues include tones of Pink, Red or Blue hues. There are ten shades in this collection to choose from, should you fall into the cool category.

Next up is Neutral. Again, this is not about the colour of the skin but the underlying tone. Here, skin is a mixture of both warm and cool tones. The skin may initially burn, but a tan will follow. There are 16 different available shades in this collection.

Finally, the Warm section. This is skin which has golden, yellow and peach undertones, and skin that tans with ease. Find 14 different shades here to choose from

We are all busy lives filled with too much to ever feel like we have time to stop and rest. What we all want is anything to make life easier and simpler. Skincare that heals as it protects and allows our skin to look its very best is a rather fine option.

Benefit Cosmetics Porefessional is available from 16th July in Boots and BenefitCosmetics.com

If you enjoyed reading Skin: A Love Story of Smoothing and Healing, then why not read Nyah Grace’s Us with 10 Summer Songs

.Cent Magazine London; Luxury Mindset