Beauty secrets of women around the world
World cosmetics (skincare inspired from far reaching destinations) have found a place in our bathroom cabinets and provide pleasure for our senses. So take a 'feel good' trip on the discovery of beauty secrets of women from other parts of the world. Pamper yourself!
Beauty secrets of African women
Even though the African continent is a vast one and climates differ from one region to another and from one country to another, African women live in the sun. They have learnt to protect their skin from the effects of this beneficial, but aggressive star and know how to make their skin look amazing. Shea butter, without a doubt, is their best beauty asset. Shea butter's success has crossed the frontiers of Africa where it originally comes from. Used for thousands of years, its qualities no longer need proving. It is also said that the Great Royal Wife of Egyptian Pharaoh Akhenaton, Nefertiti, achieved her stunning beauty by using Shea butter and its healing properties.
These days, Shea butter is used all over the world. Rich in essential fatty acids, it's a great ally for dry skin, nourishing, repairing and softening it.
Shea butter is so effective that it is used in many cosmetic products: facial skincare, body creams, hair, etc. It makes the skin satin soft, velvety and supple. In short, everything you need to look fabulous!
Kaolin is another star ingredient from Africa that is used in cosmetics. Women have been using kaolin for centuries to nourish dry skin. This white, crumbly rock gives white clay, ideal for purifying skin dulled by daily attacks. Used as a hair mask, it helps to revitalise dry hair.
Beauty secrets of Mediterranean women
Mediterranean women draw their beauty secrets from the earth. An earth gorged on sunshine that offers the best in terms of skincare. Olive oil, lemon, lavender, honey... beauty has the pleasant smell of Provence. All these intoxicating and relaxing odours can be found in many perfumes, body, face and hair care products...
In Southern France, the Provence region is abundant with plants with beneficial qualities, source of a vast number of cosmetic products. Mediterranean women have no comparison when it comes to radiant complexions and silky soft skin. They know how to make the most of the treasures abundant in nature. Amongst the star products you can find in their make-up bags is honey. Obtained using a completely natural process (that's right, no artificial processing in this manufacturing process), honey has seduced more than one with its sweet perfume. Honey is a wonderful exfoliator, which frees the skin of dead cells, leaving it incredibly soft.
Grape seeds are also in high fashion right now. Used in anti-aging cosmetics, grape seeds strengthen skin protection and trap free radicals, which are responsible for accelerating the skin-aging process. Soothing, exfoliating, refreshing, anti-aging, antioxidant, regenerating and nourishing, these little grape seeds have been used for centuries by women. And they've been making a big comeback in the last few years.
Beauty secrets of Japanese women
In the Land of the Rising Sun, women have innate grace. In this mother country of geishas, women must be beautiful and groomed. Japanese women therefore call upon the best that nature can provide. For a radiant and refreshed complexion, there's nothing like rice flour, known for thousands of years for its matifying properties. Very absorbent, it does wonders for oily skin types. Japanese women mix rice flour with a little milk to achieve that fresh-faced look and porcelain complexion.
You can't talk about Far East Asia without talking about green tea, essential for its draining and antioxidant properties. The polyphenols contained in tea are appreciated for their highly powerful anti-aging properties. Do as Japanese women do: drink three cups of green tea a day and you'll eliminate all those toxins that make your complexion look dull! In ice cube format and applied to the eyes in the morning, green tea will erase all signs of fatigue and dark circles under the eyes.
Far East Asian women's secret to eternal youth relies mainly upon a particular lifestyle based on energy (Chi) flow. They have always understood that external beauty comes from internal wellbeing. Go for a Shiatsu massage, which balances Yin and Yang. Soothing for the spirit, Shiatsu does wonders for the skin.
Beauty secrets of Middle Eastern women
Five thousand years ago in Egypt, women were already using eye shadows and kohl. They have also passed on essential beauty advice to us, such as hammams, steam baths, and eucalyptus fragrances... now just as essential in Western countries. And with reason, their jet-black hair and silky smooth skin are the dream of many a woman.
Middle Eastern women have always used henna on their hair, but not just for its colouring properties. Henna also regulates sebum on the scalp and makes hair strong and shiny. It is also perfect for giving pretty bronze highlights to dark hair.
Amongst Middle Eastern women's beauty rituals, you will also find Dead Sea salt. Ideal for body exfoliation, Dead Sea salt is also reputed for its anti-stress properties. In the evening, a handful of Dead Sea salt in a hot bath will relax your muscles.
Middle Eastern women are certainly the ones to have made the most of all the earth's riches: make-up removal using black soap, sesame scrubs, and rhassoul body wraps... These beauty products all help to cleanse the skin and nourish it deeply.
Beauty is not a dream only reserved for the rich and famous; it's a reality within all women's reach as these simple beauty secrets rom around the world prove!
See more in the dossier: World beauty
